Red Mandarin Dress

Chen came to a halt as he reached the top step and took off his glasses. Then he spotted Yu and came over.
    Chen took a seat beside Yu.
    “What do you think of the location?” Yu asked.
    “An act of deliberate defiance. Any clues?”
    “No. Like the previous two victims, there was no evidence at the scene.”
    “No sexual assault on the victim?”
    “No. None that I could see, but she was also naked under the red mandarin dress.”
    “What about her identity?”
    “A singing girl. Identifying the victim was quicker this time,” Yu said, thinking it unnecessary to elaborate. “She was a K girl.”
    “Another one in the entertainment business.”
    “Yes, so Liao really wants to focus on that angle,” Yu said. “He sees a motive as well as a pattern—hatred against girls in the sex business. It fits in with your analysis of the killer as a psychopath, including the red mandarin dress.”
    “The red mandarin dress must be significant. No question about that. Victimology analysis, through which you explore a possible relationship between the victim and the murderer, helps too. But the first victim doesn’t fit, does she?”
    “I raised the same question.”
    “Another thing that’s beyond me,” Chen said, standing up and casting a glance toward the shrub grove. “He took a deliberate risk in dumping the body on the Bund, knowing that traffic and people go by here all night long.”
    “It was an act of vanity, I suspect. To show his defiance, and to taunt and torment the police. As you said, a serial killer has his signature—unique ways to commit a crime, like placing the body in a public location. Irrational, but it makes sense to his irrational mind.”
    “I’ve got a strange feeling, Yu. Not that he is so cocky, but that he is so desperate—”
    “What do you mean, Chief?”
    “He is desperately sick. An end to all this may not be unacceptable—a death impulse or whatever,” Chen said, but he declined to explain further. “What are you going to do now?”
    “Hong is going to set herself up as a decoy, posing as a dancing girl.”
    “A decoy is a good tactic, if you’re certain of the murderer’s pattern. A dancing girl makes sense, but it may not yield results in a week. A lot depends on the circumstances. Besides, it can be dangerous for the decoy.”
    “Yes, I’m concerned. She is a young cop.”
    “If she insists on doing it, then assign an officer to protect her, to always remain in her company.”
    “I’ll talk to Liao about it.”
    “Also, try to keep her assignment as a decoy a secret.”
    “Within the bureau?”
    “Not in your group, naturally, but from everyone else. The criminal may be well connected,” Chen said, frowning. “For instance, consider his choice of the Bund last night. He could have learned about the neighborhood committee patrol. The Bund happens to be one of the few public places—perhaps the only one—that was barely covered by such patrols. It’s all government and business buildings along Zhongshan Road, and there is no residential neighborhood committee nearby. The police patrol alone was not enough to cover the area.”
    “It could just be a coincidence.”
    “For once, Party Secretary Li may have a point. The murderer’s choice of the Bund makes the message a political one, but I doubt it’s a call for action against three-accompanying girls. Rather, it’s a secret, strange message, full of contradictions. The contradictions may serve, however, as a point of entry for us, just like symptoms for a psychoanalyst.” Chen added, “Incidentally, I’ve adopted a similar approach for my literature paper.”
    “Really!” Yu said. “Your paper must be an interesting one, but first tell me about the contradictions in the case.”
    “Let me start by telling you about my paper, briefly,” Chen said. “I’ve read a few classical romance stories, and I’ve been confused by their contradicting messages. This reminded me of something in the red mandarin dress.”
    “Or vice versa,” Yu said grumpily. That was just like his bookish boss. They had three murder victims, and the chief inspector actually wanted to discuss his literature paper.
    “In psychoanalysis, a patient may have problems or contradictions beyond his own comprehension, and an analyst is supposed to find the cause embedded within the subconscious. I tried to focus on the contradictions in this case too, especially with regards to the red mandarin dress. So I have put