Chapter 23 Blood and Deception
Building 1 at Oceanview University was cordoned off with police tape. Alison approached with her suitcase, only to be stopped by an officer maintaining the perimeter.
"You can't go in! What floor do you live on? What's your room number?" The officer mistook her for a resident student.
"I'm not a student," Alison began to explain when Taylor came jogging over.
"There's been a misunderstanding. This is the specialist we've brought in to assist with the investigation," Taylor said good-naturedly, leading Alison past the police tape and handing her a brand-new identification badge. "I forgot to give you this this morning. From now on, just show this to any officers guarding the scene and you'll be fine."
The badge displayed Alison's name and photograph, with the title "Special Consultant." She hung it around her neck and asked Taylor about the situation.
"Don't even get me started. The university had cleaning staff scrub down Room 313, completely destroying the crime scene. Mr. West is absolutely furious," Taylor said, clearly irritated by the administration's actions.
Octavius, Oceanview University's president for less than two years, was overly concerned with the institution's reputation. Upon hearing about a dead infant in the women's dormitory, his first instinct was to cover up the scandal, recklessly ordering the body's disposal.
Even with police now present, Octavius still wanted to suppress the news.
"Oceanview is a prestigious institution with a hundred-year history. We just received national recognition as a top ten university, and we have an international accreditation team visiting soon. If this incident becomes public, it would severely damage our reputation," Octavius explained to Oliver.
"Which is more important—reputation or human life?" Oliver countered bluntly.
"You're being unreasonable, young man. I'm not preventing your investigation—I'm simply asking you to remove the police tape downstairs. There are far too many onlookers gathered here!" Octavius lowered his voice threateningly. "I know your chief. Want to bet I can get you disciplined?"
Oliver smirked. "What a coincidence—I know our chief too. I also know the city education director, the state education commissioner, and I have contacts at the Department of Education. Which one should I call about your tampering with a crime scene?"
Octavius laughed incredulously. "How dare you?"
Oliver immediately placed a call while Octavius watched.
Octavius maintained a dismissive expression toward Oliver, but moments later his phone rang. After answering, his face transformed into one of nervous deference. When he hung up, he stared at Oliver in disbelief. "Who exactly are you?"
"I'm a detective," Oliver replied, gesturing for two officers to escort Octavius from the scene.
Witnessing this exchange, Alison whispered to Taylor, "Oliver's background isn't just family wealth, is it?"
Taylor grinned proudly but made a downward gesture with his palm. "Let's keep that low-key."
Alison set her suitcase in a corner and put on gloves and shoe covers. Room 313 was a four-person dormitory with lofted beds above desks and a spacious central area covered with a beige carpet.
According to witness statements, the infant had been placed in the center of the carpet, wrapped in a pink swaddling cloth with tiny hands and feet visible. The three female residents hadn't dared touch it—it was the cleaning staff who discovered the baby was headless upon unwrapping it.
The carpet had been rolled up by the cleaning staff. Alison and Taylor worked together to unroll it, revealing a blood-soaked surface turned brownish and emitting a strong, foul odor.
The floor had been washed, and the air reeked of disinfectant mingled with a rusty iron smell.
Three of the beds remained as their occupants had left them that morning, except for the window-side bed which showed minimal use. The nameplate on its headboard read "Dione."
The four desks were covered with various items. Alison noticed expensive cosmetics and jewelry, while the closets stood open, filled with designer bags, clothing, and shoes.
All these possessions now sat soaking in blood. The dormitory seemed submerged in a dark red sea, with bloody footprints and handprints from the three residents, dorm supervisor, and cleaning staff creating a chaotic pattern of overlapping marks.
Blackened bloody footprints led from the room to the doorway and continued down to the second floor.
Taylor raised his camera, capturing the entire dormitory.
Alison lightly touched some of the blood, rubbing it between her fingers and sniffing it. "It's pig's blood."
"At least ten liters of it," Oliver observed, crouching in a corner by the door and carefully examining the trash can with evident disgust.
Noticing Alison's glance, he pointed to two milky-white sealed containers by his feet. The pig's blood had been brought in these containers; two rubber lids had been found in the trash.
Though fingerprints were unlikely to be found, Oliver still bagged the containers as evidence.
"What a mess," he said, surveying the chaotic scene. "Taylor, stay here and collect evidence. Alison, come with me to interview the three girls from this room."
All three were 21-year-old juniors. The owner of bed one was Cathy, who wore a practical short haircut and had a domineering personality. She was majoring in hotel management.
When Oliver and Alison approached, Cathy noticed their police uniforms and credentials. Though surprised by their appearance and presence, she maintained composure and acknowledged them with a nod, but Alison could see clear panic and anxiety beneath her facade.
The owner of bed two was Dione, adjacent to Cathy's bed with their heads aligned when sleeping.
Eve, who occupied bed three, was tall and thin with straight, long hair and elegant limbs—a modeling major. She covered her mouth with both hands, red-eyed and visibly terrified, her body trembling slightly.
Next to Eve was Nancy, the fourth girl, with light brown shoulder-length curly hair, a round face, and delicate features. She alternated between crying and cursing under her breath while furiously wiping blood from her hands with wet wipes. Of the three, her emotional state was the most unstable.
All three girls were slender and beautiful, each with distinctive features and presence.
Lillian and a female teacher were comforting the three girls while taking preliminary statements.
Oliver reviewed the statements with Alison. They noted that Nancy and Dione were both foreign language majors in the same class.
"Why would students from different majors be rooming together?" Alison asked, puzzled.
Different class schedules often created conflicts in shared living spaces, and most universities avoided mixed-major housing arrangements for easier management.
"Building 1 is recently constructed with all four-person rooms. The older dorms have six or eight-person rooms. Building 1 has newer facilities, better conditions, and charges more accordingly," Lillian explained.
"Money talks—nothing mysterious about it," Cathy remarked, noticing a loose thread on Alison's clothing and unconsciously revealing a hint of disdain.
Oliver appeared displeased, but Alison calmly followed up. "Is your financial support from your families, or do you have your own income sources?"
Cathy replied, "Both. I dabble in investments and make some money. Eve does modeling work for advertisements."
Alison turned to Nancy. "What about you and Dione? Do you have income sources besides family support?"
Nancy answered with obvious hostility, "I was born to spend money and enjoy life, not to earn it. And Dione? She's even more pampered than I am."
"Where is Dione? She hasn't been coming to school for a while, has she?" Oliver inquired.
The three girls exchanged glances before shaking their heads, claiming ignorance.
Alison could tell they were lying and was about to press further when commotion erupted in the hallway—Dione's parents had arrived.