Case Files 013

Due to my insistence, the police finally found the rest of the puzzle pieces at Wang Yiman's home around noon. Unfortunately, even after we turned her house upside down, we were still missing a piece, the middle piece to be specific.

"Where is that last piece?" I couldn't help but ask with annoyance. Gu Chen wiped away his sweat and said with impatience, "Brother, we've practically moved all the furniture out. The last piece is probably lost out there somewhere." I pulled out my hair. "Would you play jigsaw puzzles outdoors?"

"Of course not, what if it rains or the wind blows the pieces away?" Gu Chen said.

"That's right, no one would work on a jigsaw puzzle outdoors so how could the piece be outside the house? The only explanation is that someone has taken it with them." I told Gu Chen. Guan Zhenglin frowned. "Perhaps it dropped inside the rubbish bin and was taken out as trash. Or it fell into the toilet and was flushed away. Even Wang Yiman herself didn't finish the puzzle, so why are you so hung up on it. And most importantly, how is this related to the case?"

I sighed, "It's related, incredibly related. When you saw Gao Rui's body, didn't you notice there's something missing on him?"

"Something missing?" The two turned to me. I nodded and then explained, "Yes, there is something missing, I spotted it when I first saw the body but at the time, it had nothing to do with the case so I didn't bring it up. But now that something important to Wang Yiman is also missing, I have to suspect there might be a connection there."

"What is missing from Gao Rui?" Guan Zhenglin asked with interest.

I raised his wrist to show her. "A watch, a watch given to him by Zhang Mingliang. Even though I didn't interact with him that many times, he would wear the watch whenever we did meet. But I didn't see that watch on Gao Rui's dead body." I continued, "The watch given to Gao Rui from Zhang Mingliang and the puzzle piece from Wang Yiman's daughter's puzzle. Granted they are not worth much but they have great sentimental value for the owners, in fact, they might be the most treasured item they had. Remember I said timing is instrumental in suicides?"

At that moment, something touched my heart.

…

I am an orphan or raised in a single-parent family. Someone has committed suicide in my family. At first, I didn't understand why someone would end their lives but I get it now. So I started to help those who wish to depart for a better afterlife. If a person cannot succeed even in dying, isn't that the saddest thing?

…

The stolen items were their memories. Be it Gao Rui or Wang Yiman, be it watch or puzzle piece, they were worth far more than their material value. Perhaps they already had suicidal thoughts, but someone's appearance helped solidify that thought. That was the key to this case. But who was this someone who came to help them?

That afternoon, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. It was around when the school ended so youthful students thronged past the restaurant entrance. Their loud voices of discussion drifted into the shops, some were talking about celebrities, others gossip. Some were discussing the latest dramas, others discussing gaming tactics. The good students talked about hyperactive metals and stuff that I couldn't understand. Then there were the bookworms talking about poems and books. Some of them were in Yu Cai High School's uniform, others wore uniforms from Dong Xing Fourth High School but most of the students already took off their school uniforms and changed into their casual outfits. There were even some that doodled on their uniforms to express their individuality. Rebellious yet highly creative, that was the nature of students at this age.

Guan Zhenglin looked at the students and sighed, "Youth is great. Your only worry in the world is to study and there is no need to be concerned about anything else. When you enter the society, there are too many problems waiting for you. Unfortunately, you'll only learn to appreciate that youthful period after it is over."

Hearing that, I couldn't help but shake my head. Did the students only have their study to worry about? Not necessarily. Age was never the yardstick for one's maturity. Instead it had to do with one's experience and knowledge. The places that you had been, the books you had read, the people you had loved, they made up your character. No matter how hard you tried to hide it, your character would eventually peek through.

"Hmph!" I chided purposely. "You look less than 20 yourself, what worry might you face? In fact, when will you have a second growth spurt? Because the first definitely did not leave much mark on your body." My eyes landed on her chest before wandering away. Guan Zhenglin slammed her chopsticks on the table and hissed. "Wu Meng, today shall be your last…"

"Interesting." Gu Chen continued to eat. "If you guys don't have the appetite, I can help finish everything."

When we returned to the station, we saw Xiao Liu squatting at the door with a long face. After some questions, we found out that Xiao Liu's investigation at Yu Cai High School had reached a dead end. The staff who were friends with Gao Rui had no motive and time to commit the theft. "If your good friend is attempting suicide, wouldn't your first reaction be to stop him? I don't think a friend will push him towards voluntary death so perhaps you should change your direction. Why don't you look into Gao Rui's enemy instead?" I patted Xiao Liu's shoulder and tried to provide some guidance. Xiao Liu stood up and gasped, "That is a good idea, why haven't I thought of that?" As Xiao Liu raced away, I sighed with contention.

Before we entered the station, Mary walked out. She accosted me and said, "Xiao Wu, there's another suicide." The 3 of our faces were set in hard lines. Gu Chen questioned, "Was it the same type of death? Quick and presentable?"

Mary shook her head. "It was definitely quick but not presentable at all."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Mary explained. "Around noon today, at the subway station, a working-class man jumped down onto the tracks as the train came into the station. He was instantly grinded into pieces. We are still investigating this victim's identity, the result won't be out so soon. Why don't you go and check the crime scene for now? It's Dong Xing City's First Subway Line."

Gu Chen scratched his head. "But how is this related to our current cases? I mean no disrespect to the victim but Gao Rui and Wang Yiman had done a better job at keeping their dignities after death. This man didn't even leave a full body behind."

"I can't tell yet." Mary shook her head. "Just go and check the crime scene, if it's related, then good, if it's not, then the case will be passed to others. According to our database, over the past 3 years, there is one suicide case every 2 days so perhaps this is really an isolated incident." I nodded. Mary continued, "You can go now, the officers have already secured the crime scene."

…

One hour later. When we arrived at the First Subway Line, the train had stopped running. The firemen were trying to scoop up the body pieces within the 100 metres radius. The relatively large pieces were placed on the platform and covered under white cloth. As expected at such a scene, there was a crowd. The platform had no rails and fence so there was no stopping anyone from jumping onto the tracks to commit suicide.

As we walked closer, we were hit by a complicated smell. Other than the smell of blood, there was a smell of burning, it was the smell of protein being seared. Looks like the suicide victim's body was sent flying and then chafed against the rails. Practically, his skin and flesh were cooked like meat on a hot plate. I peeled back the white cloth and didn't know what to say. The situation was so horrible, I had no words to describe it. I had just a glance of it and that was enough. The thing that I saw wasn't didn't even have a human shape anymore. The body was split into half at the waist. Two legs were missing and only half an arm remained. The head was a hollow flap connected to the body via tearing skin. Compared to Gao Rui and Wang Yiman, this was another extreme. Looking at the blood and broken flesh on the walls, floors and tracks, it was not hard to imagine we were inside a meat grinder.

But was this connected to the other 2 cases?

"Someone, give us an update please!" I showed the identification Captain Zhao gave me.

An officer led a civilian who saw everything to us. The civilian said, "I just got off from work. The place was crowded and we were all waiting for the train to arrive like normal. The train was coming in but it was still moving very fast. But at that moment, someone suddenly leaped out from the platform. He jumped down onto the tracks while holding a briefcase."

"Is it possible that someone pushed him or he fell from an accident?" I asked.

The civilian scratched his head and said, "That, I can't tell. I first heard a scream before I turned to see a man leap through the air. Before I knew what happened, the train crashed into him. I felt my world turn red like it was raining blood. Then the scent of blood was everywhere."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. Let's go check the camera."

In the surveillance, we finally saw the man. We looked from different angles and the conclusion was the man did commit suicide, he was not pushed nor was it an accident. It was seen clearly on camera, he took a running start before the platform, the briefcase swinging with his every step.

"But why would he bring a briefcase with him for a suicide?" I asked the question on everyone's mind.