Xiaotao slammed the table and stood up, "How romantic! Do you think we won’t find the truth if you lie?"
The Imitator looked indifferent.
I whispered to Xiaotao, "Come out with me for a moment."
Outside the detention room, I said, "It doesn't look like he’s lying. I have a suggestion–publish an article about the case in the newspaper and lure the woman out."
"But this sort of case will cause social panic," she argued.
"No! All you have to do is briefly mention that a serial murder case has been solved. You don’t have to write the details,” I explained. “As long as this woman sees the article, there’s a 90% chance she’ll come to us."
"Are you that confident the real culprit will turn herself in?" Xiaotao arched an eyebrow.
"Let me correct you on that,” I chuckled. “First off, she’s not the real culprit. And secondly, she’s just dropping by, not turning herself in."
"Yes, this case is over!"
We originally assumed this was a murder for hire, but from the Imitator’s confession, the woman neither gave him money nor actively instructed him to kill these women. It was purely the Imitator's intention.
Thus, the culprit was the Imitator and the woman wasn’t actually involved in the crime.
We still needed to investigate if we wanted to glean the whole picture.
"Ah, what a relief to know that the case has been solved!” Xiaotao sighed. “These two weeks of hard work wasn’t in vain."
"Someone seems to have lost the bet!" I grinned.
"I know!” pouted Xiaotao. “I’m willing to admit defeat. Just don't make me wear any strange clothes."
"I'll give you the emperor's new clothes!" I winked.
It took Xiaotao a moment to react. "You’re getting more and more naughty!" she chided with a kick.
Having detained the Imitator, the other suspects were released but the first suspect from the Taoyuan Precinct case was still held in the detention center, awaiting release after the necessary procedures.
As soon as Mr. Li and Mr. Ding were released, they grabbed my hand and dropped to their knees in gratitude. "Officer, you mean just as much as a parent to me. When I was handcuffed, I thought my whole life was over. I never expected to see the light of day once more. Thank you, thank you so much!"
"All we did was bring the truth to light,” I said, “Besides, I’m just a consultant. You should thank Officer Huang."
The two left the station after expressing their gratitude to Xiaotao.
The article in the newspaper was a contingency plan that would only be published if we couldn’t locate the woman. The police thoroughly searched the Imitator's hideout and found a cell phone with call records of her number.
The next morning, Xiaotao called me down to the station. When I arrived at the interrogation room, I saw a woman sitting there with her head down.
All skin and bones, she was dressed rather simply, her skin pale and evasive eyes darting around the room. She seemed very insecure about everything around her.
"We’ve never met before but I know what happened to you and I sympathize with you," I began.
She ignored my remarks and went straight to the point, "Where is he?"
"In the detention room. I can let you two meet, but before that, tell us your story!"
"What’s the point of listening to such a sad story? It’s nothing to be proud of," she lamented.
Her name was Tao Jing. In school, she became the target of bullying because of her ugly appearance and cowardice.
But the most rampant bullies were the three girls. Lin Xiaolan never raised a finger against her, but what she did was even more repugnant than bullying!
The bullying continued until the accident. Their thoughtless pranks killed Tao Jing's beloved but their families were rich and powerful so they never received the punishment they deserved. On the contrary, the school leaders had a “talk” with her and urged her to drop the matter and forget the sad memories.
At the time, Tao Jing hated everything and everyone in the school. If she was given a button that could destroy the school in an instant, she wouldn’t hesitate to use it.
The bullying haunted her like a never-ending nightmare that kept her miserable and constantly out of place with the rest of the world. Meanwhile, the girls who destroyed her became winners in life. She hated the social injustice.
By chance, she once came across Lin Xiaolan in an interview. She was dressed in bright, beautiful clothes and introduced her new book, “The Desolate Age Of Seventeen.” She then proceeded to share her emotional story of being bullied in school which garnered sympathy from the audience and host who were so moved by her experience they even shed tears.
Boiling with anger, Tao Jing wanted to burst out. The painful memories even she was unwilling to recollect were actually worn by Lin Xiaolan like a medal of honor. The phony hypocrite broadcasted her experiences and shamelessly claimed them as her own!
She went onto Weibo and unleashed an angry rant, denouncing Lin Xiaolan who not only ignored her but also got her lawyer to send her a warning letter, threatening her of the lawsuit she would face for spreading rumors and slander.
At that time, Tao Jing burned with fury and planned to kill Lin Xiaolan, even purchasing a knife and poison. However, as a bottom feeder, how could she get in touch with a popular author?
All she could do was swallow the anger and live helplessly like doves driven headlong into a murky tempest.
On her way back from a night shift, she witnessed a group of burly men chasing someone. Not thinking much of the matter, she immediately got the man to hide in an alley and pointed out the wrong direction to the big fellows.
Her motives were very simple–she couldn't stand to watch any sort of bullying, and this man seemed very pitiful!
The man was seriously injured but refused to go to hospital. Tao Jing had no choice but to take him back to her home for recuperation. She kept a diary of her first boyfriend, her only spiritual sustenance throughout the long, hard years.
When she came home one evening, she found the man secretly reading the diary. Infuriated, she grabbed it out of his hands.
But the man suddenly said, "Tao Jing, is that you?"
Tao Jing froze; his tone, manner of speaking and actions were exactly the same as her ex-boyfriend. At first, she couldn't believe it and was enraged because she assumed he was teasing her.
However, after his continuous attempts to impersonate her ex-boyfriend, Tao Jing gradually took him for that person. She soon fell in love with him and shared her darkest experiences.
On the day he finally recovered, he suddenly said, "I will kill all those who bullied you!" Then he left without looking back.
Since then, Tao Jing had been on tenterhooks for fear that something might happen to those girls. Upon hearing that her three classmates were killed and their husbands arrested as suspects, she suddenly realized how powerful this man was!
The man had originally planned to kill Lin Xiaolan in the same manner but Tao Jing raised her objection. The lying bitch deserved a special death.
Tao Jing suggested Lin Xiaolan be taken to their old school and be tortured to death while she enjoyed the whole process.
The man agreed to her request and met up with Lin Xiaolan when she went out. Ironically, Lin Xiaolan didn't realize the gravity of her situation. She even offered to speak to Tao Jing in person.
When Lin Xiaolan was taken to the public restroom in the girls’ dormitory, the man made a video call so the two former classmates could meet each other. Lin Xiaolan brazenly argued, "I only did this so everyone would know your sad past and stop school bullying from ever happening again!"
Revolted by her pitiful, duplicitous face, Tao Jing retorted, "Since you’re an author, how can you write a good book without any personal experience?"
Thus, the man began to torture Lin Xiaolan by various means. Despite the cruelty of the abuse, Tao Jing was very delighted. Listening to Lin Xiaolan's screams and pleas for mercy, and watching her wallow in her own blood–the feeling of revenge trumped everything else in this world.