The Missing Daughter – CH 003

Chapter 3. Living Alone 1

“Living Alone”
“Yes, I live with my husband.”
By Zhen Bai

**

【Did you know that a home invasion murderer recently broke into our city?】

When the computer screen lit up and emitted a notification sound, I was cleaning the living room. The mop swept across the waxed hardwood floors, making them look much cleaner.

I was a clean freak; the floor must be kept spotless and clean.

I put the mop down and sat back on the sofa, still wearing cleaning gloves.

On the crystal coffee table in front of the sofa sat a laptop and a half-spilled cup of coffee.

I didn’t touch the coffee; I’d just make another one later. I looked up at the screen, entered the password to unlock it, and saw a travel plan document still displayed.

【I heard this serial killer is terrifying. He scouts out locations beforehand and specifically targets people living alone. I overheard the other woman at the beauty salon telling me this yesterday; it’s all over their neighborhood.】

The sender’s profile picture was cute, and their name was 【Panpan, who loves cats】.

Our previous chat was about cute cats. After all, no girl could resist the allure of cats. Panpan shared photos of her white, fluffy cat every day, completely enamored with it.

I typed back. 【Home invasion murder? Why isn’t it on the news?】

Panpan: 【Why would they broadcast it? Two people have already died, and the killer hasn’t been caught yet. It would be too scary to broadcast. They probably don’t want to cause panic.】

Me: 【Really? Is it just hearsay?】

Panpan: 【Really! They are telling the whole story. Let me tell you, it’s really scary. They say people are dead for over ten days before they are discovered!】

Me: 【Huh? In this weather. Wouldn’t it all… stink? How come it took so long to find out?】

Panpan: 【That’s why they specifically targeted people living alone, and girls no less! We need to be careful; after all, they hadn’t caught the person yet.】

Panpan: 【I asked them the same thing. The beauty salon lady said they might have turned the air conditioning on at a really low temperature because I heard that the two victims used up their electricity very quickly.】

Me: 【They even knew about their electricity bills? You were more resourceful than the police.】

Panpan: 【Don’t underestimate the power of the public. The police were still investigating. Although they weren’t allowed to spread the news, everyone would definitely be discussing it privately; it’s such a big deal.】

Panpan: 【That’s why I inexplicably received a text message yesterday reminding us to be careful at home, especially to be wary of delivery drivers, water deliverymen, etc., and not to let strangers into the house easily, without explaining why.】

I looked down at my phone and, sure enough, saw a notification among a pile of spam messages. I replied: 【You know what, I got one too.】

Panpan: 【Really! How scary! You have to be extra careful living alone. But your neighborhood is upscale; bad guys might not be able to get in.】

I looked around.

It was a three-bedroom, one living room apartment with a separate kitchen and bathroom. It definitely felt a bit too empty for one person. Although the windows weren’t completely closed, this was a high floor; no one could climb up here.

Me: 【You’re right, I don’t pay such expensive property management fees for nothing.】

Panpan: 【By the way, how’s our travel plan for next month coming along? When are we leaving? I need to find someone to look after Pudding beforehand.】

Panpan sent a video of a kitten opening its eyes.

I replied as usual: 【Ahhhhhh!】

【Cute! I want to cuddle it!】

【The travel plan isn’t finished yet; I’ll let you know when it’s done~】

Panpan: 【Okay, by the way, didn’t you say you went to the adoption center yesterday? How did it go? Did you find a cat you like?】

Panpan: 【If you adopt one you like, remember to share it with me! Did the gift I sent you arrive? Remember to open it! It’s my exclusive little set~】

The delivery box was on the floor in the corner of the living room, just picked up; I haven’t had time to open it yet.

There was no cat at home right now, but there was a litter box in the corner, so the result was obvious.

I replied: 【Not yet. The litter box I bought hasn’t been used yet. I’ll go check it out in a few days. Let me get our plans sorted out first.】

Panpan: 【That’s true. If you take it home now, you’ll need someone to take care of it next month when you go out. Let’s wait until we get back.】

Me: 【Emoji image.gif】

Knock knock knock.

Someone was knocking on the door.

I turned to look at the door. It was summer, the air conditioning was on, and it was cool inside, but summer days were long, so it was still early before dark, but it was dinnertime.

I got up and went to the door, but didn’t open it immediately. Instead, I asked cautiously, “Who is it?”

“Takeout!”

A man’s voice answered.

I turned on the security camera on the wall next to me. The camera captured the man’s image. He was wearing a black baseball cap, his head down, and carrying a bag. Because the brim of the cap obscured his face, I couldn’t see it clearly.

The man was wearing a black jacket with white stripes; I couldn’t see anything else clearly. He was somewhat thin, and his voice was fairly pleasant.

I did have a takeout order on my phone, placed two hours in advance, and set for scheduled delivery.

“Takeout? Why aren’t you wearing your delivery uniform?”

The man at the door sounded impatient. He knocked heavily on the door a few times before speaking, “It’s because your complex doesn’t allow delivery drivers in. I had to change clothes to come in. If you don’t open the door, I’ll be late. Delivering takeout is hard work, and getting stopped by security is really difficult for me.”

What he said was true. The security guards in this complex wouldn’t allow delivery drivers in, but many residents didn’t want to go downstairs and walk that far, so they still asked delivery drivers to find a way to bring the food in, and they would tell them the entrance code for the building.

“Could you please hurry? I’ll get penalized if it’s late.”

“Then just leave the delivery at the door. I’m not available right now; I’ll come out and get it myself in a bit.”

After a few seconds of silence, the person on the other side said, “Miss, no. What if I leave it at the door and go, and then the customer complains that something is missing and demands compensation? I not only get points deducted but also have to pay out of pocket. These days, customers don’t give us good reviews, but a bad review really affects us.”

“Can’t you take a picture as evidence?”

“Miss, we can’t open the delivery. The bag is sealed shut with a label by the restaurant, and the picture won’t show everything. You’re already at the door; please open it and check. If everything’s okay, I can mark it as delivered.”

Every detail he gave sounded real; it seemed he really was a delivery person.

My hand was already on the doorknob.

【Ding-dong】

My phone beeped. I opened it and saw a text message reminding residents, especially women living alone, to be vigilant about home safety and not to open the door to strangers.

I exited the message but suddenly froze.

Inexplicably, I opened the food delivery app.

At that glance, a chill ran down my spine.

The order showed the delivery rider had received the food, but the location showed the rider was still three kilometers away!

Was it a location error, or was that person outside…

Not even the delivery person?!

I stared at the man on the security camera, his head bowed the entire time, and suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

I tentatively asked, “I didn’t order any takeout. Did you deliver to the wrong place?”

The man in the baseball cap replied, “No, it’s Ms. Sha Xiaoxuan, right? Phone number ending in 2024, Building 9, Unit 1, 11th Floor, Apartment 2, Anquan Residential Complex. Isn’t this it?”

At least the address matched perfectly, so this was indeed his target!

But the man’s precise address information didn’t lower my guard; instead, it made me even more certain that the person outside had ulterior motives!

He wasn’t delivering takeout, yet he knew so much precise information.

But he was already at the door. What if he pried open or broke down the door…

The building had excellent soundproofing, and all the other rooms on this floor were empty. Even if I called for help, it would be difficult for anyone to hear me.

I wasn’t sure if this door could stop him.

The man on the security camera moved closer, and I heard the faint clicking on the lock from his side.

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through my mind—

Panpan’s words, the text messages on my phone… the killer preferred to target women living alone.

Between waiting to die and taking immediate action, I chose the latter.

I turned and went back to the living room, turned on the TV, and turned the volume up. Then I went back to the door and called out to the empty living room behind me, “Honey, turn the TV down.”

The man’s movements on the monitor indeed stopped.

I continued loudly, “I don’t know; the man at the door insists he’s delivering takeout. I said we didn’t order takeout, but he gave me our address.”

The TV was very loud; I’d deliberately chosen a lively program. Standing at the door, my voice could be amplified completely by the communicator, but the people outside might not be able to hear anything from the living room.

“What? You’re calling the police? It’s such a small matter; it’s not that serious. Maybe the person outside just went to the wrong place.” I pretended to be talking to the “person” in the living room: “…Okay, then you call the police first. You’re right, I’ll call the property management and ask.”

After saying this, I turned to look at the security camera.

The man in the frame disappeared.

He really wasn’t the delivery guy!

I breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing my palms were sweaty.

Back at the computer, I saw that Panpan had sent me several messages.

Panpan: 【Little Pudding had a tummy ache just now, so I went to rub it. I haven’t finished telling you about that killer yet!】

Me: 【Huh?】

Panpan: 【You don’t know, do you? This serial killer is terrifying. The body wasn’t discovered until over ten days ago, right? It’s because the killer supposedly stayed with the corpse during that time! They say he killed because he had necrophilia, but even in low temperatures, a body would decompose in over ten days, so the killer left to find another target!】

I sent a shocked emoji: 【I don’t understand; why didn’t he just get a job at a funeral home? Killing people is too costly.】

Panpan: 【Who can understand? We’re not perverts; we certainly don’t understand.】

Panpan: 【Maybe he used to work at a funeral home but got fired because he was too perverted!】

After all, funeral homes didn’t always accept unclaimed bodies. Would the families be willing to let someone with necrophilia handle corpses?

“Knock knock knock!”

A heavy knock came at the door again, startling me.

I went to the door again. This time, I checked the delivery person’s location on my phone; it was correct. The security camera footage confirmed it was indeed a deliveryman in plain clothes. He didn’t ask for the building’s password, so he seemed to deliver to this neighborhood regularly.

I didn’t cook, and I usually ordered takeout for every meal. This time, I was more cautious and replied, “Just leave it at the door.”

The man at the door put down the bag, and a moment later, my order was marked as delivered. Then, the man left the security camera footage without a second thought.

Me: …

This was a real deliveryman.

But I didn’t go out immediately. Just to be safe, I decided to wait half an hour before going out to pick up the takeout.

Half an hour later, after checking the security camera footage and confirming it was working properly, I opened the door.

No one was at the door. I picked up the takeout and brought it inside. I was quite hungry, so I put the dishes on the table. This meal was relatively light, tasted good, and was quite nutritious.

There was sea cucumber soup and some other dishes. The soup was rich but not greasy, and the broth was very fragrant. Although this meal was takeout and not cheap, living in a place like this meant I was financially well-off and wouldn’t skimp on food.

After finishing, I tidied the table, put the trash in a bag, and placed it in the corner of the kitchen. I was a clean freak and couldn’t stand mess.

It got dark, and I turned to look at the sky outside the French windows.

The sky was covered with dark clouds; I couldn’t see any stars. It looked like it would rain tomorrow, not a good time to go out.

My phone rang on the sofa. I glanced at the caller ID; it was my mother’s number.

I picked up the phone, hung up, and continued staring blankly at the sky outside the window.

The phone kept ringing.

I sighed, picked up the phone, and pressed the answer button.

“Why did you get angry again? And even hit someone? I heard from your Aunt Zhang that you haven’t been to work for three days, saying you wanted to quit. Are you unhappy with your job? Your colleague didn’t bump into you on purpose, and your Aunt Zhang said they’ve already reprimanded them. If you don’t like this job, just tell Mom, and Mom will help you find another one.”

“You won’t get paid this month. Are you short of money? How about Mom sends you another 20,000 yuan?”

Hearing the worried voice on the phone, I couldn’t help but interrupt, “Auntie.”

I paused, then continued, “I’m sorry, Auntie. Xiaoxuan and Panpan came to my house this afternoon and accidentally left their phones here. I have something to do tonight, so I can only bring them back tomorrow.”

“Oh, you’re Xiaoxuan’s friend?”

“Yes, Auntie. My surname is Luo; you can just call me Xiao Luo. But don’t worry; I can tell Xiaoxuan hasn’t been in a good mood these past few days. Please let her rest. She told me she’s going on a trip with Panpan next month to relax. Calling her will only put more pressure on her.”

I smiled and said, “In my opinion, with us close friends here, you can rest assured.”

“That’s true, she is indeed getting a little annoyed with me… Then I’ll have to trouble you to take care of her. Please put in a lot of effort. She’s always had a strong temper and easily offends people. Thank you for your help. Xiaoxuan has been talking about going abroad with Panpan. If she goes on the trip, I’ll transfer 80,000 yuan to her account. Please tell her not to worry about the money.”

I said enviously, “Auntie, you’re so good to Xiaoxuan.”

Knock, knock, knock.

It was another knock on the door.

I turned to look at her. “Auntie, I have guests at home; I’ll hang up now.”

“Okay, okay, go ahead and do your thing.”

After hanging up, I looked at the door, already getting impatient.

The takeout had already been delivered, and there were no orders on my phone. No one usually came to her house, so why was someone knocking on the door today?