Lin Xiaolan cried for some time before she gradually calmed down. Upon further reflection on her words, I noticed she stressed the phrase “personally experienced” twice. The more she repeated it, the more suspicious I grew.
What originally seemed evident became a puzzle once more. Xiaotao and I exchanged a meaningful look–there was no point in staying so we got up and said, "Ms. Lin, we're leaving!"
Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Lin Xiaolin resumed her previous aloofness. She looked out the window with her chin resting on her hand and ignored us.
"By the way, when did you hire the housekeeper?" I asked.
"Last year. Please leave now. I still have a job to do!" she snapped.
Before leaving the apartment, I observed the housekeeper who seemed to think I was interested in her. She winked suggestively at me, to which I quickly looked away.
Downstairs, Xiaotao sighed, "She’s a tough one. No wonder she’s not married!"
"The bullying might not have happened to Lin Xiaolan, but she must have something to do with the whole incident," I analyzed.
"Anyway, I'll send a few plainclothes officers to monitor her,” said Xiaotao. “She wouldn’t berate us online, would she?"
“She wouldn’t go that far, would she?!” I chuckled.
Xiaotao opened the Weibo app and found that Lin Xiaolan posted something new: "Coming to my house in the name of official business and ripping off my old scars, then leaving without so much as an apology! Cold-hearted monsters like them deserve to die!"
"Does she think I don’t have a Weibo account?!” stormed Xiaotao. “I’ll gladly return the favor!"
I stopped her, "Don't be impulsive! You might cause things to escalate!"
Xiaotao made a phone call and assigned two plainclothes officers to watch over Lin Xiaolan. The two of us left for lunch, after which Xiaotao returned to the station while I went back to the store.
After working with Luo Youyou for some time, we had quite a bit to chat about. Today, I noticed Luo Youyou looked rather gloomy so I curiously asked, "What's the matter? Did you and Dali have an argument?"
Luo Youyou pursed her lips, "Last night I peeked at Dali’s cell phone and found that he had been texting a girl named ‘Bingxin-meimei.’ They seemed to be getting along well. I was embarrassed to ask him directly but I would really like to know who this person is."
This two-timing bastard! How could he be thinking of Bingxin when he had Luo Youyou?!
"It’s the girl who went karaoke with us that day. She’s my childhood friend and we all know each other. Don’t worry, Dali is one hundred percent devoted to you!" I quickly assured her.
"What are you talking about, Song Yang?" Luo Youyou lowered her head, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.
What a slip of the tongue! They hadn't officially established a relationship and I must admit Dali was moving at a snail’s pace. I had to give him a good talking-to.
The rest of the day was peaceful, though my heart was gripped by anxiety. If Lin Xiaolan wasn’t the murderer, she was most likely the next victim and would be killed in the next two days.
That night, I received a phone call from Xiaotao. "Song Yang, something’s happened!” she cried in a fluster. “The two plainclothes officers I assigned to watch Lin Xiaolan lost track of her!"
"What's going on?" I queried.
Lin Xiaolan had left her apartment this evening to speak to her agent about her contract. After she exited the restaurant, the plainclothes officers followed her car but eventually realized that Lin Xiaolan wasn’t actually in the car. By the time they rushed back to the restaurant, she was already gone. They checked the apartment afterwards but found no signs of her.
"Are the officers still there?" I asked.
"Yes!"
"Let’s head to her apartment and see if the housekeeper is still there."
My concern was the housekeeper because there was no one else around Lin Xiaolan. According to the Imitator's pattern, the housekeeper was a suspicious character!
After a while, Xiaotao dropped by to pick me up. We were about to head to Lin Xiaolan's apartment when I changed my mind. "Wait a minute, let's go to school."
"Are you sure?"
"I don’t know. It’s my intuition talking,” I admitted.
On the way there, I tried calling Lin Xiaolan but her cell phone was turned off. The whole situation seemed suspicious.
Xiaotao ordered the other officers to look for Lin Xiaolan at her usual hangouts and assigned several of them to join us at the school.
When we arrived at the school grounds, we immediately dispersed and went in separate directions looking for Lin Xiaolan. As the students were on holiday, the entire school was currently empty. I proposed we check the girls’ dormitory. Led by the dormitory manager, Xiaotao and I soon arrived at the building where the students of ‘95 used to live.
The dormitory manager eagerly chatted with us on the way as most ordinary folks did when they saw the police on the move. However, we were on tenterhooks and too strung up to answer her inquiries about the case.
As soon as we reached the first floor, the overpowering smell of blood assaulted my nose.
I dashed towards the public restroom from where the smell emanated. Upon entering, I saw a lifeless Lin Xiaolan sprawled on the ground, head covered in blood.
At the sight of the body, the dormitory manager screamed with fright. The blood on the ground was still pouring from the wound, not at all solidified. "The murderer is nearby!” I shouted. “Comb the place now!"
Xiaotao radioed the rest of the officers and instructed them to stop and carefully observe each and every person on the school grounds. The Imitator could be anyone.
Just before leaving the dormitory, my eyes fell upon the dormitory manager. Xiaotao immediately got the message. "Excuse me, ma’am!"
Frisking the dormitory manager, Xiaotao made sure she had nothing suspicious on her and no disguise.
There weren’t many people around, only a few workers and teachers who were marking examination papers. As soon as they were gathered, an officer reported, "Everyone is here."
"Search outside the school!" I ordered.
The officer spoke into his radio and left.
As we questioned the teachers and workers one by one, I carefully observed them with Cave Vision but none of them was the Imitator.
The officers who had gone searching soon returned with street vendors and passers-by, none of whom were the Imitator.
I was disheartened. Could the Imitator have disappeared into thin air?
"Do you want to look at the body first?" asked Xiaotao.
Sighing, I turned to leave when a thought suddenly crossed my mind. I swept my gaze across the officers and ordered, "I want to see every officer here! Now!"
The officers quickly lined up before me, standing motionless as I examined each and every face. When I had finally inspected the last man, I was so shocked I felt cold sweat pouring down my back. Perhaps I had made a mistake so a second inspection was required.
"What's the matter, Song Yang?” Xiaotao interjected. “Do you suspect the Imitator has infiltrated the police?"
"No, I don’t suspect. I know for sure,” I sighed. “He was just talking to me a while ago. I told him to look outside so he must already be gone..."
I was frustrated with myself. What a daring man! He had full confidence in his acting skills and didn’t bother hiding.
"The Imitator couldn’t have gone far! Find him!" yelled Xiaotao.
"We won’t catch up with him,” I lamented. “With our intel, he must have changed immediately after leaving the school. He’s probably disappeared into the crowd."
A while later, the officers found a police uniform in a garbage can near the school.