Red Makeup Serial Murder Case (7)

In the evening, after Lu He drove back to the police station, the two rode back to their residence together. Meng Siqi was very tired after a busy day and originally just wanted to go back and rest early. Lu He cooked a bowl of noodles for Meng Siqi.

At night, she lay on the table and used matches to make many different shapes, but she couldn't get them to the right height. After repeated attempts, she finally managed to make the matches stand up.

First, place the matches end to end to form a tic-tac-toe. As long as the tic-tac-toe is high enough, a small square container can be formed. However, more matches can be inserted into the container.

Suppose in a crime scene, a football is kicked right into the bamboo pile and hits the top of the standing bamboo inserted into the tic-tac-toe, which is enough to cause the unstable tic-tac-toe to collapse.

Meng Siqi thought this was just a piece of common sense, but the murderer turned the messy construction site into a neat "work of art".

Although he deduced the design of the scene, Meng Siqi didn't know why the murderer did this.

Because of fatigue, Meng Siqi slept deeply at night and woke up late the next day. Fortunately, the police station was close and he arrived there on time.

She planned to report to the second team office and then go to the first team office to meet up with Lu He. But just as she put down her backpack, Zhao Leiting came over. He looked worried and sighed. Meng Siqi rarely saw him like this. It must be that something happened to him that he was very concerned about. She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Come here for a moment, I'll tell you." Zhao Lei Ting walked out of the office door.

Meng Siqi followed him out and all the way to the conference room. Zhao Leiting closed the door. Feng Shaomin and Tang Xiaochuan were both in the office. Zhao Leiting might not want them to know.

He closed the door, looking a little furtive, and turned to her and said, "Do you remember the time when someone confessed his love to my sister at the door of the library?"

"Of course I remember." This happened not long ago.

"The school was supposed to be on summer break, but someone was so shameless that they posted a poster saying my sister looked down on poor people and slapped someone when he confessed his love to her. Someone even posted a photo of the slap."

Zhao Leiting was filled with anger when he spoke. Meng Siqi felt that this was too outrageous. Zhao Yuting was obviously the victim that day. Deng Hanliang morally kidnapped Zhao Yuting on the grounds of her poor family conditions. When Zhao Yuting turned around and was about to leave, he hugged her thighs. Zhao Yuting slapped him in desperation, but she was slandered as a result.

She thought about it calmly and felt that Deng Hanliang would not do such a treacherous thing. He clearly had regrets that day.

There were too many people and it was too noisy, so she didn't even notice anyone taking pictures. So what kind of person would slander Zhao Yuting?

She asked, "How is Yuting feeling?"

"How can I get better?" Zhao Leiting said bitterly, "I haven't eaten or drunk anything in the past few days, and I went to a TV interview the day before yesterday. I was in a very bad state. When I came back, my umbrella was blown away, and my whole body was soaked. I caught a cold when I came back."

Meng Siqi heard the key point, "TV station interview." She hurriedly asked, "You said Yuting went to a TV station for an interview the day before yesterday, the city TV station? When did it happen?"

"The day before yesterday at noon, I went there after lunch. It rained so heavily that I got sick when I came back."

The third red makeup case happened the day before yesterday near the city TV station. I don't know if Zhao Leiting has already known about it. Meng Siqi thought that no matter whether he knew about it or not, she should not mention it for the time being, so as not to make him worry. She calmed down a bit and said, "Have you talked to Yuting? What kind of people in the school are prejudiced against her? They want to slander her in the form of big-character posters."

Zhao Leiting complained, "My sister has been spoiled since she was young. She says and does whatever she wants, but she is not decisive. You saw the confession that day. She was afraid of hurting others in that situation, but she didn't know the right way, so her personality will definitely offend people."

Meng Siqi felt that Zhao Leiting's analysis of his sister's character was very close. She also had some understanding of Zhao Yuting. Zhao Yuting had her own ideas, but she was easily self-centered, which often made others think that she was arrogant. However, she was kind by nature and could easily pretend to be a good person. Her attitude towards doing things was not firm, which was also a character that a spoiled child easily showed.

Zhao Leiting said: "I guess, either the male students who pursued her but failed to catch up with her are bad, or the female students who are jealous of her are bad. I feel that there will be no other people."

"But now that Yuting has graduated, the school probably won't care no matter how big a fuss this incident gets."

"Yes, so I am unwilling to accept it. Why should I go to a good university and end up with a bad reputation? How can Yuting still miss the wonderful university life in the future?"

Meng Siqi understood his feelings very well, but this matter was indeed very tricky. When Zhao Leiting turned left and right like an ant on a hot nest, Meng Siqi thought about it carefully and finally felt that there was a way. She hurriedly said, "Zhao Leiting, go find the young security guard who talked to you at the door of the library that day."

"You're not saying it's the poster that the security guard posted?" Zhao Leiting asked doubtfully.

"Of course not. I saw him holding a small shovel in his hand that day. He must often go to the school window frames to shovel small advertisements. He must pay more attention to the window frames. He may have seen someone put up a big-character poster slandering Yu Ting."

Zhao Lei Ting slapped his thigh fiercely, "Siqi, what kind of detective are you? You can even think of this."

Meng Siqi smiled comfortingly: "It's just something I saw occasionally. Zhao Leiting, go ask who it is. Don't be impulsive. Call me when the time comes, and I'll settle the score with you."

"Okay." Zhao Lei Ting said with joy and sadness, "I knew I couldn't live without you, Siqi. I haven't worked with you these days, and I miss you so much."

"Goodbye." Meng Siqi rolled his eyes at him, opened the door and said, "I have to go to the team, so I don't want to chat with you anymore. By the way, can I see your sister in the next two days?"

"That's perfect. She will be happy to see you. Maybe all her troubles will disappear. I'll drag her out to see you when I get back."

"She's sick, can you please be nicer to your sister? I even doubt if she's your real sister."

"Yes, yes," Zhao Lei Ting said aggrievedly, "You are real sisters."

"Well, let's quickly deal with the school stuff first. The school holiday is about to start, so make the most of today."

"Okay." Zhao Lei Ting agreed readily.

After Meng Siqi left the room, he rushed to the team's office without stopping. The moment he walked in, he suddenly found that the atmosphere was tense. Usually, everyone was relaxed and happy when they came in, but at this moment, everyone's face was very serious. Two people were dragging and placing the crime board, and two people were preparing materials for the morning meeting.

Luo Xiaoguo called out to Cai Shuangxi, who understood and grabbed the notebook and walked towards her, "Xiao Meng, the bureau received a call from the police station last night. The night before yesterday, a pair of parents reported a missing person. They said that their daughter went to the city TV station for an interview at noon that day and never came home. We suspect that the deceased in the Hongzhuang case is the missing person."

Interviewed at the TV station at noon the day before yesterday? Meng Siqi was almost stunned for a moment. She remembered that Zhao Leiting had just told her that Yuting also went to the TV station for an interview at noon the day before yesterday. This was too much of a coincidence.

She tried her best to control her emotions. Besides, she was not at all happy about the confirmation of the deceased's identity. Instead, she wondered how the girl's parents would feel, considering their daughter was so young.

She quickly adjusted her attitude and spoke professionally: "Brother Shuangxi, do you know the name, age, and current workplace of the deceased?"

Cai Shuangxi looked at the notebook in his hand. "Tan Xiaoshuang, 21 years old, is a junior at Jinyang University of Finance and Economics, majoring in English. She just graduated and is looking for a job during the graduation season. It's a pity."

At this time Lu He walked in with a teacup. His eyes stayed on Meng Siqi for a while, but his expression was very serious. Anyone would feel complicated when hearing the identity of the deceased.

Lu He said: "Siqi, you are here."

"Yeah, road team."

"Okay." Lu He walked towards the crime board, "Everyone gather together and arrange today's tasks."

Everyone gathered in front of the crime board, and Meng Siqi found that everyone in Team 1 was there except Liang Yunfeng.

Lu He held a teacup in one hand and a piece of chalk in the other, and started writing quickly on the crime board. Yan Chun took the teacup from Lu He and said, "Captain Lu, I'll bring it to the table for you."

Meng Siqi has seen more and more information added to the crime board. In addition to the first two victims, Tan Xiaoshuang's information has also filled in the blanks. Not only is there the information she and Lu He investigated yesterday, but also the information Luo Xiaoguo and his team investigated yesterday.

After writing, Lu He instructed: "Lin Tao and Shuang Xi, you go visit the parents of the deceased and comfort them, understand? Confirm the time with Chen Jierong. If the forensic work is completed, you can claim the body."

"Got it, Team Lu." The two answered in unison.

In Meng Siqi's opinion, visiting the parents of the deceased is the most difficult task. The emotions of the deceased's parents must be very devastating now. Lu He must have considered choosing Lin Tao and Cai Shuangxi to do the visit, probably because they have gentle and stable personalities.

"Old Luo, you must take Yan Chun to visit the deceased's school and classmates today. In particular, who did she come into contact with in the past few days? What unusual things happened?"

"Okay, don't worry, Captain Lu." Luo Xiaoguo said.

"Siqi and I are going to the TV station for an interview today. We will first investigate along these three lines and keep in touch."

"Okay." Everyone responded in unison.

In the morning, Meng Siqi followed Lu He's car to the city TV station, which was less than one kilometer away from the crime scene. It was very likely that the deceased was attacked on the way back to the bus station from the city TV station.

Lu He pulled over at a bus stop and said to her, "Siqi, look, there are four buses at this stop. Let's go down and take a look."

Following Lu He, we got off the bus and, as expected, there was a bus stop on the route that was near the deceased's home.

"It seems correct," Lu He said, "The deceased had finished an interview at a TV station and was going to the bus station to return home."

He pointed to the distance and said, "Go east another 300 meters and you will reach the construction site of the crime scene."

At the bus stop, Meng Siqi could see the outline of the construction site, with the green mesh standing out particularly.

Meng Siqi continued Lu He's analysis and said, "It rained heavily yesterday afternoon, and there were fewer cars on the road, and even fewer taxis, so the victim could only walk to the platform. It is about 500 meters from the TV station to the platform. If the murderer had no means of transportation, it would take a lot of physical strength to carry the victim all the way to the construction site. So the murderer should have suddenly attacked the victim when she was about to reach the bus station?"

Lu He nodded and said, "Well, that should be the case. The murderer used some means to make the victim lose consciousness, and then carried her or carried her for 300 meters to the construction site."

Meng Siqi added: "The murderer may have been holding an umbrella. The umbrella was very large, and it was more likely that the murderer was carrying the victim on his back. The umbrella just happened to cover the victim, so even if there were vehicles and pedestrians passing by on the road, they would not notice it, and the heavy rain affected the visibility."

Lu He watched Meng Siqi with increasing admiration. He really enjoyed discussing the case with her. He even had a feeling that he was playing chess with himself. He had never had this feeling before, as if the loneliness of exploring the darkness alone was about to abandon him, and he found someone to go with him.

Lu He's gaze was fiery, and it stayed on Meng Siqi's face for a while. Meng Siqi felt the warmth in his gaze, and her ears felt a little hot. She lowered her eyes slightly, trying to avoid his gaze, but she knew that Lu He was more like thinking about a problem, and he usually maintained a high level of enthusiasm when doing criminal work.

After Meng Siqi's bright and clear eyes flashed across Lu He's eyes, he cleared his throat and said, "Siqi, let's go to the TV station."

"good."

Soon, the two arrived at the door of the TV station. The TV station building looked like a square teaching building, with a total of eight floors. The windows of each floor were also arranged in a very even square shape.

This building is not majestic compared to many high-rise buildings in the city, but it is tall compared to many low buildings in the suburbs. The city TV station is a carrier of media news, and in this era it usually concentrates the forefront and prosperity of the city, so they previously inferred that the identity of the deceased may be related to the TV station.

The two walked directly into the lobby. The TV station lobby was relatively spacious, with busy figures shuttling back and forth. At the front desk, Lu He directly stated his identity, and the front desk lady immediately contacted the leader.

The two were taken to a reception room on the second floor. It was bright and clean. Meng Siqi also saw many media posters on the wall, which should be excellent TV works of the city TV station. Someone brought hot tea. The reception room was decorated in a simple style, with a large table and a few chairs. The two sat down next to each other.

Meng Siqi took out the notebook, and Lu He said, "Siqi, come for today's visit, I will supplement it appropriately."

"Okay." Meng Siqi was prepared on the way here. She still remembered the first time she and Lu He participated in the investigation, which was the investigation of Ruan Mengying's case. She was quite nervous that time because she was worried that she would not do well. A long time had passed, and this time, she was full of confidence. She felt that even if she did not do well, Lu He would help her.

After a while, the door was opened and a man in his thirties in a suit and tie walked in. His hair was neat and stylish, and his red tie was eye-catching and noble. He adjusted the cufflinks of his suit and said politely, "Excuse me, officers, for keeping you waiting. I am Guan Heng, the personnel manager of the city TV station."

When he entered the room, the two had already stood up and introduced themselves. Guan Heng leaned forward across the table and extended his hand to shake hands. After shaking hands with the two, he politely invited them to sit down before taking his seat.

Meng Siqi felt that the other person was well-mannered and gentle. Perhaps this was the image of the people at the city TV station. The fact that Tan Xiaoshuang was invited to an interview by the TV station and participated in the interview should also show that she was very outstanding.

Thinking of this, Meng Siqi felt a little heavy-hearted, but she immediately adjusted herself to a professional state, and said in a gentle and powerful tone: "Mr. Guan, we are here today to learn about Tan Xiaoshuang's situation."

Guan Heng frowned slightly, but his overall mood was still very natural. He probably didn't know about Tan Xiaoshuang's murder, but he probably knew about her disappearance because Tan Xiaoshuang's parents or the police station that reported the incident might have contacted the TV station. He nodded and said nothing.

Meng Siqi said directly: "Tan Xiaoshuang was murdered on the night of the 30th, which was the night before yesterday."

"What?" Guan Heng's expression suddenly turned into disbelief. He shook his head, "How is that possible? He was fine the afternoon before yesterday."

Meng Siqi felt that Guan Heng's emotions were normal. He probably had never come into contact with similar criminal cases before, especially such a bizarre thing where a girl he had just met was killed in the blink of an eye.

In fact, the staff at the TV station are also the objects of Meng Siqi's suspicion. If Tan Xiaoshuang left the TV station the day before yesterday and was followed, then the people at the TV station would indeed be more suspicious. However, combined with the first two cases of the Hongzhuang serial murder case, the suspicion of the TV station would be very small. Therefore, Meng Siqi would not spend a lot of energy to understand the staff at the TV station. She just wanted to know more about Tan Xiaoshuang's itinerary at the TV station the day before yesterday, including what she said or the inadvertent physical evidence she left behind.

She first calmed Guan Heng down, "Yes, we are also very sad about Tan Xiaoshuang's accident. It was precisely because her main schedule the day before yesterday was to have an interview at a TV station that we came to understand the specific situation with you."

Guan Heng seemed to have calmed down a lot. He clasped his hands together and his posture became professional. "Officer Meng, if you have any questions, please ask directly. The day before yesterday, I was the interviewer for Tan Xiaoshuang. Basically, I had more contact with her."

"Okay, the place where Tan Xiaoshuang was killed yesterday was about 800 meters away from the TV station, so we suspect that she was killed on her way back after the interview. Can you tell me about the timeline of Tan Xiaoshuang's interview the day before yesterday?"

"It's like this. I did arrange for Tan Xiaoshuang to come for an interview. The appointment time was 1:30 p.m. the day before yesterday. The day before yesterday, I arranged for three fresh graduates to come for the same position. There happened to be a news editor internship position vacant in Taiwan, and we wanted to make a selection. It suddenly rained heavily at noon the day before yesterday. We usually don't require interviewees to come in such bad weather. I temporarily asked someone to notify them to reschedule, but Tan Xiaoshuang and another interviewee had already left. The third interviewee was scheduled for yesterday afternoon."

Guan Heng licked his lips and continued, "Zhao Yuting's interview was at 1 o'clock in the afternoon the day before yesterday. We interviewed her first."

Meng Siqi was stunned for a moment. She remembered that Zhao Leiting said that Zhao Yuting had come to the TV station for an interview, but she didn't expect that she and Tan Xiaoshuang were interviewed one after another. Maybe they had met. But at this moment, she didn't want to pay too much attention to Zhao Yuting's affairs.

"After the interview with Zhao Yuting, Tan Xiaoshuang arrived at about the same time. It was raining heavily, so she was a few minutes late. It was nothing. Tan Xiaoshuang's interview was better than Zhao Yuting's. She is a top student of Jinyang University of Finance and Economics. She has a good image and temperament. She is also very good in conversation and ability. As an interviewer, I am also very satisfied. Between Zhao Yuting and Tan Xiaoshuang, I and the other two interviewers tend to choose Tan Xiaoshuang, but another interviewer The candidate was interviewed yesterday, so we planned to make a decision a day later. In fact, we finally decided to choose Tan Xiaoshuang, and we might have made an offer in the next few days. Tan Xiaoshuang's interview lasted about 25 or 26 minutes. We had a pleasant chat. Since she is an English major, we also had some conversations in English. At about two o'clock, she left the conference room and should have left the TV station soon. "

"Thank you Mr. Guan for your very detailed description," Meng Siqi asked, "Did you talk about some daily life issues, such as if there was a heavy rain the day before yesterday, would you ask her how she solved the problem of going out on a rainy day, so as to understand her personality?"

Guan Heng's eyes lit up, as her question seemed to fit exactly the same question as Guan Heng's interview question.