016 Traces

At this moment, it was already nine o’clock in the evening.

Li Hui couldn’t help but yawn. “I’m exhausted.”

“Aren’t you the one who claims to be a night owl? Getting sleepy already?” Han Bin chuckled.

“Bin, you don’t understand, I’m a patient now. I need my rest,” Li Hui grumbled.

“What’s wrong, Li Hui? Is it serious?” Tian Li asked with concern.

Li Hui scratched his head. “It’s nothing. Just a minor issue.”

With a creak, the door to the surveillance room swung open.

Zeng Ping walked in from outside. “Good work, everyone. Guess what I brought you?”

“Coffee, fries, and burgers.” Tian Li gave a wry smile, “Captain Zeng, do you plan to keep us up all night?”

“Well, we don’t have much choice. The suspect in this case hasn’t left many clues. If we give him too much time, he’ll have cleaned up the loot and the tools—then we’ll have a hard time nailing him. We have to move fast,” Zeng Ping replied.

“Well, after eating Captain Zeng’s midnight snacks, I guess there’s no hope of sleep tonight,” Li Hui sighed.

“Enough chit-chat. Tonight, I’ll be joining your investigation. If you’re not sleeping, neither am I,” Zeng Ping said.

“Captain, if you keep staying out late, your wife’s bound to complain,” Li Hui teased.

“Get out of here, you talk too much,” Zeng Ping laughed and scolded. “So, any progress? Any leads?”

“No,” Li Hui and Tian Li shook their heads.

“What about you, Han Bin?” Zeng Ping asked.

Han Bin had been deep in thought. “I think we might have overlooked something in our investigation.”

“What overlooked?”

“We’ve only checked the surveillance along the escape routes. But what if the robber never left? What if he’s still in the hospital?” Han Bin said.

“No way. The police showed up, there was so much commotion—how could he possibly stick around?” Tian Li was surprised.

“I agree, it seems unlikely. It’d be foolish for him to stay and get caught,” Li Hui added.

“The most dangerous place is sometimes the safest. And we actually haven’t checked inside the hospital,” Han Bin pointed out.

“The officers from the precinct have been searching the hospital grounds all along and haven’t found anyone suspicious,” Zeng Ping replied.

Han Bin studied the hospital’s floor plan for a while. “What if the robber, after leaving the stairwell, entered the hospital building?”

“There are cameras all over the main building. Entering it would leave evidence. Even if we haven’t checked yet, we’d eventually find him and he wouldn’t escape suspicion,” Tian Li said.

“But what if he had a legitimate reason to enter?” Han Bin countered.

“Han Bin makes a good point. If the suspect committed the crime and then entered the outpatient building for a legitimate reason, and waited until things calmed down before leaving to dispose of the evidence, even if we spotted him on camera later, there’d be no proof to convict him,” Zeng Ping agreed.

“If Han Bin’s right, could the perpetrator be a doctor?” Li Hui guessed boldly.

“Check the surveillance at all entrances to the main building,” Zeng Ping ordered.

“There are three entrances: the front, the back, and the stairwell. The front and back both have cameras. The stairwell doesn’t, but the corridors on each floor do, and we’ve already checked those,” Li Hui reported.

“Then check the front and back entrances of the outpatient building,” Zeng Ping instructed.

The four of them split into two teams, starting to review footage of everyone entering the outpatient building during the relevant time period.

Anyone carrying a bag or suitcase into the building during that window would be flagged. If someone had just entered the hospital’s main gate and was caught on that camera without enough time to commit the crime, they’d be ruled out.

Half an hour later, Tian Li stood up. “Captain Zeng, I found someone suspicious.”

She pointed at the monitor. “Look at this man—at 4:20, he’s carrying a woven bag into the building.”

Han Bin glanced at the screen. “His build does resemble the suspect’s.”

“Where did he come from?” Zeng Ping asked.

Tian Li rewound the footage. “At 3:30, he walked out of the building, also carrying a woven bag. After that, he doesn’t appear again on camera.”

“So, between 3:30 and 4:20, he wasn’t in any surveillance zone?” Zeng Ping clarified.

“That’s right.”

“Where is he now?” Han Bin asked.

“He took the elevator to the eighth floor and entered room 805. He hasn’t come out since,” Tian Li replied.

Zeng Ping stood up. “What are we waiting for? Let’s move.”

...

Inside room 805.

It was a sunlit room with six beds. An elderly woman lay in the bed by the window, while a man and a woman sat nearby.

“Wang Jie, it’s getting late. You should go home,” the old woman said.

“You go ahead. I’ll stay with Mom,” the woman beside her replied.

Wang Jie walked to the window and glanced down at the courtyard. “Xiaofang, where are your and Mom’s dirty clothes? I’ll take them home to wash and bring them back tomorrow.”

The woman called Xiaofang gathered a few pieces of clothing from the closet and handed them to Wang Jie.

He casually stuffed them into the woven bag beside him.

“Why do you need such a big bag?” Xiaofang asked.

“I have some work to take home tonight,” Wang Jie replied.

“I’ll walk you out,” Xiaofang offered.

“Mom, you rest. I’m heading out,” Wang Jie said, leaving the room.

At the doorway, Xiaofang tugged his sleeve. “The day after tomorrow, Mom’s having surgery. How much money can you scrape together?”

“I can come up with a hundred thousand. Is that enough?” Wang Jie said.

“Don’t joke, where would you get that much? I’m serious,” Xiaofang said.

“Don’t worry about the money. Even if I have to borrow it, I’ll make sure Mom gets treated,” Wang Jie promised.

“Thank you, Wang Jie,” Xiaofang said gratefully.

“Don’t be silly. Your mom is my mom too,” Wang Jie said, reaching out to gently touch her face.

“Go home early, and don’t work too hard,” Xiaofang told him.

“Alright. Tomorrow morning, I’ll cook some millet porridge, buy some buns and tea eggs, and bring them over for you. There’s a camp bed in the room, get some rest yourself. Don’t overdo it,” Wang Jie replied.

“Mm,” Xiaofang nodded.

Wang Jie turned and was about to head for the elevator when he noticed two men walking side by side toward him, their eyes fixed on him.

He turned back and saw a man and a woman coming from behind, blocking his escape.

Wang Jie swallowed nervously, forcing a smile. “Xiaofang, go back inside.”

“I’ll wait until you leave,” Xiaofang said.

“Go in. Listen to me,” Wang Jie said sternly.

Seeing his face cloud, Xiaofang pressed him, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Mom shouldn’t be left alone. Go inside,” Wang Jie urged her.

She nodded and went back into the room.

At that moment, Han Bin and the others had already surrounded Wang Jie from both ends of the corridor.