Chapter 65
Like many of the small and medium-sized cities in the world, in this era of high-speed construction featuring steel-reinforced concrete and endless streams of people, Wangjiang Park had become the only place many of the inhabitants of Xun City could go to at the end of the day and during weekends.
Even though the case was shocking, it was feared that too much publicity might give rise to panic. Thus, the police had only sealed off that part of the forest deep within the park, and assigned a few officers in plain clothes to keep watch.
When Jian Yao and Fang Qing reached their destination, it was not dark yet, so they could still see the crime scene clearly. They saw the stone-flagged path that had been captured in the photographs, at times concealed by the trees lining the sides. As one could well imagine, it had been late night when the crime occurred, so the killer would have been able to stay concealed, and his movements would have been hard to detect.
There were some huge rocks by the side of the path, serving as decorative elements. Fang Qing took out a magnifying glass and squatted by the side of the rocks to examine them. “The exploratory report said that there are scratches on the rock that were caused by the victim’s fingernails as she struggled. It looks like she struggled quite fiercely.”
Jian Yao exchanged a look with him, both recognising the speculation in each other’s eyes. Then, she took a different tack* and squatted on the road to carefully examine the patterns on the butterfly’s wings.”
*T/N 另起炉灶 (ling qi lu zao) – lit. to set up a separate kitchen; fig. to start from scratch, to set off on a new track.
Two days and nights had already passed, but there had been no rain in Xun City, so the lines of the patterns were still clear, like they had been freshly drawn. Jian Yao opened the evaluative report in her hand, where it was clearly recorded: These paints are from a well-known brand on the market, and it is not cheap. This paint is sold in large quantities throughout China.
“What do you think, goddess*?” Fang Qing asked.
*T/N 女神棍 (nu sheng gun) – 女神 = ‘goddess’ and 棍 = rod (literal), scoundrel. This reference could be to either《女神棍》, a romance novel by 三毛 (San Mao), or 《重生之女神棍》(The Goddess of Rebirth) by Ling Qi, also a modern romance novel. In the latter novel, the main character vows to avenge herself on those who have hurt and humiliated her, and to be powerful, so that she can protect those she loves.