Chapter 68: Before-Lunch Table Mysteries

Translator: Abo Dammen

☆

Case Four: Sicilian Defense

He Yixun’s bodily fluids were the best special medicine, neutralizing the restlessness in Xu Pei’s blood. His sense of smell became dulled, no longer picking up tiny scents in the air. His taut nerves relaxed, giving him the leeway to think about the case.

Xu Pei said thoughtfully, “Under what circumstances would someone hide after killing someone?”

He Yixun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Don’t know.” 

Xu Pei answered his own question. “Afraid of being found. But is hiding in someone else’s manor suitable?”

He Yixun: “Maybe.”

Xu Pei: “Of course, the strangest thing is why he exposed himself? In this kind of closed environment, shouldn’t the murderer hide themselves?”

He Yixun: “Indeed.” 

Finding that his tossed-out topics always went without a proper response, Xu Pei looked at He Yixun discontentedly. “What’s wrong with you? Are we having a case discussion or not?”

He Yixun’s hoarse voice held a hint of gritted teeth. “You tell me what’s wrong.”

Only then did Xu Pei notice that the thing inside the cavity was hard and hot again. Although he felt too lazy to move, he still straightened up. “Alright, I’ve recovered mostly. I’ll stop holding it for now.”

With a smack, the suction cup released its prey. 

He Yixun closed his eyes, clenched his back teeth, forcibly suppressing the urge to teach this ungrateful dog a lesson. He asked, rather reasonably, “Do you not care if I live or die?”

“You calm down. Save your bullets, don’t waste them,” Xu Pei remarked, putting on his pants.

“There’s no such thing as waste,” He Yixun refuted. “My bullets are inexhaustible.”

“But there is an issue of quality,” said Xu Pei. “In a short period, the more you come, the thinner your semen gets. In the later days of my heat, your semen was clearly not as tasty.” 

He Yixun: “…”

How could someone despise their husband’s semen for not being tasty enough?

“Now that I’ve improved, absorbing more of your semen would be wasteful. You should store it up instead, so I can enjoy a feast next time.”

It actually… made some sense. 

He Yixun found it hard to refute. He could only take a deep breath, and the wronged little He comrade softened.

The two returned to the crime scene. The forensics team had already left, and the body had been transported back to the police station.

Chen Zhen, who was guarding the scene, greeted Xu Pei and said to He Yixun, “Sir He, the witnesses have given their statements. Should we take them back to the station?”

“No need,” He Yixun said. “Send people to conduct a thorough search first. We must find Gu Yan.” 

Chen Zhen acknowledged the order and arranged the work. Xu Pei walked over to the white tape outlining the body. The bloodstains had dried by now, and his sense of smell wasn’t as sharp as before, but the air was still filled with an unusually strong scent of blood.

“Why do you think Gu Yan made such a mess with the books?” Xu Pei asked.

“To hide a message,” said He Yixun. His vital part was no longer in “dire situation,” finally allowing him to discuss the case as usual. “Just like on the cruise ship, when the perpetrator messed up the armory.”

“Last night, Zhong Qiaoyi was looking at the bookshelf while solving the chess puzzle. If her line of thinking was correct, and I think it must have been, otherwise she wouldn’t have been killed, then Gu Yan messed up the bookshelf to hide the clue to solving the chess puzzle.” 

“Right,” He Yixun shared the same thought. “The chess game requires many moves. The clue he wanted to hide probably isn’t a specific book, but the order of arrangement of all the books.”

“But there’s a problem,” Xu Pei continued. “If he already knew how to open the vault, why didn’t he quietly kill Zhong Qiaoyi, hide her body, and then open the vault in front of everyone? That way, he could legitimately claim the reward.

“Now he’s made himself a murderer. What benefit can he possibly gain?”

“So something must have happened last night,” He Yixun conferred. 

“And it was a human factor,” Xu Pei added.

—If there hadn’t been outside interference, Gu Yan would have had plenty of time to arrange the scene. He shouldn’t have bungled things so clumsily.

Reasoning this far, things were quite clear. There was another person who came to the study last night.

Given that the manor was a closed environment, the possibility of an outsider entering was nonexistent. Therefore, the third party in the study last night could only be one of those sleeping upstairs. 

“Have you looked at their statements yet?” Xu Pei asked.

“Not yet,” said He Yixun.

Xu Pei checked the time. It was almost noon. “Call them all to the dining room.”

The nine chairs were still placed around the long dining table, but only seven people were seated now. Those who had given statements all morning were roughly in two states: Lin Mei, Xing Yong, and Zhou Ye all seemed detached from the matter. Only the younger Luo You and Cai Jia were discussing the case. 

“Was Gu Yan probably trying to compete for the prize money?” Luo You guessed.

“Obviously,” Cai Jia said, legs crossed. “Look at his shabby appearance.”

“But if he killed someone, how can he still compete for the prize money?”

“Who knows then.” 

“Because he didn’t plan from the start to be exposed as the murderer.”

As soon as Xu Pei finished speaking, everyone looked at him. Luo You asked in surprise, “Pei Pei-ge, have you already solved the case?”

“Not yet, but I have some ideas,” Xu Pei said.

Lin Mei, who had been scrolling on her phone, put it away upon hearing this and crossed her arms. “Go on.” 

“Gu Yan once proposed an idea: to dig a tunnel into the vault without damaging the building’s structure. This method has a high cost. Unless absolutely necessary, you definitely wouldn’t agree,” Xu Pei said to Lin Mei. “But if no one could crack the chess puzzle, you’d have no choice but to use his method.

“So, Gu Yan only needed to ensure that no one could crack the puzzle, and he could pocket the prize money.

“He stayed in the study all day. I don’t think he was genuinely trying to solve it, but rather interfering with Zhong Qiaoyi’s train of thought—maybe by chatting with her or leading her towards messy clues. This probably had some effect, but by early morning, Zhong Qiaoyi still found the solution, which is when he developed the intent to kill.”

“Wait, so he was keeping an eye on Zhong Qiaoyi the whole time, just to kill her the moment she cracked the vault?” Luo You said, “What a terrifying person.” 

“No, he couldn’t kill during the day either. He probably only planned to interfere and hadn’t thought about what to do if interference failed,” Xu Pei explained. “But as time went past midnight and Zhong Qiaoyi’s train of thought became clearer and clearer, the prize money that was almost within easy reach was about to slip away. He suddenly changed his mind—killing in the early morning would give him plenty of time to dispose of the body.

“That time I went downstairs was probably the turning point in Gu Yan’s mindset. He felt he couldn’t wait any longer. He went to the kitchen to get the boning knife and plastic wrap, preparing to kill.

“I imagine he must have wrestled with fate in his mind. For instance, if Zhong Qiaoyi opened the vault in front of me before he returned, he would abandon the murder. But if, when he returned, Zhong Qiaoyi hadn’t opened the vault yet and I had also left, then he would wait for her to open the vault before killing her.

“Of course, if Zhong Qiaoyi had chosen to go back to her room to sleep, he would have also abandoned his plan. But in the end, Zhong Qiaoyi opened the vault, which brought about her fatal disaster. 

“That doesn’t seem quite right, Professor Xu,” Zhou Ye, sitting on the same side of the table as Xu Pei, tilted his head to look at him. “The prerequisite for him to claim the prize money is that he can’t be the murderer. By killing Zhong Qiaoyi like this, wouldn’t everyone know it was him?”

“Right, there are several contradictions here,” He Yixun chimed in. “To get the prize money, he must kill and hide the body. He probably took the plastic wrap to wrap the body, preventing bloodstains during movement.

“This manor is very large, with woods and a pond. Coincidentally, Luo You dismissed most of the staff. As long as he hid the body in a secluded spot, it wouldn’t be discovered for a long time. Later, he could return to clean up the scene and put the knife back in the kitchen. The surveillance footage is blurry; he could easily say he was looking for food because he was hungry in the middle of the night. A missing roll of plastic wrap wouldn’t attract much attention.

“As for why Zhong Qiaoyi disappeared, as long as the body isn’t found, it would remain an unsolved case, which wouldn’t affect him claiming the prize money.” 

“But why did he end up hiding the body under the books?” Luo You asked, puzzled. “Isn’t that very obvious?”

“That’s the first contradiction. He needed to hide the body, but what we ultimately saw was a very conspicuous murder scene.”

“Is the second contradiction related to the books?” Xing Yong, who had been listening attentively to the reasoning, asked. “He must have deliberately messed up those books. If I’m not mistaken, there are clues hidden in the bookshelf? He messed up the books to prevent others from solving the puzzle.”

“Correct. But from Gu Yan’s perspective, although he proposed the tunnel method, as long as no one else could solve it, Lin Mei would have to use his method. 

“But first, he didn’t know how long it would take for Lin Mei to agree. Second, there was also the risk of the body being discovered. Therefore, the safest option was still for him to use Zhong Qiaoyi’s method to solve the puzzle and directly claim the prize money. So, if he messed up the bookshelf, how could he demonstrate the process of solving the puzzle?”

“…Oh, right,” Luo You said, as if a light bulb had gone off. “He’s the one who needs to solve it. Messing up the bookshelf means even he can’t open it anymore, doesn’t it?”

“One possibility is that he simply didn’t understand how Zhong Qiaoyi opened the vault. But if I were him, the moment I decided to kill, I would have used my phone to record Zhong Qiaoyi’s moves, then cross-referenced with the bookshelf to work backwards, rather than completely blocking my own chance of solving the puzzle.”

Lin Mei nodded. “That makes sense.” 

“There’s a third contradiction here, and it’s the most important one,” He Yixun continued. “He killed for the prize money and had plenty of time to handle the scene, so why did he disappear?”

Cai Jia, who had been listening with great interest, uncrossed his legs. “Did something happen to him too?”

“Something definitely happened to him,” Xu Pei said. “The crime scene is full of contradictions. There is one and only one explanation: there was a third party present.”

This impactful statement caused everyone seated around the dining table to fall silent simultaneously. Because with these words, the suspicion of murder instantly shifted from Gu Yan to someone present. 

“Professor Xu, are you saying that someone among us killed Gu Yan?” Zhou Ye asked.

“Correct,” Xu Pei said. “As long as we introduce a third party, all the contradictions can be explained.”

“Gu Yan killed Zhong Qiaoyi, and the murderer killed Gu Yan. That’s why the scene so clearly points to Gu Yan as the killer. He indeed was, but behind him was another murderer—the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”

While everyone was still digesting the information in Xu Pei’s words, He Yixun went on, “The murderer was probably waiting outside the study window the whole time. There are many plant sculptures over there, which are blind spots for the surveillance cameras. After Gu Yan killed Zhong Qiaoyi, he climbed in through the window and attacked Gu Yan from behind. 

“Afterwards, he hid Gu Yan’s body and then messed up the books, ensuring no one could open the vault.”

“Wait, Sir He,” Cai Jia hurriedly interrupted He Yixun. “According to you, doesn’t that mean the murderer is either me or Brother Xing? I declare upfront, I signed up because I enjoy cracking safes, not for the prize money. Look at me, I don’t seem short on money, how could I kill for money?”

“I also have no reason to mess up the bookshelf,” said Xing Yong. “I’m not like Gu Yan, who had the tunnel method as a fallback. If the bookshelf is messed up, I can’t demonstrate the cracking process. Doesn’t that completely cut me off from the prize money?”

“The murderer killing Gu Yan isn’t necessarily for the prize money,” Xu Pei said. “He might simply not want anyone to open the vault.” 

Lin Mei didn’t follow. “What do you mean?”

“The smell of blood in the study was abnormally strong. If I’m not mistaken, Gu Yan’s body is inside the vault beneath the study.”

Double the blood, double the stimulation. It was natural for Xu Pei to feel unwell.

“Normally, someone aiming for the prize money definitely wouldn’t hide the body in the vault, that would only create complications. Just like Gu Yan, he would certainly look for a place outside to hide the body. Otherwise, once the vault opened and everyone saw Zhong Qiaoyi’s body, whether he could still get the prize money would be a big question mark.” 

“The fact that the murderer hid Gu Yan’s body in the vault indicates he never intended to open it in the first place. This also explains why he messed up the books—because he doesn’t need to demonstrate to others how to open the vault, and moreover, he doesn’t want others to open it.”

“According to what you’re saying,” Lin Mei asked with a frown, “the murderer already knew how to open the vault?”

“Not necessarily,” He Yixun said. “Perhaps the murderer simply didn’t want the Progressive Society to get this money.”

Lin Mei said coldly, “So the murderer is you.” 

Xu Pei: …..

“I think it’s more likely that the murderer knew how to open it,” Xu Pei said. “If that’s the case, then the murderer certainly wouldn’t want others to open it, so…”

Luo You gasped sharply, pointing at himself belatedly. “So the murderer is me?”

“Mr. Luo, please watch your words,” Zhou Ye hurriedly reminded him. “Don’t admit to things you haven’t done.” 

“You, the butler, and the two servants have the greatest suspicion,” Xu Pei stated objectively. “Lin Mei’s suspicion can be ruled out. If she didn’t want others to open it, she wouldn’t have sent out invitations in the first place.”

“But I don’t know how to open the vault,” Luo You said innocently. “I haven’t lived here for long.”

“Let’s wait for the search results first,” He Yixun said. “If Gu Yan isn’t found elsewhere, it means he is inside the vault.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, He Yixun’s phone rang. It was Chen Zhen calling. 

A moment later, He Yixun hung up and said to Xu Pei, “There’s a dog hole under a section of the manor’s perimeter wall.”

Xu Pei was stunned. “What?”

So the manor could be entered and exited freely.

Didn’t this mean all the previous reasoning was overturned?

Author’s Feed:

Chapter title inspired by Dinner Table Detective XD

Feels like the comment section is about to solve the case (:3」∠)

Translator’s Feed:

The Dinner Table Detective (謎解きはディナーのあとで, Nazotoki wa Dinā no Ato de; lit. “The After-Dinner Mysteries”) is a Japanese mystery novel series written by Tokuya Higashigawa and illustrated by Yūsuke Nakamura.

I just translated the chapter title based on the literal translation.