Criminal Psychology 6

Trust was a strange word.

It was their first time getting acquainted with each other, their friendship wasn’t that deep. It was ridiculous to speak about trust.

Nonetheless, Lin Chen asked, “Can you trust me?”.

And Cong Lian had replied, “Yes.”

The reason for this trust was also strange. At the time, Cong Lian thought the only reason he believed in Lin Chen was because this dormitory warden felt okay.

And so, he arranged a search for Yan Qing throughout the city.

But Yan Qing hadn’t committed a crime nor was she reported missing. The so-called search was limited to monitoring her ID, bank transactions, and citizen cards activities. They also asked her landlord and neighbors to inform the nearby police station if there were any sight of her. The people at the station were directed to notify their superior. There was no other way. Even though there were better options, this was already Cong Lian’s limit.

Cong Lian hung up and turned to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen’s head hung low as he stared into the cup he held in both hands. He took a small sip of the ginger tea in it and, feeling Cong Lian’s gaze, looked up. “Take me to the hospital.”

Hong Jing Third People’s Hospital was the start of this story.

To complete the storyboard, you had to go back there.

No one gathered around the hospital because of the typhoon. Wind battered the entrance, striking the stretchers one after the other.

The cold white walls surrounded them with dark grey tiles. Patients injured by incidents in the typhoon were arranged in and out of the emergency room. The wind, akin to a howl, echoed there, increasing the uncomfortable cold and irritation.

Lin Chen put away his umbrella and patted down the rain on his shoulders.

The medical staff was busy, so it was the head of security that received them.

Lin Chen felt a chill as he approached the stairs.

The elevator behind them burst open, and a doctor in the signature white coat rushed out, followed by two nurses pushing along instruments.

The doctor rushed into one of the wards, and the shriek of the vital monitor alarm rang out. The sound of approaching death pierced their eardrums.

Someone outside the ward began to cry while another one sat silently.

In this chaotic crowd, only one man, after looking around, found a row of blue benches, laid down, and slept.

A moment before he ascended the stairs, Lin Chen’s gaze paused on the benches.

“That’s one of the nurses,” Cong Lian, noticing the look, said.

“Strange.”

“What?”

“Someone passes away, but he’s not sad at all,” Lin Chen answered.

“They’ve seen too much, of course, they’re numb to it.” The head of security looked back but didn’t take the matter seriously.

“Seen too much?”

“Yes. Our hospital has a contract with a labor company. The cleaners and nurses have long-term contracts. They spend more time here than some doctors…”

Lin Chen suddenly halted and exchanged glances with Cong Lian, then Cong Lian asked: “What’s the company?”

“Hao Jia, the city’s largest labor company.”

Lin Chen removed his gaze, and Cong Lian picked up his phone to ring one of his men, “Search for Yu Yan Qing amongst everyone that’s gone in and out of the Third Hospital’s mortuary.”

The phone call was short and, after hanging up, he chatted with the head of security. However, how could the security officer of such a large hospital remember an unremarkable young woman? Cong Lian ended up getting nothing new.

Cong Lian searched for Lin Chen but found the man walking slowly behind him. He really was only walking, without even looking around or sneaking a peek at their surroundings.

“What are your thoughts?” Cong Lian went and probed, “Do you think Yan Qing was the one who played with the corpses here?”

“No.” Lin Chen shook his head. “I’m just wondering, why here?”

“This place must be special,” answered Cong Lian.

Lin Chen looked up, “So, how is it special?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s someone here, or something happened here. It might even be she just likes it here. The answers are too broad…”

“Not that broad.”

They eventually came to a stop.

In front of them was an ordinary white wooden door with the word “Morgue” written on its plaque.

The incandescent lamp above them flickered, and the sound of weeping lingered though they could no longer see anyone.

The head of security took out a key and opened the door.

Cool air wafted into their faces.

The corpses were stored in a space only 200 m² in size. The stretchers were quite close to each other, and the white sheets draped to the floor like an endless field of snow. It was clearly not wide, but it felt as if the distance between life and death yawned even wider than that between heaven and earth.

The stretcher of the dressed-up male was empty. Lin Chen went over and circled it.

Because of the narrow space, he accidentally knocked into the hand of a corpse next to it. He looked at the pale, stiff hand and suddenly remembered Fu Hao said the culprit slept on a bed in the morgue.

Why lie below a corpse?

How did it feel?

If you can’t use rational thought, then close your eyes and experience it yourself.

Lin Chen lifted the sheet and bent to lie on the ground.

The floor was cold. Everything was dark around him. He could see and hear nothing. Like his senses were closed off. Only his thoughts remained.

He could imagine the lives of all the corpses near him. Whether they led sad or happy lives, how they were born, and how they left the world.

One’s heartbeat would automatically accelerate out of fear, but it also sharpened the mind.

In such a cold, quiet place, you would find death was really close…

Was this what it felt like?

Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes.

The sound of a bell rang in the room.

Cong Lian took out his phone and pressed the answer button in a hurry.

When he ended the call, Lin Chen had already climbed up from his position on the floor. He gripped his mobile tightly and said, “There’s a clue.”

The person who found said clue was his technician.

This technician’s name was Wang Chao. The young man was skilled, quick with his hands, talkative, and wouldn’t hesitate to sell meng.

When he saw Lin Chen, the first thing he did was take candies out of a pocket and arrange them on a table. The young man then picked out the ones with chocolate inside and handed them out. “Who do you like better? Ah Jiang, Bai Cai, or Ma Yu Yu? Which do you prefer? World of Warcraft, DOTA, or LOL? When we have time, how about we play together once?”

This was the first time Lin Chen was speechless. He looked at Wang Chao’s pure eyes and turned to Cong Lian for help.

Cong Lian just took out a cigarette and directly said, “Do you still want to claim that taxi fare?”

The young man, blowing bubbles in chewing gum, showed a shameless expression but turned around and sat down to open his laptop.

Because of the rain, No. 6 Yan Jia Street smelled faintly of mildew.

The young man continued, “Captain, I’m just saying. Why are you living in this kind of place? My grandma lives in a house like this, and let me tell you, you’ll easily get cold and old people with their legs…”

“Your grandmother has good taste.” Cong Lian cut him off and knocked Wang Chao’s head. “Don’t gossip. What did you find?”

“Didn’t you ask about a woman this morning? I just saw her. Guess where?” Wang Chao sported dark eye bags under his eyes but went on, “Ta-da! According to what you said, when the hospital first found the dressed-up corpse, she was seen pushing a cleaning cart into the morgue.”

The image of a woman appeared on the screen. He pressed paused and enlarged the image.

The woman’s face was small, her five features were huddled into the small area of her face. Her expression was grim and devoid of joy as if she was tormented all her life, and she had lost her edge.

Lin Chen looked at the withered face and nodded, confirming it was the gardener who often sent him love letters.

“Her name is Yan Qing,” Wang Chao said. He pulled up a folder of video files and double-clicked on one. “I used a simple face-recognition system on the videos related to this case and guess what!” He said while pressing the pause button again. The picture displayed the scene of the vendor’s riot. “She was there!”

Wang Chao pointed to a woman standing at the side of the street looking at the scene.

“Finally, guess what, oh God.” Wang Chao sighed with a look of pride in his eyes. He selected the last video file in the folder and said, “This camera’s located at the intersection near Central Park, about 35 minutes before the accident.”

In the surveillance video, Yu Yan Qing seemed to have undergone a tremendous change. She wore a red dress and lipstick. Her face was radiant, and she walked towards the park with vigor.

Coincidence could not explain why the same person would appear in three seemingly unrelated crime scenes. Cong Lian touched his chin and looked at Lin Chen, “Why don’t we invite this beautiful lady for a cup of tea?”

“I’m afraid it’s too late. Let’s go to Chun Shui Street,” Lin Chen shook his head, voice hoarse.