Chapter 475: The Rabbit’s Three Burrows

The officers reported their findings. Neighbors mentioned that the tenant of this household might be a single man or possibly two men, but no one had seen them clearly due to the dim stairway lighting.

Some food containers and instant noodle cups were found at the scene, leading the police to a nearby vendor and delivery person. They revealed that the orders were always requested to be left downstairs, typically around 7 or 8 PM. The delivery person described the receiver as a slightly balding middle-aged man of medium to heavy build, but other details varied among the delivery staff.

Surveillance footage from the community had been retrieved, but the heavy foot traffic made identifying suspects time-consuming and currently unfeasible for pinpointing the criminal.

Peng Ke then presented his autopsy report. “Given the state of the remains, many standard procedures couldn’t be performed. We weighed and conducted DNA tests on the blood, organs, and meat scraps brought back from the scene. This confirmed the victim is a single individual. She was a woman, around 25 years old, with considerable fat deposits in her small intestine, indicating obesity, and signs of smoking and drinking. Her stomach was nearly empty, and blood glucose levels were low, suggesting she hadn’t eaten for a long period before death. Furthermore, her blood showed high levels of acid glycoproteins and white blood cells, indicating she was under significant stress for an extended period before she died.”

Lin Qiupu asked, “Does that mean she was abused and imprisoned?”

Peng Ke did not confirm directly, then Chen Shi asked, “What about the time of death?”

“This is hard to determine. The body was severely dismembered and salted, affecting bacterial growth. Tentatively, I estimate the time of death to be between three to five days ago.”

“Three to five days is a broad range,” Chen Shi mused.

Peng Ke continued, “Additionally, the victim tested positive for Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis, likely in its latent stage.”

Lin Qiupu nodded and turned to Chen Shi. “What do you think?”

Chen Shi replied, “I’m considering where the killer might be now. The swift move after discovery suggests they were prepared. The scene itself wasn’t suitable for living—no bed, no proper furniture—indicating the killer had another hideout, likely in the same community.”

Lin Qiupu remarked, “I expected a more impressive insight from you.”

Chen Shi shrugged. “We’ve only found the body. We don’t know who she is, how she died, or where she came from. We’ll need to investigate further. However, I feel the killer’s methods are professional, indicating this might not be their first crime. We should review old cases.”

With the case still in its early stages, Lin Qiupu decided not to assign specific tasks, allowing everyone to investigate freely.

As everyone left, Chen Shi remained seated. Lin Dongxue urged him, “Let’s investigate!”

Chen Shi suggested, “Why don’t you go ahead, or you can help me trace a phone number—the one the killer used to rent the apartment.”

“But that number isn’t registered with an ID. How can we trace it?”

“Exactly, it’s unregistered, making it hard for the police to track. If it’s so convenient, the killer likely used it more than once.”

“You mean…?”

“We’ll call the real estate agencies.”

They began dialing the agencies listed on rental websites, a tedious task as most agents were skeptical and hung up, thinking it was a scam, much to Lin Dongxue’s frustration.

Chen Shi noted down the agencies’ numbers. “We’ll visit those who think we’re scammers in person later.”

“I’m getting fed up with this. It’s like working in telemarketing.”

“Investigating a case is much harder than sales. At least in sales, you only need one buyer. We need to find the right person.”

“And when we do, the satisfaction is much greater than making a sale, right?”

“Exactly.” Chen Shi called another number, repeating his script. “Hello, I’m from Long’an City Police. We need your help with a case…”

This time, the person on the other end responded, “You want to trace a number? Give me the number, I’ll check.”

Chen Shi provided the number, waiting calmly. As he played a game on his computer, the voice on the phone suddenly said, “This number was used to rent a property here.”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue nearly jumped for joy. “What was the renter’s name?”

“It’s listed as ‘Mr. Shen’.”

“Did he sign a contract?”

“No, but he paid for a quarter. We contacted him multiple times to sign the contract, but he kept delaying. Then the landlord found a new tenant, and just as we feared there would be a dispute, Mr. Shen moved out quietly without asking for a refund. I thought it was strange, like he was either very rich or involved in something shady.”

“And that property?”

“Someone else lives there now, a family of three.”

“Did you or your colleague ever meet Mr. Shen?”

“My colleague saw him once.”

Chen Shi sighed in relief. “We’ll visit you now. It’s almost noon, how about we treat you to lunch to discuss further?”

Chen Shi wasn’t just offering lunch. He borrowed some equipment from Peng Ke and a laptop. He and Lin Dongxue drove to the agency, meeting two agents, Wang and Liu. After some pleasantries, they took the agents to a nearby diner. The agents agreed to help, sneaking glances at Lin Dongxue.

Chen Shi asked, “Who saw Mr. Shen?”

Agent Liu replied, “I did, just once.”

“What does he look like?”

“Uh, a bit taller than me, chubby, slightly balding.”

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue exchanged a glance, recognizing the description. Chen Shi opened the laptop and set up facial composite software. “Please try to recreate his face.”

Liu struggled with the composite as his stomach growled. “Why isn’t the food here yet? Should I go check?”

“No need, I asked the owner to hold off until we’re done. I’ve also ordered extra dishes. Once we’re finished, we’ll eat and have a drink, alright?” Chen Shi smiled.

The agents, looking hungry, agreed and continued the composite.