Chapter 64: Higanbana 03
In the morning, the survey was carried out in an orderly manner in the Liyuwan community on the east side of Donglan.
Luo Siwei walked around the villa, stopping and observing carefully. She lowered her head in thought from time to time, and asked Ni Xiang to take notes from time to time.
After a while, she made some discoveries.
Luo Siwei went downstairs and patted Guo Zhengyao on the shoulder: "Come with me and take a look. There are some strange things upstairs."
The layout of this villa is that the first floor is the dining room, living room and a guest bedroom, the second floor is the master bedroom and daughter's room, and the third floor is the attic and study.
Guo Zhengyao followed closely behind Luo Siwei, and the two of them went up to the study on the third floor together.
Ni Xiang is making survey records here.
Luo Siwei pointed to something on the ceiling of the study room and asked Guo Zhengyao to look at it. "It doesn't have any direct connection to the case at the moment, but it's a bit strange."
Guo Zhengyao was tall, so he could see clearly by just standing a little higher. What was placed on the side of the ceiling was a peach wood sword wrapped with red silk thread.
The sword looked like it had been placed there for a long time and was covered with a thick layer of dust. There was some ashes next to the peach wood sword, which looked like leftover incense ash.
Guo Zhengyao frowned: "This thing is..."
Luo Siwei said, "It's for warding off evil." Since it was bought and placed here, it must have been made by the owner. Luo Siwei thought for a moment and said, "You should keep it as evidence. Give it to Old Huo and have him investigate its origins to see if it has any connection to the mouth-suppressing talisman."
Guo Zhengyao found a stool nearby, put on gloves, and went up to take down the peach wood sword.
The peach wood sword feels heavy in the hand, and looks different from those cheap ones on Taobao. The carving is very delicate, so it must be expensive.
Guo Zhengyao moved his fingers and pulled the sword open. There were also patterns on the sword, some lines drawn with red cinnabar, and seven stars were painted at the bottom of the blade.
The whole sword smells of a faint wood fragrance.
Such a traditional thing seems out of place in a modern building, but it seems to be of the same origin as the talisman in the mouth of the female corpse.
Whoever bought and placed it must have been extremely superstitious.
Then Luo Siwei turned to Ni Xiang and asked, "Ni Xiang, check if there has been any accident or incident in this house."
Ni Xiang hurriedly sat on a chair nearby, put the survey book aside, and opened the tablet to search.
"There's no record of any sales or transfers. From the beginning, this property has been registered under the name of the owner, Zheng Wanshan." After checking for a while, Ni Xiang looked up and said, "Captain Luo, Deputy Captain Guo, there was an accident here!"
Upon hearing this, Guo Zhengyao put down his peach wood sword and walked over to look at Ni Xiang's tablet computer.
Luo Siwei also leaned over to check.
Ni Xiang found a post where someone had listed this place as a haunted house in Donglan City. To prove it was a haunted house, the poster had posted an old newspaper. One of the articles in the newspaper reported an accident in the Liyuwan neighborhood.
The cause of the incident was a villa being renovated in winter, and workers burned charcoal to keep warm, causing a renovation worker to die from carbon monoxide poisoning. The scene of the accident was the building they were in today - No. 26 Liyuwan.
Someone replied a few floors later.
"This is true. I was in primary school at the time. Some people scattered paper money at the gate of the community, while others knelt outside crying and held banners demanding justice."
"I've also seen people hiring people to perform rituals to ward off evil spirits and ghosts."
One netizen commented: "What happened next? It seemed like there was a lot of noise for a while but nothing happened."
"After reading so many haunted house inventories, the story behind this one is really not enough."
"Right, right, right! This story pales in comparison to the Luofengge Community Elevator Death Case and the Garden Street Community Dismemberment Case."
Luo Siwei looked at the date on the report: "Fourteen years ago."
It is undoubtedly a tragedy that someone died in vain. No wonder there is a peach wood sword for exorcising evil spirits on the top ceiling of this house.
Ni Xiang checked the information in the police system again. The case was reported to the police and was determined to be an accident, so the case was closed.
After reading it, Guo Zhengyao returned the notebook to Ni Xiang. He stood up and looked around the luxuriously decorated yet eerie old house. He said, "Even if this place was just an ordinary haunted house in the past, now that two people have died, it's definitely a top-tier haunted house."
What is the probability that another serious crime will occur in a house where an accident has occurred?
Ni Xiang put away the tablet and frowned as she asked, "Zheng Wanshan, the owner of this house, seems quite wealthy. Why would he let his wife and daughter live in a haunted house?"
In the general public's mind, a house where someone had died suddenly was unfit for habitation. The fact that a ritual had been performed there and a peach wood sword was placed on the beam suggested the owner was also mindful of this. Zhou Zitu and Zheng Wanshan already owned other properties, so there was no need for them to live here.
Luo Siwei said, "You'll have to ask Zheng Wanshan himself. When will he arrive in Donglan?"
Ni Xiang said: "He's on his way. He took a flight from Lucheng this morning and is expected to arrive at the Municipal Bureau in the afternoon."
Guo Zhengyao looked around again. "This man and his wife don't have a good relationship. It's such a big house, not to mention the death. Just look at the fact that only the hostess and her children are there at night, without a nanny or driver. Even if she screamed for help in danger, the neighbors wouldn't be able to hear her."
Luo Siwei analyzed: "Zheng Wanshan and Zhou Zitu are both remarried. Zheng Wanshan was divorced once before marrying Zhou Zitu."
Ni Xiang looked through the information and said, "Yes, Zheng Wanshan's original wife married him when she was twenty years old. They divorced fifteen years ago, and soon after that, Zheng Wanshan married Zhou Zitu."
Guo Zhengyao pondered for a moment, "So, Zhou Zitu and Zheng Wanshan's dating dates overlapped, almost seamlessly. Was she the mistress back then?"
Luo Siwei nodded and continued, "There aren't many traces of Zheng Wanshan in this apartment right now. The few pairs of men's shoes that are left are winter shoes. His toiletries are kept in the mirror cabinet, and there aren't many clothes in his closet. They've had a difficult relationship for a while now, and they've been separated for the past six months and are still divorcing."
Ni Xiang said, "During the time of the incident, Zheng Wanshan was on a business trip in Lucheng. There is no record of him purchasing high-speed trains or bullet trains."
Luo Siwei said, "It takes a little over an hour to get from Lucheng to Donglan by plane, more than two hours by high-speed rail, and only five hours by car. The crime happened at midnight the day before yesterday. If Zheng Wanshan had left the afternoon before yesterday, arrived here that evening, killed the person, and then returned by car overnight, he would have been able to meet up with the person the next morning."
Ni Xiang said, "From this perspective, the husband is also a suspect."
Luo Siwei continued, "There's suspicion, but there are some things that are hard to explain. First, the motive. Although the two were getting a divorce, they didn't harbor hatred that necessitated killing each other, unless there were circumstances we didn't know about. Secondly, if Zheng Wanshan was the murderer, he could have used more subtle methods to kill his wife. Why would he hide under the bed? Why would he stab her with a knife? And Zheng Wanshan's shoes were size 45, which doesn't match the size of the shoes that left the bloody footprints."
Ni Xiang was confused after listening to the analysis: "Who could be the murderer?"
Luo Siwei said: "Let's check it out. This case has just begun."
Although the police have now found a hair and a footprint, that little evidence is far from enough as a clue.
After checking the upstairs, the on-site investigation was almost over. Guo Zhengyao went downstairs and notified the police officers to pack up.
Ni Xiang and Luo Siwei were walking behind. She couldn't help but sigh in a low voice, "Captain Luo, how did you deduce that they were getting a divorce?"
"It's not reasoning." Luo Siwei said modestly, "I found a turned-off shredder in the study. I took out the shredded papers inside and pieced together a few words. I determined that it should be a shredded divorce agreement. That's why I said that just now. I handed that thing over to the physical evidence." She first looked at the agreement, and then observed the details to determine that Zheng Wanshan should not have lived here recently.
It’s not that she is so great, but that the other surveyors did not investigate as thoroughly as she did.
At this point, Luo Siwei reminded Ni Xiang: "By the way, remember to ask Tang Xi to sort out the information of the workers who died in the accident."
She doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits.
The one who kills is a human being, a person with a guilty conscience.
At noon, the police officers finally returned to the Donglan City Police Station after the investigation.
As soon as Luo Siwei came back, Chi Li called her to his office. Chi Li was very concerned about the case and asked about it in detail.
Luo Siwei also reported the on-site investigation results to Chi Li.
After listening to Luo Siwei's report, Chi Li pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. You go talk to your husband this afternoon, and we'll discuss the progress later."
Luo Siwei hummed, stood up and was about to go out, Chi Li suddenly looked up and reminded her: "Thank you for your hard work, remember to eat on time."
Luo Siwei felt for a moment like a kindergarten kid being cared for. She jokingly asked, "Captain Chi, are you always so polite to your subordinates?"
"Not really." Chi Li paused and looked up at her, "I'm only so polite to people who need my care."
Luo Siwei savored these words, came out of Chi Li's office, and ordered a bowl of pork rib noodles.
After lunch, Luo Siwei assigned tasks to the team. Guo Zhengyao and Shen Qing led the team to investigate the victim's situation, while Tang Xi was responsible for collecting relevant information. Huo Cunsheng finally took advantage of his lunch break to shower, feeling refreshed. He quickly mobilized his informant to inquire about the peach wood sword and the talisman.
Soon, relevant information came.
Luo Siwei looked at the information they had compiled and gained a deeper understanding of the victim, Zhou Zitu.
Zhou Zitu is a bit of a loner. He has few relatives at home and no good friends.
She was 38 years old. When she was young, she had been in a serious car accident. Her parents died in the accident, leaving her a small villa and some inheritance. Zhou Zitu rested for two years and underwent two surgeries before she began to lead a normal life.
At the age of 24, she joined Zheng Wanshan's company and initially worked as an ordinary salesperson. Because of her hard work and outstanding performance, she became Zheng Wanshan's personal assistant. Later, she followed Zheng Wanshan to discuss business and gradually became the deputy general manager. Until now, she still has some shares in that company.
Zhou Zitu's daughter, Zheng Congcong, was thirteen years old this year and also died in an accident.
The police began to investigate with her colleagues and neighbors.
Strangely, no one expressed surprise or sympathy for her death, and some even said that they had felt that something bad was going to happen to her.
According to those people, Zhou Zitu was cold-blooded, ruthless, and selfish. She had a strange temper and a hot temper, and would beat and scold others if she was not satisfied.
Luo Siwei looked through the relevant testimonies.
"She was an assistant who rose to prominence. She initially worked in sales, but somehow caught the eye of CEO Zheng. After she joined CEO Zheng, she fired all the veteran employees who had watched her join the company. I stayed because I had been working in finance and there was no one to take over."
"Zhou Zitu is particularly harsh on the young women in the company. She keeps a close eye on Zheng Wanshan. Perhaps it's because she was a mistress who got promoted, so she keeps a close eye on men. For a while, she had the HR department report to her, and she wouldn't let any young and beautiful women in."
"Her family only showed up once, at the wedding. I barely saw any relatives or friends. With someone like that, I wonder what President Zheng was attracted to in the first place."
"Zhou Zitu doesn't get along with others. For example, their family has had so many nannies, and every time they work for less than a month, she'll scold them and kick them out. Sometimes she even beats them up."
"In recent years, she seems to be getting more and more strange. She even rarely plays mahjong. I don't know what she does every day. She only cares about her daughter."
"She doted on her daughter and spoiled her, but she also beat and scolded her. When she chased her and beat her, it was like a ghost crying out loud. I could hear it from my balcony."
"Her child has also been led astray by her mother. She often leads the bullying of classmates at school. Even though she's only in elementary school, she's learned to lie. The little girl accused a classmate of stealing her stationery, and later the teacher checked the surveillance footage and discovered that she had secretly stuffed it into the student's backpack."
"Her daughter was only in her teens, but she got involved with some bad kids outside. She trapped a classmate in the bathroom, pushed her head into the toilet, and nearly killed someone. It was a big deal. The neighbors knew about it, and the girl was almost expelled from school."
After reading all this, Luo Siwei checked Zhou Zitu's electronic information. Mobile phones and computers have become necessities for modern people, but they did not find a computer in Zhou Zitu's home, only her mobile phone.
Luo Siwei discovered that Zhou Zitu had very few communication records. Apart from harassing calls, his phone contained the messages of his card-playing partner, a divorce lawyer, whom he often made appointments to play cards with. He rarely contacted other people.
Luo Siwei found a number among them that she had called several times. She asked Tang Xi, "Who is this number? Have you contacted them by phone?"
Tang Xi adjusted his glasses and said, "I've contacted him. He said he's the head of a company. He made an appointment to come over later this afternoon."
"What company?"
"It's a consulting company. They didn't tell me the details over the phone, but they said they would come to explain everything and try their best to provide us with clues."
Just as I checked this, Ni Xiang came over and asked, "Zhou Zitu's husband Zheng Wanshan has arrived. Does he need to be accommodated in the reception room?"
Luo Siwei shook her head: "No, arrange it in the interrogation room." Then she stood up and said, "Let's go meet the victim's family."
The author has something to say:
Everyone remembers to eat dumplings during the winter solstice.
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