National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 70 - 69 Looking for Someone
70: Chapter 69: Looking for Someone
70 -69: Looking for Someone
The rain outside the window persisted, its constant patter still audible as multiple teams of detectives, under the watchful eyes of the cameras, drove off to various hospitals.
The bleak sky, the pouring rain, and the determined figures departing without looking back, greatly pleased the photographer, who took photos while saying to Huang Qiangmin waiting in the lobby, “I’ll think of a catchy name for this series of photos; the publicity effect will be terrific.”
Huang Qiangmin, twisting his neck, glanced at the side profile of the photographer and slowly said, “Perhaps a follow-up shot would be even better.”
“Huh?
Well, actually, we already have enough photos…” The photographer, listening to the rain outside, hurriedly put on a more pleasant smile.
“Go ahead, follow the group from Qinghe City and bring back more photos, that’s better for publicity.” Huang Qiangmin handed him a raincoat and watched him step out the door and into the rainy scene.
The news from the frontlines kept coming back, eliciting mixed feelings of worry and relief.
The good news was that records of laser tattoo removals were kept at all the hospitals, and with careful searching, they could usually pinpoint the location of the tattoos.
The bad news was that so far, no record matching the victim had been found in any hospital.
Liu Wenkai, the captain of the second squad, was searching through files in an office at Qinghe City First People’s Hospital.
As the administrative center of the Qinghe District, people from Ningtai County with major health issues would give priority to seeking treatment in Qinghe City.
The distance between the two places wasn’t far—just dozens of kilometers—and those with vehicles could get there quickly, with many public transport routes available as well.
Qinghe City was also a city through which the Tai River flowed, located upstream.
Of course, many people from Ningtai County also went to Changyang City for medical treatment, but with so many hospitals in Changyang City, it was much more difficult to conduct the search.
Liu Wenkai shared the same thoughts as Huang Qiangmin; they would start with the hospitals in Qinghe City and Ningtai itself, and it wasn’t too late to consider heading to Changyang City or even further upstream cities if they couldn’t find anything locally.
Sitting next to the computer, Liu Wenkai watched the doctor trace back through medical cases all the way to the year before last, still finding nothing, his impatience evident as he scratched his head in frustration.
“Can you search using keywords like ‘leg’ or ‘Fengshi Point’?
Find all the cases related to those,” Liu Wenkai chimed in with a suggestion to help.
The doctor glanced at him and said, “Why don’t you make us software like that.”
“Then your software is way too outdated,” Liu Wenkai retorted, then added, “Don’t miss anything, please take your time.”
“Not in a rush anymore?”
“In a rush?
How could we not be?
What year are you up to now?”
“Almost the year before last.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Around Chinese New Year, there are more people getting tattoos removed.”
Liu Wenkai’s expression grew more somber.
The forensic doctor had estimated that the victim was 23-25 years old, which, traced back three years, would mean the victim was 20-22 years old at the time.
The likelihood of tattoo removal would clearly decrease further back in time.
As an experienced detective, he knew the types of tattoos that minors typically got.
A single tattoo on the thigh of a male, only the size of a fist, was not at all characteristic of the tattoos minors had.
“Maybe he didn’t have it removed here.
There are many places for tattoo removal nowadays, some beauty salons offer it too…” the doctor said, continuing his search while speaking.
Liu Wenkai interjected, “The forensic doctor said it was removed very cleanly.”
“Oh, then it might’ve been done in a hospital.
But still, not necessarily our hospital.”
“We’re checking each hospital; please take another look.
If we really can’t find it, we’ll deal with it then,” Liu Wenkai said, managing to keep his temper in check.
He knew there was a possibility they wouldn’t find anything, and in fact, it was uncertain whether the victim had died in Ningtai County.
But for them, there was no option of not checking; they had to search each hospital one by one.
As the doctor grew weary from searching, he started to mumble, “Actually, some beauty salons do a pretty good job with removals these days.
Mainly, how clean the removal is has a lot to do with the ink used when getting the tattoo.
Black and dark blue are usually easy to remove cleanly.
Those mixed colors, though, they’re tricky.
And then there’s the matter of individual physical constitution—I’ve seen some almost completely removed with just one session, and others who went through a dozen or twenty sessions and still couldn’t get it right, giving up in the end.
Some people have scar-prone skin; the tattoo gets removed, and then they are left with scars…”
As the doctor spoke, his pace slowed, and he came to a halt.
Liu Wenkai, alert, stood up and went over.
“See if it matches,” the doctor said as he opened up a profile picture from a file.
Liu Wenkai did not tell him that the body was only half intact, and he didn’t make a sound, merely said, “Let’s take a look at the tattoo first.”
The doctor then found another photo.
Indeed, there was a string of cursive English letters on the right side of the thigh, bunched together and darkly inked.
Just by location, it seemed to be the same person.
Upon a careful look, the doctor read aloud, “I believe.
I believe?”
“Believe what?” Liu Wenkai asked.
“Who knows what he believed, if it even means anything.
This tattoo was removed the year before last,” the doctor said as he pulled out the file and printed it for Liu Wenkai, adding, “This looks like something done at a random street tattoo shop, not high quality.”
As he frequently dealt with tattoos, his opinion was relatively professional.
Liu Wenkai nodded slowly and then took out his phone, saying, “I’ll make a call, thank you very much.”
As he spoke, he dialed a number.
“How’s it going?” Huang Qiangmin answered the call promptly.
“Found him, the victim’s name is Zhou Lei, 24 years old, with an ID number.
I haven’t looked at it yet; I’ll send it to you soon…” Liu Wenkai said, clearly elated.
For such a case, confirming the identity of the victim was a significant, phase-defining victory.
In most similar cases, following the victim’s social network often results in a high probability of cracking the case.
Elaborately designed crimes are, after all, rare.
Even if the assailant conceived a meticulous plan, actual culprits who could carry it out perfectly were extremely rare.
Cases without any mishaps were even fewer.
In his experience, Liu Wenkai found it was the seasoned thugs and ruffians, the regulars in and out of the police station, who could barely manage to keep their emotions and expressions in check when facing the police.
Most murderers don’t know how to interact with the police.
That’s why door-knocking and questioning are often necessary tasks for the police officers.
Making a call or inviting someone over made it easier for the person to mentally prepare, increasing the difficulty of interrogation or questioning.
“All right, I’m heading out.
Be sure to keep this confidential, don’t tell anyone else.
If someone asks, just tell me, okay?” Liu Wenkai urged, before hurriedly taking his leave.
Elsewhere, the entire detective squad was invigorated, especially the few officers in Qinghe City who gathered together, volunteering to work overtime, assigning themselves tasks, and bustling about with newfound purpose.
