heart poison

There are almost no people in the serious crime team who can walk away, and everyone has a task on their shoulders.Hua Chong had no choice but to go to the forensic department to "catch a strong man" and catch Xu Kan to go to Xiancheng with him.

"Erwa is really not like your dog and Liu Zhiqin's dog." Xu Kan said while driving, "It's not like a German Shepherd either. It's as timid as the eye of a needle. When my dogs were frightened, they ran away with their tails between their legs. '."

"Didn't you say it had a good life last time?" Hua Chongzheng sent a message with his mobile phone and Qu Zhi, and raised his head when he heard that, "In the end, he was bullied by your group?"

"It's a good life. I don't have to worry about food or drink. It's just that I'm too timid, giving people the illusion of being bullied." Xu Kan smiled: "In fact, I haven't really been bullied. What are the few things in my house? It's not that you don't know the breed, who can bully the Great German Shepherd?"

Hua Chong only listened to the first half, and was a little concerned about what Xu Kan said about "the illusion of being bullied".In some specific occasions, some people are arrogant and domineering, and some people are weak and pitiful. Most of the bystanders will think that the weak and pitiful one will be bullied.But the truth is, no one knows except the parties concerned.

"After these few cases are finished, I will send the second baby back to you." Xu Kan said again: "You saved it, and it likes you the most. Last time I called you, it seemed to know the phone number." The other end looked like you, standing by my side all the time, very excited, bouncing around. After I hung up the phone, it was still circling in place.”

"Yes." Hua Chong nodded, "I've troubled you for a while."

Xu Kan smiled, "You're welcome."

The expressway that connects Xiancheng and Los Angeles is a highway that has only been repaired in recent years. The road condition is excellent and unimpeded.

After getting off the expressway, Xu Kan drove directly to the funeral home in the north of the city.

Ten years ago, Liu Xuchen's body was cremated there, and the ashes could only be stored for three months. Where did they go after that?

Hua Chong looked at the flashing street scene, his brows frowned habitually.

At present, there is no record of Zou Ming's visit to Xiancheng, but if his and Liu Zhiqin's conjectures are correct, Zou Ming must have visited Xiancheng many times, personally visited the "Knowledge City", and also visited the funeral parlor.

The most likely place to find traces of Zou Ming is the funeral parlor.

There was a long queue of vehicles outside the funeral home.The north of the city is the least developed place in Xiancheng, where it is deserted and depressed everywhere, but the funeral parlor, which occupies a small area, is bustling every day, which is more "popular" than the busiest shopping center in the city center.

Because it's pretty much where everyone belongs.

If the cars inside cannot get out, the cars outside cannot drive in.Hua Chong didn't want to waste time, so he asked Xu Kan to find a place to park and get out of the car to walk.

But Xu Kan said abnormally: "Don't go, wait for me for 2 minutes, and I will stop right away."

Hua Chong was slightly puzzled.

Xu Kan explained: "When you leave, I have to go in alone to find you. I'm not used to walking around this kind of place alone."

"You're a forensic doctor, why are you afraid of the funeral home?" Hua Chong suddenly heard the joke.

"It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I feel uncomfortable." Xu Kan quickly parked the car, "We who are forensic doctors have been warned by our predecessors since the beginning of our practice-respect the dead and the remains. I am not afraid of seeing corpses. I'm not afraid to touch the corpses. It's my duty to touch those who are dying. In the past few years, I went to funeral parlors more often. I often saw some funeral directors throwing body bags around, like throwing couriers. Yes. Those body bags contain people who have passed away not long ago..."

Xu Kan sighed, and continued: "Actually, I also understand their approach. You see, in smaller cities, there is only one funeral home in total, and it is overcrowded every day. They have to burn countless corpses throughout the year, repeating the same thing every day. The same job, after being burned, is numb, how can I care about "handling with care"? I am hypocritical, and I feel uncomfortable when I look at it."

Hua Chong pursed his lips, and his breath was filled with the smoky smell of paper money and incense.

"Have you ever seen the cremation process?" Xu Kan shook his head helplessly: "It's cruel, and the people who witnessed this process were all the relatives of the deceased—before they were carted into the boiler room, the ones lying in the coffin were still A complete person, as if asleep. An hour later, the door of the boiler room opened and the cart exited, leaving only a pile of ashes and some bones that were not completely burned. The skull was the largest One piece. In order to put the ashes and bones into the urn, the funeral director will use a hammer to break the skull in front of the deceased's relatives. I feel uncomfortable even thinking about the process."

Hua Chong patted Xu Kan on the shoulder.

It is said that doctors are benevolent, and forensic doctors are also doctors, but they are dealing with people who cannot be saved.It is probably because of this reason that some of them have thinner hearts than the doctors who save lives and heal the wounded.

Xu Kan smiled, "Actually, I haven't been to a funeral parlor for a long time, so I made you laugh."

"Sorry." Hua Chong said.

"Nothing." Xu Kan said: "I am also a criminal police officer, and it is my duty to accompany the boss of the serious crime team to perform official duties."

Hua Chong stopped talking, passed through the crowd, and walked towards the "Chang'an Hall" surrounded by green mountains and pines.

??

The ashes were managed by several people in their 50s and [-]s who did not wear work clothes and did not look like professional funeral workers.The shelf where the ashes were temporarily placed was simple and old, and the glass of many grids was broken, and there was a layer of cobwebs hanging inside, which did not look solemn at all.

It's hard to imagine a person's last stop before being buried in a place like this, but in fact, this is the status quo of funeral homes in some small cities.

The person who received Hua Chong and Xu Kan was a middle-aged man. After searching through a pile of paper materials for a long time, he couldn't find Liu Xuchen's information.

"The ashes from ten years ago are supposed to be stored for three months. However, because some families have been unable to determine the cemetery, we can keep them for a longer period of time if we pay, but it is too long. You have also seen it. Well, our 'Chang'an Hall' has only such a large piece of land, and so many people die in a day, and more and more, it is impossible to keep it for us all the time."

"How long can it be stored?" Hua Chong asked.

"It's said to be one year, but if we don't come to pick it up for a year, we won't dispose of it immediately. After all, it's ashes, right?" The management is not standardized. Whose ashes are handled and whose ashes are not disposed of depends entirely on the mood. Some ashes are disposed of just after a year, and some ashes have not been found for several years. So this is really uncertain. However, collecting ashes is very strict, and relatives must bring their original ID cards to collect the ashes."

Hua Chong frowned, "Then the relatives of the deceased have all died?"

"Then you have to rely on the corresponding certificate issued by the police station where your household registration is located." The man continued to flip through the information, "In fact, this situation is not much, but it is not much, hey, the previous information has not been entered on the intranet, so it is difficult to check. "

Xu Kan whispered: "After enrolling, Liu Xuchen's household registration has been moved to Xiancheng University of Science and Technology. He should be very eager to leave Luoguan Village and gain a foothold in the city."

Hua Chong nodded, and was thinking about whether to go to Xiancheng University of Science and Technology, when he heard the man say, "Hey, I'm lucky today, I found it! Liu Xuchen, after one year and three months of storage, his ashes were picked up by Li Jiang and Sun Qianghan. Here, there is a certificate from the police station."

Hua Chong hurriedly took the register. The two names on it were noted as Liu Xuchen's classmates, and other information was also written in the column. Liu Xuchen had no relatives and was buried in Zhoushan Cemetery in Xiancheng.

"Tsk tsk tsk, the conditions of this Zhoushan cemetery are not very good. I heard that there is only one farm family in charge of it, and the management is not good. It is far away from the urban area, and the transportation is very inconvenient. Some family members throw the ashes there. I don’t care about it, someone might dig the grave.” The man said, “But the price is cheap, so the poor can’t do anything about it, right? A good cemetery is enough for a house, how can the poor afford it…”

Without further ado, Hua Chong and Xu Kan immediately rushed to the remote Zhoushan Cemetery.On the way, Hua Chong asked Li Jiang and Sun Qianghan for their contact information.Both left Xiancheng after graduation, Li Jiang is currently abroad, and Sun Qianghan is working in Los Angeles.

Probably because he didn't expect that the police would find him after many years because of Liu Xuchen's matter. Sun Qianghan's voice sounded a little nervous, but he was not impatient at all.

Hua Chong learned that the money for the tomb was pooled by several of their classmates. The better tombs were too expensive to afford, so they had to buy the worst one, and it took more than a year for Liu Xuchen to be buried in peace. It is because the various procedures are too complicated.

"The cemetery is a one-time payment for 20 years, which is included in the tomb purchase fee. If it exceeds 20 years, if there is no renewal, it may be..." Sun Qianghan was a little embarrassed, "To be honest, the last time we went to see him was Before graduating from my senior year, I never went there again. Others left and scattered, and they were not in Xiancheng anymore. I don’t think they visited him again. In another ten years, they don’t know us Who else in here remembers to give him a renewal fee."

When Hua Chong asked about the situation on the day of Liu Xuchen's accident, Sun Qianghan was all emotional, "I was carrying him behind my back, waiting and waiting, it felt like time passed really slowly, and the ambulance didn't come for half a day."

"Because of a traffic jam?"

"Really? I don't remember. At that time, I, Li Jiang, and other brothers were all in a panic. We just wanted the ambulance to arrive quickly. When the car arrived, we breathed a sigh of relief, but we didn't expect Xu Chen It won't work."

Hua Chong asked: "Did anyone ask you about the situation at that time? Like I just asked?"

"Let me think about it..." Sun Qianghan paused, "After Xuchen passed away, many students came to ask me about his accident."

"Only classmates?"

"I remember so."

Hua Chong asked a few more questions, and didn't hang up until the mobile phone issued a "new call" reminder.

"Flower team, where are you?" Liu Zhiqin asked.

"In Xiancheng. On the way to Liu Xuchen's cemetery."

"I just arrived in Manxi Town, Ming Province. I found something about Zou Mei on the Internet."

Hua Chong tensed up, closed the car window, and blocked the howling wind from the window, "Does she have a motive?"

"She was born in Manxi Town, which is very poor and backward." Liu Zhiqin said: "At the age of 17, she took the college entrance examination and was admitted to Star City University. Four years later, she returned to Manxi Town."

Hua Chong was puzzled, "Xingda University is a famous school among famous schools, and Xingcheng is a first-tier city. Since you have passed the exam, why not stay in Xingcheng to develop? Ming Province is the province with the lowest level of economic development in the country. She... what is she?" When did you come to Los Angeles?"

"She came to Los Angeles at the age of 25. Before that, she severed ties with her relatives in her hometown."

"why?"

"What must have happened to her in her hometown, but I have no way to find out through the Internet." Liu Zhiqin said: "At present, we can only find out that she returned to Manxi Town at the age of 21 and married a man named Liang Chao. A boy was born at that time. But in the second year, they divorced, and she left Manxi Town and came to Los Angeles to work hard."

Hua Chong held an unlit cigarette in his hand, "I remember that several incidents of girls being killed by their relatives in recent years all happened in Ming Province, which is the hardest hit area where boys are preferred to girls."

"Well, the more impoverished and backward the place, the more serious the patriarchal phenomenon. However, Zou Mei gave birth to a boy, and I am a little puzzled. Since she has decided to return from the big city to the town where she was born, and get married and have children, why would she be in the village where she was born? After having a son, divorce and leave to start your own business?"

Hua Chong looked out the window solemnly, "This is really contradictory. From her current situation, it can be seen that she is a very capable woman. There must be some special reason for her to give up her future and return to Manxi Town. There are more specific reasons. Otherwise she has no reason to abandon the family."

"I thought of a detail when I found out that she had a son." Liu Zhiqin said: "She gave birth at the age of 24, and when she adopted Zou Ming at the age of 35, the child should be 11 years old."

Hua Chong immediately understood, "Zou Ming is also 11 years old!"

"Did she choose Zou Ming because Zou Ming was the same age as her biological son? If so, there may be some kind of accident in her biological son. I will continue to investigate this point." Liu Zhiqin paused, "What about you?" Where is it? How is the investigation going?"

"Nine years ago, Liu Xuchen was buried in the cemetery by his classmates. But the location of the cemetery is very remote and the conditions are not good. If our speculation is correct, there must be clues in the cemetery."

??

From Luocheng to Xiancheng, from the main city of Xiancheng to Zhoushan Cemetery, Xu Kan was driving both sections of the road.The previous paragraph is obviously much longer than the latter paragraph, but it takes less time.

"This road is really difficult." Xu Kan said: "The road conditions are poor and the distance is long. No wonder Zhoushan is the one with the lowest fees among all the cemeteries in Xiancheng."

"But no matter how low the fee is, it's not cheap." Hua Chong sighed, "Students who have been classmates for a few months, can raise money to let Liu Xuchen die in peace, those students can be considered kind."

"Isn't it because Liu Xuchen is a nice person?" Xu Kan said, "If he has poor character and popularity, no kind-hearted classmate would be willing to contribute money to buy his tomb, right?"

Hua Chong wanted to refute, but thinking that the case had not yet come to light, he swallowed back the words on his lips.

Whether Liu Xuchen is good or not, in the eyes of different people, must have different interpretations.

For Liu Zhanfei, he is the best brother in the world, perfect.

To Sun Qianghan and others, he is a good brother and a good roommate. In daily life, he may often help them a little.

But what about Qian Maojiang?If Liu Xuchen is the murderer of the small village case, then without a doubt, he is the cruelest executioner.

After bumping for nearly two hours, Zhoushan Cemetery finally arrived.As the staff of "Chang'an Hall" said, the conditions here are really terrible. Tombstones are lined up along the hillside beside the road. There are no walls or inspectors around. There is a river opposite, and there are many farmlands nearby.

If it weren't for the dilapidated wooden sign on the side of the road, with the four characters "Zhoushan Cemetery" written on it, Hua Chong would have thought that this place was a tomb in the wilderness.

The tombstones on the hillside are densely packed, each occupying a small area. Due to neglect, many tombstones have been covered with weeds, and the photos pasted on them have long been unidentifiable, which is quite embarrassing to look at.

Among so many tombstones, it is not easy to find Liu Xuchen's tomb.Hua Chong and Xu Kan got back into the car and drove a little further before reaching the so-called "working place".

There were only three people in the work office, all of whom were local farmers. As soon as Hua Chong dealt with them, he knew that he couldn't ask anything from them.

After about ten minutes, one of them found Liu Xuchen's tombstone number and said in dialect, "Come with me."

The money that Sun Qianghan and others collected was only enough to buy a tomb with the worst geomantic omen in the worst cemetery.After being brought to Liu Xuchen's tomb, Hua Chong discovered that Liu Xuchen's dilapidated tombstone was next to the road, where they had just passed by.

The words "Liu Xuchen" are written on the tombstone, but the place where the photo should have been pasted is empty.

Nowadays, many tombstones are directly printed with photos of the deceased, but many previous tombstones still adopt the old method of pasting photos.

"Where are the photos?" Hua Chong asked.

"I don't know." The staff said, "It's windy here, maybe it was blown off."

Hua Chong felt something was wrong, quickly put on his gloves, touched the place where the photo was pasted, and then turned to look at the other tombstones.

The pasted photos may indeed fall due to wind and sun, but there are some inconspicuous scratches on the tombstone, which cannot be found if you don't pay attention. If you look closely, it looks a bit like marks left by sharp objects.

"Xu Kan." Hua Chong waved, "Come and see."

Xu Kan bent down, frowned, and said with certainty, "It's a handmade knife."

As he spoke, he squatted down and pressed his hands on the tomb pedestal.

This relatively simple single-person tomb usually consists of a tombstone and a tomb pedestal. Under the tomb pedestal is an urn, covered with a stone slab and sealed with cement.

Xu Kan observed for a while, "Flower Team, there is something wrong with this tomb."

The staff standing on the side immediately became nervous, "Don't talk nonsense, what's wrong with this tomb?"

Xu Kan ignored him, and touched the overflowing cement traces with his fingers, "The tomb was opened before, and the current stone slab was newly built later."

The staff raised eyebrows, "Impossible!"

Hua Chong asked, "Is there surveillance around here?"

The staff member shook his head, "Who installed surveillance here? I dare not look at it!"

Hua Chong asked again: "At ordinary times, especially at night, is there someone guarding here?"

"You, you are kidding..." The staff continued to shake their heads.

Hua Chong's eyes turned cold, "Then why do you assert that this tomb cannot have been opened?"

"People pay attention to being buried in the ground!" The staff was anxious, "There is only an urn in this tomb, and there is no gold, silver or treasure. Who the hell came to 'grave robbery'?"

Hua Chong lowered his eyes, staring at the cement line on the tomb pedestal, and said for a while, "Open it!"

The staff was stunned, "Fuck!"

Hua Chongliang showed his certificate, "If there is any problem, I will be responsible."

It is easy to seal the tomb, but it is troublesome to open the tomb. You can only use tools to smash and pry at the same time, making a lot of noise.

But if it is at night, no matter how loud the movement is, it will not be heard.Because at night, this piece of hillside is deserted.

Half an hour later, the tomb was opened and there was nothing inside.

The faces of the "managers" of the cemetery turned pale with fright.Hua Chong found a photo of Zou Ming from his mobile phone and asked, "Have you seen this person?"

All shook their heads.

Hua Chong was not surprised.Zou Ming has a calmness that doesn't match his age. When he plans to do something and doesn't want others to know, he will definitely do it without anyone noticing.

On the way to Los Angeles, Hua Chong kept calling and arranged for people to check the cemeteries in and around Los Angeles.

"If I were Liu Zhanfei, I might also 'dug' Liu Xuchen out." Xu Kan said, "The conditions in that place are terrible. If it weren't for the lack of money, who would want to bury their relatives there? Even if you are dead, you have to believe in science, but the purpose of burialing your loved ones is not for the dead, but to leave some thoughts for the living self."

Hua Chong's cell phone was running out of battery, so he plugged it in to charge, "If he wasn't about to do something, he could move the tomb generously, and there was no need to steal the urn at night. He did so, which just shows that he will He has more important things to do and he can't expose himself."

"Is it murder?" Xu Kan is the forensic doctor of the Xulushan case. He knows the details of the case and Hua Chongliu Zhiqin's speculation that "Zou Ming is Liu Zhanfei". Didn't he bury Liu Xuchen in the cemetery? The murderer's thoughts cannot be speculated with ordinary people's thinking, I think it is possible for him to hide the ashes at home."

Hua Chong rubbed his temples, closed his eyes and thought for a while, "No, he will definitely let Liu Xuchen die in peace."

"Huh?" Xu Kan asked, "Why?"

"Zou Mei's home is not his home. He and Zou Mei are mother and son in name, but in fact it's more like a relationship where each takes what they need." Hua Chong said, "His only relative is Liu Xuchen. He hopes that Liu Xuchen can really rest in peace. This kind of rest is definitely not resting in someone else's house."

Having said that, Hua Chong's pupils tightened suddenly, as if he suddenly realized something.

Xu Kan glanced sideways at the co-pilot, "What's wrong with you?"

Hua Chong propped his chin and looked ahead without saying a word.

When Zou Ming appeared in the souvenir shop, when he learned that it was originally the home of the Liu family brothers, he and Liu Zhiqin had guessed that Zou Ming wanted to see the place where he lived that day.

But now, there is obviously another possibility.

He was going to visit Liu Xuchen!He had already buried Liu Xuchen there!Buried in their homes!

At this moment, the charging phone rang.

"Brother Xiaoliu, I..." Hua Chong picked it up, and was about to express his guess when Liu Zhiqin interrupted suddenly——

"The boy Zou Mei gave birth to at the age of 24 was stolen by traffickers at birth!"