Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Like many of the small and medium-sized cities in the world, in this era of high-speed construction featuring steel-reinforced concrete and endless streams of people, Wangjiang Park had become the only place many of the inhabitants of Xun City could go to at the end of the day and during weekends.

Even though the case was shocking, it was feared that too much publicity might give rise to panic. Thus, the police had only sealed off that part of the forest deep within the park, and assigned a few officers in plain clothes  to keep watch.

When Jian Yao and Fang Qing reached their destination, it was not dark yet, so they could still see the crime scene clearly. They saw the stone-flagged path that had been captured in the photographs, at times concealed by the trees lining the sides. As one could well imagine, it had been late night when the crime occurred, so the killer would have been able to stay concealed, and his movements would have been hard to detect.

There were some huge rocks by the side of the path, serving as decorative elements. Fang Qing took out a magnifying glass and squatted by the side of the rocks to examine them. “The exploratory report said that there are scratches on the rock that were caused by the victim’s fingernails as she struggled. It looks like she struggled quite fiercely.”

Jian Yao exchanged a look with him, both recognising the speculation in each other’s eyes. Then, she took a different tack* and squatted on the road to carefully examine the patterns on the butterfly’s wings.”

*T/N 另起炉灶 (ling qi lu zao) – lit. to set up a separate kitchen; fig. to start from scratch, to set off on a new track.

Two days and nights had already passed, but there had been no rain in Xun City, so the lines of the patterns were still clear, like they had been freshly drawn. Jian Yao opened the evaluative report in her hand, where it was clearly recorded: These paints are from a well-known brand on the market, and it is not cheap. This paint is sold in large quantities throughout China.

“What do you think, goddess*?” Fang Qing asked.

*T/N 女神棍 (nu sheng gun) – 女神 = ‘goddess’ and 棍 = rod (literal), scoundrel. This reference could be to either《女神棍》, a romance novel by 三毛 (San Mao), or 《重生之女神棍》(The Goddess of Rebirth) by Ling Qi, also a modern romance novel. In the latter novel, the main character vows to avenge herself on those who have hurt and humiliated her, and to be powerful, so that she can protect those she loves.

He was often garrulous, and every time Jian Yao applied criminal psychology in solving a case, he would feel great, and would incessantly call her ‘goddess’ or ‘demi-god’ from the side.

Just like how Jian Yao used to make fun of Bo Jinyan.

“Ah . . .” Jian Yao stared at the lines on the ground and replied, “The goddess thinks, when the suspect was drawing this butterfly, he was in a soft and tranquil mood. Look, the strokes are smooth and rounded, and the painting style is gentle, with no sign of a frenzied or eccentric personality.

Fang Qing smiled as he said, “That’s somewhat interesting.”

“What about you? What did you find out?”

Fang Qing rested his arm on a rock while his fingers lightly tapped against it. “I’ve made a big discovery. Marks made by the victim’s fingernails are on these three rocks, in locations both high and low. In the grass on the side, there’s a patch that has been stepped on and flattened, giving rise to this case’s sole and most precious clue – the suspect’s footprint. From the report: size 40, identified as special edition Nike running shoes, released over a year ago.  . .”

Jian Yao stood up and said, “However, Shao Yong and his people have already checked. The sales for this line of shoes is pretty good, and the online sales have been excellent, so there’s no way to follow this line of inquiry.”

“But, based on these findings, I can infer the movements and routes of the parties involved in the murder that night. Fang Qing smiled faintly and stood in front of Jian Yao, his fingers diffidently yet clearly sketching out a continuous line with different segments. “Nie Shijun ran to the path from this direction. The killer must have attacked her suddenly from behind, so her fingernails left marks on this first rock in this direction.”

Jian Yao’s eyes lit up.

“Then, she was dragged backwards.” Fang Qing continued, “At this time, she put up such a struggle that the two of them stepped onto the grass, so the scratches are higher up and the angles are wider, all the way to the other side of the rock.”

“I have a feeling . . .” Jian Yao said.”

Fang Qing looked at her. “Yes, I think so, too.”

The two of them said, in unison, “Novice.”

After examining the crime scene, the pair walked a circuit of the entire park. It was already dark, and the park was full of people and noise. One could imagine, that night, even though it had been almost closing time, there would still have been quite a number of people around. It would be near impossible to even think of locating the killer in this sea of people.

It was past nine at night by the time they returned to the police station, but it was still brightly lit. Fang Qing stopped the car in the parking area. From a distance, they could see another car coming from the opposite direction and stopping. They saw a familiar face.

Feng Yuexi.

It was a chilly night in early autumn. Wearing high-heeled shoes and a windbreaker, Feng Yuexi stood in front of the car, wrapped in a pitiful and heart-wrenching aura. A man got out of the car and walked over to her. After a short exchange, he put his arm around her shoulders and got into the car with her.

There was another man in the front passenger seat. The car was not bad, probably costing two or three hundred thousand, but that was not uncommon in this city.

Jian Yao observed them. “Those are probably Feng Yuexi’s friends, here to pick her up.”

Fang Qing laughed sarcastically. “Beautiful women have no shortage of people to cherish them.”

Jian Yao turned to eye this nearly 30-year-old ‘angry youth’*, and knew exactly what had made him ‘angry’. After a long beat of silence, she said softly, “Hey, if the sheep you’ve been caring for has run away, don’t ridicule other people’s sheep for being beautiful and obedient.”

*T/N 愤青 (fen qing) – positive term used to describe young Chinese with extreme nationalistic tendencies (obviously used in a tongue-in-cheek manner here).

Fang Qing muttered, “. . . Goddess, shut up.”

They went upstairs and saw Shao Yong standing alone in the corridor, smoking a cigarette. The gathering darkness had stained the sky behind him, turning it into a deep, dark backdrop where the lights were hazy, against which the cigarette between his fingers appeared solitary and profound. Moreover, his body was tough, and he must have been compellingly handsome in his younger days. Right now, as he stood, tall and upright, in the corridor, it was difficult to ascertain whether his hair or the cigarette smoke was whiter.

Jian Yao’s heart jolted.

This was a very common scene; it was possible to see such old criminal investigators, who had given their lives to their work, in many police stations. However, it was precisely this scene tonight, this moment, this impression, that had stirred up Jian Yao’s memories.

In a flash, she remembered where she had met Shao Yong.

There was a tinge of panic in her gaze – but, why did Shao Yong look as if he did not know her? Or, had he forgotten her after that occasion when strangers had been thrown together by chance?

However, she had always felt that there was something in the way he looked at her. Moreover, this kind of veteran criminal investigator, this old fox, would probably not so easily forget the people he had met.

Jian Yao and Fang Qing walked towards him. When he sensed their movement, Shao Yong turned his head, extinguished his cigarette, and gazed at them with a warm and serene expression.

“Lao Fang, you go in first,” Jian Yao said.

Fang Qing looked at her, then at Shao Yong, before going in. Shao Yong’s brow was slightly furrowed, and he was very still.

Jiang Yao stared at him, smiled briefly, then said, “Team Leader Shao, two years ago, during the period of the National Day celebrations, during that time, Jinyan . . . he was at home recuperating from his injuries. You came to look for him with a case dating back 15 years. At that time, he gave you advice, and the case was later solved. Am I right?”

Shao Yong smiled slowly, and gently said, “Jian Yao, I will always be grateful for the help that Professor Bo gave me on that case.”

Jian Yao was certain. Yes, Shao Yong was indeed that person. It was just that, during that time, Bo Jinyan had become famous, and many people were asking him for help from all over. Thus, Jian Yao had not been able to place Shao Yong. After the case had been solved, Bo Jinyan and Shao Yong had kept in constant touch with each other, but Jian Yao had not been part of this. Bo Jinyan was so antisocial, it was rare that he and Shao Yong had been able to maintain their frequent communication.

“Not at all.” Jian Yao said, “Thank you for trusting in Jinyan.”

She said this in a very placid tone, and there was even a hint of a smile in her eyes. When Shao Yong thought of Bo Jinyan’s current condition, and then of how Bo Jinyan’s wife was as gentle and as proud of him as before, he was greatly moved.

However, Jian Yao took the conversation down a different path. She asked, “But, Team Leader Shao, today, why did you make it seem as if you did not know me for the whole day?”

Shao Yong looked at her but did not speak.

Observing the expression in his eyes, Jian Yao felt her heart stir. Then, she thought of how he had made a special request to the Beijing police, to ask for the help of the Criminal Psychology Research Unit . . .

There was a strange sensation in her heart, but she could not pinpoint what it was.

At this moment, someone shouted from inside, “Chief, chief! Come here for a bit!”

Shao Yong turned and headed into the room. As he did so, he whispered, “Jian Yao, I hope all will be well with you and Bo Jinyan.”

Jian Yao was startled. She eyed Shao Yong’s aged yet upright rear figure, but, in the end, she just sighed softly.

——

For sure, Shao Yong was leaving Jian Yao in suspense. However, considering that man’s eccentric personality, as well as the fact that he had become even more enigmatic after the catastrophe, Shao Yong did not want to act rashly. He was more than content to wait for a successful outcome when the conditions were right, and all he needed to do was to give them a push in the right direction.

However, Shao Yong had not thought that they would arrive so quickly. When his subordinate called him to return to the office and he saw the expression on his subordinate’s face, his heart stuttered in his chest. He pushed the door open and saw the two men sitting upright on his sofa. When they had arrived, he had no idea.

——

Jian Yao returned to the seat which had been temporarily assigned to her. She sat down to write a preliminary criminal psychological profile. Fang Qing, who was sitting beside her, lit a cigarette, leaned over and asked, “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Jian Yao replied. “I suddenly remembered that Bo Jinyan and I had met Shao Yong before.”

Fang Qing uttered a soft, “Ah.”

It was late at night, and half the seats in the office were empty as people were still out on investigation. The other half were occupied with people like Jian Yao, mostly with their heads down, organising the information they had in hand. During this time, it was especially quiet. The only sound was that of Fang Qing’s lighter as he perfunctorily slid it open and shut.

Jian Yao and Fang Qing had been assigned seats in the relatively quieter part of the office, and not all the criminal investigators noticed that they had returned. A lively and quick-witted criminal investigator strode through the door with an odd expression on his face. He swatted another person’s shoulder and said, in a low voice, “Hey, I heard that person is here again? I heard Uncle Shu downstairs says so.”

Jian Yao was currently inscribing her thoughts on paper: The suspect is between 20 and 40 years of age . . . She heard the sounds of the conversation, but her pen did not stop moving.

“Who?” Someone asked.

“Yaa! It’s that guy who lives on the hill, always wearing sunglasses and a face mask, and a black windcheater, that weird guy . . .”

Jian Yao was just writing ‘financial situation is good’ when her pen paused suddenly. Beside her, Fang Qing’s lighter was still making noise, at a speed neither fast nor slow.

“Oh, you’re talking about him, ah. I heard he was previously a master sleuth who solved loads of big cases, and that he’s a good buddy of our Team Leader Shao.”

“That’s right. But, now . . .”

But, now.

Jian Yao’s pen had completely stopped, and it was unable to move. Fang Qing also looked up.

The two criminal investigators fell silent, for they could hear the sound of movement from Shao Yong’s office door.

Jian Yao looked at her writing on the paper, not knowing when it had become so messy. Out of the blue, there was a buzzing in her ears.

But, now, her blind master sleuth had forgotten the way home. He was alone, on the outside, drifting until he had reached a place in the past.

The door not far from them opened, and someone with a walking stick walked out unsteadily. A voice – a little arrogant, a little light-hearted – like the bass line played by a cello, sounded above her head. “A case involving a novice criminal, and you’re hiding it away like a treasured object. You thought this would stop me? Team Leader Shao, you’re really . . .  too naive!”