Chapter 4: Paranoid Delusions – 4
“That’s good! Are you hungry? Want to grab a bite before we go home? I can go to that French restaurant my friend owns…”
“No, thanks… You can go if you want. Right now, I just want to sleep… Wake me up when we get home.”
“It’s not comfortable sleeping in the car. You just got back, how could I leave you in the car alone… Let’s just go straight home. I’ll just heat something up to eat… Yingli?” He paused, gently shaking her shoulder. “Yingli?”
Her large, frameless glasses covered half her face, while the other half was framed by her slightly curled hair. Her breathing was light and even as she sank into the leather seat, completely still.
He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “Get some rest.”
The car drove smoothly back to the Tang family mansion. With their parents away and Yingli having already rented her own apartment before returning—claiming it was more convenient for her future lectures, which was also a clear sign she didn’t want to come home every day—Tang Zhichao had been facing an empty house alone for the past few days. It was, admittedly, quite lonely.
Even if it was just for one night, he was happy to have his sister home.
“I’m going to make something to eat. If you get hungry, come join me.”
“No, thanks! I can make something myself if I’m hungry. And more than eating, I’d rather take a bath and relax first.”
“Alright! You go ahead… Do you remember how to get to your room?”
At Tang Zhichao’s teasing, Yingli pouted. “Of course I do! Just try not to burn down the kitchen!” That had happened right after he got into medical school.
“My little sister just loves to poke at old wounds! Go on, go on!” he said with a laugh, waving his hand.
Her room had new curtains, and the pillowcases and duvet cover had been changed, but otherwise, everything was the same.
She opened her suitcase. One of the wine bottles had cracked, ruining a white long-sleeved shirt, but other than that… everything was fine.
She stroked the crack on the bottle mournfully. “I have to drink it, don’t I?”
After a quick shower, she poured half a glass of red wine and sank into the bathtub.
The hot water effectively soothed her weary body, melting away the frustrations of the day.
She took off her fogged-up glasses and let a white cotton pad soak up the rose-colored lipstick. Sipping the wine, she felt drowsiness wash over her again.
The fight in the server room… she had gotten lucky. The air in there was already bad, and the suspect’s heightened emotional state had given her an advantage.
Simply put, her gamble had paid off.
She stared at the palm of her right hand… she could still feel the vibration of the gun’s stock hitting his cheekbone.
If you didn’t count self-defense, she had indeed used violence against the suspect.
Lifting her legs, she could almost see the female officer’s disdainful expression imprinted on the wall.
The officer who had cuffed her.
Zhou Jinglin.
“It was the first time we’d ever met.”
Yet it felt as if they had some kind of feud that spanned lifetimes.
Taking this part-time job… they would definitely be working together, wouldn’t they?
Setting down her wine glass, Yingli took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and let her face sink beneath the water.
**
‘…breaking news of a bombing and robbery. Fortunately, none of the injured are in life-threatening condition, and both suspects have been arrested by the police…’
He wiped his camera lens over and over until it was spotless.
The news played the department store robbery that had just happened tonight on a loop, pushing the missing girl case and the possibility of a serial killer to the ticker at the bottom of the screen.
He tilted his head up. The small yellow dress hanging outside the closet looked pristine. Paired with it was a shiny white patent leather belt.
On a sunny day, out on a grassy field… it would look so beautiful.
Ah, yes… it would look so lovely. He took a deep breath, feeling an irrepressible excitement about to burst from his chest.
He couldn’t wait for the weather to clear.
**
Despite the interruption of the department store robbery, the members of the Criminal Investigation Division quickly returned their focus to the original child abduction and murder case.
“Little Zhou! Can you file this for me…” Lu Tingfeng handed her a folder. “Looking at the autopsy report?” The image on the screen was the crime scene where the second victim had been found.
“Yeah!” Zhou Jinglin looked up. “Oh, filing! What’s this file?” She opened the folder.
“The two robbers! Seriously… a chemistry major who didn’t put his skills to good use, making bombs and joining gangs instead. What a waste of a bright future!”
“That woman…” The moment she saw the female suspect’s name, she couldn’t help but let out a snort. “This name is hilarious.”
“What… Zhuang Jinbi, what’s wrong with it?”
“It sounds like ‘holding gold coins’! No wonder she was in charge of taking the jewelry and cash.”
“Oh… Oh! Haha! You’re quick!” Lu Tingfeng laughed along with her. “This woman, too. So pretty, but not only does she do drugs, she was two-timing!”
“Two-timing?”
“Yeah! We brought her other boyfriend in for questioning. He said he had no idea his girlfriend was a drug addict. The guy seems gentle and honest… probably got duped.” He made his own judgment call, then pointed to the screen. “By the way, what’s with the hand?”
Zhou Jinglin pursed her lips and pointed to a magnified area of the wrist. “I asked Mrs. Chen. She said she gave Wenqi a bracelet, pink and blue beads, very cute and unique. But senior, look…”
“It’s gone?”
“Right. I don’t know if the killer took it off… or if it fell off at the scene, or during the transport of the body.”
“Too many possibilities. It’ll be hard to find, won’t it?”
“I asked the medical examiner. He said the indentation is very clear, so it was probably there until after the body was dumped…”
“Even if we find it… will it be a useful clue?”
She faltered. “I don’t know…”
“Little Zhou! You seem especially invested in this investigation. The chief also said you’ve been in contact with the victims’ families… so it’s not just the currently missing girl’s parents you’re in touch with?”
“Yeah… mm-hm.”
“Must be for some personal reason, right?” Lu Tingfeng continued, thinking aloud. “Ah, it’s not just you. The whole division is going all out to catch this pervert… I’ve given my wife very specific instructions not to let the kids go out alone during the summer vacation, especially not before this killer is caught.”
“You have daughters, senior?”
“Yeah! Two of them. The younger one is about to start fifth grade… right in the target range for this suspect.” At the word “target,” his expression instantly stiffened. “Seeing someone else’s daughter end up like that, a cold, lifeless body… it really, really hurts.”
Zhou Jinglin’s hand trembled slightly. Before she could react, a tall, slender figure suddenly walked past her.
“The chief is really pulling out all the stops this time,” he said, staring at the person’s back. “Willing to swallow the pride of the police force to seek help from an expert.”
An expert… huh? That woman. “No matter what, keep looking into it.” Turning back, Lu Tingfeng gave her an encouraging look. “It might turn out to be an important clue… Huh? Your phone.”
Zhou Jinglin immediately grabbed her phone. “Mrs. Chen? It’s me! Did you remember something…?”
She’s in such close contact with the victims’ families, Lu Tingfeng thought, glancing at her before quietly walking away.
Such a close connection… I really don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
**
After two days of rest to adjust to the time difference, Tang Yingli returned to the Criminal Investigation Division, full of energy and with a serious mindset.
“Dr. Tang, welcome!” Standing outside the office, Fang Zijun shook her hand formally. “The files have been organized, including the autopsy reports and crime scene locations. We have both paper and digital copies.”
As she entered, Yingli was handed a folder. “Let me introduce you! This is the medical examiner who performed the autopsies on all the victims in this case. His name is Tao, Tao Qianya. Ah Qian, this is my college buddy’s sister and the expert I’ve brought in to help, Dr. Tang Yingli.”
The medical examiner was handsome and looked quite young. “A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Tang. Chief Fang has already told me about your background… Cognitive neuroscience! And you managed to participate in criminal profiling training. That’s really… incredible!”
“Not at all. I’m still a novice when it comes to criminal profiling. My research on the brain is just a little more in-depth.”
“About criminal profiling… isn’t two years of training just the basic requirement?” When she nodded, Tao Qianya cut straight to the point. “After finally becoming an official agent, why were you in such a hurry to come back to Taiwan? Wouldn’t it be better to gain experience on more cases over there?”
Yingli smiled, a little shyly. “That’s true, but…”
Fang Zijun interrupted, “Ah Qian! If she hadn’t come back, how could she help us? She can encounter plenty of cases in Taiwan, too, though we’d rather she didn’t have to!”
He turned to Yingli and smiled. “In any case, Doctor, if you have any questions about the bodies or anything related to the case, feel free to ask him.”
“I will.” Calming herself, Yingli began to carefully read through the case files. “The first case… it doesn’t specify the location of disappearance?”
“The first one is a bit different. The girl didn’t have a good relationship with her family. She was a runaway.”
So the place of abduction is unknown? “How long was it between when she ran away and when the body was found?”
“About… a week, I think?”
The cause of death in both cases was strangulation. This was the “modus operandi,” and at least for now, it didn’t seem to provide the killer with any psychological satisfaction.
“Just as I thought…” Yingli murmured to herself, drawing the attention of the other two. “Oh! I mean, on both of them, you can easily find signs of sexual assault.”
“We’ve compared the DNA. The two samples are a perfect match.”
“From the time of disappearance to discovery, the victims’ clothes…”
“Were all changed!”
Both girls were found lying on their backs, legs together, arms slightly outstretched with palms facing the sky, as if in some kind of ritual. “The second girl, there are no cigarette burns on her pubis?”
“Correct.”
She carefully examined the crime scene photos of both bodies again and frowned. “The second one… something is missing?”
Tao Qianya’s eyes lit up. “Yes! A bracelet… we don’t know where it went.”
“A bracelet?” Fang Zijun grabbed another set of photos. “Why wasn’t this mentioned in the initial autopsy report?”
“I did mention it! But you didn’t seem to pay much attention, Chief… It wasn’t until Little Zhou specifically asked about it last night that I added it.” Tao Qianya looked innocent, but his voice was filled with admiration. “Dr. Tang is truly meticulous. You noticed it just from the photos.”
“Jinglin discovered it?”
“Yup! She confirmed it with the family. There are even photos.”
“Let me see!”
Tao Qianya produced a photo of the victim taken before her death. A beaded bracelet was clearly visible on the girl’s left wrist.
“There it is!” Fang Zijun stared at the bracelet. “Could it have fallen off at the scene? Or maybe it came off during the abduction?”
“No. The killer definitely kept it.”
