National Forensic Doctor

Chapter 1314: Chapter 1240: Simple and Popular

Playing badminton is considered a relatively simple and popular sport in modern urban areas.

If you’re just casually playing, two rackets and a shuttlecock can suffice, and you can play anywhere there’s open space. But to reach a level where your shoulder joints suffer wear and tear, and your wrist joints also wear out and develop hyperplasia, a standard badminton court is a must.

Moreover, unlike basketball courts, which are often outdoors, badminton courts need to be wind-free, so they’re mostly located indoors. This often means there are reservations and fees involved, requiring one to leave a phone number and name. And, of course, the most important thing is the badminton partner.

Someone needs to play with you for you to reach the point of bone hyperplasia. Such a long-term training partner missing is highly likely to be reported to the police.

Jiang Yuan waited for less than half a day before a file of someone suspected to be a victim was sent over.

"Ye Qianyi, female, teacher at West Back Street Primary School in East Birch City, teaching art. Hobbies include badminton, participated in school badminton competitions, and won third place. Missing for four years and two months, aged 32 at the time of disappearance." Wang Chuanxing read from the PAD.

The detectives present all showed thoughtful expressions.

The missing woman’s profession and hobby matched Jiang Yuan’s assessment, but her disappearance time was much earlier than the estimated time of death.

If judged by a normal case, either Jiang Yuan’s assessment of the time of death is inaccurate, or Ye Qianyi did not die immediately after going missing.

This easily reminds one of Li Ningxia. Since the body found at Bishui South Road Park isn’t hers, where is her body? Or where did Li Ningxia go?

Wang Chuanxing continued, "Ye Qianyi disappeared on January 20th, just as school had gone on vacation, and her colleagues at work thought she had gone back to her hometown. Subsequent contact was lost, assumed to be due to poor communication or internet connection in her hometown, until almost New Year’s when her family couldn’t reach her and reported her missing at the local police station. Then on the third day of the New Year, they rushed to Beijing to report it again."

"What era is this, where can someone’s hometown communication and network be so terrible that they lose contact?" Cui Qishan couldn’t stand it.

Wang Chuanxing said, "Mongolia."

"Hmm..." Cui Qishan scratched his head.

Wang Chuanxing coughed twice, then continued, "In short, the investigation into Ye Qianyi’s case was not smooth. Since she had been missing for a while, there wasn’t much surveillance around her rented flat in East Birch City, and the last known location of her disappearance isn’t confirmed, making it a cold case... We have also notified the police in East Birch City, and they should come over today."

"East Birch City is a third- or fourth-tier city; the housing price shouldn’t be high, right? A teacher in her 30s still renting a place?" Cui Qishan questioned.

Wang Chuanxing looked down for a couple of moments, saying, "Ye Qianyi was also divorced, without children. Post-divorce, she didn’t take the house but received 220,000 yuan in cash and rented a place near the school."

"What’s your point?" Liu Jinghui, who usually gets asked this question, unexpectedly threw it back.

Jiang Yuan immediately turned his head and smiled, "Do you have any ideas?" noveldrama

Liu Jinghui slowly nodded, "Divorce property settlement is something that can easily lead to extreme emotions."

"Indeed."

"There’s a connection between the two cases, with some similarities..." Liu Jinghui steadied himself and looked at Jiang Yuan, "There’s a high possibility it’s a serial murder case."

As soon as he said this, not only Jiang Yuan but even Xiao Si turned to look, "Director Liu, we usually just say a series of murders. Serial murder... that’s only mentioned in detective novels."

"Xiao Si!" Cui Qishan pulled Xiao Si aside and whispered, "If you keep digging your grave, I’ll send you to guard the reservoir! Do you not want reinforcements anymore or what?"

"I spoke without thinking." Xiao Si immediately apologized to Liu Jinghui, "Sorry, Director Liu..."

Liu Jinghui didn’t bother with Xiao Si, waved it off, and spoke only to Jiang Yuan, "In any case, let’s connect the cases."

"Agreed. I support it." It was the appropriate thing to do; out of respect, Jiang Yuan confirmed it with Tao Lu.

Connecting cases involves not just investigation but also jurisdiction issues.

Ordinary people often don’t have much of a concept regarding police jurisdiction; they might even think it’s a waste of travel expenses for local police to travel far to investigate, suggesting it would be better to have local police handle it. In such instances, understanding oceanic fishing might offer some insight. In many cases, jurisdiction is decisive.

Of course, jurisdiction over this case shouldn’t have too much controversy, and even if there is, Zhengguang Bureau has overwhelming competitiveness. Tao Lu nodded lightly in agreement.

Then, Jiang Yuan asked, "Does Ye Qianyi have savings? Did it rain in East Birch City from the day of disappearance? Any rainy nights?"

Since it’s a connected case, these might be possible common points.

Wang Chuanxing immediately checked the PAD, "Ye Qianyi had about 220,000 yuan in savings. On the fourth day after her last contact with someone, there was rain, a rainy night."

"Is this the murderer’s modus operandi? But where’s the body?" Xiao Si, a very self-centered individual, wasn’t at all affected by the earlier clash.

These two questions remained unanswered at this point.

Cui Qishan skipped it, "If neither savings account was touched, the killer might either be wealthy or extremely cautious. Such a person would have fewer flaws."

"Wealth or cautiousness can also be a selection criterion," Liu Jinghui offered a better perspective.

Cui Qishan smiled wryly, "Think of it positively that way."

"Both victims have savings; how is the killer selecting his victims?" Liu Jinghui quickly guided everyone into thought and continued asking, "We also mentioned before that the second victim, Li Ningxia, has simple social connections. How did the killer target her? Was it intentional or a spur-of-the-moment crime?"

Jiang Yuan and the others stayed silent for a moment, as assumptions without data are too complex.

"Could it be random?" Wei Shikan, holding a coffee cup, leaned against the window like a princely character from a campus novel, took a light sip of coffee, and said, "The two victims indeed have some connection, but what difference does it make whether someone’s savings are over 200,000 or 700,000? Who doesn’t have tens of thousands nowadays? Divorce is so common; maybe the killer just wanted an easy target and randomly chose these two."

Several people spontaneously looked at Liu Jinghui.

Liu Jinghui, after careful consideration, said, "Although it might appear disconnected, it’s also not incorrect to think this way. The victims have significant savings, yet the killer did not touch the money, indicating he may not have considered this factor necessary. Currently, the victim information is insufficient. I suggest splitting into two teams for in-depth investigation. Especially to delve into Ye Qianyi’s interpersonal relationships."

"And the rainy night," Jiang Yuan, as a forensic doctor, reiterated, "If the killer doesn’t kill on a rainy night, wouldn’t that be wasteful? Was there any other case in East Birch City on that rainy night?"

Wang Chuanxing quickly looked through the data, "Yes, there was a homicide discovered five days after the rainy night, which remains unsolved. However, the victim was male."