Devon Turner was a forensic expert at the Peace Division, 35 years old, and had been in the field for over a decade, showcasing exceptional professional skills. However, he had his quirks—or perhaps bad habits—when it came to work. He was adamant about not allowing anyone to interfere with his investigations, especially when it came to securing the crime scene. Many colleagues who didn't understand his methods had faced his reprimands.
However, since Elena Steve was one of the few women in the current detective squad, Devon treated her with a bit more courtesy.
Elena understood Devon's temperament. Upon entering the room, she nodded at him and casually steered clear of his working area, making her way to a vanity on the left side of the room.
The vanity was adorned with various cosmetics. Elena, with her refined looks, was quite familiar with makeup. She noticed that the deceased had mostly mid-range products. As she casually fiddled with a few items, her brow suddenly furrowed as she picked out a couple of exquisite little bottles.
Upon closer inspection, she nodded slightly, confirming that these cosmetics were definitely pricey. She had seen this brand online and had sighed at the high prices, thinking she might never afford them in her lifetime.
As for the deceased, Jenny Stone, Elena scanned the surroundings and was certain that these luxury cosmetics were not something Jenny would have bought on a whim.
Opening one of the bottles, a subtle fragrance wafted toward her. She shook it gently and noticed that it was more than half empty, indicating it had been used for some time. Who could have gifted Jenny Stone such expensive cosmetics? What was their relationship?
Elena's gaze sharpened as something else on the vanity caught her attention—a comic book. Picking it up, she noticed the cover featured cartoonish characters, with the title reading "Urban Detective."
A detective comic? Elena had a fondness for detective novels, but she had rarely read detective comics aside from that one child character who never seemed to grow up. Judging by the wear and tear of the comic, it seemed the deceased was indeed a fan of detective stories.
One page in the middle had a small corner folded down. Elena flipped it open casually and found a single illustration: a stunningly beautiful woman lying on the ground, her top pulled down above her chest, her lower body exposed, and her skin marred with bruises, surrounded by a conspicuous pool of blood.
The author had even pixelated the critical areas of the woman's body. Elena smiled slightly; it seemed that censorship wasn't exclusive to adult films… Wait a minute!!
The moment Elena Steve put down the comic, she suddenly realized something. She quickly picked it back up and turned to look at the lifeless body lying on the ground.
Comparing the two, her pupils dilated in shock, and her right hand instinctively covered her mouth.
The dead person in front of her looked almost identical to the one depicted in the comic!
This was no coincidence!
Elena's instincts kicked in immediately as she made her judgment. She carefully examined the scenes in the comic alongside the wounds on the deceased. Once again, she was taken aback; the injuries on both bodies were nearly indistinguishable.
Taking a deep breath, years of experience as a detective helped Elena quickly calm her astonishment. Huh? She noticed that the corner of the page was oddly folded.
Gently smoothing out the crease, she revealed a tiny dark red pattern, sketched with just a few strokes, forming a blood-red smiley face.
Blood? Was this drawn in blood?
The forensic team continued their quiet work around her, with occasional whispers breaking the silence. However, Elena was completely absorbed in flipping through the comic, oblivious to the ongoing investigation.
Brock King and a few other detectives who were familiar with Elena exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of their captain's behavior, before returning to their tasks.
After a few minutes, Elena suddenly looked up, striding over to the door lock. She bent down to examine it closely.
After about ten seconds, she straightened up and nodded slowly. She had figured out the method of the locked-room murder.
When she realized that the victim's death mirrored the one in the comic almost perfectly, Elena felt that this was no mere prank-like murder; it was a provocation, a blatant challenge to the police. But at the same time, she sensed that it was more than just a challenge. Was there a deeper meaning hidden behind this provocation?
Had the killer simply mimicked the death from the comic, or had they also replicated the murder method depicted within its pages?
Elena Steve's instincts leaned towards the latter. Sure enough, after reviewing the comic's content, she noticed faint traces of clear tape on the door's latch.
It wasn't too difficult to figure out. The killer had likely placed the non-sticky side of the tape against the latch, folding one end over and lightly sticking it there, while the other end was pulled outside. After closing the door, they would have gently pulled the tape to secure the latch, then forcefully ripped the tape away.
Elena picked up the comic again and glanced at the author's name."Brody?" Elena murmured, surprised to find they shared the same last name."Elena," the forensic expert Devon Turner approached her, stretching his back as he spoke. "I've finished the preliminary examination of the victim."
"Any findings?" Elena asked directly.
Devon cleared his throat and sighed, "It's grim. The victim must have endured significant suffering before death. The body shows signs of mild decomposition, with multiple injuries: large wounds on the left side of the neck, the front of the neck, around the nipples, the abdomen, and the pubic area. There are also smaller wounds on the right groin, the left iliac crest, the upper part of the right arm, the right palm, and from the right thumb to the ring finger joints. Given the large amount of blood at the scene, it appears the victim died from traumatic hemorrhagic shock due to multiple injuries."
As Devon spoke, he pointed out the various wounds on the body, finally indicating a bloodied kitchen knife in a nearby evidence bag. "Based on the condition of the wounds, the edges are clean, the angles sharp, and some injuries penetrate down to the bone. The knife left at the scene is heavy, easy to swing, and quite sharp—this should be the murder weapon."
Elena took a long look at the knife before asking, "Officer Devon, are there any signs of sexual assault?"
"You saw it too; the victim was nearly completely naked, indicating she likely suffered sexual assault. However, we'll need further examination to confirm the specifics. But…" Devon sighed, "there's another issue: the victim's tongue is missing."
"Missing her tongue?"
"Yes, it was cut out." Devon adjusted his glasses with his middle finger. "We didn't find the severed tongue at the scene, so the killer must have taken it. Additionally, there are slight traces of clear tape residue around the victim's mouth, suggesting the killer attempted to clean up but didn't do a thorough job."
Elena furrowed her brows, lowering her head to examine the body more closely, her expression growing more serious. At that moment, Brock King approached and whispered, "Elena, that girl over there is the victim's roommate, named Angelina Walker. She wants to speak with the person in charge."
Elena Steve nodded and approached Angelina Walker. "I'm the officer in charge here. My last name is Leng, but you can call me Officer Elena. What do you want to tell me?"
Angelina Walker, her face streaked with tears, grabbed Elena's hand and cried out, "Officer, you have to help us get revenge for Jenny! She... she died such a terrible death!"
As she spoke, the memory of Jenny Stone's tragic end seemed to overwhelm her, and Angelina began to sob uncontrollably again. Kyle, standing nearby, quickly reached out to support her, whispering comforting words.
Elena had expected to receive some crucial information, but instead, she only heard a vague plea. She squinted her eyes slightly and nodded, asking, "So this morning, you were the first to discover the crime scene, right?"
"Yes, we were the first ones there," Kyle confirmed with a nod.
"Alright then, we'll need you both to come back to the station with us shortly to give a detailed statement," Elena said. Her tone was polite, but there was an unmistakable firmness that suggested refusal was not an option. Turning away, Elena and Brock King moved to the side. Elena handed the comic book she was holding to Brock and said softly, "This comic is a crucial piece of evidence. Make sure to take good care of it. Also, get some clear photos of the door latch."
"Comic?" Brock King took the comic and flipped to the bent corner page, examining it closely. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. "Elena, this..."
Elena nodded gravely, whispering, "Keep it quiet."