Chapter 1 The Whale’s Fall
At the end of summer, as night deepened, several police cars were parked outside Building Seven in the Wanhe Residential Area. Blue and white police tape encircled the building’s entrance. Two detectives stood inside the cordon, blocking the curious gazes peering into the isolated area.
On the second floor, in Room 208, personnel from the Criminal Technology Department had arrived. Crime scene photographers captured the scene’s overall condition. The Trace Examination Group checked for fingerprints, footprints, and other special traces inside the room. Meanwhile, the Physical and Chemical Biological Inspection Group was responsible for collecting blood, tissue from the corpse, and other biological evidence.
To avoid destroying potential evidence, officers constructed a temporary walkway using dozens of palm-sized boards in areas without footprints, leading to the body on the living room floor.
Two forensic scientists in isolation gear squatted beside the body. One examined the corpse’s exterior while the other recorded details on a human body chart and made a verbal recording.
"Zhang Cuilian, female, 67 years old, body length 162cm, normally developed, average nutrition, sallow complexion. Postmortem lividity was purplish-red, located on the back of the head, neck, back, sacral area, and the uncompressed undersides of the limbs; it did not fade under pressure. The abdomen showed signs of postmortem greening..."
MEOW. MEOW. MEOW.
WOOF. WOOF.
The intermittent meows and barks were also captured in the forensic scientists’ verbal recordings.
Zhang Cuilian had kept three cats and four dogs. In the two days following her death, they had significantly damaged the evidence at the scene. The young officers from the Physical and Chemical Biological Inspection Group struggled to confine the cats and dogs to cages; these pets were also considered "biological evidence."
Officer Wang, with over twenty years on the force, automatically ignored the noise. He stood before the living room bookshelf, gently picking up a photo frame.