Chapter 605: The Suspected Killer

After Gong Jianqin left, Lin Qiupu commented, “She’s a kind girl.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” Chen Shi said. “Let me remind you, if you want to investigate, check everyone at the sales office. They’re the ones with easiest access to customer information, including that girl.”

“You don’t need to tell me how to do my job!”

“I’m off then. I have nothing more to do here today. Time to buy groceries and cook dinner… And remember to pay for the tea,” Chen Shi said as he left.

The next day, Lin Qiupu briefed the entire second team on the developments. They reviewed the data from the previous three cases. First, the surveillance footage: each scene captured a person in black entering and leaving, wearing loose clothing and a hat. The footage quality was too poor to determine any specific features, not even the person’s gender, showing the killer had strong anti-surveillance skills.

In the first case, victim Qin was killed in a mall parking lot, struck on the head from behind and pushed under a car. His body wasn’t discovered until the fourth day when it began to smell. The killer seemed nervous during this first murder, leaving some fingerprints and footprints. The footprints were size 38, indicating that the size 39 footprints found at Zhang Haichang’s house were intentionally misleading, with the killer wearing larger shoes to confuse investigators.

The second victim, Li, was killed at home. The killer injected him with an overdose of thiopental sodium, then undressed him, burned his clothes in the bathroom, and covered his body with toilet cleaner, apparently to destroy evidence. The victim’s stomach contained undigested steak, wine, and vegetables. Based on the victim’s call to a food delivery service, he had ordered a meal for two, suggesting he dined with the killer.

Both cases were over six months old, and the evidence was limited to what they had. The local bureau had investigated the victims’ relationships but hadn’t linked their deaths to the house.

Chen Shi said, “I’ve been thinking, the killer enters the scene fully covered, dressed like a professional hitman. But would the killer stay dressed like that inside the victims’ homes? If a familiar face came dressed like that to my place, I’d be suspicious. I think the killer changed clothes after passing the surveillance zones. Also, the thorough cleanup in the second case seems excessive. I can’t help but wonder if the killer is a woman. She might have had a relationship with the second victim, which is why she needed to clean up so thoroughly. It’s unlikely a man would invite a male friend for steak and wine—at least I wouldn’t. If the killer is a woman, it also explains why we haven’t found a common link among the victims’ social circles. These men were married, middle-aged, and likely had a one-way connection with a woman. Once they died, no one knew about this connection, so the police couldn’t find it. Plus, a woman would have a better chance of putting the victims at ease. Another point: the killer used methods that required less physical strength, indicating she might not have the confidence to fight the victims and likely lacked physical strength.”

Chen Shi’s theory resonated with many. Lin Dongxue said, “Zhang Haichang promised his mistress a house. Could it be this woman? But if Zhang Haichang had already promised, why would she kill him before getting the house?”

Chen Shi speculated, “Zhang Haichang’s death was more brutal, and his son died too… Perhaps Zhang Haichang was lying. The house might have been for his son, with the mistress only temporarily staying there. Realizing she was deceived, she killed him in rage.”

Old Zhang interjected, “I have one question. Now that the police have uncovered this motive, would the killer still dare to buy the house? If they do, they’ll be under our watch. If they don’t, all three murders were for nothing, benefiting someone else.”

Xu Xiaodong eagerly raised his hand, “I watched ‘Dream Home’ as recommended by Chen Ge. I have a question: was the killer caught in the end?”

Lin Dongxue answered, “Yes, the killer was caught. Otherwise, they couldn’t have made a movie about it.”

“This motive is so obvious. It’s hard to believe someone would kill for a house,” Xu Xiaodong remarked.

Chen Shi explained, “The killer doesn’t have our objective view. They might be a low-income worker, desperately wanting a house in Long’an. That house could determine their household registration, marriage, children’s schooling, and status among relatives and friends. It’s everything to them! After finding the perfect house, they faced strong competition. So, they came up with the crazy idea of killing to lower the price. To them, it seemed like a genius plan, but we saw through it immediately. Every premeditated killer thinks the police are dumb and believes they can get away with it. A crime always has two goals: eliminate the victim and avoid detection.”

Lin Qiupu noted, “The price indeed dropped. It was originally three million but now only costs two million. This attracted more buyers. There are over ten interested parties for the upcoming third phase, including…” Lin Qiupu glanced at Chen Shi, suddenly thinking, could Chen Shi be the killer?

Xu Xiaodong suggested, “Why don’t we do nothing and just see who ends up with the house? The suspect is likely one of them!”

“That’s silly!” Lin Dongxue said. “The buyer might not be the killer. If the killer doesn’t get the house, they’ll keep killing until the price drops enough. How many more people will die before that happens?”

Xu Xiaodong stuck out his tongue, admitting he hadn’t thought it through.

Lin Qiupu assigned each team member two potential buyers to investigate. Chen Shi added, “If any of these people have already bought another house, we can probably rule them out. Lin, have you checked the sales office staff?”

“It was late yesterday. We’re doing that today!”

“I’ll come with you.”

Chen Shi had ulterior motives, wanting another look at the house. This time, he brought Lin Dongxue. Seeing the place, Lin Dongxue was as impressed as Tao Yueyue, exclaiming, “Wow, this place is amazing. It feels like a palace.”

“Plus, it’s on the 18th floor, offering a panoramic view. Look at the scenery, the mountains, the clouds. Look, there’s a dog doing its business on the street,” Chen Shi said, holding Lin Dongxue while admiring the view.

“You really like this place? I thought you wanted to buy it for the investigation. Are you serious about moving in?”

“When we move in, I’ll invite everyone for a housewarming party.”

“But… I wouldn’t recommend you buy this place. If you do, you’ll become the killer’s target. I don’t want you in danger.”

“Don’t worry, I have plot armor!”

“Arrogant guy, everyone thinks they’re the protagonist until they die.”

Chen Shi looked down, feeling dizzy. He suddenly recalled the scene of Zhou Tiannan being pushed to his death, mumbling, “Yes, even Zhou Tiannan once thought he was the protagonist of the world.”