Chapter 377: Rainy Night Pursuit

The alley wasn’t far from Kang Li’s place, but the police had been looking for this rapist for two years. He hadn’t lived there for a long time.

Lin Dongxue looked at the house where a family of three now lived and said, “Well, that was a wasted trip.”

“Let’s find somewhere to eat nearby.”

Lin Dongxue looked up at the sky. “Looks like it’s going to rain. Let’s head back.”

“Wanna come over to my place tonight?”

Lin Dongxue pointed upwards. “Let’s see what the weather decides!”

The alley was a maze of twists and turns. They tried taking a shortcut but ended up getting farther away. They came across a small bookstore with a simple yet cozy decor. Chen Shi went inside to ask for directions. A girl was standing on a ladder, arranging books.

Chen Shi noticed that some magazines on the shelf had different sizes of paper clips attached to their covers.

He asked, “Excuse me, could you tell us how to get out of this alley?”

The girl was startled, almost dropping the book she was holding. She steadied it and put it back in place, saying, “Turn right when you leave, then left at the hair salon.”

“Thanks.”

As they were leaving, Chen Shi’s phone rang. It was Sun Zhen. He said, “A blind female friend I met online wants to meet tonight at 8. Should I go?”

“Where are you? I’ll come over.”

“Let’s meet there. I’ll text you the address.”

Lin Dongxue asked what was going on. Chen Shi said, “My backup found something.”

“Could it be the killer?”

“She just killed someone, so it doesn’t match her cooling-off period. But let’s check it out anyway.”

As they walked out, it was already getting dark. Chen Shi noticed that other shops had their lights on. He thought about the bookstore that didn’t have its lights on and the paper clips on the books…

“Turn back!” Chen Shi said.

Lin Dongxue followed him back. When they returned to the bookstore, the girl was gone, but the door was still open.

“Where is she?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“She’s blind!” Chen Shi picked up a Braille book on the counter. “The magazines are the same thickness but different prices, so she uses paper clips to tell them apart. Why didn’t I think of that earlier!”

“A blind girl running a bookstore alone?”

There was a staircase behind the store. They went up and found an attic with no lights. Chen Shi used his phone to light the way, seeing a bed and a broken guide cane by its side.

Chen Shi opened the fridge and found a box of hawthorns, each wrapped in plastic.

“No way…” Lin Dongxue said in shock.

At that moment, they heard a rattling noise from downstairs. Chen Shi rushed down to find the shutter door being pulled down and locked.

The blind girl was likely the killer. Chen Shi took out his lock-picking tools, but the lock inside had been jammed.

Lin Dongxue ran down, and Chen Shi put his tools away. “We’re trapped. This girl is suspicious!”

“I’ll call my brother.”

Chen Shi found the light switch and turned on the lights. He rummaged through a cabinet and found a household register. The owner’s name was Tu Yunmeng.

Lin Dongxue got through to her brother and said excitedly, “Brother, we found the suspect. We’re trapped in a bookstore on Caoshi Street, Guyi Alley.”

“You two are too careless. I’m coming with backup right away.”

Chen Shi showed her four movie tickets. “These are from the same theater nearby, close to the crime times. Blind people don’t go to movies.”

“So your guess was right. She gains temporary sight after each kill?”

“And she goes to the theater to watch a movie… What’s that sound?”

Lin Dongxue listened at the shutter. “It’s raining! That’s good news. She can’t get far.”

Chen Shi gritted his teeth. “I’m afraid it’s not good news.”

After half an hour of anxious waiting, they heard someone picking the lock outside. The door opened with a clang. Lin Qiupu and others, wearing raincoats, stood outside. They handed over two raincoats and said, “Where did she go? We need to find her fast!”

“We don’t know,” Chen Shi said.

“Ugh, let’s split up and look!”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue put on their raincoats and asked around the alley. Several neighbors had seen Tu Yunmeng leave. When they reached the street, Chen Shi said, “Without a guide cane, she’s unlikely to cross the street… unless she’s regained her sight.”

“What are you talking about?” Lin Qiupu asked, incredulous.

Chen Shi showed him the movie tickets. “Tu Yunmeng has psychogenic blindness. She temporarily regains sight after each kill. That’s her motive.”

Lin Qiupu was stunned. His phone rang. After answering, his expression darkened. “There’s a fresh murder nearby. Just happened.”

“It’s her!” Chen Shi said, looking at the pouring rain. “With her hearing impaired by the rain, she needs her sight… This rain couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Lin Qiupu led his team to the crime scene. Lin Dongxue started to follow but was stopped by Chen Shi. “She always goes to that cinema after each kill. There must be a reason. Let’s check it out. Leave the crime scene to your brother.”

The murder had happened just a street away. The victim was an elderly lady. A witness saw a girl walking arm in arm with the old woman before the girl ran off. They didn’t see her face clearly.

The old woman had been stabbed multiple times. It was almost certainly Tu Yunmeng’s work.

Lin Qiupu muttered incredulously, “This can’t be real!”

Meanwhile, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue hurried to the cinema. Sun Zhen called, asking, “Chen, where are you?”

“Have a meal and chat with her for a bit.”

“What if she’s the killer?”

“She’s not. We’ve found the real one. Just hang on.”

Rushing through the rain, they reached the small, mostly empty cinema. It was virtually deserted due to the weather.

Chen Shi noticed a few drops of blood on the steps. He showed Lin Dongxue.

They went inside and asked the staff. Chen Shi showed the household register photo of Tu Yunmeng. The receptionist said, “I’ve seen her. She came here a few days ago for a late-night movie. She talked to Xiao Zhou… She was the only one in the hall, so I remember her.”

“Who’s Xiao Zhou?”

“The projectionist. He’s working now.”

“I need to talk to him.”

They found Xiao Zhou in the projection room. Chen Shi noticed a wet coat hanging on the wall. Xiao Zhou stood up and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

Lin Dongxue showed her badge. “Do you know Tu Yunmeng?”

“Tu Yunmeng?”

“Her!” Chen Shi showed the photo.

“Oh, yes. She’s been here a few times… We’ve talked, but I don’t know her well.”