Chapter 285: Getting Closer To The Truth (1/2)

The next morning, we arrived at the precinct early in the morning and held a brief discussion. At present, there was still no substantial progress in the case and all we could do was wait for Xiao Zhou's results. We sat anxiously until eight when Xiao Zhou’s call finally came in.

”Is it a match?” I asked, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

”Song-ge, you’re mistaken,” said Xiao Zhou. “The teeth marks of the murderer and Yi Xi do not match.”

I felt as if I had been hit head-on by a truck and the whole world seemed to be spinning, my ears ringing so I almost missed the rest of Xiao Zhou’s words. ”Are you sure?” I gulped.

”I'm certain,” he replied. “You can tell the difference with the naked eye. Why don’t I send you the comparison data?”

”It’s alright. Thanks anyway!”

Judging by my expression, Xiaotao already knew the results. ”Song Yang, don't give up,” she comforted. “Even if this clue doesn’t help us, there are other roads we could take.”

I silently reflected on the information at hand. If the teeth marks didn’t match, then the murderer was obviously not Yi Xi unless he killed the victim but someone else bit off the victim’s penis. But this was a ridiculous conjecture!

There must be some mistake! I must have missed something!

I tried to rearrange the jigsaw puzzle that had formed in my mind with Xiaotao patiently sitting beside me.

”Is there any possibility that our sample was wrong?” she asked.

”Do you mean to say that I might have mistakenly grabbed a cantaloupe bitten by someone else?” I smiled bitterly.

”That's exactly what I’m trying to say.”

I clearly remembered that the trash can was almost empty at the time but the fact wasn’t known to Xiaotao so she still held a glimmer of hope.

She went onto Weibo and said, ”Didn't Lao Yao say that Yi Xi was detained for taking drugs when he was younger? There must have been fingerprints and DNA left behind. We can contact the public security bureau to find out more.”

She went on her way, leaving me all alone in the empty room, staring blankly at the ceiling. An indescribable feeling of loss and confusion overwhelmed my being.

A while later, Xiaotao returned from her task, and I said, ”Even if we have his fingerprints and DNA, there’s nothing left on the body.”

”Then we’ll keep looking until we find the murder weapon so we can convict him,” Xiaotao persisted, undaunted by the obstacles in our way.

”But he’s so careful,” I sighed, shaking my head. “I'm afraid the murder weapon has been disposed of...”

I followed her train of thought and asked, ”So what are we missing now?”

”Direct evidence to convict the suspect and the identity of the victim,” surmised Xiaotao. “But that’s not important. As long as we’re able to prove Yi Xi's crime, the victim’s identity will naturally surface.”

”The victim’s identity…” I murmured. “The victim’s identity...”

A vague idea took root in my head but I still couldn't see the entire picture. ”Give me all the clues we have!” I burst out. “I want to re-examine them!”

Xiaotao patted me on the shoulder, lips curling into a smile. ”That’s the right attitude!” she laughed. “Let's get started.”

Xiaotao brought over all the information regarding the case so we could go through them one by one. Gung ho, I examined the clues all the way until lunchtime though I wasn’t hungry for food but knowledge. Unfortunately, our endeavor didn’t yield any new insights into the case.

At 2 pm, an officer sent in a document faxed by the Beicang City Public Security Bureau containing the information filled in by Yi Xi when he was detained for drug abuse. The name in the document was Mike Zhou and the time was dated July 2011.

I stared at the piece of paper in a daze but Xiaotao soon interrupted my thoughts. ”I can't believe this guy really took drugs!” she exclaimed.

”How many days would a person be detained for taking drugs?” I asked, wide-eyed and perplexed as I looked at the document.