That year (II)
News came from the South Street Police Station that Zhao Huaide was killed in the house. The scene has been cordoned off and Zhao Huaide’s family is being contacted.
Zhao Huaide also lives alone in Room 101, Unit 2, Building 3, Cuiyuan Mansion. He has a small courtyard with a wall more than two meters high. The police called for a long time but no one answered, so they climbed over the wall and found that Zhao Huaide was dead.
Gu Fang led people to the scene. The scene was different from the one at the villa. There were obvious signs of a fight. Newspapers and fruits fell to the ground. The coffee table was tilted, with one corner almost touching the sofa. The cushions on the sofa were thrown on the ground, and one of them was cut by a sharp object.
Zhao Huaide was lying on the ground with a dagger stuck in his back. His head was facing the door, probably trying to ask for help. There was a large pool of blood on his head, as if he had suffered a heavy blow.
Gu Fang squatted down and checked the dead man. The dead man was staring with an unwilling look.
Shen Xingyan said: "The dagger pierced the lungs. There is mechanical damage to the head, and there may be a skull fracture. Further tests are needed to determine which is the cause of death."
Gu Fang stood up and walked around the room, seemingly looking for something. He lay on the ground and looked under the sofa, then stood up and moved the sofa. There was a glass ashtray under the sofa with blood stains on it.
Shen Xingyan picked it up and said, "This is the murder weapon that caused the victim's head injury."
Gu Fang nodded, "It should be that the murderer hit the victim's head with an ashtray, and during the struggle with the victim, the ashtray was kicked under the sofa."
The photo frames on the wall fell to the ground, the glass shattered and the photos scattered. Gu Fang walked over and picked up the photos. He didn't find the group photo he was looking for. "The murderer took the group photo away."
Shen Xingyan: "Why didn't he kidnap, beat, and kill Zhao Huaide like he did when he killed Zheng Hongyuan, but instead went straight to Zhao Huaide's house and killed him, leaving the murder weapon at the scene?"
"Maybe he lost his patience. Maybe something happened that forced him to kill Zhao Huaide as soon as possible."
Zhao Huaide's son rushed over and burst into tears when he saw his father's miserable condition.
Gu Fang felt sorry for him and wanted to comfort him, but the situation at the scene did not allow it. The people in the photo were still in danger. "Mr. Zhao, please accept my condolences. I have something to ask you."
Zhao Cheng wiped away his tears and choked up, "You say."
"There is a photo of your father and Zheng Hongyuan. Do you remember that photo?"
"I know. It's a photo taken when my father was in the army. It shows Zheng Hongyuan, Lin Ang, Xue Gan, and Fang Mingbo. But Xue Gan and Fang Mingbo have passed away, and Lin Ang has gone abroad."
Gu Fang was a little surprised that he knew so much about it. "What did they do back then?"
"I only heard my father mention their military service. He rarely talked about other things."
"Was your father a Red Guard?"
Zhao Cheng opened his mouth in surprise, "I haven't heard my father mention it, but I heard older people talking about it. I also asked my father about it, and he got very angry. After that, I didn't dare to ask again."
It seems that there was a hidden story back then, otherwise Zhao Huaide would not have kept his mouth shut.
Gu Fang: "Has he been in contact with Zheng Hongyuan?"
"We haven't had much contact. I've only met Zheng Hongyuan twice. Once was at my father's 60th birthday party, and another time was when my father was going to have heart surgery. Zheng Hongyuan came once."
"How is their relationship?"
"I don't feel very close to him, but my father has always kept the photo from that year. He often stares at it in a daze. He always says how great it would be if everything could start over again."
"Has your father behaved abnormally recently?"
"I used to visit him once a week, but recently I've been busy with work and don't have time to come. I haven't seen him for nearly half a month, so I really don't know if there's anything wrong with him. I said I'd take him to live with me, but he refused. He said he likes to live alone, and it's inconvenient for him to live with us."
Zhao Cheng felt guilty. If he had brought his father home earlier, perhaps this would not have happened.
"Did your father have any grudges against anyone?"
"My father is very strict with me, but he is very kind to outsiders. He doesn't mind if he suffers a little loss. He gets along well with the neighbors. When the neighbors make delicious food, they sometimes send some to my father."
Gu Fang pondered and thought that it seemed that the murder was not caused by recent events, but most likely something that happened in the past.
Zhao Cheng said: "Officer, I know it is difficult to find the murderer. I beg you to catch the murderer as soon as possible and redress my father's innocence. If you need my cooperation, I will do my best to cooperate. I know that to find the cause of death, an autopsy is needed, and I agree.
My father had a hard life, and I don't want him to die in obscurity. ”
Compared to Zheng Junliang, Gu Fang still likes Zhao Cheng, who is clear-headed.
Gu Fang nodded. "Don't worry, we will do our best. Can I ask you about your mother?"
"My mother passed away two years ago. She passed away peacefully in her sleep. What happened? Is it related to my mother?" Zhao Cheng was puzzled.
"Nothing, just asking casually. By the way, have you ever met Zheng Hongyuan's wife? Or have you ever heard your father mention her?"
Zhao Cheng shook his head. "No, if Zheng Hongyuan hadn't come to my father's 60th birthday, I would have thought he was just bragging. Zheng Hongyuan is Zheng Baochang's father, and Zheng Baochang is a well-known figure in Nanfu City. If my father had this relationship, why didn't I see him use it?"
"Have you asked your father?"
"I once wanted to ask Zheng Hongyuan for help with a job transfer, but my father refused. He said he didn't want to have anything to do with Zheng Hongyuan now, but he obviously missed the past so much." It's completely contradictory.
"Is it possible that something happened between them? Have you asked anyone else?"
"I once looked for Xue Gan, but he was seriously ill at the time and could hardly speak, so I didn't dare to ask. As for Fang Mingbo, he was sentenced to life imprisonment after the revolution because he had forced someone to death during the revolution. He died in prison a few years later. Lin Ang went to the United States more than ten years ago and there has been no news of him since then."
Zhao Cheng was a very curious person. In order to understand his father, he put a lot of effort into investigating, but unfortunately he still found no results.
"My father's generation went through a special period, and some of their experiences seem incredible to us. The police officer doesn't look very old, so I think your father must have also gone through that period, so he should understand my thoughts."
Gu Fang was stunned for a moment and did not respond. "We will take your father's body back to the Municipal Bureau first. We will inform you when we have news. If you remember anything, call me as soon as possible."
Zhao Cheng watched them put the body into the body bag and started crying again. He repeatedly told Gu Fang to catch the murderer as soon as possible. He looked at the mess in the room and felt empty inside. From then on, he became a person without parents.
…
Since the nearest surveillance camera of Cuiyuan Mansion is on the main road, the information retrieved is of little use, so Gu Fang took Qi Jiabao to visit the neighbors.
The neighbors were all very surprised to hear that Zhao Huaide was murdered. One of them even had tears in his eyes. "Zhao was a good man. How could he have met with such a disaster? Which bastard did it?"
"Old Zhao has been our neighbor for decades. He will lend a hand to anyone who is in trouble. We are also discussing recommending him when the community selects outstanding party members this year."
"Old Zhao has never had a quarrel with anyone, let alone a grudge."
"We didn't see any strangers coming, nor did we hear any noise."
"Alas, Lao Zhao lives on the first floor, with a small courtyard, which is the easiest for someone to climb over the wall and get in. I advised him to install a burglar-proof door in the living room, but he refused."
"The residents on the second floor moved out last year. We live on the third floor, so we can't hear any noise on the first floor."
Gu Fang raised his eyebrows slightly, "The second floor has been empty all this time?"
"No, I rented it to someone else. It seems to be a man in his forties."
Gu Fang immediately contacted the landlord, who said that the tenant had moved out a week ago. The room was cleaned so thoroughly that not even a hair was left. The landlord was very satisfied and said that he hoped all tenants would be like this in the future so that he wouldn't have to hire someone to clean the room every time.
Gu Fang asked for the tenant's information. The landlord said that the tenant was named Qin Haodong, spoke with an accent from another place, and came to Nanfu City to work alone.
Gu Fang: "Do you have a registered ID card?"
The landlord laughed and said, “I’m just renting a house, why should I register someone’s ID card?” In order to rent a house as quickly as possible, many people never register their ID cards and will rent it as long as they pay money.
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
The landlord said he remembered, so Gu Fang asked Qi Jiabao to take him to make a portrait.
…
In the Municipal Bureau, the surveillance footage outside Zheng Hongyuan’s villa was retrieved.
Surveillance footage showed that Zheng Hongyuan left the villa at 10:05 am on October 7. He left in a hurry, as if he had something urgent to do. The clothes he was wearing were the same clothes he was wearing when he died. Then, at 1 p.m. on October 10, Zheng Junliang returned.
The surveillance footage in the middle was blank, which means the murderer avoided the surveillance when he brought the body back. He must be familiar with the blind spots of surveillance and have been there more than once.
The comparison of fingerprints and footprints in the villa also showed that there were no fingerprints from anyone other than the deceased and Zheng Junliang's siblings.
Zheng Baochang rushed over and saw Zheng Hongyuan's body in the freezer. His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He gritted his teeth and said, "If I knew who killed my father, I would make him pay with his life!"
Gu Fang glanced at him and said, "Brother Zheng, be careful with your words."
Zheng Baochang stepped forward and tried to touch Zheng Hongyuan's face with trembling hands. There was frost on Zheng Hongyuan's face, which looked extremely pale. He hesitated for a moment, but did not fall. "Captain Gu, please catch the murderer as soon as possible. As long as you can catch the murderer, I will pay you any amount of money."
Gu Fang lowered his eyelids to prevent him from seeing the emotions in his eyes, and raised the corners of his mouth, "Brother Zheng, you are too polite. It is my duty to catch the murderer."
Zheng Baochang turned around and patted him on the shoulder. "I believe in your ability, but... I don't want others to know that my father was killed."
"Brother Zheng, rest assured. We have a confidentiality agreement. Excuse me, who did your father have a grudge against? The murderer is obviously here for revenge."
"My father has been the director of the neighborhood office for many years. It's impossible to say that he has never offended anyone. There must be some people with evil intentions. Seeing that my father has retired and lost his power, they took the opportunity to take revenge!" Zheng Baochang's eyes flashed with murderous intent. If the murderer was at the scene, Gu Fang had no doubt that Zheng Baochang would kill him.
"Anyone suspicious?"
Zheng Baochang hesitated, "I can't think of it, Captain Gu, please check it as soon as possible."
"There is one more thing you need to agree to."
"It's about the autopsy, right? I know how important it is. I'll sign."
With Zheng Baochang's signature, Shen Xingyan thawed the body and immediately performed an autopsy.
The deceased's broken left rib pierced his lung, causing lung laceration and the chest cavity was filled with blood. No skull injury was found where there was a lump on the head. The right ankle was comminuted fractured but no swelling was observed. These were post-mortem injuries, possibly caused during the transportation of the body.
Toxicological and pharmacological tests were negative, no contents were found in the stomach and small intestine, and the deceased had not eaten for at least 2-3 days before his death.
Judging from the last time the deceased ate something and combined with surveillance footage, the deceased was killed between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on October 9.
The cause of death was determined to be hemorrhagic shock caused by the dagger piercing the heart and the ribs piercing the lungs.
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