Volume Seven: Phantom of River City Chapter Six: The Third Person in the Villa

Back at the criminal investigation unit, Xiangxiang carried the severed head and arm into the forensic room. The technical team was urgently reviewing surveillance footage. Yaoguang still sat on the sofa, lost in thought. Xuan Chen hadn’t let anyone disturb her, because he understood that some memories and scars were merely sealed away by Yaoguang for a time—sealed, not forgotten. If something touched upon them, those blood-soaked scenes would replay in her mind like a carousel of horrors.

“Captain Li, there’s a woman named Wang Qing here to see Sister Phoenix,” Xiao Qin announced upon entering.

“Let her in,” Captain Li replied. Yaoguang looked up to see Wang Qing walk in.

“Officer, after you all left, I was sorting through the manager’s and Yanran’s belongings. I found this in the manager’s office safe. I hope it helps your investigation.” Wang Qing handed over two meticulously packaged folders. “I’ll take my leave now,” she said, then departed. Yaoguang watched her go, noticing a new weariness in her bearing.

Yaoguang turned her attention to the files, startled as she opened them. “Share transfer documents and a will?”

“Captain Li, the DNA comparison results are in. The female head and arm match the female corpse; the male head and arm match the male corpse. The cuts align precisely. The tissue fragments found in the sewer also match the two corpses. Both victims suffered blunt force trauma to the back of the head, likely from a small hammer. There was mild intracranial bleeding, but not enough to cause death—only to knock them unconscious. The female victim showed ‘rose teeth’ and bleeding in the oral mucosa, indicating mechanical asphyxiation. The ligature marks on her neck suggest she was strangled with a very thin, smooth instrument, like thin wire. For the male victim, there were two layers of incisions on the neck—one of which showed physiological response, meaning his throat was cut while he was still alive. The killer was swift and precise, dispatching him with one stroke,” Xiangxiang reported, holding the forensic report.

“Captain Li, we’ve found something,” someone from the technical team called, pointing at the computer.

“There’s a third party, and now we have traces of a vehicle, correct?” Yaoguang suddenly stood, startling both Captain Li and Xiangxiang as she strode to the computer.

“Look, surveillance shows this: around 7 p.m. on the 5th, a black Volkswagen sedan stopped in front of this villa. A man in black got out and entered the villa. At 10 p.m., he left, driving away. Then, at 11:45 p.m. that night, he reappeared on camera—this time on foot. After entering the residential complex, he vanished from the villa’s surveillance range. It’s as if he dissolved into the estate,” the technician explained.

“Can you make out the license plate?” Yaoguang asked.

“It appears to be a new car, no license plate. We can’t start from the plate,” the technician replied.

“No plate is a clue in itself. Track this car through the complex’s surveillance, and contact all Volkswagen dealerships in Jiangcheng. From the footage, the man is about 187 cm tall, with an average build. See if any owners match this description. Print out his silhouette and take it to Wang Qing—see if she recognizes him,” Yaoguang instructed, then paused in thought. “During our villa sweep, we found no signs of forced entry. That means the killer wasn’t breaking in; he knocked on the door and was let in. He stayed for three hours—the length of his first visit. He was likely invited by the homeowners, which points to someone they knew. At ten, he drove away, but returned at 11:45 and disappeared. What was he doing during these two periods?”

“From seven to ten, he was a guest, then argued with the owners, knocked them out, and killed them. At 11:45, he returned to the complex—likely to clean up the scene. Between ten and 11:45, he was gathering tools,” Xuan Chen deduced.

“Exactly, you’re probably right. Now we have several questions. First, the murder weapon: if he was a guest who then argued with the hosts, did he use something from their home, or did he bring his own tools? If he brought a small hammer and wire, that’s plausible. But would the average household have scalpels or dissection knives? That means he brought them himself—it was premeditated. Second, if he returned to handle the scene, he’d need plenty of supplies: dissection tools, disinfectant, formalin, cardboard boxes, vacuum bags. How did he get all that into the villa? Surveillance shows he returned on foot, so where did he park his car? He’d need a vehicle to transport so many items. Third, how did he get the boxes with body parts out of the villa?” Yaoguang posed the questions.

“I think you already know the answers,” Chu Tianyou observed.

“Indeed. Captain Li, bring the trace team and more people—we’re going to sweep the villa complex again. Have the techs pull surveillance near the dumping sites; we should spot the car,” Yaoguang said, gathering the team and heading out.

“Another sweep? Did you find something? Wait for me! Why are you all just standing there? Get moving!” Captain Li called as he ran after Yaoguang.

Once at the villa complex, Yaoguang pointed to the villa’s perimeter. “Captain Li, have the team conduct a grid search along the villa’s exterior. Tianyou, take some men and search the area behind the villa.” She stood beneath the building, surveying it before saying, “Captain Li, bring the trace team with me.” She circled the villa, inspecting the outer walls carefully, stopping beneath the second-floor master bathroom window. With a faint smile, she said, “Found it. Yitian, bring my car over.”

“Yes, Miss.” Yitian nodded and parked the car flush against the wall.

Yaoguang nimbly climbed onto the car roof. Yitian pressed a button inside, and a small elevator lifted her up. About three meters below the window, Yaoguang spotted scuff marks, traces of something being dragged, and two partial shoe prints—the front halves of the soles. “Send a trace examiner up here; there are scrape marks and partial footprints,” she called down. The examiner climbed onto the car roof, and Yaoguang helped him up.

“Phoenix, your car is parked in a surveillance blind spot. Plus, this villa is at the very back of the complex. Some of the guys searching just told me you can drive from your parking spot around to the woods behind the villa. There’s a road there leading to the back hill. I just spoke to the property manager—the rear fence is under repair, so it’s broken. This complex is new, so many facilities aren’t in place, and there are no cameras behind the fence. That undeveloped area isn’t monitored. So, from your car’s position to the rear path is a surveillance dead zone. The killer drove in from there and parked here,” Chu Tianyou reported.

Yaoguang leaped down from the car roof. “There’s no such thing as a crime without traces. To kill and destroy a body is an unforgivable sin; to collude with the Ghost Sect is even worse,” she declared.

“What’s the Ghost Sect?” Captain Li asked, puzzled.

“Oh, Captain Li, you always have so many questions. Once the case is solved, I’ll satisfy your curiosity,” Yaoguang replied.

“Captain Li, we’ve found rope drag marks and fiber traces on the bathroom window frame, likely from hemp rope,” someone called from the window, nearly giving the trace team below a heart attack.

“Do you have to pop out like that? You nearly scared us to death!”

“How was I supposed to know you were down there?”

“Captain Li, we found tire tracks on the road over there, as well as complete footprints—all from the same person. There’s a road down the hill that leads to a main street, and there are working surveillance cameras. Tech has already been notified to pull the footage,” a breathless officer reported.

“Excellent,” Captain Li praised.

“Everything makes sense now. When the killer returned at 11:45, he wasn’t there to clean up—he was scouting the scene. He found the back road, left to prepare his tools, then drove in that way, climbed up here, set the ropes, and hauled things up one by one. After dismembering and packaging the bodies, he lowered the pieces down the same way, boxed them, and drove off to dump them,” Yaoguang explained.

“How did he get the rope up there the first time?” Captain Li asked.

“That’s easy. After killing the victims, he scouted the villa and chose the bathroom. All he had to do was open the window and toss up a grappling hook. Then he tied the items to the rope, fastened it to his waist, and climbed up. Inside, he could haul everything up one by one. The trace examiner said there were sharp marks on the wall and window frame—this confirms it. The footprints are likely from his first climb, and because he wore shoe covers, which tore during the ascent, only the front part of the print was left,” Jiang Yun explained.

“That’s a lot of work. Wasn’t he afraid of being discovered?” someone asked.

“I checked with management—this complex was built less than six months ago. Few people live here, mostly in the front row townhouses. This detached villa is the only occupied one in back. Security and other systems aren’t in place yet, and no one patrols at night. The killer had free rein,” Jiang Yun replied.

“Haha, well done! I’m proud of you, my apprentice,” Yaoguang laughed heartily.

“Captain Li! Tech just called—they got footage of that black sedan on the road down the hill. Twice: it drove in on the 6th at 2 a.m., and out on the 8th at 1 a.m. It appeared at the first body dump intersection at 1:55 a.m. on the 8th, and near the second dump site at 3:20 a.m.,” another officer reported.

“So he came in once to clean the scene, then again to transport and dump the bodies. Excellent. All the mysteries are solved—except for the suspect’s identity,” Yaoguang concluded.

“What about the motive? What’s the motive, and where are the victims’ phones, wallets, and IDs? None have been found,” Captain Li asked.

“Trust me, we’re close. When the case is over, I’ll treat you all to a buffet. Let’s go,” Yaoguang said, getting into the car.