Silent Testimony - Chapter 46

Qiu Wan stated that they had already summoned Jiao Yong, but he was not in Wanyang. The small-time thugs arrested last night either kept quiet or claimed not to know him.

Only Liu Yang, who works at a courier station, grudgingly admitted that the portrait was of his boss, Jiao Yong.

The case finally made a breakthrough. Li Hewei hastily typed: Did Liu Yang confess that Jiao Yong runs a casino?

No, I wish Liu Yang would confess, but he’s playing dumb, actually asking the police how they got Jiao Yong’s portrait.**

How cunning. What’s the next step?

Summon Jiao Yong’s wife and investigate their assets.

Do you need my help?

Not for now. Old Xu is leading the team to track down Zhang Dazhou. Sister Wang and I are responsible for the interrogation work. Or, you can take over for me after Xiao Tao returns to Puchen to recuperate.

Li Hewei held her phone, her fingers quickly tapping on the screen: Okay. She’s heading back to Puchen with Yingqiu this afternoon.

I’m going to Shujiang. Guess who I’m meeting?

Jiao Yang, perhaps? They both have the surname Jiao and she has dealings with Qian Gang.

Correct. She is Jiao Yong’s niece.

Li Hewei was surprised: Niece?

Yes, I hope it’s not what I think it is.

Li Hewei was editing a text message when a new message appeared in the upper left corner. She exited the interface to check and found a private message from Tao Ling’s mother, Liu Yun.

The text was long, the sentences were disjointed, and the punctuation was incorrect, yet Li Hewei read every word repeatedly.

【Xiao Wei, you are getting divorced from Xiao Yang right away, so I am contacting you because of Xiao Ling. I hope you won’t be angry. Business at the fish stall has been poor recently, and Lukai spent money on treatment and was cheated out of 6,000 yuan. But he still shouldn’t ask Xiao Ling for money. I only found out today that Xiao Ling is staying at your house. I didn’t tell him because I don’t want Lukai to cause trouble. I’m entrusting Xiao Ling to your care from now on. She has been obedient since childhood and won’t cause trouble. I hope she will be happy. Please tell Xiao Ling to save the money she earns for herself. Thank you.】

【Auntie, Tao Ling is very capable and independent. She will certainly be happy. Please take good care of yourself too.】 Li Hewei suddenly understood why Tao Ling, even though she was aware of being exploited by her family, still couldn’t completely cut ties: perhaps her mother was her soft spot.

【Does Xiao Ling have a cold? Is it serious?】

【Don’t worry, she has taken medicine and is sleeping.】

【Thank you.】

Liu Yun used handwriting for the chat, so her speed was slow and she made quite a few typos. Li Hewei waited patiently. However, as she read the subsequent messages, she instantly frowned.

【Xiao Wei, do you know any boys you could introduce to Xiao Ling?】

【No.】

【Tao Zong introduced the son of Director Zheng from the chemical plant, but he has a bad temper, and I don’t want Xiao Ling to suffer there.】

【Tao Ling can refuse directly if she doesn’t like him.】

【Director Zheng offered us 150,000 yuan, and Lukai has already agreed.】

【Isn’t this virtually selling one’s daughter? It’s okay. As long as Tao Ling doesn’t agree, in a society ruled by law, he won’t be able to stir up trouble.】 Li Hewei was familiar with Tao Lukai’s temperament—a bully who picks on the weak. As long as Tao Ling remained firm, he would be powerless.

Li Hewei urged Liu Yun to keep in touch, desperately wanting to know the ending of Tao Lukai in the novel. As she pondered how to contact the “original host,” a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her mind.

“Are you listening?”

Li Hewei communicated with the other party through consciousness: “The original host?”

“Yes.”

Although it wasn’t the first time communicating with the original host across time and space, Li Hewei was still terrified. After calming down, she couldn’t help but warn, “In the future, give me a heads-up first. Showing up like that is quite frightening.”

“No problem.”

“Tao Ling’s father suffered a sudden illness and died at home.”

There was a crackling electrical noise. Li Hewei didn’t hear clearly: “What did you say?”

“Old Li suffered food poisoning on her birthday. Remind her to cook seafood thoroughly and avoid raw marinades.”

“Okay.” Li Yuqiong’s birthday is October 25th, which Li Hewei made a note of in her memo.

“I found that any spoilers related to Tao Tao or involving the case cannot be transmitted to you.”

Li Hewei was frustrated: “Not even her father’s fate?”

“No.”

“Do you know that her father favors sons over daughters?”

“Vaguely, but Tao Tao has been independent since childhood.”

“She is indeed independent, independent to the point of being heartbreaking.” Li Hewei reached up to wipe away a tear. Knowing the other party was helpless, she changed the subject: “Can we summarize the medium of our consciousness exchange?”

“Perhaps thinking about each other simultaneously?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you know Officer Hu? Madam Hu, a probationary inspector with the West Kowloon Major Crime Unit.”

“I dealt with her at the beginning of the year when I followed Old Ma on a business trip to Hong Kong.”

“Does she like you? She’s asked you out for meals repeatedly.”

“I am not familiar with Madam Hu; I haven’t even added her on WeChat.”

“Xiao Chen pushed her my business card. I accepted her application, and we often chat unknowingly until late at night.”

“That’s your business to handle.” Li Hewei’s gaze inadvertently shifted downward, seeing Tao Ling staring blankly at her. She cleared her throat twice. “I…”

“Sister Wei, are you feeling unwell?” Tao Ling saw her expressive face—frowning one moment, tearing up the next, mumbling to herself—and worried she was sick.

“No, on the contrary, are you feeling better?” Li Hewei reached out to check the temperature of her forehead.

“A little better.” Tao Ling pursed her lips and released the hand clutching Li Hewei’s cuff.

“Let’s take your temperature again.” Seven minutes later, Li Hewei took the thermometer she pulled out and checked it: 37.5°C. Thankfully, it was slowly coming down.

“You’re going home with Yingqiu this afternoon. I have to go to the police station for a shift change; Sister Qiu has something important to deal with.”

“Okay.”

Li Hewei curved her lips into a slight, gentle arc: “Your Auntie actually cares about you a lot.”

“Did she call?”

“No, she messaged me on WeChat, telling you to save the money you earn for yourself.”

“Yes, I’m saving money, and I know she cares about me.” Tao Ling opened her chat history with Liu Yun. Mentioning her mother, a look of delight appeared on her face. “She asked if I was used to the dorm and reminded me to add clothes as the weather gets colder.”

“Oh, your Auntie already reminded you. How did you still catch a cold?” Li Hewei didn’t wait for her reply. Holding the phone next to her, she checked the information. “The takeout will be here in 30 minutes. It’s the braised beef brisket and tomato rice that you like. I ordered two other servings for Yingqiu and the others, and I’ll ask Wei Yu to come down and get them.”

“And, you are not allowed to say thank you.” She gently tapped Tao Ling’s forehead with her bent index finger. “Because I’m willing to treat you well.”

Tears welled up in Tao Ling’s eyes, and her throat tightened: “Sister Wei…”

Li Hewei covered her ears: “Do you really want to say it? I can choose not to listen.”

“I…”

“Sister Qiu is calling. I need to get busy.” Li Hewei forced her to swallow the words and turned to leave the room.

Tao Ling watched the woman walk away, her clear eyes shaking involuntarily. The endless rain outside the window poured down, and she heard it with unusual clarity—the sound of the rain hitting the glass window—just like her heart beating, one beat after another.

After 2 p.m., Li Hewei finished interrogating Liu Yang and leaned against the window sill in the rest area, drinking water to quench her thirst.

“Xiao Li, Liu Yang is stubborn and uncooperative. There’s nothing we can do.” Wang Cen, from the Major Crime Unit, had given birth in mid-August and reported back to the police station immediately after her one-month confinement period.

“He definitely has professional guidance behind him.”

“A lawyer?”

“Not necessarily.” Li Hewei shook her head. “Whatever we say, he seems to know in advance.”

“We’ll see if Captain Qiu gets any results.”

“Hard to say. Jiao Yang is very smart, a science whiz with a meticulous logical mind.” Li Hewei frowned. “Are Jiao Yong’s bank statements normal?”

“Normal. I even suspect they only use cash.”

“What about other assets? Houses and cars?”

“One apartment in an ordinary residential area in Wanyang, one three-bedroom apartment in Puchen, and a Buick Excelle car.”

“They’re hiding it well.”

Wang Cen sighed: “Jiao Yong is tough enough to deal with, let alone Jiao Yang.”

Li Hewei sensed someone eavesdropping behind her and became alert: “Who’s there?”

Xiao Zhang emerged from the corner and said apologetically, “Sister Li, it’s me, Xiao Zhang.”

“I don’t know you.”

“I’m in charge of criminal cases here at the station.” Xiao Zhang handed Li Hewei and Wang Cen two unopened bottles of mineral water. “We haven’t had a case in Wanyang for three years, and we were even named a model unit last year.”

Li Hewei put the mineral water aside, her expression cold: “Oh, and a model unit still has an underground casino and openly engages in loan sharking.”

“It’s just an accident, all accidents. Police aren’t omnipotent; there are always places we can’t see.”

Wang Cen lifted her foot and started walking out, asking him, “Stop wasting words. Where is Jiao Yong’s wife?”

“In the interrogation room. She’s not a suspect.”

“I know.” Wang Cen continued walking, discussing quietly with Li Hewei, “Xiao Li, I’ll ask the questions, and you take notes?”

“Good. Ask her where Jiao Yong is, and mention Qian Gang incidentally.”

Wang Cen pushed the door open and sat directly across from the woman, with Li Hewei beside her.

“Hello, I am a detective from the Puchen Public Security Bureau Major Crime Unit. I need to ask you about a few things.”

“Mm.” Jiao Yong’s wife swallowed hard, clearly nervous.

Wang Cen showed the portrait: “You recognize him, right?”

The woman stammered: “Yes, he looks a bit like my husband.”

“This is a composite sketch based on the notes taken by a reporter who secretly investigated the underground casino.”

“But you can’t say it’s definitely him. Jiao Yong has been in his hometown.”

“Hometown? Luocun? When did he go back to his hometown? We can check the surveillance to confirm.” Wang Cen pulled up a video clip to play. The footage showed Jiao Yong’s Buick Excelle passing through Tangxi at 3 a.m. on September 29, 2015, a time she deliberately obscured.

“Around midnight, I think. His father’s heart wasn’t well, and he contacted us in the middle of the night.”

“Did he leave from the residential area around midnight?”

“Yes.”

Wang Cen sneered, displaying the residential area gate security’s phone number, her tone soft yet mocking: “Look at you. You still blink when you lie. Do you know who this call is to?”

Jiao Yong’s wife seemed instantly frozen, her pupils trembling, and beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Wang Cen dialed the number right in front of her: “Hello, excuse me, are you the security guard at Ludi residential area?”

“That’s right.”

The woman gasped and stopped her: “I’ll talk. I’ll talk. He was in Wanyang last night, sleeping at a massage parlor.”