Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Raindrops come pelting out of the sky.  It’s a busy yet somewhat soothing sound as the rain brushes the windows and hit the roof. But it is not enough to calm the anxious minds.  

    Of course, there is still one person in the Orange Hill resort that is calm and collected.  Bo Jinyan  is sitting in front of the monitors, observing the reactions of each staff member of Customer 3 Division.

    "Zhou Qin is next?" Jian Yao is trying to brush away some of the water vapours that’s on her wet garment.  She is wearing a blue dress today, similar design to the one Wang Wan Wei was wearing that night. 

    "No, that’s not necessary." Bo Jinyan  leans back and rest with hands behind his head, “Their reaction have told me everything I need to know.”  

    Jian Yao is a little baffled.

    He used the earring to force Pei Ze and Qian Yu Wen to admit that they were having sex just so that he can see the reactions of others? 

    -

 A man’s hand, holding a dark blue handkerchief appears in front of her.

    “Hair." Bo Jinyan  says.

    "Thank you." Jian Yao wipes off the water drops that are on her face.   Bo Jinyan  is starring at her forehead.  Her hair, still wet from the rain, is resting on her soft supple skin.

    “Don’t you feel uncomfortable?" He looks at her.

   Jian Yao wonders why he is suddenly interested in her wet hair. He stands up and walks over to her.  He takes the handkerchief.

   - Surely he is not going to dry my hair.  A thought flashes past her. 

He uses his handkerchief to blot up the water drops that hanging at the tip of her fringe.  It has a clean cotton smell, as well as a slight warmth that’s been transferred from his hand.

    And he is looking down at her, with a  “can’t you even take care of yourself properly?”  look on his arrogant face.  But his gaze is gentle and warm.  The handkerchief is gliding down her face, past her ears, along the cheeks.  His slender fingers ‘accidentally’ touches her skin from time to time. 

   

 Jian Yao's face starts to blush.

    The man ......

    What is in his mind as he is doing this?

   Just giving her a hand because she can’t even do such a trivial task properly?  

———-

 Bo Jinyan  walks over to the phone.  He picks up the receiver and ask Yin Ziqi’s assistant to arrange for a vehicle to send Pei Ze, Qian Yu Wen and Mai Chen to the resort conference centre.  He tells them that the investigation is over.  They can relax now.  

    -

Five people are standing in the pouring rain, in the dark.  They are standing on the grass area between Zhou Qin and Lin Yu Wen / Shen Dan Wei’s room.  This is Bo Jinyan ’s idea.  He will ask a few questions with all of them there. Jian Yao asked him why they had to stand in the rain.  To which, Bo Jinyan  replied,”It’s harder to hide one’s guilty conscience under such circumstances.” 

   Bo Jinyan  is holding a big black umbrella.  Jian Yao is leaning towards him as they are sharing the shelter.  He looks at Zhou Qin: “ Your turn.”  He talks above the white noise of the rain hitting the ground. 

    Zhou Qin answers: "I do not know . I was sleeping.”

    “Let me explain to you." Bo Jinyan  says coldly, “Wang Wan Wei's diary reveals that someone has been using drugs to control her for the past six months. We have sufficient evidence to believe that the person went to her room that night.  Why would a young lady run out of the room so late at night, when it’s pouring with rain?  Unless it is to get away from her killer.  And what a coincidence, that one of her earrings is found in the courtyard behind your residence.” 

    Zhou Qin’s face turns white: “I have no idea what you are talking about."

    Bo Jinyan  turns to the other two ladies.

    “What do you have to say?"

    Lin Yu Xuan: "We worked till midnight.  Then we went to bed.  We didn’t notice anything suspicious.”

    "Oh?" Bo Jinyan  smiles at them, “I am afraid the evidence points otherwise."

    Jian Yao takes out a copy of the investigation report. 

   Bo Jinyan : “We know that Wang Wan Wei went into your backyard.  There were signs of struggle.  We found some of her hair not far from your lounge window.”

    "...... I do not know." Lin Yu Xuan’s face is turning pale.

Shen Dan Wei: “I didn’t hear or see anything."

    "Never mind." Bo Jinyan  says. “At this point in time, there’s nothing to suggest Pei Ze, Qian Yu Wen and  Mai Chen have anything to do with the murder.  I believe they are innocent.  But based on the evidence we have, the culprit is one of you. I will hand you over to the police.  Bon Voyage. "

    “Diector Bao, I am innocent!”

    "You can’t convict me just like this! !”

    "Are you kidding!"

    The three of them starts to protest.

   Bo Jinyan  turns around and ask Jian Yao to arrange for the security guards to come.  Then he turns around and says to the three of them: “Let me give you some tips.  Based on the evidence, the killer will receive a death penalty,  accomplices… probably  three to five year sentence.  You’d better be prepared.”

   ———— -

    The security guards took everybody to the conference centre.  The three of them are locked in a room while waiting for the police to come.  Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan  wait in another room.  

   Someone knocks at the door.

.

    A middle-aged man, dressed in civilian clothes, comes in. 

    "Hi, Professor Bo. I am Huang Xi from the Urban Criminal Investigation team. I've heard a lot about you." The man gives Bo Jinyan  a polite handshake.

   Bo Jinyan  smiles: “Officer Huang,  I will hand over the suspects to you.  How long do you think the interrogation will go on for?"

“We’ll do our best.”  He walks out.

    Jian Yao walks up to him: “What are you up to?"

    As if to stop her asking any further, he takes out his sleep mask  and uses it to cover his eyes: “I need to rest.  Stop bothering me.”

   One of Jian Yao’s greatest virtues is patience.  After hearing what Bo Jinyan  says, she goes to the other side of the room to lie down on a sofa.  After all, it is very late.  She can do with some sleep too.

The way he handled the case thus far is not what she would expect from him.  It’s very unlike for him to conclude who the murderer is based on such superficial evidence.  

    He seemed like a different person. Like he is …acting… ah.

    "You were just scaring them, right? So that they will tell you who the murderer really is?" Jian Yao turns around and asks.

    Bo Jinyan  takes off his sleep mask and looks at her.

    "Congratulations. It seems that your birthday wish from me has been granted by the gods.”

    Jian Yao: "......" Can’t he use a better way to deliver compliments?

    “So who is the killer?"

    “Use logic to slowly work out a conclusion” He says slowly, "You can try."

    Jian Yao thinks for a while and shakes her head:. "I'm still confused."

    Bo Jinyan : “Alright. Time for another lesson.”

    Jian Yao: “..... Thank you.  So where do we start?”

    “Get a pad and a pen." He orders.

    -

    "First." He says. “It’s a homicide.  But is it not a premeditated, or acted in a spur of the moment?"

    Jian Yao thinks aloud: “It’s the first time they have come to the Orange Hill Resort.  It’s just undergone renovations.  Nobody is familiar with the place.  If it was a premeditated murder, the killer should choose a location he/she is more familiar with."

    “Bingo.  We can begin!" Bo Jinyan  looks down at the paper in her hand, “Write down the second question?  How many people entered Wang Wan Wei’s residence that night?”

    They are sitting side by side on the bed.  The pen and paper are on her knees.  They are sitting so close that she can smell his aftershave.  But what is intriguing her more are the questions he has for her, one after another, pulling her in a different world.  The world of criminal psychology.

    "One." She replies, “Wang Wan Wei is relatively petite.  If there’s two people, for example Manager Lin and Shen Dan Wei, it should be easy to pin her down, and she won’t have had the chance to escape out of the villa.  It also appears she’s been to more than one place, therefore it’s highly unlikely that the culprit will bring her to several places.” 

   Bo Jinyan  gives a small smile. Jian Yao asks with apprehension: “Am I Right?”

    “Yes.”Bo Jinyan  says, “after all, you are petite like Wang Wan Wei, so if you put yourself into her shoes, it’s easy to get to this answer.”

    Jian Yao: “…. Let’s continue.”  Bo Jinyan  always comments she is petite, when in fact she is not that small.  165cm is a pretty good height for a woman.  But of course, anyone is will be petite next to a six foot three guy!

    “Which door did she escape from? Front or back?" He asks.

    Jian Yao suddenly feels a hint of pressure. - How can you tell?  

“Back door.” Bo Jinyan  suddenly interrupts her thoughts:. “Stop!  If you take more than 10 seconds to answer a question, you are too slow…  ”

   Jian Yao looks at him.  She doesn't care about his comments,  She just want to know which door is it.

    "Back door." Bo Jinyan  answers, "If it is the front door, Mai Chen's residence is the closest.”

    ————-

    After clarifying these points, Jian Yao's starting to put the pieces together.  

    That night, the person controlling Wang Wan Wei comes to see her.  They have a fight for some reason, perhaps Wang Wan Wei wants to seek a new life and escape from his/her grip.   So the person killed her out of anger and fear that his/her secret will be out.  The person may have blocked the direction to the front door, so she escaped from the back door.

    “Question4: After she runs out of her residence, why would she not run downhill but up the slopes towards the other residences?”

    Jian Yao quickly blurts out: "She was seeking help from the other colleagues.” 

   

    Bo Jinyan  asks her: “Who is the first person she went to?"

    Jian Yao thinks for a while.  Her 10 seconds limit is up, Bo Jinyan  gives her a hit on the head and says ‘Stop’ again.

    "Remember, Zhou Qin’s expression?" He says lightly.

    Jian Yao touches her head: “yes…?”

    "It was guilt." Bo Jinyan  says, “When we told him we found Wang Wan Wei’s earrings in his back courtyard, there’s no shock, no fear, just guilt … on his face” 

Jian Yao is beginning to form a view in her mind.  But surely, he’s not that kind of person.

    "Why is he guilty?" Bo Jinyan  asks.

   Jian Yao:  "Because he ignored Wang Wan Wei’s request for help?"

  Bo Jinyan :  “Can there be any other explanation?"

    -

    2am.

    Jian Yao asks: “If Zhou Qin is not the killer, and given he is a well known “Mr.Nice”, why won’t he help Wang Wan Wei?”

   Bo Jinyan  replies: “One thing at a time.  You will find out the motives and reasons later.  Let’s focus on facts, evidence and logic first.”

    Jian Yao nods: “That makes sense."

    “ According to Wang Wan Wei’s escape route, Zhou Qin's front door is closest from her residence.  She must have knocked on his front door first, but Zhou Qin didn’t let her into his residence."

   Bo Jinyan  continues: "Okay, if it was you, it’s raining and it’s late at night.  He didn’t open the front door, maybe he was asleep, would you go around to knock on the back door?  Or find someone else to help?” 

    Jian Yao replied: "Of course I would go find someone else..  The front door is located closer to the bedroom. If he is asleep, the chances of waking him up from knocking on the back door is even slimmer."

    "Then why is her earring in his backyard?” Bo Jinyan  asks.

- There are no traces of struggle, the earring is inside the back courtyard, which means at some point, she was in the backyard.  By why would she go there? 

    A thought comes to her.  Wang Wan Wei should be running to Pei Ze / Quin Yu Wen for help. Why would she go into Zhou Qin’s backyard? 

    "Stop." Bo Jinyan ’s deep voice interrupts her again. 

    Jian Yao looks at him.

    - She is starting to think that Bo Jinyan  enjoys “Stopping” her?  

   Bo Jinyan  takes a sip of tea, and says: “There are only two possibilities.  One, she entered the backyard herself, or two, the killer brought her there.  But why would the killer bring her there?  So the former is more probable.” 

   Bo Jinyan  continues: “How she entered the backyard also has two possibilities.  One, from the outside.  She walked into the courtyard after going around the residence.  Two, she is getting out of the residence.   If she is being chased, the chance of her running into a ‘no exit road’ is extremely low.  Therefore I believe she was getting out of Zhou Qin’s residence."

    Jian Yao can’t believe what she is hearing.

   ”Yes, this is the only explanation.’ says Bo Jinyan , “ She escaped from her back door. First, she knocks on Zhou Qin’s front door.  Zhou Qin didn’t know what’s going on, so he let her in. But the killer was not far behind. He/she caught up with her very quickly.  For some reason, Zhou Qin decided to keep himself out of it.  So our poor victim escaped through the back door for the second time, accidentally dropping her earring in the backyard as she was leaving.”    

    -

  Jian Yao is marvelled.   How did  Bo Jinyan  unravel all the details from the small amount of evidence they gathered.  It is as if he was present on the night, watching the events unfold. 

    "OK." This time he has a pleasant smile on his face, “Where did she go next?"

    Jian Yao: “She ran to  ....... Lin Yu Xuan and Shen Dan Wei’s residence.”

    "Why?"

    "...... to seek help, of course?”

    "So the murderer is….?”

    Process of elimination.  It’s not Mai Chen, not Zhou Qin, not Lin Yu Xuan or Shen Dan Wei…

   Bo Jinyan : “The hair is probably caused by the struggle between our killer and Wang Wan Wei.  She ran to Manager Lin and Shen’s residence, but like Zhou Qin, they chose to ignore her plea for help.” 

    Jian Yao is  biting her lower lip.

    "Why?" Jian Yao slowly asks, "Murder is a felony.  Why would the whole division withhold information and not lend a hand?” 

    Bo Jinyan  glances at her: "You finally ask a good question."

    He takes out a report from a folder: “I told you before. I like to take short cuts when I am investigating.  Remember the hair I got from Pei Ze? I asked Yin Ziqi to collect hair samples of everyone else in Customer 3 Division for testings.”

    Jian Yao takes a look at the report.  She is shocked to see the results.  Except for Mai Chen, everyone tested positive for taking drugs. .

    Bo Jinyan : " Lin Yu Xuan  and Shen Dan Wei changed the sleeping arrangement not because they needed to work on a proposal together, but to take drugs together.”

    Shortly after Mai Chen’s confession to Wang Wan Wei, he was ‘so tired’ that he fell asleep until the next morning.  My guess is that someone put a sleeping pill in his water in advance.  With him out of the way, they can all have one happy party.” 

    Pei Ze and Qian Yu Wen. Sex and drugs.  Perhaps he is already intoxicated when he went to find Wang Wan Wei. "

    “But can’t it be Qian Yu Wen?" Jian Yao asks.

    “It’s obvious from how they relate,  Pei Ze is the dominant one and Qian Yu Wen the submissive partner.  Besides, from Wang Wan Wei’s diary, she said she was tempted into doing the wrong things.  Pei Ze’s age appearance, sexual orientation fits the profile of the seducer more than Qian Yu Wen.”

    In addition to this, Lin Yu Xuan and Pei Ze’s relationship seems to be more than just colleagues or friends.  But from her shocked reaction today, she did not know that Pei Ze is bisexual.  

In Wang Wan Wei’s diary, she mentioned that she offended Lin Yu Xuan.  She probably saw the two of them together, but this silly girl didn’t join the dots. This also explains, why Lin Yu Xuan decided to cover up for Pei Ze.

    As for Shen Dan Wei and Zhou Qin, if Wang Wan Wei didn’t die, the secret that they are doing drugs will be disclosed.  So they decided to keep quiet, and let her die. 

    He spoke fast,like water spilling out from a glass. Finally, he asks Jian Yao ” So, rookie!  What’s our conclusion?”

    At this point, Jian Yao's mobile rings.

    It’s Officer Huang.  “Assistant Jian, we have their confessions…..”

    "Culprit is Pei Ze." Bo Jinyan  says softly “except for Mai Chen, the rest are all accomplices.”

    "Culprit is Pei Ze, Qian Yu Wen, Lin Yu Xuan, Zhou Qin and Shen Dan Wei are accomplice." Officer Huang says over the phone, just one second after Bo Jinyan  gave her the answer.