The Brain Science Case 41

Chapter 41: The Body That Vanished in a Bloody Foam – 7

They both stared intently at the young woman in the coffee-colored coat with long hair on the screen.

“Her height fits. The handbag she’s carrying could easily hide a serrated folding knife, and even another set of clothes… if she needed to change.”

“Change? You mean…”

“Ah, look here.” Tang Yingli selected and magnified the woman’s fingertips. “She has nail art too! Pink hearts, cute rabbits, and her nails are so neatly trimmed. What a stylish and meticulous woman.”

“Your tone sounds sarcastic.” Jinglin couldn’t help but turn and glare at her, but she just wore a playful smile.

Wait… it’s not so much that Tang Yingli is being sarcastic, but more like she’s giving a hint.

‘The culprit didn’t leave a single trace…’

When she had suggested the possibility of Feng Peizhen’s boyfriend being involved, her reason for refuting it was—‘He’s not that meticulous.’

And the victim was lying in the shower, with no signs of resistance. Based on these clues, it was as if she were deliberately misleading them to investigate in the direction of a male suspect…

“So the killer… she even calculated this?” The suspect was a “she,” not a “he”!

“Didn’t I say so? I was assuming the killer was male, but a woman could have done it too.”

Jinglin looked at the screen again. “But that’s not right. What about the first case?”

What about the first murder case under the Civic Boulevard?

“Ah, that one?” Tang Yingli’s reaction was as if she had just remembered it.

“Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“I didn’t forget. I’m still assuming the same person committed both crimes.” She shrugged with a smile. “So the key is: what’s the motive? Why would a woman so brutally murder two other women, just because they were club hostesses?”

The two deceased were not only more than a decade apart in age, but they also worked at different clubs, and even their education, social circles, and residences were vastly different. It didn’t take a deep investigation to conclude that the two had no connection.

But they had been murdered by the same killer.

“Could it be… they both entertained the same client?” Tang Yingli raised an eyebrow at her, and she braced herself and continued to speculate, “Like… maybe that client’s wife or mistress… found out her man was with a hostess and killed her out of anger, something like that…” The more she spoke, the less confident she became.

“It’s not impossible. It’s just…” She smiled faintly. “If the killer murdered out of jealousy, her emotions would have been very unstable. She would have wanted to stab the mistress a few more times to vent her anger, right? But the killer was unusually calm, not only had she planned her escape route, but she also didn’t leave any traces.”

Jinglin was at a loss. “Well…”

“Also, in the second case, it feels like the victim opened the door and welcomed the killer into the room.” This was also the main reason for assuming the killer was male. “Do you think a normal woman would calmly welcome the wife who is clearly there for revenge? Not to mention, the location is a motel.”

Jinglin tried hard to think, tapping her forehead. “Ugh, I can’t… I really can’t figure it out. Teacher?”

“Mm…” Tang Yingli pressed her index finger firmly against her glasses. Facing Jinglin’s expectant gaze, she pondered for a moment before saying quietly—

“There aren’t enough clues.”

“Huh?” After waiting so long, that was all she got.

“Isn’t that right? If you can’t figure it out, it means there aren’t enough clues.” She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair to think. “We need to approach it from another angle.”

“Another angle…”

“Don’t be so down.” Seeing Jinglin slumped over the desk with a worried expression, she played with Jinglin’s ponytail and said mysteriously, “Maybe the next clue will appear soon.”

She pouted. “Easy for you to say. Clues don’t just appear…”

“Teacher, Teacher!” Cai Yuwei shouted from the entrance of the monitoring room, and Tang Yingli immediately stood up.

“Ah Wei?”

“I found it.” With dark circles under his eyes, he rushed back. “As you said, Teacher, I screened all the Japanese restaurants within a half-hour walk of the victim’s residence, and then I used the intersection surveillance cameras to trace her route back, and I finally got a conclusion.”

“J-Japanese food… what’s going on?” she asked, completely confused.

“That was fast. You’ve worked hard.” Tang Yingli smiled and took the file from his hand.

Unwilling to be left out, Jinglin immediately leaned in. “Wait a minute, what file? Let me see.”

Tang Yingli held the file high, and Jinglin reached for it, creating a comical scene of two tall women chasing and hiding.

“Ugh… Tang Yingli!” Jinglin gritted her teeth, almost hugging her. “Let me see… you’re so stingy.”

The map Cai Yuwei had printed clearly marked the victim’s residence, her possible range of activity, the location of the Qimei Motel, and finally, the restaurant she had been to before she died.

Tang Yingli used her back to block Jinglin’s “interference,” her eyes locked on the destination marked on the map she was holding high—

“Sakurada… a high-end Japanese restaurant?”

**

At 2:30 in the afternoon, it was the restaurant’s break time.

Before he could even wash his knives, Qian Daxin threw down his apron and rushed out. “Ah, you’re finally here. Did you bring the stuff?”

He frowned and reluctantly took an envelope out of his jacket. Qian Daxin snatched it and opened it to check. “One, two, three…”

“Is that enough? I don’t have any more.”

Twenty thousand. “Enough, enough.” He gripped it tightly, as if it were a lifeline. “This will be enough to pay off the liquor bill. Ah… thank goodness for you. If you hadn’t lent it to me, I would have been done for.”

He brushed away Qian Daxin’s fawning touch. “Ah Liang, don’t look so sour. Haha… I really have a good son.” He stuffed the envelope into his pocket. “By the way, did you see them when you came in?”

He was indifferent. “See what?”

“Those two customers. Especially the woman in the white pencil skirt. Even at her age, she’s still so beautiful. Sister Lisa… as expected of the former top hostess and madam of Givenchy… a big sister is a big sister.”

The name “Givenchy” jogged his memory. His mind flashed back to the image of Qian Daxin passed out on the sofa, the elegant business card he had once held tightly in his hand, with the hostess’s stage name clearly written on it…

Lisa. The “Sister Lisa” his father had mentioned.

The middle-aged woman he had accidentally bumped into.

A madam. A top hostess…

“By the way, you haven’t had lunch yet, right?”

Snapping back to reality, he found a food box in his hand. Inside were ten inari sushi.

“Your favorite. Take it and eat. Go home and rest early. I’ll pay you back next month.” Qian Daxin patted his shoulder and walked into the break room, whistling.

The sushi his father had made by hand had once been a delicious memory. He would never forget how, when he used to go to the restaurant to eat, his father would always sneak him a few extra pieces of sushi or cucumber rolls when no one was looking.

But that was different. He had always gone with his mother. To the him of the past, sushi was not just a food, but a symbol.

A symbol of “family.”

Until those business cards had appeared, his father had come home later and later, his mother and he had fought more and more, and finally…

He closed his eyes and turned to leave the Japanese restaurant.

On his way to his car, he passed a trash can. As if to vent his frustration, he slammed the sushi into it.

**

“…I’m out. Yes, of course I’m investigating a case.” Tang Yingli, sitting in the car, pursed her lips. “I’m not going back for dinner. Don’t tell me Mom and Dad are going to recommend some aunt or uncle’s son to me again.”

‘Don’t say that.’ She must have guessed it, otherwise Tang Zhichao wouldn’t have laughed so awkwardly. ‘After all, a woman’s youth is limited. They’re just worried you won’t be able to find a suitable partner because of your work.’

“Aren’t they worried about you? You’re forty-two, aren’t you? It’s not like men don’t get old…”

Looking out the window, Zhou Jinglin walked out of the restaurant. What a coincidence. She was also on the phone.

‘Of course they nag me too.’ Tang Zhichao’s voice was filled with laughter. ‘If you hadn’t come back, they would have been even worse before.’

“So I’m just helping you to distract them, right?” The female officer in a suit with a long ponytail was like a star with a halo in the crowd. She gazed at her until Jinglin crossed the crosswalk. “By the way… why did you break up with Sister Liqiong?”

‘Ah, that… it was a long time ago.’

There must be a hidden story. “Tell me, senior. I’m curious.”

‘Oh… so you’re sure you’re not coming back?’ He was changing the subject again.

“Of course I can come back.” She smiled. “But you have to tell me the reason. How about it?”

Tang Zhichao seemed to give a bitter smile. ‘Oh, alright, alright. We’ll talk about it next time… give me a call when you get home?’

“Okay, I will.” As she put away her phone, Jinglin had already walked back to the car.

“…Okay, okay, I understand. Yes…” She got into the car and smiled at Tang Yingli. “You’re still here, Teacher. Do you want to report to her personally?” Cai Yuwei quickly backed down. “Why not? She’s so kind, and she won’t bite.”

Tang Yingli raised an eyebrow, and Jinglin chuckled. “Ha, okay, I’ll tell her… that’s all for now.”

“Officer Cai?”

“Oh, you know?”

She pushed up her glasses. “Because you told him to report to me personally.”

“By the way, what did you say to Ah Wei during the on-site investigation? I heard the reason he stayed up all night watching the surveillance footage and worked so hard on the investigation was because you stimulated him.”

Tang Yingli looked innocent. “I just asked him what he had found. I didn’t say anything.”

“Don’t play dumb. You must have asked him coldly, ‘D-i-d y-o-u f-i-n-d a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g?’” Jinglin pushed up non-existent glasses, her tone a perfect imitation, which drew a laugh from her. “Still laughing. Being asked like that is so stressful.”

“What about you? Do you feel a lot of pressure?”

“It’s okay. After all, we’re ‘work partners’ who have been cooperating for a while.” Jinglin opened her notebook with a smile. “I found out. On the day of the incident, Cui Jiajia did come.”