Chapter 284: Gu Chen’s Lead

2022-05-20

Zhao Mingkun started his motorbike as I gave the address to the paramedics. The EMTs hurried off ahead of us. I shook my head and climbed onto Zhao Mingkun’s bike. Neither of us spoke during the ride. When it came to the killer, only words like ‘bizarre methods’ and ‘ghost-like presence’ seemed to fit.

In our recent cases, one thing was clear—the killer was human, not some ghost. If it were a ghost, why would cyanide be their weapon of choice? But if it wasn’t a spirit, how did a person pull off such strange, deadly murders again and again?

First there was Hu Xiaoxue, then Liu Ruijie and Xing Yafang, both in locked rooms. Then the nightmarish face we saw at Luo Ding’s house, Wang Xianduo’s sudden madness, and now, Wang Yikai’s mysterious death, blood spilling from nowhere.

All of it felt like some unseen force pulling the strings. Even though those people had been right near us, we couldn’t stop the killer. It was as if the murderer was always close by—unseen, but always there.

After a while, Zhao Mingkun finally spoke. “Wang Yikai wasn’t exactly a saint, but he wasn’t a bad person either, right?”

I nodded. “Look at it now—thirteen people, and half are already dead. The killer still has six more to go. If he keeps up this pace, all six could be dead by the day after tomorrow. We’re running out of time. We have to move faster.”

Zhao Mingkun asked, “Even if we find out who killed Lü Zhiqiu seven years ago, how do we contact the murderer? Maybe by the time we figure it out, the killer will have already finished off the thirteen. And what if the real culprit is among the six already dead? We really can’t say for sure.”

He had a point. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the killer was racing against time too. Even if we uncovered the identity of Lü Zhiqiu’s killer from back then, would the murderer even see it if we put that news out there?

My eyes were dry. I rubbed them and said, “For now, we just focus on finding out who killed Lü Zhiqiu seven years ago. One step at a time. Do you know where Liang Mei lives?”

Zhao Mingkun nodded. “I’m on my way there now. But to be honest, I doubt we’ll find much. We haven’t been able to reach Liang Mei; something smells fishy.”

When we got to Liang Mei’s place, I realized he was right. There was a sign on the door: ‘For Rent’. That meant Liang Mei had moved out. I called the landlord using the number on the sign to ask about her.

Turned out, the landlord lived in another unit within the same apartment complex. Within five minutes, she came over after our call. But when she heard we were investigating a case and not looking to rent the place, her face darkened and she claimed she needed to run off to take care of something.

Zhao Mingkun quickly pulled out a hundred yuan and offered it to her. “Of course, there’s a reward.”

The older woman’s eyes instantly lit up seeing the money. She grinned and said, “Well, ask away! I’ll answer whatever you need. I’m an honest citizen, after all!”

I could only shake my head, speechless.

Zhao Mingkun shot me a look, clearly reading my mind. Only now did I realize the truth in the saying—any problem you can solve with money isn’t really a problem. The landlord held the bill up to the light, checked that it was real, then asked, “So, what do you want to know?”

I cleared my throat. “Was the previous tenant’s name Liang Mei?”

“That’s right,” she nodded. “Liang Mei. About thirty years old. Divorced, raising a child on her own.”

Zhao Mingkun frowned. “That doesn’t match my information—Liang Mei should be single and childless. Are we sure we’re talking about the same person?”

The landlord scratched her head. “Oh, right, I have a photo of her and her child on my phone.”

She showed us the picture on her phone.

Sure enough, it was the Liang Mei we knew.

An idea struck me. “How old is her child?”

“Hm, that kid looks about six or seven,” the landlord replied.

I exchanged a look with Zhao Mingkun, and I knew he was thinking the same thing. If the child was six or seven, that put their birth around the time Liang Mei was still at university. Could the father be Yang Licheng? But then, Yang Licheng had said Liang Mei still resented him when they last met at the Royal Garden Hotel. Would she really raise his child alone?

I asked, “Have you ever met the child’s father?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Liang Mei told me the kid never had a father. Sure, I know she probably meant that out of anger, but that man… he’s really heartless. Liang Mei lived here for about three or four years, always coming and going alone, dropping her kid at school then coming back home to cook.”

The way she spoke, it sounded like the child really was Yang Licheng’s. Yet Liang Mei clearly didn’t want him to know. Her resentment must have run deep. It even made me wonder—on that busy night years ago, could a pregnant woman have killed another girl with a brick?

I pressed on, “When did she move out?”

“Two days ago,” the landlord said. “She came home from a gathering and told me she was moving out.”

“But it’s only halfway through the month,” I said. “Your rental agreement lasts a year, right? Isn’t that breaking the contract?”

The landlord sighed. “Tell me about it. We were barely a couple of months into a year-long contract—now it’s spring, there’s still ten months left. But what can you do when she insists? Her kid’s about to start elementary school, and there aren’t any good schools around here.”

“She seemed pretty upset that day,” the landlord added. “So I let her skip this month’s rent. It was the least I could do for a single mom and her kid.”

I was honestly shocked. This same landlord who’d just snatched a hundred yuan from us had waived a whole month’s rent for them—a room that would go for at least three thousand a month in Dongxing City.

“She’d been here for three or four years,” I mused. “And suddenly left in just a day or two?”

“Maybe people just get tired of staying in one place for too long,” the landlord said. “Before she left, I asked her why. She said her kid’s schooling was one reason, but I think that class reunion really got to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have moved out so quickly.”

I frowned. “Do you know where Liang Mei moved to?”

“No idea,” the landlord said. “She didn’t have a new place lined up yet—probably wasn’t sure which neighborhood to choose.”

It struck me as odd. Most people wouldn’t leave after three or four years without a new place to go. What could’ve made her move so suddenly? Was it possible she really was the killer from years back, and when we started investigating again, she ran to hide?

“Her phone?” I asked. “Do you have her number?”

The landlord nodded and dialed, but just as we guessed, no one answered. It all seemed too suspicious. Judging by her actions, it was like Liang Mei was hiding from something—or someone. There were only two explanations: either she was hiding from us, or from a returning, vengeful killer.

No matter which, changing her number had to mean something big. Right now, our top priority was finding her.

I turned to Zhao Mingkun. “Do you know where she works? If she’s even quit her job, then something’s really wrong.”

Zhao Mingkun nodded again. “I do. It’s work hours now—we should check it out.”

As we were saying goodbye to the landlord, Gu Chen called. He jumped right in, “Wu Meng?”

“What’s up, Gu Chen? Found anything?” I answered.

“I did. You asked me to look into Lü Xiangyang—I’ve got something. With Mary’s help, we dug up some info online,” Gu Chen reported.

“Mary?” I asked. “She’s free to move around now?”

Gu Chen sounded excited. “Yep! Team Leader Shao is still under investigation, but Mary’s fine. I asked her for a favor and she agreed right away. But I haven’t told her you and I are still in contact—I figured we should explain together when we get the chance.”

After a pause I said, “Let’s keep her out of this for now.”

“Why?” Gu Chen asked. “Don’t you trust her?”

I replied, “It’s not about trust. My situation is just too sensitive right now. If anyone finds out she’s still in touch with me, it could end up hurting both of us—she might get dragged back into the investigation. Got it? So if Lü Xiangyang never left town, what was he up to?”

Gu Chen replied, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Mary says no one ever picked up that ticket, so the trip south was probably just a cover. But I found out Lü Xiangyang was seen wandering around the train station before he went missing—maybe to make it look like he took a train. I’ve tracked down someone who saw him. I’ll have news soon.”

“Great,” I said. “Let me know if you find anything else. And be careful.”

“Will do,” Gu Chen replied and hung up.

So Lü Xiangyang really hadn’t gone south—he’d stayed in Dongxing City. But why? Could he be the killer, coming back to avenge his sister?