Chapter Eight: The Curse

That evening, Lin Ran found Fan Beixiao and invited him out for dinner. Lin Ran wanted to seize this opportunity—this case was proving to be extremely tricky. Even Wang Changhai, a veteran detective in the Major Crimes Unit, might not be able to solve it in a short time. Lin Ran hoped to uncover leads as quickly as possible; perhaps, if he and Fan Beixiao could crack the case, they might be promoted to full officers right away.

They picked a bustling street food stall, ordered some beer and grilled skewers, and sat down to chat over drinks.

“Beixiao, did you find any information on that family?” Lin Ran asked.

“Ran, don’t you trust me? Something this simple can’t possibly stump me,” Fan Beixiao replied smugly, pulling a thick file from his bag and placing it in front of Lin Ran.

Lin Ran glanced at the file, then tucked it away. It contained all the information about the deceased’s family.

“By the way, Ran, why are you so interested in this case?” Fan Beixiao asked, taking a bite of lamb skewer and a swig of beer.

“Think about it. If we find a clue before anyone else does, don’t you think the department leaders will notice us? Would getting our positions confirmed even be a problem then?” Lin Ran smiled at him.

“You’re right! I didn’t even think of that. You always see the bigger picture, Ran! From now on, I’m sticking with you!” Fan Beixiao’s eyes lit up at Lin Ran’s words.

“Cut it out with the flattery! If you spent half as much time working as you do goofing off, with your brain, you’d be top of the class!” Lin Ran shot him a look.

“Heh, Ran, you know my personality! I can’t stand boring desk jobs—no freedom at all. Tagging along with you feels more thrilling than any movie!” Fan Beixiao replied, grinning.

“Alright, enough nonsense! Let’s focus on this case first. Cheers!” Lin Ran raised his glass, clinking it with Fan Beixiao’s.

Eager to look through the information on the deceased from the villa, Lin Ran didn’t drink much. Once they’d eaten their fill, they returned home. As soon as Lin Ran got back to his rented place, he took out the file Fan Beixiao had given him.

From the file, Lin Ran learned that the villa’s owner was Hu Feng, the manager of a small company. He had bought the villa at a real estate auction less than two months ago. Hu Feng had a good reputation in the local business district and reportedly had no enemies. Moreover, the autopsy had ruled out both suicide and homicide. Lin Ran couldn’t understand how such an upright man could suddenly die at home—and not just die, but be completely silenced. What could the reason be?

Restless, Lin Ran tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. The scenes from that strange villa kept replaying in his mind: the decaying corpse, the yellow talismans on the doors, the bizarrely furnished rooms, the eerie masks, and that other shadow. All of these seemed to confirm the villa’s uncanny nature. And what about the ghostly figure hanging from the withered tree that Guo Ting had seen? Was the villa truly haunted?

All clues pointed in one direction—toward ghosts. But Lin Ran had never heard of a ghost committing murder. Mulling over these thoughts, he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Lin Ran was jolted awake by his phone alarm. He washed up quickly, grabbed a simple breakfast, and hurried to the police station. As a probationary officer, there was little for him to do at the station, so he changed into plain clothes and headed straight for the villa, hoping that a covert visit might yield some useful clues.

The villa Hu Feng had bought stood in the old district, a neighborhood mostly inhabited by elderly men and women who kept to themselves and were unlikely to offer any valuable information. Out of options, Lin Ran approached Hu Feng’s neighbor—the one who had called the police—a woman in her forties named Wang Fang. When Lin Ran found her at home, she was surprised to see him.

“Ma’am, I’m with the police! Here’s my badge,” Lin Ran said, showing his temporary officer’s ID.

“Oh, officer! What brings you here? I was just at your station yesterday. I told you everything I know! I really didn’t see anything. When I went to their house, I found them all dead—it scared me half to death!” The woman started to ramble.

“It’s not like that, ma’am. I’m not here to interrogate you. I just want to learn more about the villa’s history. Could you tell me if you know anything?” Lin Ran smiled.

“It’s just an old villa—what’s there to know?” Wang Fang seemed uneasy about the topic.

“Ma’am, you said you’d told us everything you should. May I ask about the things you shouldn’t say? Could you share those with me?” Lin Ran caught the slip in her words.

“Well…” Wang Fang hesitated.

“It’s alright, ma’am. It’s just the two of us here—I won’t tell anyone else!” Lin Ran could tell she really did know something.

“Actually, it’s nothing much. Before they moved in, I heard rumors that the villa was haunted. I don’t know if it’s true. But after they moved in, I noticed they often invited fortune-tellers over!” Wang Fang, seeing Lin Ran’s persistence, confided in him.

“Fortune-tellers?” Lin Ran frowned, recalling the yellow talismans he’d seen on the doors. Those must have been left by the fortune-tellers.

“Yes! And the fortune-tellers would go in all high and mighty, but they always came running out not long after, as if they’d seen something terrifying!” Wang Fang recounted, her tone serious.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Lin Ran nodded. He realized he wouldn’t get much more useful information from her.

As Lin Ran left Wang Fang’s house, a disheveled old man in his fifties or sixties happened to walk by, muttering under his breath.

“I told you not to live there, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you’re all dead! That’s her place—everyone who lives there dies! That place is cursed by her!”

Though the old man’s voice was low, Lin Ran’s sharp ears caught every word.

“Sir, what did you just say?” Lin Ran grabbed the old man’s shoulder.

“Ah?” The old man turned abruptly, startling Lin Ran.

“Heh, I told you not to stay there! Now you’re dead—it’s not my fault! Ha! Heh!” The old man cackled and, before Lin Ran could say more, broke free with surprising strength and dashed off, shouting nonsense.

Just as Lin Ran was about to give chase, Wang Fang called out from behind.

“He’s crazy—talks nonsense all day!” Wang Fang said with disdain.

“Ma’am, has he always lived here?” Lin Ran asked suddenly.

“No, I don’t know where that madman came from. Before the tragedy, I used to see him wandering in front of their house every day. Actually, he only appeared after the neighbors moved in!” Wang Fang pointed at the villa.

Hearing this, Lin Ran suddenly recalled what the old man had said and Wang Fang’s observation that he always lingered near the villa’s door. Could it be that the old man was talking about the villa? And who was the “her” he mentioned? Was she the villa’s original owner?

It seemed he would have to find that old man and question him properly. Lin Ran sensed that the man might know something important about the villa.