The Brain Science Case 96

Chapter 96: The Psychologist – 3

He Jiahao ran into an emergency as soon as he returned to his precinct.

“First a car accident, then a fire. The whole precinct is practically a ghost town.”

“The fire department has been dispatched, right? Then why do we have to go too?”

“You think everyone is like you, thinking that fires are only the fire department’s business?” The precinct captain shot him a look. “Not just us. The Criminal Investigation Division has also sent two teams to the scene of the fire.”

His eyes widened. “The Criminal Investigation Division.”

“Yes, the place you just came from.”

Normally, a simple fire case wouldn’t involve the criminal police, would it? “Could it be that something unusual was found at the scene… uh, a body?”

“We don’t know yet. But a body was indeed found at the scene… and a prosecutor has already been scheduled to examine the scene. Don’t say so much, let’s get to work.”

Already examined, which means there’s a high probability it will become a criminal case. He Jiahao immediately pulled himself together. “Oh.”

**

“Do you still remember me, Senior Yingli?”

Tang Yingli stared at the petite woman before her. Her slightly curled short hair, delicate glasses, and pale yellow sweater all gave off a gentle and elegant feeling.

In the next second, she held out her hands, and those long, slender fingers, which were out of proportion to her small frame, seemed to be the key that unlocked a deep memory.

“You’re… Huizhu?” No wonder that name is so familiar.

Lian Huizhu gave a rare, happy smile. “So you remember my hands better than my face?”

“Dr. Lian and the teacher know each other?” Big news.

“Yes, she was my senior when I was in high school. We only knew each other for less than a year before she graduated,” she explained, then turned to ask, “which university did you go to? I’ve asked a lot of teachers, but they all said they didn’t know.”

“I went abroad. By the way, do you need my help with the autopsy?”

Lian Huizhu snapped back to reality. “Ah, right. I was so excited to see you… I almost forgot.”

Tang Yingli immediately took off her scarf, her coat, and even the pinky ring on her left hand and placed them on her seat.

“Are you a medical examiner too? Otherwise, how could you…”

“No. Although I’ve learned a little abroad, at most I can only be considered an assistant.” She pushed up her glasses. “I’ll go down first. We can catch up after the autopsy.” Then she ran to the stairs leading to the operating room without looking back.

Looking at her coolly departing back, Lian Huizhu couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. “We’ve finally met again… but it’s no different from being strangers.”

“Dr. Lian, don’t mind her. The teacher is always, uh, very focused when she’s working.” He almost said that Tang Yingli was practically oblivious to her surroundings.

“Thank you, Officer Cai. I know…” shaking her head, she forced a smile, “she was already like that before.”

“The autopsy should take a while. Both of my seats are empty. You can sit and wait for a bit.”

“Thank you.”

Cai Yuwei returned to his seat. She didn’t immediately accept his invitation, but instead looked at Tang Yingli’s desk.

Tang Yingli’s desk was very messy, piled with all kinds of files and documents, many of which were handwritten. And the small, silver ring on her scarf particularly caught her eye.

This ring seemed to have been taken off Tang Yingli’s left hand. Looking at the small lock on the ring, she was lost in thought.

**

Chen Huomu and Lu Tingfeng returned to the station at the same time, bringing in three bodies at once.

“There were two consecutive fires in the Shilin district. When we received the tip and rushed to the scene, someone had already unfortunately died. The firefighters first sent out two bodies, and then found a third one at another location. We strongly suspect arson, and the chief is currently actively investigating through the precinct police.”

Tao Qianya listened to the information he had received. “Have any of the bodies been identified yet?”

“The first two were an old couple, but… the third one is a little more troublesome.” Lu Tingfeng pointed to the body bag at the end. “The fire started in an empty house. It’s been empty for several years, and the ownership is said to be very complicated.”

A house that shouldn’t have had anyone in it, but a fire unexpectedly broke out, and a charred corpse was found? He quickly calculated, and then heard Chen Huomu say, “We’ve already contacted the old couple’s family.”

Since they had already contacted the family, they would probably arrive at the scene soon, and the prosecutor would probably be with them. Tao Qianya made a decisive decision. “Okay, then let’s start with the first two.”

The operating room was ready. He unzipped the body bag, and the police officer in charge of taking photos was also ready. The main door suddenly opened again.

The person who walked in was the fully prepared Tang Yingli.

“Teacher.”

“It seems I made it.” With her gloves on, she pushed up her glasses with her knuckles. “There are three of them. It’s going to be a long battle.”

He couldn’t help but sigh. “Yes.”

The first body was charred black, and its hands and feet were bent and tense. This was a rigor mortis reaction caused by the heat. Tao Qianya quickly noticed a gap in the middle of one of the hands.

“The deceased seems to have been holding something in their right hand before they died,” he said, pointing to the gap in her palm.

“It’s very thoroughly burned, and there are even deep burn marks on the back.”

The carbon monoxide concentration in the blood was 70%, which showed that the deceased had been alive for some time when the fire started, and soot and burn marks were also found in the respiratory tract and lungs.

By measuring the length of the bones to estimate the height, it was determined that the deceased was a woman.

Compared to the first body, the second one was not as thoroughly charred. And traces of burns were also found in the bronchi and lungs.

“The subdural hematoma in the brain is dark red.” Tang Yingli confirmed after carefully examining the deceased’s head. That was clear evidence of death in a fire.

Next was the unidentified third body.

The body was unexpectedly heavy. When he unzipped the body bag and saw the charred, large body, Tao Qianya immediately determined that it was a man.

The carbon monoxide concentration was significantly lower than the first two. There were no obvious burns or choking marks in the pharynx and bronchi. Tao Qianya exchanged a look with her. “I’ll check the deceased’s head.”

“Okay, I’ll check for any other obvious external injuries.”

The two of them switched places, and when he was examining the back of the head, Tao Qianya quickly noticed the abnormality of the corpse.

“There’s a clear depression on the right side of the skull.” The subdural hematoma was bright red, which was different from the two deceased who had actually been burned to death in the fire.

“The front is very badly burned… do you know the exact location of the deceased in the house?” Tang Yingli asked, having examined the front of the body and now carefully examining the fingernails.

“I don’t know. The cause and location of the fire are still unclear. You’ll have to ask Officer Lu.”

“The fingernails are partially damaged.” She opened the deceased’s clenched fingertips. “I think he may have had a struggle with someone before he died. Is the depression on his head the fatal wound?”

“Based on the degree of the hematoma… it’s possible. But it could also have just caused a brief coma, and he still died in the fire in the end.” He opened the deceased’s mouth to observe. “This… seems to be a removable denture.”

“If there’s a denture, it means there’s a dental mold and a treatment record.”

“We’ll have to find an expert who can help us identify the bite marks.” They quickly reached a consensus.

After the autopsy record and photo evidence were completed, the sudden work finally came to an end.

“I can take care of the cleaning up just now.”

“It’s fine. We’ve already done this much. Isn’t it faster to clean up together?” Taking off her white coat and isolation gown, Tang Yingli let out a breath. “By the way, how do you know Lian Huizhu?”

“Oh, she was my classmate in medical school, but we were only in the same class for two years.” Tao Qianya watched him change back into his high heels. “Because the work came in so suddenly, and I remember the teacher had already left for lunch, I wasn’t sure if you were back, so I asked her to help me ask… she should have gone back, right?” It was already well past dinner time.

“So you and Officer Cai both know her,” she concluded.

“Huh? Officer Cai knows her too?”

“Yes, probably her patient.” After all, there was no overlap in their backgrounds, so the only chance was this. “For three people in a small office to know her, it’s a coincidence that can’t be more of a coincidence.” She smiled.

“Three people? Me and Officer Cai, and…”

Leaving the operating room, to their surprise, Lian Huizhu was sitting on a bench in the long corridor, talking on the phone.

“She’s still here.”

It seemed someone was having a psychological consultation over the phone. Tang Yingli gazed at her focused and gentle profile, her index finger on her glasses as she muttered, “Not surprising.”

As if by telepathy, Lian Huizhu was overjoyed when she looked at the two of them and shouted, “Senior.”

**

The follow-up investigation of the two arson cases was still pending, but at least the cause of death and the subsequent suspicious points to be investigated had been determined. Fang Zijun would probably be working late again tonight.

In the end, Tang Yingli was not able to go back to the evidence storage for further confirmation. Besides this sudden autopsy, it was more because of Lian Huizhu’s visit. The two of them had arranged to have dinner together.

“I didn’t expect you to not only come back to Taiwan, but also to join the Criminal Investigation Division to assist with cases.”

“Because the chief is quite close to my brother.” She mentioned the sensational serial child abduction and murder case. “Since then, I’ve been providing my opinion on criminal profiling, until now.”

“You have a brother?” Lian Huizhu’s eyes widened.

“Yes, but I’m used to calling him senior. He’s also your senior, from the same high school.”

“Is that so? Is he the one who’s quite tall, wears thick glasses, and has a slightly wide cheekbone…”

Tang Yingli nodded frequently. “Have you seen him?”

“I’ve seen him, I guess. So that’s your brother…” as if a knot in her heart had been untied, she shook her head slightly and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

“I didn’t expect you to go abroad and end up becoming a neuroscientist, and you’re actually helping the police with their investigations. You were already like a detective before.”

“If you’re talking about my third year of high school incident, looking back now, it was just child’s play.”

“But you did save me.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Given the situation at the time and the kidnapper’s carelessness, you would have been able to escape without me.”

“But you did find out I was kidnapped and notified the police. I’ve always considered you my savior.”

Tang Yingli raised an eyebrow and found that Lian Huizhu’s expression was extremely serious. “I’ve really never forgotten you… no matter how many years.”