Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Finger Bone Under the Chair

The person who arrived was, once again, Qin Shu. She looked at Jiang Li, who was squatting by the side, dazed. ’She must be terrified,’ Qin Shu thought.

A pang of sympathy hit her. ’First, she finds an eyeball and bone fragments in her food, and now, just when she’s finally on her way home, she runs into something this bizarre on the street.’

"Jiang Li," Qin Shu called out.

Jiang Li snapped out of it and looked at Qin Shu. "Forensic Doctor Qin, do you think this is a human hand?"

Jiang Li pointed at the severed object on the ground. She couldn’t tell for sure because there were only three finger bones left.

Qin Shu only needed a single glance to confirm it. It was a human hand, and it had been chopped off.

Qin Shu put on a pair of gloves and placed the evidence into a bag.

And just like that, Jiang Li followed Qin Shu back to the police station again. Seeing how worn down she was, Ji Qinghe and the others couldn’t help but feel a sense of exasperation.

’If this keeps up,’ they thought, ’she’s really going to develop some psychological issues.’

"I’m fine. You all should get back to work."

Jiang Li glanced at Ji Qinghe, who looked like she wanted to say something but held back. ’With such a major case on their hands, they must be very busy.’

Ji Qinghe nodded. They were indeed swamped. On one hand, there was Zhao Qinghe’s wife; on the other, the domestic violence murder Jiang Li had told them about. And now, they had a new lead in a dismemberment case.

Fan Zhenkai walked over excitedly. "Jiang Li, you’ve been a huge help! There was residual DNA on the severed hand you found. We’re cross-referencing it with several recent missing person cases to verify the victim’s identity.

Thank you, we really can’t thank you enough!"

Jiang Li stood up, flattered. "You’re welcome, Mr. Fan. I just provided the information I had."

"Jiang Li, have a seat for a bit. Once this case is over, I have to treat you to a meal. Oh, and by the way, don’t call me Mr. Fan anymore. It’s too formal. Just call me Uncle Fan."

Fan Zhenkai said this as he stood up. They finally had a breakthrough, and he had to get back to work.

Zhou Tiancheng, who had just walked in, heard what Fan Zhenkai said and paused in his tracks.

’Is he... getting chummy that quickly?’

"Officer Zhou." Jiang Li greeted Zhou Tiancheng when she saw him.

Zhou Tiancheng sat down next to her. "Ahem, if you don’t mind, you can just call me Brother Zhou. I came to talk to you about the missing person case.

I wanted to hear your thoughts."

Zhou Tiancheng spread the files and photos he’d brought with him on the table in front of her.

"This is Gu Qiliang’s statement. He said he and Xu Wan were together for a while, but they broke up and haven’t been in contact since.

We checked the surveillance footage in their area. On the day Xu Wan disappeared, Gu Qiliang was indeed at his office. This is the footage from his office, so he can be ruled out.

We also questioned the security guard at the entrance to the market, who claimed he didn’t see Xu Wan that day. This is the footage from the entrance and exit."

As he spoke, Zhou Tiancheng pointed to the most crucial part. "Here. Xu Wan went in and then just vanished. Our people went and asked around; the shopkeepers claim they never even saw her."

Jiang Li followed along with Zhou Tiancheng’s explanation. "She couldn’t have just vanished into thin air, could she?"

Zhou Tiancheng gave her an inscrutable look. "Ahem, because of you, we were also wondering if it might be... a supernatural event."

Jiang Li looked up at him seriously, then shook her head. "Officer Zhou, that’s impossible."

’If supernatural events were real, these criminals would have been torn to shreds and devoured by their victims long ago.’

An awkward smile appeared on Zhou Tiancheng’s face. "Right. I was getting ahead of myself." With the precedent Jiang Li had set, his train of thought had gone off track.

"Do you have information on the people here?"

"Yes."

Zhou Tiancheng took out all the related files and handed them to her.

Jiang Li looked through them but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

"Officer Zhou, how about I go take a look?"

Zhou Tiancheng pondered for a few seconds. "I’ll go with you. Qinghe is tied up for now."

Jiang Li nodded.

Then, Zhou Tiancheng handed her a helmet. Jiang Li looked at the electric scooter he was straddling, a flash of surprise in her eyes.

’I never thought someone as serious as Zhou Tiancheng would have such a cute mode of transportation.’

"Ahem, it’s good for avoiding traffic," he explained.

Jiang Li nodded and sat on the back. Soon, the two of them arrived at the alley where Xu Wan had disappeared. A few officers were still at the scene, investigating.

"Xu Wan’s residential complex is a five-minute walk from here," Zhou Tiancheng said, pointing to a road on the right.

Jiang Li walked into the alley and looked around. Suddenly, her gaze locked onto the hotel.

"Officer Zhou, let’s go check the hotel," Jiang Li said, turning back to Zhou Tiancheng. "The room that faces that tree."

Seeing how specific she was, Zhou Tiancheng immediately led her into the hotel.

Zhou Tiancheng showed his credentials. "Hello, police investigation. We need your cooperation."

The receptionist nodded quickly and, following their request, led them to the room. The moment she stepped inside, Jiang Li’s pupils contracted.

"Have any couples, dating or married, stayed in this room recently?" Jiang Li asked, looking back at the receptionist.

"One moment, please. I’ll check the system."

With that, the receptionist turned and went downstairs.

Zhou Tiancheng had the officer who followed them go down as well.

Inside the room, Jiang Li began to move, following the path from her dream. Zhou Tiancheng stood at the door, watching her every move.

Jiang Li walked into the room. The layout was identical to the one in her dream. She walked over to the bay window. ’In the dream, this is where she strangled the woman to death.’

Jiang Li examined the area carefully and suddenly spotted some small fragments in the corner.

"Officer Zhou."

Hearing Jiang Li’s voice, Zhou Tiancheng strode in. "What is it?"

"Is this a fingernail fragment?" Jiang Li pointed to a dust-covered piece.

Zhou Tiancheng took a pair of tweezers and a baggie from his pocket and carefully picked it up.

Good thing Ji Qinghe had given him these supplies before he left.

"Stop!"

A commotion erupted downstairs. Zhou Tiancheng and Jiang Li hurried down to see an officer pinning a man to the ground who had tried to run.

Zhou Tiancheng walked over quickly. The receptionist was crouched in a corner, terrified.

"Captain Zhou, this guy injured one of our officers and tried to flee."

"I—I told you, I made a mistake! Besides, you’re the ones blocking the exit and causing trouble for me," the man struggled and said.

"Stay still!"

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at the receptionist.

The receptionist scrambled to her feet and showed him the data on her computer. "Officer, only two married couples have stayed here in the last few days. One of the women was pregnant."

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at it and had someone pull the information.

"Captain Zhou, this guy has a record. We also did a thorough search of his room and found something." An officer coming down from upstairs handed him a packet of powder they had found.

Zhou Tiancheng’s expression darkened. "Take him back to the station. Interrogate him thoroughly and see if he has any accomplices."

Zhou Tiancheng took the evidence and prepared to head back to the station to have it sent for analysis.

As Jiang Li was heading out, a man who was bundled up from head to toe walked toward her. He bumped into her, and in her surprise, she grabbed at his clothes.

In the next second, a tattoo was revealed on the man’s arm. "Stop!"

Hearing Jiang Li’s shout, the man paid no heed. Instead, he shoved aside anyone in his way and fled frantically into the alley.