Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 560 An "Accident"

"Director Wang, where is Teacher Tian?" Zhou Yi asked impatiently.

"Teacher Tian?" Director Wang was taken aback. "I don't know. He accompanied me to the hospital yesterday, and then went home."

Were he injured at the time?

"No, I was the only one injured." Director Wang pointed at Qin Chao and asked, "Did you notice that your teacher, Tian, ​​was injured at the time?"

Qin Chao shook his head repeatedly.

Shen Jiale asked, "Teacher Zhou, what's wrong?"

Zhou Yi countered, "Look at your hands, are there any traces of dirt on them?"

Shen Jiale gripped the steering wheel with one hand, quickly raised the other to look, and replied, "Yes."

“I have some on my hand too. It must have gotten on me when we were looking down from the window at the corner between the fourth and fifth floors in Qin Chao’s building,” Zhou Yi said.

"This is clearly soil, not dust. But how could there be soil on a windowsill at the corner of the stairs under normal circumstances?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiale instantly realized: "Flowerpot!"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Yes, a flowerpot! Since the flowerpot that hit Director Wang wasn't thrown from any household's window, it could only have been thrown from a stairwell window, because the stairwell is completely open to the public, allowing free entry and exit without leaving a trace."

"Brother Jiale, go back and notify the local police station to conduct a door-to-door investigation in the neighborhood to see which first-floor household has lost a potted plant. It's highly likely that they used what they had on hand."

"Okay, Teacher Zhou."

The unease that Zhou Yi had been feeling all along actually stemmed from the fact that Director Wang had been hit by a flowerpot.

Zhou Yi initially thought someone was targeting Qin Chao, but it turned out that Director Wang was the one who was mistakenly injured.

But if Qin Chao had no chance of killing Wang Xinkai, then the revenge against him would not exist.

Therefore, the incident of smashing the flowerpot naturally cannot be explained.

But when he realized that his hands were covered in mud, he remembered that the only place he had touched that might have gotten mud on them was the stairwell window.

This means that smashing the flowerpot was not an accident, but rather intentional.

The staircase is a public space with a high degree of freedom. Moreover, the corner between the fourth and fifth floors is at a suitable height, allowing people to go up or down at will. Even if someone happens to appear in the stairwell, you can pretend to go up or down the stairs.

Most importantly, the person throwing the flowerpot wouldn't need to enter one of the apartments in the building to commit the crime, thus increasing the risk.

Therefore, this flowerpot incident represents a premeditated crime.

But Director Wang and his colleagues are just ordinary people; they certainly don't have the strong investigative awareness to immediately seal off the corridor and call the police. It must have been chaotic at the time, and the murderer could have easily taken advantage of the confusion to escape.

Since it is a premeditated crime, there must be a criminal target and a criminal motive.

Director Wang has absolutely nothing to do with these matters.

Zhou Yi's original suspect was Qin Chao, because there were too many suspicious things about this kid.

But now Qin Chao has frankly given a clear alibi.

Since the target wasn't him or Director Wang, it could only be another person who was present at the time: Ms. Tian, ​​Zhu Lingling and Qin Chao's homeroom teacher!

The murderer's target was Teacher Tian, ​​but he accidentally injured Director Wang instead.

Then Teacher Tian might be in danger.

"Director Wang, does Teacher Tian have a class today?"

"I think so, didn't Zhu Lingling go to class?"

Did Teacher Tian come to school today?

Director Wang said somewhat aggrievedly, "I don't know about that. I came to see you as soon as I arrived at the school today, and I didn't have time to think about him."

Zhou Yi immediately took out his phone and handed it to him, saying, "Call the school and have someone go look for Teacher Tian right away. If she is, find a way to keep her under control until we get back."

Director Wang answered the phone with trepidation and asked, "What if he's not here?"

Zhou Yi turned to Shen Jiale and said, "If he's not here, have the branch office send someone to support him immediately!"

Director Wang nervously dialed the phone, his voice trembling with tension as he spoke.

"Yes, go find Teacher Tian right now, don't waste a second! Call me as soon as you find her, yes, this is the number, hurry... hurry..."

After hanging up the phone, Director Wang gripped it tightly, his face full of anxiety.

He naturally didn't know Zhou Yi's specific thoughts, but he vaguely sensed that something big was about to happen.

"Director Wang," Zhou Yi called out.

"Hey!" Director Wang exclaimed, jolted awake.

"What is this Teacher Tian's name? How old is she? What is her personality like? What is her family situation like? Describe her in the briefest possible way."

"Okay, okay. Teacher Tian's surname is Tian..." Director Wang realized he had said something pointless. "Pshaw, his name is Tian Yipeng. He's thirty-one or thirty-two this year. He's a very good and excellent young teacher. He's responsible, his teaching level is also good, and he's quite ambitious."

"As for his family... they seem to be quite harmonious. We all attended his wedding four or five years ago. His wife is quite beautiful, and they are a perfect match. They later had a daughter, and they even handed out wedding candy at her school. I haven't heard anything... about anything going wrong."

Zhou Yi took a deep breath and asked, "When Qin Chao called the police before, and when you visited his home yesterday, did Tian Yipeng show any unusual reaction?"

"Abnormal reaction? No...no, I don't think so...He just kept apologizing to me yesterday, saying that he hadn't done his job as a homeroom teacher properly and hadn't paid enough attention to his classmates' mental health."

Zhou Yi remembered that Director Wang had mentioned this earlier, but he hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. However, now that he thought about it, Tian Yipeng's behavior seemed a bit excessive.

It's been so long since the incident happened, and the situation is still unclear. Isn't it really inopportune to keep self-criticizing to the leader?

Is it possible that he is using self-reflection to mask his nervousness?

At this moment, Qin Chao cautiously raised his hand and said, "Teacher Tian... Teacher Tian talked to me."

Zhou Yi and Director Wang were both startled. Director Wang quickly asked, "When?"

"On the day the police came to the school, after school, Ms. Tian kept me behind and talked to me alone."

"What did you say?"

"Well... it's nothing. He just asked me about the specific details of how Zhu... Zhu Lingling was raped. Oh, he also asked me if I saw what the man looked like, how tall he was, how strong he was, and so on."

"Any more?"

Qin Chao shook his head and said, "No...nothing. Oh, he also reminded me that I can't tell anyone about this, otherwise it would be illegal."

After listening, Director Wang looked at Zhou Yi, wanting to ask for his opinion.

But then his phone, which he was holding tightly in his hand, suddenly rang, startling him.

Flustered, Director Wang answered the phone and, with a grim expression, shook his head at Zhou Yi: "They said... Teacher Tian didn't come to class today..."

"Where does Tian Yipeng live?" Zhou Yi asked.

"I...I'll have them check it out."

"Okay, investigate quickly!"

A few minutes later, Director Wang replied: "Sixi Third Village, Building 11, Room 404."

"Turn around and head to Tian Yipeng's house!"

"Okay!" Shen Jiale immediately turned the steering wheel sharply, made a U-turn, and turned on the siren at the same time.

Police cars sped along the highway with their sirens blaring.

……

"You two, stay in the car and don't run around!" Zhou Yi said to Director Wang and Qin Chao, then got out of the car with Shen Jiale and rushed into the building.

Sitting in the back seat of the police car, Director Wang and Qin Chao stared at each other, exchanging glances.

Director Wang couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

Although he didn't know what had happened, the tense atmosphere terrified him.

I have a feeling something big is about to happen!

Zhou Yi and Shen Jiale rushed upstairs and arrived at the door of 404.

This building has a layout of four units per floor, indicating that the building area is not large.

Zhou Yi winked at Shen Jiale and whispered, "Go knock on the door."

Shen Jiale nodded, his mind buzzing a little, because he saw Zhou Yi take a step back to the side, and at the same time, one of his hands had already touched his waist.

He had never encountered this situation before, and he couldn't help but feel nervous as he assumed the ready-to-draw stance.

Then I saw a doorbell button next to the door of 404.

Instinctively, I reached out to ring the doorbell.

Just as they were about to touch, Zhou Yi grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Yi asked with a serious expression.

Shen Jiale panicked and replied, "Knock...knock on the door."

"Step back!" Zhou Yi said sternly in a low voice.

Shen Jiale's heart tightened, but he still did as instructed.

Zhou Yi placed one hand on his waist and gently knocked on the door with the other.

"Dong dong dong..."

There was no response from inside the house.

Zhou Yi knocked a few more times with greater force, but there was still no response.

Then, just like before at Qin Chao's door, he lay down, put his face close to the crack in the door, and smelled it.

Instantly, his expression changed drastically.

He stood up and said, "There's a gas leak in the house."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jiale broke out in a cold sweat and his face turned deathly pale.

Because he knew that if Zhou Yi hadn't stopped him, he would have killed both of them.

If there is a gas leak in the house and the concentration reaches a certain level, even a tiny electrical spark can cause a gas explosion.

For example, the electric spark generated when a light switch is turned on or when a doorbell is pressed.

Given their distance, especially since he was directly facing the door, the massive impact of the explosion would have blown the door off, and he would have been killed instantly.

"When you encounter a dangerous situation that is unclear, you must be cautious, cautious, and even more cautious. Do you understand?" Zhou Yi had never spoken so sternly before, because in the course of a mission, such extremely small details can sometimes be matters of life and death.

Shen Jiale swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he said, "I...I remember..."

"Teacher Zhou... what do we do now? Call a locksmith? Or break down the door?"

"There's no time to find a locksmith, and we can't ram the door. If the lock is broken and sparks are generated from the friction, the result will be just as bad."

Zhou Yi looked around and immediately went to knock on the door of room 403 next door.

A woman's voice came from inside the house, saying, "Coming, coming, stop knocking!"

Then an older woman opened the door, looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, and the sound of a television could be heard coming from inside.

Zhou Yi immediately took out his ID to identify himself and told the woman that there was a gas leak next door, and if it wasn't dealt with, it could cause an explosion that would affect their home.

The old lady was so frightened she was completely stunned.

Zhou Yi had the older woman find a rope and a hammer. He then attached the hammer to his belt and tied the rope around his waist. After Shen Jiale secured the rope inside the house, Zhou Yi climbed out from the balcony of apartment 403.

The aunt's house is a one-bedroom, one-living room unit, with a middle section.

Therefore, these small apartments are usually very close together, with only one wall separating the balconies of the two apartments.

After climbing out of the aunt's balcony, Zhou Yi grabbed the window frame with one hand, stepped on the small protrusions on the edge of the balcony with both feet, and then leaned his body onto the balcony of room 404 next door.

He pressed his face against the window glass, trying to look inside, but the curtains on the balcony were drawn, and he couldn't see anything.

Then he reached into his waistband and pulled out a hammer. After checking to make sure no one was downstairs, he raised the hammer and smashed it down in the center of the glass.

Shen Jiale over there only heard the sound of breaking glass. When he peeked out, he saw that Zhou Yi had already crawled into the next room.

Then the windows of the adjacent balcony were carefully opened, and Zhou Yi called out, "Go to the door."

Shen Jiale quickly ran back to the door of 404 and told the bewildered old lady to stay inside and not come out.

Soon, the door to room 404 opened, and a pungent smell immediately hit us.

Zhou Yi, who had just opened the door while covering her mouth and nose, rushed out and ran into the hallway to breathe heavily.

"Teacher Zhou, are you alright?" Shen Jiale asked with concern.

Zhou Yi had clearly been holding his breath, and his face was flushed. He waved his hand and said, "The windows are all open for ventilation... cough cough cough... the gas switch is also off. Don't go in yet, let the gas in the room dissipate first."

There is no other solution to a gas leak than to turn off the valve, ventilate the room, and wait for air circulation to remove all the gas.

Because the gas concentration inside the house was probably already extremely high, Zhou Yi was extremely careful when opening the windows and doors, afraid that even the slightest spark could kill him.

When Zhou Yi opened the west-facing window in the living room, he stuck his head out to get some fresh air.

Even so, he still felt like he had inhaled some gas, and now his head was a little dizzy.

The noise from smashing the glass had attracted the attention of people upstairs and downstairs.

Zhou Yi instructed Shen Jiale to guard the door of room 404 and evacuate the crowd.

He took a breath and then dialed the city bureau's command center.

"Director Yao, this is Zhou Yi. Something has happened here. Could you please notify the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Fenghu Branch and have them conduct a crime scene investigation? The address is Building 11, Room 404, Sixi Third Village." Zhou Yi said in a deep voice, "Also, please have forensic doctor Yun come over. A body has been found at the scene!"

……

The woman in apartment 403 was so frightened by the police coming and going next door that she was completely stunned. It wasn't until a police officer approached her to ask about the situation that she came to her senses in a daze.

The neighbors upstairs and downstairs already know about the 404 gas leak and that someone has died.

Everyone was terrified, after all, they had smelled such a strong gas odor.

Moreover, today is Saturday, and if an explosion were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Because the branch is currently short-staffed, and the crime occurred in Fenghu District, Zhou Yi asked the command center to notify the criminal investigation team of the branch bureau to take charge. Yun Yao is Wu Guang's only forensic doctor, so she has to rush to wherever a body is found.

Zhou Yi first instructed his colleagues at the branch office to take Director Wang and Qin Chao back for questioning, and at the same time, to go to the art school to bring Zhu Lingling back as well.

There was no longer any need for Director Wang to come up and identify the deceased at the scene.

After Zhou Yi broke through the balcony window and climbed in, he found a man lying on the bed, his body stiff and already dead.

A wedding photo was hanging above the bed, and the deceased was the man in the photo.

Without a doubt, the person who died was Tian Yipeng, the homeroom teacher of Qin Chao's class.

Fortunately, Tian Yipeng was alone at home; his wife and children were not seen.

When Yun Yao arrived, Zhou Yi was smoking by the flower bed downstairs.

"Sister Yun," Zhou Yi called out.

Yun Yao walked over and asked with concern, "Why do you look so pale?"

"The gas concentration in the room was too high. I may have inhaled a little bit when we changed the air, so I felt a bit dizzy earlier."

"Hold out your hand, let me see," Yun Yao said.

Zhou Yi extended his right hand, palm up.

Yun Yao flipped him over so that his hand was facing up.

"Look at your fingernails, not your palms," Yun Yao said after taking a look. "You should be fine. There are no signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you still feel tightness in your chest, loosen your collar and belt and breathe in some fresh air."

Zhou Yi nodded.

Yun Yao pointed to the cigarette in his left hand and said sternly, "Don't smoke at a time like this. Smoking will make you short of breath."

Seeing her scolding him like an older sister, Zhou Yi quickly threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out like a child who had stolen a snack.

He is the eldest brother in his generation, whether on his father's or mother's side.

Although I have older brothers and sisters among my uncles and aunts, we rarely interact, so I rarely get the chance to be lectured by my older sister.

"I'm going upstairs first. You rest here for a bit. I'll call you if anything happens." Yun Yao said, then picked up her toolbox and went upstairs.

Zhou Yi stood downstairs, breathing in the fresh air, finally understanding the pain Lu Xiaoshuang had endured in the mine.

I only accidentally took a puff and I already feel so uncomfortable, which shows how dangerous Lu Xiaoshuang's near-death experience was back then.

Zhou Yi watched Wu Guang's busy colleagues upstairs, and through the third-floor corridor window, he also saw Shen Jiale asking about the situation of the downstairs neighbors.

He turned his head unintentionally upstairs and saw Zhou Yi downstairs. He immediately waved to him with a big smile, like a good student seeing a teacher.

Zhou Yi patted his face, trying to clear his head.

Although the results of the on-site investigation and preliminary autopsy are not yet available, this should be considered an "accident".

Tian Yipeng was lying on the bed in the bedroom. Due to the emergency, Zhou Yi only checked whether he was alive or dead and did not investigate the cause of death further.

But at least on the surface, he did not die from violence, because there was no bloodshed.

The source of the gas leak was the gas stove in the kitchen.

When Zhou Yi turned off the gas stove knob and valve, he glanced at the situation.

On the stove where the leak was made, there was a pot containing white porridge.

The edge of the stove was covered with dried porridge, along with splashes of white water.

It was obvious that the stove went out because of cooking porridge.

In her previous life, Zhou Yi handled a case in the provincial capital where a husband had accumulated gambling debts and, in an attempt to pay them off, bought his wife an accidental death insurance policy in an attempt to defraud the insurance company.

His method was to deliberately create a gas leak accident, then fabricate an alibi, and pretend to go home to find his wife had died of gas poisoning.

When Zhou Yi and Lu Zhengfeng arrived at the scene after responding to the call, he immediately noticed something amiss.

There was a kettle on the stove, the bottom of which had been burned through, and next to it was an empty thermos with the stopper removed.

It looks like the deceased was trying to boil water but accidentally "fell asleep," causing the gas stove to go out.

However, Zhou Yi raised a question at the time: if the kettle boiled and the water that splashed out extinguished the fire below, how did the bottom of the kettle burn through?

The bottom of the kettle was burned through, indicating that it continued to burn even after the water inside had boiled away.

That means the gas stove cannot leak gas.

This single discovery solved the case.

During the first interrogation, the murderer confessed that he had deliberately placed the kettle on the leaky stove after burning it through beforehand, in order to create the illusion that the boiling water had accidentally extinguished the fire.

As a result, his brain wasn't working well enough, and he revealed a huge flaw.

But cooking porridge is different. Anyone with experience knows that after porridge boils over high heat, it should be turned down to low heat and simmered slowly. Also, the lid should not be covered too tightly, otherwise steam will keep overflowing, causing the fire below to go out and resulting in a gas leak.

Therefore, judging solely from Tian Yipeng's family situation, it logically resembles an accident.

If this "accident" was indeed man-made, then the murderer is far more cunning than the one Zhou Yi caught in his previous life.

The question now is, was Tian Yipeng's death really an accident?
"No, it wasn't an accident!" Zhou Yi looked up at the fourth floor and muttered to himself.

If death from carbon monoxide poisoning was an accident, then the potted plant that hit Director Wang doesn't make sense.

Unless this potted plant was also an accident, and someone accidentally threw it down, and then, out of fear, denied it.

However, in the veteran detective's habit, a series of unexpected coincidences is the most suspicious thing!

"Could it be... that Tian Yipeng was the one who stabbed Wang Xinkai? Someone killed him intentionally for revenge?" Zhou Yi immediately thought of the arrogant Wang Mingyi with his slicked-back hair.

But I can't understand why, if Wang Mingyi arranged for someone to avenge his son, he would use his connections to specifically ask me to handle the case.

“If it really was them, then Wang Xinkai must have woken up! Only when he wakes up can he tell us who stabbed him.”

Thinking of this, Zhou Yi immediately took out his phone and dialed Wang Mingyi's number.

After the call connected, Wang Mingyi spoke first, asking, "Officer Zhou, have you caught the murderer who hurt my son?"

"The case is still under investigation. Mr. Wang, has your son, Wang Xinkai, woken up?" Zhou Yi asked in a deep voice.

"He's awake," Wang Mingyi said casually. "Officer Zhou's call came at just the right time; my son just woke up half an hour ago."

Zhou Yi's breath hitched, and he asked impatiently, "Did you ask him who stabbed him?"

“Of course we have to ask. But Xiao Kai says he doesn’t know the murderer either,” Wang Mingyi sighed. “Hey, Officer Zhou, what are we going to do?”

(End of this chapter)