I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 208: Chapter 206: Investigating the Scene

Su Miaoyi, Zhuang Yanzheng, and Lu Zhishen were investigating apartment 1601.

The three of them ended up in front of the chest freezer in the kitchen.

It was the only appliance in the apartment that was still plugged in and running.

"People don’t really use these kinds of chest freezers at home anymore, do they?" Lu Zhishen said, wiping some dust off the top. "I’ve only ever seen them in supermarkets."

"I’m not so sure. They hold a lot, especially bulky items." Su Miaoyi also ran a hand over a scratch on the freezer before gripping the handle and lifting the lid.

The moment she opened it, a blast of cold air hit her.

Only then did she see the body inside.

The corpse’s face was pointing up, but its body was twisted into an unnatural position within the freezer.

Its lower legs were bent backward, and its hands were frozen to the edges of the freezer, which they were clutching. Faint traces of blood were visible within the ice. The body was bare from the waist up; its clothes lay beside it.

It was frozen solid. The upper body was arched forward slightly, and ice crystals had already formed on the skin.

The corpse’s face was turned upward, and it was smiling.

Even though they had braced themselves, the sudden sight still made all three of them jump.

Staring at the smiling face, its hair and eyelashes coated in frost, Su Miaoyi instinctively took a step back, elbowing Lu Zhishen and stepping on Zhuang Yanzheng’s foot in the process.

Having been elbowed for the second time, Lu Zhishen rubbed his ribs.

Having had his foot stepped on for the umpteenth time, Zhuang Yanzheng simply moved aside. He was used to it.

Lu Zhishen rubbed his ribs. ’I should probably get insurance for these when I get back,’ he thought.

Zhuang Yanzheng made a call, telling the city bureau to send a team with tools, and for Yan Cheng to come as well.

After the initial shock wore off, the three of them stepped forward again to examine the body.

It was a male, who appeared to be in his fifties.

Su Miaoyi touched the body; it was rock-solid. She found the power cord and unplugged the freezer.

Zhuang Yanzheng peered inside. The walls were covered in a thick layer of frost, with faint traces of blood visible in some spots, though mostly obscured by the ice.

It was the same on the inside of the lid—the frost seemed to be covering bloodstains.

Lu Zhishen crouched down to inspect the bottom and exterior of the freezer.

"Looks like he was frozen to death inside," Su Miaoyi said after a brief examination of the body. "I’ve read about this in Yan Cheng’s notes. People who freeze to death can sometimes exhibit this kind of smiling expression, as well as paradoxical undressing. But we’ll need a full autopsy to know for sure."

"Frozen alive in a freezer," Lu Zhishen repeated.

"He must have struggled while he was inside," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

Su Miaoyi wanted to examine the victim’s hands, but they were frozen to the freezer’s edge and covered in a thick layer of frost, making it impossible to see anything.

After inspecting the inside, Zhuang Yanzheng closed the lid again.

The three of them examined the scratches on the freezer.

On both sides of the lid, there were long, faint scratch marks.

The scratches near the edges were noticeably deeper.

The marks were also more severe along the bottom edge of the freezer.

"Something like a rope or chain must have been tied around the freezer," Lu Zhishen said, gesturing. "Wrapped around both sides like this, so even if the person inside tried to get out, they couldn’t push the lid open."

"The marks on the edges are so deep, it was probably a chain. The victim struggled to push the lid open, which caused these scratches," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"The killer came back after the victim died to clean the scene and take the chain," Su Miaoyi said.

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded.

The room was too clean. Aside from the dust, there were almost no other traces left behind.

"Here’s the homeowner’s information." Zhuang Yanzheng showed them the file the bureau had sent over.

Lu Zhishen looked at the photo first, then opened the freezer again to look at the body.

Based on facial features, it was the same person.

"Liu Shitang, male, fifty-five years old..." Su Miaoyi read from the file, then scanned further down. "Wanxiang Village..."

"Wanxiang Village is on the border between Jinghai City and Qin City," Lu Zhishen said.

"Purchased the property over a year ago..." Su Miaoyi, who hadn’t known where she was on the way here, asked, "Is the address in the file this place?"

"Yes." Zhuang Yanzheng scanned the kitchen. It was fully stocked with pots, pans, and dishes, but there were no cooking ingredients—no spices, rice, or flour.

"This area might be a bit remote, but it’s not cheap. Where did he get the money to buy such a big place outright in cash?" Su Miaoyi wondered aloud. "He’s the only one in his family. His parents died long ago, he never married, has no siblings, and doesn’t have a steady job. He just has six mu of land allocated to him by the village. How could he possibly have enough money to buy a house in full?"

"We’ll have to investigate in Wanxiang Village, and check his bank records as well," Zhuang Yanzheng said.

"About the purchase date... he bought it just over a year ago. When I asked the neighbors downstairs, they said it felt like no one had lived here for over a year," Lu Zhishen said. "He was killed not long after he bought it."

Su Miaoyi nodded.

This was later confirmed.

The three of them went to check the other rooms.

Zhuang Yanzheng went into the bedroom and looked in the closet. There were only a few articles of clothing.

Next to the closet was another cabinet, which looked like a bookshelf. A dead, potted plant sat on top of it.

The bookshelf looked relatively new, as if it had just been bought and barely used.

Su Miaoyi checked the bathroom.

The bathroom was also spartan.

There was only one towel, and a bar of soap on the sink.

In the shower, there was another towel and another bar of soap.

There was no toilet brush or plunger next to the toilet.

Lu Zhishen looked around the living room.

The victim wasn’t wearing shoes, and in the shoe cabinet by the door, there were only two pairs of athletic shoes and a pair of slippers.

They were arranged neatly, all in the same size.

There wasn’t much in the living room, either: a sofa, a television, and a large, dead potted plant next to the TV.

Lu Zhishen tried to dig his finger into the soil of the pot. It was completely dry and hard. When he applied pressure, he ended up jamming his finger.

The overall findings suggested that someone had lived in the house, but not for very long.

They lived alone.

And they hadn’t had time to furnish the place with many belongings.

The team from the city bureau arrived with their tools, and Yan Cheng came with his assistant.

They searched the apartment once more.

Yan Cheng examined the body and made a preliminary determination of death by freezing.

However, the specific details would require an autopsy.

But the body was frozen solid inside and had fused with the freezer itself. After struggling for a while, they found it was impossible to separate the two. Zhuang Yanzheng arranged for a vehicle to transport the entire freezer back to the city bureau.

Once it was at the bureau, they would have to wait for the body to thaw before they could perform the autopsy.

"How long will that take, roughly?" Zhuang Yanzheng asked.

"Twenty-four to forty-eight hours, maybe even longer," Yan Cheng said. "Even after the skin thaws, we still have to wait for the internal organs to thaw."

Zhuang Yanzheng nodded and glanced at the time. "Qi Feng, take a few people to Wanxiang Village and check Liu Shitang’s home there."

"Got it."

...