Silent Testimony - Chapter 22

The indoor air conditioning hummed; a deep silence enveloped everyone. Li Hewei was overcome with a sense of incredible shock. Without a doubt, Sun Hao was a major suspect. But what about Zhou Lin? Did she know Sun Hao? Or had the security guard’s memory failed him? She urged, “Look again carefully; we cannot afford to be careless.”

The security guard had a deep impression of the woman wearing a face mask. He replayed the scene in his mind and affirmed with certainty, “I won’t be mistaken; she looks exceptionally similar.”

As twilight began to fall—it was dinner time—the corridor outside the interrogation room was deserted, its blue-and-white walls reflecting the bright light. The two officers watched the security guard leave, exchanging puzzled glances. Qiu Wan spoke first: “Does Zhou Lin know Sun Hao?”

“It’s incredible, isn’t it? Especially since she went to see Sun Hao during such a crucial period.” Zhou Lin’s attempt to conceal her whereabouts while appearing in Wanfeng City essentially ruled out the probability of coincidence.

“Exactly. The possibility of them colluding has increased.” Qiu Wan immediately summoned Zhou Lin, demanding that she arrive at the police station within one hour. As she walked toward the elevator, Li Hewei, who was beside her, quickly asked, “Where are you going?”

Qiu Wan paused. “Back to the office.”

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” Li Hewei was replying to a WeChat message from Tao Ling, asking her to prepare an extra meal portion.

Tao Ling responded: [Okay (^-^)]

Qiu Wan shook her head and chuckled. “How could I have time? I’ve been busy from morning till night.”

“Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria and fill our stomachs first.” The message from Tao Ling contained an emoji, which brightened Li Hewei’s mood, and her steps became noticeably lighter. Seeing Qiu Wan rooted to the spot, she turned back and urged, “Team Leader Qiu?”

Qiu Wan’s stomach rumbled at just the right moment. The corner of her lips lifted into a slight smile, and she quickly followed Li Hewei.

Puchen sits backed against the Shu River. Although the city itself is only a small locality that shed its poverty just over fifteen years ago, the hardware facilities and cafeteria food at the Public Security Sub-Bureau surpass those of other municipal divisions. For this reason, people often jest that it truly lives up to its name as the Shu River’s ‘Direct Princess’ (a nickname suggesting favored status).

The women entered the cafeteria and found a table where Tao Ling had motioned to them, then took their seats. Qiu Wan’s tray held two meat and two vegetable dishes, plus an extra bowl of clear soup. However, Li Hewei, who couldn’t tolerate spicy food, had limited options, managing only to find shredded pork with fish-flavor sauce (Yuxiang Rousi) and two green vegetable dishes.

She meticulously picked out the pickled chili peppers and the pungent young ginger, listening as Tao Ling proactively asked, “Team Leader Qiu, what is the plan for the case now?”

Qiu Wan took two bites of rice and swallowed. “There is no special plan. We will proceed according to normal procedure and interrogate Zhou Lin first. If she cannot explain herself satisfactorily and naturally confesses, then everything will be fine. If, however, she flatly denies it, we will need to find other evidence.”

Tao Ling thoughtfully nodded.

“Isn’t Zhou Lin an insurance salesperson? We should check if she had any business dealings with Sun Hao,” Li Hewei said. Beads of thin sweat broke out on her forehead; the remaining chili pepper had stung her, making her drink soup continuously.

Qiu Wan showed foresight. “I have already arranged for Xiao Liao to check.” Her phone suddenly vibrated with a low hum. She tapped into WeChat, glanced at the content of the dialogue box, and her usual smile appeared. “Look at this.”

“Six months ago, Sun Hao returned to Puchen for an internship. On January 26th, near the Spring Festival, he purchased an accidental injury insurance policy and a whole life policy. The sales agent who signed the contract with him was indeed Zhou Lin.”

Tao Ling is skilled at critical thinking and rarely speaks, but whenever she does, she manages to capture the key point. “Can we retrieve the chat records from WeChat?”

“The records were deleted. Xiao Zhou is currently contacting WeChat’s technical department to restore them.”

“Specifically deleting the records? That’s the hallmark of someone with a guilty conscience.” Li Hewei did not eat the shredded pork but instead carefully picked at the side of the vegetable dishes. How could there be chili oil in this too? She instantly frowned. Fortunately, she could withstand the spiciness of the chili oil and managed to finish the stir-fried cabbage.

Qiu Wan agreed. “Yes, it is highly suspicious.”

Li Hewei watched Tao Ling pick up two pieces of stir-fried beef and saw that she hadn’t touched much of her rice, so she quickly interjected, “Hey, stop! Why are we still talking about work during mealtime?”

Qiu Wan was eating heartily. “No problem; we simply observe the rule of ‘no talking while eating.'”

“However, let me ask you one thing: What time did you get home last night?”

“Perhaps 2 a.m.?”

Li Hewei pressed the issue. “What time did you wake up this morning?”

“Around 7 o’clock, I think.”

“That is truly draining.” Working within the system, people constantly strive to be like candles, burning themselves out to illuminate others. Li Hewei felt helpless and suggested she rest. “You’ve pushed yourself for too long; your body won’t be able to handle it. Let someone else interrogate Zhou Lin later.”

However, Qiu Wan was uneasy. Elder Sister Wang, who was skilled in criminal interrogation within the Major Case Team, was pregnant. Another senior officer, Old Xu, had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer half a month ago and only had both the left and right thyroid lobes surgically removed yesterday. It was impossible to ask him to return now. As for the remaining few, they were just inexperienced young men; the one with the longest work tenure had only seven years of experience.

“I’m fine. I’m wide awake.”

Tao Ling was also worried about her. “Team Leader Qiu, interrogation is mentally exhausting. Please listen to her advice and go back to the duty room to rest for a while?”

Qiu Wan sighed. “I only used twenty percent of my effort while maneuvering with Sun Hao just now. I am not tired at all.”

“How so?” Based on Li Hewei’s understanding of her approach to work, she would not be perfunctory.

Qiu Wan forced a wry smile. “Bureau Chief Wei directly asked me to be cautious, stating that Rongke is a leading enterprise in our Puchen and has far-reaching influence, asking me to watch the intensity of the interrogation.”

“What about Bureau Chief Liu?” Li Hewei had heard of the deeds of Bureau Chief Liu; years ago, he led the Criminal Investigation Team to crack a major case involving organized crime, uprooting the forces behind it and exposing several protective umbrellas, showing no fear of threats.

“Bureau Chief Liu also has to follow Bureau Chief Wei’s arrangements. However, Bureau Chief Wei has her considerations. The hot water bottles, tissues, and cooking oil we receive on holidays are all donations from Rongke.”

It was a matter from June, and Tao Ling still remembered the title of the article written by the Publicity Department at that time: “Jointly Building Harmonious Police-Enterprise Relations?”

Qiu Wan, adhering to the ‘Clean Plate Campaign,’ left not a single grain of rice on her tray, and said with a sense of helplessness, “That’s right; when you take something from someone, you are obligated to them.” She then stated with a stern expression, “But as long as we find conclusive evidence of Sun Hao’s crime, I don’t care whose son he is.” Many criminals listen to their lawyers’ misleading advice, believing that by keeping silent, they can withstand high-intensity police interrogation. However, that is a pipe dream. As long as the police have sufficient evidence—videos, chat logs, autopsy reports, laboratory analysis results, and other material evidence—they can present it to him. Combined with witness testimonies, and given 48 hours in custody, they can slowly wear down his psychological defenses, and he will surely confess.

Li Hewei looked at the obvious bloodshot lines in her eyes and did not accept her rebuttal. “You still need to go take a nap. I will be the lead interrogator.”

Qiu Wan drank the soup, her tone showing slight surprise. “You can do it?”

“I secretly read a few books on criminal psychology.” This was a mandatory course in university; Li Hewei naturally knew how, and she quite enjoyed studying the minds of criminals.

Qiu Wan had deep faith in her abilities and finally compromised. “Alright, then. Bureau Chief Liu also specifically asked me to cooperate more with you, with the intention of recommending you for the position of Deputy Team Leader in a couple of years.”

“Deputy Team Leader? Can I refuse?” Li Hewei only wished to stay in the Technical Group and did not want to step out of that small domain.

“Well, the Deputy Team Leader of the Criminal Investigation Team concurrently serving as the Team Leader of the Technical Squadron. When you work at the police station, you will naturally move up. It’s not about the position for me, but the higher you climb, the greater your authority will be, allowing you to put your own ideas into practice,” Qiu Wan reflected. “For instance, many regulations are set by men, which naturally favors them. What if we become the ones who establish the rules? Will the situation change because of it?”

Li Hewei certainly understood this. It was the same principle as her agreeing to become the Chief Forensic Pathologist and then striving to select her own assistant. However, she genuinely did not want to be the Deputy Team Leader of the Criminal Investigation Team.

“Wait, you said ‘in a couple of years’?”

Qiu Wan thought she had changed her mind. “Yes. You were only promoted to Squadron Leader the year before last. How could you immediately take a deputy position in the main team?”

“We’ll talk about that later; let’s solve the current problem first.” Li Hewei thought that perhaps in six months, she would have already left this world, and these bothersome decisions would be left for the original owner to make.

Tao Ling was the last to put down her chopsticks. They took their trays to the recycling area.

“You will be the lead interrogator later, and Xiao Liao will take notes,” Qiu Wan said, while sending and receiving messages. She learned that Zhou Lin had resigned half a month ago and immediately relayed the detail to Li Hewei beside her.

Li Hewei acknowledged everything and then asked, “And you? You’re definitely running off to the surveillance room.”

“I’ll rest in the duty room,” Qiu Wan replied, unconsciously joking with her. “A stranger might think you are my partner.”

Leos are naturally warm-hearted, whether toward friends or compatible colleagues. Li Hewei clearly noticed that the other woman had let slip an indiscreet remark; wasn’t that tantamount to coming out?

Qiu Wan also realized what she had said and quickly claimed she was going to answer a phone call, vanishing from their sight as if fleeing. Only Tao Ling remained frozen in place, seemingly pondering what she had just said, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Li Hewei noticed her expression and changed the subject. “Tao Ling, how much money is left on your meal card? Is it enough?” The machine cafeteria collects the meal cards every 31st of the month and reissues them on the 1st. However, the balance is only sufficient for one person’s use. Recently, Tao Ling has frequently helped her swipe her card for meals and occasionally brought meals for He Ying and An Yu, using up half a month’s quota in just a few days.

Tao Ling’s thoughts returned. “It’s enough.”

“Go home early tonight. Didn’t you say your stomach was hurting?” Although Li Hewei is quick-witted and outspoken, she is meticulous about the people and matters she cares about. At noon, she had noticed Tao Ling clutching her abdomen while browsing videos, and her complexion was not as rosy as usual, leading her to guess she was on her menstrual cycle.

“I drank a lot of hot water and feel much better,” Tao Ling said. The expression on her usually placid face was now colored with a layer of gentle warmth.

“It is certainly good to drink more hot water, but resting is more important.”

“It’s no bother. I took a short nap before dinner while the office was empty.” Tao Ling’s voice was soft, and although her pace of speech remained steady, one could sense her gratitude for Li Hewei’s thoughtfulness.

Li Hewei was, conversely, displeased. Why were they all individuals who were resigned to hard work, forgetting to eat and sleep? She said without preamble, “You must listen to the leader’s words.”

Tao Ling: “?”

“I’m thirsty. I’m going back to the office for a drink.” Li Hewei, seizing the moment while Tao Ling was still thinking, quickly left the cafeteria without turning her head. The clever Tao Ling immediately understood her hidden meaning, took two or three fast steps, and, closing the distance, whispered toward her back, “Sister Wei, I will go home soon.”

Li Hewei finally slowed her pace. The thin line of her lips, which had been pressed together, suddenly relaxed. She did not turn around but waited for the person to catch up. The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves. A cool breeze swept past, and the ground resembled a shimmering, golden ocean. She caught a glimpse of their overlapping shadows out of the corner of her eye, and the smile on her lips deepened.