Chapter 204 Police Officer's Suspect
It was early summer and it was already a bit hot and humid during the day, but when you walked into the alley you could feel the coolness blowing towards you.
It is faint and lingering, drilling into the cracks between people's bones and flowing to every part of their limbs.
Lin Zhi walked slowly, recalling his vague memories.
At that time, the original owner was carrying something and pouring wine into his mouth while walking forward, with both hands busy.
Lin Zhi walked two-thirds of the way into the alley before being stopped by Qiu Huo.
Lin Zhi stopped and looked to the right. There was a small pool of dried blood covered with some dust. This was the first crime scene.
According to the police, the camera at the entrance of the convenience store captured the original owner walking out of the alley to the convenience store at 9:03, the deceased passed by the alley at 9:05, and the original owner walked into the alley one minute later. At 9:13, the civilian camera at the entrance of another alley captured the original owner walking out, and the deceased remained in the alley forever.
The two cameras before and after this did not capture anyone entering or leaving the alley. Judging from the time and place, it seemed that only the original owner could have done it.
But the original owner had no motive to kill. Considering his size, strength and condition, it would be difficult for him to kill someone in a short period of time.
This was a carefully planned murder. Lin Zhi thought that if the original owner had not happened to come out to buy wine at this time, perhaps this would have remained an unsolved case.
Because it only took one or two minutes, the murderer could not have left so quickly after committing the crime. There was a high probability that the original owner encountered the murderer. But if he met the murderer, why didn't the murderer kill the original owner as a witness?
Although the original owner was drunk, he might not have forgotten what happened, and strangers did not know that he had a mental illness. Why did the murderer let him go?
What exactly happened in those seven minutes in the alley?
The police questioned him so persistently, they must have thought so too. They might even think that the murderer was someone he knew. In short, he was the breakthrough point of this case.
Lin Zhi pressed his solar plexus, and his nerves seemed to be pulled, causing him to twitch in pain, which suddenly made him feel very bad.
"Did you remember anything?"
Qiu Huo's voice suddenly sounded behind Lin Zhi, making his body subconsciously tense up.
Qiu was half a head taller than him, completely casting him in shadow.
"No."
Lin Zhi shook his head and looked up at the narrow sky.
This is a dark crevice in the city, like an ink mark left unintentionally by the hand of God.
The architectural styles of the two surrounding buildings are similar. It should be said that 90% of these buildings are very similar.
The walls on both sides were covered in dirt and there was a trash can at the entrance of the alley, which had a foul smell.
The buildings on both sides have windows only up to the third floor, but you can clearly see that they are all closed glass and there are no open windows.
Qiu Huo watched the young man looking at the wall and the window, raised his hand and touched the wall, twisting the dust in his hand.
"According to the cleaners in charge of this area, they clean the alleyway about once every two days. They did a cleanup here at 8pm on the 14th, but they were only responsible for the garbage on the ground. These walls have not been wiped for a long time, and thick dust has long fallen on them. Only this place is clean."
Qiu Huo pointed to the place he mentioned, which was where the deceased fell.
When the deceased was found, he was sitting on the ground with his back against the wall. There was dust on his back. The dust in that area had irregular shapes. It can be preliminarily determined that it was the traces left behind when the deceased was struggling.
"What the officer is saying is that no one has ever left here by climbing up the wall."
"That's right."
Wherever you go, you will leave traces. Qiu looked carefully at the walls on both sides. If the murderer left the building in some way, there would definitely be traces on the walls on both sides, but there were no such traces.
If this young man is not the murderer, then how the murderer left is also a key point for them to think about.
Qiu Huo stared at Lin Zhi's reaction. His words also showed that the young man was the only one who went in and out during that time period. However, the young man did not look anxious or panicked. Instead, he seemed very calm.
Weird, hateful or judging in the heart.
They walked out of the alley and after a few minutes' walk they reached Lin Zhi's residence.
Lin Zhi politely invited: "Officer, would you like to go up and have a glass of water?"
The resentment or refusal was straightforward: "No."
"Can you add a contact number? If I remember any clues, I will tell you as soon as possible. If I am in any danger, I can also ask you for help as soon as possible."
In the bright sunlight, the young man's skin looked sickly pale, which was the result of not seeing the sun for a long time. His eyes were smiling, and compared to ordinary citizens asking the police for help, there was a bit more indescribable meaning in his expression.
Qiu Huo looked at him with a heavy gaze.
With just two sentences, this man changed his identity from a suspect to a witness, or even a witness who might be in danger. Obviously, he knew very well what had happened to him, so his claim of being unaware was questionable.
The strange feeling of disconnection became more and more obvious. Although he knew that Wei Yunjun had also left a phone number for connection, he still nodded.
"My phone is out of battery, so I can only leave you my number and ask you to call me back."
Lin Zhi stretched out his hand and showed the black-screened phone in his hand, motioning Qiu Huo to take out his phone.
In early summer, the young man was wearing long sleeves and long pants, and when he stretched out his hand, a small part of his wrist was exposed.
Blue blood vessels can be seen winding upwards under the thin skin, making the small black mole in the center of the white wrist particularly obvious.
Qiu Huo's gaze stayed on it for a few seconds, and he took out his phone and clicked on the dial-up page.
Lin Zhi gave his cell phone number and watched Qiu Huo dial the number and then hang up.
He said, "I haven't asked your name yet."
"My last name is Qiu."
"So it's Officer Qiu. I'll leave first then."
Lin Zhi waved and turned to leave.
He didn't intend to do too much. To get close to a man like Qiu or this kind of man would have to rely on the events to be more closely intertwined.
The young man walked away with a slightly thin back in Qiu Huo's eyes. Qiu Huo took a cigarette and put it in his mouth but did not light it, and frowned slightly.
For some reason, the image of him pinching the back of the young man's pale, thin neck suddenly flashed through my mind. It was simply weird.
Qiu Huo returned to the alley with a cigarette in his mouth. After staying for a while, he returned to the car parked near the convenience store. Instead of returning to the police station, he drove to the other side, stopped the car not far from the suspect's residence, turned off the engine, and looked up.
Although Qiu Huo was lustful, he had never done anything reckless. But today Lao Er really didn't give him face, and the fire in his heart became more intense as he smoked.
The tall and handsome man was smoking with one hand and using a tissue with the other. His emotionless and cold eyes were fixed on the suspect's house, with sparks flickering between his fingers, making him look solemn and decadent.
Lin Zhi took the elevator to the sixth floor and opened the fingerprint lock.
The original owner bought a fully furnished apartment with one floor and two units, covering an area of 130 square meters, which is spacious enough for one person.
As soon as he opened the door, Lin Zhi couldn't help but take a deep breath to calm his emotions.
It was a mess at first glance, with some of the damage done by the original owner himself, as well as traces of break-in left by the police during the search.
Although Lin Zhi is not a mysophobe, he has very high requirements for hygiene. He is also territorial and really doesn't like the feeling of his private space being invaded. This kind of house gives him a double feeling of disgust.
His emotional fluctuations would not have been too obvious, but under the influence of mental illness, these emotions were infinitely magnified, making him want to set fire to the place and burn it clean.
Of course, he knew that living would only make things worse, and the desire to destroy that had nowhere to vent became stronger.
Lin Zhi did not intend to smash everything in sight like the original owner did. He pinched his brows and walked around the mess to the master bedroom.
The situation in the master bedroom was not much better. The randomly piled clothes and messy things were challenging Lin Zhi's nerves. Lin Zhi took clean clothes from the closet with an expressionless face and went to the bathroom unable to bear it anymore.
He had been feeling uncomfortable for a long time. The cold sweat and the unpleasant smell of alcohol on his body made him want to take a shower immediately, but the situation did not allow it. He had endured it until now, thanks to Qiu Huo. If it were him, he probably would not allow himself to get in the car.
The unbearable emotions washed away the hypocritical and kind mask that Lin Zhi had worn for a long time, revealing his picky and indifferent side.
After washing in the bathroom for more than half an hour, Lin Zhi wiped his hair and blow-dried it with a hair dryer.
Because of the setback in his career, the arrogant third-rate novelist neglected to take care of himself. His hair had grown to the butterfly bones below his shoulders. Lin Zhi tied it casually with a rubber band while looking at the young man with a cold expression in the mirror.
This body is about the same age as Qiu Huo, or even a few months older. It is also not much different from the age he was when he died, and looks very similar to him.
Lin Zhi gave himself a habitual smile in the mirror, and then realized that this was probably his face, but he hadn't seen his cold expression for so long that he felt it was strange and couldn't recognize it.
It was quite funny. Lin Zhi couldn't help laughing. The young man in the mirror also moved his lips. His beautiful eyes looked even softer and more harmless under the smile.
Lin Zhi looked at him and his smile gradually faded.
01 said with some concern: [Host, are you okay? 】
【fine. 】
Lin Zhi withdrew his gaze. It had been too long since he last saw the past and he couldn't remember it clearly. But it didn't matter. After all, it was not something worth remembering.
Starting from the master bedroom, Lin Zhi began to clean up the place where he was going to live. Of course, it was not a thorough cleaning. He threw all the wrinkled clothes into the bag, and threw all the things he didn't like or needed into the trash can.
There is a special study in the house, but the frustrated original owner no longer only writes in the study. The inspirations and outlines that he can't continue writing are also scattered in the living room.
Lin Zhi picked up a few and looked at them. The original owner thought that these were garbage, but he thought so. They were more than garbage; they were simply excrement that was unsightly.
He picked them up and put them into the shredder.
Lin Zhi also found a dusty piano case under the bed. The piano inside had not been maintained for a long time and looked a little old.
Lin Zhi wiped the dust off and took out the piano.
The original owner considered playing the violin a disgrace because he was asked to quit after taking the chief position. However, even when he lost control and destroyed everything in the room, he did not smash the violin, but simply hid it.
Lin Zhi is quite fond of classical art, and he also briefly studied the violin for a period of time, but that was a long time ago, and he is not actually very good at it. However, the original owner's knowledge is still in his mind, so he might as well give it a try.
Two hours later, the house was much emptier and the things piled up in the living room were like a small mountain.
Lin Zhi called the housekeeping staff to come and tidy up and clean the place, and then she left with the piano case.
In fact, his body was already very tired, but Lin Zhi couldn't lie down in a house like that. In addition, he was mentally excited, so he simply went out.
After hailing a taxi on her phone, Lin Zhi searched on her phone, went to the nearest piano store, and sent her piano in for maintenance.
After leaving the piano store, Lin Zhi took a taxi to the hospital.
The original owner had almost finished his medicine, and he had completely forgotten the dosage when he was in a daze, so Lin Zhi needed to learn it again.
Lin Zhilai was in such a hurry that she didn't have time to make an appointment. She waited for a long time after registering and fell drowsy sitting on a chair in the hospital.
01 was secretly updating the cartoon resource library, but was frightened by the host's sudden words.
[Adjust the position of the mission target.] 】
Lin Zhi felt a faint gaze that appeared and disappeared at irregular intervals.
01 immediately displayed and found that the mission target was not far from the host.
01Using the camera in the hospital, the image was presented to Lin Zhi.
The man in the hat was concentrating on playing with his mobile phone with his head down, holding a hospital registration form filled out by hand. He looked like an ordinary patient in the hospital.
His position was in Lin Zhi's blind spot, but he could observe Lin Zhi's movements very well.
Lin Zhi felt more at ease knowing that Qiu Huo was nearby. He leaned back in the chair with his arms folded. Fatigue washed over him like a flood, blurring his consciousness. He didn't pay any attention to his surroundings before falling asleep.
Qiu Huo put down the medical record book in his hand, and couldn't help but think that the young man was too careless. He fell asleep like this in such a situation without worrying about being robbed.
Even if only half of the beauty's face is exposed when she is asleep, she is still eye-catching. Someone stopped not far away and secretly looked at her. When the aunt sitting next to the young man was called and got up to go in, the man seized the opportunity and wanted to sit next to the young man.
As soon as he sat down, he met the eyes of a tall man in a hat.
"stand up."
Looking at the man's strong physique, the man did not dare to argue and stood up dejectedly.
Qiu Huo didn't sit down either. Instead, he walked away, leaning against the wall and staring at the man.
Under his gaze, the man from this department walked away as if he had greased his feet.
Qiu Huo couldn't tell what he was doing and sat back in his original seat.
Lin Zhi slept for a while. After hearing her name, she walked towards the clinic, listening to 01 describing what had just happened on the way.
01 knew that those fused emotions would affect other mission targets. Thinking that the difficulty of redemption would be reduced and the world would usher in a beautiful new year, 01 was very happy. The feeling of happiness was really good.
Lin Zhi listened to its happiness and curled her lips as well.
Admittedly, the lover's behavior of still having feelings for the new fragment even though it didn't know him pleased him a little.
When the doctor saw Lin Zhi, he couldn't help but have a headache. What doctors fear most is encountering uncooperative and untrustworthy patients. This young man did not distrust him, but in terms of disobedience, he was really extreme.
His illness requires emotional counseling, but he rarely comes, and is not on time to get his medicine. He often doesn't answer his follow-up calls or reminders to get his medicine. As soon as he comes, the doctor knows that he has not taken his medicine according to the dosage.
The doctor conducted routine inquiries and examinations and found that the young man's emotional control had improved, which was a good sign.
He earnestly repeated what he had said many times before. The young man did not show any impatience but listened quietly.
From the doctor's words, Lin Zhi understood the disease in more detail.
This is a mental illness similar to bipolar disorder, characterized by poor emotional control, irritability, strong destructiveness and world-weariness. The patient's emotions will be amplified and easily stimulated, and they need to vent and channel their emotions frequently. Once the repression breaks out, the emotions will rebound even more violently.
The doctor had advised the original owner to be hospitalized for treatment, but he was very opposed to this. He lived alone and had not hurt anyone, so there was no need for compulsory treatment.
Lin Zhi took the medicine and left. When the nurse was about to call the number, Qiu Huo stood in the doctor's office.
The doctor was just about to remind the other party not to cut in line when he saw him showing his ID.
"Sorry, just need a few minutes to ask a question."
"What is the possibility that Lin Zhi's illness will give rise to a second personality?"
The doctor thought for a while and said with certainty: "Almost zero."
Downstairs, Lin Zhi reached out to hail a taxi.
Through the movement of Qiu Huo's coordinates, he roughly understood the other party's intentions, whether it was understanding his illness or being suspicious of him, it didn't matter.
Qiu Huo was very perceptive and he knew it the moment they met.
Lin Zhi got in the car. It was already late. He had agreed with the piano store to pick up the piano in two days, so after eating something near his home, he prepared to go back.
There is a pet store next to my residence and I can hear dogs barking when I pass by.
Lin Zhi stopped in front of the glass window and saw the little Samoyed in the box.
Looking at the soft and glutinous snow-white dumpling, Lin Zhi was reminded of the little Samoyed that she and Mingyao raised a long time ago. She smiled at the puppy through the window.
He thought again of the white and orange cat that Qi He brought, thought about it, and finally left the pet shop.
His condition in this world is not very stable, so it is better not to consider getting a pet for the time being in case he cannot take good care of it.
The elevator went up and two housekeepers were carrying the last two bags of garbage out.
Lin Zhi felt much more at ease when he entered the house. Although it could not be said to be completely new, it was much cleaner and tidier. After the damaged things were dealt with, the house seemed extremely empty, and Lin Zhi had no intention of buying anything new.
After paying the money, Lin Zhi closed the door.
The sheets and quilts in the master bedroom had been changed. Lin Zhi took another shower, swallowed some medicine with warm water, and fell asleep with a slight headache.
Long-term alcoholism has caused mental stimulation, and under the effect of drugs, Lin Zhi fell asleep quickly.
But he did not sleep well. The long alley in his dream was dark and cold, and the wind whistled past like the cry of ghosts.
The world is shaking and seems to be about to turn upside down at any moment.
He walked staggeringly, the cold wine making his stomach ache slightly and his reaction even slower.
While walking, I seemed to be tripped by something and almost fell.
Why does everything go so wrong? Why do I trip even when I walk? All the resentment piled up in my heart burst out at that moment, and then I fall headfirst.
Lin Zhi suddenly opened his eyes and pressed his painful solar plexus. He still felt dizzy because of the impact of his head hitting the ground in the dream. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest and he was still in shock.
With cold sweat on his forehead, Lin Zhi turned on the light and went to the bathroom to wash his face.
He parted his hair in front of the mirror and touched his head carefully, but there was no swelling on his head from the fall, and he couldn't see anything unusual in the mirror either.
Lin Zhi closed the bathroom door. The curtains in the master bedroom were tightly closed to block out light. Lin Zhi looked at the time on his phone: 2:48 in the morning.
He poured a glass of warm water, sat on the chair on the small balcony in the living room, and looked at the sporadic lights outside.
Those were fragments of the original owner's memories, and his brain returned the things he had forgotten intentionally or unintentionally in the form of dreams.
The original owner was walking drunkenly through the alley, unaware that a murder was taking place not far away. He staggered forward and was tripped by the dead man's legs.
It is unknown whether the deceased was still alive at that time. The original owner, who was tripped and almost fell, was furious. Being drunk and mentally out of control, he vented his frustration.
He kicked the leg that tripped him, venting his anger, and continued to move forward. This time no one tripped him, but he still lost his balance and fell forward.
Lin Zhi endured the headache and continued to recall. These fragments stimulated his memory, and more appeared.
I fell down, but I didn't hit my head, that's right.
The bag of beer in his left hand gave him support, and he simply lay on the ground with his elbow resting on the pile of beer.
The person who had just tripped him was sitting there, and also... Lin Zhi opened his eyes wide and his breathing became a little rapid.
He saw a pair of eyes from his memory, hidden behind the person sitting there.
The drunk original owner saw this and seemed to think it was an illusion. He was in a hurry to go home and continue drinking, so he stood up again, drinking while staggering out of the alley.
That man was the murderer, and he was still in the alley after the original owner left.
How did he get in and how did he get out?
Did you not attack the drunkard because you thought the original owner didn't see him?
Lin Zhi tried his best to see the eyes clearly, but he was always separated by the fog and could not make out their specific appearance. The veins beside his temples were throbbing. Lin Zhi grabbed his long hair and his fingers kept tightening.
The glass hit the wall and shattered into pieces, and the unfinished warm water flowed onto the ground.
Lin Zhi closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing, then dialed the number of the most recently saved contact in his phone.
At three o'clock in the morning, Qiu Huo, who was barely sleepy, was awakened by the ringing of his cell phone. He looked at the caller ID and immediately answered the call.
Listening to the young man's words, Qiu Huo seemed to be thinking about something. If the murderer was hiding behind the body of the deceased, then the large marks on that part of the wall could be explained.
"It's a pity that I can't remember what those eyes look like..."
Lin Zhi was talking on the phone while picking up the glass fragments and accidentally cut her finger with the fragments.
There was a tingling sensation at the fingertips, and soon blood began to appear.
Lin Zhi's face turned extremely cold, not because of the injury, but because of his own stupidity.
He clearly knew that it was easy to get hurt if he picked up glass shards with his bare hands, but he still chose this method. He clearly knew that he had to think carefully before doing anything to avoid making mistakes, and it would be best to be foolproof so as not to pay for his own stupidity, but why did he still do this just now?
You cannot fail, you cannot make mistakes, you must succeed, you must be perfect.
Lin Zhi never felt that calculations would make him tired, so he could not tolerate his own mistakes. Looking at the blood beads on his fingers, Lin Zhi was suddenly filled with disgust.
Even though he knew that this was due to the original owner's illness, he inevitably lost his patience with everything in the world at this moment.
Large pieces of glass fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
The desire to vent brought by destruction was instantly addictive, and an almost invisible smile appeared on Lin Zhi's face.
"Officer Qiu, ordinary citizens need help right now. I wonder if you're willing to come and help."
Lin Zhi hung up the phone and didn't pick up the debris anymore. He pressed the wound with paper.
Qiu had good hearing, so he naturally heard the sound of glass breaking. Before he could answer, a busy tone came from the phone.
Qiu Huo did not hesitate for long. Lin Zhi was the key to the current case, and he also needed to inquire about the clues he mentioned. Besides, falling asleep was a difficult thing for Qiu Huo to begin with, and now that he was woken up, he would probably have difficulty sleeping well.
Ten minutes later, Qiu Huo entered Lin Zhi's house, looked at the young man who was bending over to put water on the coffee table in the living room, and asked, "What can I do for you?"
"Can you cuff me?"
Lin Zhi stretched out his hands. Actually, that was not what he meant when he said it on the phone. It was a more straightforward way of venting his emotions.
But he calmed down after hanging up the phone. In this case, it was impossible for Qiu Huo, as a policeman, to be so stupid as to end up in bed with the suspect.
The fact that he was no longer in a depressed mood after meeting his lover actually proved a point well: he didn't want to do it, he just wanted to see him.
As people came, he started to weave the web.
"My illness has become more serious and I have a tendency to self-harm or even commit suicide. I don't want to hurt myself, but I'm afraid I can't control it. Officer, please help me."
The young man leaned over and looked at the seated man, his soft eyes showing some pleading, yet clearly hiding a smile.
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