Detective L Episode 17 Recap
> Detective L Recap
Qin Xiaoman received a phone call at the police station, and the caller immediately recognized her voice, prompting her to become alert. The mysterious caller, identifying himself as the murderer, proposed a deal: if Qin Xiaoman would let him go, he would release the girl he currently held captive and cease his killing spree. The desperate cries of a kidnapped girl were audible in the background, reinforcing the urgency.
The killer suggested that Qin Xiaoman could facilitate his escape by making key evidence disappear or by creating confusion in the investigation. However, Qin Xiaoman, remembering the late Detective Ouyang’s words, adamantly refused to negotiate, stating her duty was to personally apprehend him. Qin Xiaoman recounted the unsettling call to Luo Fei, expressing her fear that her refusal might cause the kidnapped girl to suffer.
Luo Fei reassured her that she had done the right thing, emphasizing that they would not make deals with a murderer. Later, their landlady, Su Su, brought them sweet soup and mentioned her friend's daughter, who was supposed to move in with Qin Xiaoman, hadn't arrived yet. The next morning, a new victim was discovered, hanging with the same eerie smile, a signature of "tickle torture."
Qin Xiaoman was deeply remorseful, believing the girl's death was her fault for not compromising with the killer, but Luo Fei firmly stated it was not her responsibility and urged her to focus on catching the perpetrator. Luo Fei quickly deduced from the victim's rashes and peeled skin that she was an international student recently returned from a long sea voyage. He instructed an officer to check the passenger lists of recent large cruise ships.
Simultaneously, Su Su decided to visit the English Far East Cruise company to inquire about her friend's daughter. Upon seeing a photograph of the girl, Qin Xiaoman horrifyingly recognized her as the latest victim, leaving Su Su devastated. During a team meeting, Luo Fei and Qin Xiaoman analyzed the killer's past and present body dumping sites. Qin Xiaoman theorized that the killer's familiar activity zone, from where he'd confidently make calls to the police, was likely in the southern concession.
Luo Fei agreed, noting that the killer's ability to dispose of bodies efficiently suggested he owned a car. He then pointed out a significant change: unlike five years ago when the killer abducted one person at a time, he had recently taken two female university students simultaneously.
Luo Fei found it improbable for a single person to kidnap two victims from a well-lit street without struggle, also dismissing the possibility of the killer being a casual acquaintance from the Paramount nightclub. He argued that the victims, being cautious and conservative, would not easily enter a stranger's car, leading him to believe the killer possessed a unique level of familiarity or authority over his victims.
Qin Xiaoman, still struggling with guilt, was comforted by Luo Fei, who reminded her not to blame herself for the killer's actions. Late that night, as they continued to review case files at the police station, Qin Xiaoman fell asleep at her desk. Upon waking, she instinctively complained about the discomfort, longing for "the place where I belong." This seemingly innocuous remark sparked a profound realization in Luo Fei.
He concluded that the killer would choose a familiar environment where victims would naturally lower their guard. For the recently abducted university students, this place was Hu Dong University itself, with its dormitories, classmates, and teachers. Given the strict campus security, Luo Fei deduced that the killer must be an internal staff member of the university.
He instructed Qin Xiaoman and Ye Chang Qing to immediately investigate all university personnel with car access, and they soon returned with a list of individuals who owned vehicles. Reviewing the list, Luo Fei noticed the name Lin Zhong Heng, the husband of Wang Xue Ru, was listed as a chemistry teacher at Hu Dong University. He immediately suspected Lin Zhong Heng, speculating that Wang Xue Ru, in her fragile mental state, might have married her abuser without recognizing him.
To gather concrete evidence, Luo Fei, Qin Xiaoman, and Benjamin staked out Lin Zhong Heng's residence. During their surveillance, Qin Xiaoman spotted a pendant around Wang Xue Ru's neck that was identical to one worn by a previous victim. This crucial discovery prompted Luo Fei to instruct Sha Wei to immediately arrest Lin Zhong Heng, while he and Qin Xiaoman took Wang Xue Ru to the station for questioning.
Under interrogation, Lin Zhong Heng, an esteemed professor, vehemently denied any involvement in the murders, dismissing the necklace as a common style and claiming a friend had bought it for his wife but was currently in America. Wang Xue Ru, meanwhile, defended her husband as a kind man but was unable to recall how they had met, confirming Luo Fei’s earlier assessment of her unreliability.
Sha Wei then received an urgent phone call reporting that another female university student from Hu Dong University had gone missing the previous night, sparking widespread concern. Luo Fei immediately directed Sha Wei to investigate Lin Zhong Heng's car entry and exit records at the university, while he took Qin Xiaoman to Lin Zhong Heng's house to search for new clues.
They found several photographs of Lin Zhong Heng and his wife on a boat, leading Luo Fei to suspect he owned a vessel that could serve as a secluded crime scene for its excellent soundproofing. They also discovered a gramophone that would activate when the house lights were off, playing a calming recording of Lin Zhong Heng's voice.
Luo Fei deduced this elaborate system served two purposes: to create an alibi for Lin Zhong Heng while simultaneously trapping his mentally fragile wife in the dark with the unsettling sound, preventing her from leaving. Luo Fei believed Lin Zhong Heng intended to kill the newly disappeared student on his boat that very night.
When Ye Chang Qing reported no boats registered under Lin Zhong Heng or Wang Xue Ru, Luo Fei asked him to check for a boat registered under the name "An Ping." Ye Chang Qing's investigation soon revealed a boat registered under the name "An Ping." Confronted with this, Lin Zhong Heng denied owning any boat, claiming it had been stolen.
Luo Fei, realizing Lin Zhong Heng's indifference to the victims, threatened to show the gruesome autopsy and victim photos to Wang Xue Ru, knowing it would provoke a reaction from him regarding his wife. Lin Zhong Heng instantly became agitated, warning them not to upset her.
Luo Fei retorted, highlighting Lin Zhong Heng's detainment and the imminent starvation of the girl on the boat, and reiterated his threat to expose the truth to Wang Xue Ru, finally eliciting a strong emotional response. Just as the interrogation intensified, an officer reported that another female body, consistent with the killer's method of suffocation, had been discovered in the eastern district that morning.
This new murder presented a serious problem: Lin Zhong Heng and Wang Xue Ru had both been in police custody overnight, providing them with an alibi. Meanwhile, when Sha Wei questioned Wang Xue Ru again, she unexpectedly claimed to be "An Ping" and asserted she did not recognize him as "Xue Ru," exhibiting a dramatically altered demeanor.
Observing this, Luo Fei theorized that Wang Xue Ru might be suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder and instructed that she be closely observed for this "An Ping" personality. Despite these perplexing new developments, Luo Fei remained convinced they were close to the truth.
