Chapter 45 The Murderer

Gu Shaoqi, since he met him in the Huajiao Lane dismemberment case, Xia Mufan was fed a lot of information about him by Sun Xianbing.

He studied clinical medicine in his undergraduate and graduate studies. After graduation, he gave up the opportunity to work at Kyoto University Hospital and took the initiative to work as a forensic doctor at the Hui City Public Security Bureau. He soon became independent and became a member of the criminal investigation expert pool of the Provincial Public Security Department. In 1994, he was admitted to the Southern Medical University for a doctorate in forensic medicine, where he studied under the forensic leader Liu Huangen. He assisted his mentor in solving many major cases and was named a member of the Ministry of Public Security.

To be honest, Xia Mufan felt that he couldn't stay in Hui City for too long.

Hui City is too small for him to display his talents.

Now, when he suddenly heard Feng Xiaoyu say that his parents had been murdered and the case had not been solved to this day, Xia Mufan instantly understood why Gu Shaoqi did not pursue a good career in clinical medicine but insisted on switching to the field of forensic medicine.

Forensic doctors speak for the dead and defend the rights of the living.

Gu Shaoqi intends to use a scalpel and blue light to decipher the "death code". He wants to make the corpse "speak" and seek justice for the deceased.

Xia Mufan was immediately filled with awe and listened attentively to Feng Xiaoyu's account of the details of the case.

There is a chemical factory in Daxi Town, Hui City. It was built during the period of large-scale construction across the country in the 1960s. In order to support the construction, a large number of technicians and workers were moved from chemical factories in the north. Gu Shaoqi's father was one of them.

Gu Mingkang's ancestral home is in Shandong Province. He is a college student educated in New China. In 1963, he responded to the call and came to Daxi Chemical Plant. At that time, the factory was in a state of disrepair and the conditions were very difficult. But Gu Mingkang was not afraid of hard work and fatigue. He led the technical staff to tackle key problems and soon became a technical backbone of the factory.

Xie Lijiao was from Wuli Village, Yangshui Township, Daxi Town. She was born in a farming family. There were many children in the family, and she was the least favored one. However, she had a strong personality and a smart mind, and she graduated from junior high school. In 1965, she heard that a chemical factory was recruiting workers, so she secretly signed up for the exam. Just as the factory needed manpower, she successfully entered the factory and became a worker.

Gu Mingkang is from the north and is not used to southern food. In addition, he is busy with work and is somewhat perfunctory about eating. He has become very thin and has been hospitalized several times due to gastrointestinal problems. The elder sister from the union couldn't stand it and wanted to arrange a marriage for him.

Xie Lijiao has a bright appearance, is efficient in her work and speaks crisply, so she caught the eye of the matchmaker, who started arranging a blind date for the two of them.

To be honest, Xie Lijiao didn't think much of Gu Mingkang when they first met. She thought that although he was tall, he was too thin and ugly. However, the introducer was very eloquent and praised Gu Mingkang's academic qualifications and abilities. He also advised Xie Lijiao, "Didn't you say you wanted to find someone who is educated?" He is a top student who graduated from the Department of Chemistry of Kyoto University and is a technical backbone of our factory. Moreover, his family lives far away, so the family relationships will be simple when they get married in the future, and there will be no problems between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, conflicts between sisters-in-law, etc.

Xie Lijiao thought for a long time and decided to look around first.

Xie Lijiao is a capable person and is good at taking care of others. She couldn't stand Gu Mingkang's sloppy eating, so she learned how to make steamed buns and noodles, and took the initiative to cook for Gu Mingkang to nourish his spleen and stomach.

In less than half a year, Gu Mingkang gained ten kilograms. As his face became fuller, the advantages of his facial features became apparent, and he looked like a handsome and elegant young man.

The two gradually fell in love, got married in 1967, and gave birth to Gu Shaoqi in 1968. The couple loved each other and lived a happy life.

Gu Shaoqi inherited the good genes from his parents, he is good-looking, intelligent and good at studying.

Perhaps because his father often went to the hospital due to gastrointestinal problems when he was a child, and because he saw his mother taking care of his father's health every day and often nagging that health is the capital of revolution, Gu Shaoqi decided to become a doctor very early and to be a good doctor who could cure diseases in the future.

In 1985, Gu Shaoqi was admitted to Kyoto Medical University with high scores. The factory school where he studied hung a congratulatory banner and gave him a big red flower, which made everyone envious.

In October 1990, a vicious burglary and murder occurred in the dormitory area of ​​the Daxi Chemical Plant. The victims were Gu Mingkang and Xie Lijiao, a couple. At that time, Gu Shaoqi was still studying for a master's degree in Kyoto.

Hearing this, Xia Mufan looked at Feng Xiaoyu and said, "Are you telling a story?"

How did Gu Mingkang and Xie Lijiao get into the chemical factory, how did they get married through an introduction, and why did Gu Shaoqi decide to study medicine when he was young... What does this have to do with the case?

Feng Xiaoyu explained embarrassedly: "Well, I just sorted out what everyone had passed on. After all, everyone is very curious about Forensic Doctor Gu, and naturally they want to know some things about his parents. And since you asked me about it today, I'll tell you."

Xia Mufan reminded her: "I suggest you talk about the key points of the case and don't add subjective judgments or artistic processing."

Feng Xiaoyu opened her mouth, not knowing where to start for a moment.

Gong Weiguo was anxious and turned his body from the co-pilot seat again: "Let me tell you."

Gong Weiguo's description is professional and objective.

October 18, 1990, Thursday, 6:30 a.m., Unit 1, South Building 6, office dormitory area of ​​Daxi Chemical Plant. A resident living in 502 was jogging in the morning when he passed by 301 and found the door half open. Driven by curiosity, he stuck his head in and was greeted by a smell of blood and two bodies lying on the floor of the living room. He was so scared that he immediately called the police.

The Security Department contacted the local police station, and the Municipal Criminal Investigation Brigade also received the news and immediately rushed to the scene.

According to forensic examination, the time of death was around 1 a.m., when people were fast asleep, and no unusual noises were heard upstairs, downstairs or next door.

Gu Mingkang was stabbed in the left chest. The blade entered his body and pierced his heart. He fell on his back at the door leading from the bedroom to the living room.

Xie Lijiao suffered a severe blow to the head, a knife wound on the right side of her neck, her carotid artery cut, and fell face down in the middle of the living room.

The door lock was pried open, there were signs of rummaging in the room, the drawers of the wardrobe were pried open, the drawers of the bedside table were pulled open, and there were scattered items everywhere.

Footprints of a strange man were found on the floor. He was wearing a certain brand of sports shoes, size 41. Based on the footprints and stride length, the murderer was estimated to be 176cm tall and weighed 70kg.

No murder weapon was found at the scene, nor were any fingerprints of strangers found. The murderer must have committed the crime while wearing gloves.

Preliminary investigation results showed that this was a case of burglary and murder.

A check of the surrounding people revealed no suspects.

The factory area has always had good security, and the patrolling security guards did not discover any sneaky night walkers.

Gong Weiguo concluded: "There were not many traces left at the scene, no murder weapon, no fingerprints, only a pair of sneaker footprints. The murderer was very brutal, and acted quickly, accurately, and ruthlessly. It should be that Xie Lijiao heard the noise first and came out of the bedroom. She ran into the murderer and turned to escape. She was hit on the back of the head with a heavy weapon and her throat was cut. The murderer went to the bedroom again and ran into Gu Mingkang who came out. He stabbed him in the heart. Later, according to Gu Shaoqi's recollection, the gold and passbooks in the house were placed in the small drawer of the wardrobe, and the cash was placed in the drawer of the bedside table. All of them are gone. From all the signs, it does meet the characteristics of a burglary and murder case."

Xia Mushige frowned.

Why kill people when you are burglarizing a house?

Xia Mufan asked: "Has anyone withdrawn money from the passbook?"

Gong Weiguo shook his head: "No. At first, the Criminal Investigation Team used this as a breakthrough point and staked out the bank in the factory area, but the other party did not come to withdraw the money."

Xia Mufan: "Then the other party only took the Gu family's gold and cash. What is the total value?"

Gong Weiguo said: "At that time, Forensic Doctor Gu was still a student and was not very clear about the family's property. He said that his mother liked gold and bought him some gold items every New Year, including earrings, rings, bracelets, and necklaces. The miscellaneous items probably weighed about 40 to 50 grams. As for cash, there was usually about 100 yuan in the bedside table for daily expenses, and the rest of the money was saved by Forensic Doctor Gu's mother."

The price of gold in 1990 was less than 100 yuan, so the property loss was about 5,000 yuan.

Five thousand! Killing two people just for 5,000 yuan?

Xia Mufan was furious. He swung his right fist and smashed it hard into the palm of his left hand: "Damn it!"

Feng Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and said, "Right? Xia Xia, you think it's abominable too. I was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Team in 1992, and I was really angry when I heard my colleagues discussing the case. You said you stole, so why did you kill someone? Five thousand yuan is only punishable by three years in prison at most, but murder is a capital crime."

Xia Mufan quickly pulled himself out of his anger and began to rationally analyze the characteristics of the crime scene: "How many apartment buildings are there in the headquarters dormitory? What are the approximate apartment types?"

This unsolved case has always been a pain for the Criminal Investigation Team, so Gong Weiguo remembers the details very clearly: "I joined the Criminal Investigation Team in 1991 and did not participate in the investigation of this case. However, I participated in the reopening of old cases every year. I remember that the dormitory building of the headquarters was divided into two areas, north and south, with a total of 17 buildings. Forensic Doctor Gu's house has three bedrooms and one living room. The living room faces north and is opposite the stairwell. Two bedrooms face south and one bedroom faces north. The kitchen and toilet are not big and are both on the north side."

Xia Mufan straightened up and said, "Then why did the murderer choose 301, Unit 1, South Building 6 to commit the crime?"

Gong Weiguo shook his head. "This is also what we can't figure out. Although Gu Mingkang is a senior engineer and the head of the technical department, his rank, income and fame are far inferior to those of the factory directors, deputy factory directors and department heads in the main factory. Xie Lijiao used to be a worker in the third factory. After getting married, she was transferred to the logistics department of the main factory. She is an ordinary person. The family has a savings of more than 20,000 yuan, and they are not a wealthy family. The couple are kind to others and have good relations with their neighbors. How did they invite this murderer to their home?"

Xia Mufan's eyebrows knitted together: "If there is something wrong, we should investigate it carefully."

Gong Weiguo said: "We checked. Captain Yue led people to sort out all the social relationships of the Gu family, but they didn't find the end. Gu Mingkang's parents have passed away, and his brothers and sisters are estranged because they live far away. They only visit each other during the holidays. Xie Lijiao's family is in the countryside. Her father has passed away. Her mother lives with her eldest brother. She is sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. Xie Lijiao is the third child in the family. I heard that her parents treated her badly and promised her to a fool as a daughter-in-law for money. She entered the factory to escape marriage, so she has never been close to her family."

Xia Mufan looked at Gong Weiguo: "So, the murderer really chose to commit the crime randomly?"

Imagine a picture.

It was a dark and windy night, and the street lights were dim.

A gust of wind blew, the leaves of the camphor trees rustled, and the scent of osmanthus came from afar.

The dormitory area of ​​the Daxi Chemical Plant headquarters was silent.

A sturdy man, 176cm tall and weighing 70kg, was walking on a deserted road with a bag on his back.

When he reached the foot of a building, he suddenly stopped as if he sensed something, and looked up at the easternmost window on the third floor.

He curled his lips and smiled silently.

Great, here it is.

Xia Mushige shuddered and shook the imagined scene out of his mind.

So weird!

The murderer is a complete psychopath. He came here just to kill a few people. As for who to kill, it all depends on my mood. Wherever you go, wherever you see, wherever you think of, just take action.

The chemical plant has been built in the local area for two or three decades, and the dormitory buildings are all inhabited by old residents, who are familiar with each other. If a stranger appears, it should attract everyone's attention. If this stranger has killed someone before, he may have blood on his body and his movements may be nervous. If he leaves late at night and encounters a patrolling security guard or a resident returning home in the middle of the night, he will definitely be remembered and the police will definitely be able to find out something.

However, no one saw anyone entering or leaving the dormitory area in the middle of the night.

This is not normal.

The passing of wild geese leaves traces behind. As long as you have done it, there will definitely be traces left. It is impossible to be perfect, and it is even more impossible to disappear without a trace.

Of course, there are similar murderers in foreign detective novels.

He kills people based on his mood.

The moon is too bright, it's windy tonight, and it's a bit cold today...

Some trivial things in life may become the voice that awakens the devil in his heart.

If the murderer is this kind of person, there is no way he will stop committing crimes.

Especially when the crime he committed becomes an unsolved case by the police, he will be inexplicably excited and continue to challenge the police.

Xia Mushige asked: "Has there been any similar cases in the five years before and after this incident?"

Gong Weiguo gave her a thumbs up. "Captain Yue has also asked this question. We have investigated all the murders in the past five years and have not found any consistent methods of committing the crime. We have also been keeping an eye out for similar cases in recent years, but there have been none."

That's strange.

First, the murderer is not a serial killer and has not committed crimes repeatedly;

Second, the murderer was not a psychopath, and he did not act on impulse;

Third, the murderer did not come prepared, and Gu’s parents had no enemies.

Could it be that the murderer was really a roving thief who just randomly chose a house, broke into the house, met Gu's parents, and became murderous in panic?

However, the murderer killed the victim with one strike, and his move was efficient and swift. It was obvious that he was a habitual criminal who was familiar with the human body!

The strong sense of disharmony made Xia Mufan's mind work rapidly.

Feng Xiaoyu added: "Xia Xia, our serious crime team has deduced these things you asked countless times. Every time an old case is reopened, it will be brought up for discussion again. How did the murderer get in, when did he meet Xie Lijiao, and how did he kill Gu Mingkang without alerting everyone. After Gu's parents fell to the ground and died, how did he enter the bedroom to search for valuables and then leave? We have deduced every scene."

Gong Weiguo frowned and raised his nose, looking helpless: "My height and weight match the murderer, so I always play the murderer. I think this murderer is a psychopath. To use an inappropriate metaphor, it feels like a waste of talent. With such agile skills, he is just like a scout, lurking at night and killing with one shot. What else can such a talent do? Why run to a small town chemical factory to kill a kind-hearted couple?"

Xia Mushige nodded: "Indeed, I feel the same way."

Feng Xiaoyu said: "It is precisely because of this that forensic doctor Gu has never given up on tracking down the murderer. Now whenever he hears of a murder, he will ask for details and pay attention to blunt and sharp injuries. He said that if the murderer commits a crime again, he will be able to find the murderer based on the slight differences in severity, location, size and length of the wound as soon as he sees it."

Xia Mufan asked: "What if the murderer only committed a crime once and then disappeared into the crowd?"

Feng Xiaoyu gritted her teeth angrily and said, "Then there's really nothing we can do."

Feng Xiaoyu felt distressed when she thought about how Forensic Doctor Gu studied forensic knowledge every day, repeatedly compared wound photos in the laboratory, knew everything about cut wounds, lacerations, stab wounds, and stick wounds, and could draw conclusions at a glance.

However, even though Forensic Doctor Gu tried so hard, he still couldn't find the murderer who killed his parents.

Feng Xiaoyu grabbed Xia Mufan's hand and said, "Xia Xia, don't you want to investigate an unsolved case? We are free now anyway, why don't we take over this case and study it? You are a newcomer, you may have new ideas and new methods. Let's help forensic doctor Gu and bring this hateful murderer to justice!"

Xia Mufan basically understood it now.

The Criminal Investigation Team took Forensic Doctor Gu's case very seriously and was very attentive, taking all the details into consideration. If she takes over, routine operations will be difficult.

"Does Forensic Doctor Gu's parents have pets at home?"

Xia Mushige secretly prayed that there were small animals at the crime scene.

Feng Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. She never expected Xia Mufan to ask this question.

She turned her gaze to Gong Weiguo: "Is there?"

Gong Weiguo participated in the case simulation several times, playing the murderer every time, but he had no idea whether the Gu family had pets.

He hesitated for a moment. "Probably not, right? If they had cats, dogs, parrots, etc., there would definitely be animal hair and footprints left at the scene, which would also be recorded."

Xia Mufan's heart sank.

Indeed, if the Gu family keeps pets, there will be a record of the crime scene.

"It doesn't have to be a cat, dog, or parrot. Maybe you have fish?" Even though fish have a short memory, you can at least ask, right?