Chapter 481: The Third Missing Person

The third missing person was also a sex worker named Xiao Qin. She went missing on the night of August 3rd. Before disappearing, she sent three voice messages to a friend. The first one said she was almost at the restaurant for her appointment. The second mentioned she thought someone suspicious was following her. The third was a short, sharp scream. After that, there was no further contact.

Her friend didn’t call the police but instead contacted the gang that protected them. The gang’s first reaction was to assume it was a rival gang causing trouble. They went to confront the supposed culprits, and a fight nearly broke out. It wasn’t until the police started investigating the case that the situation came to light.

After hearing Lin Qiupu’s explanation, Chen Shi remarked, “Most sex workers in these establishments are under gang protection. When they go missing, the gang doesn’t report it. The killer exploits this mindset and specifically targets them.”

Lin Dongxue added, “Women always seem to get the short end of the stick.”

Lin Qiupu played the voice messages left by the missing woman. The first message sounded like she was walking, slightly out of breath: “Amy, I’m almost there. You guys go ahead and order. I just finished work and had a really annoying customer. I’ll tell you more when I get there.”

Chen Shi asked, “Who was this customer?”

Lin Qiupu replied, “We asked, but Xiao Qin’s workplace insisted they were a legitimate foot massage parlor and refused to cooperate. They wouldn’t give us access to their surveillance, transaction records, or appointment logs.”

“We should shut them down.”

“They already closed voluntarily yesterday, and the manager has disappeared. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

Chen Shi suspected that the suspect had dealings with these women, but their workplaces prioritized self-preservation, making it difficult to investigate.

They continued listening to the recordings. In the second message, Xiao Qin seemed to be running, her voice shaky, “Amy, I think someone is following me, but I managed to shake them off. That really scared me.”

Chen Shi said, “Play it again!”

They replayed it three times. Chen Shi noted, “There’s the sound of a train in the background.”

“Could be the subway,” Xu Xiaodong suggested.

The third message was just a short scream followed by the sound of a violent impact, possibly the phone hitting the ground or Xiao Qin being attacked.

After listening, everyone was silent, feeling somewhat lost. Lin Qiupu stated, “Xiao Qin’s bank account was emptied on the morning of August 4th. The money was transferred to Zhang Xiao’s account, so we have strong reasons to believe Xiao Qin has been murdered. Our only clues are these three audio messages.”

“Did her friend mention where they were meeting for dinner?” Chen Shi asked.

Lin Qiupu took out a detailed city map and marked the restaurant with a pin. Chen Shi inquired, “What about her workplace?”

Lin Qiupu marked it as well.

Everyone gathered to study the map. Chen Shi, familiar with the city’s layout as a driver, said, “There’s no train track between these two points. The nearest one is half a kilometer away. She wouldn’t have detoured that far.”

Lin Qiupu pulled out a few photos taken from the internet. “According to her friend, this is what Xiao Qin was wearing when she disappeared.”

The outfit included high-heeled sandals, a tight skirt, and a small shoulder bag, which didn’t seem suitable for quick movement. Suddenly, Chen Shi said, “We’re thinking too rigidly. Hearing a sound doesn’t mean it’s nearby. There are places where sounds can travel far… Let me and Dongxue and Xiaodong investigate this. We’ll update you tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

The three of them drove to Xiao Qin’s workplace and showed her photo around. The elderly man selling corn and roasted sweet potatoes downstairs recognized her but couldn’t remember when he last saw her.

Chen Shi suggested to Lin Dongxue, “How about we buy you a similar outfit and do a reenactment?”

“What? Why do you always want to involve me in these things?”

“You’re the only one who can wear such clothes.”

“That’s a narrow-minded view. Why can’t you or Xiaodong wear them?”

Afraid they might actually suggest he wear women’s clothes, Xu Xiaodong quickly said, “I don’t think we need a reenactment. We should listen to the recordings again and see if we missed anything.”

With no other leads, they found a quiet place and replayed the recordings several times. Eventually, Chen Shi said, “Did you notice there are no high-heeled shoe sounds in the first recording, but they are clear in the second one?”

“Maybe she was running in the second recording?” Xu Xiaodong speculated.

Chen Shi wasn’t sure, so he asked Lin Dongxue, “Can you hear the sound of high heels while walking?”

“Uh…”

To be thorough, they bought a similar pair of high-heeled sandals and had Lin Dongxue walk and record a message. It was uncomfortable for her since she rarely wore heels, but she mimicked the first recording and sent it to Chen Shi.

Listening to it, they could clearly hear the sound of high heels.

Xu Xiaodong remarked, “That’s strange. Did she take her shoes off?”

Lin Dongxue suddenly realized, “I get it now. It’s a common habit for girls. She said she was almost there, but she probably hadn’t even left yet. She hadn’t put on her high heels!”

“But she was out of breath. Could it be that…” Xu Xiaodong hesitated.

“She wasn’t ‘working’,” Chen Shi said. “Listen carefully, you can hear the sound of cars on the road, and her breathing is rhythmic… She was exercising, probably at a gym!”

Chen Shi checked his phone’s navigation. There was a fitness club nearby. They asked the staff about Xiao Qin, and they confirmed she worked out there daily in the afternoons and had rented a locker. Each visit, she changed into workout clothes and shoes.

The staff opened the locker, revealing sports shoes, clothes, towels, and some personal items, including a matchbox from a winery.

Chen Shi took a photo of the matchbox and asked the staff, “Where did she usually work out?”

The staff pointed to a row of treadmills by the window. “She did cardio there every afternoon for about 20 to 30 minutes.”

Lin Dongxue tried out the treadmill, recording a message similar to Xiao Qin’s. Chen Shi listened and said, “Her breathing was a bit quieter. She must have been running for over ten minutes.”

“At least we’ve pinpointed one location,” Lin Dongxue smiled.