Memory Lost (美人为馅): Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Painstaking Investigation

Han Chen is standing in the light.  His jacket is unzipped, making his shoulders look broad, waist slim and legs long.  He looks very calm, but also carrying his usual sense of being indifferent.  He isn’t like when he’s alone with Jin Xi where he’s always smiling.

“No assumptions on the suspect’s age or appearance.  But since he was able to carry a 50-60 kg dead body from the road to the forest and carefully avoided leaving behind any clear footprints or marks, it shows that he was able to complete the process very effortlessly.  Therefore, he should be an adult male who’s strong and well-built.”

Jin Xi smiles the moment she hears him say “no assumptions on the suspect’s age or appearance.”  This fellow……he’s doing it on purpose!

But he grabs her attention with the next few things he says.  She realizes that Han Chen, somebody who uses traditional investigation methods, indeed thinks differently than her.  He is really good at capturing details and hidden logical relationships.  The results from their analyses are different, but they also match together.

Han Chen continues, “Secondly, the suspect showed adeptness and consistency in his method.  This is definitely not his first time perpetrating the crime.  Therefore, we have searched within the entire city boundaries for unsolved murder and/or missing cases in the last five years.  We have discovered four cases with similarities.  Since they have been from a while back and are spread across different districts, some of the bodies have not been found, so they have not been categorized as a serial killing case or have been reported to the provincial station.”

The criminal investigators below the stage are in shock.  Jin Xi is also a bit stunned.

She understands what Han Chen is saying.  There have been four cases only in the last five years and the time and place of them are all different.  On top of the fact that they are done by a highly intelligent killer who’s able to hide his traces, then it is possible that they slipped by the eyes of the police, so they have not been connected together.

But Han Chen has such sharp senses.  With the three recent cases to compare with, he’s able to easily grasp the tiny and intricate details from them and confirm that they are all done by the same person.

This also means that the number of people that “he” has killed is now seven!

“In the three recent cases, we have not found any valuable surveillance imagery or witnesses.  However, we will be expanding our search area and gather information from the four previous cases,” Han Chen says.

All the investigators in the room nod unanimously.  Jin Xi, on the other hand, sighs secretly.

What Han Chen is proposing is simple, but it’s the most effective!  Such an ability to go beyond the facts.  His area to gather evidence has expanded immediately.  Even though you haven’t been caught on camera in these three recent cases, what about the four previous ones?  Can you guarantee that you haven’t made a mistake anywhere?  Especially in the older cases.  Even if you’re an intelligent criminal, you were green back then, so it’s possible that you may have left behind some evidence.

And as long as Han Chen finds one piece of evidence or one clue, he’ll be able to follow the traces and catch him, won’t he?

Thinking about this, Jin Xi, as a believer in criminal psychology, suddenly feels sourness in her heart.

She has said so many things, drawn so many descriptions of the profile, used all of her brain juices to cite classics and conducted layers of analyses and inferences to outline the suspect.  Do you know how hard it was?  But in the end, Han Chen might find a surveillance footage and be able to catch the person……

She looks up and stares at him on the stage.

From the looks of things, he might really be able to find the killer before her.

……A man who uses traditional criminal investigation method is just so detestable!

“Thirdly, according to the analysis of the wounds on the victims’ bodies, they must have gone through a long period of torture.  Therefore, the suspect needs to have his own place to torture and kill.  After the victims’ deaths, he would have needed large amount of water to wash the floor, as well as preventing it from seeping through below.  Therefore, if he lives in a condo, it must be at the very bottom level.

The victims must have screamed painfully for a long time, but in the autopsy report, there are no signs of tape or cloth found on the victims’ faces or throats.  This means that the suspect’s home has great soundproofing.  Even if it’s a mansion, there would still be neighbors.  Therefore, either he lives in a remote area, or the place has been specially modified.  It wouldn’t be using other noise to cover up because that would cause other neighbors to complain.

We should gather information on all remote housing areas in the city.  Gather information on all renovation companies who have renovated any first or below ground level apartments within three months before the incident of the first case from five years ago.  The suspect must have had high expectations and wanted something different than most people wanted.  He must have left a deep impression on the renovations company.”

All the investigators in the room are quiet, listening attentively.  Jin Xi thinks as well: oh yeah, the victims’ mouths are not sealed with tape, but they must have screamed and cried out loud when they were being tortured.  This is probably what Han Chen calls a “logic paradox.”  It’s such a small detail, but these small details point to the truth.

She actually really wants to stand up to say: it must be a renovated mansion!  It’s because based on the suspect’s profile, there’s no way that he would live in a small and remote dwelling.  But knowing that Han Chen is someone who sides with traditional investigation methods, he’ll be very strict and won’t let go of any small possibilities.  Mm, alright then, I’ll just persuade him afterward to start searching the mansions first.

“Fourth point, one of the most important evidence from this case is the nurse’s uniform.  These three sets of nurse’s uniforms are all of the same sizes and styles.  And based on preliminary examination, they are brand new and have not been washed.  The forensic team is already looking into it in detail and is comparing them with the nurse’s uniforms that are in use by current hospitals to find out where they are manufactured, and then trace the buyer.  These are the things that we have gathered so far.”

An investigator asks, “Leader Han, the three handbags that Bai Jin Xi mentioned before, are they also important evidence?”

Jin Xi also stares at him directly.  That’s right, he hasn’t mentioned about the handbags.  They are such important items.

But they see him ponder a bit before answering, “As for the handbags…because they were rather expensive, we found the receipts for them in all three victims’ homes.  We’ve also reviewed the surveillance video of the stores.  They all purchased the handbags by themselves or with other female friends.  Furthermore, the time of purchase, the style, and where they purchased them was different.  So currently, there are no connections between them.  Therefore, the handbags are not considered as important evidence right now.”

Everybody understands it clearly now, but Jin Xi can’t help feeling a little disappointed.  It’s because she was hoping that the handbags, as “souvenirs,” would help them discover more evidence such as all of them being red or from Gucci.  But from the looks of it now, the suspect has taken them purely as souvenirs.

Just as she’s immersed in her own thoughts, Xiao Zhuan beside her leans over suddenly and stares at her with full of admiration while saying, “Xiao Bai, your boyfriend is just so amazing!”

Jin Xi smiles slightly, glares at him for a second and asks, “Between him and me, who do you think is more amazing?”

This is a really difficult question for Xiao Zhuan.  He thinks for a moment and answers, “Not the same.  Your inferences make everyone’s blood rush!  But Leader’s inferences……makes everyone’s heart calm down.”

Jin Xi is a bit stunned.  She looks at him, keeps quiet for a second before saying, “Xiao Zhuan, sometimes the things you say……are really not like you.”

Xiao Zhuan is struck dumb.  After he realizes what she means, he says looking happy, “What, what?  My words have great depth to them, don’t they?!”