by Mi Lei
Xing Zhisen lowered his head again, his smile and casual tone gone. Awkwardly, he wrapped his shackled hands around his skull and began slowly combing his fingers through his hair.
"...The school asked all parents to drop off and pick up their children. On the seventh of August, the parents of three students did not come to pick them up. Xing Na decided to drop them off herself. She never came back…" He choked, unable to continue. His combing had turned to desperate pulling and tearing. As he ripped at his hair, a guttural sound – eerily reminiscent of a dying animal – escaped from deep within his chest.
Fang Mu took his hands and quietly asked. "Why didn't you question the three families? Maybe one of them could have provided a lead."
"I did, but they refused to talk. And before I knew it, they had all left the city." Xing Zhisen's face had drained of all color. "I told them not to leave."
"And that's why..." Fang Mu left the question half-finished.
"Yes," Xing Zhisen continued. "When I sent Ding Shucheng undercover, it was not just for the investigation; he was to deliver me whoever was behind it, so that I could kill him with my own hands."
"Are you saying..." there was a pause between each word, "that you ordered Ding Shucheng to help you kill a man?"
"Yes." A grim smile drew across Xing Zhisen's face. "I assume you're disappointed in me."
"Why didn't you let the law handle it?" Fang Mu asked immediately.
Xing Zhisen laughed as he shook his head. "Sure, if I had reported it, we could have soon arrested one or two of them, but what would that accomplished? There's a legion of Hu Yingbos out there, ready to take the fall for the right money. And even if we caught whoever is behind all this, even if we had irrefutable evidence against him, what would it mean? The death penalty? Strap him to a gurney? Inject him with pentobarbital? Wait until he is asleep before injecting the potassium chloride? All comfortable, just like he was fucking sleeping?" He suddenly broke into a roar. "They cut Xing Na's arms and legs off!"
Fang Mu sat in silence, his eyes on Xing Zhisen. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to help him out of the van, get the man a gun, and then let him blow the brains out of whoever had done this atrocity. Pushing back against the rage, he struggled to steady his voice. "What happened then?"
Xing Zhisen stared at the van floor, eyes bulging. Heaving a ragged breath, he shuddered one more time. His body seemed to sink in on itself and his heavy eyelids dropped shut. "Young Ding sent me a message," he began quietly, weak with memory. "We had agreed that he would put a cross on the note when everything was ready. So when I saw it..." He took a deep breath. "You know the rest."
"Did Ding Shucheng give you a name?" Fang Mu asked.
"No. That should have been my first warning," Xing Zhisen replied, looking at his feet. "My hunger for revenge clouded my judgment; that cross made me forget everything else."
Fang Mu let it sink in. "And that's all?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.
Xing Zhisen nodded, and then raised his head before gravely asking, "There are two things I would need your help with, if I can still ask anything of you."
"Tell me what you need," Fang Mu said with a nod.
"First, I do not know if I have managed to compromise Ding Shucheng's mission, but if I have, you must please help me contact him," Xing Zhisen halted briefly before continuing. "Second, if they have already gotten to Ding Shucheng, then just forget about all this. The enemy is more powerful than we can imagine. I will happily bear the consequences, no matter what the outcome, but I don't want anyone else to suffer."
Fang Mu could hardly bear to look at Xing Zhisen's drawn, frail face. Without another word, he rose and stepped out of the van. As he signaled the escorting officers, he felt Xing Zhisen's eyes linger on him.
Turning to close the door, Fang Mu looked into the suddenly aged face of his mentor one more time. "Live," he said somberly. "You must live."
CHAPTER
11
A Recording
Several days later, the Bureau reached its formal decision: Given the nature of Han Weiming's findings, it was agreed that the team would continue its work.
The investigation would maintain its focus on the woman, if she actually did exist, and her connection to the case. First and foremost, they had to find her body. A massive effort was undertaken to examine every unidentified female body both in Changhong City itself and the surrounding counties and cities. But no corpse could be found that matched Xing Zhisen's description. It was hardly a surprise; everyone on the team realized that they were looking for a needle in a haystack.
Xiao Wang continued his investigation of the Bay City Hotel, keeping Fang Mu abreast of his progress. By now he had learned that the Bay City Hotel had opened in 2001 and that its manager was one Jin Yongyu. Tax records and information collected by the Administration for Industry and Commerce showed no sign of suspicious or illegal activities. Under Xiao Wang's leadership, specialists examined the crime scene and surrounding rooms over and over again, but to no avail.
Fang Mu, too, continued his unofficial investigations, throwing everything and then some into his work. His main focus was finding Ding Shucheng. Hopefully, the vanished undercover agent would prove to be the key that unlocked this twisted mystery. Fang Mu did his best to not even consider the possibility that he might be dead or fled the city. It would be almost impossible for him to search outside Changhong City and the last thing he needed was another missing corpse.
All the work in the world could not banish the memory of that room. It remained burned into Fang Mu's mind, tormenting him with the terrible after-image of the thing in the freezer, the thing that was Xing Na.
The pain and confusion had removed all certainty that he was actually doing the right thing. Fang Mu wasn't even sure if his search made any difference at all, if anyone would gain anything if he was successful. Yet, he blindly rushed on.
It was Wednesday afternoon, the third regular meeting of the investigation team.
The time Xing Zhisen that could be held in pre-trial custody was rapidly approaching its statutory limits. The media, who had been closely watching the case from the very beginning, was well aware of this fact also. The public scrutiny left them with precious few options. If they did not find evidence of Xing Zhisen's innocence soon, the Municipal Bureau would be forced to transfer the case to the Procuratorate for prosecution. Once that happened, it would become almost impossible for the Bureau to influence events.
Faced with the pressure of a looming deadline and a complete lack of progress, the investigation team sat in glum silence around the meeting room table. The air was so thick with frustration that it would have surprised no one if it became tangible enough to come crashing down on their heads like a slab of slate.
They were just listening to Xiao Wang's report on the external officer's activities when someone burst into the room.
Zheng Lin immediately rushed toward the commissioner.
The commissioner was hardly amused. "Zheng Lin, we are in the middle of a meeting. Wait outside."
"I know. I am here because of the case," Zheng Lin continued his stride, stopping right in front of the table. "We have made a major discovery."
The interrogation room was barely 10-feet-square, barely large enough for the table and man sitting in a chair. With the entire investigation team rushing into the small space, it was instantly unbearably crowded. The commissioner, who had been the first in, was soon being jostled and pushed from behind.
He turned and pointed at Fang Mu, Xiao Wang, and Zheng Lin in turn. "You, you and you, stay. Everyone else, out."
With the room cleared, he turned back to the young man sitting behind the table. Calmly, the commissioner asked him, "What's your name?"
As the young man looked up, Fang Mu and Xiao Wang quickly exchanged a knowing glance.
It was Jing Xu, the guard from the security control room at the Bay City Hotel.
Jing Xu obviously did not relish the idea of being s
tuck in a small room full of police officers. He shifted uncomfortably as his eyes darted from one solemn face to the next. What he did not do, was answer the commissioner.
After a while, Zheng Lin decided to speak for him. "His name is Jing Xu and he works as a security guard at the Bay City Hotel. He was on duty on the day of the incident."
"And?" The commissioner turned to Zheng Lin. "What's your major discovery?"
"A recording." Zheng Lin raised an envelope he had been carrying. "In here is a recording with a full, clear view of the corridor outside the room on the day of the crime."
Fang Mu could only stare in disbelief. Transfixed by the envelope, he was suddenly gripped by a terrible suspicion why Zheng Lin had taken the tapes from the Bay City Hotel. He could only hope that he was wrong.
"A recording?" The commissioner's eyes were wide with shock. Turning back to Jing Xu, he asked, "Didn't maintenance work force you to turn off the security system?"
Jing Xu looked to the commissioner, then to Zheng Lin. Finally, his lips haltingly began to move. His mumbled response, however, remained entirely unintelligible.
"When it happened, several of the cameras had already rebooted," Zheng Lin answered in his stead. "And one of those was the camera on the south side of the sixth floor. Luckily for us, it was pointing straight down the corridor."
The commissioner glanced over to Zheng Lin before returning his attention to Jing Xu. "Why ever has it taken you so long to hand us this tape?"
"I..." Jing Xu's head sunk. "I..."
"He was afraid of reprisal and he wanted to keep the hotel out of trouble." It was Zheng Lin who again answered.
The commissioner spun back to Zheng Lin, a deep scowl on his face.
Fang Mu's heart had begun to pound in his chest. The sense of foreboding he had felt before was slowly turning into horrible reality.
The commissioner motioned toward the door. "All right then; let's watch this recording."
The recording contained a total of one hour and 40 minutes of footage. There was nothing of interest in the first 80 minutes, only the empty corridor and the occasional hotel staffer. At 4:13 p.m., a tall man entered the corridor. Even though they could only see his back, his clothing left little doubt; it had to be Xing Zhisen.
Immediate excitement filled the meeting room where they were watching the tape. All eyes were now glued to the monitor. The man on the recording entered Room 624 and for a while tranquility returned to the corridor on the screen. It lasted for two minutes and 12 seconds, and then the door was thrown wide open and a man burst out onto the corridor. Seconds later, the tall man was after him in hot pursuit. Light poured through the open doorway, illuminating the carpet of the room and the corridor beyond. It instantly caught Fang Mu's attention. Straining his eyes and mind, he attempted to understand what it meant in relation to the inside of the room. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Zheng Lin, you damn fool!
Roughly 10 seconds later, three people appeared on the screen. There was nothing remarkable or uniform about the way they dressed, but their faces were all covered by surgical masks. They quickly entered Room 624 and closed the door behind them. One minute and 20 seconds later, two of them reemerged, carrying something long and heavy between them. It could easily have been a carpet, wrapped around a human corpse. The last man followed close behind, carrying an overly stuffed black plastic bag. The three men quickly made their way to the bottom of the screen where they disappeared from view.
The commissioner was standing ramrod-straight, resting his hand on his chin as he watched. He remained silent for a few long moments after the video had finished. Then, he signaled everyone but Zheng Lin to leave the room.
Xiao Wang seemed to buzz with excitement as they stepped out into the corridor. "That solves it! Now we can prove that Old Xing was telling the truth."
Fang Mu offered him only a sour smile in response. Wordlessly, he turned to the window.
It was freezing outside. The trees lining the street below had all long lost their last leaves. Below them, he could see pedestrians, bloated by thick coats and sweaters. They walked by quickly, hugging themselves to ward off the cold. It was freezing outside, but inside, Fang Mu's heart felt far colder than the harshest chill of winter.
Suddenly voices rose from inside the meeting room. They could make out some of what the commissioner was yelling.
"...were doing, you brainiac… Don't you think things were bad enough as it was?"
Zheng Lin's voice joined the verbal battle. He was quietly but forcefully trying to explain. But Fang Mu could hear that the captain, too, was on the verge of shouting.
Fang Mu looked back to the door. As he turned, his eyes met Xiao Wang's. The officer from Suijing City was listening to the argument with focused attention, a lit cigarette in one hand held forgotten at his chest. The two shared a look of dismay.
The door was suddenly thrown open and the commissioner, red-faced with rage, stepped out. His eyes went from Xiao Wang to Fang Mu and back again. He pointed at Fang Mu and loudly commanded, "You, in here!"
Fang Mu hurried into the room. He was barely inside when the commissioner slammed the door behind him. Fang Mu saw that Zheng Lin was glowering, his hands at his waist. He glanced at Fang Mu and then quickly turned away.
"Good. Young Fang, talk to us." Even though he was addressing Fang Mu, the commissioner was sending an imperious glare at Zheng Lin. "What do you think of this recording?"
Fang Mu was certain there was no point in trying to hide it. Even so, he attempted to catch Zheng Lin's eye. The captain returned his look. His gaze seemed to waver, almost pleading.
"No need to look at him! Just tell me what you think!" the commissioner demanded briskly.
Fang Mu felt the heat of the senior officers press on him, their eyes on him like lasers, ready to slice right through his skin.
"The recording is a fake," he quietly stated, head drooping.
"See! See!" The commissioner threw his hands up melodramatically. He slammed them down onto the table. "Young Fang is no technical specialist, yet he spotted it." He exhaled sharply. "Do you really think the people from material evidence are all idiots?"
Zheng Lin ignored the commissioner. Keeping his eyes fixed on Fang Mu, he asked, "Why do you think it's a fake?"
Fang Mu lifted his head. Struggling to calm his voice, he answered, "The incident happened around four in the afternoon. At that time, the sun is in the west. Room Six-Twenty-Four is in the southern part of the hotel, so the sunlight should not have been streaming through the window and into the corridor. Your recording had to have been from around one in the afternoon."
Zheng Lin was dumbstruck. With panic mounting in his eyes, the captain's entire body began to shake. He had to grab hold of the table to steady himself. "It was 12:30," he said, a quivering smile spreading across his face. "It was hard to set-up at the right time."
As he finished, his gaze dropped to his feet like a brick. He stood rooted to the spot, not moving a muscle.
Silence. It slowly spread between the three men, growing ever thicker. It became a thing, resting heavily on their shoulders, weighing on every belabored breath.
It seemed like forever before the commissioner finally spoke again. "Who are those clowns? I gather it was Young Hai and Little Zhan. Who else?"
Zheng Lin slowly looked up, his face ashen. He was about to answer when the commissioner cut him off with a wave of the hand. "Leave it. I don't want to know. You come up with some pretext to get rid of that kid from the hotel security, and that's the end of this entire, sad affair. Never mention it again!"
Zheng Lin weakly suggested, "Can't we just use the recording? Won't it work?"
"Fuck!" The commissioner flipped a chair with an angry kick. "Are you fucking insane? This is falsified evidence! It's corruption! Do you really think that's going to help Old Xing?"
A knock came to the door. A moment later it opened and Xiao Wang cautiously popped his head into the room and quietly asked the commissioner, "
Have you wrapped things up?"
"What's the matter?" the commissioner replied sharply. "Speak up!"
"Just now…that…" Xiao Wang was clearly flustered. "Sir, it would be best if you come down and see for yourself."
The commissioner cursed under his breath, but strode out of the room.
It was now only Fang Mu and Zheng Lin in the room. There was palpable tension in the air.
For a few moments, the silence returned.
Fang Mu quietly asked, "Why did you do it?"
Zheng Lin exhaled deeply before answering. "I've worked with Old Xing for over a decade now. I had to do something."
"But what you did made no sense!" Fang Mu's tone turned to a roar. "All you did was get yourself into trouble."
"I'm not afraid." Zheng Lin defiantly raised his head. There was something faithfully proud in his eyes glinting at Fang Mu. "I would do anything for Old Xing!"
"The commissioner is right." Fang Mu's jaw set. "You really are fucking insane!" He turned to leave, but Zheng Lin caught his arm. Fang Mu wanted to shake him off, but the captain held on tight.
"Tell me! What did Old Xing say to you?" There was a feverish edge to Zheng Lin's voice and eyes. "We can help you!"
"I can't tell you." Fang Mu decided not to fight; instead he quietly added, "Because I don't trust you."
"What? You actually..." Zheng Lin's face contorted. He looked as if his guts had been ripped from his body. "We've known each other for how long?… We've worked together…"
"The way things are..." Fang Mu now pried Zheng Lin's hands off his arm, punching every syllable, "I trust no one!"