National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 755 - 698: Fluttering Like a Little Deer

Chapter 755: Chapter 698: Fluttering Like a Little Deer

Qi Changye was particularly skilled at observation, which was the foundation of his livelihood.

Just like a minute ago when he noticed the tips of his colleagues’ toes pointing slightly outward, he knew they were growing impatient. After all, it was uncertain whether this case was even within their jurisdiction, not to mention that there was no progress whatsoever.

However, a minute later, at this very moment, Qi Changye observed that all of his colleagues’ toes had pointed back inward.

This case—now confirmed to be a murder—was on the cusp of a major breakthrough, compelling everyone’s undivided attention.

Of course, most of the attention was on Jiang Yuan, who seemed to have a much deeper understanding of the case than anyone else.

"Set aside the toxicology testing for now. If we assume Zhou Xiangyang was indeed poisoned by aconite, I heard you say earlier that there were water stains on the inside of the medicinal liquor, indicating it had been tampered with?" Qi Changye’s colleague, no longer holding back, stepped forward to ask.

"It must have been tampered with otherwise there wouldn’t be water stains. Moreover, based on the time of our investigation, the medicinal liquor was disturbed after Zhou Xiangyang was already dead," Jiang Yuan said with certainty.

"So, the person who tampered with the medicinal liquor did so in order to... remove the aconite?" The colleague’s mind was sharp, and now fully immersed, he immediately followed Jiang Yuan’s line of thought.

Jiang Yuan, having no intention to hide anything, nodded and said, "I think that’s a very likely reason. The active components of aconite mainly include aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine. Aconitine is extremely toxic, but after processing, it ultimately hydrolyzes into hypaconitine which has only one-thousandth of the toxicity of aconitine."

Seeing that a few were listening intently to the explanation, Jiang Yuan continued, "Zhou Xiangyang’s home contained two bottles of medicinal liquor infused with aconite, which he reportedly drank regularly for rheumatism treatment. From this, it appears Zhou Xiangyang knew how to use aconite. The original content of his medicinal liquor might have had only hypaconitine, with little or no aconitine. However, he probably never conducted a toxicological analysis on the medicinal liquor, which cannot be confirmed now."

"Can we detect any issues by testing the medicinal liquor and the aconite within it, such as whether only hypaconitine is present in the aconite, and if the concentration of aconitine in the liquor is above the lethal level?"

"That’s difficult because there is no standard," Jiang Yuan replied concisely, then added, "The oral lethal dose of aconitine is 3 milligrams, but the poisoning dose is only 0.2 milligrams, and consuming a little more than that could be enough to reach the lethal level. Moreover, there are no standards for the lethal and toxic doses of the mixture of aconitine, mesaconitine, and hypaconitine."

The colleagues looked at each other in dismay.

Qi Changye frowned and said, "In that case, even if we find that Zhou Xiangyang died of aconitine poisoning, and then upon testing the medicinal liquor we discover that its aconite content is sufficient to be lethal, because the liquor had already been prepared, and either Zhou Xiangyang or someone from his household had infused it, could it be concluded that his death was an accidental one?"

Jiang Yuan nodded slightly, then added, "Furthermore, processed aconite may still contain aconitine. Including its concentration, everything is uncertain. What you mentioned earlier about the medicinal liquor’s aconite containing only hypaconitine is also unlikely to be the case. Moreover, according to reports of deaths from aconitine poisoning, while most fatalities reached the oral lethal dose, there were some who did not. Forensic doctors also don’t have toxic and lethal blood concentration standards. Overall, the dosage for aconitine poisoning varies from individual to individual, and sometimes the differences can be quite significant."

"It’s a bit like homemade liquor in rural areas," Tao Lu chimed in at this point, "Ethanol is fine, but some produce methanol, which is also present in small quantities. But some people are sensitive and can have problems after just a few sips!"

Jiang Yuan chuckled without a word; there was a slight difference, but not much.

Qi Changye and his colleagues understood, and they understood very clearly.

Qi Changye’s colleague, a man with a square-shaped face, pondered for a moment before saying, "So, you mean to say, the murderer’s use of aconite to poison was extremely clever?"

Tao Lu coughed twice and said, "Poisoning as a method of murder has always been quite concealed. I haven’t seen anyone use aconite myself, but I’ve heard of cases."

The square-faced man didn’t respond straight away, pondered for a moment, then said, "The state of a body after death caused by aconitine can be quite confusing. As I see in the autopsy report, there’s nothing particularly unusual, indicating that this toxin isn’t very distinctive, and its toxicity is strong, quite rare, easily overlooked during an investigation. It’s not like cyanide, where you’d see cherry-red livor mortis, a bitter almond smell in the body cavities and blood, and organ necrosis. Some people even scream at the moment of death..."

Before the office could sink into an awkward silence, Qi Changye said, "So, you’re saying we need to take this case very seriously?"

He was looking at the square-faced man, obviously asking if they should take over the case.

Before the two could negotiate a response with their eyes, Jiang Yuan coughed twice and said, "Well..."

"Captain Jiang, if you have something to say, please do," the square-faced man turned with a smile.

"I’d like to add something... Actually, it should be written in the survey report, Zhou Xiangyang’s home showed no signs of forced entry, no traces of lock-picking, and no evidence of doors or windows being pried open," Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, "The perpetrator must have had a key. It’s likely an inside job, not plausible that they tricked their way in."

In some stories, they’d write about elaborate schemes to create a mold for a key and then replicate it. But actually, picking or breaking locks is much simpler, and the sort of thing petty thieves can do. However, what petty thieves can’t do is cover up signs of breaking in.

Whether it’s using a lock pick or bump key, as long as it’s a standard lock, there will be traces left behind if someone tries to open it, and the scene investigators will find something if they look closely enough.

The doors and windows of Zhou Xiangyang’s house are all high-end, so there was no possibility of undetectable lock picking.

With Jiang Yuan having said all this, the square-faced man couldn’t help frowning, "Someone who has the keys to Zhou Xiangyang’s house... The housekeeper?"

"I think that’s very likely. If not, the situation is truly complicated," Jiang Yuan glanced at Tao Lu, then added, "I’ve discussed it with Captain Liu."

Tao Lu smiled and nodded, then looked at Qi Changye and his colleagues, "If it was the housekeeper who committed the crime, it’s more likely to be a common criminal case. If not, shall I notify you?"

The housekeeper was the one who discovered the victim and reported the police, and she knew about Zhou Xiangyang’s habit of drinking wine containing aconite; also, she had plenty of time to administer the poison and wait for Zhou Xiangyang to die before removing it.

Even if Zhou Xiangyang didn’t die on schedule, the housekeeper could still wait...

Of course, there was also a billion-to-one chance that the perpetrator replicated the keys of the housekeeper or a family member, then poisoned Zhou Xiangyang, waited for him to die, and then retrieved the aconite, all the while avoiding surveillance—if it really was this scenario, it would be easier to bribe the housekeeper, or get rid of her and replace her with someone else...

If it truly was one of those "billion-to-one chances," then maybe Qi Changye and his colleagues would need to be involved, but everyone present had practical experience, and this kind of meticulous, complicated, and costly criminal activity would normally not present itself openly.

"Well... we’ll head back then," the square-faced man was decisive, no emotion visible on his face, just smiled at Jiang Yuan, and said, "Ningtai Jiangyuan, a fierce and burning case."

After that, the group quickly left the office.

Leaving behind Tao Lu, Jiang Yuan, and a windowsill-full of delicacies.

"Remember to get a receipt for reimbursement." Tao Lu’s eyes sparkled with laughter, like deer darting haphazardly.