[Detective L]
[Episode 8] [Higanbana: B]
The conductor, Xiao Lang, died in his house suddenly last night
I'm here to request
your help in investigating
the cause of his death
But didn't the article say
the cause of death was a heart attack?
Everything
is related to a mysterious song
Everyone in this house
is suspicious
Although they usually rehearse together,
they have a lot of arguments
All of them hated Xiao Lang
Thus, they all had a motive to kill him
Guan Er
He's dead
This is likely a serial murder
He can be considered the second victim
What did you find?
The injection site
I have done the relevant pharmacological test
and found some residue of "Tears"
"Tears"?
A secret compartment
This is Xiao Lang's music score case
It seems it's not his first time
receiving the music score of "Higanbana"
Someone has been sending the music score to curse him
He couldn't resist playing the song for a bit
As a result,...
A secret compartment
Did he bring this case along
to every performance?
Yes
He never let people touch it
He always said the case would bring him good luck
What about the others in the orchestra?
Do they have their own music score case too?
No
He never let people to touch it
Sure enough
Look at this
Here
Drug Murder Case
New Drug - Tears
Luo Fei
I've been…
I've been looking for you
Why are you two here?
What about you?
Did you manage to collect Xiao Lang's blood sample?
Yes, I did
Ben Jie Ming found the drug, "Tears"
in his bloodstream
How about you?
We also found residue of "Tears"
in Xiao Lang's music score case
as well as Guan Er's violin case
Thus we suspect that they
used performing abroad as a cover
to sell "Tears"
Musicians selling drugs?
Don't underestimate "Tears"
It has a very high value in the market
This is the Municipal Council Orchestra's
record of performances abroad
I've checked the newspapers
of each country they visited
Each time after they had visited a country,
crimes related to "Tears"
started happening
So we suspect
there's an underground factory in the French Concession
But to avoid attracting attention
they use the Municipal Council Orchestra to sell drugs overseas
Xiao Lu
Since you're the assistant of Xiao Lang,
are you one of them?
He became Xiao Lang's assistant a month ago
He wouldn't know anything about it
If he were one of them,
he wouldn't come and find us
But from the amount of drugs,
there should be more people involved
besides Xiao Lang and Guan Er
Okay, I will go and request a warrant
to arrest all members
of the Municipal Council Orchestra
and interrogate them one by one
Bye
I won't agree to this
Sir
People are dealing drugs
How can you just sit back and watch?
They didn't do it in the French Concession,
it's not in our jurisdiction
"Tears" will harm more and more people
We have to stop it
Qin Xiao Man
Don't handle cases with such passionate righteousness
Solving cases requires police forces and funding
This is a huge drug case involving "Tears"
without any support from our superiors
it will be hard to investigate
Do you know the background of the Municipal Council Orchestra?
They are the ambassadors of cultural exchange and
also represent the international image of the French Concession
If people find out they are dealing "Tears"
what will be the international consequences of that?
Do you think they will just let this happen?
But our job is to…
Stop talking!
We're done here
Get out!
Damn!
Doesn't the police have a duty
to uphold justice and fairness?
How can we just sit back and watch
criminals committing crime?
He has his own reasons
He ignored that we secretly conducted an autopsy
That proves that he
silently agrees that we continue investigating
This is the best he can do to help us
But we can't even
interrogate any suspects now
How do we proceed?
There's always a way,
we still have other leads
Why did they play the same song
before they died?
What's the secret behind it?
If we can find out the secret,
this case will be solved
Maybe some of them felt guilty
and wanted to play
a beautiful piece of music
to purify their sinful hearts?
Are you serious?
"Good are the words of a dying man"
Proverb meaning that a man's dying words always come from the heart
I'm just saying it's a possibility, alright?
Oh yeah
I once read a spy novel
The spy syndicate in the story
used the music to convey messages
Could there be some
hidden message that only
drug traffickers can decode?
Maybe
I've played this song before
but it was a bit off key
So,
I tried to compare it with the original score
and found some differences
I heard it too
Why didn't I notice anything?
You don't have an ear for music
You're unable to recognize subtle pitch variations
and can't differentiate
between harmony and dissonance in the melody
What do you mean?
I mean,
you're tone deaf
I…
Look
Here
Here and here
Are there any hidden message
in these notes?
Mi La So La La So
What does it mean?
Let's change it to numbered notation
It's 365665
If the message is hidden in the piece,
it should be related to music
What is the relationship between them?
Qin Xiao Man
You know nothing about music
You will only disrupt our analysis
and waste our time
I'm just telling the truth
I don't mean anything else by it
I'm so sorry
that I'm too stupid,
and a bother to the great detective Luo
But don't worry,
even without you
I can solve the case on my own
Xiao Man
-She… -Let's continue
Look
All these were found in
Xiao Lang's music score case
Every music score
has six wrong notes
Although the positions are different,
it's very obvious to musicians
who are familiar with the piece
Guan Er must have played it
after discovering the score
in order to find the different notes
Look, there are numbers here
172643
This is Xiao Lang's writings
After receiving the score
Xiao Lang would write out the decoded message
He got killed before he managed
to write down the last one
In this score sheet,
the six notes represent
213
253
It doesn't seem like a simple music score
They didn't do it in the French Concession,
it's not in our jurisdiction
You know nothing about music
You will only disrupt our analysis
and waste our time
Morse code, Atbash Cipher,
Caesar Cipher
We have tried everything
Nothing works
Maybe you're just over-thinking it
Xiao Lang is not that smart
He can't decode something that difficult
But the easiest way to decode
is to change the notes from the staff
to numbered notation
But then it doesn’t match Xiao Lang's answer
Numbered notation has a range from 0 to 7
But look,
Xiao Lang wrote an 8 here
There's 9
Yes
Why didn't I think of that?
of what?
Now I see…
Actually,
this is numbered notation solfeggio,
The use of the sol-fa syllables to represent or vocalize the tones of a scale
but it uses a different scale system
You said
there are six mistakes in this score sheet
If we decode using numbered notation,
it will be 213253
And there's a problem in numbered notation,
from 0 to 7, there are only eight numbers,
there are no 8 and 9
But how do you use numbered notation
to record every number?
The easiest way is to
convert it to an octal system
number system with base 8, using numbers 0 to 7
I think I'm getting it
Look
Actually these are three different two-digit numbers
21, 32, 53
that's with the octal system
But if you then convert it to the decimal system
172643
It's exactly same as Xiao Lang's answer
That's right
The code for this score sheet should be
302253
But these are just a bunch of numbers
We still don't know their meaning
If I'm not mistaken,
it should be the passcode for a safe deposit box
If they are the syndicate that deals in "Tears"
there should be a secret exchange site
"Tears" is such a valuable item
A safe deposit box is the safest exchange site
Then where would this safe deposit box be?
Don't worry
Someone will lead us there
Mr. Guan Er was my best friend
Our relationship
was that of true brotherhood
The orchestra is our family
Mr. Guan Er
was a talented artist
He was born to play music
Beside being busy performing and practicing,
he also practiced
with his orchestra members during his spare time
Napoleon once said,
a great warrior
should die on the field
Thus,
a great artist
should die with his instruments
I remember when I first met Mr. Guan Er,
he was having financial difficulties
he often went to the cinema
to play the accompaniment for silent films
and he would never neglect the musicality
but always play beautiful movements
This left a very deep impression on me
Guan Er
You were a spineless coward in life
How come even your death is so wretched?
Enough
Have some respect
Guan
We can only play together
in the next life
Guan Er
Rest in peace
I will visit you every year
Guan Er
"Higanbana" was the last song
you played before you left
I hope music
will bring you happiness in another world
It's quite scary here at night
Where is Detective Qin?
If she was here, I would feel safer
She said she wanted to investigate on her own
I think she should get a boyfriend
She shouldn't be mixed up with you all the time
What's wrong with me?
Her personality is not suited for a boyfriend
The sound of "Higanbana" at midnight
The passing of a pianist beauty
lit. "fragrance vanishes and jade crumbles"
Someone's here
It's Zheng Dong
Yes
Let's follow him
Chelus Hotel
is a classy place where celebrities gather
No one would suspect this place
It's safe and hidden
Stop!
Xiao Lu, be careful
I'll wait for you at home
Excuse me
Stop!
Miss
We're closing
I'm sorry, let me pack things up
You like Xia Lu Na too?
Do you know her?
Of course
She was good at piano and beautiful too
People listened to her music
because of her beauty
Unfortunately,
she passed away
Do you know how she died?
You won't believe it
The night before her death,
piano music was heard
coming from her room
It was "Higanbana"
Some say
her soul was stolen away by the piece
Do you know where she lived?
Every year, her fans will
leave some flowers at the ground floor of her apartment complex
on her death anniversary
I think she lived at
Charles Apartment
Thank you
Xiao Man
I thought you wanted to investigate alone
Why are you following me?
Who is following you?!
I am following my own leads
What leads?
Since "Higanbana"
was known to be cursed,
that means Xiao Lang is not its first victim
The first victim's name was
Xia Lu Na
5 years ago
after playing the song at home
she died mysteriously
The circumstances of her death are exactly like Xiao Lang's
When I arrived here just now
I saw Zheng Dong
sneaking into the house
I was waiting outside
to see if he had any partners
when I bumped into you
You're just trying your luck
Why did you kick me?
"Higanbana"
Xiao Man
Come here
I think the killer is still nearby
The windows are closed
But when we came up,
we didn't meet anyone going down
The killer must still be here
There's no place to hide
Why was he holding a music box?
It doesn't belong to him
It should belong to the owner of the house,
Xia Lu Na
Zheng Dong
Someone's coming
Zheng Dong
Fool, you forgot to close the door
How is it? Did you get the money?
It's Guo Rong
He's the cellist of the orchestra
You made me come all the way here
Zheng Dong
Freeze!
Police!
What are you doing here?
Zheng Dong called me
and asked to meet him here
You seem very familiar with the place
It was my colleague's house
Wait
Are you interrogating me?
Did I do anything wrong?
You murdered Xiao Lang and Guan Er
Nonsense!
I…
Why would I kill them?
For money
You guys used performing abroad
as an cover to deal drugs
Zheng Dong told me everything
And this time,
you killed both of them
because you refused to share the money
Detective
I didn't kill anyone
Zheng Dong did it
It was him who wanted to pocket the drugs
Get him to come out
I can confront him
Zheng Dong
Is he dead?
I thought you said he confessed everything?
I was lying to you
He was already dead when we arrived here
His body in the same state as Guan Er
Detective
I'm thirsty
Can I drink some water?
Thank you
Stop!
Xiao Man, go after him I'll take the music box
Stop!
Let's go
-I got it -Close the door
It's exposed
What's on that picture?
The music box
The weight
is two times heavier than the parts inside
I suspected something was hidden inside,
so I dismantled it
Did you get anything?
A policeman stopped Guo Rong's car
at Ban Song Yuan Road
near 16th harbor last night
Back-up quickly arrived
after receiving orders,
but didn't manage to find him
I think he might have escaped on a boat
No
He hasn't gotten his money, he won't leave yet
Do you think
he will go and find another member
of the drug trafficking ring?
No idea
But according to your words, you concluded prematurely
that he was going to 16th harbor
just because he drove to Ban Song Yuan Road
Take a look at the map
This road
leads to another place that they usually visit
The Municipal Council building
They usually rehearse there
Correct
I'm on it
Sorry
Miss
Who are you looking for?
Hello, I'm from the police and I'm here for an investigation
No rehearsal tonight?
It's still early, they are not here yet
I think I've seen you
at Xiao Lang's memorial service
Why are you so early?
I am the logistics staff here
I always clean this place up
before they practice
Then I'll leave you to it and have a look around
Okay
Why are there bloodstains here?
Freeze
Guo Rong
Is it you?
Guo Rong
He's dead
Dead?
Didn't you hear any gunshots?
No
Seems like he committed suicide
Do you have a phone?
Let me call the police station
Yes, it's outside
Okay
It's all just normal life pictures
Why did they have to hide them so well?
The fifth member of the drug trafficking ring
is Uncle Cao
What the hell!
The people who used to rehearse together
are all dead now
Detective, you have to…
How do you know Zheng Dong is dead?
You said you arrived a bit earlier than me
But all the chairs and music stands
are already arranged nicely on stage
Guo Rong's body
was posed to make it seem that he committed suicide
But the trail of bloodstains,
make it obvious he was dragged to that place
The floor is so dirty but you chose to
mop first instead of sweeping the floor
It's because you wanted to clean up the blood, right?
Stop!
Freeze!
Uncle Cao
Stop hiding
You're the fifth member of the drug trafficking ring
I used to think the members
were all musicians
But I forgot that
As their handyman,
you have been going abroad with them
and taking care of them
Am I right?
Uncle Cao
Where's the thing?
What thing?
Stop pretending
The thing in the safe deposit box
I'm a detective
Why would I do something like that?
Detective
All crows are black
You policemen all pretend
you've never done anything bad
in the name of the law
The police has very few corrupt scumbags
If I were the murderer,
why would I be here to hunt down Guo Rong?
What about the drugs? NWho took it?
Wasn't that you?
You're the last man standing
you killed everyone
just to pocket the drugs
You know nothing
All the members…
I treated everyone
like my own children
How could I kill my own children for money?
So you allow your children to commit crimes?
I…
They did wrong, but refused to change their ways
I scolded them, but they wouldn't listen
What else could I do?
I had no choice but to protect them
I joined them, I watched them
I wanted to protect them
I didn't want them to become like this
Great speech
But in the end,
you were the one who killed Guo Rong
Guo Rong…
I didn't do it on purpose
I really didn't
This morning,
while I was here cleaning the place
Guo Rong suddenly showed up
Guo Rong, why are you hurt?
Dead…
All dead…
Even Zheng Dong is dead
Zheng Dong is dead?
Stop pretending
It must be you
You want to kill all of us
to pocket the drugs
What are you talking about?
What am I talking about?
Zheng Dong asked me to meet at Xia Lu Na's house,
but he's dead
and there were two detectives waiting for me
What do you think I'm talking about?
You must have killed Zheng Dong
and taken the drugs
Where are the drugs?
Guo Rong, calm down
-Tell me! -Guo Rong
-or I will kill you -Guo Rong, listen to me
Guo Rong
I didn't want to kill him
and I have no idea who took the drugs
So, the murderer who killed three people
is someone else?
I might know who
Who?
Xia Lu Na
It must be her soul,
she's back for vengeance
It was you guys who killed her
five years ago?
You know too much
I'll call the police and tell them
that you were shot
by Guo Rong
during a gunfight
You'll be remembered as a hero
A Browning pistol has
a total of five bullets
Four were used yesterday,
you killed Guo Rong with one bullet
Now you don't have any bullets left
You missed
I was lying to you just now
You only used three yesterday
but now,
your pistol really is empty
Luo Fei, why are you here?
After you left,
I developed all the pictures
When I saw the pictures
I realized why Xia Lu Na had hidden the film
Although they are
all pictures of her normal life,
one of them captured the moment
of you guys dealing "Tears"
There are five people in the drug trafficking ring
including you
Uncle Cao
You can't fool me with your silly tricks
But there's something I don’t understand
How was this picture taken?
It's all because of Xiao Lang
He's such a playboy
Make it as flat as possible
Xiao Lang
Lu Na, why are you here?
You've been ignoring me
and never take my calls
I thought you were fooling around with another woman
No, we're just working here
What were you doing?
Cleaning our musical instruments
Yes
Right
What is this?
Washing powder?
Lu Na
Stop messing around
Give me the camera
No
Give it to me
No, I won't
Please, Lu Na
After her!
Lu Na
Because of that,
you all killed her
No
She used the picture to blackmail us
and extort money from us
We can break up,
but we've been together for so long
How are you going to recompense my loss?
Say it
How much you want?
Not much
10,000 Silver dollars
That's too much
Never mind then
I won't force you
Oh yeah
What were Guan Er and the rest doing at your house that day?
Looked like something shady, am I right?
If that picture is exposed...
Lu Na
I'm warning you
Stop messing around
Give me the picture
I'm not kidding
[Preview]
Is this your younger sister?
She's innocent
She has nothing to do with this
You better not hurt her
This is a ferry ticket
to America
You're trying to escape
The murderer killed Guan Er
right under our nose
He used a clever smokescreen,
to pull off an impossible murder
Luo Fei
Did you catch Captain
ten years ago?
Then where is
Captain now?
It doesn't matter
The point is that I'm sure
Captain is not
the mastermind behind the drug
Don't you want to know
how the murderer escaped from the locked room?
after killing Guan Er?
I didn't understand
why Guan Er was playing his violin here
After his death,
I came back to this room
and I felt something was missing
compared to my first visit
I got it
I know the secret of the locked-room murder