Red Makeup Serial Murder Case (15)

"In order to protect Lele, I took the initiative to propose a divorce plan. Xiang Ming hesitated, but soon agreed. I moved with Lele to the house left by his father. You have lived there for many years... I didn't plan to tell anyone about the fake divorce, including Lele and Xiang Ming's parents. But after thinking it over, I was worried that you would have a deeper misunderstanding of Xiang Ming, so I decided to find a time to clarify it with you."

Lu He was deeply shocked, he didn't know there was such a hidden story behind this matter. When Liang Ran said it, he understood why she and Shen Xiangming wanted to fake a divorce. Maybe a fake divorce was the only way to save this family. In the face of darkness, sometimes you have to make a last resort.

Liang Ran said, "Later, Xiang Ming was transferred out of the Feng Lihua case, and the provincial department sent him here to assist in the Jia Longhui case. In fact, the Jia Longhui case involved a wider range of people, and the Seattle club might be involved in some complicated relationships in the province. That time, it was Xiang Ming who took the initiative to ask to go to Jinyang City to assist in the investigation. He told the provincial department leaders that he was alone and had no worries, so he happily went."

Lu He's eyelids drooped slowly. He didn't expect that Shen Xiangming retained the style he had when he was in the police academy. He did things crazily without caring about the consequences, but he also liked to expose and investigate the huge darkness without caring about the consequences.

He admired this very much. To him, everything he did was the same as that of all criminal detectives, which was to light up countless lights in the darkness and make the night as bright as day.

"That time, Xiang Ming called Director Liu of your city bureau, and he found out that you had a good relationship with a female colleague in the bureau. However, with your personality, you would not take any action."

Lu He shook his head and smiled slightly. He didn’t know that Director Liu liked to “gossip” about him.

Liang Ran continued, "That time, Xiang Ming told me that he wanted to motivate you and get you out of singlehood soon. Xiang Ming's idea was crazy, and I was in a dilemma at the time, but I don't know why I agreed. I told him not to go too far, otherwise Lu He would beat you up and put you in the hospital."

Lu He wanted to laugh. Although Shen Xiangming was not beaten into the hospital that time, he was indeed quite vicious.

"Later, Xiang Ming said that he was beaten by you and felt wronged. I actually laughed at that time." Liang Ran showed a faint smile, "I knew that he was a person who did things without regard for the severity of the consequences."

"It's okay." Lu He said, "I should be the one to apologize."

"At least everything is going well now," Liang Ran straightened up and smiled, "I guess you got the girl just now."

Lu He smiled awkwardly: "To be honest, I'm still working hard."

"She doesn't look that hard to pursue, does she? I don't believe that Lu He, who was so famous in the police academy back then, would feel embarrassed about this."

Lu He licked his thin lips. He didn't want to lie in front of Liang Ran, but at the moment, he was not completely sure. He curved his mouth slightly and said, "Liang Ran, thank you. Don't worry, if I plan to get married, I will tell you as soon as possible."

"Lu He, do you still remember your father's blessing?"

Lu He certainly remembers Liang Chenghao's blessing. Liang Chenghao once said that he didn't care if he had great achievements in the criminal investigation career, but hoped that he would have a happy life in the family.

He nodded, a little sadly: "I remember, don't worry. I will continue to pursue Meng Siqi."

Liang Ran pursed his lips and smiled, looking at him with relief, without saying anything.

The two walked out of the reception room. Meng Siqi just came back with Shen Lele. Liang Ran said she was leaving and said goodbye to each other. Liang Ran reminded her, "Siqi, if you go to the province, remember to find me. I will take you around."

"Thank you, Sister Liang Ran."

Liang Ran led Shen Lele towards the police station gate, and Meng Siqi followed Lu He to see them off. Shen Lele looked back at Lu He and Meng Siqi reluctantly.

Meng Siqi discovered that next to Liang Ran's car stood a man in his thirties, tall and about the same height as Lu He.

The reason why Meng Siqi noticed him at first sight was because the back of his right hand looked like it had been burned by fire, and the skin was dark brown and charred.

Liang Ran walked to the car, and Lu He also arrived. He seemed to know the man and took the initiative to greet him: "Shi Jie, long time no see."

Qiao Shijie smiled and said, "Lu He, long time no see. This time I happened to be in the city to do something, and I was driving for Liang Ran."

"Thank you for your hard work. I was going to treat you to dinner."

Qiao Shijie said, "You're welcome. I have something else to do at the boxing gym this afternoon, so I have to hurry back."

"Okay, drive slower later."

When Qiao Shijie opened the car door for Lele, Lu He squatted down and picked up Shen Lele, "Lele, do you like it here? Why don't you go back with your mom? Uncle will play with you for a few days, okay?"

"Uncle He, I don't like it here. It always rains..."

"Le Le, you're being naughty again." Liang Ran said pretending to be angry.

"It's okay, Lele and I were just joking." Lu He carried Shen Lele to the back seat, "Lele, listen to your mother on the way and be good."

Shen Lele leaned her head close to his ear and said, "Uncle He, I'll tell you a secret. I like it here when Uncle He is here."

Lu He smiled and said, "Thank you, Lele."

They said goodbye to each other. Lu He kept watching the car leave, then he turned his head slowly with a smile and looked at her, "Thank you for thinking of me."

“Actually, I like Lele very much.”

Lu He said, "By the way, you were in my office when I called you just now. Is there something you want to talk to me about?"

"I was just thinking about looking at the files on the Red Lacquer case. Can I discuss it with you?"

"How closely do you think these two cases are related?"

“I don’t know either, so I want to discuss it.”

"Okay, let's go back and talk about it."

On the way back to the office, Lu He said, "Siqi, Liang Ran arrived last night. He hurried to the Municipal Bureau this time because he wanted to tell me that Shen Xiangming was threatened when handling a case at the Provincial Department, and that Liang Ran and Shen Xiangming were having a fake divorce."

"Ah?" Meng Siqi was stunned for a moment, and seeing Lu He's mysterious smile, she seemed to understand Shen Xiangming's intention. Could it be that Lu He and Shen Xiangming had discussed this? They were indeed birds of a feather, but from the same school.

But she still smiled knowingly, thinking that Liang Ran's outcome was always the best. She hoped that they would be safe and Lele would grow up healthily.

"Who was that man just now?" she asked out of curiosity.

"It's one of my cousins ​​who opened a boxing gym in the province."

“Is your hand injured?”

"Yes, I was in a car accident when I was a kid, so that's what happened. But it doesn't affect my boxing."

Back in the office, Meng Siqi opened both files and placed them on the table next to the crime board. The two stood in front of the crime board to discuss. She had just read through them and found that there were great differences between the two serial cases. She quickly wrote a few key words on the blackboard with chalk.

The first major difference is that the murderer in the Red Makeup case created an extremely clean crime scene and uniformly took away the left index finger nail of the victims. However, the Red Lacquer case was different. Apart from the similar makeup, the scene was not so meticulously organized, and the victim's nails and other tissues were not damaged.

The second major difference is that the three female victims of the Hongzhuang case were all very young, in their twenties and unmarried. Du Lianxi was 22 years old and in her first year of work; Yin Mo was 20 years old and a sophomore; and Tan Xiaoshuang was 21 years old and a recent graduate. They were two years apart in age, and were all young women who were either college students or had just graduated and were working.

However, the ages of the victims in the Red Paint Case varied greatly. The first victim, Xin Yameng, was 19 years old, unmarried, and a female worker in a paint factory; the second victim, Bao Xue, was 27 years old, married, and a doctor in a health center; the third victim, Xie Wenjuan, was 24 years old, married, and a Chinese teacher in an elementary school.

Based on these differences, Meng Siqi concluded: "Captain Lu, I think these two serial cases may not have been committed by the same person."

Previously, there were two theories about the two serial cases. One was that they were committed by the same person but with improved methods, and the other was that they were copycat crimes.

Lu He looked at the information on the crime board and asked, "Why do you think so?"

At this time, the two remaining colleagues in the office, Liang Yunfeng and Cai Shuangxi, also came over, stood behind the two of them, and watched and listened attentively.

Meng Siqi said: "Assuming that the murderer was in his twenties 24 years ago, he must be at least 50 years old now. It may not be difficult for someone of this age to commit a crime, but I think it is extremely difficult to keep the crime scene so clean. I think a person's habits are very difficult to change, especially this habit of maintaining a high standard for a clean environment. I don't think it can be achieved through ordinary upgrades."

"There is another important difference," Meng Siqi said. "I think the victim in the red paint case was made up after death, while in the red makeup case, the victim was made up before death. The difference between the two is huge, so it is difficult for them to be done by the same person."

Lu He nodded. "Siqi, I agree with your point of view. So, do you think these two are related?"

Meng Siqi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, for example, the crimes were all committed on rainy days, but I think that committing the crimes on rainy days may not explain the problem. Many crimes are committed on rainy days because this kind of weather is suitable for the suspects to hide their whereabouts. On the contrary, I think that the biggest common point of these two serial murders is that the female victims were not sexually assaulted. It is based on this point that I think it is very likely to be a copycat crime. But if it is a copycat crime, then after 24 years, does it explain a new problem, that the murderers of the two cases have had intersections before?"

Lu He's eyes were fixed, and his gaze fell on Meng Siqi's face for a long time without moving. Liang Yunfeng and Cai Shuangxi also kept looking at Meng Siqi. This viewpoint was the first time it appeared, which undoubtedly made them feel very novel. Cai Shuangxi said: "Xiao Meng, your viewpoint is very interesting."

Meng Siqi smiled, and seeing Lu He's eyes suddenly become hot, he reminded him a little embarrassedly: "Captain Lu?"

Lu He seemed to be distracted for a moment, and said, "Siqi, you are very smart."

Meng Siqi smiled slightly: "Team Lu won the award. Do you think this is likely?"

"Let me summarize your thoughts. If the two murderers have some overlap, then 24 years ago, it is possible that a child witnessed the Red Paint Case. However, he still has a fresh memory of the crime process. 24 years later, he chose to commit the crime. However, his habits are more meticulous and detailed than those of the Red Paint Case murderer, so the crime scene he presented is also different."

"Yes." Meng Siqi pursed her lips and smiled. This is what she wanted to express.

Cai Shuangxi said happily: "Captain Lu, Xiao Meng, I feel this is the answer."

Liang Yunfeng also said: "This speculation is very likely the truth."

Meng Siqi was very happy to be recognized by everyone, but this speculation could not really reveal the answer.

Lu He said, "In addition to your speculation, there is another point that I have never really understood, which is why the murderer pulled out the nail of the victim's left index finger. I can start with a suggestion."

In fact, Meng Siqi didn't understand it either. She waited: "Team Lu, you tell me."

"Okay, from my years of criminal investigation experience, I think there are several reasons. First, the murderer pursues perfection very much, but he likes to leave a perfect regret. This missing nail may be this regret. Second, the murderer has a habit of collecting, which has occurred in many serial murder cases at home and abroad. It is like a fetish. Collecting the nails of the deceased's left index finger is his habit. Third, the deceased once suffered the pain of having his left index finger nail pulled out, so he wanted to restore this pain to the deceased. This is my speculation. What do you think?"

Meng Siqi listened carefully to Lu He's analysis. She felt that these three analyses were very insightful and should cover all possibilities. She couldn't think of more possibilities at the moment, so she nodded and said, "I support Team Lu's idea."

"I support it too." Cai Shuangxi followed.

Meng Siqi suddenly remembered something and said, "Captain Lu, I thought of something else and would like to share it with you."

"What?"

"That's the order of the three processes: putting on makeup, removing nails, and suffocating."

Meng Siqi once deduced that in the makeup case, the deceased was made up before her death, but Lu He had never figured out the sequence of these three actions. He looked at her with great interest.

Meng Siqi said: "The makeup should have been done in advance. I think the murderer might have felt more accomplished if he did it while the victim was still alive. However, smothering the victim and removing the armor might have been done at the same time."

"At the same time?" Lu He still didn't understand. From the autopsy, it was confirmed that the deceased died of mechanical asphyxiation. It was very likely that the murderer covered the deceased's mouth and nose, causing death. However, the action of pulling out the nails requires two hands. The murderer grabbed the deceased's palm with one hand and pulled out the nails with pliers with the other hand. It is impossible for the murderer to have a third hand to suffocate the deceased. So how could the deceased be suffocated at the same time?

Meng Siqi explained: "After the deceased was made up, I think the murderer had already completed the main action. She only needed to do two more things to complete the whole process, that is, smothering the deceased and pulling out the nails. It is very likely that she did these two things at the same time. First, we found that the makeup oil on the nails of the deceased's right hand was smeared on the crotch of the body, and there was more than one line. This is also the basis for me to infer that the deceased had made up before his death. It also shows that the deceased had a violent physical reaction. Smothering and pulling out the nails at the same time may make the reaction so strong. Second, in order to do smothering and pulling out the nails at the same time, I thought of a very possible answer. The murderer must have brought things like handkerchiefs and cloth towels with him. On rainy days, he could wet them at any time and then stick the wet cloth to the mouth and nose of the deceased. Since the deceased was unconscious, he would soon suffocate to death."

Lu He had a sense of enlightenment. He thought Meng Siqi simulated the murderer's crime process, which was very important for completing the psychological profiling. As a result, he admired Meng Siqi more and more, and this admiration naturally showed in his eyes.

Seeing that Lu He didn't respond, Meng Siqi reminded him: "Team Lu?"

At this time, a voice called "Road Team" came from the door, and a person walked in. It was Chen Jierong. She walked in front of the group and said, "Siqi, you are here too."

"Sister Rong, do you have any new discoveries?" She saw that Chen Jierong was holding a list in her hand. Since the autopsy report had been handed over, this list might be a new discovery.

"There are indeed some new discoveries," Chen Jierong said. "I found the same kind of fibers in the noses of the three dead bodies, very fine cotton fibers. I previously thought that the dead bodies inhaled them from the environment, but I don't think cotton fibers can be inhaled at a construction site, so I made a bold guess that the murderer may have used a cotton handkerchief or cloth with a small amount of water on it and pasted it on the mouth and nose of the dead body, causing mechanical asphyxiation. The amount of coma drugs injected into the dead body may not be large, and the murderer may have enjoyed the feeling of the dead body struggling. There must have been violent breathing struggles before the dead body died, so it is not difficult to inhale trace amounts of cotton fibers."

At that moment, Lu He felt a sense of surprise. All of this was actually predicted by Meng Siqi in advance. He couldn't help but curl his lips and said, "Jie Rong, Siqi and I just discussed this, and she also put forward a similar view. You two are in sync with each other."

Cai Shuangxi said happily: "Forensic Doctor Chen, Xiao Meng did mention it just now. Xiao Meng is so amazing." Liang Yunfeng also gave Meng Siqi a thumbs up at the right time.

Chen Jierong smiled and said, "This shows that Siqi's thinking is very good. It just so happens that my report is also an effective proof of Siqi's point of view."

Meng Siqi was particularly embarrassed by their compliments, and her ears were burning. She quickly said humbly, "Sister Rong, I was just guessing."

"Siqi, I believe you." Chen Jierong gave her a smile and said, "Then I'll go back first. You two can chat first."

She handed the list to Meng Siqi and said, "I'll discuss this with you guys if I have any new ideas."

"Okay." Meng Siqi said with a smile, "Sister Rong, take care." Lu He also pursed his lips and smiled.

After Chen Jierong left, the atmosphere suddenly became much quieter. Meng Siqi also knew that even though many details had been deduced, the portrait of the murderer was still vague.

As expected, Lu He asked, "Siqi, can you draw the murderer's criminal psychology?"

In fact, Meng Siqi had been racking her brains to do these tasks, but she still couldn't draw it. She couldn't put forward immature views to mislead everyone, so she shook her head. As for Meng Tingzhe, it was just a suspicion, and he couldn't be substituted when doing criminal profiling.

"I see," Lu He said, "This is indeed a bit difficult."

Meng Siqi suggested, "Captain Lu, if there are no clues in the Red Makeup Case, can we look for clues in the Red Lacquer Case? If there was indeed a child who witnessed all of this 24 years ago, can we go to the scene of the three deaths in the Red Lacquer Case to investigate?"

"Of course, but for something that happened 24 years ago, there may be very few clues." Lu He said, "But we can't give up. Cai Shuangxi, Yunfeng, you should go to Bao Xue's crime scene today. Siqi and I will go to Xin Yameng and Xie Wenjuan's crime scenes."

"Okay, team."

After going out, in the car, Meng Siqi planned to raise a new question, which was not easy to raise in the office just now, that is Liang Chenghao, who is both Lu He's teacher and father.

Liang Chenghao was an external criminal psychologist in the Red Lacquer Case 24 years ago. His name did appear in the file, and he should have had a certain friendship with Director Liu, but his arguments did not seem to exist in the file, which was also what she was curious about.

If you want to understand the old case from 24 years ago, it might be a good idea to start from the perspective of a criminal psychologist. Lu He might know something, because Liang Chenghao could be considered his mentor.

"Lu He, there was an external expert in the Red Lacquer Case, Professor Liang Chenghao. He should be Sister Liang Ran's father. He seemed to be involved in the Red Lacquer Case at the time. Do you know something about his thoughts at the time?"

Lu He looked at her and said in silence, "Mr. Liang was indeed an external expert in that case. Around 1970, he published some unique views on criminal psychology. At that time, it should be Director Liu who asked him to help solve the case. The reason why his words were not recorded in the file was because he was not a member of the public security system."

Meng Siqi nodded, and Lu He looked out the window and said, "After I grew up, I actually exchanged some opinions about the Red Lacquer Case with Mr. Liang, and Mr. Liang told me without reservation."

Meng Siqi was very excited. She looked at Lu He's beautiful profile and listened carefully.

"Mr. Liang said that he had done a profile of the three cases that occurred in 1970. He believed that the murderer must have a certain degree of psychological distortion. None of the three victims were sexually assaulted. Their deaths must have been a ritualistic act by the murderer."

"Ritual behavior?"

"Yes, Mr. Liang's viewpoint is very novel, and the authorities at the time should have recognized his viewpoint, because apart from this ritual behavior, it is difficult to explain the murderer's criminal motive."

Meng Siqi asked curiously: "Did Professor Liang explain why it is a ritual behavior?"

"The ritual is often very mysterious. The murderer puts makeup on the female body, which is like a performance art. Mr. Liang speculates that the murderer has a special attachment to the image of fire, so the fiery red paint becomes a substitute. He believes that the murderer is a married young man, but he may have some physical defects, mainly sexual dysfunction. He has a natural worship of the offensive image of fire because red itself represents aggression. In other words, when he draws red patterns on the female body, he has a great satisfaction, which belongs to the satisfaction of sexual desire!"

"The murderer must be a very inferior person in real life. He may often be laughed at, and some people may even make fun of him for being impotent. Mr. Liang speculated that he may be a married, extremely low-key, and even very honest-looking young man, but the relationship between him and his wife is extremely unequal in marriage, and he is frustrated in life. Putting red makeup on the corpse already implies a criminal motive, that is, the inferiority of defects and the flame of sexual desire collide violently!" Lu He made the final decision.