Xiaotao immediately instructed the officers to look for the original crime scene matching these features. An officer walked in with a few sheets of paper in his hand, "Captain Huang, we’ve found the victim’s identity!"
The victim's name is Zhang Bing, 46 years old and unemployed. His means of making a living were deplorable, to say the least, that is, persuading innocent girls to sell their bodies and taking a cut from their earnings. The man had a criminal record of pimping and pandering and spent several years in prison.
Xiaotao arched an eyebrow, "So he was a pimp!"
Thinking back to the scene last night, I realized he was "working" at that time. "This sort of indecent man must have had a lot of enemies!" I remarked.
After learning the victim’s identity and occupation, I breathed a sigh of relief. At first, I suspected the crime might have something to do with the ghost bus, but now it seemed like an ordinary murder.
Xiaotao ordered the officer, "Check all his interpersonal relationships."
"Also check for debts! See if he owes usury or something similar," I added.
When we left the flat, Xiaotao waved her hand, "All right, you don't have to follow up on this case. It’s probably an ordinary one."
"I'd better come and help,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t think I should stay in the store for the next two days."
When Xiaotao asked what was wrong, I explained Dali's emotional troubles. "I'll go back and give Bingxin a good talking to,” she laughed. “This little lady warms up to everyone so others might misunderstand the situation."
I sighed helplessly, "It’s only because Dali is too flirtatious!"
At this moment, a voice sounded, "What are you criticizing me for? What have I done wrong this time?"
Bingxin appeared with a bright smile. "How could you guys come without me?"
"You’re late again, aren’t you?" Xiaotao pointed out.
"I know it’s my fault. I slept late last night! If you want to deduct my bonus, go ahead. Anyway, I’ve already lost my attendance bonus for the month." Bingxin spat her tongue.
"God, you’re shameless!" Xiaotao rebuked.
We were heading back to the station when we passed a shopping mall. Bingxin insisted I accompany her on a shopping trip.
"It’s working hours, young lady. Aren’t you getting a bit lazy?" chided Xiaotao.
Bingxin grimaced and turned to me, "We'll come back after work then."
I alighted near the store where Dali stood sullenly in front of the counter. "Where’s Luo Youyou?" I asked.
"I couldn’t find her but I did call her,” Dali frowned. “She said she’s going home by train and then turned off her phone."
Choking back the urge to tell him he deserved it, I sighed, "You should quickly get her back and explain things clearly. Most of the time, you won’t get a second chance once you’ve missed the opportunity. Why are you still thinking of Bingxin?"
Dali denied, "I'm not always thinking about her."
In the morning, the logistics company came to deliver the goods. We spent the whole morning busy moving and handling stock. In the afternoon, I was sitting in the store reading a book when I received a call from Xiaotao, "Song Yang, there’s been another case."
"That’s quick!" I commented.
"The case appears rather ordinary but I think it’s better for you to take a look," explained Xiaotao.
"I'll be right there!"
After informing Dali of the situation, I hurried down to the police station. The body was placed in the Necropsy Workshop where Bingxin and Xiaotao awaited my arrival. Bingxin had only dropped by for a visit and found it all very interesting.
There were two bodies lying side by side on the autopsy table. From their body shapes, they looked like women.
"Where did you find them?" I asked.
"In a hotel,” answered Xiaotao. “The front desk staff on duty received a telephone call from one of the guest rooms. The other party didn't say anything so the receptionist hung up. However, this person soon called again, alerting the receptionist to the abnormality of the situation. When they went up, they found two women lying side by side on the bed so they called the police... "
I uncovered a white sheet and found the women a little familiar but I couldn’t place a finger on it. Showing the same look of bewilderment, Bingxin exclaimed, "What?!" She pointed at the victim’s faces, bereft of speech.
When I uncovered the second white sheet, Bingxin and I cried out at the same time, "How could it be them?!"
"Do you know them?" Xiaotao asked in surprise.
"These two women were with Zhang Bing on the ghost bus last night!" I declared.
They weren’t wearing makeup so Bingxin and I didn’t immediately recognize the first victim. But the second victim had high cheekbones and distinct features that made her recognizable at once.
The two women were naked, pale, with water stains on their bodies and aquatic plants on their hair.
"Could these three murders be related to ghost bus?” Bingxin speculated in horror. “Maybe those who went on the bus last night will be killed one after another..."
I waved my hands, "Don't form and hold onto any preconceptions. The other case was committed by the living and so was this one."
I asked Bingxin for a preliminary appraisal. Upon examining the bodies, she surmised, "The first victim was about 25 years old. Judging from the cloudiness of the eyes and rigor mortis, the time of death was about five hours ago. There are no obvious signs of trauma or sexual assault bu there’s a bit of blood and foaming at the mouth, while her hands and feet show washerwoman skin. The cause of death should be drowning... But if it was drowning, the time of death might have to be pushed forward by three hours."
"Don't rush to conclude anything yet,” I said. “What about the second body?"
The second victim was older, about 30 years old. The time of death was five hours ago and the cause of death was also drowning. There was a burn mark on her abdomen–two dots. The victim appeared to have been burned by something before death which triggered a vital reaction. Aside from that, there were no obvious signs of trauma or sexual assault on the body.
I thought of Zhang Bing's corpse and felt the back of the head. Indeed, I observed signs of skull fracture and a soft blood clot under the skin. These injuries were similar in location and size indicating that a blunt weapon wrapped in soft material was used to strike the victims in the back of the head, rendering them motionless before they were drowned to death.
"A blunt weapon... What could that be?” Bingxin wondered out loud. “An iron bucket? Baseball bat? Yes, a baseball bat seems the most likely."
I picked up a wooden stick from the tool rack and walked towards the torso dummy I had previously purchased to facilitate my deduction of the criminals’ methodologies. Grabbing the wooden stick, I swung it at the dummy and shook my head. "There’s no way it’s a baseball bat. A baseball bat has a flat surface which will leave a linear scar. The victims’ ears and face would be injured as well."
Xiaotao mused, "They were face to face yet the murderer hit the victims in the back of their heads. I get the feeling this guy has had practice!"
"Judging from the shape of the wound, the weapon looks like a mace that’s wrapped in leather," I analyzed.
"Do you mean those pumpkin-shaped maces?" queried Xiaotao.
"Yes! Maces were originally used to break past defenses on ancient battlefields. Regardless how thick the armor was, a hit to the head with a mace almost certainly proved fatal. Someone stabbed by a blade might struggle and resist, but a hit to the head would render them stiff and convulsive, drooling from the corners of their mouth and completely losing the ability to resist. The murderer seems to know a fair bit about the human body or has had the experience. The medulla oblongata in the back of the head controls the motor nerves of the entire body, and this part of the skull is much weaker than the front."
"Although I’ve never used such a weapon, I’ve seen others employ it. It’s a bit difficult to hit the back of the head with one strike, unless it’s a meteor hammer. But that wouldn’t work in a small hotel room. When the victims see the murderer pull that out, wouldn't they resist and scream for help? Even if it was an acquaintance who committed the crime, the two victims were in the same room at the time. With the first victim injured, would the other women just stand there and wait for the murderer’s attack?"
Xiaotao wasn’t questioning me but raising her doubts. A vague guess had formed in my mind but I wasn’t certain. "Bingxin, go and test the second victim’s white blood cell count!"