Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Episode 6 Recap
> Medical Examiner Dr. Qin Recap
Li Xu stood before Qi Jingjing, asking if she had ever loved him, even for a single moment. Qi Jingjing remained silent. Li Xu's mind drifted back to their first encounter on a bus, where she appeared so pure and beautiful in the evening sunlight. But Qi Jingjing’s memory of that bus was different; she declared she would never ride one again, disgusted by the smell of body odor, and demanded to be driven home.
Later, Li Xu was found weeping in a forest, consumed by memories of their time together. At Chi Zi's kitchen, the owner announced a promotion: couples who took a photo holding hands for their wall would receive a 70% discount. Da Bao enthusiastically urged Qin Ming and Lin Tao to participate. Lin Tao sighed, expressing how much he missed his "babe," while Qin Ming, ignoring the banter, simply ordered.
Lin Tao chose a sirloin steak and beer, but when Da Bao ordered a "food fighter combo" with a large coke, Qin Ming immediately criticized her choice, detailing how the high-calorie meal would result in an extra 600 calories, requiring an hour and a half of running to burn off, or else it would turn to fat. Da Bao retorted, calling him a "crazy data maniac." Lin Tao chimed in, suggesting Qin Ming's poor conversation skills explained his single status.
The owner then brought Qin Ming his coffee, but he declared it wasn't freshly ground, estimating it was at least three to four hours old, and requested a fresh cup. As the owner complied, Lin Tao teasingly remarked again that Qin Ming deserved to be single. Unknown to them, the coffee cup would later be collected for lip prints and saliva.
Later, at a horror-themed costume party in a bar, a woman dressed as a nurse stumbled through the crowd before collapsing, a knife protruding from her chest. Initially, partygoers assumed it was part of the entertainment, remarking on the realism of her acting, the knife, and the blood. Upon examining the body, Qin Ming noted multiple stab wounds on the abdomen, none of them deep.
He identified the weapon as a plastic combat knife, suggesting an inexperienced killer and that the abdominal wounds were not lethal. Lin Tao identified the victim as Tao Zi, a 24-year-old tabloid reporter, whose nurse costume was for the bar’s horror theme. Qin Ming emphasized the need for an immediate autopsy, stating that the stab wounds might not be the cause of death.
In the autopsy room, Da Bao reported a butterfly tattoo beneath Tao Zi's collarbone and glittery powder under her right fingernails, in addition to the seven abdominal stab wounds. As Qin Ming and Da Bao began the autopsy, Qin Ming reaffirmed that none of the stab wounds were fatal. Upon opening the chest cavity, he retrieved Tao Zi’s heart, noting its unusual size and weight—1.
5 times larger than her fist and weighing 400 grams, significantly more than a normal woman's heart. Qin Ming’s preliminary judgment was a congenital heart disease, specifically a narrow pulmonary valve, which could trigger a sudden heart attack. Da Bao added that she would further examine the microscopic structure of the organs for other diseases.
Lin Tao found the cause of death puzzling, as Tao Zi’s friends and colleagues were unaware of her heart condition and described her as brave, enjoying horror films and participating regularly in horror costume parties. Da Bao explained three potential causes for sudden death from heart disease: vigorous exercise, an irregular lifestyle, or excessive shock causing a recurrence. The first two were ruled out by the body's condition.
While Tao Zi was known for her bravery, Da Bao concluded that excessive shock was still the most likely cause, unless she had encountered something truly terrifying. The possibility of medication contributing to her death was also not ruled out. Lin Tao then presented a "Quick Acting Heart Reliever" bottle found in Tao Zi's jacket pocket. It was empty, bore only Tao Zi's fingerprints, and was stained with fake syrup blood.
Qin Ming deduced that Tao Zi had taken the medication after applying her party makeup but "before" being stabbed, as the bottle was covered in fake blood, unlike her hands, which had both real and fake blood. He instructed Da Bao to analyze Tao Zi's stomach contents for pill residue and to determine if the pills in the empty bottle had been tampered with.
He explained that many drugs could rapidly increase heart rate, and if combined with being stabbed or agitated, could cause a sudden heart attack in someone with her condition. Lin Tao mentioned that Tao Zi had a heated argument with bar owner Li Tianqi, suggesting him as a suspect. Da Bao, however, insisted on prioritizing the investigation of the pill bottle, saying their current speculations were inconclusive.
Lin Tao joked that Da Bao was starting to sound like Qin Ming, to which Da Bao sharply told him to leave, claiming his breathing was distracting her. Qin Ming, however, clarified his true concern was what had frightened Tao Zi so profoundly. Li Tianqi provided Lin Tao with the bar’s surveillance video.
When questioned about his argument with Tao Zi, Li Tianqi downplayed it as a "small squabble" due to the busy night and their close friendship as high school classmates. He also confirmed that a teacher had once mentioned Tao Zi's heart condition, but they never took it seriously given her fearless nature.
In the forensics lab, Da Bao discovered traces of tricyclic antidepressants in the pill bottle, a medication highly dangerous for heart patients, confirming Qin Ming's suspicion about the pills being swapped. Lin Tao showed the surveillance video, which confirmed Li Tianqi and Tao Zi's argument. However, Li Tianqi remained at the reception, busy with customers, while Tao Zi left quickly, making it impossible for him to have swapped the pills.
Despite ruling him out for the pill swap, Lin Tao found Li Tianqi's vague responses suspicious. Lin Tao then revealed that Tao Zi had also met with a famous actress, Zhang Yi, that night. Zhang Yi was currently embroiled in various scandals, all exposed by Tao Zi, providing her with a potential motive. Da Bao and Lin Tao decided to question Zhang Yi. At Zhang Yi's residence, she expressed surprise and disbelief at Tao Zi’s death.
Zhang Yi admitted to meeting Tao Zi to pay her to stop reporting scandals, stating they had no personal contact outside of such transactions. Her assistant, Mengmeng, arrived with Zhang Yi's dog, and Zhang Yi instructed Mengmeng to get water for the police. Mengmeng seemed nervous and spilled the tea she was serving. Zhang Yi reiterated that while she disliked Tao Zi, she would not resort to murder.
When Da Bao asked if she knew about Tao Zi's heart condition, Zhang Yi was genuinely surprised, commenting that Tao Zi often outran male reporters. Lin Tao then requested Zhang Yi's fingerprints, which she willingly provided. As they were leaving, Da Bao, pretending to be a fan, asked Mengmeng to take a photo of the three of them using her phone. Lin Tao was perplexed by the request, but Zhang Yi agreed.
Back at the police station, Zhang Yi's fingerprints did not match those found on the knife. Da Bao then suggested comparing the fingerprints she had secretly collected from Mengmeng's phone. The prints matched. Lin Tao immediately understood Da Bao’s seemingly odd request for a photo and praised her cleverness. Mengmeng was brought in for interrogation and confessed to stabbing Tao Zi, claiming she deserved it.
Mengmeng recounted how she had worked for Zhang Yi for over four years, performing countless duties without a single day off, only for Zhang Yi to threaten to fire her because of Tao Zi. Mengmeng believed Tao Zi had feigned friendship to gather scandalous information about Zhang Yi, then exaggerated the details, and ultimately implicated Mengmeng to her boss for allegedly leaking private matters.
However, Mengmeng insisted she did not kill Tao Zi, explaining that she used a plastic knife without a real blade. She also denied any knowledge of Tao Zi's heart condition. Mengmeng explained that dressed as a clown for the party, she saw Tao Zi enter the dressing room and, furious, followed her to stab her as a lesson. Qin Ming confirmed that Mengmeng’s account of the shallow, non-lethal wounds was consistent with the autopsy.
He concluded that the single deeper wound likely occurred when Tao Zi fell onto the knife, indicating Mengmeng had not intended to inflict fatal harm. Lin Tao questioned why Tao Zi, known for her outgoing personality, would be in the dressing room during the party's peak. Qin Ming posed an even more critical question: when did Tao Zi take the antidepressants?
Given the fake blood on the pill bottle, it meant Tao Zi had been subjected to extreme fright "before" she was stabbed, pointing to the involvement of another perpetrator. Lin Tao wondered if two separate culprits had acted on the same day. Qin Ming decided they needed to revisit the crime scene. At the bar, Lin Tao pressed Li Tianqi again for details about his argument with Tao Zi, but Li Tianqi continued to dismiss it as a "small matter."
Da Bao demanded to inspect the dressing room, visibly unsettling Li Tianqi. Inside, Qin Ming found luminous powder on a mirror, identical to the powder found under Tao Zi’s fingernails. Qin Ming explained that as a professional candid photographer, Tao Zi would recognize a one-way mirror, demonstrating how to test for one by placing a finger on the surface. Da Bao then entered an adjacent room, confirming Qin Ming’s suspicion by discovering a camera hidden behind the one-way mirror.
Li Tianqi confessed that he had a hobby of secretly filming women changing but maintained he had never distributed the videos. He admitted his argument with Tao Zi was because she discovered his hidden camera. He had offered her 100,000 yuan to keep quiet, and stated all other video recordings were stored downstairs. Lin Tao reviewed the footage, which showed Tao Zi discovering the one-way mirror and confronting Li Tianqi.
Later, another person, masked and wearing a disposable costume common at the party, entered the dressing room and swapped the pills. However, the exact moment of the pill swap was obscured in the video, and the costume offered no specific leads for identification. Qin Ming observed that since the masked person leaned against the luminous mirror, their cloak would have been covered in the powder.
He noted that surveillance video showed this individual leaving the dressing room and heading directly for the exit, not lingering at the party. This indicated an ulterior motive, and the person had kept their face masked throughout. Such an outfit would be highly conspicuous outside the bar, suggesting the perpetrator had left by car. Lin Tao, despite working late into the night and feeling exhausted, meticulously reviewed traffic camera footage across the city. His persistence finally paid off as he identified a vehicle matching the description, driven by someone wearing a party costume.
