Chapter 42: Forgotten Painting
"The cause of death was indeed burning." Bai Ling took off her mask and frowned as she continued, "But the strange thing is that I didn't find any fire source or anything that could cause a fire at the scene."
It was already late at night when Bai Ling arrived at Minjiang by plane. At the crime scene, everyone could clearly see fatigue and confusion in her eyes, but after hearing her conclusion, everyone became even more confused.
"Did the deceased suffer any external injuries?" Gu Xia thought for a moment and continued, "For example, was there a heavy blow to the back of the head, or a blow to the throat?"
"Professor Gu, do you suspect that the deceased was knocked unconscious and then burned maliciously?" Gao Feng asked.
"Yes, if there is no reasonable explanation, I really can't imagine that a person could be burned to death in his sleep without feeling anything at all." Gu Xia sighed. He was obviously very distressed at the moment.
"That's why I'm so confused." Bai Ling spread her hands and said helplessly, "From the body of the deceased, I can't find any signs of injury before death, but I can't rule out the possibility that the deceased was drugged and then burned to death. A more detailed report may need to be returned to the office before a conclusion can be drawn."
"Okay, then..." Gu Xia hesitated for a moment. Just as he was about to instruct the criminal police waiting outside to take the deceased's body back to the task force's office for debriefing, Wang Zheng at the side reached out to stop him.
"I want to try." Wang Zheng looked at Gu Xia seriously.
"Huh?" Gu Xia looked at him in confusion, his expression somewhat puzzled. "The clues at this scene are very confusing, not as clear as any previous case. There is not even a trace. Why did you try?"
"Feeling." Wang Zheng was silent for a while, then spoke again: "I feel this scene is very familiar, very similar to a painting I saw before."
When Gu Xia heard this, he suddenly understood, but soon became confused again.
He had seen a similar description in Wang Zheng's case records. In the art museum case, Wang Zheng had seen a work called "Redemption", but because it had nothing to do with the murders at the time, it had never been taken seriously.
But at this critical moment, Wang Zheng suddenly thought of the painting. Could there be something in common between them?
"I find it very strange." Wang Zheng pondered for a while and said, "Case Z002, does Professor Gu still remember the victims?"
"I remember." Gu Xia nodded and said, "It was Lan Ni, Chen Shuai, and Jia Weiping, but I don't think this case has anything to do with Z002. Also, what exactly is the painting you mentioned?"
"It was a tree that was burned like charcoal." Wang Zheng said with a stiff expression: "At first I thought it was a tree, but after seeing the scene, I suddenly realized it was a person, a person who was burned to death while standing!"
As he spoke, the image of "Redemption" appeared in his mind again. Wasn't the shocking burning branch the arm of the victim in front of him?
"What!" Hearing Wang Zheng's words, Gu Xia's expression suddenly became very ugly. After a long silence, he finally said, "How long do you need?"
"Just give me ten minutes." Wang Zheng looked at his watch and said.
"Okay, then please give me three minutes." Gu Xia quickly instructed Gao Feng and Bai Ling, "I'll give you three minutes. Take photos of the scene without destroying it. Don't miss any details, not even a hair!"
"yes!"
Gao Feng was rarely so excited this time that he barely had time to ask any questions. He ran to the door and snatched the camera responsible for recording the scene from the criminal police's hands. He started filming from the door without saying a word.
On the other hand, Bai Ling directly took out the digital camera she carried with her and took pictures of every detail of the deceased's body, including the bed sheet that had been burnt into pieces.
"The time's up." Wang Zheng looked at Gu Xia, shook his head and closed his glasses. He was very anxious. This time he didn't even care whether his group members had left the scene or not, and he entered a state of empathy.
"Keep your voice down!" Gu Xia walked out of the door like a thief, pulling Gao Feng and others to look, then left the door ajar, and finally relaxed , breathing heavily.
"Professor Gu, why are you so anxious this time?" Gao Feng checked the photos in the camera and grumbled unhappily, "It takes three minutes to take pictures of all the traces. It's not detailed enough. Look at these photos. Some of them are overexposed and can't be used at all!"
"These photos are not for you to use. If you are willing to open the previous album carefully, you will find that the local comrades have already taken the details." Huamei explained to Gao Feng before Gu Xia, then she turned her head and looked at Gu Xia and said, "Professor Gu, your temper has been getting worse recently. Watch your blood pressure."
Gu Xia nodded, then sighed, took out a cigarette from his trouser pocket and started smoking.
…
"I just stood by the bed, admiring his sleeping expression, and I could hear his snoring in my ears."
"This snoring will not affect what I want to do next. I think he will be very grateful to me for fulfilling his dream. This is the reward he paid with his life."
Wang Zheng suddenly laughed. He took two steps back and fixed his eyes on the dead man. He watched the dead man return to the time when he was alive, lying quietly on the bed, snoring as if he was having an unknown sweet dream.
"Trust me, you will die without any pain soon."
Wang Zheng suddenly smiled. He took a step forward and pointed his empty palm at the victim, as if something had touched his body. Then he stood quietly by the window. There seemed to be fire in his eyes. He just watched a person burn silently and then die.
"It's time to call."
Wang Zheng laughed, picked up the mobile phone on the table and dialed 110. Then he suddenly slapped his forehead, found a mirror, smiled at the mirror and said, "I almost forgot to introduce it to you. This is my work." After saying that, he pushed the door open tiredly and walked out.
"What did you see this time?" Gu Xia asked, looking at Wang Zheng who looked tired.
"Wait a minute." Huamei stood aside, looking at Wang Zheng with uncertain eyes , and asked: "Who are you and where are you now?"
"My name is Wang Zheng, this is... the crime scene." Wang Zheng shook his head, feeling even more exhausted. "The murderer didn't leave any psychological hints this time. I didn't lose control, but I feel very bad."
"Why are you so sure?" Huamei asked puzzled.
"The psychological hint the murderer gave me last time was excitement, which made me mistakenly believe that he was excitedly handling the body." Wang Zheng recalled carefully: "So when I was empathizing last time, I ignored the real murderer. All my empathy was actually the voice of the second murderer."
"You see it more clearly this time." Gu Xia looked at Wang Zheng quietly. He couldn't tell whether this matter was good or bad.
"Although there is no second murderer at the scene this time, it is more difficult to solve." Wang Zheng leaned against the wall and said weakly: "The murderer seems to have treated the deceased as a work of art this time. Every detail is in place. I even suspect that the number of the police call was changed. The deceased's call was just a false clue to solve the case, which made us lose our clues."
"Are you... okay?" Bai Ling looked at Wang Zheng worriedly. A forensic doctor is also half a doctor, and she can see that Wang Zheng's current behavior is not right.
"It's okay." Wang Zheng shook his head and smiled bitterly, "The murderer was just feeling refreshed after seeing his most satisfying work. I'll be fine after a rest."
"What about the profile? Forget it, don't worry. You should take a rest first and talk about it after daybreak." Gu Xia looked at Wang Zheng and suddenly felt a little distressed.
"The profile has been completed." Wang Zheng sorted out his thoughts and said weakly: "First, the murderer should be an electrician. I suggest that the police conduct a city-wide investigation. Second, the murderer has a certain computer foundation, which can be used as another clue. Third..."
Before Wang Zheng could finish his words, he fell down with a bang.
