by Zhou HaoHui
‘But why would he pick it up?’ TSO Zeng asked.
Before anyone could answer, one of the officers came racing back, shouting, ‘I found it, Captain!’ Inside his large evidence bag was the other piece of styrofoam. It looked like an unremarkable piece of packaging, identical to the one found on the terrace except that it was slightly larger and had no bloodstains.
‘Photograph it, pack it up and take it back to headquarters,’ Pei instructed Lieutenant Yin. He turned to the group in charge of scouring the terrace. ‘Keep up the good work,’ he said. ‘I want you to expand your search radius to one hundred metres and go over the ground with a fine-tooth comb. Focus your efforts on the south side of the building.’
The officers quickly went to work.
‘Let’s go back inside the building,’ Pei told the rest of the task force.
The lobby was crowded with black-uniformed Longyu Corporation guards. Nearly the entire workforce was there and a group of officers from the criminal police were busy taking down their accounts.
Pei glanced over at the reception desk and was shocked to see two familiar faces sitting there – together. ‘What’s he doing?’ he muttered irritably.
SPU Captain Liu looked up and scowled. The two individuals casually talking to each other as they sat in front of the reception desk made an odd pair – the Longyu Corporation’s Brother Hua and the online reporter Du Mingqiang.
‘I told you to wait inside the security room, Du,’ Liu said, not bothering to hide his frustration. ‘What are you doing out here?’
Du uncrossed his legs and said calmly, ‘I was simply conducting an interview at the scene of the crime. As a reporter, how could I pass up an opportunity like this?’
Liu grabbed the journalist’s arm in an attempt to haul him out of his chair. ‘Get out of here! Are you trying to cause trouble?’
Brother Hua, however, grabbed Du’s other arm. ‘I don’t think that’s what he’s doing at all, Officer. Since this man has himself been issued with one of Eumenides’ death notices, he has the right to know what happened. And as a reporter, he has a duty to tell the public the truth.’
Newly confident now that he had Brother Hua’s support, Du sat up tall in his seat. ‘I’m a law-abiding citizen and we’re on Longyu Corporation property. As long as I have Mr Hua’s permission, you have no authority to stop me from speaking with him.’
SPU Captain Liu snarled but then restrained himself. He looked over at Captain Pei, as though waiting for him to make a decision.
‘You shouldn’t let him interview you,’ Pei said to Brother Hua. ‘He’s just an online journalist specialising in sensationalist stories. If today’s events start circulating online, it’ll cause a public panic.’
‘I know he’s an online reporter. That’s why I agreed to be interviewed by him. The traditional media is toothless. I would never waste my time with them. Just a few days ago, the television news reported that Eumenides was already dead and that the killer’s reign of terror was over. Which is patently absurd.’
Pei grimaced. He had no great love for the media either, but he wasn’t about to let Brother Hua get the upper hand in this conversation.
‘I won’t stand by and let Eumenides dominate the headlines,’ Brother Hua said. ‘I need to make my voice heard. People online are calling Eumenides a hero. Don’t they realise that each of these bloody assassinations is a new act of evil? That the victims had friends and families of their own, people who loved them. Who will speak for the victims?’
The sincerity in Brother Hua’s words caught Pei by surprise.
Puffing out his chest, Du said, ‘I’m determined to record their experiences and show the public what kind of person Eumenides truly is. He’s no hero; he’s simply a killer who murders in the name of justice.’
Pei eyed Du and began to consider how he might use the reporter to his advantage. Brother Hua was right about one thing: people were sympathetic to Eumenides. In fact, the police were having a difficult time bringing the public onside. Eumenides had received a lot of attention from the moment he’d first posted his manifesto online. And once he’d carried out his sentences against those individuals who were targets of online gossip and rage – the hit-and-run businesswoman Ye Shaohong; the Jade Garden owner Guo Meiran who’d bullied her lover’s ex wife; the students who’d humiliated their teacher – public admiration for him grew. Just as Brother Hua said, Eumenides had become a hero.
People shared his manifesto on countless message boards and social media platforms. The internet-monitoring division of the Sichuan police was exhausted from the effort it took to combat these posts. Perhaps it was time for an opposing voice to emerge, for someone to expose the truth behind the killings. After all, China was changing. Citizens had more options for obtaining information and were more open-minded than ever. The best way to steer public opinion would be to provide people with more information and let them draw their own conclusions.
‘How do you intend to approach this article?’ Pei asked Du.
‘I won’t play up the gore, if that’s what you’re worried about,’ Du said, with one eyebrow raised. ‘I’m a journalist with a sense of social responsibility, not some tabloid reporter. What I’m concerned with is exploring the consequences behind the killings. For instance, the pain that these murders have caused in the victims’ family and friends.’
‘What about the crimes that Eumenides listed for each of his targets – how will you deal with those?’
Du snickered. ‘That’s going to be a major focus of the article.’
When Pei grunted in confusion, Du hurriedly explained. ‘You see,’ he said, ‘Eumenides accused both Vice President Meng and Vice President Lin of colluding with organised crime. But what Eumenides didn’t realise was that Meng went to jail for that over a decade ago. He was only released four years ago, in fact. So the law had already punished Meng. Eumenides’ involvement was unnecessary, even by the twisted logic of his own manifesto. Meng cleaned up considerably after his release. He became a model citizen and even found religion. Taking all that into account, how could Eumenides possibly defend his decision to murder Vice President Meng?’
Pei scratched his chin as he thought about Du’s perspective. Was he right? If so, Eumenides had just murdered an innocent man. If they revealed as much to the public, it might be enough to persuade the killer’s supporters to switch their allegiances.
But Pei had no illusions about the true Du Mingqiang. He was flippant and impetuous, and even the mildest compliment would inflate his ego. Pei kept his expression deadpan as he pretended to mull over Du’s words. He turned to SPU Captain Liu.
‘Bring me Du’s article once he’s finished it. If it meets with my approval, we’ll let him publish it. But if the final version differs in any way from what we discussed today, order TSO Zeng to strip all of his online accounts of publishing privileges.’
Liu let go of Du. ‘Certainly, Captain.’
The journalist crossed his legs again and leant back in his seat. He drew his lips back in a wide, cocky smile.
Pei returned his attention to the investigation at hand. ‘Brother Hua, tell Brother Long to come here. I’d like the two of you to accompany me upstairs in a moment.’
‘Is there a problem?’ Brother Hua asked cautiously.
‘Brother Long mentioned a certain drawer in Mayor Deng’s desk,’ Pei said. ‘One that wouldn’t open.’
‘That was his private drawer. I don’t have a key and I don’t know where Mayor Deng kept his, either.’
‘I understand. However, it’s important to our investigation that we open that drawer and I should warn you that I will do so with whatever means necessary. It would be helpful for all of us if you accompany me when I do this,’ Pei said, staring Hua firmly in the eye.
‘If you think it’s important…’ Hua said, nodding.
Several minutes later, Captain Pei, SPU Captain Liu, Brother Hua and Brother Long stepped out of the lift on the eighteenth floor.
/> Inside the office, the forensic investigators were still busy collecting samples from the bodies and photographing the room. Pei and the others steered clear of the bodies and walked straight to the imposing desk at the centre of the room.
‘I’m confirming that I have your permission to open the drawer,’ Pei said to Hua, his tone making it clear that this was not a question.
‘Of course,’ Hua answered.
‘Go ahead and pick the lock,’ Pei said to SPU Captain Liu.
Liu inserted a long thin tool into the lock. A few seconds later, a soft click resonated from inside the desk. Liu pulled, and the drawer slid open. Brother Hua and Brother Long both craned their necks to look inside.
The drawer was empty.
‘That can’t be right,’ Pei said.
Liu ran his gloved hands over the smooth wood of the drawer’s interior. ‘Sorry, Captain, there’s nothing in here.’
‘Try pulling the drawer out of the desk,’ Long offered.
Liu did exactly that. When he turned the drawer over, he saw something that made him suck his breath through his teeth. A plain white envelope was taped to the bottom of the drawer.
Pei felt just as tense. He put on his latex gloves and, using a thin knife, carefully cut the envelope free from the tape at its edges. Holding it up so that the others could see, he opened the envelope and pulled out the slip of paper inside.
The paper contained five neatly printed lines of text.
Death Notice
THE ACCUSED: Brother Hua
CRIME: Collusion with organised crime
DATE OF PUNISHMENT: 5 November
EXECUTIONER: Eumenides
In the uncomfortable silence that followed, all eyes turned to Brother Hua. He clenched his jaw and his eyes burnt. But if he was afraid, he didn’t show it.
‘That bastard. He’s trying to kill us all, isn’t he?’
To Pei’s surprise, it was Brother Long who’d said that. He was trembling, but his teeth were set tight in an expression of raw defiance.
‘Your name isn’t on that paper,’ Hua said, glaring at him. ‘What do you have to be afraid of?’
‘It’ll be my turn soon enough,’ Long insisted, his voice quivering. ‘First it was Mayor Deng, then Sheng. Then he took out Vice President Lin and Vice President Meng, and now he’s coming for you. I’m next!’
‘Who’s Sheng?’ Pei asked.
‘He was one of Mayor Deng’s most trusted men. A few days ago he was killed in a so-called car accident. But Brother Hua and the others all guessed that Eumenides was behind it.’
Pei glanced at Liu and his expression hardened. Opening the drawer had complicated this investigation far more than he’d anticipated. After weighing up his options, he pulled Liu aside. ‘I’m going to meet with the rest of the team at ten o’clock,’ he said, keeping his voice low. ‘Take Du back home. Keep an eye on him while he writes his article.’
*
6 a.m.
Sichuan Conservatory of Music
While the rest of the school was still asleep, one young woman walked alone through the dark campus. Dressed in a simple outfit of black and white, she looked like a lily floating through the morning fog.
Her steps were soft and graceful, and she moved at a slow pace. Her guide dog and companion, Niuniu, led the way. The two of them continued down the corridor until they arrived at a small practice studio.
For her, every day began at the studio. Because she was not currently enrolled at the conservatory, she needed to get there early, before any students or staff turned up. Once classes began at 8 a.m., she would sidle back out into the early-morning sun. She couldn’t bear to go a single day without practising. If she didn’t practise, her arms felt heavy and clumsy, as if the musical part of her had begun to atrophy. It was like losing another of her senses.
She removed her beloved instrument from its case and propped it against her shoulder. She pursed her lips together in a thin straight line, took a breath and drew the bow across the strings. An elegant, leisurely melody poured from her instrument, seeping out through the closed door and into the autumn air. With her eyes shut, the young woman revelled in this world of music. A world that was all her own.
The piece ended and silence engulfed the room. Niuniu, who’d been lying at her feet, sprang up and started barking at the door. The young woman set down her violin and cocked her head in curiosity. She concentrated, straining to detect any noises coming from outside.
There were three knocks on the door. ‘Is anyone in here?’ a male voice asked.
The door was unlocked, but she didn’t hear any creaking of hinges, so she allowed herself to relax. ‘Who’s there?’ she called out.
‘Is that Ms Zheng Jia?’ the man asked.
Her mouth fell open in surprise. She hesitated, unsure of what to say.
‘I have a package that I’m supposed to deliver to someone named Zheng Jia at seven thirty this morning.’
‘You can come in,’ she finally said, lowering herself onto the stool beside her.
The deliveryman gently pushed the door open and she heard him walk in. ‘It’s your birthday today, isn’t it? Someone ordered a cake for you online.’
She stiffened. Yes, it was her birthday. Since her father’s death, she’d all but forgotten about it. But apparently someone else had not.
‘Who’s it from?’
‘I don’t know. They paid anonymously. I’m just the person making the delivery.’ The man hesitated. ‘Happy birthday,’ he added in a forced tone.
‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling.
‘Um, I’ll put the cake on the bench then.’
‘Wait. You’re leaving already?’
‘I have other deliveries to make.’
She bit her lip. ‘Could you stay just one more minute? If you could, I’d like you to describe the cake for me. What does it look like? I can’t see.’
The man stopped in his tracks. She heard the soft swish of cardboard against cardboard.
‘It’s a small cake but a gorgeous one. It’s gold, with a thick layer of white icing on top. There’s a violin made of chocolate in the middle, all black and glossy. There are bright red musical notes dancing all around the violin. They look like they’re made of jam.’
She turned her left ear towards the man’s voice as she listened. As his words painted a picture in her head, a smile crept across her face.
‘Is there anything written on it?’
‘Of course. It says, “Happy Twenty-First Birthday, Zheng Jia!”’
‘Is it signed?’ she asked, lifting her chin in anticipation.
‘No. There’s no other name on the cake.’
‘Oh.’ She bent over and gently petted Niuniu’s head with her fingers. The dog sat down obediently at her feet.
‘This is my guide dog. Her name is Niuniu,’ she said.
The man chuckled. ‘She looks like a good girl. Cute, too.’
‘Niuniu is always very cautious around strangers,’ she said, lowering her voice. ‘But she hasn’t barked once since you entered the room.’
There was no sound from the other side of the practice studio.
Her sightless eyes stared directly at the man across from her. She heard a floorboard creak as he shifted his stance.
Finally, she summoned the courage to ask him.
‘Is it you?’
He let out a long breath, as though casting off a great burden. ‘You might not be able to see, but I can’t hide anything from you.’
‘It really is you,’ she said. But there was still some doubt in her mind. ‘What happened to your voice?’
‘I disguised it. But you still saw right through it. Oh, please excuse my turn of phrase.’
She heard a soft ripping sound. Tape being pulled off skin?
‘That’s more comfortable,’ he said, the youthful energy returning to his voice.
It was the voice that she remembered. Smiling in genuine surprise, she stood up from the stool. But her exci
tement was short-lived. ‘Why did you try to trick me?’
‘I didn’t want you to know I was here,’ he said with sincerity.
‘Were you afraid I’d be a burden?’
‘No, not at all. It’s just that I… I’ve got myself into a bit of hot water lately. There’s no need to worry you. And I didn’t want to drag you into it.’
He seemed genuine to her. Despite her suspicions, she felt a pang of concern for him. ‘What sort of trouble are you talking about?’
‘I can take care of it,’ he said calmly.
She believed him. ‘Do you want to sit down for a minute?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice friendly. ‘That is, if you’re not in a hurry to leave.’ She tried not to sound desperate, but she was truly very grateful for his company.
‘Of course.’ He moved to the bench across from her and sat down. ‘I can’t stay long, though.’
She nodded in understanding, felt her way over and took a seat next to him. ‘You said you’ve been very busy lately. I didn’t think I was going to see you for a while.’
‘Today’s a special day. I found the time, of course.’
She grinned. ‘Just to give me a cake?’
‘Everyone wants to get a cake on their birthday, don’t they?’
If anyone else had said that to her, she would have burst into giggles. Coming from him, though, it wasn’t sentimental or silly. His words felt solemn and sincere.
‘Please cut me a slice,’ she whispered. She almost thought she heard him smile, the slight noise of the crinkling of his cheeks. ‘I guess today was a good day to skip breakfast,’ she joked.
The bench creaked and she heard the rustling of plastic utensils and paper plates. Seconds later, a new aroma hit her nostrils. Sweet and rich.
She sniffed again. The icing must have been held right in front of her, but when she reached out for the cake she couldn’t feel anything. She heard him trying to hold back a snicker and she grinned.