The Missing Daughter – CH 004

Chapter 4. Living Alone 2

Knock, knock, knock.

I didn’t speak, but the knocking on the door was relentless, as if it would keep going all night if I didn’t open the door.

I went to the door and said impatiently, “Who is it?”

“My surname is Zhao. The property management already told you this morning, right? I’ve been here several times already. If this isn’t dealt with soon, it’ll be a problem. Can you cooperate? I also have a lot of work to do, okay?”

It was another man’s voice.

I wasn’t sure if what the person outside was saying was true or false.

Panpan’s words kept popping into my head.

I cleared my throat and said, “Excuse me, I’ve heard there have been home invasions and murders in the city recently. I’ve received several text messages warning me not to open the door to strangers—”

“Seriously? You mean I’m a murderer?! Should I go call the property management, and we’ll have a go?”

On the security screen, the man at the door was shorter and more muscular than the strange man who claimed to be a deliveryman.

He wasn’t hiding his face; he looked to be in his thirties, wearing a dark blue work uniform and carrying a large suitcase slung across his shoulder.

He was more impatient than the previous person who knocked, seemingly in a bad mood.

“That’s not what I meant,”

I took off my gloves and placed them on the cabinet next to me, explaining, “It’s just better to be cautious. The property management should be closed by now, right? Tell me what happened so I can see if what they said is the same to verify your identity.”

“What happened? How would I know what happened if I didn’t even see it?”

The man suppressed his anger and continued urgently, “What time is it now? It’s not easy being a working person; can’t you be a little understanding? We’re not as rich as you people who live in nice places. We earn our money through hard work, but you’ve stood me up time and time again. That’s not right, is it? I’ve come several times already, the transportation costs are high, and if you don’t resolve this, the property management will come after you, and you’ll be in trouble too.”

Seeing him rattle off a long rant, his words filled with the genuine emotions of a working-class person on the verge of collapse, I figured it wasn’t fake, so I opened the door: “Alright, alright, come in.”

“You should have opened the door earlier.”

The man walked in carrying a suitcase, his face dark, muttering a few complaints.

I reminded him, “Take off your shoes.”

He glanced at the disposable slippers on the shoe rack: “I brought my own.”

With that, the man took a few steps back and opened his toolbox, revealing various tools and a pair of shoe covers.

After taking out the shoe covers, the man skillfully put them on his shoes.

I glanced at his shoe covers: “How did you know to prepare in advance…”

The man looked up and rolled his eyes at me: “It’s not like I’m new to this neighborhood. Don’t I know your requirements? Where’s the bathroom?”

I followed up: “The bathroom… is it a big problem?”

“Of course it is. Otherwise, would I have come all this way myself? You might have to redo the waterproofing.”

I frowned, “Such a nice apartment, and the waterproofing has problems? What were they doing?”

The man put on his shoe covers and walked straight inside: “Several apartments in this building have waterproofing problems. This isn’t the first one I’ve seen, ouch!”

He rubbed his nose and glanced at the living room air conditioner: “The air conditioner is set so low?”

I replied: “I’m sensitive to heat. Then you can check the bathroom. I’m having guests over in the next few days, so it’s best not to make any major changes. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Didn’t I tell you? My surname is Zhao. Just call me Mr. Zhao.”

He reached for the doorknob on the left side of the hallway but found it wouldn’t turn.

I glanced around: “The bathroom’s on the right. That’s the bedroom door.”

Mr. Zhao scanned the surroundings: “You only have one bathroom in your house, none in the bedroom?”

I hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, “There’s one in the master bedroom, but my husband… my husband is sleeping in there. He’s been working all day, and I don’t want to disturb him. He’s probably locked the door. Be careful.”

Mr. Zhao said, “Oh,” seemingly uninterested in my “virtual husband,” and turned to push open the door to the bathroom on the right.

I suddenly remembered something, my expression changed slightly, and I rushed to the bathroom door, but it was too late.

He had already seen what was inside.

**

The bathroom was quite large, with a bathtub at the far end.

There was a beige shower curtain between the bathtub and the rest of the bathroom area.

The curtain was drawn, so you couldn’t see inside, but as soon as you entered, you could smell a strange odor.

Mr. Zhao frowned and took a few steps back. “What’s that smell? Do you pile all your garbage in the bathroom?”

I panicked a little. “There’s some stuff piled up in the bathroom; it’s not convenient to deal with. How about this? I’ll clean it up today, and you can come back tomorrow—”

“I don’t have time to bother anymore; I’m already here,”

Before I could stop him, he had already walked to the shower curtain, drawn by the stench in the air.

With a whoosh, Mr. Zhao reached out and pulled back the shower curtain.

We both fell silent.

Behind the shower curtain, in front of the bathtub, were two or three black plastic bags piled up.

The strong odor was emanating from the plastic bags; besides a faint stench of decay, there was also the smell of blood.

Mr. Zhao turned to look at me, his expression momentarily complex, his mind probably blank.

Because the smell was very similar to that of a dead rat,

Everyone who smelled it would have one thing pop into their head.

“A…a corpse?”

I took a few steps back, standing at the bathroom doorway, gripping the doorknob. “How could that be? You’re overthinking it. We just found a few dead rats in the house…”

Before I could finish, he grabbed a wrench from the box, took a few steps back, and walked to the black plastic bag. “Don’t come any closer! Stand there! That’s why the air conditioner was so low… How could there be rats in this place?!”

He was stronger than me and had tools. In a direct confrontation, I had no chance of winning.

I forced a smile: “Mr. Zhao, you’re overthinking it. These few small bags can’t hold a corpse. Besides, the air conditioner is in the living room, and the stuff is in the bathroom—that doesn’t make sense, does it? It’s just some trash. I’ll throw it away in a bit. I didn’t let you in earlier because I was afraid you’d find the smell unpleasant.”

Mr. Zhao seemed somewhat swayed by my words.

But then his expression changed: “No, how can garbage and rats still smell of blood? This bag can’t hold a corpse, but it can hold body parts!”

He turned and squatted down, his eyes still fixed on me. Then, using a wrench, he tore open the garbage bag, revealing the source of the stench—a bloodstained foot!

But it wasn’t a human foot.

The foot was covered in blood-stained fur.

It was a cat’s foot.

I looked at him, and he looked at me.

Mr. Zhao kicked the garbage bag.

Half a cat’s corpse was revealed, some fur missing.

Some fur was still stuck together with dried blood, and the exposed flesh was covered in various wounds.

He glanced down at the corpse in the plastic bag, then at me.

Mr. Zhao realized something: “You, you’re abusing cats?”

I tried to explain, saying, “I found the bodies on the road, felt sorry for them, so I brought them back to give them a proper burial… Fine, yes, abusing cats. What? You’re getting involved in this, too? Killing cats isn’t illegal, is it?”

As soon as the excuse left my mouth, I realized he wasn’t so easy to fool. Mr. Zhao didn’t seem mentally challenged, so I might as well just admit it.

But he’d better not meddle.

Mr. Zhao chuckled coldly, “Whether it’s illegal or not, I don’t know, but if word gets out, your reputation won’t be good, will it?”

I smiled and turned on the ventilation in the bathroom. “Who are you going to talk to? All the rich people living here say the same thing as you: they’re indifferent to others. They’re neither interested in my gossip nor do I care what they think of me.”

Mr. Zhao glanced at the black garbage bag on the ground. There were two more nearby, but what was inside was obvious. He took out his phone. “I’ll post it online and ruin your reputation. Are you scared now?”

My expression changed slightly. I immediately reassured him, “We can talk. Put down your phone first.”

Mr. Zhao seemed to sense my change in attitude. He didn’t continue. “What, you didn’t expect that one day what you do would be discovered?”

He showed a look of disgust. “Money makes you perverted. I really don’t understand people like you.”

I gave a bitter smile and adjusted my expression. “If I said I didn’t kill it, would you believe me?”

Mr. Zhao: “You just said you did it!”

I explained: “I didn’t admit I did it. I just said it is indeed cat abuse, but…”

I hesitated, my eyes reddening: “Actually, it was my husband who did it. He’s under a lot of work pressure, so…”

Seeing Mr. Zhao’s displeasure, I quickly explained: “I know it’s wrong. I’ve scolded him several times, so he locked himself in the bedroom to spite me. I only found out today when I got back from my business trip. But you’re right, if this gets exposed, it will have a huge impact on him. Of course, I won’t make this request for nothing; I can compensate you! Wait a minute!”

I turned and went to the living room, took a wad of cash from my expensive handbag on the sofa, went back to the bathroom, and handed it to him: “This is two thousand yuan. Just pretend you didn’t see it. Of course, I’ll also keep an eye on him in the future and make sure he doesn’t do this again.”

He took out his phone but didn’t immediately take a picture, clearly indicating there was room for negotiation.

Two thousand yuan wasn’t a small sum for him, but posting about it would only get him a few likes and shares.

I added fuel to the fire: “My husband has a bad temper. If he finds out you did this, he’ll definitely complain to the property management about you invading residents’ privacy. You know how the property management treats residents, right?”

I didn’t elaborate, but Mr. Zhao had clearly considered the consequences.

The property management wouldn’t offend us; they’d just fire him and replace him with another handyman.

This was a high-end community, and they paid more than in other places. He didn’t want to lose this client.

Mr. Zhao took the cash, put down his tools, and sneered, “I despise people like him the most.” After his sneer, he stuffed the cash into his innermost pocket and then squatted down to check the leak in the bathroom.

Me: “…”

The solution was simpler than I expected.

Indeed, there was no problem that money couldn’t solve.

No, there probably wasn’t.

I turned my head slightly and glanced at the master bedroom door.

Mr. Zhao was squatting on the floor, feeling around for a while, then glanced at me sideways: “What are you standing there for? Throw these things out! It stinks; how am I supposed to check the bathroom?”

I put on rubber gloves, went in to collect the trash bags and the cat carcass inside, and was about to carry it out when I turned back to Mr. Zhao: “Sir, there are security cameras in the house. Could you please check the bathroom carefully? I’ll be right back.”

The camera was connected to the computer on the table, and there was also an app on the phone to check it.

I said this to remind him not to do anything unnecessary in the house, to take things he shouldn’t, or to go where he shouldn’t.

Mr. Zhao, on the floor, was startled, then remembered the money he had just received, and asked nervously, “There aren’t any security cameras in the bathroom, are there?!”

I stood there awkwardly, holding the trash bag: “…Rich people may be a bit perverted, but not to this extent.”

It seemed Mr. Zhao wasn’t stupid.

Of course, if a resident really did lose something, he wouldn’t have any more orders.

“You’re quite humorous; it’s just that you married a lunatic,”

Mr. Zhao muttered. “But, to live in a place like this, I’d accept that he’s a lunatic.”

I smiled, didn’t argue, and went out with the trash bag.

The security camera did exist, but I’d already removed it, wiped all the content, and flushed the battery and memory card down the toilet.

I also checked all the software on the computer, both locally and in the cloud, and completely deleted all the surveillance footage.

Keeping that kind of thing would only do me harm.

The streetlights were on outside, and the wind was howling.

Even within the residential area, the wind was strong.

I carried three garbage bags, hesitated, and instead of throwing them in the bins downstairs, I walked a few steps further and threw them in another building’s bin. I pulled open the outermost layers of garbage bags and tossed them inside.

I knew the locations of the security cameras here; I wouldn’t be caught.

If I were lucky, those rummaging through the trash would only touch the freshly thrown garbage on the outside; the inside wouldn’t be touched.

As long as the garbage truck took the stuff to the garbage station tomorrow, no one would know where these bodies came from.

Because of the strong wind, there weren’t many people outside the residential area.

I pulled my collar tighter, adjusted my cap, and walked a few steps forward when I saw a woman in black standing motionless in the darkness.

I was startled.

The woman’s face was expressionless.

She looked extremely thin, her complexion was terrible, her eyes were sunken, like a ghost, and her skin was deathly pale.

Fortunately, her gaze was fixed on the entrance to the eight buildings next door, and she didn’t notice me.

I walked around the woman in black and carefully returned to my building.

There were security cameras at the entrance to the building and in the elevator, but I had prepared myself before leaving to avoid being caught on camera.

Just as I entered the elevator, I noticed that my social media accounts had received many messages. I hadn’t noticed them when I was throwing things away, so I scrolled through them one by one.

They were all from Panpan.

【Breaking News! Did you know that in the neighborhood where the first person died, some people said that in the days following the incident, people frequently knocked on their doors?

The excuses weren’t just for food delivery; they also claimed to be repairing appliances and redoing the waterproofing!

They didn’t open the door because they hadn’t ordered food delivery or called for renovations or appliance repairs!

You need to be careful; if the killer knows building maintenance, they might also know how to pick locks!】

【The person knocking on the door said that the property management arranged it, but after the murder, the residents asked the property management, who said they hadn’t contacted them at all.】

【I saw the chat logs from the community’s residents’ groups that they shared. My God, you have no idea how scary it was!】

【【Forwarded Chat Logs】】

I clicked on it, and it really was just as Panpan had said.

【And those people always knocked on doors at night, and the people they were looking for were mostly women living alone. It’s terrifying to think about. I received a takeout order once, but I hadn’t even ordered!

I didn’t open the door then, and now it’s so scary. I just threw it away; I thought it was a wrong delivery.】

【Thinking about it, who goes to work at night?】

【You have no idea how scary that delivery guy I encountered was; he could accurately recite my personal information and address!】

【I was so scared my mind went blank. I even forgot to call the police and didn’t know what to do. If my brother hadn’t been home, I probably would have been in serious trouble.】

【I saw online that you can leave a pair of men’s shoes at the door to pretend someone is still home. Why don’t you try that? But remember not to make them too new; put some mud on them.】

【Although the security in your area is pretty good, you never know. What if this killer is specifically targeting women living alone? That would be too dangerous!】

【Someone said they saw a stranger in black clothes and a cap loitering in their neighborhood. The killer hasn’t been caught for so long; they must be very meticulous and have planned this all along. They’re probably scouting the area, observing the victim for a long time!】

【What are you doing? Why aren’t you replying to my messages?】

【Xuanxuan?】

【Xuanxuan, are you alright? Reply to my message!】

I finally got out of the elevator, and my phone had a signal.

Head down, I walked to the door and started replying to messages: 【It’s nothing; I just went out to throw out the trash. There was no signal in the elevator.】

Panpan quickly replied: 【You scared me to death! I thought something really happened to you.】

I sent a cute emoji: 【Don’t worry, you’re just scaring yourself. Sometimes I forget to check messages, so I might reply a little late.】

Panpan: 【You’re right. With so many people, we might not run into each other. Maybe the killer will be caught in the next few days. I’m relieved you’re okay. I’m so tired from playing outside today; I’m going to bed early. Be careful too~】

I inserted the key, about to open the door.

But then, I hesitated.

Panpan’s story didn’t sound fake; it seemed plausible, and it matched what I’d just experienced. What if… the killer was a handyman?

He could easily enter someone’s home.

His identity wouldn’t be questioned.

Waterproofing was something homeowners usually arranged themselves. I initially thought this was a high-end community, so the property management might provide better service, but anything could happen.

Was this person inside really sent by the property management?

Could it be a necrophiliac serial killer?

Besides, who said murderers didn’t need money?

Just as I was getting anxious, the door suddenly opened by itself.

Mr. Zhao stood inside, holding a wrench.

I froze, then suddenly realized something.

Waterproofing didn’t require a wrench, did it?

The man stared at me and suddenly asked, “Why don’t you come in? I’ve seen you standing at the door for a long time.”

How did he know I was looking at my phone at the door?