Murder Call

When Mo Lin said this, it was like he was talking to himself, leaving everyone confused. Mo Lin always liked to keep things mysterious when solving cases. If the progress reached 80%, he would only reveal 50% to Wang Yue, leaving the remaining 30% for him to guess.

All Wang Yue could do was try to meet Mo Lin’s needs and guess his intentions as best as he could.

Mo Lin looked at Gu Yuan.

“What did the deceased experience before death?”

“Hold on a moment.”

Gu Yuan picked up a scalpel from the tray, the metallic sheen of the blade reflecting as it cut through the pale skin of the deceased.

Due to severe head and neck injuries, Gu Yuan avoided the neck area, making a neat “I” shaped incision from the collarbone straight down, cutting through the chest and abdominal walls.

The incision smoothly followed the white line of the abdomen, bypassing the navel, and finally stopped above the pubic symphysis.

Cutting through the superficial and deep fascia of the abdomen, he lifted the peritoneum to enter the abdominal cavity of the deceased. By examining the abdominal cavity, he could determine the deceased’s eating condition before death.

The abdominal cavity was quite empty, but the upper abdomen was full. Following the duodenum upwards, Gu Yuan skillfully found a full stomach, indicating the deceased had eaten before dying. He isolated the stomach and cut it open, finding a large amount of grayish-black food residue inside. Upon closer inspection, some light red food fibers could be seen.

The deceased seemed to have been very hungry before the last meal, eating quickly without chewing thoroughly. In the black chyme, a few pieces of fruit with strawberry seeds were clearly visible. Looking at the white substance clumped in the deceased’s hair, Gu Yuan had an answer.

Gu Yuan sniffed a bit of the chyme.

“It’s chocolate cake.”

Chocolate cake with strawberries was the first food form that popped into Gu Yuan’s mind.

Cutting open the duodenum connected to the stomach, there was no food in the duodenum, meaning the food hadn’t reached the time for gastric emptying after entering the stomach. Gastric emptying usually takes about two hours, and since the food hadn’t reached the duodenum, the last meal was less than two hours before death.

“Time of death is within two hours after the meal. After 9 PM last night, the deceased had their last meal.” Gu Yuan frowned. “But judging from the shrunken small intestine, the deceased was starved for at least two days before this meal.”

Gu Yuan found the deceased’s bladder, which contained a small amount of urine. He extracted some with a large needle for observation.

“The urine is highly concentrated. The deceased was dehydrated before death. I believe the deceased might have been starved for a period before death, possibly due to kidnapping. Judging by the marks on the wrists and ankles, it happened about two days ago.”

“The killer gave the deceased a last meal before killing… and it was cake…”

Mo Lin pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked the criminal police beside him.

“What is Liu Yun’s birthday on her ID?”

“November 15th,” answered the sharp-minded officer.

“November 15th? If I’m not mistaken, that’s Scorpio.”

Mo Lin seemed to be on a different wavelength, his thoughts jumping beyond Earth.

His slender fingers fiddled with the wedding ring on his finger, a gesture that told Gu Yuan Mo Lin wasn’t joking. In fact, his brain was working at high speed.

Li Meng chimed in.

“Teacher Mo, you don’t believe in astrology, do you?”

“Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter, as long as the person wearing the necklace does.”

Mo Lin’s gaze shifted to the evidence bag.

“Did you notice the deceased’s necklace?”

“Necklace?” Li Meng scratched his head. “What’s with the necklace?”

“That necklace is a Cancer zodiac necklace, not a Scorpio one.”

Everyone was surprised, not expecting Teacher Mo to know about zodiac necklaces.

Li Meng, clueless about such girly things, weakly asked, “What’s a zodiac necklace?”

Other officers, including Gu Yuan, were curious to hear more from Mo Lin.

Under everyone’s eager gaze, Mo Lin only said three words.

“Go to Baidu.”

Suddenly, everyone pulled out their phones to search, and after a few minutes, a group of grown men finally understood what a zodiac necklace was.

“Girls’ necklaces are really complicated,” Li Meng put his phone back in his pocket.

“But Liu Yun is a Scorpio, why would she wear a Cancer necklace?”

Mo Lin smiled.

“As far as I know, these necklaces were popular a few years ago, mainly among middle and high school girls.”

Mo Lin examined the silver necklace in the evidence bag closely.

“This necklace is almost brand new. I guess it doesn’t belong to the deceased.”

Wang Yue asked, “You mean the necklace was put on by the killer too?”

Mo Lin’s eyes shifted.

“Release a missing person notice in the name of the criminal police team. I’ve already thought of the content for you: Female, aged 12 to 18, Cancer, height around 145cm to 155cm, slim build, wearing a pink sports jacket…”

Mo Lin paused and added, “Also add: Informants need to provide the girl’s photo and identity information.”

“I’ve noted it down, Teacher Mo.” Li Meng scratched his head, looking puzzled. “But Teacher Mo, isn’t this range too broad?”

Mo Lin replied. “It’s fine, as long as the killer knows we’re looking for someone.”

A flash of insight crossed Wang Yue’s mind.

“Teacher Mo, could this girl be in the killer’s hands? Is she the next target?”

Mo Lin neither confirmed nor denied.

“There isn’t enough evidence yet. I’m just trying to probe the killer’s intentions with this method. Hopefully, seeing this notice will prompt a response.”

Wang Yue thought for a moment and instructed the officer beside him.

“Go now, publish a missing person notice as Teacher Mo requested, and put it in the most prominent position on the homepage.”

After the notice was published, a group gathered around the computer to discuss the controversial notice. Although everyone had questions, no one dared to doubt Teacher Mo’s judgment.

Wang Yue, resting his chin on his hand, thought. Based on his experience and judgment, this case seemed more like a vendetta.

He pulled up photos of the deceased when she was alive. Such a young and beautiful face—why would someone kill such a lovely girl in her prime?

Wang Yue opened his notebook, filled with his speculations about the killer: male, over 180cm tall, not very fit, former military, works in security, smokes…

A starred section highlighted the words: triangular bayonet.

Wang Yue already had a rough profile of the killer, which Teacher Mo had also confirmed. Now, he needed to investigate the deceased’s social circle to find someone matching the killer’s traits.

⸻

When Gu Yuan got home, it was already 5:15 AM. The sky was slightly bright, and the forensic work was mostly done. The rest was up to the investigation team. He didn’t have to attend the morning meeting, so he could sleep for a few more hours.

Gu Yuan took a shower, and sleepiness hit him. His bed was so comfortable, still carrying his scent. He could fall asleep instantly, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom. Gu Yuan couldn’t resist and fell asleep.

Mo Lin, after showering, entered the bedroom and saw the sleeping man and cat on the bed. His heart warmed, and he couldn’t help but take several photos.

Chubby Yuan Yuan snuggled beside Gu Yuan, their breathing in sync, creating a comforting rhythm.

Eventually, because Yuan Yuan took his spot, Mo Lin had to move it gently.

Yuan Yuan sensibly returned to its nest to continue napping.

Mo Lin wore only sleep pants, his chest pressed against Gu Yuan’s soft silk pajamas. Their body heat transferred through the thin fabric. Soon, Gu Yuan’s chest was slightly sweaty, but he didn’t wake up. His arm slipped out of the blanket, only to be gently pulled back by Mo Lin.

Mo Lin lowered the air conditioning, his long fingers resting on Gu Yuan’s waist, pulling him closer.

The blanket carried Gu Yuan’s scent, which calmed Mo Lin. His tense nerves relaxed, and his longing was finally eased.

Gu Yuan tightly closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. Perhaps because he had performed an autopsy before sleeping, he dreamed.

He dreamed of returning to the autopsy room, where Liu Yun lay on the table.

Scenes from reality reappeared in his dream under subconscious influence.

In the dream, Gu Yuan was mechanically stitching the body. He cut the last piece of black thread, revealing a suture line like a giant centipede on the deceased’s body. Gu Yuan stared at the suture line and a small mark in his vision.

The mark was faint, likely an impression from a hard object, left on the body after death, resembling a large fish symbol and a small fish symbol, arranged in a “﹥﹤” pattern.

This impression seemed familiar, but Gu Yuan couldn’t recall where he’d seen it.

What could leave such a mark?

He pondered for a long time, but even after waking from the dream, he couldn’t figure out what tool caused the strange impression.

Upon opening his eyes, his palm was pressed to his chest, damp with sweat.

It took him a while to realize he was in bed.

The dream seemed to have overtaxed his mind, leaving him feeling exhausted upon waking.

The bedside showed signs of someone having slept there, but no one was in sight.

Gu Yuan left the bedroom and saw Mo Lin sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, watching a tablet. He looked sharp, his hair perfectly styled, full of energy.

Gu Yuan stared at him for a long time, confirming he was awake and not dreaming.

Mo Lin was delicious food, a beautiful piece of art, someone who made him feel at ease.