Chapter 6: Paranoid Delusions – 6
“Officer Zhou, if you wanted to strangle someone with a rope, how would you do it?”
“From the front… no.” She looked up, forced to meet that beautiful, flawless, baby-like face. “It would be… easier to do it from behind?”
“Correct. Because the victim would resist, even if she had already lost the strength to fight back.” Yingli set down the folder and crouched, her hands mimicking the motion of tightening a rope. “No livor mortis means the victim had only just been killed, but this isn’t the primary crime scene. Where do you think the primary crime scene is?”
Zhou Jinglin was at a loss. She threw up her hands. “How should I know?”
Yingli turned and pointed to a spot. “I think it must be there.”
Her eyes widened. “Impossible!” That was the main road.
“Why is it impossible? All you need is the cover of a vehicle.” Yingli smiled. “Based on that, what kind of vehicle do you think would allow the killer to successfully strangle the victim inside?”
It couldn’t be a sedan. Her heart skipped a beat. “An S-SUV?”
“Correct! Or a vehicle with a spacious interior. Just like that, the search parameters have been narrowed considerably.” Pushing up her glasses, Yingli casually picked up the folder.
So that’s how… That deduction is brilliant! “Can you identify the killer from that alone?”
“Don’t be hasty. Let’s continue.” Yingli smiled, continuing in an unnaturally light tone, “The killer strangles the victim in his car, then deliberately changes the body into a clean, new dress. He brings her here in the beautiful golden morning sun and dumps her without any attempt at concealment.”
Ignoring Zhou Jinglin’s furious expression, she raised a finger. “That brings me to three questions. Can you name them?”
Zhou Jinglin couldn’t help but picture the scene as Yingli described it. She gritted her teeth, panting heavily. “I… I…”
“Officer Zhou, you are the killer. You drive the victim here, kill her in the car, and before rigor mortis sets in, you change her into the new clothes you’ve prepared. Then, you risk being seen to dump the body here. Why would you take such a risk? Think about the reason.”
“I can’t think of anything!” she screamed, clutching her head on the verge of a breakdown. “Tang Yingli! How—how can you recount that chain of events so calmly! A fifth-grade girl is dead! Unloved by her parents, she ran away from home, was abducted, and died after being utterly humiliated! She was thrown here on this riverbank by a brazen killer who thought he was giving her a gift by changing her into a clean dress… and we’re just standing here casually discussing her misfortune!”
In Zhou Jinglin’s eyes, Tang Yingli’s composure was practically cold-blooded. How could she still smile?
“Officer Zhou? What’s wrong?”
Zhou Jinglin’s vision went dark. She was drenched in sweat, her hands trembling, and she couldn’t stop panting—
‘You dare… I dare you!’
No…
‘With a slutty face like that, you’ll probably be seducing men all over the place just like your mother!’
She cried, struggling with all her might, but her strength was no match for a grown man’s.
She was only ten! Why… why did this have to happen to her?
Suddenly, the very familiar sound of a wind chime rang out. The door opened.
‘Mom… save me, Mom!’
Yingli’s voice came through, muffled and distant. “Officer Zhou?” A hand took hers.
Zhou Jinglin’s breathing hitched. The world went white, and she fainted.
**
As she slowly opened her eyes, Zhou Jinglin smelled a faint, pleasant scent.
Is it perfume? And I’m resting on something soft…
“Hey, you’re awake?” Her vision focused… and that baby face appeared right in front of her.
In that instant, she realized she was resting her head on Tang Yingli’s lap.
The sunlight was so bright! She turned her head to avoid it, and her lips unexpectedly touched the mouth of a bottle.
“Drink some of this. You’ll feel better soon.”
O-Orange juice?
She was lying on a bench. Not only had Yingli offered her lap as a pillow, but she had also gotten a drink from a vending machine. “Your blood sugar is low, and the heat probably caused you to faint… I should have made sure we ate something first.”
“How long was I out…” She struggled to sit up. “It’s fine, I’m okay!”
“About two minutes.” Yingli unceremoniously pushed the juice into her hand. “It’s better not to push yourself. An investigation is an investigation, but you have to take care of your body.”
“Thanks…” Zhou Jinglin managed a few sips. As her blood sugar rose, the feeling of weakness quickly faded.
Yingli folded her hands and confidently crossed her legs. “I’ll just state the questions directly. First, why did he go to the trouble of changing the dead victim into new clothes? Second, the river is right there, and if not that, there are trash cans. If he wanted to destroy evidence or slow down the police investigation, dismembering the body or throwing it into the river would have been better, simpler options. Yet he chose the most ostentatious method. Why? Third, why did he choose this specific location to dump the body?”
“So many questions… What are your answers?”
“My interpretation is as follows: The culprit has an absolute obsession with the beauty of the corpse. I speculate that his work is likely related to imagery. To him, the body and the dump site are part of his creation.”
A creation! The mere thought of a killer treating murder and body disposal as art was enough to make her sick.
“Second, because it’s a creation, of course he wants as many people as possible to see it. In that case, neither dismembering the body nor throwing it in the river would be ideal.” She rested her chin on her hand. “He probably even hopes for extensive media coverage. The more people who know, the prouder he feels.”
It’s like his own personal exhibition! That animal… “For the sake of this twisted desire… it was worth all the trouble and the risk of being seen?”
“He certainly thought it was worth it.” Yingli nodded, her expression once again turning cold. “Third, he must be very familiar with this riverside park and feel a strong sense of security here. That’s why he chose it for his first ‘creation’.”
Zhou Jinglin couldn’t help but shiver.
“The modus operandi can change, but the ‘signature’ will not. That is the root of his inner desires, what he uses to satisfy himself… The dopamine release must be abnormally high, driving him to turn his inner cravings into action.” Yingli smiled and pushed up her glasses.
Zhou Jinglin stared at her, stunned. “Do you… do this often?”
“Hm?”
“Deducing the killer’s psychology and all that. Do you do it often?”
Yingli nodded slightly. “Criminal profilers need to delve deep into the minds of both the killer and the victim. The brutal reality and the stress of the job can cause insomnia, immune system disorders, chest pain, heart palpitations, depression, bipolar disorder… It’s a profession that demands a significant price, both physically and mentally.”
But you seem to enjoy it.
Zhou Jinglin wanted to say it, but just then, her phone rang.
“It’s yours. It already rang once shortly after you fainted.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me!” Zhou Jinglin gritted her teeth and grabbed her phone. It was Lu Tingfeng. “Senior Big Head! What’s up?”
‘Little Zhou!’ Lu Tingfeng’s voice was unusually tense, and from the echo, Zhou Jinglin could tell he was outside. ‘We’ve found the third missing person!’
“Really? Where?” The corners of her mouth lifted for a second. “How is Beibei…”
‘She’s… dead!’
Her eyes flew open in shock.
‘Near Wanhua Station… Get over here, quick!’
[August 17th, 12:24 PM. The body of the third missing girl, Xu Bei’er, is discovered.]
