Xia Hou approached and whispered a few words in my ear. I nodded, my gaze sharpening, locking onto the alluring Meiqin before me.
This woman’s full name was Song Meiqin, 24 years old. She had been working here for several years, and it was unknown how many regulars she had courted. Many customers wouldn't have come here otherwise, but because of Song Meiqin's presence, they found themselves drawn back, hoping to catch a glimpse of this sexy and captivating woman.
Song Meiqin’s face was quite exquisite, possessing a Western high-bridged nose combined with Eastern maturity and charm. She was petite, the type many men favored.
Even I felt a bit nervous facing her at that moment.
Furthermore, Song Meiqin put on a slightly wronged expression, her face flushed with a delicate blush, and she looked down her nose at me.
At this moment, it truly felt like no other beauty could compare.
“Miss Song, we heard you were with the deceased before the incident?”
“That’s not true, uh… I mean, that was a long time ago!”
“Don’t worry, you don’t need to be concerned that we’ll suspect you because of this. If you didn’t do it, we won’t find evidence, right? But you and the deceased had a good relationship, didn’t you? You don’t need to deny it, because we’ve confirmed this through multiple sources. So, it’s no use no matter how much you deny it!”
“I understand, Officer He. Actually, he hugged me today.”
“Oh? And he grabbed your belt tightly, didn’t he? If I’m not mistaken, your belt is newly bought. Xiang Yingzong liked it very much, didn’t he? Your relationship has always been unusual. Were you his lover? Did you kiss today? And a French kiss!”
My rapid-fire questioning left Song Meiqin dumbfounded and incredibly embarrassed. Her face turned a mottled purple and green. After a long pause, she finally said with embarrassment, “Officer He, you’re right…” Her eyebrows twitched slightly as she stared intently at me with her dark, gem-like pupils.
“Don’t ask me how I figured it out. I deduced it from the traces on the deceased. After you were intimate with him, did you see anyone else contact him? Speak up!” I said loudly. It wasn’t that I lacked sympathy for this woman; I just felt there was nothing to pity about someone like her.
Song Meiqin appeared deep in thought. She now knew she couldn’t refuse to answer any of my questions. Moreover, any sign of resistance would easily arouse suspicion from the police.
She thought for a moment and then said, “After our intimacy, he said it was still early and left the bar alone, probably to go to the restroom. Then something must have happened. I didn’t know anything during the process, and I have nothing to do with this case! If you don’t believe me, you can check the surveillance here. There’s coverage in the lobby!”
“Don’t be nervous. I never said you were involved in the case. You don’t need to rush to clear your name. Doing so will only make us more suspicious, you understand? You saw him go into the restroom. It must have been early then, right? There weren’t many people in the bar? How did Xiang Yingzong look when he arrived? Did he mention if he was meeting anyone?”
“This, you mentioning it, I almost forgot. He told me he had something he needed to clarify with someone today, something related to a bit of cash flow. At the time, I thought, ‘cash flow’ for an ordinary person like him? But I didn’t mock him. After all, Xiang Yingzong was quite handsome, and I’m not that kind of woman. Every time he came, I’d let him hug or kiss me…”
“You don’t need to tell me these things. I’m not interested. Alright, Miss Song, thank you for your cooperation. We’ll be in touch if necessary. I hope you try not to leave Guangming City recently!”
“Is that so? You police officers are really troublesome!”
After Song Meiqin grumbled, I ignored her. I instructed Xia Hou and Xiao Yuande to thoroughly investigate Xiang Yingzong’s account status and recent contacts. After assigning tasks and collecting the surveillance footage, the body was also taken away. Liu Yuning later contacted the traffic management bureau for assistance in investigating the road sections outside the bar.
Back at the provincial department, I began the autopsy with Xie Chuchu and Zhang Keying. This time, we discovered that the agate quality in the deceased’s nostrils was the same as last time, from the same batch. The deceased’s lower body had been mutilated to such an extent that it took us a great deal of effort to piece the parts back together. It was like assembling a work of art from a pile of scattered building blocks.
Of course, to us, it was a work of art, but an ordinary person would likely have vomited immediately.
There were a considerable amount of red wine components in the deceased’s stomach contents, but no food. This indicated he had not eaten when he arrived at the bar that day. The deceased showed no signs of illness. His white blood cell count was elevated. Combined with some of the injuries on his body, it was clear he had definitely fought with the killer. This seemed a little different from previous victims. This time, the deceased resisted the most violently, likely realizing the killer was about to strike and reacting immediately, engaging in a struggle.
The restroom was a confined space. If a conflict occurred here, injuries would be easily sustained. The deceased had clear friction burns on his shoulder blade and back, which supported this. Furthermore, the fibers on his palms, which we analyzed, were consistent with those on Song Meiqin’s belt. I had someone collect evidence from her belt when I returned earlier. That guy was very cooperative.
And that belt is still at our provincial department. Originally, I just wanted to confirm my deduction, but when I paid closer attention to the belt again, I discovered other fingerprints on it. Could it be? Someone else had touched this woman at the time!
Of course, it could have been Song Meiqin’s own. I sent someone to extract the fingerprints. After comparison, it turned out not to be hers. At that moment, I thought Song Meiqin must know who it was, so I immediately made a call. Song Meiqin dared not refuse our investigation and was soon brought to the provincial department.
I sat opposite her. “Miss Song, this is an interrogation room. Relax!”
“Officer He, what exactly do you want to know? You keep looking for me lately, and it’s made my colleagues think I’m involved in the case. Wuwu, how am I supposed to live after this! Really!” Song Meiqin said, and surprisingly, she started to cry, sobbing with great grievance and sadness, tears streaming down her face. For a moment, I felt at a loss. Fortunately, Liu Yuning walked in, soothed her a bit, and then we questioned her together, which improved the situation somewhat.
When asked if anyone else had contacted her at the time, Song Meiqin replied, “Yes, before Xiang Yingzong arrived, Mr. Huang also touched me. What about it?”