In the office with no lights on, Lin Dongxue touched the laptop with his fingers and projected a photo on the white screen. In the photo was a girl in a bright red dress. She was slender, with her hands folded under her umbilicus. Snow-like white powder, especially around the neck, the blood penetrated the white powder accumulated on it, and spread to the surroundings, gradually changing from deep red to light red.
"The deceased, Yan Qilin, died at around ten o'clock in the evening on August 13, 2013. The place of death was an evacuated demolition house near Shengli Street. There was no surveillance around it, and there were not many street lights. The alarm was a couple who broke in accidentally. The deceased had his throat cut from the front, and then suffocated to death. There were signs of violent struggle on the ground. About 500 grams of edible salt was sprinkled on the deceased. The amount was probably a big bag that can be bought in the supermarket. "
Lin Dongxue switched photos while talking, allowing Chen Shi to see more details.
Chen Shishi tapped his fingers on the table, thinking, he said, "The dead man looks very peaceful!"
"That should be placed after the murderer."
"continue!"
Lin Dongxue switched to the next photo, which was a close-up of the deceased's hand. "There is a string of letters and numbers on the deceased's right hand. From the direction and handwriting, it should be written by someone else, but no one knows what it means."
Chen Shinian came out: "HP6527963665... I don't understand, deciphering the code is my weakness! Is the second team responsible for this case?"
"In the beginning, Sub Bureau A was investigating, but it was transferred to the General Bureau three years ago, and Team Lin took over."
Chen Shi nodded to continue.
The photos projected on the white screen changed, and Lin Dongxue continued: “In the second case, the deceased Cai Tingting died from 8 to 9 pm on August 2, 2014. The location was a road bridge to the south of Limin Road. under… "
In the photo, the second deceased looks almost exactly the same as the first, with the same ear-length hair, slender figure, and the same age. He is wearing a bright red dress with his hands folded under his umbilical cord, and his body is covered with salt. , The cause of death was exactly the same, cutting his throat from the front to death.
Chen Shi thought, why cut his throat from the front? This method of assault is not very efficient. Time and place and characters are changing. It must be very difficult for the murderer to follow the last assault method, unless the person has serious problems. Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Or, it is this method of death that has a very strong and special meaning for TA.
The photos continued to switch, and a close-up of the deceased’s right arm appeared on the white screen with the same text: "HP6527963665..."
Chen Shi told Lin Dongxue to fall back, and Lin Dongxue said: "No need to fall, the letters and numbers are exactly the same, and the marks written on the deceased's hands are exactly the same for all subsequent murders."
"Who was responsible for investigating the second case?"
"B branch, because it happened in their jurisdiction."
"So there was no investigation into the case at that time?"
"Yes, it wasn't until the third case appeared. On August 20, 2015, did the General Administration pay attention to this case. It was not until this time that it was discovered that the dates of the three cases were all on Chinese Valentine's Day!"
"Well... a lot of things will happen in a year, and it's no wonder that you haven't connected."
"Aren't you sarcastic?"
"No, why should I ridicule you? Think about what we were doing last year."
"Last year... Last year we didn't know each other at this time!"
"Yes, look at how much has happened this year, go ahead!"
Lin Dongxue went on to put on a slide show, 15 years, 16 years, 17 years, 18 years, to make an inappropriate metaphor. This murderer is as dedicated as Santa Claus. On Qixi Festival, he will use the same technique to kill a young girl, their age. , Height and weight are very similar, almost one type.
Lin Dongxue said: "Last year, the chief said that we must catch the murderer no matter what. We started deploying defenses everywhere before Qixi, invested a lot of police force, and invited a criminal psychologist. The expert's portrait of the murderer is 25 ~35-year-old male, has a stable job and family, has a cleanliness, may have one or two childish hobbies, he has been betrayed by his partner, Qixi Festival is a painful day for him, his current spouse is engaged in Maybe it’s a job in the service industry... Do you think it’s a good idea?"
"Basically it is reliable. The average age of the deceased was around 23 or 24. The murderer chose this specific object, which shows that he suffered emotional trauma at this age. This experience made his mental age lower than his peers. The way of killing has a kind of burial. He always keeps the dead clean and beautiful. This is probably a kind of compensation. He has complicated feelings for the person who has hurt him, so it should be emotional. Disputes. This person’s murder cycle is long and regular, which means that there is no free time at ordinary times. Only Qixi can come out to kill on this day. This shows that he is free on this day. This expert concluded that his spouse is engaged in the service industry. It's fair to say that the service industry was very busy this evening." After a long analysis, Chen Shi put his chin on, "It's just..."
"Just what?"
"This is just a normal psychological portrait. If these cases were not done by the same person, this set would not make sense, or the murderer was a woman, although the probability is not high, it is possible."
"Obviously this was done by one person, right?" Lin Dongxue said.
Chen Shi stared at the photos in a daze, and then said for a long time: "The almost stereotyped sense of ritual, the murderer did not want to leave extra information, just keep repeating a murder case, he is copying the same murder case. Take that string of numbers as an example, if The murderer really wants to set up a puzzle for the police. He should leave different numbers on different dead people. Let us discover the rules. Isn’t this a normal plot? But this murderer has been like an autograph for six years. Write the same number in the same way, as if mocking us for being unable to solve it. If this number is his signature of murder, it would be too unsatisfactory. I can't imagine what criminal pleasure he can get when he writes the number, nor can I imagine it. What kind of pleasure can a murderer who keeps repeating a case get?"
Lin Dongxue guessed: "Perhaps his personality is like this. Every year on the Qixi Festival, he goes out to find prey, and completes a murder as precisely as a task."
"Yes, people's personalities vary greatly, and such people are not uncommon, but since this case has been investigated for so many years, I think you should have investigated everything you can."
"Long live understanding!" Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly, "Yes, I have checked everything that can be checked. I rack my brains and forget about sleeping and eating. There are no clues. Our second team is now collectively suffering from Tanabata phobia. As long as this holiday comes, it seems to be It's like a delamination... So I want to hear what Detective Chen has in mind."
"Well, I want to see the earliest case."
"good!"
Lin Dongxue went to turn on the light and handed a file to Chen Shi. He scanned it. The deceased’s personal relationship was very simple. Only three or two people were in contact with him, and the police had ruled out their suspicion...