Solving the case: Combining the police dog's olfactory genes at the beginning

Luo Fei nodded.

"Most importantly, the mysterious woman appeared in both cases. She saved Zhang Weiwei from being sexually assaulted, but was later sexually assaulted by the same man. However, the suspects we saw in the surveillance footage all had alibis after investigation."

"Could it be the same person committing the crime in disguise?"

Someone suggested.

Wan Qiang shook his head.

"The technical department has analyzed the footage, and the facial features of the people in the surveillance footage are completely different, so it's impossible that it's the same person in disguise."

"So we now have doubts."

Luo Fei drew a circle on the whiteboard.

"The woman who was sexually assaulted is very likely the murderer. She used the victims' sympathy to get close to them and then committed the crime."

But why would she do that?

Chen Xuanran asked, puzzled.

Luo Fei's eyes deepened.

"That's the crux of the matter. The two victims seem to be unrelated, but they both know someone named Li Ya."

The meeting room suddenly fell silent. Wan Qiang stubbed out his cigarette.

"Li Ya? Jiang Xia's wife?"

"Yes."

Luo Fei nodded.

"Zhang Weiwei was Jiang Xia's student, and Lin Xiaoman was Li Ya's college classmate. Although the connection seems weak on the surface, in serial murder cases, this connection is often the key to breakthrough."

Wan Qiang frowned.

“But Li Ya has an alibi, and she doesn’t look like someone who would kill someone.”

Luo Fei didn't answer directly, but asked a question instead.

"Captain Wan, do you remember Li Ya's reaction when she was questioned?"

Wan Qiang recalled for a moment.

"She was very calm, almost too calm."

"How should a normal person react when her husband is accused of serial killings?"

Luo Fei countered with a question.

"Anger? Fear? Hysteria? But Liya was too calm, just like..."

"It's as if it was prepared in advance."

Wan Qiang picked up where he left off, his expression turning serious.

Luo Fei turned to everyone.

"From now on, we will conduct a comprehensive investigation into Li Ya. We cannot overlook any of her relatives, friends, or classmates. Especially..."

His words were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Chen Xuanran opened the door, and Li Ya stood outside, her face somewhat pale.

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting."

Li Ya's voice was very soft.

"Can I speak with Officer Luo alone?"

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became awkward.

Wan Qiang glanced at Luo Fei, who nodded slightly.

"Everyone, go ahead and get busy."

Wan Qiang stood up.

"Proceed according to the division of labor we just discussed."

The crowd gradually left, until only Luo Fei and Li Ya remained.

Luo Fei gestured for her to sit down and turned off the recording equipment. This action did not escape Li Ya's notice.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Luo Fei asked, his voice softer than usual.

Li Ya sat in the chair in the police station's interrogation room, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.

Her gaze fell on the clock hanging on the opposite wall, and each tick of the second hand felt like a tap on her heart.

"Officer Luo, I know this sounds absurd."

She finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

"But I really suspect my husband is having an affair."

Luo Fei put down his pen and looked up at the haggard-looking woman.

She was around thirty years old, and her eyes showed signs of fatigue, but you could still tell that she had once been a beauty.

"Ms. Li, could you please elaborate?"

Luo Fei's voice was gentle yet professional.

Li Ya.

“Jiang Xia and I have been married for seven years. For the first three years, we had a very good relationship. He is introverted, loves literature, and makes a living by writing online novels. I know nothing about literature, but we love each other.”

Her gaze drifted into the distance.

"Later, he started to change."

What exactly are the changes?

"He originally wrote urban romance novels, but last year he suddenly switched to writing crime novels, and he was like he was on steroids."

Li Ya smiled wryly.

"At first I thought it was just a creative shift, but then I realized something was wrong."

Luo Fei raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?"

"He became mysterious."

Li Ya bit her lower lip.

"My sleep schedule has completely changed; I write at night and sleep during the day. We almost never see each other. And..."

Her voice lowered.

"We haven't had sex in a long time."

Luo Fei coughed lightly.

"You suspect he's having an affair?"

“I followed him.”

Li Ya admitted it directly.

"But I didn't find any suspicious women. I also checked his phone, and it was clean, not even any flirtatious text messages."

She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with stubbornness.

“But a woman’s intuition is never wrong, Officer Luo. He must be seeing someone else.”

Luo Fei seemed to be deep in thought.

Do you think he's having an online romance?

"I've thought about that too."

Li Ya shook her head.

“But I checked all his social media accounts, and there was no trace of interaction. It’s like… like that woman doesn’t exist.”

A brief silence fell over the interrogation room.

Luo Fei noticed that the wedding ring on Li Ya's right ring finger had faded a bit, indicating that she had worn it for many years.

"There's one more thing."

Li Ya hesitated for a moment.

Three months ago, I became pregnant unexpectedly.

Luo Fei raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't this a good thing?"

"We have always used contraception."

Li Ya's voice turned cold.

“I suspect he did something. He’s five years older than me, and his family has been pressuring him to have a child.”

Luo Fei nodded.

"You just said that Jiang Xia is related to the recent case?"

Li Ya's fingertips trembled slightly.

“I don’t believe he would kill someone. But his recent behavior is too abnormal, Officer Luo. You’re investigating him, right?”

Luo Fei did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

"Do you think he might be connected to the murderer?"

"I do not know."

Li Ya closed her eyes in pain.

"But if he really did have an affair, could that woman be the murderer?"

Just then, Luo Fei's phone vibrated.

He glanced at the screen; it was a message from Cheng Yunchuan.

His pupils contracted sharply after he finished reading.

"Ms. Li."

Luo Fei put down his phone, his voice becoming unusually serious.

"You have a twin sister?"

Li Ya's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if she had been struck on the head.

Her lips trembled, and she couldn't speak for a long time.

"Li Lin...she...she's dead."

Li Ya's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Fifteen years ago, to save me..."

Luo Fei didn't urge her, and waited quietly for her to continue.

We walked home together after school that day.

Li Ya's eyes became unfocused, as if she had returned to that nightmarish afternoon.

"A truck suddenly went out of control and came hurtling towards us; she pushed me out of the way."

Li Ya's nails dug deeply into her palms, yet she felt no pain whatsoever.

She just flew out like that. Blood was everywhere.

Her voice choked.

"When the ambulance arrived, she was already...already..."

Luo Fei handed her a tissue, and Li Ya realized that she was already in tears.

"Sorry, I lost my temper."

She managed to wipe away her tears.

"This incident was a huge blow to me, and I underwent a full year of psychological treatment. After that, no one dared to mention Li Lin again, and even Jiang Xia didn't know that I had an older sister."

Cheng Yunchuan spread the investigation data out on the conference table, tapping his fingertips on the comparison photos of Li Ya and Li Lin.

"These sisters are like they come from two different worlds."

Luo Fei picked up Li Lin's photo. The girl in the photo had gentle features and long hair, which contrasted sharply with Li Ya's flamboyant short hair.

"Does Li Lin like literature?"

he asked thoughtfully.

“Yes, I started writing novels in junior high school.” Cheng Yunchuan pulled out a yellowed notebook.

"These were found at their home; they are all Li Lin's manuscripts."

Luo Fei's fingers paused slightly.

Similar records can be found in Jiangxia's archives.
"A literature enthusiast who once published poems in the school magazine."

This coincidence stirred something strange within him.

Where is Li Ya?

Chen Xuanran leaned closer and asked.

"Completely the opposite."

Cheng Yunchuan smiled.

"Lively and cheerful, the life of the party at the police academy. After graduation, she was assigned to the Chengnan Police Station, where she consistently received excellent ratings in public satisfaction surveys."

Luo Fei's gaze shifted between the two photos, and fragments of the previous investigation suddenly flashed through his mind: Li Ya said she went to bed before 10 o'clock; the downstairs neighbor complained of a leak but couldn't find the source; the child insisted that the toy was bought by "Mom," while Li Ya said it was bought by her husband; Zhang Weiwei's testimony only mentioned one attacker.
These fragments spun in his mind like puzzle pieces, gradually forming a disturbing pattern.

"Captain Luo?"

Chen Xuanran noticed Luo Fei's suddenly stiff back.

Luo Fei suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

"I need to confirm something."

He strode towards the door.

"Wait for me!"

Chen Xuanran grabbed his coat and chased after him.

In the corridor, Luo Fei's pace was so fast that he almost ran.

Chen Xuanran jogged to catch up.

"What exactly did they discover?"

"There are too many points of contention."

Luo Fei pressed the elevator button.

"Li Ya's testimony does not match the evidence."

The elevator doors opened, and Luo Fei stepped inside.

"Did you notice those toy models when you first went to her house?"

Chen Xuanran recalled.

“Those limited edition sports car models? Jiang Xia doesn’t seem like the type of person who would buy those kinds of things.”

"Yes."

Luo Fei's eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

"And the child said that 'Mom' bought it."

In the underground parking garage, Luo Fei started the car, and the tires made a screeching sound.

"Let's go take a look around the area near Shanshui International."

Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped in an underground parking garage in a bustling commercial street.

Chen Xuanran looked around in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

Luo Fei locked the car door.

"Find a vending machine."

"what?"

"Those 24-hour vending machines for model toys."

Luo Fei strode towards the elevator.

"Several limited-edition models in Li Ya's home can only be purchased on specific machines."

In the property management office, the duty manager looked troubled after hearing Luo Fei's request.

"Surveillance video recording generally requires formal procedures."

Luo Fei showed his identification.

“Delays in investigating serial rape cases could lead to more women becoming victims.”

The manager wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I...I'll retrieve it right away."

On the screen, the time jumps to 1:28 AM two weeks ago.

On the empty pedestrian street, a familiar figure appeared in front of the vending machine.

"It's Li Ya!"

Chen Xuanran exclaimed in surprise.

In the surveillance footage, Li Ya was wearing a loose sweatshirt, and her walking posture was completely different from usual. Her shoulders were slightly tucked in, and her steps were slow.

She stood in front of the vending machine, skillfully scanned the code to pay, and took out two beautifully packaged model cars.

"At this point in time."

Luo Fei stared at the screen.

"She should be sleeping at home."

Chen Xuanran frowned.

"And the way she walks..."

“She looks exactly like the woman in the surveillance footage from Shanshui International.”

Luo Fei pressed the pause button, and the image froze at the moment Li Ya turned around.

“Look at the angle of her shoulders and her stride.”

Chen Xuanran gasped.

"You mean the person who came out of the neighborhood that night was Li Ya? But she clearly said she was sleeping!"

Luo Fei's gaze deepened.

Do you remember what your child said? 'Mom bought me a toy.'

"But Li Ya said it was bought by Jiang Xia."

"if."

Luo Fei said slowly.

"Isn't Li Ya the 'mom' the child is talking about?"

Chen Xuanran's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

Luo Fei pulled up another surveillance video. On the night of the incident, the cameras at Shanshui International captured the back view of a woman hurriedly leaving.

He played the two videos side by side.

"The same walking posture, the same shoulder tilt angle."

"This is impossible."

Chen Xuanran's voice trembled.

"Li Ya is a police officer, how could she..."

Luo Fei turned off the monitoring.

"Let's talk in the car."

Back in the car, Chen Xuanran was still in shock.

"If it was Li Ya who left that night, why would she lie? What does she have to do with Zhang Weiwei's case?"

Luo Fei started the car.

Do you remember Li Lin?

"Her sister? But Li Lin is already..."

"A car accident five years ago."

Luo Fei turned the steering wheel.

“But her hobbies and personality are completely different from Li Ya’s.”

Chen Xuanran suddenly realized.

"You mean Li Ya has two personalities?"

"Multiple personality disorder."

Luo Fei nodded.

"Patients may develop entirely different personalities to cope with trauma. Li Lin's death may have been too much of a blow to Li Ya."

"So 'the other mother' is her second personality?"

Chen Xuanran's voice was strained.

"That personality thinks it's Li Lin?"

Luo Fei's gaze was solemn.

“Worse still, this personality may have violent tendencies.”

As the car entered the police station parking lot, Chen Xuanran suddenly grabbed Luo Fei's arm.

"Wait, if that's really the case, then what about the night Zhang Weiwei's case happened?"

"Li Ya, or rather her other personality, may be at the scene."

Luo Fei turned off the engine.

“We need to re-interrogate Zhang Weiwei.”

In the interrogation room, Zhang Weiwei appeared confused when faced with Luo Fei's questions.

"I'm sure there's only one person, although sometimes his movements seem strange, like they're uncoordinated."

"How exactly is it discordant?"

Luo Fei pressed for an answer.

"that is."

Zhang Weiwei frowned.

"Sometimes he's very rough, and then suddenly he becomes very gentle. It's like he's a completely different person."

Luo Fei and Chen Xuanran exchanged a glance.

After leaving the interrogation room, Chen Xuanran said in a low voice.

"This is consistent with the characteristics of personality switching."

"not enough."

Luo Fei shook his head.

"We need solid evidence."

In the forensic office, Cheng Yunchuan is comparing physical evidence.

“Interesting.”

He held up an evidence bag.

“The skin tissue extracted from Zhang Weiwei’s fingernails partially matched Li Ya’s DNA.”

Chen Xuanran was shocked.

"Partial match?"

"It's like a close family relationship."

Cheng Yunchuan pushed up his glasses.

For example, sisters.

Luo Fei's eyes sharpened. (End of Chapter)