Chapter 15

Gu Changzheng followed the direction of his finger—and the white object was a thick bath towel!

“Ha!” Gu Changzheng seemed to grasp the mystery of this apartment. But it wasn’t over—Luo Fei exclaimed, “Captain Gu, there’s something even more shocking over here!”

Gu Changzheng was unimpressed by Luo Fei’s use of the word “shocking,” but when he saw what lay before him, he had to admit it truly was.

On the living room balcony, once-bright light was blocked by heavy curtains. When pulled aside, a telescope appeared on the balcony, beside which sat a whiteboard covered with several photos and a mass of illegible Chinese characters.

Gu Changzheng leaned in for a closer look—the photos were all of Ge Manli and Ren Jiahe. Beside them, poorly written characters faintly revealed Ge Manli’s name, workplace, hobbies, and other details; other numbers, Gu Changzheng guessed, recorded the couple’s daily routines.

This wasn’t just a little interesting! Gu Changzheng thought, elated inside!

This must be the killer’s hideout. But he hadn’t expected the killer to be so bold—living right above the victim! No wonder no suspicious persons were spotted before or after the crime—except for that accidental intruder, Shu Jiaqing!

The apartment was a mess: empty beer bottles, mineral water bottles, and countless cigarette butts littered the floor, not to mention footprints and fingerprints. Figuring out the killer’s identity was merely a matter of time!

“Old Zheng! Thanks for your hard work! We’re counting on you to crack this case soon! Hahaha!” Gu Changzheng laughed heartily at the forensic expert, Old Zheng.

“Hmph! Don’t get your hopes up—I don’t solve cases. I know you want results, and I’ll get them to you as soon as possible,” Old Zheng replied coldly.

Gu Changzheng understood his nature and didn’t mind. He knew Old Zheng would never cut corners on work. He crossed his arms and studied the room again. “Luo Fei, have we contacted the landlord?”

Renting a place always requires a name and ID. Luo Fei replied, “Captain Gu, we’ve contacted him. The landlord doesn’t work in this city—the apartment was bought for him by his parents. The lease was signed by the elders, and the landlord has never met the tenant. I’ve spoken to the parents—they showed me the contract. They said the person who signed was a woman, short in stature. She claimed her throat was inflamed and couldn’t speak, signed the contract quickly after a cursory look at the apartment, paid in full, and left. The old couple, impressed by her promptness, didn’t think twice, took the money, and left. They’ve never seen the tenant since.”

“Oh?” Gu Changzheng listened, thought for a moment, then said to Luo Fei, “Go get that old woman across the hall.”

Luo Fei went out and called for Old Zhang. The elderly woman had been eagerly waiting outside, and as soon as the young officer called her, she marched briskly up to Gu Changzheng, already talking before he could speak: “Ah, boss! You finally remembered old me! Nothing happens in this compound I don’t know—just ask me anything!”

Gu Changzheng grinned. “Good. Do you know this tenant?”

The old woman looked up. “This household? Hmph! She’s something else! Never seen her buy groceries, hardly ever home during the day! Even when we passed, she never greeted me! And—” she suddenly lowered her voice conspiratorially, “Boss, you know, this woman eats takeout every day and drinks alcohol! Just looking at her, I knew she wasn’t a good person!”

“Oh? The occupant is a woman? How do you know?” Gu Changzheng asked.

“Easy—I see her hanging women’s clothes on the balcony every day, especially that floral dress. Seems like it’s the only one she owns!” The old woman chuckled behind her hand, clearly disdainful of a woman with just one dress.

Gu Changzheng was now certain the so-called woman was the killer in disguise.

But how could he know precisely that an empty apartment was available directly above Ge Manli’s? Was it coincidence—or planned?

If planned, why did the killer go to such elaborate lengths to kill her? Why stage it as an accident? And who killed him?

One question after another flashed through Gu Changzheng’s mind. Could Ge Manli’s death hide some enormous secret?

“Ha!” Gu Changzheng exhaled, looked at Old Zhang still watching him intently, and said, “Thanks for your help. Go about your business—we’ll call you if we need more.”

Old Zhang looked disappointed, as if reluctant to leave, but seeing Gu Changzheng’s stern gaze, she finally retreated into her home.

But Gu Changzheng knew—behind the opposite door, someone was pressing an ear against it, utterly focused on every sound from inside.

Back in the Criminal Investigation Office, Gu Changzheng leaned back, eyes closed. So far, the case’s outline was clear—only one crucial piece remained: motive.

Uncovering the killer’s true identity might bring them close to solving the mystery.

At 3 p.m., the forensic results from Apartment 401 came in—confirmed: the traces matched those from the charred corpse found downstairs at Ge Manli’s and at the sand yard. In 401, they also found an unused pair of natural rubber gloves and shoe covers.

It was now certain the tenant of 401 was Ge Manli’s killer—yet he himself had been murdered. Was Ge Manli’s cause of death now forever a mystery?

Just then, a phone call came in.

“Hello, Guo Hao, speak.” Gu Changzheng recognized the number and answered.

“Captain Gu, we found Ren Jiahe has been contacting insurance companies frequently these days—and guess what we discovered?” Guo Hao’s voice brimmed with excitement.

Gu Changzheng stayed silent—he knew the man couldn’t hold back. “Heh!” Sure enough, Guo Hao, seeing no reply, blurted out: “We found Ren Jiahe bought accident insurance for Ge Manli!”

“Oh?” Gu Changzheng was startled. “What’s the coverage?”

“Captain Gu, don’t rush—let me explain,” Guo Hao said proudly. “He didn’t buy one or two policies—he bought eight. All under Ge Manli’s name, all naming him as beneficiary. Total coverage: ten million yuan!”

“What?!” Gu Changzheng was stunned—a terrifying theory flashed into his mind.

“Send me all the insurance documents,” Gu Changzheng ordered, then called out, “Luo Fei!”

“Here!” Luo Fei sprang to his feet at the call.

“Get the car—we’re going out.”