Chapter 679: "Reattached Finger"

Translator: Azza

Editor: Conspiracing

After a moment of silence, Chen Shi asked, "Are the scratches in the deceased's vagina very serious?"

Peng Sijue replied, "The typical traces that rape cases show are when the murderer enters without protective measures. As the remains had been left therefor too long, some details can no longer be ascertained. I examined carefully for a long time, but no traces of semen were found on the deceased. It seems the murderer did not ejaculate. In addition, it was discovered that the murderer may have killed the deceased while raping her. After the deceased was strangled, he still continued sexually assaulting her for a long time."

Chen Shi pondered, "Could it be that person?" He stood up and said to the chief, "Excuse me, we need to borrow your computer and fax machine."

Chen Shi contacted Lin Qiupu, and soon after a file was faxed over. It was an old case from a few years ago. A rapist and murderer nicknamed "Reattached Finger" had committed multiple crimes around Long'an and was still at large.

This person had two distinguishing features. First, his right thumb was a transplant. Due to his body’s rejection, it had been in a state of infection and ulceration for a long period of time. This was discovered through the traces left at the scene.

The second feature was even more bizarre. This person had a missing penis. When committing rape, he used a rubber or plastic dildo worn around his waist.

When someone first proposed this hypothesis, others were both surprised and in disbelief. A rapist that did not have a penis. Then how could he gain the pleasure from the crime? As evidence continued to appear, this hypothesis was gradually confirmed.

Criminal psychologists believe that the criminal pleasure gained by "Reattached Finger" was from his desire to conquer the opposite sex. Due to his lack of a penis, this person may not have been able to lift his head in front of a real spouse, or perhaps their marriage had long been shattered. He couldn’t satisfy his sexual desires through prostitutes, one night stands and other methods and was in a long-term state of suppression. That’s why this kind of twisted criminal behavior occurred.

"Reattached Finger" especially liked to let the victim's spouse "appreciate" them from the side when he raped his victims. This was also a way for him to showcase his "masculinity". Of course, he would kill the victim's spouse afterwards as well.

Lin Dongxue flipped through the fax and said, "This case has never been solved. How did you know about it?"

"Of course I have heard about it. That case caused quite a stir back then." Chen Shi smiled lightly. There was a signature which wasn’t very noticeable on the file: Song Lang.

However, Song Lang had just graduated from the police academy at that time. It was his master Li Mu who was in charge of this case. The deduction of this case really opened Song Lang's eyes. A criminal's mindset was so intriguing. It was endlessly fascinating and gave him inspiration, stimulating the youthful Song Lang to read many books on criminal psychology and abnormal psychology.

Lin Dongxue proposed an idea. "Since this person has such an obvious disability, we should be able to find him through his medical records. Why hasn't the case been solved after so long?"

Peng Sijue shook his head, "He didn't go to a regular place for medical treatment, so he didn't leave a medical record... I was also involved in this case."

"Why did you say ‘also’? Who else was involved, my brother?" Lin Dongxue glanced suspiciously towards Chen Shi.

Peng Sijue realized that he let slip information. Lin Dongxue had become very sensitive now. That was her instinct as a police officer. Thus he casually said a colleague's name to cover it up.

Lin Dongxue didn't care too much, because she had noticed another thing. "Chang Juan mentioned that a finger of the murderer was transplanted. It’s impossible for a witness to know this detail."

"It's not necessarily the case. Maybe she knew that the murderer was the ‘Reattached Finger’, so she knew the details. The person behind the scenes is most likely from the family of one of the victims of a previous murder."

Peng Sijue said, "‘Reattached Finger’ has been quiet for five years and then came back to commit a crime again. There must be some reason, right?"

"Counting his age, he’s not young anymore. I’m afraid he’s already forty or fifty years old..." Chen Shi's eyes lit up. "I think he disappeared over the recent years because of his health."

"Then let's go to the hospital to investigate!" Lin Dongxue said.

"No, no, no need to rush. Let’s research it first..." Chen Shi suddenly found his stomach growling. "Why am I so hungry? Ah, it's 9:00. Let's go and eat!"

The chief who had almost fallen asleep from waiting next to them jumped up at once. "The conversation is finally over. Let's go have some food."

Peng Sijue was most afraid of having dinner with his unfamiliar colleagues. He had escaped at noon but he was unlikely to be able to escape in the evening. He gave Chen Shi a meaningful look to request for help. Chen Shi smiled bitterly and had a few words with the chief. The chief stopped mentioning about having dinner.

When he came out, Peng Sijue asked curiously, "What excuse did you use to reject it instantly?"

"I said, 'Captain Peng is shy and asked me to help with rejecting you.’ Isn’t that very persuasive?” Chen Shi smiled.

"At least make up an excuse."

"In that case, next time I’ll say you’re fasting."

It looked like they had to stay there overnight. Everyone was talking about the case at the dinner table. Since the suspect may be "Reattached Finger," they had to investigate within the city. Lin Dongxue suggested that Peng Sijue and the others go back tomorrow, while she and Chen Shi stay for a few more days to try and discover as many clues as possible. After all, "Reattached Finger" may have been here before. This place was not a tourist attraction. Perhaps "Reattached Finger" had relatives here.

Lin Dongxue said, "Old Chen, do you think that young lady knows any other information?"

"Mm, maybe we’ll question her in detail again tomorrow. Since she has admitted that she’s not a psychic medium, it proves she does have a ‘mastermind behind the scenes’. This is already a serial killing case. It’s difficult enough to solve as it is. It’s of course good for someone to help. I also want to arrest ‘Reattached Finger’ sooner rather than later so that no one will be harmed by him again."

"I saw the file saying that ‘Reattached Finger’ often broke into strangers' homes and killed both the husbands and wives. I suddenly remembered that Chang Juan's parents had died of unnatural causes at the same time. Could it be..."

"What are the names of Chang Juan's parents?"

"Mm, I forgot."

There was a bang that came from outside, and then there was the sound of an alarm. Chen Shi was taken aback and ran out quickly. Only then did the others react. Someone had touched their car.

When the others arrived, they saw Chen Shi driving his beloved car out and yelling, "Hurry up, hurry up, something has happened!"

There was no parking lot here. They had parked in an open space behind a street. Lin Dongxue saw that a brick had fallen onto the hood of a police car. The hood had been seriously deformed, and it seemed that someone had thrown it down from a great height.

She was flabbergasted that Chen Shi's first reaction was to remove his own beloved car away from the danger zone. She said, "The culprit is daring to have smashed a police car!"

"Dongxue!" Chen Shi stopped her and pointed up. "I was the first to come down. No one has come down from this building. The suspect may still be inside."

So everyone watched all the entrances and exits of the building closely. Several police officers went up to investigate, and indeed found a suspicious man in the stairway. Lin Dongxue asked him, "What are you doing here?"

The man looked flustered. "I... I didn't smash the police car!"

Lin Dongxue told him to spread out his hands and saw that there were still brick remnants in his hands. This time, they had caught him red-handed...