I had my reasons for suspecting the local police station.
In rural areas, unless someone reports a non-natural death, the local police generally won't get involved. I knew that. However, even if no one reports it, village officials are supposed to inform the higher authorities, and the deceased's family must go to the police station to cancel the deceased's household registration. Didn't the staff there find anything suspicious?
With this in mind, I planned to secretly investigate everyone who had worked at the local police station over the past few years. However, I needed Zhang Yihan's approval after we finished taking statements from the villagers.
A few hours passed quickly. After finishing the statements, I shared my observations from the well and my suspicions about the local police station with Zhang Yihan.
Zhang Yihan didn't react much, only saying our priority was to compile the villagers' statements.
Seeing her response, I didn't push further and shelved my plans for the time being.
When we returned to the Guo family yard, it was already twelve-thirty.
Officer Li was following Old Ge, holding an umbrella to shield him from the sun. Old Ge, meanwhile, was circling the yard, pulling at his white hair as if he were mad.
We asked Old Ge what he was doing, but he didn't respond and continued his circuit.
Seeing we were getting nowhere with Old Ge, we turned to Officer Li, who simply shrugged, indicating he didn't know either.
When Old Ge worked, he often became so engrossed he would forget to eat or sleep. We dared not disturb him, knowing that anyone interrupting him in such a state would be severely scolded.
Zhang Yihan went back to the yard to organize the recordings of the villagers' statements. I, being naturally lazy, was happy to have nothing assigned to me.
With nothing to do, I wandered around the yard with Old Ge.
After a few laps, I noticed we were alone—other police officers had left.
It was clear Zhang Yihan or Old Ge had sent them away. When investigating, too many people can easily contaminate the scene.
Officer Li remained because he was from the village and knew the area well. We needed his local knowledge.
I only lasted a few laps with Old Ge. He seemed truly out of it, glancing repeatedly at distant plains or hills and pulling at his hair. I almost felt like calling for medical help.
Thankfully, not long after, I saw Old Ge start taking pictures of the village scenery, confirming my worries were unfounded.
With Old Ge seemingly fine, I pulled Officer Li aside to ask him some questions.
One of them was: "Officer Li, some villagers mentioned seeing a long-haired female ghost at the Guo family yard entrance. What do you think?"
"Brother..." Officer Li looked uneasy. "Let me tell you, our village is strange, especially the Guo family well. Some things are hard to believe, but how many things in this world can't be explained by science? I think it's best if you don't investigate this case too deeply. You won't find any leads..."
I knew superstitions were deeply ingrained in Officer Li, and I couldn't change his mind with a few words. It's like trying to convince a devout missionary there is no Jesus; you might end up being converted instead.
At that moment, I heard Zhang Yihan calling, "Lin, come here for a moment."
"What is it, Senior Officer?" I ran over to her. Honestly, if Zhang Yihan weren't so cold and sometimes even a bit sadistic, she would be a very attractive woman—not only in looks and figure but also in her pleasant voice.
I felt a bit foolish. Despite disliking her, I couldn't resist rushing to her side when she called.
"Call these numbers and ask the Guo family if anything unusual has happened in the past three years," Zhang Yihan handed me several phone numbers.
This was a minor task I had no reason to refuse. In fact, even if Zhang Yihan asked me to go down the well again, I wouldn't dare refuse.
Realizing my iPhone 5 was still at the bottom of the well, I borrowed Zhang Yihan's phone to make the calls. After a round of questioning, I gathered the following clues:
The well at the Guo family yard was indeed an ancient one, supposedly left by their ancestors and estimated to be at least a hundred years old. They couldn't provide an exact timeframe.
The Guo family members had mostly been working outside the village for the past four to five years, rarely staying at home. Therefore, they weren't well-acquainted with the happenings at home. They hadn't encountered the ghost stories circulating among the villagers. However, when I asked about the female ghost at their doorstep, they mentioned their child might have seen something similar a few days before the incident. This sounded credible and made my skin crawl.
Three years ago, an outsider had tried to buy the Guo family's old house, offering a high price. The Guo brothers refused because the house had been passed down for generations and because the well never ran dry, even during droughts, making it a valuable water source.
Upon learning this, my first thought was to connect the murders with the person who wanted to buy the house. Unfortunately, they only remembered that the person was an outsider, possibly with a slight limp. They couldn't recall more details.
I speculated that since most victims were from the village, the murderer might not be far from the village, possibly even a local.
After sharing my findings with Zhang Yihan, she agreed with my analysis.
At that moment, two police officers arrived at the Guo family yard with forensic reports from the previous day's deceased.
Old Ge flipped through the reports, frowning, "Only a few days dead?"
Hearing this, Zhang Yihan and I were startled. If the body was only a few days old, the murderer was incredibly bold, committing the crime right under our noses.
Zhang Yihan immediately called the county police chief, requesting a thorough investigation of the families of those who had died in the well over the years, ensuring they told the truth, even if it included superstitions.
We also needed to investigate the county's missing persons to identify the previous two victims.
With the support of the Baiqu County Public Security Bureau, we discovered a common thread. All the deceased's families claimed that the night before their deaths, the victims had seen a female ghost at the Guo family yard, and the next day, they were found dead in the well.
This information shook Zhang Yihan and me.
We questioned Officer Li, who confirmed the families had said this but were told not to spread the word, so many villagers were unaware.
"Do you remember Xiaohong saying she saw a ghost at the Guo family yard last night?" I reminded Zhang Yihan.
"What do you mean?" Zhang Yihan's face grew tense, then she said, "Let's watch Xiaohong tonight. I refuse to believe she'll end up dead in that well."