Chapter Eighteen: The Mysterious Woman

At that moment, Uncle Ma, the veteran officer in charge, walked over and asked me, "Young man, is this vicious murder related to the case your major crimes unit is investigating?"

I nodded, then asked, "Uncle Ma, who owns this basement?"

He replied, "I've already notified them; they're on their way here as fast as they can."

"Good. Uncle Ma, we've finished the autopsy. Please tidy up the scene and have the body sent to the forensics department." I removed my gloves.

Old Lin agreed, "We’ll take over this case."

Relieved that someone was willing to pick up this mess, Uncle Ma let out a sigh. "Glad to hear it. We'll handle the scene."

Just then, an officer ran over and handed each of us an N95 mask. Uncle Ma gave me an awkward smile. "I've been at this all my life, but I've never seen anything this stomach-turning. Can't take it."

I smiled back. "It's only natural."

Soon, the owner of the basement returned—a female office worker, pale as a ghost, trembling as she asked one of the officers maintaining order, "Officer, is it true? Did someone die in the basement?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the owner of the basement," she replied.

"Alright, come with me." The officer led her to us. "Old Lin, this is the owner of the basement."

Old Lin nodded and reassured her, "Don't be afraid. We just have a few questions for you. There's nothing to worry about."

Suddenly, the woman broke down and began to cry. "It's all my fault. I was greedy and wanted a bit of extra cash. I shouldn't have rented the basement to him..."

Old Lin and I exchanged a glance, both knowing she must have important information.

I asked, "Would you mind if we came up to your place for a chat?"

She waved her hands repeatedly. "Of course, of course. Come with me."

She led us to her apartment. It was well-appointed—clean, tidy, furnished with brand-name items. She must have spent a small fortune to buy nearly two hundred square meters in such a prime location.

After seating us, she made tea for Old Lin and me and sat across from us, dabbing at her eyes, unable to control her emotions.

I asked, "You rented out the basement? What can you tell us about the tenant? Please be as detailed as possible—this could be connected to a serial murder case."

"A serial case?" She was alarmed. "First, let me make it clear—apart from the rental agreement, I have no other relationship with them. My husband was against renting out the basement, but I felt sorry for them and the rent was good. I gave in. It was foolish of me."

"You said 'them'—so there were two people living in the basement?" I pressed.

She paused, surprised. "Wasn't it a family murder?"

"No, only a man is dead," I replied.

The woman suddenly relaxed. "Thank goodness. I thought the baby had been killed too."

"A baby? How many people were living in the basement?"

"A man, a woman, and a baby," she explained. "I always thought that man was bad news—the way he looked at me gave me the creeps. He deserved what he got."

I gave a wry smile. This woman had quite the temperament.

But immediately I realized something was off. It had started with the mysterious woman and Lin Yunshan, but now a baby had appeared from nowhere.

Old Lin quickly asked, "Have you seen the baby? What did it look like?"

"Of course," she replied. "They said they were a couple with a child, hiding out to avoid the family planning authorities. But I have a good eye for people—they didn’t seem like a couple. The man looked like a migrant worker—rough, unkempt, sometimes didn't brush his teeth for days. The woman, though, wore sunglasses and had a certain presence. If they hadn't said they were married, I'd have thought they were father and daughter."

"The woman always carried a bundle with the baby inside. My husband and I have been married nearly ten years without children, so I was quite taken with their baby. But whenever I asked to hold it, the woman refused, always with some excuse—the baby had just soiled itself, things like that. She never let me hold the child..."

"Did you ever hear the baby cry?" I asked, frowning.

"Yes, but only at night. It kept the neighbors up."

"What about during the day?"

"Never during the day. The woman was often out then, leaving the man alone with the baby. I have no idea how he took care of it; even when I knocked, he wouldn't open the door."

I nodded, feeling increasingly troubled. Now there was a baby in the mix—could this be the infamous 'ghost baby' everyone was talking about?

I took down her phone number and told her to contact us immediately if anything else came to mind.

She asked anxiously, "Can I request police protection? My husband wasn't friendly to that woman, and I'm afraid she might come back for revenge."

I waved her concerns away. "No need—she won’t dare return. We’re searching for her with everything we've got."

Still uneasy, she insisted on applying for police protection. After thinking it over, I realized it might be useful to have someone watching the place—if the mysterious woman did return, we’d have a lead.

I asked Old Lin for his opinion. He nodded, saying we could suggest it to Director Wang.

After leaving the complex, I asked Old Lin for his thoughts on the baby.

He shook his head. "Could it have been a stolen child? I just can't believe the baby belonged to either the man or the woman. It doesn’t add up."

I said, smiling, "You're not the only one who finds it strange. So do I. But why would that woman steal a baby?"

Old Lin replied, "From a criminal psychology perspective, sometimes a woman who desperately wants a child—perhaps she lost one before—will fixate on having one. There are many such cases abroad."

I nodded in agreement.

Once we got back in the car, I recounted the conversation to the others.

Li Xingchen immediately exclaimed, "Ghost baby! I knew it was the ghost baby all along!"

Tang Jingjing grew worried, too. "Mingxuan, I have a bad feeling about this. What if we really are dealing with a ghost baby?"

I teased her, telling her to be careful in case the ghost baby climbed up to her window at night.

Tang Jingjing punched me. "Idiot, you know I live alone."

"Jingjing, I’m too scared to go home alone now. How about I stay with you tonight?" Li Xingchen offered.

"Alright, but you’d better behave yourself."

"If you behave, I’ll behave. Brother-in-law, you’re the bravest—why don’t you come too?" Li Xingchen said, winking.

Naturally, Li Xingchen ended up getting a scolding from Tang Jingjing.

"Let's head back," I said. "We’ll station someone here in case the killer returns."

No sooner had I finished speaking than Li Hong suddenly jumped out of the car and dashed off in a hurry.

Alarmed, I jumped out too, but saw that Li Hong was already ten meters ahead—fast enough to compete with a professional athlete.

What was he after?

I told everyone else to wait in the car and hurried after him myself.

Before long, Mouse pulled the car around and shouted after me, "Get in! No matter how fast someone runs, a car is always faster!"

I jumped in and told Mouse to follow at full speed.

But soon enough, the advantage of the car disappeared—Li Hong had darted into a narrow alley where cars couldn’t go, especially with so many vendors and crowds about.

I had no choice but to jump out and give chase on foot.

Li Hong was already out of sight, so I called him on his mobile.

He said he’d followed someone into a residential building and was about to go in and look.

I quickly told him, "Don’t go after them alone. Wait for me at the entrance—we’ll proceed together once I get there!"

He agreed, urging me to hurry. "This guy is fast—I suspect he’s a real pro."

I hung up and rushed over. At the entrance of a run-down, dilapidated apartment building, I found Li Hong.

He was standing in a concealed spot a little distance from the doorway, smoking a cigarette. When he saw me, he immediately called out.