After dinner, Chen Shi with Tao Yueyue in tow, drove back home. Lin Dongxue had just woken up, rubbing her eyes, she remarked, “Oh, you picked up Yueyue along the way?”
“Did you sleep well?”
“A bit refreshed now.” Lin Dongxue stretched her neck, “Two cases back-to-back, really exhausting.”
“Why don’t you just stay for dinner tonight?”
“As if you’d kick me out!”
As they went upstairs, Lin Dongxue glanced at the neighboring door, “Miss Gu lives here?”
Chen Shi pointed at the opposite door: “That’s her place. Wanna drop by?”
“What would we talk about?”
While they were chatting, Gu You came upstairs, greeting them, “Officer Lin, long time no see. What brings you here today?”
“Just here to have a meal at Old Chen’s.”
“Never been to my place, right? Want to come in for a sit?” Gu You opened her door, inviting them in.
All four of them entered. Tao Yueyue, already familiar with the place, went straight to the fridge to grab a drink. Lin Dongxue looked around the room, “Did you buy this place?”
“Just got it less than a year ago.”
“Sigh, look at me, still a cop renting an apartment. You’re about my age and already own a two-bedroom.”
“Officer Lin, I think I’m older than you.”
“Really? Can’t tell at all, your skin looks great.”
“Thank you, you must love sports, right?”
Chen Shi thought to himself how women are truly fascinating creatures. Despite Lin Dongxue previously expressing a dislike for Gu You, they were chatting away happily on a first visit.
Gu You showed Lin Dongxue around her bedroom and bathroom, then politely saw them out. As soon as the door closed, Lin Dongxue playfully poked Chen Shi’s arm, “You often visit this pretty neighbor?”
“Jealous? Didn’t you know Gu You is dating Old Peng?”
“Really? I’ll ask right now.”
Lin Dongxue pulled out her phone to text, then showed him, “Captain Peng denied it.”
“You don’t know how sneaky Old Peng can be.”
“Don’t believe it. I’ll ask Yueyue… Yueyue, does Uncle Chen often visit Miss Gu?”
Chen Shi, worried the little imp might spill the beans, quickly said, “Be honest, just like I promised to take you for pizza this weekend. No beating around the bush!”
“You think I can’t tell when you’re bribing her!” Lin Dongxue twisted his ear.
Tao Yueyue said, “To be honest, Uncle Chen and Sister Gu rarely interact.”
Lin Dongxue was still skeptical. Chen Shi suggested, “How about I treat you to seafood, to match your jealousy?”
Only then did Lin Dongxue smile, thumping Chen Shi’s shoulder as they headed downstairs, “No getting too close to any pretty women, got it?”
“After seeing you, what other beautiful women could there be?” Chen Shi replied. “Why don’t you just move in here, save you the worry.”
“Hmph, I’ll consider it!”
After the seafood dinner, Chen Shi was left nursing his wallet, rueful over the high cost of assuaging a woman’s jealousy, though Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue seemed quite pleased. Tao Yueyue asked, “Lin Sister, what would you do if Uncle Chen cheated one day?”
“Do nothing, just kill him.”
“But men seem to cheat often. Our teacher got divorced over it recently, couldn’t concentrate in class.”
Lin Dongxue shot Chen Shi a glance, “Best not let me find out! ‘Female cop shoots cheating boyfriend’—think that’d make headlines?”
Chen Shi helplessly replied, “Can’t you two discuss something else?”
“Men will always be a hot topic for girls.”
“Just wait till you get a boyfriend. I’ll spread the word everywhere.”
“What about the pizza…” Tao Yueyue hinted mischievously at Lin Dongxue.
“Stop with the insinuations, as if I really have something shady to hide.”
“You don’t have secrets?”
Just then, Lin Dongxue’s phone rang, but her hands were greasy from handling crabs, so Chen Shi answered it for her and held it to her ear.
“What… where…” After the call, Lin Dongxue announced, “Another victim.”
“I’ll drop Yueyue off and then come pick you up.”
“I’ll wait for you outside.”
By 8:30 PM, the two arrived at the crime scene near a residential area’s parking lot, inside a small forest. The victim, a male, was found inside an SUV, stabbed multiple times, a grim sight.
Chen Shi asked, “Is this a new case or a new victim?”
Lin QiuPu handed him an item, “See foryourself.”
It was a broken aluminum rod with red and white stripes and a rubber tip at one end, appearing to be part of a collapsible stick broken off. Chen Shi said, “A guide stick?”
“Yes, found inside the car. It couldn’t be a copycat, could it?”
Aside from the stick, a button not belonging to the victim was also found in the car. Police extracted the body, noting the concentration of stab wounds around the heart, matching the killer’s known methods.
Chen Shi remarked, “This woman’s getting more proficient, but also more impatient. Killing without entering the home this time? What about the phone?”
“Wasn’t found. Might have been taken…” Lin QiuPu suddenly remembered, and quickly called his department to track the victim’s phone.
Remaining there wouldn’t help much, so Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue decided to check the surveillance. Footage recorded the car entering the neighborhood three hours earlier, followed by a person in a jacket and hat leaving about twenty minutes later.
It was June, and the person’s heavy clothing was unusual. However, the suspect moved too agilely to be visually impaired.
If this person was the killer, they either left over the wall or the disguise was perfect. Chen Shi mused, “Entering with a guide stick and leaving like anyone else, why pretend to be blind? And if pretending to be blind aids in murder, the hypothesis doesn’t hold up. Regardless of blindness, a physically weak woman wouldn’t be seen as a threat.”
But if the assumption that the killer has a visual impairment was based on solid evidence, something recent must have restored their sight.
No, the guide stick…
Or perhaps, killing restores her sight—that’s the tremendous benefit she gains from it.
This thought was outlandish, and even Chen Shi found it hard to believe. He remained deep in thought, causing Lin Dongxue to inquire, “What’s up?”
“Just craving a smoke…”
“Stop it.”
“Let’s look around some more, see if the killer escaped over the wall.”