2409: Clue 2409: Clue Upon seeing the Buddha Shrine, Lin Yi’s attention was immediately captivated.
Fang Daye and Ma Haiqiang’s homes both had Buddha Shrines, and they came from Jindou Village in Jinling.
Could this also be a coincidence?
Instinctively, Lin Yi did not believe so.
Approaching the Buddha Shrine, the incense burner was filled with ash, with incense sticks inserted, some spilling over beside the burner.
Lin Yi looked around the rest of the Buddha Shrine and saw that it was spotless, except for some dirt near the incense burner.
With his phone in hand, Lin Yi took some photos around the Buddha Shrine, planning to take a closer look later.
Shifting his attention from the Buddha Shrine to other areas, Lin Yi noticed a book on the desk, “The Great Ming Dynasty 1566,” 748 pages.
Lin Yi had dined with Wang Jiasu and knew he was fond of history books; having one on the desk was normal and could not be seen as suspicious.
Beside the book, there was a teacup ring stain on the table, about two-thirds of the way up the cup.
Upon opening the teapot next to it, Lin Yi saw that it was still half full of tea that had gone moldy.
Lin Yi thought that the ring stain on the teacup was likely left by evaporated tea.
Lin Yi tried to recreate the scene: Wang Jiasu must have been drinking tea and reading before going to take a bath.
Lin Yi’s eyes swept around, noting as the file stated that the time of death was around 2:00 PM. Although it looked normal overall, not many people bathed at this time unless there was something important.
Lin Yi closed his eyes and reconstructed the scene in his mind again.
Being able to leisurely drink tea and read in the study implied he had nothing urgent to do, simply passing time in such a manner.
But he took a bath around 2:00 PM—though nothing seemed amiss, it wasn’t quite reasonable.
If he had something important in the afternoon, could he still leisurely read?
It seems not necessarily.
Subconsciously, Lin Yi flipped open the book on the desk, stopping at page 398.
And this detail also aroused Lin Yi’s suspicion.
Lin Yi had seen similar behavior from Ji Qingyan.
When reading a book, if she herself or a family member called her, she would place the book face down on the table.
If she was preparing to bathe or rest, she’d use a bookmark, close the book, and put it aside or on the shelf, to continue reading later.
Under normal circumstances, since Wang Jiasu put the book face down on the table, he must have been interrupted by something and planned to return and continue reading.
But that something apparently was not taking a bath.
After all, bathing is a very subjective action; there is no need to abruptly put down a book for it.
Standing in the study, Lin Yi surveyed the surroundings.
Suddenly, the place felt eerie.
It was like a huge box, hiding unknown secrets.
Yet, deep inside, it seemed as if a voice was telling Lin Yi.
That the clue to the case might be hidden in this study.
Lin Yi took a few photos of the scene with his phone, then quietly closed the door and left.
After leaving the study, Lin Yi stood in the living room, looking around, but found nothing unusual.
However, at the bathroom entrance, he noticed something distinct.
He felt something was off when he entered earlier, and now he finally figured it out.
Wang Jiasu took his bath in the guest bathroom!
Normally, this would not make sense.
As the head of the household, judging from daily habits, he was supposed to bathe in the master bathroom.
Beyond that, Lin Yi also discovered a shirt on the chair near the guest bathroom door and a pair of pants on the floor, likely Wang Jiasu’s sleepwear.
“Sister-in-law, was Director Wang wearing these clothes before he died?”
“It should be this set.” Sun Yuxiang didn’t give a definitive answer, but judging from the situation at the scene, it was almost certain.
He had taken off his clothes outside…
This was what aroused Lin Yi’s suspicion.
Wang Jiasu was a very clean person; after taking off his clothes, he should have folded them neatly. This random placement did not match his character.
After a brief observation, Lin Yi entered the bathroom.
It was very tidy inside, with toiletries neatly placed on one side.
There was still water in the bathtub, clear but with some evaporation.
Everything in front of him seemed ordinary, revealing nothing unusual.
Lin Yi took out the case file photos and compared them with the scene in front of him.