"You're the one who's a tail-gater! I'm just here to help you investigate, as ordered by Director Liu," Liu Keqing said proudly.
However, I also saw this as a good learning opportunity for her. Since Director Liu had given the order, we might as well help her out.
Liu Keqing said, "I'm not going anywhere this winter vacation. I've decided to risk my life and stay with you!"
"Heh, 'risk your life with me'? We'll see who ends up helping whom!" Zhao Simeng mocked.
"Hmph, stop talking nonsense! I believe in this case, and without me, you wouldn't be able to solve it," Liu Keqing confidently stuck out her tongue and glared at Zhao Simeng. Zhao Simeng quickly glared back, and the two of them stood in the car, hands on their hips, glaring at each other.
Director Liu had asked me to investigate the case thoroughly, and I said I understood. I hung up the phone and looked at my own phone, which was lying on Zhao Simeng's car. I told them both to stop fighting, and they quieted down and followed the GPS to our destination.
Soon, we arrived at Tangyuan Town in Gaogang City. The area was rather remote, and I felt that Director Liu often sent us to investigate such cases. But sometimes, the most difficult-to-solve cases happen in remote places.
Director Liu had mentioned that this kind of case should be very simple for me, but I didn't think so. Often, cases that seem simple are the most complicated, and those that appear difficult can often be solved quickly. This is because everyone shares a common trait: if you don't seek death, you won't encounter it.
When we arrived at the Tangyuan Town Police Station, as soon as we got out of the car, we were greeted by the sound of applause from a crowd of people who excitedly said, "Welcome, everyone!"
We were a little embarrassed, but after getting out of the car, a rotund man, whose body was covered in fat, walked over and said, "So, you are the famous detectives from Fuming City? Which one of you is the legendary Detective He?"
"Ta-da! The one standing next to me is none other than the real Detective He!" Liu Keqing pushed me forward and introduced me.
I was surprised to find that my name had already spread so widely. I had only solved a few cases, yet my reputation had spread so far. I had only been in Fuming City for a short time, and now another case had come up here. I wondered if the former Director Liang had heard about this.
I said, "I'm just He Sheng, an ordinary police officer." But the leading man immediately said excitedly, "I didn't expect you to be Detective He! You're so young—really impressive!"
"You're flattering me. Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm Director Leng, your former Director Liang's subordinate. Director Liang had already told me about your achievements. Now, with Director Liu recommending you, it seems that you really are incredible. Wherever you go, peace follows."
I smiled and replied, "I'm not a good luck charm, so how could peace follow wherever I go?"
This statement made everyone laugh, and Director Leng said, "I didn't know Detective He was so humorous! Come, come, let's have a meal and drink to talk things over!"
I waved my hand and said, "No need, let's get to the case right away."
"Alright," Director Leng said. "I see you're all serious about the case. Follow me to the police station's archive room." He led us to the archive room where a few officers were waiting to show us the case file.
As I flipped through the file, I noticed that the case clearance rate in Tangyuan Town was quite low, no wonder they needed our help. The file showed that recently, two murder cases had occurred in a nearby village called Zhanbu. The first victim was a woman found in a farm field, with her limbs severed. When she was discovered, her upper body was submerged in muddy water from a field drainage ditch, and it was reported that she died from excessive blood loss.
The second case was even more horrific: the victim had been completely dismembered. The identity of the victim was still unknown, but both bodies had been found with a white scarf wrapped around them.
A white scarf? I pondered over the words and asked, "Where's the body?"
"The second body is still here. The first one has already been cremated, as per the family's request. You know, the villagers value burial, and we didn't have much choice," Director Leng explained.
"Alright, let's go see the second body."
In fact, the second body was more like body parts. When we arrived at the morgue, Zhao Simeng immediately took out her forensic kit and said, "Let me take a look."
I stood by and waited patiently. As we observed the dismembered body parts, Liu Keqing exclaimed, "How long do you think it would take to reassemble this?"
"It won't take long. He Sheng, you're free, right? Go outside and buy some yam, mint oil, yuloh, and some bone powder for me," Zhao Simeng instructed.
"Understood!" I responded and left to get the items. When I returned and handed them over to Zhao Simeng, Liu Keqing asked, "Why do you always run errands for Zhao Simeng? Don't you ever ask her why?"
I replied, "Because she can solve cases. I probably wouldn't be able to solve so many cases without her."
Liu Keqing felt a little embarrassed. At this moment, Zhao Simeng told us to wait outside as she stayed inside to prepare some concoctions. I was curious about what she was up to, but seeing her serious expression, I didn't want to disturb her. I decided to step outside with Liu Keqing.
"Keqing, what do you think Zhao Simeng is doing?" I asked.
"Who knows? She's always so mysterious."
"Actually, she's really capable. Without her, I probably wouldn't have been able to solve so many cases. I forgot to mention her in front of Director Leng earlier."
We began discussing the details of the two cases. In the archive room, we looked at the photos of the first victim, the woman found in the field. After reviewing the pictures taken by the officers at the scene, I carefully analyzed and said, "From the photos, how do you think she died?"
"Didn't they say her limbs were severed? Then she must have bled a lot."
"No, look more closely. There's a wound on her back, and her skull has signs of being struck," I corrected.
"Ah? Now that you mention it, it looks like the wound on her back was caused by a small knife, and the killer must have attacked her after knocking her down. After stabbing her with the knife, the killer would have had to pull it out. And the wound on the back of her head..." Liu Keqing trailed off, but I continued, "The shape of the wound suggests it was caused by a sewing machine pedal."
"A sewing machine pedal?" Liu Keqing asked, surprised.
"Yes. It's strange, though—how does this connect to a sewing machine?"
"I'm not sure yet. But it seems that the victim had already died after being struck in two vital spots. As for why her limbs were severed, it could be that the killer didn't want to see them, or it could be some form of revenge," I explained.