Chapter 490: Bloodthirsty Teacher (1/2)
”What kind of person do you think the murderer is?” I asked.
At my sudden question, Bingxin paused for a moment and replied after further contemplation. ”The murderer knows a lot about ancient costumes and has the money to spend on these things. I think he’s quite rich! In order to achieve the desired results, he can persist for so long which tells me he’s perseverant. On top of that, his composure and patience suggest he has committed a crime before.”
”I'm not sure if he has money, but this is most likely the murderer’s first crime, evident by the indecision and capriciousness,” I analyzed.
”What?”
”Song Yang, stop teasing us. Just tell us your thoughts!” urged Xiaotao. “It's too cold here.”
I smiled, ”The murderer first bludgeoned the victims to death and froze the two bodies for about two days. During this time, he came up with a plan to deal with the bodies. In order to achieve his desired effect, he had to lengthen the dead man's hair, but because he failed at installing hair extensions, he gave up halfway, shaved the victim’s hair and used a wig instead. The head injury was the first wound inflicted, followed by the one on the victim’s abdomen. Where’s the missing piece of skin and what was the murderer’s purpose for removing it? Much like the disfigurement of the victim's face, I suspect the murderer is trying to hide something. Is there a unique characteristic on the victim’s abdomen? Perhaps not. So the next reasonable explanation is to conceal the weapon he used. The murderer began opening the victim’s abdominal cavity with a certain tool but was afraid this tool would expose himself. Thus, he cut off all the surrounding skin with scissors which shows his lack of confidence. He’s definitely a first-time offender.”
”The wounds to the face and fingers were inflicted last. Once the murderer finished his masterpiece, he was afraid the victim’s identity might expose him, so he destroyed his face and fingerprints. Judging from the age of the wound, it took him two days to complete his ‘work.’ The murderer is undoubtedly a rookie who’s killed for the first time.”
After my lengthy analysis, the room fell into stunned silence.
”So the victim and the murderer are acquaintances,” mused Xiaotao.
”Very likely!” I nodded.
”Although this guy is unskilled, he’s got the essentials covered. Cases where the victim’s identity cannot be determined are usually the most difficult to solve. He may have learned from films and TV shows.”
I turned to Captain Tang. ”What were the victim’s stomach contents?”
”Fish, shrimp, a variety of different foods,” he replied. “This must be a rich couple!”
”Hand me a detailed analysis!” I ordered.
”Captain Tang, you’re mistaken. Even if the victims were wealthy, they wouldn’t order such a large variety of foods for one meal.”
”Um...” Captain Tang scratched his face awkwardly.
”They probably returned from dinner! These ingredients are diverse enough to make up a banquet.”
Realization was written all over their faces.
Ashamed of their oversight, Captain Tang said, ”Thank goodness for your careful observation...”
”It’s got nothing to do with being careful,” I chuckled. “I’m speaking objectively.”
”Alright, stop showing off,” huffed Xiaotao. “So what if it was a banquet? Do you have any clues that will help solve the case?”
”Yes, the male victim drove.”
Glancing at the list, Xiaotao smiled, ”I know! The female victim had alcohol in her stomach, but not the male victim. I’ve caught up to your reasoning!”
”Let’s look at the last body. Bingxin, please read the results aloud!”
Female victim no. 2 was twenty-eight years old and slim. The time of death was about ten days ago and the cause of death was judged to be asphyxiation caused by choking her throat, as evidenced by the strangulation marks on her neck. The slight dislocation of her spine indicated the murderer had choked her from behind.