Love Me if You Dare: Pristine Darkness

Chapter 73

No matter how long she pondered the issue, Jian Yao was still puzzled by one thing she had originally thought, if the killer was really a serial killer, then there must be a regular pattern to the selection of victims. Moreover, when he chose Nie Shijun, there must have been some distinguishing feature. Who could have expected that his second victim would be a tramp whose characteristics were entirely different from Nie Shijuns? Of course, it wasnt as if such cases had never occurred before. The United States had serial killers whose prey ran the gamut of humankind, from old to young, male to female. But, in such a situation, it would be even more difficult to suss out the pattern of the killers behaviour.

She walked out of the crime scene to see that Bo Jinyan was already standing at the traffic light intersection, his face expressionless, so  she did not know what he was thinking.

Jian Yao walked over to him.

Very naturally, he grasped her hand and pulled her gently into his embrace. Just like before, he was extremely clingy. Who knows when this old aspect of his temperament had resurfaced.

Uhm . . . Before he could say another word, she had already hummed softly in response.

He lowered his head. His sunglasses reflected the light, and his lips were slightly pursed.

I already know how to find the killer.

Jian Yao blinked twice, smiled, and said, Oh.

However, she found herself unable to smile at his next words.

Before nightfall today, I will solve the case and catch this smart-ass idiot. Tomorrow, go back to Beijing and wait for me at home.

Jian Yao did not speak.

Bo Jinyan paused before looking up. He turned his face to one side and tapped his fingers briefly on his walking stick before saying, And, keep more distance between you and that Luo Lang.

He dreamt of butterflies once again.

This time, the dream was especially vivid. It was as if he had returned to his teenage years when he and his closest friend had climbed that mountain.

Lukewarm, ambiguous, rapidly beating heart, living in the green mountains and clear waters that only a child of that era could experience. Who could know the troubles of youth?

Then, it was her smile, sweet and moving, which tugged at and captured everyones heart.

Then, he dreamt again of butterflies, moist, wriggling butterflies in all their variety. They say that dreaming of butterflies results from desire, and he also strongly believes this.

Sometimes, he would dream of withered, bleeding butterflies. It was always hazy, a vague impression that flashed across his mind, which he could never remember clearly.

This was his secret. Even as an adult, whenever he experienced a setback in his relationship with her, or when he was injured at work, or when something made him unhappy, he would always dream of a butterfly, leading him to flutter in the breeze. That butterfly would have the most animated wings, and exude an aura that was hard to describe, of both liberation and the shattering of hope.

In the boundless depths of the dark, he felt it had to be an omen of something.

Therefore, when he decided to kill Nie Shijun, this impression of the butterfly naturally appeared in his mind.

He opened his eyes and saw her sitting by the bed, her eyes worried.

Her companionship was his unexpected gain, but he also felt it was something he deserved. He stretched out his arm to hug her shoulder, but she seemed to struggle against him. A look of loathing appeared in her eyes just for a split second. Swiftly, his heart turned to ice. With one move, he pulled her towards him and said, Ive already killed so many people for you, do you still think you can do only what you please?

She stood still, rigid.

He kissed his way down her body, starting from her face, then pushed her onto the bed.

No, I disagree, Jian Yao said as she faced the light breeze on the street.

She stared at him. I want to wait for you so we can return to Beijing together. Wherever you go, I will go. As for Luo Lang, if you are jealous, then, you can come with me whenever I meet him from now onwards.

Of course Im not jealous, Bo Jinyan immediately shot back. Huh . . . I just dont like him very much.

Jian Yao smiled as she said, Ok, good. If you say youre not jealous, then youre not jealous.

At this time, the sky had brightened, and a faint purple light enveloped the earth. A car quietly drove past beside them.

Bo Jinyan said, Jian Yao, you are not part of my plan. I cant ensure your safety. You know thats the most important thing to me.

From the time I set eyes upon you again, I resolved never to let you go, Jian Yao said. You dont have me as part of your plan, and you dont have eyes, either. I can be your eyes. Whats more, the me that I am now can protect myself. I dont need your protection.

Bo Jinyan clutched his walking stick. Heavily and forcefully, he said, However, I cant take that risk.

Jian Yao shot back straightaway, But neither can I.

At this point, Fang Qing walked over to them. He glanced at their faces and pretended not to have noticed anything, only saying, indifferently, Were having a meeting.

Jian Yao turned and walked off.

Bo Jinyan followed her unhurriedly.

This was an unfamiliar place, so Bo Jinyan had to depend entirely on sound and his walking stick to figure out and navigate the surroundings. Besides, An Yan was not by his side. In no time, Fang Qing and Jian Yao had left him behind.

Jian Yao walked for a while, then stopped and turned back to look at him. He was tapping his walking stick on the ground. She watched him for several seconds before quickly jogging back towards him. Without a single word, she once again held his hand to guide him. He lifted his head and whispered, I knew you would come back. Jian Yao didnt know what to say. He had already gripped her hand, so the two of them walked back together to where the police cars were parked.

Because the situation had come up unexpectedly, there had been no time to find a better location to hold a meeting, so they met in a quiet corner behind the police cars. Without waiting for Shao Yong to speak, Bo Jinyan coolly said, Now, Im going to give you a precise profile of the killer. I hope that you will catch him before dark.

The words came out quickly, with a touch of icy arrogance.

Everyone was astounded. On the other hand, Jian Yao knew exactly what was going on. She knew that Bo Jinyan was acting this way, seeming to be an ice sculpture, because he was angry. In fact, in the past two years, after they had become a couple, his moments of obstinate bad temper had lessened considerably under her patient and systematic guidance. She had not expected that his temper would show itself once again today. He was always reluctant to get angry with her, so he would get angry with himself in this way . . .

However, everyone was instantly captivated by Bo Jinyans words

We already know that the killer is a middle-aged man, a novice, with a good financial situation, and a respectable life.

Today, we have further confirmed that he is 10 cm shorter than I am, which is about 175 cm. This can be deduced from the height and angle of the words which he wrote on the wall. There were no marks of any object being dragged to the wall so that he could climb on it, so he stood on the ground to write those two lines in English.

He used English which was grammatically correct, and the writing was smooth and elegant. So, he should be used to writing in English and must have received a good education.

He needs to transport paint, ropes and other items. This, together with his good financial situation, indicates that he must have a car. There is no surveillance camera trained on the entrance to the building, but you can search the footage of the cars passing through this traffic light before and after the victims time of death, that is, between 1:30 and 3:30 a.m. It will be a mid-range car, at least.

This abandoned building has been in existence for a while, and the tramp has been living here for some time as well. And hes made a note of it. He must usually pass by this road for some reason. Therefore, he noticed the tramp, observed his living habits, and marked him as his next prey. However, he does not live in the vicinity. Because of his cautious personality, he will commit crimes at familiar locations not far from his home, but it wont be within 1 km. Interestingly, we can see that this location and the park are both in the same direction. And, as it turns out, Nie Shijuns home is in the middle of these two locations. I will not make assumptions on what this implies, but, in his psychological map, this area must be very important.

Everyone was shaken. Bo Jinyan continued, Search for an upper-class residential community, between 1 km and 5 km from here. I have already checked, and there are not many properties matching this description in a small city like this. There is only one which satisfies the parameters, called Jiamei Mingyuan. Our killer lives here.

Therefore, screen all the mid-range cars that passed this intersection between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. The owner is 175 cm tall and lives in Jiamei Mingyuan. He will have, at least, a university qualification, as well as a good job. When you find him, he will be wearing a T-shirt or polo-shirt from a respectable brand. When you speak to him, he will be calm. Moreover, he will be especially aggressive in flatly denying his crimes.

Furthermore, there is something else that will help you find him. In the first incident, he expressed gentle and meticulous characteristics, and the crime scene was precise and clean. However, this time, he not only left behind his handwriting, but he also provoked the police. I deduce that something has provoked or stimulated him. Yesterdays search by the police angered him. Thus, he is very likely one of the people you checked out yesterday. Or, at the very least, you checked out someone close to him, causing his state of mind to become unstable. In other words, you have touched the person(s) and things that he cares about the most.