The Brain Science Case v1c5

Chapter 5: Paranoid Delusions – 5

“No, the killer definitely kept it.”

Yingli closed the folder. “The killer’s preference for and obsession with young girls far exceeds the norm. The fact that he specifically changes the girls into new clothes before disposing of the bodies shows that he places an almost pathological importance on their appearance. He must have taken that bracelet. He wouldn’t have just let it fall at the scene.”

“What would he do with it? Wear it himself?”

She looked directly at Tao Qianya. “As a souvenir, or a gift for someone else. The killer almost certainly has a huge collection of photos of the victims, and he might even record the rapes so he can relive them over and over…” She pointed to the map. “The first crime scene usually holds a very special meaning for the suspect… It’s likely the place he’s most familiar with, where he feels the safest.”

Yingli circled the body disposal site on the map and drew a line. “He definitely has a car, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to abduct them or transport the bodies smoothly. According to statistics, most first-time child molesters are in their twenties… I estimate the killer is around thirty years old and has a prior record of several sexual assaults, or instances of harassing or stalking children, before committing murder.”

“His appearance is presentable, otherwise he couldn’t easily lure young girls away. This also shows he’s quite skilled at interacting with children. He may have a steady girlfriend or be married. Given his predilection for children, his partner is likely someone with an easily controllable personality, whose physical characteristics satisfy the killer’s fantasies about children.”

She tapped the whiteboard. “The bracelet was likely given to such an adult woman.”

Fang Zijun and Tao Qianya looked at each other, both feeling as if the fog was finally lifting. “As expected… an expert is an expert!”

Yingli shook her head. “This is just the most basic level of analysis. Besides, I haven’t found anything that could be called a ‘signature’ yet… The burn mark on the pubis…”

“Only the first victim had it! Dr. Tang, do you think… the killer is a smoker?”

“No. If the killer had done it intentionally, we would find it on every victim. When the body was found, there was an adhesive bandage on the burn, wasn’t there?” Tao Qianya nodded, and Yingli rested her chin on her hand. “This is an additional act of psychological restoration or compensation… which indicates that the burn was not what the killer originally intended.”

“Are you saying… he has an accomplice?”

She shook her head and let out a small laugh. “Not that either. Even among criminals, those who rape and murder children are the most ostracized. I don’t think he’d have the guts to share his secret with anyone.”

Fang Zijun was stunned. “If that’s the case, then the burn…”

“It was probably caused by someone who didn’t know what was happening…”

“Someone who didn’t know what was happening?” Fang Zijun repeated, muttering. “Who could that be? And how could they have come into contact with the victim and not reported it?”

“That’s what we need to find out.” Yingli took off her glasses to wipe them and walked to the window. “The weather’s nice. The sun’s out.” She suddenly smiled. “Sunlight helps with jet lag… it’s more effective than taking melatonin.”

The sudden non-sequitur left the two men completely baffled.

“Chief Fang, let’s go take a look. The riverside park.”

“Chief!” The office door was suddenly thrown open. It was Zhou Jinglin. “Can I borrow a service vehicle? I need to go to the second dump site…” Her voice trailed off. “Uh, am I interrupting?”

“No, your timing is perfect!” Fang Zijun took a key from the rack and tossed it to her. “Dr. Tang is going to survey the first dump site. You drive her, and you can look for what you wanted to find while you’re at it.”

Zhou Jinglin was dumbfounded. “Me… with her?”

“Dr. Tang, is it alright if Jinglin takes you to the scene?”

“Mm,” Yingli said, calmly putting her glasses back on. “I don’t mind.”

**

In the darkroom, everything was stained in an eerie red and black.

Digital photography was convenient, but film still possessed a unique charm that even the highest-resolution digital camera could not replicate.

The contrast and grain of black-and-white film, the texture of a color photograph…

His work.

He could almost smell the grass and the gentle breeze.

The focus of the news reports should be shifting back to him soon, right?

He picked up a photograph with a pair of tongs, his gaze turning cold as he turned toward the safe.

This time, he planned to do something different.

He needed a new color.

Grabbing a knife from the top of a cabinet, he yanked open the safe. “Hello, little sister!” He patted her face. No reaction. Good.

He toyed with the knife. “The weather’s nice today! Let’s change your clothes, and Uncle will take you out to play again!” With a sweep of his large hand, he brutally pulled the small body out.

**

It wasn’t that Zhou Jinglin had never driven anyone in a service vehicle before, but this was definitely the most awkward atmosphere she had ever experienced.

Unlike Big Head or Senior Ah Mu, Tang Yingli didn’t speak to her at all.

What on earth was going through her head when she said, ‘I don’t mind’? Zhou Jinglin wondered.

The night she was brought in for questioning, she had said… ‘I’m not speaking to you anymore!’

She’s really sticking to her word, isn’t she?

She first drove to the area near the Shilin Night Market. “I’m going to re-examine the dump site. It might take a while. Do you want to come?”

Yingli’s only response was to shake her head.

“Then please wait here for a bit.”

About an hour later, Zhou Jinglin returned to the car, having found nothing. Tang Yingli hadn’t moved an inch, the autopsy report and case files in her hands nearly worn out from being flipped through so many times.

Quietly hiding her disappointment, she asked, “It’s almost noon. Do you want to get something to eat?”

“Did you find anything?”

Such a condescending tone! “No! If you’re trying to mock me.”

“Why would I do that?” Yingli chuckled. “The beaded bracelet, you were the first one to notice it?”

“Yeah.”

“It wouldn’t have been dropped at the scene, if that’s what you went back to look for,” she said definitively, crossing her legs.

Zhou Jinglin’s eyes widened. “You knew what I was doing!”

“Mm, and I also know that someone with your personality wouldn’t give up or be persuaded so easily without trying it for yourself.” The look behind her glasses was one of clear understanding. “Especially when the words are coming from someone you have absolutely no trust in.”

So, she let me go on a pointless search! Zhou Jinglin was speechless, filled with a rage she couldn’t vent, because Yingli was right.

“We can talk about food later. There might be thundershowers this afternoon… Let’s hurry to the riverside park.”

Her face taut, Zhou Jinglin drove her silently to the first dump site.

Just as they parked, Zhou Jinglin received a call from the Chen girl’s father. “…Yeah, we didn’t find it… It doesn’t seem to have been dropped at the scene. Our… colleague, speculates that the killer may have taken it on purpose.”

Yingli got out of the car on her own. She couldn’t help but frown. Does this Tang woman even know where the dump site is? “Ah, yes, I’m listening… We don’t know yet what role it will play in the case.” She followed after her.

“But it will be a very important clue! Yes… Wenqi’s death will not be in vain.” Hearing the man’s choked sobs, Zhou Jinglin felt a sting in her nose. “Don’t worry, Mr. Chen. We will do everything we can to solve this case… No, of course not. You take care.”

Distracted by the call, she had fallen more than ten meters behind Yingli in the blink of an eye. “Miss… Tang!” She refused to call Yingli “Doctor,” but unable to find a suitable alternative, she settled on “Miss” for the time being.

“What beautiful weather!” Yingli spread her arms, a relaxed smile on her face.

They were about the same height, but Yingli’s heels gave her a distinct advantage—heels again! “Don’t tell me you came out here just to enjoy the breeze and the sun!”

Yingli turned around with a surprised tone. “Oh? I can’t?”

This… she must be doing it on purpose! “Miss. Tang!” Zhou Jinglin fumed. “I may be a junior officer in the division, but I’m very busy! I don’t have time to be your tour guide!”

“I know! Busy filing, creating case files, poring over the existing autopsy reports, occasionally looking at surveillance footage…” Pivoting on her heel, Yingli raised a finger apologetically. “Sorry! I missed one thing. And spending a great deal of effort consoling the victims’ families! You’re very ‘busy,’ indeed.”

Zhou Jinglin clenched her fists, glaring at her. “You…”

“Do you know you’ll never catch the killer that way?” A single sentence was enough to extinguish the fire that was about to erupt.

“The clues are hidden at the scene. If you had just thought from the killer’s perspective and looked for the traces he left behind, you would have uncovered far more of the truth by now.”

Taking a deep breath, she managed to suppress her anger and asked, “Are you saying I should pretend to be the killer?”

“Not pretend. Become the killer.” Yingli looked up, then checked the file again to confirm. “That’s the dump site over there, correct?”

“Right…” She was stunned. Could she tell the exact location just from the photos?

“Good. Now, I want you to reconstruct the entire scene with me.” They approached the spot. “You were here that day, weren’t you?”

“I was!”

“Mm.” The corner of her mouth lifted. “The weather today is similar to the day the body was dumped. What time did you receive the report?”

“Six in the morning. The person who reported it was a white-collar worker out for a morning run.”

“The girl was lying on her back, dumped in a clearing where the grass was knee-high. She had multiple external injuries, the killer’s bodily fluids were found in her lower body, but she had been changed into a brand-new dress. The direct cause of death was strangulation, and no weapon was found. There were no witnesses.” Yingli flipped to the next page. “The temperature was twenty-eight degrees Celsius, and there was no obvious livor mortis on the back of the body… This means the victim was killed within at least three hours of being discovered, and that she had been moved.”

Isn’t that last part obvious? Zhou Jinglin thought, holding her tongue. She wanted to see what this woman was truly capable of.

Yingli gestured for her to stand in front of her. “Officer Zhou, if you wanted to strangle someone with a rope, how would you do it?”