“The door and the windows are locked. There is no sign of the lock being picked. Everything is closed.”
“What is your impression of the couple?” Xiao Rui turned to ask the local officer.
“They have quite a good relationship. They are each other’s rock in this world.” The officer thought about it and added, “The husband is physically weak. He had been treated at Worker’s Hospital for a period of time but due to economic reasons, the treatment had to stop. He asked to be discharged. Due to work reasons, they moved here. During the move, the wife carried her husband and their luggage on her own to save the money on the movers! She is a very good wife!”
However, hearing that, Xiao Rui had a greater suspicion that the couple might have worked together to commit the crime.
“I don’t think they did it because they are honest people, plus they saw the deceased as their own daughter. Their marriage is very stable. Plus look at the husband, there is no way he is ever not going to listen to his wife.” The local officer said confidently, he was very confident in his own explanation.
Xiao Rui nodded wordlessly but he did look more relaxed. He put on the gloves and entered the crime scene. The curtains had been pulled back, so the lighting was not so good. The room was dim. At night, one could barely see anything but the vague outline of the furniture. The furniture was old and tattered. Clothes scattered the ground. The deceased didn’t look to be a tidy person. The crime scene looked untouched.
There was a double bed in the middle of the room. The blanket on the bed was soft. The body lay on its back. She was covered with a towel. She looked serene as if asleep.
“Isn’t this weather not that suitable to sleep naked?” Kang Zhi commented as he turned to Mo Li. “We need to process the scene before deciding to perform an autopsy.”
Mo Li came to examine the surface appearance of the body. Lu Xuan was glad to have Mo Li. Ever since Mo Li joined them, Lu Xuan’s workload had dropped significantly. It was tiring for him to be both a surgeon and a coroner.
“There are bleeding spots on the eyelids of the deceased. Her lips are bruised and her nails are purple. This is a quintessential case of asphyxiation.” Mo Li concluded as Qin Xuan took down all the notes.
“Asphyxiation?” The local officer was shocked and he looked nervous.
“Yes, but a person who died from lung illness might show symptoms of asphyxiation too. If the deceased’s respiratory and circulatory functions failed, then the cause of death is most likely hypoxia and suffocation.” Qin Xuan explained. Recently he was studying parasites and suffocation.
Mo Li nodded with approval. She added, “There is no injury or bruising in the victim’s mouth and nose.”
The local officer was at a loss for words. If there was no injury on the mouth or nose, how did the victim die from suffocation? Or perhaps it was really as I predicted, it is an accidental death?
Mo Li moved to the other side of the deceased and lifted up the towel. “There is no fatal injury on her chest and abdomen…” Then Mo Li stopped. She stared at the deceased and pressed on her sternum a few times. She went into deep thought.
Qin Xuan noticed this and leaned over to look. He took pictures. There was a pale white area around the victim’s sternum. He could see the difference in skin color clearly but he had no idea what it mean. Qin Xuan started at Mo Li blankly.
Mo Li suddenly turned to pack up her stuff. Qin Xuan sighed in relief. Of course, that doesn’t prove anything. We have learned at school that death symptoms vary among individuals. One should not let a small anomaly affect one’s judgment. There is no injury on the deceased’s neck, mouth, nose, and mouth so mechanical asphyxia is not possible. The only possibility is sudden death from illness.
Qin Xuan nodded. As expected of Mo Li, she came to such a conclusion with just a glance.