I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 99: Chapter 97: The Same Modus Operandi

”Captain Zhuang,” Ji Sheng said, stepping forward to greet him.

Zhuang Yanzheng looked at him. ”President Ji, you’re here too.”

”Just visiting relatives.” Ji Sheng offered him a cigarette.

”I quit,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

”Good for you. Smoking too much isn’t good for you anyway.” Ji Sheng put the cigarettes away.

Su Miaoyi walked behind them. Ge Yu gripped her arm and whispered, ”Isn’t that the guy from the Municipal Bureau?”

Su Miaoyi nodded. ”He is.”

”Why is he here?” Ge Yu whispered. ”Could it be a major case?”

Zhuang Yanzheng heard them talking and glanced back.

Ge Yu immediately fell silent.

Su Miaoyi met his gaze.

Zhuang Yanzheng said nothing and turned away again.

Ji Sheng watched them from the side, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind. Cai Qinglian had always insisted the Cais’ trouble was related to Su Miaoyi. She claimed that right after she and Cai Xi ran into Su Miaoyi at the pet hospital, both her brother and nephew were arrested.

’Do Su Miaoyi and Zhuang Yanzheng actually know each other?’

’Their relationship seems to be anything but ordinary.’

”Captain Zhuang?” Cai Qinglian, who had been in the room the whole time, looked surprised to see Zhuang Yanzheng walk in.

”Mrs. Ji,” Zhuang Yanzheng greeted.

”Please, have a seat.” Third Aunt offered up her chair.

”It’s alright, we won’t sit. We’re just here to ask a few questions,” the officer behind him said.

”You can ask while sitting,” Third Aunt said. ”We’re not busy. It’s no trouble for us to sit. You all have work to do later, so please, sit down.”

”Here’s some hot tea. If you’re not used to it, we also have hot water.” An aunt came in with the tea. ”Warm yourselves up.”

”Thank you,” Zhuang Yanzheng said. ”Please, don’t go to any trouble. We’re just here to ask a few questions.”

”Alright. Our whole family is here. Go ahead and ask.”

”Who owns the house?” an officer asked.

Cheng Yong answered, ”I do. This house belonged to my parents. It passed to me after they died.”

”Do you live here full-time?”

”No, we only came back for the New Year holiday,” Cheng Yong said.

”The house next door has been abandoned for many years. Who used to live there? Were you familiar with them?”

”I knew them well when I was a kid living here, but after I grew up, we didn’t come back often. I wouldn’t say we’re familiar anymore...”

While the two officers continued their questions, Zhuang Yanzheng downed the tea his aunt had poured for him in one gulp, said a few words to the officers, and went out.

Su Miaoyi pulled the tall Cheng Jue over to the doorway, blocking the view from inside, and followed Zhuang Yanzheng out.

Ji Sheng’s gaze followed them.

Cheng Jue straightened up, using his body to block Ji Sheng’s view like a door.

Ji Sheng stared at him. ”...”

Outside, Zhuang Yanzheng handed Su Miaoyi a pair of gloves and shoe covers.

As Su Miaoyi pulled on the gloves, she walked with him and asked, ”What brings you here?”

”The M.O. is very similar to a case from five years ago,” Zhuang Yanzheng said.

”Five years...” Su Miaoyi said, surprised.

’Five years... That was so long ago.’

”A bachelor used to live next door. He passed away seven or eight years ago, and the house has been abandoned ever since.” Su Miaoyi pulled on a mask and walked to the gate of the house next door. ”Everyone from the village is moving to the cities, so there are fewer and fewer people left. A lot of the houses are sitting empty because no one will buy them.”

The entrance was cordoned off with police tape.

Some time had passed since the discovery, and with the cold weather, the crowd of onlookers had gradually dispersed.

Only a few scattered people remained nearby.

Police officers were conducting interviews.

Su Miaoyi walked straight into the neighboring yard.

Yan Cheng and Qi Feng were in the cellar.

Zhuang Yanzheng had Qi Feng come up, while he and Su Miaoyi went down.

Yan Cheng was in the middle of his examination.

Su Miaoyi looked at the pelvis of the skeleton on the ground. ’Male.’

’It’s completely skeletonized, so it’s hard to determine the time of death.’

’The skeleton is incomplete.’

’Moreover, the conditions in the cellar are not ideal.’

’It must have been submerged in water during warmer weather. Even though the cellar was covered, the seal was no longer tight—snowflakes were drifting in, to say nothing of the rainy season.’

’Year after year, some of the bones have crumbled away. Any DNA evidence is likely degraded beyond use.’

’Some parts must have been buried in the dirt; Yan Cheng has already cleared them.’

Some had more dirt on them than others.

Aside from the parts nailed to the ground, the rest were likely scattered everywhere.

Yan Cheng had gathered them and laid them out.

Zhuang Yanzheng stood to the side, holding an investigation lamp.

Su Miaoyi crouched down to take a look as well.

Both of the skeleton’s hands were pinned to the ground with iron nails.

A third nail was driven through the center of the skull’s forehead.

”There’s a nick on the ribcage,” Yan Cheng said, taking a measurement. ”This was likely a stab wound. Cause of death... can’t be determined yet. This nick in the ribs is right over the heart, and the nail in the skull—either could have been fatal.”

Typically, however, the stab to the chest would have come first, followed by the nailing.

But too much time had passed. Many traces were gone, and they had precious little information to go on.

”Age?” Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

Su Miaoyi’s gaze fell on the skull’s teeth.

Some had fallen out and were missing. Only half of the upper teeth remained.

Zhuang Yanzheng brought the investigation lamp closer. Yan Cheng observed them carefully. ”Age at death was somewhere between forty-six and fifty.”

Su Miaoyi’s hand touched the nick on the ribcage, her fingers lingering for a moment. Then she reached out and touched the nail in the skull.

Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng both held their breath, watching her.

Su Miaoyi shook her head. ”I didn’t see anything.”

Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng turned their gazes back to the skeleton.

Su Miaoyi stood up and looked around. No one had entered this place in a very long time. Even if there had been any traces left behind back then, they would have vanished by now.

”Is there some sort of folklore about nailing a corpse?” Su Miaoyi asked.

Zhuang Yanzheng kept the investigation lamp trained on the skeleton with one hand while shining a flashlight around with the other. ”There’s a folk belief. It says that if you pin the hands with two three-inch-long black nails, then drive a longer black nail through the point between the eyes, you can bind a ghost.”

Su Miaoyi looked at Zhuang Yanzheng.

Zhuang Yanzheng continued, ”This way, the wronged soul can’t come back for revenge or be reincarnated. It might even have its spirit utterly destroyed, unable to find peace for all eternity.”

Su Miaoyi frowned. ”What kind of deep-seated hatred would drive someone to not only kill a person, but also pin their soul?”

Yan Cheng added, ”Or maybe the killer has a guilty conscience and is terrified of being haunted.”

Su Miaoyi nodded. ”Was the case five years ago the same?”

”Yes,” Zhuang Yanzheng and Yan Cheng grunted in unison.

After they both answered, each waited for the other to elaborate, resulting in an awkward silence.

Su Miaoyi looked at the two of them. ”So you two were already together five years ago.”

”What kind of thing is that to say?” Zhuang Yanzheng scowled.

Yan Cheng: ”...”

Su Miaoyi opened her mouth. ”I meant, you two were already working together five years ago?”

”Yes,” Yan Cheng nodded.

Zhuang Yanzheng said, ”There were two cases five years ago, one three years ago, and now this one discovered today. All with the same M.O. Including this one, the bodies have been buried in the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—of Jinghai.”

...