Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Chapter 67

The evening breeze blew gently through the window. The voices of the criminal investigators buzzed in her ear. Jian Yao looked at Bo Jinyan across the round table. The criminal investigators had finished their discussion, and no one was looking at him. An Yan was looking down with a red face, while Fang Qing, with one glance, had seen through everyones feigned indifference.

Bo Jinyans face flushed gradually.

He raised his head and looked in Jian Yao and Fang Qings direction. His hand, on the table, slowly clenched. Then he reached up to adjust his sunglasses briefly.

He did not utter a word.

She did not speak either, and simply sat there in silence.

Not so long ago, didnt she and Bo Jinyan also experience such wordless moments between them?

. . . Why dont we ask Jian Yao and Fang Qing to give us their opinions first. Shao Yongs voice interrupted her thoughts.

Jian Yao said, Ok. She looked at her notebook, but her heart still felt as if it were lying on an icy wasteland.

We have the following preliminary conclusions. First, it was a premeditated murder. Not many people knew about Nie Shijuns habit of running at night. The killer followed and observed her, and chose a very suitable time for the murder, as well as the most suitable place, in accordance with her running route. He was able to carry out his planned murder without any witnesses. Moreover, he even prepared the ropes, paints, gloves and other necessary items beforehand. Therefore, he is not a killer who acts on momentary impulses, and neither did he coincidentally meet a night runner and decide to kill her. Nie Shijun was his specifically chosen target . . .

Her voice calmed down by degrees. She thought it was very strange, for it was not as if she had never thought about the scene when she and Bo Jinyan would meet once again. She had imagined she would inevitably be very grieved but also excited, and might even have rushed to embrace him with big sobs, blaming him, hitting him, forgiving him. But when the actual situation occurred, everything was so quiet.

So quiet that it was as if life had merely taken a turn, and she once again encountered the man he had been.

Second, the killer is involved in activities near Nie Shijuns rental apartment or the park, and is also very likely to live in the vicinity. According to The Geography of Criminal Psychology, no matter why the killer committed the murder, he and the victim must have encountered each other at some place previously. Nie Shijun led a very dull and monotonous life. After investigation, it was determined that she could regularly be found in four locations: at home, at work, at the park, and at the mall on weekends. Of these four places, the killer could most easily loiter and observe the victim in the vicinity of the rental apartment and the park. Moreover, in the end, he chose to carry out the murder at the park, which indicates that this was the place that he was most familiar with. If he had only encountered her briefly en route to work, or at the mall, then his place of residence would be far away. Further to that, one, it would be very difficult to track the victim continuously; two, it would be very hard for a novice killer to be comfortable with the idea of carrying out the crime at an unfamiliar location, the park.

Third, the killer is meticulous in his thinking, thorough in his planning, and efficient in the execution of his plan. This also reflects his personality traits. To him, butterfly must have a special psychological significance. However, I also notice that the butterfly he painted was softer. Presently, I do not know what this implies.

Fourth, he lacks criminal experience and is a novice. Why he chose to start killing people at this time, and to use such an unusual method, must be linked to a specific stimulus or provocation which he has received recently. That Nie Shijun was selected to be his victim means that she must be linked to this specific stimulus in some way. Therefore, we must continue to investigate Nie Shijun in depth and seek to understand the victim further, so that we can further understand the perpetrator.

These are our conclusions for the time being. As there has only been one case so far, it remains to be seen whether the killer is a psychopath or a serial killer.

After she had finished speaking, the criminal investigators nodded repeatedly.

Jian Yao could not help but look at Bo Jinyan again. His face was still calm, but she did not know if she was mistaken in her observation that the lines at the corner of his mouth appeared a little softer.

Jian Yao abruptly pressed her hands against her temple in an effort to calm down and clear her head somewhat.

It was all psychological. She could actually sense a burning gaze, just like previously, resting on her.

He was using his eyes, the eyes from which all light had departed, to stare fixedly in her direction.

Her blind master sleuth, he who had left home to wander.

Jian Yao grasped her water glass and gulped down a mouthful of water, moistening her throat which was about to dry up.

Shao Yong said, Thank you, Jian Yao and Fang Qing. Then, Jinyan, what is your opinion?

Everyones eyes turned to him.

Bo Jinyan stilled for half a second.

It was at this time that Jian Yao had a sudden flashback. She also clearly sensed that Bo Jinyan must also have experienced this resurgence of memory. How many times had he been shoulder to shoulder with her, piercing through her confusion with just a few words. Using his wisdom and knowledge to lead her to grow.

Sometimes, he had used praise, saying, Our budding criminal psychologist has finally blossomed. At other times, he would ruthlessly mock her with words like, Awesome, you have managed to come up with three conclusions, two of which are guesses.

Jian Yaos reasoning today is highly remarkable, much better than I thought it would be . . . He said, slowly, Let me add three conclusions.

Jian Yao felt a tightness in her throat all of a sudden. The conference room was so quiet, everyone was looking intently at Bo Jinyan, this legendary blind master sleuth, waiting to see if he could come up with any more valuable conclusions.

Out of the blue, Bo Jinyan smiled faintly. He felt for the glass of tea on the table, took a small sip and set it down again. A thought rushed into Jian Yaos mind: The tea here is not up to standard, hes not used to drinking such tea. He just wants to make sure his mouth is not too dry.

Then, he calmly opened his mouth to speak. His deep, resonant voice, and his ice-cold manner of speaking, infused with a disaffected arrogance, were no different from the past.

One, the killers financial situation is good, and he is neat and respectable in appearance. The paints, ropes and other items he used to commit the murder are of the best quality. This does not prove that he is a professional in this area, but, at the very least, it does indicate that he does not have any financial constraints. Moreover, he is in the habit of selecting the best.

A person who tidies up the crime scene so neatly, and commits a crime in a methodical, deliberate and thorough manner, cannot be someone whose outward appearance is sloppy and unkempt. That would be entirely contradictory.

Two, to be more precise, the killer frequents the area around the rental apartment, not the park.

Jian Yao was somewhat taken aback.

That familiar feeling which had lain in a dusty corner for a long time, suddenly resurfaced. This man could always see further than she could, more precisely, and was right beside her now.

After a pause, Bo Jinyan continued, That same Geography of Criminal Psychology tells us that killers are divided into four types: the hunter, the poacher, the opportunist, and the trapper. The hunter will search for victims in the area he is familiar with and its vicinity. The poacher will go to a specific location to search for victims. From the killers cautious planning style, it is impossible for him not to have realised that, after the murder, security and surveillance in the park would be tightened, and also that no one would dare to run in the park for a long time. If he is a serial killer, he would no longer be able to commit crimes there, and would have to give up the park. Therefore, this location, the park, is not a place that he relies heavily on and is not his regular hunting ground. In other words, he does not look for his prey in the park. He can give it up at any time.

Jian Yao was stunned. The viewpoint that Bo Jinyan had just shared was already quite deep, and some criminal investigators were staring vacantly. However, she had instantly understood him.

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