Yan Qing pointed toward Luo Baomei’s face with a pair of hemostatic forceps. “The deceased exhibits facial swelling, lacerations at the corners of the mouth and eyes, a fractured nasal bone, and dozens of flat, stripe-shaped contusion marks approximately three centimeters wide and at least ten centimeters long, with severe subcutaneous hemorrhaging beneath them.”

“These were caused by repeated blows?” Shi Ting said. “And delivered with great frequency.”

Yan Qing nodded in agreement. “A flat, stripe-shaped object approximately three centimeters wide and at least ten centimeters long — what does that bring to mind, Director Shi?”

Shi Ting’s brow furrowed lightly as his mind worked quickly. “Could it be a school ruler?”

Yan Qing replied, “My assessment matches yours. The object used to strike Luo Baomei’s face was most likely a bamboo ruler — the kind commonly found in schools. The killer repeatedly lashed Luo Baomei’s face with it. Yet this kind of lashing wouldn’t have been fatal on its own. The killer was venting hatred.”

“This supports our earlier theory that this is a revenge killing, and the killer harbored grudges against all three of the deceased — Leng Yu, Fan Dongping, and Luo Baomei,” Shi Ting said. “Based on our investigation so far, the only person who connects all three victims is Qiao Guang.”

“What if Qiao Guang has already fled?” E’Yuan asked, his concern evident. “If he’s run off, we may never be able to catch him.”

“Impossible,” Zheng Yun said with confidence. “We have surveillance set up at both the train station and around Qiao’s residence. The moment Qiao Guang appears, there will be no escape.”

Shi Ting and Yan Qing exchanged a glance, and it seemed each could read the other’s thoughts.

“Even though Qiao Guang is the prime suspect,” Shi Ting said, “he was not in Shun Cheng at the time of the crime. How could he have directed Luo Baomei’s murder from such a distance?”

His words silenced everyone in the room.

“And don’t forget,” he continued, “Qiao Guang is not a staff member at the nursing school for women. How would he be familiar with its layout? How would he have obtained the key to room 104? Why would he disguise the killings as the work of a ghost? And most critically — what is his motive? If he killed Leng Yu and Fan Dongping for money and pleasure, then why would he kill his own wife?” Shi Ting pressed on. “Too many questions remain unanswered. We can’t rush to conclusions.”

“By the way, these are Luo Baomei’s personal effects.” E’Yuan gestured toward the counter nearby. “I organized them before beginning the autopsy.”

Laid out on the counter were all of Luo Baomei’s clothing and a women’s handbag.

Shi Ting stepped forward to examine them, and something seemed to catch his attention — something missing. His brow creased slightly.

Just then, an officer knocked hurriedly at the door. “Director, Qiao Guang has been apprehended.”

—

Qiao Guang sat in the interrogation room chair with every hair neatly in place, thick-lensed glasses perched on his nose, speaking in a quiet, gentle voice. He had the manner of a refined, cultured man. At his feet sat a travel bag, clearly indicating he had just stepped off the train.

“Officer, I haven’t done anything illegal, have I? I just returned from Qianguan City. My feet have barely touched Shun Cheng soil, and you’ve made such a grand show of dragging me here.”

“What is Luo Baomei to you?” Zheng Yun glanced at him.

“Luo Baomei? She’s my wife.” Qiao Guang adjusted his glasses. “Is she in some kind of trouble?”

“Luo Baomei is dead!” Zheng Yun delivered the news bluntly.

Qiao Guang’s eyes went wide with shock. “Dead? How did she die?”

“Didn’t you kill her?”

“I’m being wrongly accused,” Qiao Guang said urgently. “I’ve been in Qianguan City for the past two weeks. How could I have killed her? My colleague was with me the entire time and can testify on my behalf. Besides, Luo Baomei is my wife — I have no grievance with her. Why would I kill her?”

“Even if she is your wife, your neighbors have reported that your marriage was far from harmonious. You have a serious drinking problem, and when drunk you regularly beat her, even putting her in the hospital on one occasion.”

—