Chapter 14: The Schizophrenic Executioner – 3
Shi Yuxin went back to the nurses’ station to ask, but her two colleagues said they hadn’t seen Mr. Wei either.
“Should we call the physical therapy department?” She nodded. Her colleague dialed the extension and quickly got a response. “Dr. Shen said the old man left almost fifteen minutes ago.”
Even if he took the stairs, he should have been back in fifteen minutes. Her colleague speculated, “Maybe he went to buy something? I don’t think his wife has come by yet today…”
“I’ll go downstairs and look for him.”
She ran to the elevator and went straight to the first-floor physical therapy department, then started searching her way back up. On the way, she ran into Mrs. Wei, who had just arrived.
“Is he back in his room?” she asked, carrying a bag of bread. “He’s not? That’s strange, he should be done with physical therapy…”
“I just went to the physical therapy department to look for him. The doctor said he left a long time ago.”
Seeing her anxiousness, the old woman’s face tensed. “Then let’s look for him together.”
The two of them searched all the way to the information desk, where they finally got a lead.
“I just saw an old man go up the stairs,” a volunteer said, pointing in the direction of the elevators. The stairwell was right next to the elevator Shi Yuxin had just taken.
“Could he have… honey!” the old woman cried out. The younger Shi Yuxin was a step ahead, running toward the stairs. At the landing on the way up to the third floor, she found Mr. Wei.
He was lying on his back, and there was someone else with him.
A woman in a black lace dress was kneeling beside the old man, talking on the phone.
“…down one floor, at the landing on the way up to the third floor.” The woman’s voice was unusually calm. “It’s hard to say… but I have a feeling something isn’t right.”
She looked up and turned to the side when she realized someone was behind her.
Shi Yuxin saw her face clearly.
**
“I’m so sorry to trouble you, nurse, even for a meal.”
In Ward 12, Bed A, was Feng Chunling, seventy-three years old, suffering from congestive heart failure and angina caused by coronary artery disease. She lived alone and was a retired teacher.
“Don’t mention it. Taking care of patients is our responsibility.” Dai Yicheng handed her a steaming bowl of corn chowder. “Here you go.”
“Thank you!” She took a sip. “Ah, even though it’s summer… a hot soup is still the most comforting.”
“By the way, the doctor has prescribed medication for your angina.” It was nitroglycerin, which dilates the coronary arteries and relieves the symptoms of angina. “Place it under your tongue. Just hold one there whenever you feel pain. Don’t swallow it.”
“I know.” Feng Chunling took it as if it were a precious treasure. “The pain is truly terrifying. Every time, I feel like I’m about to die… I mean, now I even feel out of breath just walking to the bathroom…”
It was the congestive heart failure. “Even in the hospital, only my students come to see me. Sometimes I think, I might as well just die.”
“Auntie, don’t think like that. If you’re in a bad mood or too anxious, it can easily trigger your angina again.”
“People are so contradictory. I used to be so busy with my students, and now that I’m retired, my children and grandchildren aren’t around. No one needs me… I feel like I have no value anymore.” Her sad expression dissipated again with the hot soup. “This is really delicious. I always feel like the soup you bring me is especially good.”
Dai Yicheng smiled. “If you like it, have some more… Be careful, it’s hot.”
**
Zhou Jinglin quickly ran to the scene. From the fifth floor to the third, it was really only one floor down.
“He still has a pulse, but he’s not breathing. I suspect he may have injured his cervical spine when he fell…” Tang Yingli finished her assessment of his injuries and stepped back, letting the nurses who had arrived take over.
“Teacher! How are you here again…”
“I was at home preparing for my lectures all day. I thought I’d get some exercise… and then I ran into this.” She looked up at the top of the stairs, at the third-floor landing.
She probably thinks the old man fell from there.
Hospital staff arrived quickly. As they were moving the patient, a small bag of pills fell out of the nurse’s pocket.
“Ah… miss, you dropped something.”
At Tang Yingli’s reminder, Shi Yuxin turned back to pick it up.
“Nifedipine…” She pushed up her glasses. “Is that the old man’s medication?”
“Yes. He fell before because of dizziness, which caused a leg fracture. That’s why he’s here for physical therapy.” Shi Yuxin quickly put the pills back in her pocket. “How could he have suddenly fallen here…” she muttered to herself, then nodded to the two of them and followed the others upstairs.
“Did you call for medical staff before you called me?”
She crossed her arms. “Of course. I’d rather not be mistaken for the murderer again.”
Jinglin couldn’t help but chuckle. “Last time it was a department store, this time it’s a hospital. It seems like wherever there’s trouble, you’re there.”
Tang Yingli shot her a cold look. “Don’t lump me in with those jinxes from novels and comics who bring death wherever they go.”
“I didn’t say that,” she said, hiding a smile.
“Want to come with me to see the little girl?”
When they returned to Ge Ruxuan’s room, her father had already left. Compared to Jinglin, who had fired the gun, Ruxuan seemed to have a stronger impression of Tang Yingli, who had rushed to shield her, calling her the “big sister with glasses.”
Actually, she’s an auntie, Jinglin secretly added in her mind.
“That little girl is so brave,” Tang Yingli remarked as they left the room.
“Hm?”
“Even after being held hostage by a killer and undergoing brain surgery, she still seems so cheerful.”
“She is.” Jinglin raised an eyebrow, noticing that she seemed to be fond of rose-colored lipstick. “By the way, you said earlier that something wasn’t right?”
“Mm.” She quickly adopted a pensive expression. “Think about it. Would an old man with a history of high blood pressure, who is still undergoing physical therapy, deliberately take the stairs to torture his legs?”
Jinglin’s heart skipped a beat. “You’re right… he should have taken the elevator. But he had a cane. If he could climb to the third floor, walking shouldn’t have been a problem. Could he have taken the stairs to test his recovery?”
“I don’t think so.” She shook her head. “Okay, even if he did decide to take the stairs, it would have been under the assumption that he was confident in his physical condition. But what was the result?”
“He fell.”
“Don’t you think that’s too much of a coincidence?” She pushed up her glasses. “And even if I hadn’t accidentally found him, someone was already urgently looking for him.”
The nurse and the family member who had rushed over. “Are you suspecting them?”
Tang Yingli didn’t answer.
Jinglin threw up her hands and offered her own opinion. “…Maybe the elevator was occupied or under maintenance, so the old man had to take the stairs. And because of his high blood pressure, he forgot to take his medication, so he accidentally fell. It’s not as complicated as you’re making it out to be.”
“Forgot to take his medication…?” she muttered to herself. “No, perhaps it’s the opposite…”
“Honestly! You think everything is a murder. You’ve only handled one case, Teacher. Has it already become an occupational hazard?” They arrived at the elevators, and Jinglin proactively pressed the button.
While they waited, Tang Yingli, with her chin in her hand, suddenly let out a small “Ah.”
Jinglin thought she had figured something out, but instead, she changed the subject. “By the way, you were very moved, weren’t you? That the little girl is finally safe.”
“I was very moved. Is that not allowed?”
“No.” She chuckled. “I was just thinking… if you get so overly concerned, to the point of losing your reason, every time a case involves a little girl, is that really good for you?”
The question was sharp, and it inexplicably irritated her. “What are you trying to say?”
