The Mystery of the Donglin University Dismemberment Case

A bloodstained finger bone floated in the toilet of Room 403 at Donglin University.

When the Tianhai City Criminal Police’s searchlights pierced the night, Lin Chen crouched by the wall, staring at a dark brown stain in the corner that had been scrubbed again and again. It wasn’t water. It was diluted human blood.

“Liu, you said the dorm room’s doors and windows were locked when you found the body?” He turned to look at Liu Xiaojing, who was trembling inside a police car. “But the mud prints on this windowsill clearly show someone climbed out after two in the morning.”

Deputy Chief Sun patted his shoulder, trying to smooth things over. “Young man, how could the person who reported the crime be the killer?”

But Lin Chen tightened his grip on the strands of hair he’d found under the bed. A fleck of blue nail polish clung to the roots, exactly the same as Liu Xiaojing’s freshly done manicure.