Chapter 19: The Flash of Violet Light Through the Glass

With a clear line of suspicion in mind, Cen Lian felt fully alert.

“Brother Cen, impressive!” Tang Hua gave him a thumbs-up.

From a detective’s intuition, this person was beginning to emit that unmistakable scent unique to suspects.

“Chenxi works efficiently. We can start contacting Tian Wenwen right away,” Wang Yuanteng glanced back toward the office. “But for now, don’t alert anyone. First, find out exactly why Tian Wenwen went to the hospital that day.”

Before Cen Lian could respond, Qi Yan had already found Tian Wenwen’s contact number from the household registration information and dialed it.

It was just past dinner time, and Tian Wenwen answered quickly.

“Hello, is this Ms. Tian Wenwen?” Wang Yuanteng took the phone.

“Yes, speaking. May I ask who this is?” The woman’s voice sounded somewhat weary.

Fearing she might hang up thinking it was a scam, Wang Yuanteng quickly identified himself.

“Ms. Tian, this is the Public Security Bureau of Taishan District, Kang’an City. We have a case from six years ago that has recently seen new developments and need to ask you a few questions.”

On the other end, Tian Wenwen said, “Go ahead. I’m not sure if I can provide any useful clues.”

“All right. May I ask why you went to the hospital four days before Sun Xiaoyu’s death?” Wang Yuanteng asked, flipping open his notebook, ready to take notes.

“I remember that clearly. I went for a premarital check-up,” Tian Wenwen replied confidently. “We were high school classmates, and I was still in touch with her then. Knowing she was doing her residency at this hospital, I sent her a WeChat message before I went.”

“Does your husband know Sun Xiaoyu?” Wang Yuanteng inquired further.

“She was the gynecologist who examined us, so I guess they knew each other,” Tian Wenwen sounded uncertain now.

“Did your husband visit the hospital on the day of the incident, four days later?” Wang Yuanteng’s instincts told him something was off.

Tian Wenwen was silent for a moment.

“Our premarital check report came out the day after Xiaoyu died, and he was the one who collected it. The day before, he said he wanted to check if the report was ready. When I messaged him that night, he said he had already asked at the hospital but it wasn’t ready yet and we’d have to wait another day.” Her voice hesitated. “Are you suspecting my husband?”

Wang Yuanteng quickly reassured her, “It’s just a routine check. We are re-examining everyone who had contact with Sun Xiaoyu in the days before her death.”

Tian Wenwen fell silent and ended the call.

“I feel like she’s a bit suspicious of her husband,” Tang Hua said, uneasy.

“Sun Xiaoyu died the day after Lin Xiangyuan went to pick up the premarital report…” Qi Yan looked at Wang Yuanteng but didn’t finish the sentence.

Given the current situation, Lin Xiangyuan’s level of suspicion was skyrocketing.

“The problem is, we have no evidence,” Wang Yuanteng pondered over his notebook. “Even if Lin Xiangyuan is highly suspect, we can’t prove for sure that Sun Xiaoyu’s death is related to him.”

“He managed to evade so many surveillance cameras without leaving any trace. That means the bloody clothes must have been disposed of back then,” Cen Lian also thought deeply. “What else could serve as proof that he actually committed the murder?”

“Let’s review the surveillance, especially the footage from the days before Sun Xiaoyu’s death,” Cen Lian suggested. “I remember the ward under renovation shows about one-third of its door in the latest footage. Maybe we’ll find some clue there.”

Tang Hua rummaged through the hard drive and found the surveillance video covering part of the ward where Sun Xiaoyu was attacked.

Since that camera was the closest to the victim, it retained all footage from the month before the murder.

Cen Lian motioned Tang Hua to make space, then opened the video from the day Sun Xiaoyu was attacked.

He didn’t believe Lin Xiangyuan could come and go without leaving a trace. At least, if he wanted to lure Sun Xiaoyu into that under-renovation ward, he must have left some evidence.

They slowed the video to the lowest speed, their eyes wide open, afraid to miss any detail.

Just past ten at night, when Sun Xiaoyu was attacked, Cen Lian suddenly hit pause.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Hua rubbed his eyes.

Qi Yan leaned closer to the screen, observing carefully before pointing at a spot.

“Is that some purple light?” he asked Cen Lian.

Cen Lian nodded. “There is a brief flash of purple light. This hasn’t appeared in any previous footage.”

Wang Yuanteng stroked his chin. “Looks like some kind of ultraviolet light. We should visit the Sixth Hospital to check the crime scene.”

Cen Lian also thought that further video review might not yield new clues, but since the case hadn’t been officially reopened, going directly to the hospital seemed delicate.

“Don’t worry. Chenxi will handle all the paperwork for us. Let’s go,” Wang Yuanteng said, having worked with Yuan Chenxi, the diligent administrative officer, for two years.

Hearing this, Cen Lian no longer hesitated. He tucked the worn black notebook into his pocket and set out with Wang Yuanteng.

The four of them departed together. Upon arriving at the Sixth Hospital, they saw Yuan Chenxi had already posted the case reopening notice in the group chat.

“Chenxi really is efficient,” Cen Lian said admiringly.

Back at the Xinhe Police Station, their internal staff paled in comparison.

With no more concerns, the four found the Medical Affairs Office and, guided by a balding man in his forties, reached the ward where the crime had occurred.

Because a murder had taken place there and remained unsolved, the ward had been converted into a storage room. Inside, items were jumbled and disorderly, and it was obvious few wanted to come here. Even the floor by the door was thick with dust.

“After the murder, patients refused to be assigned here. We felt uncomfortable too. Although the scene was cleaned after the incident, nothing has been touched since,” the middle-aged man sighed outside the room, clearly reluctant to interfere with their investigation.

Even in a hospital accustomed to death, such a brutal murder still sent chills down the spine.

Wang Yuanteng negotiated with the Medical Affairs staff outside, signaling that they could begin the investigation.

“If the purple light is some sort of ultraviolet lamp or flashlight, it must have been used to illuminate something,” Cen Lian took the purple flashlight from Tang Hua and began scanning the room.

“Most likely, it’s the glass window on this wall,” he said, shining the ultraviolet light onto the glass.

“Looks like there’s a mark!” Tang Hua stood by the window, spotting a faint fluorescent trace flicker.

Cen Lian quickly directed the flashlight to where Tang Hua indicated.