The group fight under the black walnut tree ended up being ignored because none of the involved parties were caught. Of course, the state university that was so overwhelmed by the campus homicide did not have time to take care of such a small thing. Violation.
Now the focus of the students’ attention is not on Lei Zhe, but on Quentin—the son of the city police chief has worked tirelessly as an unofficial news spokesperson to spy on the details of the investigation process of the case using his identity. Announce it bit by bit to the people around you.
"The police have enough evidence to suspect that this murder is closely related to the one in the Forest Park five months ago. The murderer may be the same person."
"The scattered bouquets of roses found at the murder scene in Forest Park and the rose petals found at the scene of this murder are all marks left by the murderer deliberately—you know, many serial murderers like to leave them on the murder scene or on the victim. Exclusive marks, such as the inverted pentagram of Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker."
"Serial? Yes, only two victims have been found so far. According to the police's measurement standards, the'Rose Slayer' is not yet a qualified serial killer, but as long as he has not been caught, he will definitely shoot again. When the number of victims reaches three or more, he can be gloriously upgraded."
"His target? According to the criminal profiling done by experts, the murderer has so far targeted people of color and homosexuality. The method of killing reflects the psychological tendency of hatred and venting anger, so he is very likely to be an extreme Racists and anti-homosexuals."
"Speaking of this," one of the boys in the audience interrupted suddenly, "Didn't Clyde and Colin have another fight yesterday? They fit into the frame of the murderer and the victim respectively. It might be a good shot. It became a sadomasochistic movie that hates and loves, and it’s popular nowadays."
Everyone laughed at this mean sarcasm.
Only Lei Zhe frowned and muttered to Li Biqing: "In Latin customs, if there is a sign, you can't talk nonsense. It will invite bad luck."
Li Biqing whispered: "Our country also has a similar saying-it's true." He said the last word in Chinese. Lei Zhe glanced at him and seemed to understand the meaning of the word faintly.
Facts have proved that this is not just an ominous premonition. On the fourteenth day after the murder, another campus murder shocked the entire city of Portland.
The first person discovered at the murder scene this time was a girl who liked morning exercises. When she was running in the morning by the lake between the campus and the forest park, she was scared and fainted directly by the floating bodies on the water near the shore. The police received the call and salvaged the body that had been soaked overnight. After identification, it was found that it was another student at the State University.
In the autopsy room of the municipal police station, forensic doctor Doug pulled out a body bag from the freezer and placed it on the autopsy table. He unzipped the bag to reveal the body of a red-haired young man inside, which was fixed by a small label. On his big toe, the name of the deceased and the date of birth are written in black ink: "Colin? Milovich, 1993.5.1".
"Poor boy, he just passed his 20th birthday." Policewoman Amanda's eyes flushed.
Standing in the room were two federal agents wearing FBI badges on their chests. Female agent Tia with beautiful light blonde curly hair said to the gloomy Sheriff Trevi: "The third victim—we have reason to believe. After the Night Demon, another serial killer appeared in Oregon."
Sheriff Trevi looked haggard, and seemed to be several years old in the past half month. He stared at the bloodless face that was still childish and sighed: "I know this kid. He is a classmate of my son Quentin. They are good friends... Doug, tell me about your discovery. ."
The middle-aged forensic doctor wearing glasses nodded and said: "Like the last corpse, he died of excessive blood loss caused by ruptured internal organs. The chest, abdomen, lower back, buttocks, and thighs were all stabbed by sharp objects, and the wounds were irregular. It was caused before death. The deepest wound was the anus. It was pierced by a 3-inch-diameter, 1.2-foot-long, sharp-pointed branch that penetrated the intestines and reached the stomach. Unlike the corpse, the throat of the deceased Thick branches were also inserted in the li, and the tongue and esophagus were torn. The rose petals found at the scene, after preliminary identification, are the same species as those found at the scene of the previous murder."
"Are there any suspects?" Tia asked Trevi.
"There is one, who is also a student at a state university, named Clyde. Before the incident, more than one witness saw him having a serious conflict with Colin, and he publicly threatened Colin's next death."
"Does he have a case?"
"Racing cars, drunk driving, fighting, but not recorded. In addition, according to the feedback of students and teachers, he often made some extreme racism and anti-same remarks."
"Very well, racism, sexual orientation discrimination, plus a liar, he is eligible to run for Congress!" Tia sarcastically, "Why didn't you arrest him?"
The black sheriff hesitated and said: "He is the eldest son of the Brandi family and the first heir to the Brandi consortium. His father is a member of the Senate. The previous illegal acts were under the interference of the Brandi. The record has been erased."
"So the city police flinched, didn't they? Because the suspect's father's company charged a large sum of dollars into the tax account of the state government?" Tia lifted her chin contemptuously. "If you dare not do it, let the FBI do it. She turned her head and said to her assistant: "Arrest him! Don't forget to read his rights."
Clyde? Brandi's arrest triggered a surge of public opinion, and various TV stations and newspapers have broadcast and published this as headline news. The obvious contrast between the middle-class victims and the suspects of the billionaire family quickly turned the trend of public opinion to one side. The second-generation officials should be punished severely and that the police must not succumb to the powerful. The noise is rising.
No matter how young suspects show their innocence and criticize the police for dereliction of duty, they appear so weak in this wave of public opinion, and even seriously affect the reputation of Congressman Brandi and his position in the parliament. The case is still under trial, but the media has preempted Clyde? Brandi was convicted, calling him "campus serial killer" and "rose slayer".
In the rented apartment, Li Biqing put down the newspaper in his hand and glanced at the federal agent who was drinking black tea, who seemed to be addicted to Laoshan Souchong recently.
"What do you want to say?" Leo asked.
Li Biqing hesitated and whispered: "I think... Clyde may not be the murderer."
"Why? Do you have evidence?" Leo put down his teacup.
"No, but..."
"In other words, it is based on intuition?" Leo laughed. "The court will not accept the source of evidence called'intuition,' boy."
Li Biqing a little discouraged to throw the newspaper aside, "I will find the evidence."
"I don't allow you to intervene in the murder, Li Biqing!" Leo warned him.
"Why? I am not a minor, and you are not my parent. Speaking of which," the Chinese boy smiled unkindly, "As a brother-in-law, I should be regarded as half of your parent?"
"I am the policeman." Leo replied nonchalantly. "If you have to wade through the water, I will stop your class and lock you in the apartment!"
"Well, you won." Li Biqing raised his hands in a surrender gesture, "I promise not to be nosy."
"I hope your guarantee is valid." Leo said, "Otherwise, I will inform Jasmine—you know she called again yesterday to find out if you are used to life here. There is a call almost every two or three days. I never I have seen her caring about someone like this. If you dare to make her sad, I will put a gun in your heart—I'm serious."
"—Although the feasibility is not high, but the mentality is really serious." Li Biqing said softly, "I swear to ensure it is effective."
"Good boy." The future wife and brother, who were several years old, said to him in the tone of an elder.
After federal agents thought the matter was over, a familiar number got through his mobile phone. At that time, he was working with Rob and several colleagues from the FBI Oregon branch at a house in the Japanese Garden in downtown Portland. Meal in a Japanese restaurant.
"Where are you? I have urgent business to talk to you." Li Biqing said on the phone.
Leo reported his address and asked: "What is so important, do I need to find you?"
"Wait for a while." The other party hurriedly finished speaking and hung up the call.
Twenty minutes later, a Chinese boy appeared in a Japanese restaurant. Rob saw him and waved happily: "Hi, Bi Qing, here! I guessed it was you when Leo answered the phone in Chinese. Come and eat with us-waiter, add a seat!"
Sitting down on the newly added tatami mat, the Chinese boy calmed down his breath after running and introduced Robe one by one to the past agents and greeted him politely: "Hello, first time meeting, please take care of him."
"What is it, do you want to talk about it alone?" Leo asked.
"No, there is no need to avoid everyone." Li Biqing took out two small transparent plastic bags from the bag and placed them on the dining table. There are some withered flowers and residual petals in the plastic bag.
"What is this?" Leo said, "It looks like a rose."
"It's not a rose, it's a rose."
Rob interrupted: "Is there a difference, it's the same anyway."
"No, it's not the same. This is Rosa multiflora." Li Biqing used the botanical name to explain seriously, "It is in the same Rosaceae as the rose, but it is indeed a different species."
"Then?" The silver-haired Dr. Cremont waited patiently for him to continue, the criminal psychologist who was sitting right across from him.
"They came from two murder scenes, this bag," he pointed to the plastic bag with a dead flower, "I picked it up in the grass at the murder scene first; and this bag," he pointed to Another bag of remnants, "I salvaged it from the lake near where Colin's body was found." He paused, and before Leo's face changed quickly, he said: "I don't know what was found at the scene of the murder in Forest Park. Is it this kind of flower, but I can be sure that the police have a deviation in the definition of important exhibits in the last two cases."
"I still don't understand," Rob was puzzled. "What does it matter whether the murder left a rose or a rose? It doesn't matter to the detection, besides, the suspect has already been captured."
"I don't know how to express it, my English is not very good..." Li Biqing pondered his words: "This is, uh, like the disagreement created by different objects in literature... This shows the different psychology of the murderer. Projection... Simply put-it may not be appropriate to say that, but I can't think of a more suitable one-the rose represents pure feminine, and the rose represents the negative of the masculine. If you use a human metaphor, the rose is a beautiful woman, and the rose is a beautiful boy. "
Dr. Cremont’s deep eyes narrowed behind the lens, as if something touched a sensitive nerve in an instant...
"Ha, it's really mysterious to say, but it doesn't seem to be an objective theory?" Rob laughed disapprovingly. "It's funny, boy, let's continue playing the detective game."
Li Biqing showed a frustrated expression. He also knew that this kind of understanding was too far-fetched, and it could only be unspeakable. It was really not a strong evidence to prove that the murderer was not only embarrassed when he committed the crime.
"No, what he said gave me some inspiration... Wait, I have to catch them!" Dr. Cremont murmured, "Mental projection of the murderer..." A trip to the Criminal Evidence Appraisal Division!"
"What do you do?" Rob asked at the back of him hurriedly leaving.
"Do another spectral analysis for the murder weapon!" Dr. Cremont said without looking back.
After looking at each other with Tia and other agents, Rob said inexplicably, "Leave him alone, let's eat. Leo—"
His partner stood up and pulled up the Chinese boy: "You eat slowly, let's take a step in advance!"
Almost dragged back into the car, Leo pressed angrily: "What do you want to do! Li Biqing, I think I have warned you—"
"Yes, I promised, but I broke my promise, that's wrong." The Chinese boy admitted his mistake sincerely, "But I can't just stand by and watch. Colin is someone I know, although he still doesn't reach the height of a friend. But we talked, and I still remember the vivid expression on his face, the brilliance in his eyes when he was speaking, and then he suddenly became a battered, icy corpse—I have to do something, Leo , Although I know that my meager power can't do anything—but I have to do something! Leo, can you understand this feeling?" He opened his tan eyes and looked at it with an almost pleading look. Federal agent, "If you can understand, you can understand the pain of not being able to sleep at night..."
Leo was stunned. In these words, he felt a sense of sadness that pointed to the depths of his soul, especially the last sentence, which made him feel the same pain as if he was sick.
He slowly let go of his hand, his expression a little sad, "Looking at your eyes, I know that this is not someone who gives up lightly..." He smiled bitterly, "This is the same as me."
Li Biqing breathed a sigh of relief and promised once again: "I know you are worried about my personal safety, and I promise that I will be measured and I will not put myself in danger."
"Your guaranteed credibility has been greatly reduced, and I won't believe it easily." The black-haired federal agent said unmovedly, "As you wish, Dr. Cremont has gone to re-examine the murder weapon. I don't know. Why he was moved by your words, and he’s not sure what doubts he would find out, but your dangerous action ends here—I don’t want to imprison you, but if there is another time, I will charge you for obstructing law enforcement. Handcuffed to the police station, I swear!"
Li Biqing heard from the cold and determined tone that this is by no means just a threat, Leo must do what he says. Faced with strong pressure from national law enforcement officials, he had to obey and nodded, "Well, I won't intervene anymore."