Profiler (Fang Mu Eastern Crimes Series Book 1) (7 page)

The door was locked. Immediately a member of the rescue team kicked it open. Raising his gun, Tai Wei stepped inside.

The lights were all off. They could see the shape of a large bed, and on it the shape of a person could be dimly made out. While the rest of the men began examining the room, Tai Wei walked to the bed and shined it with his flashlight. Lying on it was a young girl, her arms and legs tied to the four bedposts in a spread-eagle position. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were tightly closed. Tape covered her mouth. Tai Wei could tell she was Xu Jie, the missing girl.

Was she still alive?

Tai Wei placed his hand under her nose. She was breathing. The weight that had been pressing on his heart now vanished in relief.

They soon determined there was no one else in the room. Tai Wei had his men untie the comatose girl, and he notified the support team to radio the ambulance.

The ambulance that had been waiting nearby since the start of the mission now rushed to the scene. In no time they had taken the girl to the hospital to begin her examination.

By then the suspect was already handcuffed and lying face down on his living room floor. Two members of the rescue team had their guns aimed at his head.

Tai Wei grabbed the man's hair and lifted his head. It had a disgustingly greasy feel. He looked at Ma Kai's emaciated face. His skin was pale white, the sides of his mouth were covered in yellow scabs, and gunk surrounded his eyes. His nose appeared to have been broken when he was knocked to the floor and it dripped with blood. Ma Kai twisted like a worm on the ground, mumbling to himself, "The blood...make it stop…"

"Are you Ma Kai?" Tai Wei asked in a loud voice.

Ma Kai opened his eyes slightly and looked at Tai Wei. Then he closed them and continued to mumble. "The blood...the blood... You have to stop it."

Tai Wei suddenly wanted nothing more than to smash the man across the face with the butt of his gun, but he quickly restrained himself. With a disgusted look on his face, he rose to his feet and motioned to the other officers. "Take him away!"

The on-duty officer at the
North Evergreen Street
substation kept glancing over at the strange young man.

He never said a word or smoked a single cigarette the whole night. He just sat there looking straight ahead, like he was in a trance. He didn't even touch his carton of takeout food.

When the phone rang, the on-duty officer picked it up and said a few words. Then he turned to the visitor: "Are you Fang Mu?"

The kid spun toward him at once, a strange light burning from his eyes. 

"They asked for you."

Fang Mu jumped to his feet. His legs were stiff from having sat so long. As he ran over to grab the phone, he smacked into the desk with a loud bang. "Hello?"

A wall of noise met his ear. He heard yelling and the scream of the police siren, and above it all Tai Wei's voice. He sounded rushed, but also very excited. "We got him, it was our man!"

"What about the girl?"

"She's alive and well, at the hospital now. I just called and the doctor told me that, aside from being scared and a little malnourished, the girl is completely fine."

Fang Mu shut his eyes and hung up the phone. Only then did he feel the piercing pain in his leg from where it smacked into the desk. Returning to his chair, he sat in silence for a moment. Then he opened the carton of takeout. "Excuse me."

The on-duty officer looked over to see a weak but hugely relieved smile on Fang Mu's face.

"Can you grab me a cup of water?"

CHAPTER
7
Sympathy for the Devil

I
t was after 11 o’clock when Tai Wei remembered to bring Fang Mu home. In the car, he told Fang Mu that the crime scene technicians had already determined that Ma Kai's fingerprints matched those from the other murders, so even though he hadn't yet confessed, charging him would be a cinch.

Fang Mu didn't say a word. He just stared at the darkness outside the window.

"You take it easy when you get back," said Tai Wei, noticing Fang Mu's exhausted expression. "I'll stop by in a few days."

At the school gate Fang Mu got out of the car and said goodbye to Tai Wei. He had turned to go when Tai Wei called out for him to wait.

Fang Mu looked back.

Tai Wei had stuck his head out of the passenger side window, his shoulder resting on the frame. He stared at Fang Mu for several seconds, and then his face broke into a wide smile.

"Kid," he said, "you're incredible."

Fang Mu laughed, waved goodbye, and then turned and left.

By now it was already close to midnight, and most of the dorms were dark. Streetlights lit the campus roads, so that ahead of Fang Mu the darkness was occasionally broken by pale yellow pools of light, in which could be seen the mad fluttering of unknown insects. Fang Mu walked slowly, silent as a ghost traveling through the night.

Looking up, he saw an endless array of stars glittering in the dark canopy overhead. The air was fresh and he could feel a slight coolness as he breathed it in.

There's a sentimental notion that, when people die, they become stars in the night sky, shining down on friends and enemies alike.

 
Rest in peace, all of you.

The light in Room 313 was off. Fang Mu took out his key and placed it in the keyhole, only to find that the door had been locked from within.

A burst of startled noise sounded from inside. Then in a faltering voice, someone asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Fang Mu."

"Oh," Du Yu audibly sighed with relief. "Wait one second."

A girl's voice grumbled softly that she couldn't find her underwear.

Laughing, Fang Mu leaned against the wall opposite and lit a cigarette.

The hallway was dark as a cave. The only light was from a little 15-watt bulb in the stairwell. The light in the bathroom seemed to have gone out again. Standing in the doorway, everything looked pitch black, like an enormous, wide-open mouth. 

Low noises filled the hallway.

People talking softly in their sleep.

People grinding their teeth.

The drip of the bathroom faucet.

Someone walking lightly in slippers on the floor above.

Fang Mu felt his forehead suddenly cover in thin beads of sweat. His lips trembled as he smoked his cigarette.

All of a sudden he was terrified. He glanced back and forth.

On either side of the corridor, the doors were shut tight, silent, and seemingly full of malice.

Unable to help himself, Fang Mu looked down the other end of the corridor.

The doors on either side gradually receded. Fang Mu stared rigidly at the darkness before him. What was hidden inside?

He didn't dare look away. These doors, normally so unremarkable, now seemed to come alive in the dark hallway. Laughing secretly, they watched him, this trembling loner, as he proceeded step by step toward his unknown fate. They all seemed about to fly open at any second and lead him down some alluring path, a path that would lead to his own death.

Suddenly a scorched odor filled his nose.

Fang Mu almost cried out. On either side of the hallway, the doors were now in flames. And in the smoke nearby, the outline of a person was barely visible, flickering in and out of sight.

Stepping backwards, Fang Mu reached into his backpack and groped wildly for the dagger.

By the time he finally gripped its scarred handle, he was nearly overcome with terror.

The figure slowly approached through the smoke.

Suddenly Fang Mu realized who it was.

No. Don't do it.

It was then that the door behind Fang Mu creaked open.

Rubbing his eyes, a tall, well-built young man walked out of his room. He looked at Fang Mu. At once his formerly sleepy-looking eyes opened wide.

"What are you doing out here?"

Fang Mu recognized him. He was Liu Jianjun, a Criminal Law graduate student.

Fang Mu was about to yell, "Get out of here now!" But the words caught in his throat.

The smoke and the flames instantly disappeared. As before, there was only darkness. Nothing could be seen within.

"N-nothing really," Fang Mu answered. He slowly withdrew his hand from his backpack.

Frowning, Liu Jianjun looked at him for a moment. Then he snorted, turned, and strolled over to the bathroom, his feet clapping against the floor.

Once his silhouette disappeared into the darkness of the bathroom, the door to Room 313 slid soundlessly open. Sticking his head out, Du Yu glanced toward the bathroom. Then he turned and whispered something, and a moment later Zhang Yao ran out of the room, her hair a total mess. She shot Fang Mu a vicious glare as she passed.

That's when Du Yu noticed Fang Mu was still standing awkwardly across the hall. He waved for him to come inside.

Once inside, Fang Mu sat on his bed and took a very deep breath, and then he looked up at Du Yu. "I'm sorry."

"You bastard!" muttered Du Yu, clutching his head. "I figured you weren't coming back tonight, so when I heard you knocking I thought it was campus security. Scared me so bad I almost went soft."

Fang Mu gave an exhausted laugh.

"You okay?" asked Du Yu. "You're not looking too good."

"I'm fine," said Fang Mu, shaking his head. "You should get to sleep. I know I interrupted you just now, and for that I really feel sorry."

Embarrassed, Du Yu just nodded in response. Then he climbed into bed, pulled up the covers, and before long was snoring away.

Fang Mu switched off the light and sat for a long time in the darkness. When his breathing was completely calm, he took off his clothes and slid under the covers.

You've returned.

The figures silently surround my bed. Someone standing behind me places a pair of hands on my shoulders. 

"Actually, you and I are the same."

There's no need to look back. I already know it's Wu Han, his face distorted beyond all recognition.

No, you and I are not the same!

Four days after his arrest, Ma Kai finally started to talk. But even though he openly admitted to having killed the four women, he insisted that it was done out of necessity, since he was afflicted with the same serious case of anemia that killed his father and older brother. A doctor was then brought in to give Ma Kai a full physical examination. The results showed his blood levels were perfectly normal. Their evidence assembled, the city bureau decided to bring his case to trial as soon as possible.

When Tai Wei called Fang Mu to give him a summary of the recent developments in the case, Fang Mu asked if he could speak alone and in person with Ma Kai prior to the trial. At first Tai Wei was hesitant, but at last he relented.

The conversation was arranged to take place in one of the reception rooms at the lockup where Ma Kai was awaiting trial. Although Tai Wei suggested that he be in the room as well, Fang Mu insisted on being alone with Ma Kai. Unable to dissuade him, Tai Wei had no choice but to agree.

At last, the big day arrived. As Tai Wei led Fang Mu into the reception room, he repeatedly warned him to be extremely careful. "This guy's been placed in solitary confinement. You know why? Because on the night he arrived, he attacked another prisoner, bit his neck and wouldn't let go. Keep that in mind while you're in here."

The reception room was empty except for a table and two chairs, all of them fixed to the floor. There were no windows and only a single iron door. Tai Wei pointed to a red button on the wall beside the door.

"We're going to be right outside. When you're done talking, just press this button and we'll come get you." He paused. "And if anything bad happens, you be sure to press it then as well. Understand?"

Fang Mu nodded.

Tai Wei looked him over. "You didn't bring any kind of weapon, did you?"

Fang Mu hesitated for a moment. Then he reached into his backpack, grabbed his dagger and handed it to Tai Wei.

"What did you bring this thing for?" Taking the dagger, Tai Wei looked at it and frowned. "I'm going to have to confiscate it for now; afterwards I'll give it back." Raising his index finger, he feigned a threatening expression. "Ordinarily, it's illegal to own a blade like this. You follow me?"

Fang Mu laughed but said nothing.

Tai Wei placed the dagger in his pocket. "Have a seat. I'll go get the prisoner."

A few minutes, Fang Mu heard shackles dragging along the floor.

Hobbling, Ma Kai was led into the room by Tai Wei and two guards. He kept his eyes on the floor the whole time. Bruises were visible on his newly shaved head. The guards placed him in the seat opposite Fang Mu. They were about shackle him to the chair when Fang Mu stopped them.

"Take off his shackles," he said.

"Absolutely not," said Tai Wei, his tone firm.

Fang Mu took Tai Wei aside. "He has to be completely relaxed for me to get what I need," he said in a low voice.

According to the available data, despite having lost his mother as a child, Ma Kai was a normal young man until the age of 26. After graduating high school he went straight to college, where the only blemish on his record was a single failed exam. Following his college graduation, he became a business manager at a small company, and although he rarely socialized, he displayed no sign of mental illness. He was even in a serious relationship, which ended for the normal reasons. In other words, if Ma Kai's ordinary, unexceptional life was really proceeding on the proper course until he turned 26, then something must have happened to him afterwards, something that changed him completely and ended the lives of four innocent people. 

What Fang Mu wanted to know was also the chief question of the entire case: what happened to Ma Kai's mind in the past two years?

"Not a chance," said Tai Wei. "This guy is extremely dangerous, and I'm responsible for your safety."

"Nothing's going to happen. But on the outside chance something does, I'll just press the button."

Tai Wei gave Fang Mu a long look. Then he signaled to the guards that they could remove the prisoner's shackles. A moment later Tai Wei walked over to Ma Kai and stood directly in front of him.

"Behave yourself!" he snapped fiercely. "You hear me?"

Once Tai Wei and the two guards exited through the iron door, Fang Mu returned to his seat at the table. He opened his notebook and switched on his tape recorder.

"Your name is Ma Kai, yes? Hi, I'm from the behavioral science department at the city bureau." Fang Mu had been about to say he was from the local TV station, but at the last second decided to switch identities.

Ma Kai made no response; just continued to hang his head.

"Are you able to hear me?" asked Fang Mu, raising his voice. At the same time, he made sure his tone remained calm. "Ma Kai, please lift your head."

Very slowly, Ma Kai looked up.

Fang Mu held his breath.

My God, what kind of eyes are these?
Under the too-bright incandescent lights overhead, Ma Kai's eyes looked ashen, as if there were no pupils, as if they were just a pair of tombs set in his face. They held not a shred of life.