Chapter 2154: Chapter 2154: 2155: Full of Doubts

Lin Yi walked over and lifted the jacket off the body again.

The child appeared to be about four or five years old, with a childlike innocence yet to fade, and a cute mushroom haircut.

She wore a little dress with thick, long socks on her legs and a vest-like garment on her upper body.

It resembled the uniform of a kindergarten.

If nothing had gone awry, she most likely met with an accident on her way home from school.

But, given the location of the incident, it could be determined that the actual site where she fell into the river was not here.

Moreover, judging by the quality and style of her clothing, it was probably not cheap.

Furthermore, most kindergartens rarely provide uniforms.

So, it could be assumed that the child’s family was well-off.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

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But that’s where the problem lays.

In a city like Zhong Hai, with a family in good economic standing, the child should have been chauffeured to and from school.

And considering the current weather, it was unlikely that parents would take their child to play by the river.

All things considered, the likelihood of her dying by accidental drowning was very slim.

Yet the incident had indeed occurred, and this was a contradiction.

Besides, there was something else that Lin Yi couldn’t fathom.

The time of death by drowning was definitely more than 24 hours ago, possibly even 48.

For a child of four or five, a mysterious disappearance would be a matter more serious than the sky falling.

Not to mention 48 hours, even not seeing the child within four could drive parents to the brink of a breakdown.

But now, there was hardly any reaction, which was odd.

This was peculiar.

“Zhang Zixin, did you send the information to Brother Li?” Lin Yi turned and asked,

“I asked, but Brother Li hasn’t replied to me. We might have to wait a bit longer.”

Lin Yi nodded. “Call someone to take the body back. Something feels off. Let’s continue investigating when we return.”

“Off?”

The three turned to look at Lin Yi, uncertain what he was referring to.

“What do you feel is off?”

Having worked on several cases together, Zhang Hui understood Lin Yi well.

He knew Lin Yi had a keen insight and could spot details others might miss, so at this time, his opinion mattered.

The three gathered around, and Lin Yi shared his thoughts with them.

They too became pensive.

Indeed, from these details, something seemed amiss.

A child of that age would always have someone accompanying them at all times.

As a father, Zhang Hui was acutely aware of this.

If the child drowned accidentally while with an adult, the police would have been alerted immediately.

There would definitely be a record in the system, and after so much time had passed, it was impossible that Brother Li had no information about it.

Thus, Lin Yi’s reasoning held great potential for deeper investigation.

“Brother Zhang, Lin Bro, come quick, there’s something wrong with the body,” Zhang Peng said.

They hurried over, and Zhang Hui brushed the hair from the little girl’s head,

The three saw that a patch of her hair was missing from the top of her head.

“Could this be the legendary ghost shearing?” Zhang Zixin said,

“My dad had the same thing happen last year. He went to bed and woke up the next morning to find a bald spot the size of a coin.”

Ghost shearing, which is clinically known as alopecia areata, is related to one’s immune system and endocrine functions. Simply put, it’s caused by excessive stress and worry, an unlikely condition for a four- or five-year-old child to experience.

“Indeed. My grandma suffered a stroke last year. My dad was so stressed that he couldn’t sleep properly for over a month, and then he got ghost sheared.”

“Could it be hereditary?” Zhang Hui asked.

“It’s unlikely to be hereditary since it’s only one spot. And most importantly, at her young age, even if it was genetic, it shouldn’t manifest itself so early. This is also quite suspicious.”

After saying this, Lin Yi crouched down, looked closer, and pressed on the area.

His face suddenly turned grim.

“Did something bad happen?” Zhang Peng asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, it was probably pulled out by someone.”

“Pulled out by someone!”

Hearing this conclusion, all three faces grew exceptionally grave.

If that were the case, the situation was even more infuriating.

“I think we can come to a conclusion about this incident,” Zhang Peng said,

“It’s very likely that her parents didn’t want her and dumped her body in the river. The missing tuft of hair is the best proof.”

Lin Yi and the others stayed silent.

Because Zhang Peng’s analysis was completely reasonable.

If it was an accidental death, the parents wouldn’t be so silent.

Only a premeditated act would lead to such calmness.

“Brother Zhang, Lin Bro, it seems we have guessed correctly.”

Zhang Zixin crouched down and lifted the girl’s clothes, “There are a few bruises on her body. Not too noticeable, but visible.”

They all nodded, understanding how these bruises could have formed, further affirming Zhang Peng’s analysis.

But a definitive conclusion still required bringing the body back for further analysis before finalizing the nature of the case.

Soon, the Xinshan branch office sent a vehicle, and after loading the body, the four headed towards the Xinshan branch office.

But on the way back, Lin Yi rested his chin in his hand, silent.

“Lin Bro, we’re close to closing the case. Why do you look so down?” Zhang Zixin asked.

“Even though Dapeng’s analysis is completely logical, I still feel something is off.”

“It’s just us in the car, you can speak your mind freely,” Zhang Hui said.

“I feel that this little girl’s family is quite wealthy, which is apparent from many details. Her parents cared for her deeply, so it is highly unlikely that they would do what we have speculated. What do you think?”

“I had thought of that too,” Zhang Hui said,

“But about five years ago, I handled a similar case. Back then, Brother Li also raised the same doubts, but in the end, it turned out that the woman had an affair. She left with her lover after the divorce, and not long after, the child discovered the woman’s lover stealing her mother’s money, which led to a tragedy.”

“It’s indeed a possibility. So I can’t be sure that my guess is correct. We’ll wait until we find her parents.”

About half an hour passed, and the three returned to the Xinshan branch office. Upon entering, Lin Yi asked,

“Brother Li, have you found the family of the deceased?”

Li Xianghui shook his head, “No record in the system yet. I’ll post a message on the branch’s Douyin account; we should get some news soon.”

As Li Xianghui spoke, he lit a cigarette and muttered,

“This is strange. The kid is missing. Why is there no police report?”

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