heart poison

Someone was killed at the elegant banquet, and the atmosphere in Zuixiang Restaurant changed drastically.Most of the guests who only have lunch have already left with enough food and drink, but the wedding banquet is held for both lunch and dinner.Who would want to have a great day when they are getting married and entertaining guests, and people will die in the private room of the same hotel?When the police car arrived, several newlyweds and family members who were beaming not long ago were surrounding the front desk of the hotel, forcing the staff to give an explanation.

Hua Chong got out of the police car and didn't rush in, but stood under the four big characters "Zuixiang Restaurant" and looked at it.

Half an hour ago, the serious crime team received a report-a homicide occurred in a hotel on Weixing Road, Changlu District. An elderly man in his eighties died in a private room for no reason. Judging from the situation at the scene, it was very likely that he was strangled to death.

It stands to reason that such a relatively ordinary case should be solved by the criminal investigation squadron of the sub-bureau on its own, and should not be reported to the city bureau, let alone taken over by the serious crime team.But the situation in Los Angeles is very special now, the slightest disturbance may cause an uproar, and the deceased is an old man, so it is very easy to remind people of the big case in Wutong Community, so the city bureau must take action.

Before leaving, Hua Chong also asked Chen Zheng: "Don't worry about this case, let us investigate it?"

"Don't worry, they will come to take it away again." Chen Zheng said seriously: "But as long as the case is still in our hands, we have to investigate it carefully."

"I'll go and have a look first." Hua Chong said, "I'll report to you when I get back."

Zuixiang Restaurant is open on the side of the road, surrounded by other restaurants and small supermarkets of the same scale, and behind it is a residential area. It is said to be a hotel, but it is actually a slightly larger restaurant with antique decoration. Not enough stars, the service objects are basically the surrounding residents.

There are three red cardboards supported by oil painting frames outside the store door. On the cardboards are written the names of the three couples and "Congratulations on the newlyweds" in scrawled handwriting.

Hua Chongqing raised his eyebrows.

"Hotels of this class generally host gatherings of families and friends, and occasionally staff gatherings from small companies." Liu Zhiqin walked up, his eyes also falling on the red cardboard, "If you get married, most people should choose A higher class hotel.”

"However, if the family conditions are poor, or if you don't have enough money for the time being, it's not surprising to choose this kind of place." Hua Chong glanced into the store, "However, the wedding banquet is different from the general banquet. Three couples hold the wedding banquet here at the same time. The cooks and waiters must be too busy. There may be a lot of problems at noon today."

Just as I was talking, there was a loud bang of dishes being smashed to the ground in the store, followed by an angry male voice: "I丨日丨your mother! I'm holding a wedding banquet here today. Aside from sending the wrong order several times, your waiter even stained my friend's clothes! The dessert at the end didn't arrive in time, and the fruit was different from what was on the menu! Fuck! Do you know how to do business? People Too many? What’s wrong with too many people? Can’t you hire more waiters?”

Someone yelled something, and the man said again: "Okay, these old men don't care about it. But what about this matter now? Someone died in your private room! I got married, and you let me see the dead man? I'm a fucking good zodiac The auspicious day was destroyed by you like this, so it’s not justified without compensation? You opened your mother’s black shop, and it’s up to me!"

Liu Zhiqin sighed, "Flower Team, your guess is really accurate."

"It's not a good guess. This kind of restaurant-like hotel has a relatively poor ability to receive guests. It is not enough to host a wedding banquet. The boss is greedy and hosts three wedding banquets at the same time. He took jobs that should not be taken, and the service can't keep up. If there is no dispute, it will be strange. But if there is a murder case..." Hua Chong walked into the store as he said, and saw that the cordon had been pulled up outside the private room where the accident happened. At the same time, it seems that I am anxious and afraid.

There were several people standing next to the private room, both men and women, supporting each other and crying, probably the children and grandchildren of the deceased.

The scolding from the front desk was loud and harsh, and the three couples all demanded a refund and compensation for mental damage.The foreman couldn't make the decision and had already called the boss. The boss only agreed to refund a part of the fee, not a full refund, let alone compensation for mental damage.The two sides quarreled furiously, and another table of dishes was overturned.It's so noisy, it's so lively.

I don't know if he was dizzy from the noise, but the boss suddenly threw away his demeanor, and roared angrily: "Is there any point in arguing with me? Do I fucking want someone to die in the private room? I'm fucking unlucky too! I would like to Is that so? How did I know that people would die in the private room! You ask me for mental damage compensation, who the hell am I going to ask for mental damage compensation? You, and you, don’t fucking get married if you don’t have money for a wedding banquet, right? It’s as if I’m begging you to come to my place to serve wine. You don’t want to inquire about it, but with your money, do other hotels let you do it?”

Just as they were about to fight, there was a shout from the side of the private room.

"What do you mean 'poor blood mold'?" A woman in her fifties cried and rushed to the front desk, was stopped by several waiters, kicked in the direction of the boss, and screamed: "My father is walking here I don’t know why, but you still have the face to say that you’ve been “bad blood”? Are you still human? My father was killed by you! It must be you! Bah, beast!”

The boss was scolded for no reason, and was accused of being a murderer. His expression froze immediately, and he shouted: "Fart, fart! It's none of my business? I just got called here! Damn bitch, what are you doing? Your family is having dinner , locked your old father in a small room, he died inside, I don't believe it wasn't done by you!"

"What did you say? You..." The woman cried out with her disheveled hair, "The police are here! The police will not let you go!"

The police had indeed arrived, and the forensic doctor and trace inspectors were conducting on-site investigations, while the small world outside the cordon was performing all kinds of life at a very fast pace.

Zhang Mao ran over, "Flower Team, these people are too noisy, my eardrums are almost burst."

Hua Chong glanced in the direction of the front desk again, and ordered: "Clear the venue, the relevant personnel stay behind, and pay attention to register."

??

The private room where the accident happened was located in the corner, and there was not much space. The dining table in the middle was messed up, and several chairs were overturned on the ground.

The deceased, 83-year-old Wang Zhangbing, was not in this private room.

To be precise, it is not within the main scope of this private room.

Zuixiang restaurant is of a low grade, its private rooms are just square compartments, without separate toilets and lounges.And because this private room is adjacent to the corner, there is an extra small and special-shaped room.There is a door that can be closed or not between the special-shaped room and the private room, and another door on the west side is connected to the corridor.

Hua Chong stood at the door, looking at the old man who died in the wheelchair.

His body fell to the side, the hat that should have been on his head fell on the ground, his face was full of wrinkles, he was already very old, and there was a protruding black mole on his left cheek, which was very conspicuous and might have turned cancerous .

This old man may suffer from many diseases.

The crying outside the private room became louder and louder, mixed with a few trembling "Dad".

After completing the preliminary autopsy, Xu Kan raised his eyes to Hua Chong, "The deceased's face was swollen, and there was an obvious horizontal circular groove in the neck. There was bleeding in the groove. The cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation. As for the murder weapon, it should be a belt about two fingers wide." shape."

"It seems that he was indeed strangled to death." Hua Chong looked around, then put on his gloves, walked into the room, and carefully lifted the old man's chin.As Xu Kan said, the groove on the neck is indeed very obvious.There is no doubt that this disabled old man was killed.

The question is, who is the murderer?

Why did the murderer want to kill an old man whose days were numbered?

Is it for revenge?Or to profit from the death of the elderly?

Or, is it just because of the stimulation of the big Wutong community case?

If it is the last case, then the major case of Wutong Community will open the "Pandora's box". In the future, maybe a group of psychopaths will specifically attack the elderly.They don't need many reasons, simple "hatred" can turn them into executioners.

Some people "hate the rich", some "hate women", and some "hate the same".

There are also people who "hate the old".

Hua Chong frowned, temporarily putting aside the unfounded thoughts in his mind.

This case may not be as complicated as imagined. Stretching is a very basic method of killing, which is inefficient and inconvenient.The murderer chose to strangle the neck, probably because "he" did not dare to use a knife, and could not get deadly poison, so he could not adopt a more effective method.

So the killer might not be too difficult to deal with.

Li Xun and two other trace inspectors are carefully investigating, but footprints are not to be expected, the private room is covered with low-quality carpets, and carpets are relatively difficult to leave footprints.

Hua Chong looked at it for a while, and called Xu Kan: "Go back to the autopsy first, and the pathological examination of the liver and kidney will also be done. Confirm with the hospital what diseases the deceased suffered from, and check the usual medication and medical records."

"Yes, got it."

"Adjust today's monitoring." Hua Chong said to another criminal policeman: "Everyone who has entered, exited, or approached this private room will be brought back to the bureau to make a record."

"Yes!"

"Flower team." Liu Zhiqin led a man in his fifties and stood on the other side of the corridor, "I asked the boss to vacate a few rooms and temporarily arranged for a few family members to 'rest'. Eldest son, Wang Nuoqiang."

Hua Chong's eyes fell on the man's face, and the man immediately turned his eyes away, his face turned pale, and he clasped his hands together and kept rubbing them, as if he was at a loss.

He looked at Liu Zhiqin again, and saw Liu Zhiqin nodded slightly.

The brief eye contact has already sent a signal - this family is very suspicious, and we will interrogate them on the spot first.

??

The private room on the second floor had a strange smell of paint. The boss explained embarrassingly that the store had just opened and the smell of decoration materials hadn't dissipated yet.

Hua Chong waved his hand, indicating that he can leave.

The 54-year-old Wang Nuoqiang was sitting on the leather sofa. Probably because he was too nervous, his body kept moving, making funny noises on the sofa.

He put his ID card on the coffee table, and on his square-shaped face, there was more fear than sadness, a thick eyebrow was tightly frowned, and the eyes and brows were full of anxiety.

Hua Chong picked up his ID card, glanced at it and put it down.

What attracted him more than his ID card was naturally Wang Nuoqiang's reaction.

The elderly father died suddenly and was strangled to death in a place across the door, but the son did not show reasonable grief.But when it comes to calmness, Wang Nuoqiang is not calm. The tension and apprehension are very real, reflected in his eyes together with fear.

What do these micro-expressions represent?

The air conditioner was turned on in the private room, and the temperature was quite high. Sweat slid down his forehead. Wang Nuoqiang hurriedly raised his hand and wiped it off in a panic.

Hua Chong had almost observed, and finally said, "Tell me about your family's situation."

"Our family?" Wang Nuoqiang was puzzled, "What, what do you mean?"

"Your father was strangled to death in the place where your family held a banquet. When we investigate the case, we must first understand your family situation." Hua Chong's voice was a little cold, and he still stared at Wang Nuoqiang's eyes when he spoke.

Wang Nuoqiang seemed very unwilling to meet people's gaze, and lowered his eyelids and said: "I, my father is 83 years old this year. He suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He can't take care of himself, walk, and needs company all the time. Is this you? What do you want to know?"

"Well, keep talking."

"I... I don't know how to say it. I haven't, I haven't dealt with your police much before. This incident, this incident is really too sudden. I am still confused." Wang Nuoqiang said at a loss: "Today is my father's birthday. Our family celebrated his old man's birthday and held a banquet here. I didn't expect this kind of thing to happen."

"I'm more curious, since today is celebrating your father's birthday, why did he die in the small room next to the private room?" Hua Chong said, "When you celebrated his birthday, he, the birthday star, was not at the dinner table?"

"No, no!" Wang Nuoqiang panicked even more, "There is also a private room there. I asked about it when I ordered the private room. They said that this room is the best. There is a lounge. If the elderly and children are tired, they can go to the private room. Take a rest inside."

"Lounge room?" Hua Chong squinted his eyes.

That strange-shaped room that was spliced ​​next to the private room was actually used as a lounge in the private room?

But which normal lounge has two doors?

Which normal birthday banquet excludes the birthday star from the banquet?

"What else could that be if it wasn't a lounge? For that small room, I paid an extra 50 yuan." Wang Nuoqiang wiped his sweat again, and raised his eyes timidly, "My father was really, really given strangled?"

Hua Chong didn't answer, but asked: "Why don't you let him sit at the table?"

Wang Nuoqiang's expression was unnatural, "He, he is not suitable to sit at the table..."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"He can't eat the food here at all. We eat vegetables, and he just looks at us in bewilderment."

"That wouldn't push him into another room, would it?"

"You don't know, he's going to moan." Wang Nuoqiang sighed repeatedly, "He keeps moaning, we as children, it feels very uncomfortable to hear it."

Hua Chong thought about the groans of a dying old man, then took out a cigarette and held it between his fingertips.

The family didn't feel uncomfortable listening to the old father's groans, they didn't want to hear the old father's noise at all.

The noise made them uneasy and sick.

Hua Chong asked again: "You said your father suffered from Alzheimer's disease. How long has he been like this? Who is taking care of it? Who will bear the medical expenses?"

"Ah?" Wang Nuoqiang was stunned for a while, "It's been five years, and my two younger sisters and I took turns taking care of them."

"Five years is not too short." Hua Chong continued to ask: "Then when will he completely lose the ability to take care of himself and cannot be short of people around him?"

"At the end of last year. It used to be just a brain problem. He couldn't remember people. The situation was good and bad. We also took him to the hospital. The doctor said there was no way. By the end of last year, he was unable to stand up, incontinent, and paralyzed. Same." The more Wang Nuoqiang spoke, his voice became deeper and his shoulders began to tremble, as if he was carrying a mountain-like burden on his shoulders.

"What is the job of you and your two sisters?"

Wang Nuoqiang seemed to be poked into a pain point suddenly, and his voice became hoarse: "I am a pancake business in front of the school, and they are all ordinary people, with a monthly salary of more than 3000 yuan. Our family... our family is not easy. Ah! The old man is paralyzed and doesn’t know anything. My wife and I have been taking care of him for the past few months. Hey, it’s hard. The room was [-]% stinky with shit and urine."

Hua Chong imagined that scene, and almost understood the situation of this family.

The old father has become a drag on the whole family. He has been ill for five years and has gradually become unknown to anyone. A few years ago, he was fine, at least he could walk, but now he is a complete "disabled person".The three brothers and sisters of Wang Nuoqiang belong to the urban low-income group, and it is impossible to hire a nurse. As for the elderly center similar to the hospice hospital...

Hua Chong still has a certain understanding of that place. Unlike ordinary nursing homes, the level of nursing care in the elderly center is low. Sick old people are sent there, not to spend their old age peacefully, but to give up treatment and wait for death quietly.

Due to various practical problems, many people send their parents to the crematorium until they die.

In short, the elderly who were sent to the elderly center had a miserable life in the last period of their lives, but most of them had mental problems and could not perceive their own situation.

As the saying goes, "There is no filial son before a long-term sick bed", but if you really want to send your parents to that kind of place, it is really not easy to overcome that hurdle in your heart.

The problem now is that Wang Zhangbing, an old man with three children and three families, was strangled to death in the so-called rest room at his birthday banquet. The people who had the most opportunity and motivation to kill him were the descendants who celebrated his birthday .

Hua Chong understood why Wang Nuoqiang looked so weird when he was brought in front of him.

His father was murdered, he should have been angry and sad, eager to know who did it.

But he was tense and panicked, and amidst the tension and panic, there seemed to be a trace of relief.

He is relieved.

Perhaps deep down in his heart, he longed to get rid of the burden on his shoulders.

He may know who the murderer is.

??

Holding the speaker, Liang Ping sat alone beside the empty dam where she used to dance in the square, her eyes were dull.

In the past few days, there is still no one to dance with her, and even the dance partner with the best relationship uses "the grandson is back" as an excuse to reject her.

She danced a few times by herself, the sound of the speaker was turned down very low, and when she realized that someone was pointing at her with her mobile phone, she became more and more disinterested in dancing, so she picked up the speaker and left in a hurry.

Can't dance anymore, life suddenly becomes meaningless.

She didn't believe the rumor that "eleven elderly people danced in the square to disturb the people and were killed", and she hated the people who spread the rumors, but what could be done, so many people believed it, and the dance team broke up.

The dance partner told her: "Sister Ping, if you can't dance, go home."

She also wanted to go back, but there was no room for her in that house.

There was a "clang" sound of a truck pulling building materials in the distance. She looked up and said to herself, "Is it opening soon?"

Half a stop away from here, there is a large-scale construction site for a large shopping mall.Because she felt that the noise from the construction site overwhelmed the music from the speakers, she went to see it with a few dance partners.

"Forget it, it's none of my business." She withdrew her gaze and stared at her shoes.

The shoes were worthless, they had been worn for a long time, and it was a bit cold in winter, so she didn't bother to change a pair.

Because it was the weekend, there were quite a lot of people on Kongba, and some children were holding hands and roller skating.She was engrossed in watching, and when she stood up, she suddenly felt unbearable pain in her lower back.

Old wounds piled up with new ones, and the skin was torn apart.

"I can't stand the beating." She muttered in a low voice, and after relieving the pain, she smiled bitterly, turned around and walked away staggeringly.

The winter wind blows away her petty complaints—

"If you can't dance, why go home? Just die."

??

"There is something wrong with the monitoring." After checking the video, Yuan Hao's face was very ugly. "The surveillance outside the private room can capture it, but the small door of the special-shaped room is in a blind spot of surveillance. Did the murderer enter the special-shaped room through that small door and kill him?" Wang Zhangbing, it is impossible to judge now."

The boss followed behind Yuan Hao, feeling very emotional, "It's definitely not the people in my shop. I do business well and have no grievances with that family. What reason do I have to harm their old father? It's the people in the private room." People are the most suspicious, their whole family united to kill the old father, and they want to plant it on me?"

Several foremen pulled the boss away.The boss had had enough of the three couples, and his face was flushed.

Hua Chong ignored him, and asked Yuan Hao again: "Did the surveillance outside the private room catch any suspicious people?"

"What are the suspicious people? I think the suspects are all in the room." Yuan Hao snapped his fingers, "Let me tell you, except for the deceased, these are the only people who entered the private room—Wang Nuoqiang, he Wife Zhu Zhao, their son Wang Songsong, this is the family of the eldest son of the deceased; Wang Xiaoning, her husband Zhang Chongqi, this is the family of the eldest daughter of the deceased; finally Wang Chuning, her daughter Ji Can, this is the family of the youngest daughter of the deceased In addition, there are three waiters who deliver food, these three people are not only delivering this private room, but also busy in other private rooms and halls, and have no time to commit crimes."

The boss shouted: "Look! I say yes! They killed their old father!"

Hua Chong glanced at the boss, who immediately shut up as if frightened.Hua Chong gave a glance to the criminal police next to him, and the boss was quickly "asked to go".

At this moment, Liu Zhiqin came down from the second floor, walked to Hua Chong, and whispered, "The victim's second daughter, Wang Xiaoning, said that the murderer was Wang Nuoqiang's son, Wang Songsong."