Prologue
"Uncle Policeman, thank you for accepting my interview," I closed my notebook and made a mischievous face, "Can we chat casually? You can boast or complain now, I won't expose you."
"It's fine, go ahead and expose me, let this old man become famous!" Officer Chen relaxed his facial muscles and smiled. "Hmm, in this case, how did you think that the little dot on that person's nose was blood? I bet 99% of people would overlook it, thinking it was just a mole."
I looked at him with admiration. "In terms of human nature, even if a person is innocent, they will still appear somewhat nervous and scared when questioned by the police. This person seemed too calm. Despite having solid evidence proving he wasn't at the scene of the crime, I subconsciously felt something was off. After repeatedly reviewing his statements and materials, I finally discovered that there was no such mole on the photo. It was that simple."
"No, no, I don't think so. This sounds a bit like one of Sherlock Holmes' stories, do you also draw a lot of conclusions from tiny clues like him?"
"Yes, of course not as good as him. After any event, traces are left behind in some form, recording what happened. Through methods such as fingerprints, smell, body fluids, hair, footprints, blood DNA testing, etc., cases that were unimaginable to solve in ancient times can now be cracked. Nowadays, the reason we are often at a loss is because our investigative techniques are not advanced enough. Perhaps in the future, an instrument will be invented that can determine past events through changes in the composition of air molecules, electromagnetism, or even a machine that replays the past, allowing us to replay events that occurred days or even longer ago at a specific location on a screen like a movie. Then I would be unemployed."
"Haha, it seems you're an atheist. But there are many phenomena today that science cannot explain, perhaps some mysterious force is controlling everything. If everything were perfect, would celestial beings still allow humans to see them? Haven't you encountered any inexplicable cases in your decades-long detective career?"
"There are indeed a few unresolved cases where the perpetrators are still at large. Incredible cases...," he fell into deep thought, after a while, his eyebrows lifted, his voice became low, "Indeed, there is one case. Hmm, let me calculate, it's almost been twenty years. Time really flies!"
"Tell me about it quickly!"
The Blood-Stained Clothes on Ghost Festival
"This incident dates back to the mid-1980s. However, I still remember almost all the details. People over thirty might recall the sensational blood-stained clothes case." His low voice brought my thoughts back more than twenty years.
"That autumn had a lot of rain, drizzling for over ten days, the entire city shrouded in clouds, the days brightened late, and the nights fell early. I remember clearly, that day was China's traditional Ghost Festival. While I was on night duty, I saw flickering firelight in the streets and alleys until late at night; someone was burning paper money to honor the dead. At dawn, a clothing factory in the northern suburbs reported a murder. The person reporting the crime spoke incoherently, as if they had been greatly shocked.
I instructed them to protect the scene and quickly arrived at the factory with colleagues on duty. The security personnel had already sealed off the factory gates and the entire dormitory building. The female workers were whispering among themselves, their expressions filled with fear. Soon, I learned the reason for their fear. The crime scene was unbearable to look at, causing both of us to vomit on the spot.
A female corpse lay in the center of the water room, the shallow puddles of water stained red with blood. The victim was a young girl in her twenties, her upper body naked, with numerous deep cuts inflicted by a knife. The cuts were very deep, the flesh turned inside out, revealing bones and internal organs. She wore underpants. Her eyes had been gouged out, leaving two dark red blood holes. Her mouth was wide open, containing blood clots; upon closer inspection, her tongue had been cut out, making it impossible to discern whether her facial expression was one of pain or fear. Her ears had also been severed. What was particularly shocking was that her skull had been smashed, her hair matted together with brain matter. That was the most terrifying scene I had ever witnessed, the perpetrator was extremely brutal," his face twitched, the bloody scene must have left a deep impression on him.
"Too terrible, the murderer must be a killing demon!" I listened with chills down my spine.
"The female worker who found the body got up to use the restroom at dawn, then went to the water room to wash her hands, emitting a loud scream. Hearing her scream, nearby dormitory residents came out and found her unconscious at the entrance of the water room, and then they also found the body, all of them terrified. They reported the case to the factory security department and sent the unconscious female worker to the hospital. When the female worker woke up, she was mentally unstable and took a long time to recover. We confirmed that her screams were around five o'clock, and her roommate testified that it took her only a few minutes from leaving the dormitory to screaming.
Because of the water accumulation in the water room, there were no footprints visible. Outside the door, due to the security personnel sealing off the area before, many curious people had come, and because it was raining, the footprints were very chaotic. I think everyone who saw it would regret it, that scene destined to be an unforgettable nightmare.
A girl used the restroom at four-thirty, and about five minutes later, she washed her hands in the water room, at which point there was nothing there. The girls sleeping above and opposite the victim vaguely heard the victim get up and leave. Not long after, they heard a commotion in the dormitory building, but they couldn't confirm how long it took from leaving to the incident happening, though it wouldn't have been long."
"You mean the victim was killed within about twenty minutes?"
"Possibly, later the forensic doctor estimated the time of death between three and five o'clock. But the people near the water room didn't hear any noise. The forensic doctor found a strange thing!"
"What?"
"Her back also had wounds, carved with a very sharp object. The wounds were not only deep but very neat, as if measured with a ruler, and they formed a pattern resembling an old-style men's waistcoat, the kind worn by older generations as intimate underwear, with very realistic buttons on the chest."
"To carve such wounds would take a lot of time, and the perpetrator must be highly skilled! Could it be possible that the victim was killed elsewhere, the wounds carved, and then the body moved to the water room? But wouldn't that be too stupid?"
"You considered it thoroughly! The victims' dormitory went to bed at eleven that night and chatted for a while. As for what happened between sleeping and waking up, since everyone was deeply asleep, no one could clarify. We checked the corridors, finding no bloodstains.
The gatekeeper downstairs swore absolutely no one entered or exited before the fourth-floor female worker came down to report the case, as the door was locked, and only she had the key. Although she didn't get up, she wasn't sleeping heavily and would definitely have heard any sound. Moreover, there was only one entrance or exit. Others also confirmed that the gatekeeper had the habit of getting up early and would have cleaned at five if it hadn't been so dark.
The night watchman guarding the factory gate also said the gate was locked, and the two of them played poker until two o'clock without seeing anyone enter or exit. During this period, they went to the toilet once. Because they were afraid, they went together, leaving for about ten minutes. Then one slept, and the other read a magazine and also fell asleep, hearing no noise during the night. Additionally, the walls of the entire factory compound were covered with moss, showing no signs of climbing."
"So the murderer should be in the dormitory building?"
"Logically speaking, it's highly likely! By morning, the bureau mobilized all female police officers to participate in the search. Every room, every box, every corner, even the sewer pipes in the toilets, every inch of wall bricks, and even the roof were carefully searched. It's not an exaggeration to say that even a cockroach would have been found.
We remained undeterred and recruited militiamen to participate, conducting a thorough search of the entire factory, including the male workers' dormitories. At the same time, we counted the number of people in the dormitories, and none of those who stayed there that night were missing."
"Still, nothing was found?"
"Yes, nothing was found, it's basically safe to rule out the possibility of the weapon being in the factory. We reviewed the girl's file. The deceased's surname was Bian, a rare surname. She was quite pretty, neither particularly good nor bad at work or study, and her interpersonal relationships were all normal. There were no reports of grudges against anyone, she was an ordinary girl. It's hard to imagine what motive the murderer could have to commit such a cruel act."
"Did the victim have a boyfriend? Was she violated before her death? Were her clothes torn?"
The officer looked at me in surprise: "She wasn't violated, the forensic doctor determined she was still a virgin. It was said she hadn't started dating yet, as she was introverted and rarely interacted with boys. You've touched on a crucial factor, which I'll elaborate on later."
"Then did her family offend anyone?"
After being praised, my mind became more active.
"The victim's father was an old employee of the factory, she took over his position. She had a brother who graduated from university and worked in another city. When we investigated at her home that afternoon, her parents had already received the news. The two elderly people were full of wrinkles, nearly bald, with cloudy eyes. They were very calm, not as agitated as we imagined, but there was always a sense of apprehension in their eyes, jumping at the slightest unusual sound. Maybe life was too tough, they appeared very aged.
Her mother, consoled by neighbors, kept sighing softly: 'Who have we offended? Alas, it's fate, all fate! No matter how we try, we can't escape... Alas, why isn't it me, this useless old woman?' Her father, upon seeing us, kept asking: 'Has my son Zhiguo returned? Is he okay?' For our inquiries, he paid no attention. We stayed for a while, unable to obtain much information, and decided to ask the neighbors.
All the neighbors said this family was very honest and never made a fuss. They especially mentioned that the victim's parents were very low-key, never arguing with neighbors, remaining indifferent even when wronged, which was very rare. Both the old man and woman were a bit neurotic, friendly to outsiders, but strictly controlled their two children, searching everywhere if they weren't around for a moment. If this incident hadn't happened, it would have been a very happy family. They truly couldn't think of anyone who would harm such a family.
When we left, an old man in the courtyard had just gotten up, surprised to see several policemen. He asked what happened. Someone told him, but he didn't hear clearly, so someone shouted: 'Old Bian's daughter was murdered!' He muttered: 'Another death in their family?' We heard this, sensing there was more to it, quickly offered him a cigarette and asked what he meant. Originally, the victim's uncle died over twenty years ago, seemingly also from murder. As to the specifics, he didn't know. It was roughly during the three years of natural disasters, which we didn't pay much attention to, and we left disappointed."
"So you couldn't find a motive for the crime? And the weapon has been taken out of the factory?"
My mind was engaged.
"Yes, we temporarily set aside this issue. By evening, news of the murder had spread throughout the city, plunging the entire city into rumors and panic.
Some said the factory used to be a cemetery, and on gloomy rainy days, ghost cries and wolf howls could be heard. This rumor was probably spread by a few frequently sleepless female workers at the factory. They reported hearing a man yelling and cursing on the nights leading up to the incident, but upon closer listening, it sounded like the wind and rain outside.
Others speculated about a masked thief skilled in flying from tree to tree around the dormitories, leaping into the dormitory building, committing the murder, and returning the same way, leaving no trace.
Some guessed it might be a female worker with a habit of sleepwalking, killing in her sleep without knowing it, as legend claims sleepwalkers possess supernatural abilities.
Others connected it to the fact that it was Ghost Festival, wondering if they had offended wandering ghosts seeking food..."
It was vividly narrated. For a long time, adults wouldn't dare let children out after dark, and temples saw increased incense offerings.
First Possibility
"Yes, it is mysterious, the brutality of the murder is extreme, maybe only devils could do this! The wounds you mentioned aren't something an ordinary person could inflict. I think we should investigate habitual offenders or butchers."
"Wow, you seem like a great candidate for a detective! We asked the forensic pathologist to determine what weapon caused the injuries, and the results were disappointing."
"Why?" I asked curiously, "A detective shouldn't have preconceived notions!"
"You're right! Because of the significant social impact of this case, the police station was under scrutiny, and the leadership ordered us to fully commit, solving the case within a week. We were under immense pressure! The forensic team told us the wounds were definitely caused by a cutting machine, impossible to achieve manually with a knife. They even invited the most renowned butcher in the city to demonstrate on a pig, who admitted the wounds were beyond human capability."
"Then the case seems easier, find lathes and wood-cutting machines," I said.
"Truthfully, the forensic conclusion was initially difficult for us to accept. Our original hypothesis was that someone infiltrated the dormitory, killed the victim, and escaped with the weapon and removed body parts. The intruder must have had keys to both the dormitory and the factory gate. This person waited until the victim used the restroom, rendered her unconscious, and then skillfully inflicted the wounds in the water room. But this was too blind; if the killer specifically targeted the victim, he should have had the victim’s dormitory key, entering directly to render the victim unconscious and carry her out. We believed this assumption was reasonable.
Therefore, we strongly opposed the forensic conclusion. Just because the best butcher couldn’t do it doesn’t mean the murderer couldn’t. Logically, their conclusion was absurd. Since the murderer had already killed the victim, why risk transporting the body back to the dormitory unless he was insane!"
"But didn’t the gatekeeper downstairs say he’d hear any movement? Also, given the familiarity with the environment, would the murderer choose to flee in the early morning? Besides, the crime time was too rushed, as you mentioned earlier. The victim's roommate said it wasn’t long after she left the dormitory, and carving such wounds wouldn’t be quick either," I questioned, my mind now fully engaged and organized.
The officer's eyes lit up: "You’re missing a big opportunity by not joining our field! You’ve hit the crux of the matter! Listen to my analysis, and you’ll see how tight our assumptions were. According to our initial conjecture, the murderer was absolutely bold and cunning. He infiltrated the dormitory early, carrying a container of some sort, carefully rendering the victim unconscious in her dormitory, placing her inside the container, and calmly committing the murder and mutilating the body in a secluded corner of the dormitory building. That’s why we didn’t find any blood stains.
He could have left when it was still dark and the gatekeeper downstairs hadn’t woken up. Instead, he returned to the dormitory pretending to be the victim until dawn approached, deliberately letting others hear him leaving. Then he wrapped the severed body parts in the victim's shirt, taking the weapon and escaping from the factory. As for the gatekeeper downstairs and the night guard, we rehearsed it and found it entirely possible to avoid making noise if careful enough. A person’s perception when not fully awake cannot be trusted. Does that make sense to you?"
"Hmm, it seems quite good. Let me think... Why did the murderer return to the victim's dormitory instead of fleeing directly?" I immediately seized the critical point.
The officer gave me a thumbs-up, saying, "Perhaps this is exactly where the murderer was clever, but also where he was foolish. He wanted to frame someone! He deliberately let the victim's roommate hear the sound of getting up and leaving, then moved the body to the water room. He gambled that the gatekeeper downstairs wouldn’t hear him leaving and intentionally mutilated the body extensively. His purpose was to set a trap regarding the time of the crime, making us believe the murderer couldn’t possibly have come from outside and couldn’t complete such a murder in such a short time. This was indeed very clever! But why do I say he was foolish? Allow me to test your reasoning skills, genius doctor!"
The officer smiled at me, and I scratched my head, suddenly struck by inspiration: "It must be the weapon! He shouldn’t have taken the weapon and the victim’s organs away! This means that if the murderer was really in the dormitory building, he would have had to smuggle the weapon out of the factory and then return to the dormitory, which would have been very risky for him."
"Yes! And the real murderer overlooked an important issue. Even starting from the female worker's dormitory and assuming no obstacles to the factory gate, running fast would take about twenty minutes round trip! So there wouldn’t have been time to commit the crime! But there would have been enough time to escape! So he made a fatal oversight!"
Second Possibility
"That does sound like a perfect guess!" I reflected for a few seconds but soon spotted a flaw. "Wait, let me organize my thoughts again. No, I think you overlooked another possibility!"
"Is that so? What possibility?" The officer asked curiously.
"The murderer may have never left the dormitory and might not have needed the keys to the dormitory or the gate," I stated firmly.
"Go on!"
Confidently, I explained: "The murderer could still be one of the female workers in the building. She could have killed the victim, cleaned up the scene, bundled up the weapon and other items, and thrown them down from upstairs, where an accomplice helped receive them below. Then she returned to the victim's dormitory to sleep. Later steps are similar to what you described. When it was almost dawn, she moved the body to the water room and secretly returned to her own dormitory.
She must have had accomplices, possibly more than one! One person below could receive the items and use the same method to throw them