Case Files 013

Chapter 150: The Will

Red lanterns hung outside the morgue but it was glinting coldly inside the morgue. The intersection of lights was mesmerizing. The sounds of firecrackers still echoed in our ears. We had to use scissors to cut off the victim's clothes due to the damage from the falling trauma. That took quite a bit of time because the girl was wearing a lot of layers on account of the weather.

While Guan Zhenglin started her autopsy, Gu Chen and I rummaged through the girl's clothes, hoping to find her identification among them. I pulled out a well-folded piece of paper inside the girl's red winter coat pocket. The paper was soft pink in color, I could imagine it being a popular stationery among young girls. I unfolded the paper and right in the top middle of the paper was the wordMy Will.

"Even in my dreams, I wouldn't think this could happen to me. The moment I close my eyes, the event would appear before my eyes. But I couldn't tell anyone about it, because I don't really know for sure what has happened. I also can't explain why he has turned out like this. Perhaps this is life.

"But I bear no rancor towards this world. After all, I should have died 10 years ago. I am lucky to have lived for an extra decade. I am glad to have met these people. I know he didn't mean it, I know him as a person of great kindness and gentleness. I know he still loves me.

"I admit this is an escape but that is the only avenue left for me. My departure perhaps is the best choice. At least I don't need to live in pain anymore. At least I won't need to face the consequences. At least I'll be able to sleep peacefully for once.

"But after I leave, I won't be able to sit on my father's bicycle and tell him stories about school anymore. But after I leave, I won't be able to beg my big brother to buy romance novels for me anymore. But after I leave, I won't be able to talk to Xiao Yu anymore.

"I have chosen a special date to make my departure. Perhaps with all the celebration around, you will feel less sad about my departure.

"Love, Xiao Qi."

My brows furrowed after I read the will. From the tone, it did sound like the writing of a teenage girl. There were a few key points in the will that might be helpful to identify her. According to the will, Xiao Qi experienced something that she couldn't overcome and thus had chosen to commit suicide. So the question was what was this thing'? On top of that, she did mention a he' so the person who did this thing' to her was a male, perhaps even someone she knew.

Then the will mentioned that she should have died 10 years ago. From the girl's appearance, she would have been a child 10 years ago. What possibly fatal encounter she had back then? Lastly, Xiao Qi was still in school, probably in high school. Most importantly, she seemed to have purposely chosen this date to commit suicide.

Therefore, in conclusion, a male acquaintance of Xiao Qi did something to Xiao Qi, something that she couldn't tell others. In the end, unable to suffer the internal torment anymore, Xiao Qi chose to end her life on this celebratory date. If that was the case, if she did not kill herself, she might need to encounter this man again on the reunion dinner table, and she couldn't face him.

However, all these were drawn from the will. It was still uncertain whether the will was authentic or not. It was entirely possible for someone else to write this will, place it into Xiao Qi's coat before shoving her off Rainbow Bridge. To confirm the authenticity of the will, we needed to do a handwriting comparison but we had nothing else to compare it with.

At that moment, Gu Chen nudged me with his elbow, telling me to see what he was holding. I glanced over and noticed he was holding a green short-sleeve shirt. It looked quite old-fashioned, not something a young girl would wear. But when Gu Chen turned the shirt around and showed me the front, I understood the implication then. There was a school logo and a school name printed on the left chest of the shirtElm Town Second Middle School. Looks like Xiao Qi was a student there.

I exchanged positions with Gu Chen. He examined the will while I looked through the clothes. Based on Xiao Qi's clothing, I believed that she didn't come from a rich background. This was because all the articles of clothing she wore were not branded. And they had been well-worn.

Soon Gu Chen told me, "Based on the will, it sounds like she was harmed by someone close to her. What is this thing that she couldn't tell others but also couldn't accept?"

I sighed. "If you ask me, it should be rape."

"Rape?" Gu Chen asked.

I nodded and turned to the dead body on the autopsy table. "Yes, rape. Our country's sex education has always been backwards. Many young people are afraid to come to the authorities after they have been harmed."

At this point, Guan Zhenglin said with lamentation, "Our internet culture doesn't help with its victim-blaming either. When they hear that a girl has been raped, instead of berating the rapist, they come after the victims, saying that it was their fault for wearing too skimpily and so on." Guan Zhenglin scoffed, "In our line of work, we know that victims of rape are often not those kinds of girls. The true victims are often those traditionally-dressed and soft-looking ones. In any case, how a woman dresses shouldn't even be part of the discussion anyway! Then they blame the girls for wandering around late at night, like they deserve to be raped because only bad girls will stay out late at night." Guan Zhenglin huffed, "We police patrol late at night too. So do we deserve to be raped too?"

I shook my head and placated, "Thankfully, those are only in the minority. These people do not understand the situation at all, they are the worst kind of people. They purposely put the onus of blame on the girls. If this becomes the zeitgeist of the moment, most rape victims wouldn't dare to say anything for fear of being lynched by these people."

Gu Chen frowned. "But why would these people do that? What would they gain?"

I scoffed and then sighed, "Because deep within, they also have the rape fantasy. So once they control the direction of the public discussion, their victims wouldn't dare to say anything. If not for persistent voices defending female rights, we would see a lot more rapists in the world." I turned to the dead girl and added, "Gender inequality has existed since the start of time. It was there 50 years ago, and it will be there 50 years later. In any case, we've digressed. How is the autopsy?"

Guan Zhenglin sighed before continuing, "I'm almost done. The cause of death is indeed a fall. Her stomach might look unharmed on the outside but her internal organs have all been crushed. The fatal wound is the snap of her spine. She died the moment she hit the ice." Guan Zhenglin showed us the inside of the girl to prove her point. I glanced over and concurred with Guan Zhenglin. The internal organs had all shattered. Her stomach was filled with blood, it was a hard sight to behold. Combine that with her broken limbs, this was a sorry way to go.

Guan Zhenglin continued, "The time of death is about 3 hours ago, or around 8.40 pm. There should still be cars passing by the bridge at that time, perhaps we might have a witness. Rainbow Bridge itself doesn't have a camera but there are cameras on both ends, because the bridge is not that long."

Gu Chen offered, "I'll go ask for the footage and see if I can find Xiao Qi." We nodded. As Guan Zhenglin sewed back the body, she asked me, "What is your opinion on this?"

I pulled on my hair and said slowly, "Based on current evidence, the possibility of suicide is still higher. If I am the killer, I wouldn't choose this location, because as you said, a pedestrian or a vehicle might pass by. It's too risky."

"But not all killers are as cautious as you." Guan Zhenglin looked at me. "Also could this not be a crime of passion?"

I was silent before answering, "That's possible but we still know too little to come to any conclusion. We should visit Xiao Qi's school to ask around. She has been missing for 3 hours already, her family is probably out there looking for her. She doesn't carry a phone on her, probably a poor family's child." Guan Zhenglin merely shook her head.

I said, "Go and look into Second Middle School, we should be able to find out more about Xiao Qi there." Then I turned to look at the still exploding fireworks and added, "This is going to be a sad new year for quite a bit of people."