The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 459 - 267: Was This the Murderer’s First Crime?
The warm sunshine gently fell on the winding paths of Chuan City, casting a dappled light and shadow.
Mr. Fu looked solemn, leading two team members, rushing all the way, finally reaching the hometown of the second deceased, Li Hong.
Unlike the deceased Yang Xiu, Li Hong’s parents are still alive.
However, the sudden passing of their daughter was like a sharp, chilling blade, piercing fiercely into their hearts, leaving an indelible scar.
At the entrance of a slightly rundown two-story tile house, with mottled moss climbing the outer walls, Mr. Fu and two other officers carefully settled beside the elderly couple, afraid to disturb them.
Mr. Fu leaned forward slightly, his face full of sincere apologies, speaking softly: "Dear elders, I’m really sorry to have to reopen the wound in your hearts."
"This case has dragged on for so long without giving you a satisfactory explanation, it’s like a heavy stone weighing on our hearts, it’s hard for us too."
"But this time it’s different, our Jiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team will thoroughly investigate this case to give you the truth."
Tears glimmered in the eyes of the elderly couple, like scattered stars.
Upon hearing Mr. Fu’s heartfelt words, they slightly trembled their lips and gently nodded.
Li Hong’s father slowly raised his hand, using his calloused, sandpaper-like hand to wipe the corner of his eye, his voice slightly hoarse, spoke softly: "Young officer, when the incident occurred, I hurried to Jiangcheng and saw the deputy chief and head of the criminal investigation team busying themselves to the point of confusion."
"I observed their hard work and kept it in my heart."
"You all have dedicated yourselves to the people’s matters, and my wife and I have always remembered this kindness, never blamed you from the bottom of our hearts."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Fu felt a pang of bitterness, as if he had swallowed an unripe grape.
As a policeman, upholding justice is his unwavering belief.
Yet over the years, the investigation team has faced numerous twists and turns, everyone’s effort resulted in little gain, and the deep sense of powerlessness follows him like a specter, constantly haunting him.
He took a deep breath, as if trying to expel all his frustrations, straightened his back, and his chest slightly puffed out.
He spoke loudly: "Don’t worry, dear elders, we’ve made a monumental determination this time."
"The investigation team not only includes experts dispatched from the Ministry of Public Security but also young talents of Jiangcheng."
"This time, we’re fully confident in dragging the murderer from his hideout, let him taste the harshness of law, and provide the deceased with an explanation."
As Mr. Fu spoke, he unconsciously clenched his fist.
The elderly woman, upon hearing this, her eyes instantly reddened, tears streaming down in excitement.
She grabbed Mr. Fu’s hand and choked out: "Young man, I trust you."
"I’ve been hoping for this day, hoping justice would come early for my daughter."
After a few simple pleasantries eased the somber atmosphere a bit, Mr. Fu lightly coughed and cleared his throat, getting straight to the point.
He asked: "Dear elders, when did Li Hong go out to work?"
"Did she have any relationships before leaving here?"
Li Hong’s father slightly raised his head, a glimmer of recollection flashed in his cloudy eyes, slowly sinking into the whirlpool of memories.
"Comrade, this girl was smart since childhood, and loved beauty, always dressed herself nicely."
"She finished elementary school, only attended two years of middle school before dropping out."
"In this poor mountainous area, earning money is as hard as climbing to heaven, so she wanted early on to venture into a big city, to see the world."
"She left at 18, actually she wanted to leave at 17, but her mother and I worried she was too young, easy to suffer outside, so we insisted on keeping her till adulthood."
Listening, Mr. Fu nodded frequently, then pursued further: "Did she have good friends, or a romantic interest here before leaving?"
Li Hong’s mother sighed lightly, her eyes reddening further, said: "As children grow older, they have more thoughts."
"She left home at 18, with a boy from the neighboring village."
"I initially thought it was a female classmate, later realized it was a boy."
The elderly lady said, slowly raising her hand to wipe tears from her eyes, gazing dreamily into the distance.
"Oh? A male classmate?"
"What’s the boy’s name?"
Mr. Fu’s eyes suddenly widened, as if discovering a new continent.
The elder furrowed his brow, after a moment of recollection, said: "Seems like his name is Zhu Feichuang."
"Yes! That’s the name."
"Once they came home for a meal during New Year after working outside."
"The atmosphere was lively, at that time I felt the two kids really had a good relationship."
"It seems their feelings were pretty good."
Mr. Fu raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, as if contemplating something.
The elder shook his head, his expression instantly turned desolate, as if the hustle had faded.
"But the following spring, my daughter called saying they broke up."
"Why?"
Mr. Fu pursued further, his body again leaned slightly forward, his gaze intensely focused like a spotlight on the elder.
"Heard the boy got involved with another girl at the factory, so they split." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The elder shrugged helplessly.
Mr. Fu quickly noted down the name "Zhu Feichuang" in his notebook, then asked: "This Zhu Feichuang lived in the neighboring village, did you see him after that?"
"No, ever since my daughter’s incident, we thought about who she might have offended, constantly paid attention to those around."
"Heard he has always been venturing outside."
