Sweeping Mouse Ridge – Chapter One : 8

The first case analysis meeting was held in an abandoned printing factory across the street from the east exit of the alley. This location was also set up as the temporary command center for the investigation of the Sweeping Mouse Ridge case.

The printing factory workshop, shut down for environmental reasons, was tall and empty. Apart from a few dusty printing presses, a wooden cart used for hauling printed materials, and a fire extinguisher with peeling paint in the corner, there was nothing else. High on the ceiling, a light bulb, seemingly deliberately lit to create shadows, hummed and emitted a dim, grayish light that made the faces of the dozens of detectives appear sickly and sallow. Having not slept all night, they couldn’t find seats and held the meeting standing up. Their trouser legs were almost entirely covered in nursery soil and withered branches. Their shadows trembled slightly on the concrete floor, a stark reminder of the chilling atmosphere inside the workshop. The wind rattled the windowpanes, causing Chu Tianying, who was sketching and explaining the crime scene on a makeshift blackboard, to pause several times and involuntarily look out the window. A thin sliver of dawn, barely visible, hung on the windowpane, like a smear of frost left from the cold night.

As soon as Liu Simiao and Du Jianping entered the workshop, Chu Tianying quickly stopped talking, and the others straightened their backs.

“You continue,” Liu Simiao said to Chu Tianying.

Chu Tianying quickly said, “I was just explaining how I walked around the central area of ​​the tunnel ventilation shaft… That’s all.”

Liu Simiao glanced at Du Jianping, who gestured for her to continue.

“Okay, then the group leaders will begin reporting new developments,” Liu Simiao emphasized. “I will only listen to new information.”

However, three hours passed, and despite the detectives working through the night, their efforts yielded little result. The Deputy Director in charge of criminal investigations at the district branch led the investigation team, knocking on doors to inquire about any suspicious persons or events seen before or after the incident, but all the sleepy-eyed people gave negative answers. An investigation was underway into the students, teachers, and staff of several nearby institutions—Sweeping Mouse Ridge Middle School, the West Suburbs Branch of the Heating Company, and the Public Transportation Automation Design Institute.

Currently, it appeared that no one was involved in the case, nor did anyone seem to have any knowledge of it. Chu Tianying’s investigation team was unable to uncover any fresh, important evidence in the tunnel ventilation shafts and nursery. Following Du Jianping’s instructions, they embarked on a long-distance pursuit of the suspect vehicle along the escape route of Sweeping Mouse Ridge. Sure enough, the tire tracks disappeared without a trace on the gravel road. According to Lin Fengchong’s electronic information gathering team, between 6 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. last night, 217 cars passed the Qingshikou East Lane traffic light while traveling down Yinlu North Street from north to south. Excluding buses and vehicles with obviously mismatched tire sizes, the whereabouts and ownership of the remaining 194 vehicles were still to be verified. This was a considerable number, and certainly not something that could be determined in a short time… No wonder Liu Simiao remained silent with a furrowed brow after hearing the report, and the five large plastic bags of fried dough sticks, fried pancakes, and soy milk that Du Jianping had bought from a nearby breakfast stall remained untouched even after they had cooled completely.

At that moment, there was a sound of brakes outside the courtyard, followed by hurried footsteps. Li Mi, the director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau’s News Department, appeared at the workshop door. His arrival further confirmed that the case had attracted significant attention from higher-ups. He stepped forward and shook hands with Du Jianping and Liu Simiao, asking without exchanging pleasantries, “Sirs, what should I say to the public?”

Du Jianping and Liu Simiao exchanged a glance, then Du Jianping spoke: “The usual procedure. A major criminal case occurred in Sweeping Mouse Ridge last night. The investigation is ongoing, and we have nothing else to say.”

“Old Du,” Li Mi glanced at him, “this case is too big. We need to consider the intensity and frequency of public attention.”

“Then let’s open a hotline at the Municipal Bureau, allowing citizens to provide valuable clues,” Du Jianping said.

Li Mi nodded, then said with some concern, “I can foresee that within two hours at most, a large number of media outlets will swarm here.”

“I’ll tell the detectives: keep a close watch on the situation and watch what they say. Not a single word they shouldn’t say is allowed. Whoever spills the beans will be held responsible!” Du Jianping patted Li Mi on the shoulder. “Also, please tell the media: news reports must strictly adhere to the format and rules. No assumptions, no speculative reporting. As for those online who thrive on chaos, anyone who spreads rumors and crosses the line will be dealt with according to the law!”

“Of course, of course!” Li Mi finished speaking, then lowered his voice and clasped his hands together, saying, “Could you two estimate how long it will take to solve the case? I’ll adjust the public opinion accordingly.”

Du Jianping and Liu Simiao were speechless for a moment. Eight hours had passed since the incident, which, for most criminal cases, was enough time to identify a suspect, or at least several. Although this case was serious, the cunning criminal hadn’t left any traceable evidence or clues for the police. According to basic principles of criminal investigation, the first 24 hours were crucial for solving any case; the difficulty doubled every 24 hours thereafter, and after 72 hours, the chances of solving the case became extremely slim…

In the deathly silent workshop, a cell phone suddenly rang.

The detectives searched for a while before realizing it was Liu Simiao, who had carelessly placed her iPhone X in the chalk holder on the blackboard while drawing a cross section of the tunnel ventilation shaft during the briefing.

Chu Tianying picked up his phone, glanced at the caller ID, and quickly handed it to Liu Simiao : “Director Liu, it’s Director Lei calling.”

Liu Simiao answered the phone. Lei Rong’s slightly hoarse voice came through: “Simiao, I’m so sorry; I couldn’t go to the scene because the city bureau organized a document study session. After Little Tang brought the four bodies back, she gave me a general overview of the situation. I quickly performed autopsies, but time was tight, and the bodies were severely damaged, so I only got partial results. I’ll give you a brief summary—”

“We’re holding a case analysis meeting now,” Liu Simiao said softly. “The detectives involved in the case are all gathered at the temporary command center. Can the autopsy results be made public?”

“No problem,” Lei Rong said.

Liu Simiao turned on the hands-free function of her phone.

“The laboratory autopsy report confirms that Tang Xiaotang’s on-site autopsy results are correct. Furthermore, I focused on examining whether the four bodies were burned before death or after and the exact cause of death, as detailed below.” Lei Rong cleared her throat and said, “The mucous membranes of all four victims showed no congestion, edema, or necrosis. No black lines of soot, charcoal dust, and mucus were found in the respiratory tract. Blood extracted from the heart did not reveal excessive carboxyhemoglobin. All of this fully demonstrates that all four victims were burned after death.”

She paused, then continued, “The on-site autopsy by Tang Xiaotang concluded that the cause of death for the three or four year old girl, Corpse D, was homicide, specifically mechanical asphyxiation caused by strangulation with a rope. I agree with this conclusion. For the two bodies, Corpses A and B, multiple scattered hemorrhages were found under the serosal membranes of the heart and lungs; the blood was concentrated, dark red, and did not clot; the internal organs showed signs of congestion. These signs also indicate that they died from mechanical asphyxiation. However, due to the severe charring of the neck skin and flesh, no ligature marks or strangulation marks could be found, making it impossible to examine for conditions such as strangulation. Therefore, it is impossible to confirm whether it was suicide or homicide.”

Liu Simiao knew that the adult male body, Corpse C, which Lei Rong had deliberately missed, might contain some unusual findings.

“The adult male corpse, Corpse C, also showed severe charring of the neck skin and flesh. However, the autopsy revealed fractures and hemorrhages in the hyoid bone and the left greater horn, a fracture of the superior angle of the thyroid cartilage, a transverse rupture of the carotid intima, petechiae on the posterior pharyngeal wall mucosa, and hemorrhages in the epiglottis. These changes indicate that the deceased’s neck had been subjected to strangulation, ligation, or other violent compression or traction before death, leading to mechanical asphyxiation.”

Chu Tianying suddenly recalled the large blackened mark on the side of the tunnel ventilation shaft… and Liu Simiao’s judgment—

“The murderer adopted a sitting position with his back against the tunnel ventilation shaft, using his arm to strangle the victim’s throat. The victim would inevitably struggle, leaving scrape marks on the concrete wall from the murderer’s back.”

He couldn’t help but cast an admiring glance at Liu Simiao.

Lei Rong continued on the phone, “As for the time of death, it can only be deduced from the stomach contents. The stomachs of the three children were completely empty, with food residue clearly entering the large intestine and having been partially digested and absorbed, proving they hadn’t eaten all day yesterday. Therefore, I estimate the time of death to be early yesterday morning. As for the adult male body, Corpse C, the stomach contents were milky, with a significant amount entering the duodenum and jejunum. This proves he ate dinner last night two or three hours before being murdered, and the time of death was around 10 p.m.”

The fact that four bodies fell into the same well, yet the times of death differed so greatly, surprised Liu Simiao. “Did your autopsy help in identifying the deceased?”

“Like I said, the body was severely burned, so we can only find the owner through DNA testing. Firstly, it will take time, and secondly, the owner needs to have left a sample in the DNA database before death. A child that young is almost impossible to have a criminal record. As for the adult male, it’s just a matter of luck…” Lei Rong seemed to sense Liu Simiao’s disappointment on the other end of the phone and quickly added, “However, I discovered a suspicious point during the autopsy that might provide some clues for your search for the body’s origin.”

“What?” Liu Simiao asked hastily.

“Nutrition,” Lei Rong said succinctly. “All three children suffered from severe malnutrition.”

Liu Simiao’s eyes lit up: “I noticed that when Tang Xiaotang was examining the bodies at the scene. The heights and ages of the three children didn’t quite match. According to the country’s standards for children’s height, a boy around twelve years old should be around 151 cm tall, and 137 cm is considered short. But Corpse A was only 130 cm. A girl around nine years old should be around 134 cm tall, but Corpse B was only 110 cm. Even the four- or five-year-old girl should be between 103 and 110 cm tall, but Corpse D was only 90 cm—their development was so unhealthy!”

“Yes, these days, overnourished children are a dime a dozen, but malnourished children are extremely rare—let alone a group of them,” Lei Rong said. “So, Simiao, I suggest you investigate the city’s orphanages, disability centers, and other charitable organizations.”

Liu Simiao hummed in agreement, then suddenly felt a strange unease.

The unease came from the speakerphone.

An inappropriate silence fell on the other end of the line, like blank spaces appearing between printed words, yet without any punctuation.

If she hadn’t finished speaking, she should have continued; if she had, she could have said goodbye and hung up. But Lei Rong did none of that; she remained silent, as if speechless.

The detectives in the printing workshop, having worked all night, were slumped over from exhaustion. Some were bent over, others had their hands in their pockets, and still others were hunched over. They all sensed something was wrong. First, they looked at each other; then, finding no answer in each other’s faces, they simultaneously craned their necks and focused their gaze on the phone in Liu Simiao’s hand.

“Big Sister, what’s wrong?” Liu Simiao asked, bringing her face close to the phone.

“Simiao, I found something during the autopsy that I have to tell you,” Lei Rong said slowly, her voice hoarse and low. “The body of that three- or four-year-old girl wasn’t burned too severely, so I examined it quite carefully… Her hymen had an old rupture, meaning she had been sexually assaulted before her death, and likely more than once.”

It was like a thunderbolt! The detectives stared in shock!

Liu Simiao looked up at the light bulb on the ceiling, a thousand sharp beams of light shining on her face.

She lowered her head and said into her phone, “I understand.”

“Okay,” Lei Rong paused, then said, “Catch that fucking bastard!”

The usually mild-mannered Lei Rong had actually sworn, instantly igniting the fighting spirit of all the detectives present! They roused themselves, shaking off the fatigue of a few seconds earlier, rubbing their hands together, like a pack of hungry wolves ready to pounce on their prey and tear it to shreds with their sharp teeth!

Liu Simiao glanced at her watch, her gaze sweeping sharply over the group: “The golden period for solving this case is within twenty-four hours of the incident. Nine hours have already passed, so everyone must hurry and make sure we catch that bastard before ten o’clock tonight!”