13 Mingke Street

Chapter 13 Criminal Psychology

"Intentional murderer?" Chief Duke asked in confusion. But in his heart, he was stirred by another word in Karen's words, which was...artwork. A young man, actually used the word "artwork" to describe the victim's body; although Chief Duke was aware that this was the young man's words from the perspective of the killer, he couldn't help but be surprised by how smoothly and quickly he was able to organize and incorporate such descriptive language. But he still wanted to hear more from this young man, so he immediately asked, "How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Obviously, this is not a crime of passion.""Hmm." Chief Duke nodded.A crime of passion is the opposite of premeditated murder, where there is no intention to kill but the perpetrator loses control and kills someone due to provocation or stimulation from the victim.But this body, with all the elaborate arrangements and decorations, has already gone beyond the scope of a crime of passion, because the perpetrator has already completed a series of post-mortem work.Chief Duke turned his pipe and continued to ask, "How did you come to this conclusion? After all, we haven't done a thorough investigation of the crime scene, have we?"Karen hesitated for a moment and answered, "A feeling.""A feeling?""Yes, the feeling I had when I saw the body.""Investigating based on feelings?" Chief Duke raised his hand, "No, I want to hear more about your feelings. Can you be more specific?""The killer hid the body under the stage..."

Detective Duke spoke up, "So, the killer is very familiar with the environment of this dance hall. Combined with what you said earlier, if this accident was not an accident but intentionally created by the killer, then the killer is either an employee of this dance hall or at least a regular customer here.Oh, sorry, I interrupted you again. Please continue.""I can only go with my instincts, Detective," Karen explained again."It's okay, go on.""The dance hall is a lively place, with lots of people and noise. Generally, when a killer kills someone and disposes of the body, their main goal is to cover up the evidence. But here, it's completely different.The reason why the killer placed the body here and arranged it in such a complex and meticulous way is because they wanted to present it on a later day... which is today.It's like a painting that the artist covers with a red cloth and reveals to the guests when they all arrive, showing the finished work.Also, I feel like there is another meaning behind placing the body under the stage.""Another meaning?"

"Although it's not a crime of passion, the killer clearly had a strong sense of hatred.""Don't worry, after we identify the victim, we will investigate their social connections, focusing on those who had conflicts or opposition with the victim.""No no no, you misunderstood me. When I say 'hatred', it's not the same as what you, Chief, understand.""Not the same?""It's not the kind of grudges that arise from friction in daily life, such as with colleagues, relatives, neighbors, or friends, and eventually lead to murder. The hatred I'm talking about is on a different level. You see, the way the killer treated the victim's body was too meticulous, not only with strong religious undertones, but also with an expression of artistic emotion, similar to that of a sculptor.""I understand the individual words you're saying, but when you put them together, I'm a bit...""Come with me, I'll show you."

At this moment, Uncle Mason has already taken the injured person out with the help of others. In the inner area, only Karen and Chief Duke are left for the time being.When the body in the hole in the center of the stage was discovered, neither Chief Duke nor Karen screamed, so in the chaotic environment, no one even noticed that there was another body here that did not belong to this "accident."Karen walked down the stage and headed towards the seating area. The layout of this dance hall is similar to a theater. In fact, before it was opened as a dance hall, it was a theater in the city of Luo Jia.Therefore, walking towards the "audience seats" from the stage is like climbing stairs, with the height increasing as you go further back, similar to the scene of a gladiator arena.Karen continued to walk up and stopped in the middle. Here, there were high small coffee tables that could only hold a few cups of alcohol. There were no chairs next to them. If you wanted to sit comfortably, you had to pay extra for the front seats.Here, it was just a place to put your cup and chat with friends. Of course, if you were a girl, you could freely go to the front seats and drink.Unlike Uncle Mason who had retired, Ron was a regular at this dance hall and this area was his main spot because there was no minimum spending requirement here.A song only lasted three minutes, and it cost 5 Lu coins for three minutes. Even though Ron had a decent income, he had many expenses, so he couldn't dance with the dancers as much as he wanted.Most of the time, he just held a beer he bought and kept sipping it while looking around at the "ragged" beauties.

Please wait until the most beautiful and desirable person appears before inviting her to dance one or two songs. After the dance, immediately give the dancer the money for the song and then step down from the stage. Then return here and continue sipping on your beer, slowly savoring it while searching for the next dance partner.These are all things Ron shared while on the way here in the car. He was very proud because he was able to extend his happiness to the maximum with minimal cost.Karen turned around and saw Sheriff Duke standing behind him."Sheriff, please turn around.""Okay."Sheriff Duke turned around and stood on a raised platform, facing the stage below.Karen's voice came from behind him."Sheriff, please use your imagination. This is no longer the dance hall where the stage collapsed, it is now operating normally. Listen, the music is already playing, it's the lively rhythm of 'Luo Jia Elf'."This song is very cheerful, Aunt Mary likes to play it in her studio while working.

"Look, the lights have gradually dimmed, and the guests have chosen their dance partners and stepped onto the stage.Look, in the middle of the stage, there are hundreds of couples, embracing each other and dancing.On the outskirts, there are indeed a few couples dancing the ballroom dance seriously, although their dance moves are not perfect, they are still considered proper.Inside, male customers are all huddled up with the dance girls, their hands slipping to places they shouldn't be, constantly caressing.Listen, the sound of hormones, constantly ringing and rolling on the stage;Look, all of this in front of you is a concentrated manifestation of human nature's desires, everyone tightly pressed together, using each other's bodies as cover, tearing off their disguises, and even seeking a public pleasure.Look up,This glass stage above is another exciting sight.Morality, ethics, and restraint, all of these have been left behind on the stage, and money and primal desires begin to show their claws, the side that should be ashamed to be seen, here, on the two stages in front of you, becomes unashamed." As Karen narrated,

"Detective Duke seemed to be witnessing a similar scene before his eyes, where light and shadow intertwined and changed."Please focus your gaze on the stage, the center of the stage, and slowly move down, taking your time. In the end, focus on the bottom of the stage."Tell me, what do you see?"Detective Duke replied, "A body, a body with the Bible of the Berry Church placed on its chest, a body arranged in a specific mocking pose.""Then, can you tell me what pose it is?""Lying down.""Oh, is that so?""Isn't it?""You are standing here now, please take a closer look, is he really lying down?"

"Detective Duke's gaze hardened as, due to the height, his consciousness shifted further and he couldn't help but exclaim, "No, he's not lying down, he's standing up; and those people dancing on stage, they're actually lying down!" Suddenly, Detective Duke clenched his fists tightly as he realized something - this position was that of an observer, no, an admirer. Slowly, Detective Duke turned his head to the left and in his "line of sight", a black figure appeared, standing right next to him with a smile on his face, admiring the dynamic scene before them. He...was the killer! Without thinking, Detective Duke reached out to grab him."

But in the moment his hand touched the shadow, the shadow disappeared, and all the light and shadow around also disappeared, returning to the chaotic appearance of reality.There were no other sounds, except for his own heavy breathing.Sheriff Duke turned to Karen and said, "That's a guy who enjoys killing, he's admiring it."Things have become serious.Accidents, no one can predict, the deaths and injuries caused by accidents will bring grief to family and friends;But a deranged killer is different, his existence can plunge the entire Luo Jia City into panic."He doesn't actually think he's killing, he's painting, he believes he's presenting a form of art.""That Bible taught by Berry, the flower pot on the stomach, the middle finger, the naked body... " Sheriff Duke frowned slightly, "these... these seem to... seem to...""Sheriff, are you trying to say that these things seem to have become unimportant?" "I... I have that feeling."

"Because the visual impact is already sufficient, no, more accurately, it is because these arrangements are all meant to fill the painting and give it a more stylish sense of accompaniment.""So, whether it's the flower pot, the middle finger, "The Song of the Soul," or investigating these things, they are actually meaningless, not deliberately expressed by the killer, but just randomly put together?""It's even possible that the identity of the body, which I still don't know, is not a follower of the Berry religion?"Karen nodded, but reminded, "But the Berry religion yearns for nature, and nature is a kind of instinct."Sheriff Duke: "Yes, some Berry followers like to organize wild parties, and they consider this behavior to be a way of getting closer to nature, which happens to correspond with the scene on the stage.""So, the killer is not a follower of the Berry religion, nor does he hate it. His hatred comes from this attitude, no, what he hates is contradictory to what the Berry religion advocates.""The sheriff is right. An artwork without emotional release is just a refined pile without nutrition. It cannot bring happiness to the creator. Hatred can also be a kind of happiness, and happiness requires empathy.""This body is not being punished here. He is not the target of the killer's punishment, but the vessel for the killer's empathy.""When the killer stands here and looks at everything in front of him, he can empathize with himself standing there, and the men and women dancing on the two stages are the objects of his hatred and mockery.""He stands while they lie down. He is like a god, looking down on the dirty mortals. This is a kind of hatred that goes beyond the ordinary."

"Chief Duke nodded, then shook his head. "I seem to have caught something, but I don't have any clear leads. The killer, substitution, so, there may not be any grudge between the killer and the victim... They may even have a very good and intimate relationship, because only then could the killer... "Karen smiled and said, "You found the substitution."Chief Duke tapped his head with his pipe and laughed self-deprecatingly twice. "Ha... ha..."Then, he took a deep breath and said, "I feel like what you just said has no evidence and is all speculation, but at the same time, I feel like you make a lot of sense.""I'm just fulfilling my duty as a good citizen, to maintain the goodness and order of this city.""In the next investigation, I will focus on people who were close to the victim. The closer they were, the more I will pay attention."Karen didn't say anything.

"Are you from the Inmoleis family? What is your relationship with Mason?""I am his nephew, he is my uncle.""Oh, I see. You shouldn't be a servant in his house. You are so handsome, you could easily make money by standing here and waiting for those ladies to ask you to dance."After saying this, Sheriff Duke laughed, thinking he was very funny.Karen just politely smiled and nodded along; she was already used to this world, where there was always a malicious intent towards good-looking people."I'm Duke Marlowe, you can call me Duke the Smoker.""Karen Inmoleis.""Karen, how old are you this year?""Fifteen."

"Ah, Mason has a very talented nephew. This experience just now is the first time since I started investigating cases."At this moment, some police officers started to come in."If there is progress in the case... no, no matter if there is progress or not, I will come back to find you. Mingke Street... number 13, right?""Yes, Chief."Chief Duke turned around and shouted to the police officer who had just entered:"There is a dead body under the hole in the middle of the stage. Protect the scene and contact the bureau for additional reinforcements."As he continued to walk down the stairs, he muttered quietly to Karen's mouth:A nephew who can resonate with a psychopathic killer.After walking a few steps, Chief Duke suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Karen:"There is one more thing."

"Can you tell me more?""I just checked the body and found that it had been partially embalmed. Coupled with the winter weather, the body will not decompose as quickly. The killer can continue to enjoy this kind of pleasure or hatred.Why did he choose to present the body as an art piece?I can understand his desire to showcase his work, but I feel like he could have played with it a little longer, don't you think?"Karen looked at Chief Duke and replied, "It's possible that the killer got bored."Chief Duke's pupils slightly contracted, "Are you saying that the killer has already found a new target?""No.""Oh~" Chief Duke breathed a sigh of relief.Karen continued, "The killer is probably admiring it now."

Karen walked out of the ballroom and saw two ambulances parked outside. Many injured people were being carried into the ambulances and the chaotic scene from earlier had calmed down.However, Karen felt a bit embarrassed because the "Nutshell" brand hearse from the Inmores family was missing.Uncle Mason was too busy transporting "guests" and didn't notice that his nephew was not in the car!With no other choice, Karen decided to take a taxi home.The reason he had willingly helped Duke with the criminal psychology profile earlier was not because he had a detective addiction, but because he had a pressing need for social interaction. Although he couldn't "run away from home" now, it didn't stop him from preparing for the future, such as getting to know more people.There was no need for him to hide his clumsiness. When you have a grandfather constantly weighing whether or not to kill you, what's the point of hiding anything?At that moment, a taxi stopped in front of Karen.A man wearing a duckbill cap, a hooked nose, and a pointed chin got out of the taxi.After he got out of the taxi,

Karen naturally sat down, but only after sitting down did she realize that there was another woman in a gray dress sleeping with her head against the car window in the back seat.The taxi driver turned around and shouted, "Ma'am, ma'am, you have arrived at your destination."The woman was awakened and muttered with some complaints as she opened the door and got out of the car from her side, "Boss, the police station said it was an accident, how could it have anything to do with demons? Why do you have to come here and take a look? Hey, boss, wait for me!""Sir, where are you going?""Sir? Sir?""Ah, um?" Karen responded absentmindedly."Where are you going, sir? You have to tell me the destination so I can take you there."

"13 Main Street.""Okay."The taxi started.Karen silently unclenched her left hand and slowly opened it, looking at the burn scar in the shape of a cross. Did she just say "demon"?At that moment, Karen suddenly felt a sense of guilt and an overwhelming fear of uncertainty. The world outside of her home, doesn't seem to be as beautiful as she thought...