Lin Dongxue was startled. "This isn't the same person… No, wait, her phone clearly shows that she rode in your car! Are you messing with me?"
Chen Shi shook his head helplessly. "Miss Lin, if you still think I'm the killer, then we can't continue discussing this. Just because someone has a phone doesn't mean it's the person themselves, does it?"
"So, you're saying the person who had the victim's phone and rode in your car that night is the killer? But she's a woman!" Lin Dongxue protested.
"I already told you, the idea of r*p*-murder is fabricated," Chen Shi replied.
"The killer is a woman? Do you even remember what she looked like?" Lin Dongxue asked.
Chen Shi motioned for her to sit down. "Don't just guess based on intuition. The woman who rode in my car might not be the killer. Let's continue analyzing."
Chen Shi flipped through photos on his phone and noticed a detail: the victim's right hand had a round imprint, with faint patterns, though they were already blurry.
He asked, "Was there anything the victim was holding found at the scene?"
"No! We searched everywhere."
"It'd be great if I could see it myself."
"There's someone doing a re-investigation at the scene. I can't take you there."
"I'm just saying… Did you notice? The scene was a stone beach where the water had receded, so the friction was high. The victim's clothing was thin and torn in multiple places. If she had really been r*p*d, there should have been large areas of pre-death abrasions, but there aren't any. Unless…"
"Unless what?" Lin Dongxue asked.
Chen Shi smiled. "Unless the killer hung the victim up while doing it."
"B*st*rd!" Lin Dongxue angrily splashed a cup of tea on him.
"Hey, hey, what's with you?!" Chen Shi grumbled while wiping himself with a napkin.
Chen Shi continued reviewing the materials. Lin Dongxue asked, "Any more discoveries?"
"This is all I've got for now. Unless you let me see the body in person."
"Cut it out, you'd just throw up!"
"Do you think I'm like you?"
Chen Shi returned the materials and phone to Lin Dongxue. His analysis had formed a more complete crime theory, tying all the details together. Lin Dongxue couldn't help but ask, "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm just a taxi driver who's a fan of Hong Kong-Taiwan cop dramas. Does that satisfy your curiosity?" Chen Shi smiled.
"Don't even try. I don't believe you!" Lin Dongxue glared at him.
Chen Shi lit a cigarette. "So, you're willing to cooperate with me now?"
"You have to answer my question first. I won't work with someone I don't trust."
"I can't tell you that. Just consider me a civilian expert. Once we get to know each other better, I'll tell you who I am!" Chen Shi raised his eyebrows mischievously.
"Who wants to get to know you better? Stop taking advantage of me!" Lin Dongxue raised her fist as if to punch him.
"Hey, hey!" Chen Shi pleaded for mercy. Once Lin Dongxue calmed down, he said, "Let's formalize our cooperation!"
"Tell me."
"First, stop asking about my identity. I need some privacy, don't I? Then, we'll keep this matter confidential for now. I'll help you strategize in the background, and all the credit will be yours. As for the reward, whether you give me a share is up to you. Finally, I need you to fully trust me."
Lin Dongxue couldn't believe it. A civilian expert offered to help her crack the case without taking any credit for it. She asked, "What do you want out of this?"
"I enjoy it!" Chen Shi answered with a grin.
Lin Dongxue blushed. "Stop saying nonsense!"
"I mean, I enjoy solving cases! Plus, I can't just sit by while your brother goes down the wrong path. I'm the kind of person who can't stand injustice and always wants to step in when I see a problem."
"You're so noble?" Lin Dongxue raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I told you, nobility and selflessness are two different things. Don't forget, I'm expecting my reward. You'll owe me a meal!" Chen Shi said.
Lin Dongxue bit her lip. This guy was so mysterious and hard to figure out. But she decided to trust him this once, since it seemed like he really had a knack for solving cases.
After all, more than anyone, she wanted to make a breakthrough and impress others.
"Deal!"
Chen Shi extended his hand. Lin Dongxue hesitated and said, "What's this for?"
"The formal gesture of cooperation!"
"Is that really necessary?"
"Absolutely necessary!"
Reluctantly, Lin Dongxue shook his hand. Chen Shi's hand was smooth and warm, completely unlike the hand of a taxi driver.
The two of them went to the Fengzhi Hotel. Chen Shi told the receptionist, "Earlier, I said I didn't have my credentials. Now I have an actual police officer with me. Do you believe me now?"
Chen Shi exchanged a glance with Lin Dongxue. She took out her badge. "We're investigating a case and need your cooperation."
The receptionist eyed Chen Shi suspiciously. "What do you need?"
"We need the check-in records from September 10th to 11th," Chen Shi said.
The receptionist brought up the computer records. Chen Shi glanced at the list and asked Lin Dongxue, "What was the name of the victim's boyfriend?"
"Shen Jun!"
"It's clear he didn't check in here that night. Have you visited him yet?"
"Uh…"
"You've been focusing all your attention on me, haven't you?" Chen Shi asked the receptionist. "Do you have a parking lot here?"
"Yes, it's right next to the building."
Chen Shi turned to look outside. There were a lot of cars parked. He said, "Does the parking lot have surveillance cameras?"
"Yes!"
The two of them went to the surveillance room. The receptionist brought up the video from that day. Chen Shi immediately played it at 8x speed, staring at the screen without blinking. When the time on the screen showed 2 a.m., he suddenly paused it, pointing to a bright light on the right side of the screen. "That's my car!"
"Are you sure?" Lin Dongxue asked, still skeptical.
"It's my own car. I'd never mistake it. The passenger specifically asked me to park here that night," Chen Shi said.
The video continued playing. After Chen Shi's car left, a woman in an A-line skirt walked into the parking lot. It was dark, and since she was moving quickly, her face wasn't clear.
"She didn't drive, but she walked into the parking lot!" Chen Shi muttered.
They continued watching the video, trying to figure out when this woman left. Several cars drove away, and Lin Dongxue noted down the license plate numbers.
"You don't need to write it down. She's not in any of these cars!" Chen Shi said.
"How do you know?" Lin Dongxue asked.
Chen Shi rewound the video and focused on a black family car that passed by. He played the frames one by one and paused at one frame. He pointed to the car's underside, where a pair of high-heeled shoes were faintly visible. "She used this car to hide and pulled off a magic trick to avoid being caught on camera!"
"Looks suspicious!" Lin Dongxue finally believed that the killer was someone else.
"I'll test you now. What's your next step in the investigation?"