by Zijin Chen
Business was always good in the evenings. The tables were full, and everyone looked up when the officers approached the counter. Guo Yu was the only one who looked down, hunching his shoulders over the table closest to the counter and farthest from the door. His reaction didn’t escape Lin’s notice. He stopped at the counter as Huiru did her best to act welcoming. “Would you like something to eat, officers?”
“Not today, thanks,” Lin smiled. “We just need to take your fingerprints. It shouldn’t take long; don’t worry.”
“Fingerprints?” Huiru looked confused.
Lin coughed and lowered his voice, but Guo Yu could still hear everything. “Yes, we found some prints at the scene of the crime and think they might match the killer. We need to collect prints from everyone involved in the case. It’s a funny story, actually. Guess where we found them?”
“I don’t know,” Huiru answered quietly. She had a feeling he was testing her.
“There were eleven cans at the scene of the crime, and each was wiped clean with a cloth. Then we found a twelfth can behind a tree. It was empty, but the prints were intact. I assume that it was dark and the killer missed it when cleaning up the scene.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She remembered touching some of the cans before Luo told her to stop. He had promised to wipe off all the fingerprints.
Did one of the cans go unnoticed? Or were the officers just testing her again?
She forced herself to stay calm. “Oh . . . well, that means you’ll probably find the killer pretty soon. Do you want to take my fingerprints right now?”
“Yes.” Lin looked at Li, who took out a piece of special paper and asked Huiru to press her fingers on it.
Huiru had no choice but to obey.
“Can you get your brother here? I’d like to take his fingerprints too.” Lin said.
Huiru went to the kitchen to get her brother. He nervously put his hands on the paper and gave his sister a look of concern before wordlessly returning to the kitchen.
Lin curled his lips in a smile as Li turned to Guo Yu’s table without missing a beat. “Oh, hello, Guo Yu. We need your fingerprints for the case too. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
Guo Yu’s smile was somewhat forced, but he did as he was asked.
As they left the restaurant, Lin reflected on their guilty faces. But he would have to wait until tonight before knowing if he got a match.
Luo came into the restaurant one hour later. He looked intently at the menu. Before he could order, Huiru whispered, “The police were here today. They took my fingerprints and I—”
“Noodles with beef, please!” Luo said, interrupting her. “I need to take care of some things. Could you deliver them to my apartment as soon as they’re ready?”
Ten minutes later, Luo let Huiru into his apartment. “Make it quick; it’s possible that a plainclothes officer is following you.”
That only made her more nervous.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Luo said awkwardly.
“It’s fine. About an hour ago the officers came to see me again. They wanted fingerprints, not just mine but Guo Yu’s and Fulai’s too.”
Luo frowned. “Of course, your brother lied yesterday, so now they suspect him too. But it won’t affect you; he doesn’t have anything to do with the case.”
She nodded. “The police said that they found a can behind a tree, and that they think the fingerprints on that can belong to the killer.”
“That’s it?” Luo smiled gently.
“Uh huh.” Huiru looked uncertain.
“So you’re worried that I missed a can?”
“Um, I . . .” She didn’t know how to answer. He had done so much to help them. She couldn’t blame him if he overlooked something.
“Were you worried when they spoke to you?”
“I . . . I felt pretty nervous, and it probably showed.”
“I told you before, no matter what they say, you can’t look like you’re afraid of them.” Luo knitted his eyebrows.
Huiru’s eyes welled with tears. “It’s all my fault, all my fault . . .”
“Don’t blame yourself. I expected too much of you two. Anyone who is interrogated by the police is going to feel nervous. But remember, if someone acts unnatural during an interview, the cops may get suspicious, but if they can’t find any evidence, they’ll assume you’re just not used to speaking to the police.”
“Do you mean that?” Her expression brightened.
“Those aren’t your fingerprints on the can.”
“Then whose are they?” She looked up quickly. “Are they yours?”
“Don’t think about it,” Luo said, avoiding the question with a wry smile. “Now you just have to face a few more questions. Did you tell your brother that you’re going to buy a new phone tomorrow?”
“Uh huh. He didn’t say anything about it.”
“Good. Then everything is going to plan. OK, you should go before it gets suspicious.” Luo gave her an encouraging smile.
Huiru felt her heart pounding as she left Luo’s apartment. Did he really leave his fingerprints on the can? Wasn’t that an enormous risk? Why was he so intent on helping them anyway?
Chapter 35
“None of the fingerprints are a match,” Gu reported in Lin’s office.
“None of them?” Lin’s mouth fell open.
“Of course. Why are you so surprised? I told you that neither Zhu Huiru or Guo Yu could be the killer. Their alibis are rock solid.”
“But Zhu Fulai doesn’t have an alibi, does he?”
“I don’t see why you have any reason to suspect him,” Gu replied, his disdain showing. “He has a lame leg and trouble walking. And I hear that somewhere between ten and thirty thousand yuan were scattered in that park. Where would a migrant worker get that kind of money?”
“I . . .” Lin was stumped.
“What do you have against them anyway? You should follow the clues and stop wasting valuable time,” Gu said aggressively.
“I’m not wasting time. I think there’s something fishy here. We need to keep investigating until we get to the bottom of it.” He explained how Zhu Huiru and her brother gave different accounts about the knife yesterday.
“That’s it?” He snorted in disgust. “You’re letting an initial hunch get the best of you. The knife was bought months ago; it’s reasonable that Fulai would forget about it.”
“No, listen,” Lin said, shaking his head. “You didn’t see the looks on their faces!”
“You mean they looked nervous and stammered? Did they seem to want to avoid being investigated by the police?” Gu said.
“How did you know?” Lin said, surprised.
“That’s a very normal reaction!” Gu looked disgusted. “You and your colleagues have visited that restaurant four times in three days about a murder investigation. Any normal person would be nervous—don’t you agree?”
“Uh . . .” Lin considered it for a moment. “I guess so.”
“Were they that nervous the first time you asked them about the case?”
“I didn’t go on the first day; it was Song and Li. They, uh, said that the suspects acted normally.”
“There you go. I’ve known you for many years. When an aggressive cop like yourself comes along, anyone would get a little scared, don’t you think?”
Lin nodded, feeling embarrassed. But something was off. “You’ve been pretty aggressive yourself today. What’s wrong?”
“I’m not happy with the way you’re handling this investigation. You’re wasting time, and that means I have to keep working overtime. Comparing fingerprints is not rocket science; anyone can do it. I don’t think it’s necessary for me sign my name on every report.”
“OK, I get it; I’ve been asking too much of you. I’ll lay off,” Lin said sincerely.
“I’ve known you for years, and you’ve never changed.” Gu softened. “Besides, you shouldn’t worry so much about this case; you’re not going to crack it just b
y sheer skill.”
“Old Gu, could you have a little bit more confidence in me?” Lin said. “We’re only a few days into the case.”
“Stop dreaming. I don’t even think you could solve it if we gave you a few years.”
Lin’s face flushed with displeasure. “You make it sound like this is my first day on the job! I’ve solved more crimes than anyone else in the bureau.”
“I know,” Gu chuckled. “Everyone in the West Hangzhou Bureau wishes they could crack as many cases as you, but that isn’t going to make a difference here.”
“Do you know who did it?”
“No, but I do know that the Zhejiang Bureau and the Hangzhou Bureau dedicated an awful lot of manpower to solve an important serial murder, and they still weren’t able to catch him.”
“What are you talking about?” Lin looked seriously at Gu.
“Do you know anything about the case that Zhao is working on?”
“Captain Zhao, yes.” Lin’s eyes grew wide. “You mean . . . ?”
“I was flipping through the papers sent down from the Hangzhou Bureau today, and the fingerprints looked very familiar. I just confirmed it—they’re a match.”
Lin sat up and swallowed.
Even with the combined experience of criminal investigators and police officers, they had never come close to finding the serial killer.
His throat suddenly felt very dry.
PART 5
AN EQUATION WITHOUT A SOLUTION
Chapter 36
The West Hangzhou Bureau director and vice director walked briskly towards Lin’s office. Captain Zhao followed close behind.
“Lieutenant Lin, you remember Captain Zhao,” the director said. “Your murder case is going to be handed over to the special task force of the Hangzhou Bureau. We need your full cooperation on this.”
Lin nodded. He had worked with Zhao a handful of times. He was known for cracking cases. Plus, as a captain, Zhao’s rank was higher than Lin’s.
Lin handed over a bundle of case files. Zhao accepted them graciously. “If I have any questions, I’ll let you know.”
“Certainly.”
Zhao went to the small meeting room next door and pored over the records. Other members of the special task force met with the West Hangzhou officers assigned to the murder case.
He read and reread the section on the crime scene investigation, but just skimmed the part about Xu Tianding’s friends and enemies. They were looking for a serial killer, which eliminated a lot of potential suspects.
But as he quickly went down the list, one name leapt off the page.
Luo Wen? He checked the man’s occupation. Chairman and technical senior consultant of Pro Micromeasurement Instruments Company, Ltd.
His eyes narrowed. Luo Wen is a pretty rare name. Could this be the same Luo Wen from Ningbo? he thought.
He was forty-eight years old and had a Ningbo identity card.
Is it really him?
Zhao stood and went into Lin’s office. He pointed at Luo’s name. “Have you spoken to this man?”
“No,” Lin said, shaking his head. “Someone else on the team interviewed him.”
They summoned Investigator Li immediately to look at a picture of Luo from an old news article. “You’ve seen him; is this the same guy?” Lin asked.
Li looked carefully and quickly confirmed Zhao’s guess. “Yes, that’s him, although he looks much older now.”
“Of course he does,” Zhao said. “The picture here is several years old.” He frowned slightly. “I can’t believe he’s in Hangzhou.”
“Do you think he should be added to the list of suspects?” Lin asked, confused.
“What? No!” Zhao smiled. “I’m just surprised.”
“Well, what’s his story?” Lin asked.
“Do you know the former director of the Ningbo Public Security Bureau Criminal Science department, the one directing Forensics and Material Evidence?”
“I think so. You mean that’s him?”
“That’s right,” Zhao said, nodding. “He was one of the best forensic scientists in the country, an absolute genius. He is the editor of many forensic science books and worked for the Criminal Investigation Division of the Zhejiang Public Security Bureau. He became the director of the Ningbo PSB before he even turned forty.”
“Why did he resign?” Lin asked, looking over the interview record.
“He wanted more money, surely. He’s the chairman and a senior consultant at this huge company. He must be rolling in it!”
“Definitely. He drove off in an Audi Q7,” Li answered.
“See? If he continued working for the bureau, he wouldn’t be able to buy himself a fancy car because others might criticize him. Now that he’s at a private company, he’s making more money and he can spend it however he wants. Did he give you any advice on the case when you saw him?”
“Not a word. We had no idea he used to be a forensic scientist. He seemed like he wasn’t the slightest bit interested in the case,” Li said.
“He used to be a cop; how could he not be a little curious?” Zhao murmured, thinking of Yan Liang.
Chapter 37
“Come on, old Zhao, the people who typically sit in this chair are doctoral students. What do you think you’re doing, charging in here with your puny bachelor’s degree?” Yan said angrily as Zhao pulled up a chair.
“You don’t have to be so grouchy. I have some good news for you.”
“Good news?” Yan smiled. “Did you catch the pervert?”
“Yep.”
“When will it be on the news?” Yan asked, leaning forward. After that embarrassing first day of class, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his students looked at him differently. He desperately wanted to clear his name.
“In the next few days,” Zhao answered.
“You don’t look very pleased about this.”
“The pervert’s not the killer. And we learned that the killer has struck again, in Hangzhou. It’s driving me crazy!”
“That’s odd. Why would there be another murder just a few days after the fourth? Doesn’t he usually wait about sixth months?” Yan asked.
“Yes, but this murder is totally different from the others. There was no Liqun cigarette, jump rope, or note. And the killer must have spent a lot of time cutting thin lines on the victim’s body. Still, the prints match. No one can figure out what it all means. Which is why I came to you.”
“I’m sorry, but if you can’t figure it out, there’s no way I can.” Yan knew exactly what Zhao was getting at and wanted to make it clear he was not going to get dragged into Zhao’s case.
“You’re sure you don’t want to help out?”
“I think I made myself clear already, Zhao.”
“Forget it,” Zhao sighed. “I knew you were going to be like this. I guess you also don’t want to hear about our new development.”
“What do you mean?”
“We stumbled upon Luo Wen.”
“So he’s working for the police again?” Yan asked, his eyes brightening.
“No, he’s doing well for himself at a big consulting firm. He got into an altercation with the latest victim over an abused dog. So our investigators ended up speaking to him.”
“Talk about a thorough investigation!” Yan chuckled.
“We didn’t know where to start,” Zhao protested. “We had no idea that the thug was killed by the serial murderer, so we had to start with the victim’s enemies. And if we hadn’t, we definitely would not have found Luo.”
“You should really speak to him instead. Luo’s got a real sense of justice. He always said that committing a crime was shameful, no matter the reason. That’s why he became a forensic scientist in the first place.” Yan paused to think. “He used every forensic technique at his disposal to bring criminals to justice. I know he’s not a cop anymore, but I’m sure he would give you some advice if you ask. He’s not like me; you know that.” Yan laughed somewhat uncomfortably.
&
nbsp; Zhao smiled but his mind was thinking about the past. Yan was the best criminologist Zhao had ever met, an expert at getting to the bottom of difficult cases by analyzing the behavior of the accused. But he didn’t play by the rules and was forced to resign after a disastrous mistake.
Zhao looked at Yan and shook his head. “My men said he didn’t seem interested in the case. He probably has his reasons, just like you.”
Zhao’s phone rang. He took the call, hung up, and immediately stood to leave. “Sorry, I have to take care of something. If you want to contact Luo, you can call this number.” He threw a piece of paper at Yan and strode out, a serious look on his face.
Chapter 38
It had been Lin on the phone. Apparently Zhang Bing, Xu’s best friend, was at the bureau reporting a threat. His family found a piece of paper at their doorstep that said “I’m coming for you next.” It was now at the Hangzhou Evidence Lab.
Zhejiang University was very close to the West Hangzhou Bureau. Zhao made it to his office in ten minutes. Lin immediately took him into a meeting room, where a young man with longish hair and a white undershirt sat cowering in his chair. He played with the cup of water in his hands.
Zhao coughed gently. “You’re Zhang Bing, is that right? Don’t be afraid; my colleagues and I take your safety very seriously. We won’t let anything happen to you. Now, could you tell me when you picked up that piece of paper?”
Zhang Bing looked up at Zhao’s calm and reassuring face. He swallowed. “It . . . my dad saw it when he was leaving the apartment. It was rolled up and wedged behind the door handle.”
“And the paper wasn’t there in the morning?”
“I didn’t leave the house this morning; I was on the computer all day. My dad left at about midday and he didn’t see anything then.”
“What time did your dad notice the paper, then?”
“Three o’clock. He told you, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Zhao said. “Have you noticed anyone suspicious lately?”
Zhang Bing thought carefully. “No, I don’t think so.”