Perte de contrôle précise

Chapitre 57

The fire was extinguished by the fire department at around 4 a.m. Twelve charred bodies were carried out of the Huanle Internet Cafe. Two people died on the way to the hospital, and three others died in the hospital.

Epilogue: The criminal will eventually walk right into the trap.

When I accompanied Yang Ming to the Criminal Investigation Brigade for an interview, I was surprised to see Wang Liguo. He was deathly pale, completely bloodless; I dare say his complexion was even worse than mine. He looked like he hadn't slept, utterly exhausted, and even his voice sounded weak and feeble. Now he was embroiled in an even more complex murder case, with no time to rest. Although his current situation was far different from what I had imagined—I didn't see flowers, applause, honors, pride, or promotions—I saw his most authentic self. He was made of flesh and blood, just like us, yet he had long endured extraordinary physical and mental pressure and chronic sleep deprivation. I couldn't bear to look at his face; he filled me with heartache and guilt. It was people like him who made enormous sacrifices for us, allowing us to enjoy the sweetness of life. In that instant, I felt there was nothing more to ask him. Although we were complete strangers, I felt a connection between us. I saw our own desires and our own will in him; I knew from the bottom of my heart that he was our best policeman.

Just as I was thinking this, Yang Ming still went straight to the point and asked the question:

"Although the case has been solved, which is something to celebrate, many people are saying that if the murderer hadn't been making random phone calls, would the case still be unsolved? Would it have dragged on for even longer? In other words, the fact that the case was solved, in a sense, means that the murderer walked right into the trap?"

Wang Liguo smiled:

"You could say that—no! Not 'you could say that,' but you're absolutely right! He did walk right into the trap, because every murderer who kills someone walks right into the trap, because he committed a capital crime, and the law will inevitably pursue him; because he killed someone, he left traces of the crime. As for Qu Baoyuan, I must tell you, he was bound to walk into the trap. He couldn't help it, just like he couldn't help but use that phone, just like he couldn't help manipulating the victim, couldn't help faking the scene, couldn't help writing that strange character. He couldn't control himself; he just wanted to make the case bigger, to create a stir, to plunge the whole city into the terror of death. On one hand, he knew how to counter-investigate, leaving no fingerprints or footprints, but then he was on the balcony..." His indelible footprints were left on the roof and the awning, a meticulously staged crime scene. In truth, given his intelligence, he could have easily known that not only should he not make random phone calls, but even keeping the victim's phone close at hand was dangerous. Yet, he was willing to take the risk, unable to resist calling and threatening the victim's family, manipulating them, and enjoying the cat-and-mouse game. He also wanted to manipulate the police, believing he could control them, so he couldn't avoid making that call. He grew increasingly smug, increasingly eager to make the commotion even bigger—that's how he got himself into trouble. I think Qu Baoyuan's crimes were like his painting and calligraphy; he wasn't doing them for himself, but for others to see. Why was he like this? Was he suffering from a split personality?

Wang Liguo opened a magazine and quickly turned to a page:

"Regarding this point, I strongly believe what Professor Li Meijin, a professor of criminal psychology at the People's Public Security University of China, said. She said that criminals will be exposed sooner or later; this applies to all criminal cases. As long as it's a series of cases, no matter how cleverly they're committed, they will eventually be solved. This is also a kind of criminal psychology. Once a criminal accomplishes something, they will experience a sense of excitement. This excitement will reappear after a while. For example, if you've just learned to drive or ice skate, you'll always want to do it. Then you get tired of driving and don't want to anymore, but after a long time, you'll still feel excited whenever you touch a car. Whenever there's a car in front of you, you want to drive it. This is a psychological phenomenon we call addiction." Addiction exists in many behaviors. Crime is a special kind of experience. Take robbing a bank, for example. Many criminals think, "I'll rob this bank, and then I'll never do it again. You can't catch me." But that's not true. Many people, after robbing a bank, will think of robbing another bank the first thing they do when they're short of money. So this criminal mentality determines that criminals will eventually walk into the trap; it's just a matter of time. Investigators sometimes get frustrated when they can't solve a case. I tell them to be patient. Whether a case is solved or not isn't about the immediate outcome. There are many good, excellent police officers who spend four or even ten years solving a single case. Some police officers in the US, for example, will dedicate their entire careers to a single case. That's what makes a true police officer.

Yang Ming nodded:

“She spoke very aptly. I have read what she said repeatedly, which is why I asked you whether Qu Baoyuan walked right into the trap.”

Wang Liguo opened a notebook and pushed it towards me and Yang Ming. The notebook contained the following:

Endure a moment of anger to avoid a hundred days of trouble.

A lack of careful consideration will inevitably lead to regret; a person who can endure a hundred times will have no worries.

Going further leads to a dead end, while taking a step back opens up a vast expanse of possibilities.

Life is like a game of chess; yielding a move is not a loss for me. A heart as vast as the sea is; only by embracing all rivers can one truly be tolerant.

Life's affairs flow by like water, so don't let fame and fortune weigh on your mind. Live simply with coarse tea and plain rice, and don't strive for wealth and glory.

"These are all his writings, hanging on his own wall. They're so well-written! The neighbors all say he's honest and kind, very filial, and dotes on his mother. You wouldn't guess anything about him. Some even say he's so quiet he'd never utter a word, a naturally honest man. But the people he hurt and killed had nothing to do with him; they were all innocent victims. He wasn't seeking revenge against the powerful, nor against those who hurt him. He only vented his so-called revenge on those weaker than himself, and he wanted many people to know about his revenge. In fact, this was his revenge against society. I've also read some materials. Some of these kinds of psychopathic killers abroad will secretly return to the crime scene after committing a crime to see if their crime has been discovered; some will call or write to the police to inquire about the progress of the investigation; some will return to the crime scene where they were discovered to watch with normal people; and some even go so far as to re-enter the scene with the police..." At the scene, he would tell the whole story to gain the police's trust; or he would report the crime to the police first and then lead them to the scene. The reason they did this was because their way of thinking was different from ordinary people. They couldn't try to cover themselves up like those involved in revenge killings, crimes of passion, or crimes for money. On the contrary, they couldn't help but publicize their crimes; they couldn't tolerate others ignoring their offenses. Therefore, Qu Baoyuan had to make a phone call, and even if he didn't, he had to take other actions. He couldn't hide like a normal person. Of course, the reason this case was solved so quickly was the result of the joint efforts of all our police officers. Although a lot of work was done in vain, without this vain work, it would have been impossible to successfully find him. Most people knew that what they were doing might be in vain, yet they still diligently did it again and again. This is truly a tragic thing. I think perhaps only we police officers can do such a thing.”

"Yes, during that time, I felt that the police were the most respected. Everyone knew that you were exhausted, but you still stuck to your posts. I saw the police working day and night, and I saw you as the guardians of the city's night. I felt that your work was both mysterious and sacred."

Hearing Yang Ming say this, Wang Liguo blushed:

"How should I put it in our criminal investigation work? The most difficult part is describing the crime and formulating the direction of the investigation. The rest is tedious, boring and meticulous work. More often than not, the psychological pressure is too great."

Yang Ming looked at his interview outline and asked:

"The police investigation into this case has undoubtedly concluded, but don't you think there are still many unsolved mysteries? For example, the strange character that the murderer scratched on the victim's back—can you identify it as the character '媌'? Yet the murderer confessed that the second radical he wrote was the character for 'woman.' Don't you think there's a contradiction here?"

“We cannot definitively say that the character is ‘媌’; it’s just that it might be, or it might not be. The second radical that Qu Baoyuan wrote could also be the character for ‘woman,’ or it could be that he deliberately misled us. You’re right, he intentionally left us with several riddles. I felt this very clearly during his interrogation; he wanted us to be unable to figure it out. But no matter what the character is, it cannot rule out the fact that he committed murder. So even though he intentionally left such a riddle, it could not save his fate.”

"It seems that even now, we still don't know his motive. Is it because he himself hasn't explained his motive?"

"That's right, this is the issue he's been trying so hard to avoid. He made it very clear: I'm gone, but my mother, my wife, and my children still have to live! In informal settings, he even proudly told me, 'You'll never guess what I'm thinking!' Once, when we were eating, we bought him his favorite braised pork, and he ate it happily. I said, 'Why are you doing this?' He paused for a moment, then said, 'You don't understand! I just want to see it, just to appreciate it.'"

"The court sentenced Qu Baoyuan to death for robbery, with deprivation of political rights for life, believing that the prosecution's charge of murder against him lacked sufficient factual and legal basis and should not have been independently convicted. However, as far as I know, Qu Baoyuan spent a lot of time searching for single young women living on the top floor before each crime. If he only wanted to rob, would he have gone to such lengths? If he only wanted to rob, why would he insert a fruit knife or beer bottle into the victim's genitals? Therefore, he could only have been after sex. Regarding this cruel act, based on the experience of FBI criminal psychology analysts, although there was no physical evidence of sexual intercourse at the crime scene, the murderer inserted foreign objects..." Inserting an object into the victim's vagina can be considered a substitute for sexual intercourse. Through fantasy, these actions of inserting a foreign object into the victim's body cavity become sexual intercourse. The act of murder and assault arouses the killer's sexual fantasies, and the killer himself experiences sexual arousal through these fantasies. This leaves little evidence, leaving investigators at a loss, often finding no evidence of sexual activity at the crime scene. Therefore, Qu Baoyuan's motive for the perverted murders is not unclear. As for the perverted killer collecting items at the scene, FBI criminal analysis experts believe they were collecting souvenirs to commemorate their crimes later.

Wang Liguo listened attentively as Yang Ming finished speaking:

“What you say makes a lot of sense. I’ve read your article on this issue through your friend, and I must say you have a lot of insight. However, we can only convict him based on the current legal provisions. Perhaps we will change our views in the future, but not now. We cannot refer to the experience of the FBI to convict him, as you understand. As for conviction, as an investigative agency, we can only respect the judgment of the judicial authorities.”

"I believe this is the most perplexing question left to us by the Qu Baoyuan case, and it also reveals the loopholes in our law. For such a pervert who clearly broke into a house and killed someone for sexual purposes, we can only convict him of robbery. There is not enough factual and legal basis to accuse him of murder. This is a regrettable situation for the law."

"If I set aside my position, I would share your regret. Because at the scene, I strongly felt that sexual element. The murderer stabbed the victim all over, then rearranged the body, added food and drinks, and playing cards. Especially the two times he inserted foreign objects into her genitals, and then put the victim back on pantyhose and high heels. How could you not be shocked and angry seeing all that? But I can only be aware of my strong feelings; I can't find any concrete evidence to support them. A detective's feelings are only useful for solving cases; they can never become the legal language for convicting criminals. I realized the distance here. We can't provide the prosecution with what we felt, which is also not allowed by law. We can only provide what we saw."

"What was the biggest difficulty you encountered in solving this case?"

Wang Liguo thought for a moment:

"Two. One is personal fear, terror."

Yang Ming stared at Wang Liguo with his mouth agape in surprise. He later said that it was only then that he noticed that Captain Wang's face looked terrible, unlike his youthful appearance. His complexion was ashen, clearly indicating that he had been on a long journey and was exhausted, on the verge of collapse.

Yang Ming still asked the question he already knew the answer to:

"Who are you calling scared?"

"I."

"you?"

“The murder cases I’ve solved before were all about finding a killer who was already in hiding, not like this one where the killer continues to kill against the wind. I’m afraid that if I can’t solve the case quickly, more people will die. Two weeks is the life of a young woman. What does that even mean? I’ve never felt that time could be so terrifying. Two weeks is a life lost! I often think, thankfully his first two attempts failed, leaving us with so many clues. If his first two attempts had also succeeded, and no one had seen him alive, the number of people who died in this case would probably be more than double! How can I not be afraid?”

After listening to Wang Liguo's words, we realized that the physical and mental torment he endured from this case was unimaginable to ordinary people.

Yang Ming thought for a moment and said:

"Who can be without fear? Everyone has their own fears. I remember the battle-hardened American general Patton saying that if courage is fearlessness, then I have never seen a courageous person. Everyone has fears, and the wiser a person is, the more they understand fear. The real warrior is the one who, despite having fears, can drive himself to move forward."

"In the past, most of the murder cases we solved were crimes of passion, revenge, or money. We could find clues in the victim's social relationships. But in the Qu Baoyuan case, traditional investigative methods are no longer applicable. Abnormality is not the norm; there are no patterns to it. So, at this point, experience is useless. This is significantly different from traditional crimes of money, revenge, or passion because the victim and the murderer had no contact or relationship whatsoever. The innocent victim will never know why the murderer killed her for no reason. We can only speculate about the murderer's specific motive; we have no clue who he will kill next. Moreover, his staged crime scene is different from previous murder cases. On the one hand, he erased the traces that our traditional investigative methods require; on the other hand, he left more psychological traces. Solving this kind of case clearly requires the participation of criminal psychologists. However, we do not have experts in this field. For example, as you mentioned, inserting a foreign object into a woman's genitals is a substitute for sexual intercourse, which requires the judgment of a psychologist."

"Speaking of which, this reminds me of a problem. In the United States, criminals sentenced to death are not executed for a considerable period of time, sometimes decades. This gives criminal psychology researchers ample time to discover and understand the psychological and behavioral patterns of a large number of criminals. However, in our country, all such major cases are handled severely and swiftly, and criminals are executed quickly. As a result, criminal psychologists lose the best clinical research specimens. It can be asserted that these kinds of abnormal cases will only increase, not decrease, but our criminal psychology research is seriously lagging behind. This lag makes your investigation work increasingly passive."

“You’re absolutely right. We can now conclude that such cases of bizarre murders will only increase, not decrease, in the future. In the past, these kinds of cases only occurred in developed countries, but now they happen frequently around us. Recently, there have also been more cases of bizarre murders committed by children, but our scientific research has not kept up. We, the criminal police officers on the front line, can only rely on our own exploration to do things, which is obviously not enough. I also feel that I am powerless.”

"In a city with nearly two million people, he can find a single young woman living on the top floor in just over ten days each time. I really can't imagine how he does it."

"I was also puzzled. Speaking of which, I can say a few words about something Qu Baoyuan said in an informal setting. He told me in the restroom, 'Didn't you say I was only in the Gujing District? That I was only on the sixth floor? This time I've chosen two in the new city area, both on the fourth floor.' He was smiling when he said that. He knew he couldn't be convicted of having ulterior motives, but my head just started spinning. If I hadn't grabbed him..."

Wang Liguo shook his head wearily, not wanting to continue talking to us.