Murder Call

Li Meng waited outside for a while, and seeing no response from inside, knocked on the door again.

Mo Lin suddenly opened the door, but only a third of the way, his tall figure blocking the entrance. His shirt was unbuttoned to the third button, revealing a large expanse of collarbone. His eyes were half-narrowed in displeasure, with a hint of annoyance in them. “What is it?”

Li Meng stood at the door, holding a notebook and pen, looking eager to learn. “Teacher Mo, I’m here to help!”

“Help with what?”

Mo Lin looked Li Meng in the eye, not recalling ever saying he needed help.

“Aren’t you guys looking for information?” Li Meng said, glancing into the lounge.

“What are you looking at?” Mo Lin immediately raised his arm to block Li Meng’s view. “Don’t you need a lunch break?”

Li Meng scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. “I saw Teacher Mo and Teacher Gu working overtime, and I felt bad taking a break myself, so I decided to come help you find information!”

Mo Lin rubbed his temples. “Wait here, don’t move.”

Mo Lin casually picked up a dossier and handed it to Li Meng. “Take it back, list the evidence chain inside, and give it to me in the afternoon.”

Li Meng glanced at the file bag, nodded in confusion. “Then…”

“That’s all, you can go back now.” Mo Lin interrupted him.

Li Meng’s eyes shifted to the right, then quickly returned to normal, finally nodding. “Then I’ll be off.”

Once Li Meng was far away, Mo Lin immediately closed the lounge door tightly and quickly walked towards Gu Yuan.

At this moment, Gu Yuan was intently reading the dossier in his hands, looking quite focused, with most of the flush on his face faded.

“Is Forensic Doctor Gu really reading the dossier?” Mo Lin asked with some amusement.

Gu Yuan didn’t look up, continuing to flip through the dossier. “Yes, mostly correct, just some hidden clues can’t be confirmed for now, but it’s enough.”

Mo Lin chuckled, lowering his voice. “Shall we continue?”

Gu Yuan put down the dossier in his hand. “Aren’t you worried someone else will come to help?”

Mo Lin smirked. “Hmm… then let’s make it quick?”

Gu Yuan certainly didn’t believe Mo Lin’s words. Every time he said it would be quick, but every time it left him exhausted. He wouldn’t fall for it again.

“Bear with it… By the way, you didn’t bring these dossiers just to leave them here, did you?”

Mo Lin suppressed the burning fire within him. “I suspect this case is related to a previous one.”

Gu Yuan was a bit shocked. “What’s your reasoning?”

“Doctor Gu, you write papers every day, you should know a complete paper should have a tight logic. If there’s a logical inconsistency, something must be wrong.”

Mo Lin leaned against the desk, sipping water leisurely. “The killer’s logic has many detailed loopholes, but the suspect they point to is very clear. Don’t you find that odd?”

Mo Lin voiced the question that had been on Gu Yuan’s mind. He was curious to hear Mo Lin’s thoughts. “So, where do you think the problem lies?”

Mo Lin: “I think he’s imitating.”

Gu Yuan: “Imitating?”

“Yes, imitating a previously used method,” Mo Lin paused, then continued. “The killer left many indicative clues on the victim, like ill-fitting sportswear and a zodiac necklace. I think these clues point to another girl, perhaps a victim of the imitated case.”

Gu Yuan frowned. “Then why did you issue a missing person notice?”

“Because I want the killer to know we’ve surpassed his expectations,” Mo Lin said. “When he sees that notice, he’ll definitely take action.”

Gu Yuan: “Why are you so sure?”

Mo Lin smiled faintly. “From the killer’s entire thought process, he’s been guiding us along his plan. The killer chose to commit the crime within the jurisdiction of Yanhai City’s criminal police and left the phone at the crime scene, clearly guiding us to find the body…

If we treat this case like a puzzle game, finding the body is the first level, identifying suspects is the second, linking evidence to suspects is the third, and bringing the suspect to justice is the fourth…

Our missing person notice undoubtedly sped up the case’s pace. To bring us back into his plan, he’ll definitely speed up the appearance of clues in the levels.

It’s like a programmer jumping out to fix a bug when necessary, pulling us back into his rhythm.”

Gu Yuan: “You mean the killer is actively guiding us to solve the case?”

Mo Lin: “It seems that way for now. The killer should be more anxious than us. We can proceed with a two-step plan. Wang Yue continues to investigate the victim’s social circle, following the killer’s plan, making him think we’re still under his control, while we secretly investigate other clues…”

“Are you really going to read all these dossiers?” Gu Yuan glanced at the thick stack of dossiers in the corner. “Need help?”

“We can’t tell too many people about this yet. If my guess is correct and this case is linked to previous ones, it will involve a lot of people. Until we confirm the killer’s true intentions, we can only proceed quietly.”

Gu Yuan sat back on the sofa, opening another dossier. He read quickly, scanning from top to bottom, absorbing the important information into his mind, finishing in no time.

Mo Lin watched Gu Yuan, finding his focused demeanor captivating, especially when he wore glasses and a white coat, exuding a mature and restrained aura. He couldn’t help but praise, “How do you get more charming with age?”

He chuckled, adding, “But you’re still a bit behind me!”

Gu Yuan looked up, his gaze somewhat arrogant. “Keep talking and find it yourself.”

Mo Lin smiled, watching Gu Yuan close his mouth.

*

In the afternoon, there was progress in the case.

The image investigation team brought good news: “The surveillance captured a black SUV passing through Sanxing Bridge at 11:20 last night. Sanxing Bridge is a necessary route to the crime scene, and the surveillance captured a man wearing a hat in the driver’s seat. There was no one in the passenger seat, but we can’t rule out the possibility of someone in the back seat! Further investigation of the license plate revealed the car is registered under Liu Quan!”

This clue suggested Liu Quan had the motive to kill the victim.

In the interrogation room, Liu Quan was stunned, taking several seconds to react. “This has nothing to do with me! How could I kill my daughter? She’s my only daughter!”

In the interrogation room, Wang Yue’s sharp eyes were fixed on Liu Quan, feeling something was off about him.

“You better confess honestly!”

Wang Yue was eager to solve the case, seizing this clue, eager to get Liu Quan to talk. His eyes bore into Liu Quan, making him uncomfortable.

“Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs. How could I kill my daughter?” Liu Quan was anxious. “I do have several cars under my name, but I usually have a driver. I haven’t driven in a long time!”

Wang Yue crossed his arms, eyes locked on Liu Quan. “Then who was driving this car?”

Wang Yue slapped the surveillance screenshot in front of Liu Quan, asking him to identify it.

A black SUV with a tail number of 838 moved like a black ghost across the quiet Sanxing Bridge.

Liu Quan thought for a while. “This car has been in the parking lot for a long time. I was planning to sell it.”

He suddenly remembered something. “I had Secretary Wen take it to the second-hand market. You can ask him; he’s in charge.”

Wang Yue: “Secretary Wen?”

Liu Quan: “Secretary Wen is my personal secretary. He arranges many things for me! You have to believe me! I’m really not the killer!”

Wang Yue rubbed his temples. “Mr. Liu, you are suspected of killing Liu Yun. We have obtained a search warrant and will search your residence. Please cooperate.”

Liu Quan understood the seriousness of the situation. If not handled well, he could become the killer of his own daughter. So when Wang Yue said they would search his residence, he didn’t resist and even provided Secretary Wen’s phone number. “You can ask him anything; he knows my family’s situation well.”

After Wang Yue left the interrogation room, Liu Quan deflated like a balloon, slumping down, staring at the floor dejectedly, not moving for a long time.

“Liu Quan seems to have something on his mind.” Outside the interrogation room, Gu Yuan, wearing silver-rimmed glasses, leaned tiredly against a chair, watching the surveillance footage from the interrogation room.

Mo Lin stood behind him, saying, “Don’t worry, he won’t hold out for long. I can sense his inner struggle. I believe after weighing the pros and cons, he’ll make the right choice.”

Liu Quan’s mood seemed very low, slumped in the chair, staring blankly, no one knowing what he was thinking.

Wang Yue, following Mo Lin’s advice, hadn’t interrogated him further, but his eyes never left Liu Quan, even while eating instant noodles, he kept watching the screen.

Three hours later, Liu Quan requested to see Wang Yue.

Wang Yue entered the interrogation room, seeing Liu Quan’s eyes bloodshot, his face covered in sweat.

Liu Quan was noticeably more cooperative, voluntarily talking about Liu Yun. “Recently, Yun Yun broke up with her boyfriend. She was in a bad mood, snapping at everyone. I said a few words to her, and she ran away from home. I spoiled her, always giving in to her, so she didn’t take my words seriously.”

Wang Yue keenly caught the key information in this sentence. “Who is Liu Yun’s ex-boyfriend?”

Liu Quan sighed. “His name is Zhou Ziming. I asked him, but he didn’t seem to know about Yun Yun running away.

After that, I received a text from Yun Yun, saying she was in a bad mood and went abroad to relax.

I didn’t think much of it at the time, even transferred her money, never expecting the last time I’d see her would be her corpse!”

Wang Yue found Zhou Ziming suspicious, so he asked, “How was Zhou Ziming’s relationship with Liu Yun?”

Liu Quan sighed again, shaking his head. “I don’t know if Zhou Ziming truly cared for Yun Yun, but I know Yun Yun really liked him. She even fell out with me over him!”

At this point, Liu Quan opened up. “Zhou Ziming is the director of our company’s market development department. I’ve met him a few times. He’s very smart, ambitious, and I don’t trust him with Yun Yun.”

[Author’s Note]

The first leaderboard is about to rotate, praying for everything to go smoothly, and wishing the little cuties who finished exams a pleasant summer vacation!