Chapter 85: Ma Jinhua

The concrete pipe was standing upright on the ground. Inside, there was some trash and a few tattered pieces of clothing—probably left behind by a homeless person. I half-crawled in and rummaged around with my hand, finally finding the source of the faint smell.

I pulled a pair of rubber gloves from my pocket and carefully picked up the object. It was a used tissue stained with the scent of medical alcohol.

Looks like my guess was right—Xiao Zhang was definitely abducted by the killer!

Judging by the tissue, the killer probably accidentally spilled nitrous oxide on their hand and used the tissue to wipe it off. That means the killer had their eyes on Xiao Zhang long before.

Huang Xiaotao came over and sniffed the air. "Song Yang, you've got a dog's nose or what? How can you smell something so faint?"

I replied, "It's not natural talent. It's training."

"How do you train that? Teach me! Having this kind of nose would make investigating cases way easier." Huang Xiaotao was excited.

I explained, "It's tough training. You have to endure lots of pain, like having silver needles stuck in acupuncture points inside your nose every day. Most people couldn't handle it."

"Maybe some other time then. Hey, did you bring the evidence bag?"

"Yeah." Huang Xiaotao nodded.

...

I sealed the tissue inside the evidence bag and waved my hand. "There's nothing else to investigate here. Let's move on."

"Alright!"

The second missing person, Xiao Li, disappeared under similar circumstances about half a month ago. Like Xiao Zhang, he left without a word. Xiao Li worked as a car washer and shared an apartment with two coworkers.

According to his roommates, half a month ago, Xiao Li went downstairs to throw out the trash and never came back. Calls to his phone went unanswered, so they reported him missing.

"Has his family come looking for him?" I asked.

"They have. His mother cried like a waterfall, and one of his uncles is a lawyer planning to sue the property management company. The management said their responsibility is only the neighborhood's security, not for missing people," the roommate said.

"What kind of person was Xiao Li?"

"A good guy, very neat. Since three of us lived together, he often took charge of cleaning," the roommate said nostalgically.

Another roommate chimed in, "Yeah, Xiao Li was shy and quiet both at home and work. He just focused on his tasks. His hobby was growing flowers—see those on the balcony? All his."

I smiled. "Did he ever have a girlfriend?"

"Never. Like us, pure single dogs."

"You're the real single dog! Don't lump me in with you," another roommate retorted.

"Come on, you really think Xiao Li's girl liked you? She was just keeping you as a backup. You two have been together for so long—how many times did you actually eat out? Or did you ever get a hotel room?"

"Shut up! Xiao Li really had feelings for me!"

"Yeah, real feelings. Every time you barely said two words, she'd rush off to shower. Your girl sure loves cleanliness."

The two argued heatedly, their faces red. Afraid they might fight, I dropped a quick "Thanks for your cooperation" and hurried away with Huang Xiaotao.

Leaving the neighborhood, I summarized, "About one month, twenty-seven days, and half a month ago... judging by the timeline, Xiao Li was probably killed too."

"That means the killer murders someone roughly every fifteen days!" Huang Xiaotao gasped.

"Do you cook much?" I asked her.

"Not really. Why?"

"The best freshness period for meat is about two weeks. This killer is treating people like livestock."

"So, we have about two weeks to catch him before the next victim?" Huang Xiaotao asked.

"No. Xiao Li went missing half a month ago. The fourth victim will probably show up any day now. It all depends on whether we catch the killer before he strikes again."

Huang Xiaotao sighed. "Time's really tight."

Her phone rang. After answering, she said, "Song Yang, I told you—you were right again. Ma Yaozu is actually Ma Jinhua's official name."

I recalled the file I'd seen before. "Wait, Ma Jinhua's been missing for three months, and he left the meat processing plant three months ago too. So he wasn't at work when he disappeared? Then who reported it to the police?"

"Good question! Maybe Ma Jinhua has relatives here in Nanjiang City!"

Huang Xiaotao immediately called the police station, only to be told the report came from an anonymous citizen. After hanging up, she cursed, "Damn it, another lead cut off."

I shook my head. "No, the lead isn't broken. In fact, we have a major breakthrough."

"What? Don't keep me in suspense! I'm dying to know."

"The steamed bun shop's chef said Ma Jinhua had been delivering meat to him for the past six months. But our files show Ma Jinhua has been missing all this time. Is the chef lying to us?"

Huang Xiaotao's eyes lit up. "Let's go see him again."

We rushed to the steamed bun shop. It was noon, and the shop was closed. I asked Huang Xiaotao, "Where are the police tailing him?"

She nodded toward a black car. "See that? Two officers inside. If Ma Jinhua shows up, they'll move in."

"Tailing is tough work," I said with a wry smile.

"For sure. Eating, drinking, even bathroom breaks—all in the car. One time, I went a whole week on a pack of diapers," Huang Xiaotao joked.

I thought about how frank she was, but it didn't diminish her cool, strong-woman vibe in my eyes.

We knocked, and after a minute, the chef opened the door. He wore a leather apron and his hands were dusted with flour. I asked, "Making buns?"

"Yes, please come in. I'll get you some tea," he said politely.

"No, no. We'll just ask a few questions and leave," I said, waving my hand.

The shop was dim. The chef was kneading dough on the board. A large basin of meat filling emitted the aroma of five-spice powder. Seeing the greasy filling made me suddenly nauseous, thinking of human meat buns.

Huang Xiaotao glared, "That meat—"

"Relax. I bought fresh hind leg pork from the supermarket today. Want me to steam some buns for you to take with you?" The chef wiped his apron with a smile and a flushed face.

"No, no thanks," Huang Xiaotao waved frantically.

I asked, "Do you like making buns?"

"Yes!" The chef beamed as he sat. "I don't have many hobbies, but I love making buns. I always work hard at it and experiment with recipes to make them tastier. Seeing customers happy is like a writer knowing readers enjoy their book."

I thought to myself, such passion for one's work is rare.

Huang Xiaotao pulled out a recorder. "Some questions."

"Go ahead," the chef said, bowing.

"Have you seen Ma Jinhua recently?"

I activated my '洞幽之瞳' (Insightful Eye) to catch the chef's micro-expressions.

He hesitated briefly, then said, "Yes, he came to deliver meat three days ago. Why?"

"Ma Jinhua's been missing for months. Didn't you know?" Huang Xiaotao pressed.

"When did he disappear?"

"Three months ago. He quit the meat plant three months ago too. An anonymous report was filed," Huang Xiaotao explained.

The chef's eyes nearly popped out. "Impossible. I swear on my life, I saw him three days ago!"

Huang Xiaotao looked at me for confirmation. I shook my head slightly, signaling the chef was telling the truth.

But something still felt off.