Chapter 6
Guess

It was almost midnight when the master and apprentice returned to the police station.

Cao Haisheng, suffering from back pain, returned to the dormitory to rest. Xie Qing took a shower and changed clothes but couldn’t sleep, so she went to the second team.

The second team is the major crimes unit, and it’s common for members to stay overnight.

When Xie Qing entered, Li Ji was sitting alone in front of a large blackboard, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and looked, “Xiao Xie, can’t sleep either?”

Xie Qing pulled up a chair, “Found anything?”

Li Ji shook his head, “No valuable clues yet.”

Xie Qing responded with an “oh” and carefully reviewed the summary on the blackboard.

There were three cases in total.

The first case involved Gu Decheng, a 65-year-old male who lived in Building 3 of Fuxing Community on the south bank of Qingjiang River. On the evening of March 12, 1994, he disappeared while taking a walk in Qingjiang Park. His body was recovered from the estuary of Qingjiang River on the afternoon of the 13th.

Autopsy results: Drowned, with head injuries from bricks, binding marks on hands and feet, and dragging injuries on the back and feet.

The second case involved Yan Lifen, a 56-year-old female who lived in Longwan Village downstream of Qingjiang River. On the evening of June 21, 1995, she disappeared on her way back from the city. Her body was found downstream of Qingjiang River on the morning of June 22. Her autopsy results were similar to Gu Decheng’s, but her skull injuries were more severe, and there were no obvious signs of drowning, indicating she was already near death when she entered the water.

The third case was the Huang Qi case, which prompted Captain Huang to link the previous two cases together.

The three cases had three commonalities.

First, the method of killing was essentially the same.

Second, the victims shared certain characteristics—Gu Decheng often harassed young women in the park; Yan Lifen often extorted money from people in the city; Huang Qi was a troublemaker who bullied almost all the children in the community.

Third, the victims all lived on both sides of the Qingjiang River.

Based on this, Huang Zhenyi speculated that the killer was active in this area, either working or living there, and might have a car.

Li Ji, resting his chin on his hand, asked, “Do you think the killer was hurt by people like this?”

“Maybe,” Xie Qing replied, “Have we tracked Huang Qi’s activities before his death?”

Li Ji said, “Basically, yes…”

Huang Qi was notorious in the community, and parents didn’t let their children play with him. Older kids his age were also afraid of him. So, while Huang’s grandmother chatted with her old friends, he wandered around the community alone.

Around 5:40 PM, someone saw Huang Qi at the east gate of Wangjiang Community, heading towards the dam.

Although it was rush hour, most people in Wangjiang Community used the main gate, not the east gate. Those not working were busy buying groceries and cooking and wouldn’t go to the east gate.

Due to the late discovery of the body, the number of people to investigate was limited, and there was no more information for now.

In other words, 5:40 PM was the last known time point.

Xie Qing leaned back in her chair, “How did the killer lure the child into the car? He needed a secluded place to act. What places along the Qingjiang River are suitable for killing and disposing of bodies?”

“That kid was fearless. Just saying he could take him for a ride might have been enough,” Li Ji said, getting up and taking a map of Anhai City from the desk. He clipped it to the blackboard and pointed, “Here’s the sewage treatment plant’s discharge outlet, usually quiet. These two places are high dams with deep water below, dangerous and rarely visited. This one is less than three kilometers from Wangjiang Community. We suspect Huang Qi’s incident happened here, but Captain Huang’s team found no valuable clues.”

Xie Qing thought for a moment, “From these circumstances, the killer’s first move was unexpectedly clean and efficient.”

Li Ji was stunned, “You mean there might be other undiscovered cases?”

Xie Qing said, “I’m just guessing, and…” She looked around to make sure only Li Ji was in the office, “I personally think the killer might be a taxi driver, often lurking in this area, under thirty, working full-time, and married for less than a year.”

Li Ji was shocked, “A taxi driver? That’s possible, but why newly married?”

Xie Qing said, “From the first two victims, the killer seems to be someone who hates evil and might have been bullied as a child. Now grown up, he wants to take justice into his own hands. But a child is different, even a naughty one. Most people wouldn’t harm a child. But if the killer is married and has a child, he might empathize with the children bullied by Huang Qi.”

Li Ji blinked his narrow eyes, “It seems…”

From behind a row of desks in the north, a chair creaked as someone sat up, “Very reasonable.”

“Captain Huang.” Xie Qing was startled and quickly stood up, “I was just…”

Huang Zhenyi waved his hand, “Don’t be nervous. Even a guess is a direction for investigation.”

Phew. Xie Qing breathed a sigh of relief—some veterans liked to flaunt their experience and didn’t appreciate others pointing out their work, even if they reluctantly accepted it at the time, it could have negative effects.

“Sit down.” Huang Zhenyi perched on the edge of the desk, wiping his face with a large hand, “I like hearing top students analyze problems. Xiao Xie, any other thoughts?”

Xie Qing said, “There are too few clues, just some immature ideas, but…” She wanted to mention the unidentified body, even though it might not be useful, but if it could help, it would save the investigators a lot of trouble.

Huang Zhenyi could see her hesitation, “Kid, why are you hesitating? Just say what you think. I won’t eat you.”

Xie Qing asked, “Captain Huang, have we identified the unknown body in the Development Zone?”

Huang Zhenyi shook his head, “No, do you have any ideas?”

Xie Qing said, “I heard that selling medical equipment is quite profitable. The hospital…”

“Right!” Huang Zhenyi slapped his thigh, “We haven’t checked the hospital.”

…

The next day at noon, Xie Qing ran into Li Ji in the cafeteria.

Li Ji gave her a heavy pat on the shoulder, “Xiao Xie, you’ve made a name for yourself!”

“Fried fish, please,” Xie Qing asked the server for the last dish, “How did I become famous? Did the bureau find the identity of the body?”

Li Ji praised, “Impressive, you guessed it right.”

They found an empty table.

Li Ji said, “The identity of the body was found, and the case is almost solved.”

“Not almost, it’s already solved.” Huang Zhenyi came over with a tray and sat next to Li Ji, “The deceased was a salesman for Haishi Medical Equipment Company. He scratched the killer’s face while resisting, and the killer has confessed.”

Li Ji looked at Xie Qing admiringly, “Captain, what was the motive?”

“Money, what else.” Huang Zhenyi took a sip of goji tea, “The killer was in charge of procurement. The city hospital wanted to buy a million-dollar imported device. The machine arrived, and the final payment was made, but the deceased didn’t want to give such a high kickback and threatened the killer with his public position, so the killer decided to kill him.”

“What a pity,” Li Ji clicked his tongue, “Didn’t the deceased’s company know he was missing?”

Huang Zhenyi said, “The killer used the deceased’s mobile phone to send messages to his family and friends, saying he was waiting for the final payment and would be back in a few days.”

Li Ji nodded, “No wonder no one reported him missing for so long.”

“Hey, Old Cao, sit over here.” Huang Zhenyi waved to Cao Haisheng.

Cao Haisheng sat down opposite him, supporting his waist. “Captain Huang, any progress on the case?”

Huang Zhenyi replied, “We’re still tracking Huang Qi’s last movements. We’re also checking the taxis frequently seen around Wangjiang Community.”

Cao Haisheng asked, “Any leads?” His back was hurting, and he had been resting in the dormitory, unaware of the latest developments.

Huang Zhenyi smiled, “Old Cao, your apprentice is a promising detective. How about you ask the director to recruit another forensic doctor, and this kid can join our second team?”

Cao Haisheng dropped his tofu and twisted his waist. “Not a chance. Xiao Xie is already a skilled forensic doctor.”

Huang Zhenyi gave Xie Qing a thumbs up. “Top students are indeed top students.”

The tables in the cafeteria were close together, and Huang Zhenyi’s loud voice attracted the attention of many colleagues.

Too much attention.

Xie Qing felt a bit embarrassed. “Captain Huang, I’m good at forensic science, but the rest was just a lucky guess.”

“This kid is quite humble.”

“Top students are different, quick thinkers and deep problem solvers.”

“That’s true. Solving cases does require some luck.”

“Exactly. The young lady has only been here a few days, and it’s impressive she has a good grasp of forensic work.”

The murmurs were audible.

Huang Zhenyi’s face didn’t look too pleased, but he couldn’t argue back. He apologized, “Sorry for my loud voice.”

Cao Haisheng smiled slightly, “Let’s eat.”

Xie Qing raised her eyebrows nonchalantly and changed the topic. “Today’s ribbonfish is very fresh. Master and Captain Huang, please try it.”

Seeing that she wasn’t upset, Huang Zhenyi smiled in relief. “Indeed, it’s fresh and well-cooked, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.”

After lunch, Xie Qing returned to the dormitory to rest.

Around four o’clock, her pager beeped—it was a call from the second team asking her to attend a meeting in the office.

Meetings involving forensic doctors were usually case discussions.

Xie Qing didn’t dare delay and rushed over immediately.