Detective L Episode 7 Recap
> Detective L Recap
Xiao Lu stealthily approached Teacher Xiao's room, drawn by the sound of the piano. Suddenly, the music ceased, and Teacher Xiao lay motionless on the floor. Frightened, Xiao Lu rushed out to seek help. Meanwhile, Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman were engaged in recreating a past crime scene. Luo Fei directed the reconstruction, explaining that the victim had lunged onto the bed, intending to retrieve a pistol from under the pillow, when the suspect fired a shot into the pillow.
As the victim turned, the suspect fired a second fatal shot. Luo Fei pointed out that the feather patterns on Qin Xiaoman's body, who was playing the victim, contradicted the suspect's claim of self-defense, proving the suspect had lied and it was murder. After their deduction, Luo Fei instructed Qin Xiaoman to tidy the room, remarking that the task suited her "brainless" nature. As they were cleaning, they stumbled, falling onto the bed in an awkward position.
At that moment, Xiao Lu arrived, interrupting the delicate atmosphere. Xiao Lu, having heard of Luo Fei's reputation, claimed his deceased grandmother had left a locked diary with a four-digit password that he couldn't crack. He was testing Luo Fei. Luo Fei quickly deduced that the grandmother, an avid Mah-jong player nicknamed "Queen of Mah-jong," must have used a memorable number related to her house, "Route Ferguson, 123, 45-505."
By removing the zeroes as there are none in Mah-jong, the numbers became 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, leading to the password. Luo Fei then revealed that the diary was blank and did not belong to Xiao Lu's grandmother, stating that Xiao Lu was actually there to present another case. Xiao Lu confirmed this, explaining that he was the assistant to the conductor Xiao Lang, who had died suddenly the previous night.
Despite newspaper reports attributing Xiao Lang's death to a heart attack, Xiao Lu believed it was linked to a mysterious musical score titled "Higanbana," which he said was a "Flower of Hell," cursed to kill anyone who played it. Qin Xiaoman dismissed this as superstition, but Luo Fei, recalling an article about a melancholic Hungarian song causing suicides, was intrigued, viewing it as a psychological phenomenon rather than magic. He agreed to investigate.
Upon arriving at Xiao Lang's villa, they found a memorial ceremony in progress, attended by Xiao Lang's fans and members of the Municipality Western Orchestra, including violinist Guan Er, cellist Guo Rong, violist Zheng Dong, and the concertmaster, who was also the brother-in-law of the president of the Municipality. Luo Fei instructed Qin Xiaoman to stay downstairs and observe the guests while he and Xiao Lu went to the piano room.
There, Luo Fei noticed several rolls of tape on a bookshelf, finding it odd. Xiao Lu then noticed that the "Higanbana" music score, which had been on the piano, was now missing. He confirmed he hadn't touched it since Xiao Lang's death. Downstairs, an argument erupted between Guan Er and Zheng Dong over their playing, causing a disruption to the memorial.
During this commotion, reporter Zeng Shuai approached Luo Fei, offering information on Xiao Lang's social circle in exchange for details on a previous case. Zeng Shuai revealed that many attendees, including Xiao Lang's ex-girlfriend who harbored resentment, the concertmaster whom Xiao Lang owed money, and the quarreling musicians (Guan Er, Zheng Dong, and Guo Rong, whose girlfriend Xiao Lang had stolen), all had reasons to hate Xiao Lang, making everyone a potential suspect.
As Luo Fei, Qin Xiaoman, and Xiao Lu were discussing these revelations, the violin version of "Higanbana" suddenly emanated from the second floor. They rushed up to find Guan Er dead in the piano room, his violin beside him, and the missing music score near his body. Qin Xiaoman noted that Guan Er always carried his violin. The windows were secured with protective frames, ruling out an outside intruder.
The Superintendent, however, attributed Guan Er's death to a coincidence and psychological confusion, and despite Luo Fei's protests about the presence of high-ranking officials and their potential flight risk, ordered the release of all guests. Luo Fei later discussed the possibility of music as a murder weapon with Dr. Huo Wen Si, who, while acknowledging music's psychological effects, dismissed the idea of it directly causing organ failure and death.
Luo Fei, though he disliked Huo Wen Si, considered the expert's professional opinion. Back at Luo Fei’s home, Xiao Lu speculated, based on a British mystery novel, that the "Higanbana" tune could be a signal for a trained animal to kill, similar to how a snake responds to a bell. To test this theory, Luo Fei decided to play the saxophone version of "Higanbana" himself.
Qin Xiaoman vehemently objected, concerned for his safety, but Luo Fei assured her that the attacker would only target the musician. The experiment yielded no results, leading Xiao Lu to depart, leaving the score with Luo Fei for further study. Qin Xiaoman, still worried, insisted on staying in the same room to protect Luo Fei, prompting him to joke about calling the police for harassment.
The next morning, Qin Xiaoman woke to check on Luo Fei, relieved to find him alive. Later that morning, Luo Fei and Benjamin secretly transported Guan Er's body to the morgue for a proper autopsy, distracting the police with playful antics involving mint candies. Benjamin’s initial examination concluded that Guan Er died of sudden heart attack, with symptoms like a dark purple face, bleeding from the nose, and swollen feet consistent with metabolic poisoning due to hypoxia.
However, Benjamin found no signs of poison in the stomach or blood, nor any injection marks. Luo Fei, suspecting a hidden entry point, asked Qin Xiaoman to shave Guan Er’s head, revealing a small injection pinhole at the back of his skull. Benjamin recalled Qin Xiaoman’s description of the deceased—a happy expression with tears in their eyes—and identified a new, high-purity white powder drug called "Tears."
This drug induced illusory happiness, but an overdose led to fatal heart overload, always accompanied by tears. Benjamin stated that "Tears" was never injected unless for suicide, making Guan Er's concealed pinhole particularly suspicious. Luo Fei then dispatched Qin Xiaoman to the funeral home to collect Xiao Lang's blood sample for testing. Luo Fei returned to Xiao Lang’s piano room with Xiao Lu. Luo Fei observed that Guan Er had played his own violin before death.
He discovered a record album containing "Higanbana" played by various instruments, including the violin. This suggested that Guan Er might not have played live, but rather the record was played. However, when they first entered the scene, no record was on the gramophone. Xiao Lu then accidentally knocked over Xiao Lang's music score case, which Xiao Lang always carried and prohibited others from touching, believing it brought him good luck.
Inside, Luo Fei found multiple copies of the "Higanbana" score, indicating Xiao Lang had received it repeatedly. A secret compartment within the case contained suspicious white powder. Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoman returned with Xiao Lang's blood sample, which Benjamin confirmed also contained traces of "Tears." The drug was additionally discovered in both Xiao Lang’s music score case and Guan Er’s violin case.
The recurring theme of "Higanbana" and the drug "Tears" in both deaths prompted Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman to consider if the music was a coded message, similar to those used by spy syndicates in novels. Luo Fei then had a realization, connecting the current deaths to previous victims and suspects. He recalled an old case involving a pianist named Xia Lu Na, who was beautiful and skilled.
The night before her death, her room resonated with the piano music of "Higanbana." Luo Fei muttered the names of the deceased and suspects – Xiao Lang, Guan Er, Zheng Dong, Guo Rong – as if a missing piece of the puzzle had clicked into place.
