I don't know what other people's reactions were at that time, I only know that when I heard the words "sweet and sour spare ribs", I suddenly felt my stomach acid churning up, because I had guessed that this plate of "sweet and sour spare ribs" might not be made with spare ribs.
I turned to look at Officer Yang and found that his expression had also become stiff. It seemed that I was not the only one who had this idea.
Officer Yang took a deep breath and said, "Where's that thing?"
"I ate some yesterday and there's a lot left. Do you want to try it too? Although Wang Dong's cooking skills are usually very good, the sweet and sour pork ribs he made this time are very special and delicious. I'll get it for you." After saying that, the middle-aged woman turned around and walked into the house.
After the middle-aged woman left, Officer Yang turned around and looked at me, saying, "Are you thinking the same thing as I am?"
I just felt the nausea getting stronger and stronger. I took a few deep breaths to push the contents of my stomach back down. I said, "I'm afraid Wang Dong has been silenced."
As soon as she finished speaking, the middle-aged woman came out with a large bowl. I turned my head away immediately. I really didn't want to look at the bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs. I was afraid that after seeing it, I would never want to eat this thing again in my life.
Since I couldn't see with my eyes, I could only listen with my ears. Officer Yang seemed to be feeling a bit uncomfortable, and his voice became a little trembling. He said, "Xiao Zhang, take this thing back for identification. Also, you come with us and go back to the police station to make a statement."
After saying that, Officer Yang turned around and walked quickly out the door. I followed closely behind him. The two of us immediately left the alley and returned to the car as if we were running away.
Officer Yang and I opened the car door, took a breath and smoked a cigarette to relieve the horrible thoughts in our hearts. After a few minutes, Officer Yang said, "Xiao Zhang said before that the murderer might be a surgeon, but why do I feel that the murderer is more like a cook?"
"Can you please stop talking? Are you going to let me live? In my opinion, the murderer is probably not even a human being. He can do such a disgusting thing. Does he really disregard life so much?"
Officer Yang sighed and said, "It seems that the clues are broken again. I didn't expect the murderer to be so cunning that he actually killed the victim before we did. Ji Wen, what do you think about this matter?"
I took a deep puff of the cigarette in my hand, thought carefully and said, "It is still uncertain whether Wang Dong is dead or not. Whether the sweet and sour spareribs were made from Wang Dong's body remains to be investigated. If it was really made from Wang Dong's body, it is basically certain that the murderer is the one who provided Wang Dong with the so-called low-priced beef. Wang Dong must have gone to the murderer to purchase the goods in the morning, and then was killed by the murderer. But is this really a coincidence?"
At this moment, my mind was full of questions, so I turned around and continued, "Why did Wang Dong disappear, or die, when we were about to investigate him? Did the murderer know what our actions were?"
Officer Yang shook his head and said, "I don't think the murderer would know about our actions. After all, the cannibalism incident at the noodle shop yesterday has been widely reported. The murderer probably heard that the incident at the noodle shop was exposed, so he decided to kill Wang Dong to silence him. And didn't you also say that we don't know whether Wang Dong is alive or dead. What if he is not dead, but just absconded for fear of crime? I think it's better not to make a conclusion on this matter. Let's wait until Xiao Zhang's test results come out before we can say anything."
What Officer Yang said really made sense. I nodded and said, "That's right. We should not be too pessimistic. But I just noticed a detail. Did you notice it, Officer Yang?"
"What details?"
"We found tofu pudding made from human brains in the room of the deceased Xiaomei. The old man who was guarding the door also said that Xiaomei's favorite food was tofu pudding. And Wang Dong's wife just said that Wang Dong's favorite food was sweet and sour pork ribs. It seems that the murderer deliberately catered to the taste of the deceased."
After hearing what I said, Officer Yang seemed to react and said, "You mean, the murderer knows the taste of the deceased very well?"
"I can't guarantee this, but I think there might be some deeper meaning behind his actions. After all, I believe that anyone who does anything has a purpose. It's just that we don't understand their inner thoughts."
As I was talking, Xiao Zhang suddenly came over with the bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs. Officer Yang and I immediately danced and shouted, "Take it away! Take it away quickly!"
Xiao Zhang looked helpless as he handed the evidence, sweet and sour pork ribs, to another police officer. He then got into our car and asked, "Just now I heard you guys talking about what you wanted to eat. I've been busy all day and now I'm tired and hungry. Besides, I can't cook. Ji Wen, what do you like to eat? I'll treat you."
When I heard what Xiao Zhang said, I thought about what I had just said and my scalp immediately went numb. I waved my hands and forced a smile, "No, I don't like to eat anything. I'm a vegetarian."
I always feel that if I say what I like to eat, maybe tomorrow I will become a dish and be placed in my own kitchen.
Officer Yang sighed and said, "Xiao Zhang, you just looked at that bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs. Is it made of that?"
Xiao Zhang shook his head and said, "I can't tell either. We have to go back to the bureau for a detailed analysis. But based on the murderer's modus operandi, I think it's pretty close."
At this time, Officer Yang asked: "So where do you think we should start?"
Xiao Zhang hesitated for a moment and said, "Wouldn't it be better to ask Ji Wen about this matter?"
Officer Yang smiled and said, "If we all pool our wisdom, the reasoning effect will definitely be better."
Xiao Zhang then spoke up, "If you ask me, the focus of our investigation should be on the murderer's autopsy method. I've said before that the murderer's method of dissecting the victim's internal organs is very professional and skilled, and it is definitely not something that ordinary people can do, so we should start with the profession of doctors!"
In fact, I have thought about this before, but even if we start with doctors, the target range is too broad. After all, there are so many hospitals of all sizes in Zhongwei City. If we want to ask every surgeon, even if the murderer is really among them and he is lying, we will not be able to judge.
Xiao Zhang continued, "Not just doctors, we also need to investigate the pasts of some suspects. What if some of the suspects were surgeons in the past? Besides, we don't need to question them one by one. We just need to collect blood from all the surgeons in Zhongwei City. As long as it matches the blood on the dead man's bathroom door, then no matter how much he tries to argue, he can't change this ironclad evidence."
Not only Officer Yang, but even I felt my eyes brighten up and my thoughts became clear after listening to Xiao Zhang's words. I thought to myself that Xiao Zhang was indeed meticulous and had excellent psychological quality. I admit that after seeing the bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs, my brain began to become dizzy. If my brain was clear, I might have been able to think of this solution.
Officer Yang smiled with satisfaction, patted Xiao Zhang on the shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to have such a talent. Work hard. If you perform well in two years, I will promote you to be a captain and you can be my successor in the future!"
Xiao Zhang smiled shyly and said nothing. Although it seems that things are still going smoothly and we have found a new direction, the feeling of something wrong that I had felt before once again appeared in my mind. I can't tell where that feeling of something wrong comes from, but it always makes me feel irritated and uneasy.
After we returned to the police station, I took Diandian home to rest. The rest of the matters were left to Officer Yang and Xiao Zhang. I had been busy all day and felt exhausted. I fell into a deep sleep before nine o'clock. I was awakened by Zhang Qishan's knock on the door the next morning.
I opened the door in a daze, and Zhang Qishan ignored me and rushed into the room. She hugged and kissed Diandian, and brought a lot of dog food. It seemed that she really liked Diandian.
"How is it? Is there any news from Officer Yang yesterday?" After a long time, when I had finished washing up, Zhang Qishan finally started asking me about what happened yesterday.
I roughly told Zhang Qishan what happened from yesterday afternoon to evening. Zhang Qishan's face gradually turned green and he said, "You mean, that bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs."
"Just keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone, okay? Don't you think I'm disgusting enough? After these two days of experience, I think I won't eat meat for at least the next month. The sight of meat makes me sick."
As I was talking, the phone on the bedside table suddenly rang. I picked it up and saw that it was Officer Yang calling. After the call was connected, Officer Yang's excited voice came immediately from the other end of the line: "Ji Wen, you should go to the deceased's community as soon as possible. There is a major discovery!"
"What discovery has excited you so much?"
Officer Yang's tone was still excited. He said, "We found Wang Dong's body. Xiao Zhang is testing it now. Wang Dong's body had actually been hidden in a hidden cabinet under the bed of the deceased Xiao Mei. We just didn't find it yesterday! In addition, the parents of the deceased Xiao Mei arrived in Zhongwei City this morning and are now staying in our station. Come quickly, and then we will go and talk to Xiao Mei's parents together!"
Although I had guessed that the butcher Wang Dong might have died, I never expected that the murderer would kill Wang Dong and leave his body in Xiao Mei's home! I had to see it with my own eyes no matter what. Even if it wasn't for Wang Dong's body, I had to meet Xiao Mei's family. I had a feeling that this case would soon be solved!