The 80s Female Detective's Guide to Self-Preservation [Criminal Investigation] - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After learning about the situation, Hou Ming simply told Xia Qiuyuan to wait. He stood by the door, staring at Tan Liu through the observation window for a long while before picking up the office landline to call the Bureau Chief.

The case had caused a massive stir in Xiatang Village. Now that they had clear leads and progress, a single night of interrogating the father and daughter should have been enough to close it. Suspending an interrogation required approval from above. Hou Ming glanced at the clock on the wall; it was nearly midnight.

“Sir, could you check your contacts for someone in psychology?” Hou Ming said into the receiver. “We need someone to perform a test on this suspect.”

The Chief’s voice crackled through the handset. “Why the sudden jump to mental illness? You didn’t mention this when you reported the arrest.”

“She doesn’t look like a lunatic; in fact, she’s remarkably stable,” Hou Ming reported. “But it’s too stable. This afternoon, she was violent and irrational—she scratched several of our female officers. Now, in the interrogation room, she’s like a completely different person. It’s unnerving.”

“And based on that, you want to push the interrogation to tomorrow?” The Chief sighed. “Hou Ming, you’re not usually the type to come up with these psychological theories. Tell me what’s really going on.”

Hou Ming rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew he couldn’t hide anything from the “Old Fox.” Usually, Hou Ming’s reports were brief to avoid a lecture, but to buy time for Tan Liu, he laid everything out—from the reasoning to the deduction process.

“The top graduate from the Provincial Police Academy says it’s an issue, and my years of experience say she’s right. Whether we find a doctor is up to you, Sir.”

The Chief paused. “Hou Ming, am I toilet paper? Do I exist solely to wipe up your messes?” He sighed. “I’ll transfer someone over tomorrow. That Comrade Xiao Xia… she’s being mentored by Zhao Yan, right? Good seedling. She learned the real stuff at school. Make sure Team One trains her well—don’t let her grow crooked.”

Hou Ming knew it was a green light. He hung up and immediately told the off-duty staff to go home and rest.

“Guangqi, Qin Yi, you’re on the night shift. Guangqi, Qiuyuan, come here.” Hou Ming waved over Liang Guangqi, who was buried in Tan He’s confession notes.

Liang Guangqi approached with a bad feeling. “What… what do you need?”

Xia Qiuyuan blinked and patted his shoulder with a smile. “There’s a great task for you, Comrade Guangqi. While you’re on shift, keep an eye on Tan Liu through the glass. Don’t worry about what she does—just watch for any sudden changes in her personality.”

“Sudden changes? She’s handcuffed and shackled,” Guangqi said, bewildered. “Is she going to turn into a mole and dig her way out?”

Hou Ming grunted. “Just watch. Don’t go inside, just watch through the window.”

“But what defines a ‘sudden change’?” Guangqi asked. “People change all the time.”

“People change, but they don’t turn from Lin Daiyu into Li Kui without any stimulus,” Xia Qiuyuan explained, using the classic characters from Dream of the Red Chamber and Water Margin—the fragile lady and the fierce warrior. “They think they are in the same body but have different memories, lives, and ages.”

As Liang Guangqi stood there trying to process a “Lin Daiyu-Li Kui” hybrid body, Hou Ming was already leading the others to his car.

The car headlights cut through the darkness of the police courtyard. Xia Sui sat in the middle of the back seat, squeezed between Xia Qiuyuan and Qin Yu. Qin Yu was still cradling her yellow skin sapling; its leaves tickled Xia Sui’s arm.

“Where in Hanmo Linju do you live, Xiao Yu? Should I drop you at your door?” Hou Ming asked.

“Building 3, Phase One. My dad bought it for me.”

The car was dark. Without streetlights, the occupants were mere silhouettes. Qin Yu tilted her head, her gaze bypassing Xia Sui to land on Xia Qiuyuan, who sat as stiff as a board.

Xia Qiuyuan gripped the door handle, leaning as far away as possible. She wasn’t afraid of Hou Ming’s driving; she was afraid of Qin Yu’s intense curiosity.

“Tell Professor Cui tomorrow to swap your field partner,” Hou Ming advised. “That guy is a liability.”

“I will,” Qin Yu replied. Even without his advice, she had already decided to ditch the colleague who abandoned her.

“Building 3? Hey, isn’t that where Xiao Sui lives?” Hou Ming noted.

Xia Sui, who had been dozing off, snapped her eyes open. “Yeah! I’m on the eighth floor. Nearly killed me climbing those stairs before the elevator was consistent…”

Qin Yu’s eyes brightened. “What a coincidence, Sister Sui! I live on the eighth floor too!”

Xia Sui was suddenly wide awake. She snapped her fingers. “The 802 unit that was renovated last year? I was wondering who was rich enough to renovate a place and then leave it empty for a year!” She nudged Xia Qiuyuan. “Didn’t you tell me the neighbor’s balcony was full of wooden racks? Here’s the owner—ask her yourself.”

Xia Qiuyuan, trying to vanish into the upholstery: “…”

“My aunt and dad picked it out while I was finishing my thesis,” Qin Yu explained happily. “The racks are for my plants. I brought a lot back with me, but they’re still at my dad’s place.” She leaned forward to catch Xia Qiuyuan’s averted gaze. “Comrade Xiao Xia, come over and visit. If you see a plant you like, you can have a pot.”

Xia Qiuyuan gave a noncommittal hum, her inner self a knot of awkwardness.

Xia Sui pinched Xia Qiuyuan’s cheek like a teasing elder. “Where are your manners? Xiao Qin is talking to you. My mom told you to make friends in the city. You’re the same age, both college grads, and next-door neighbors. You have plenty to talk about.”

Xia Qiuyuan rubbed her sore cheek, trapped by the proximity of Qin Yu in the dark. Her fingers gripped her police trousers until she finally managed an “Uh… okay. If you need help moving things, you can call me.”

Trying to maintain a professional distance, she added robotically: “The people… the police are for the people. If the people have any needs or difficulties, tell us. We provide help. We do not fear hardship or danger!”

Xia Sui: “…” She covered her face in second-hand embarrassment.

Hou Ming couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Qin Yu didn’t mind. She smiled. “Alright then, thank you, Officer Xiao Xia.”

“You’re… you’re welcome,” Xia Qiuyuan turned her head sharply to stare at the pitch-black scenery outside. Inside her head, she was doing frantic, silent kung-fu kicks. Kill me now. This is so embarrassing.

Xia Sui apologized to Qin Yu. “This kid grew up in our village—we’re all family there, so she’s a bit shy with strangers.”

“Are you from the same place?” Qin Yu asked.

“Yes,” Xia Sui said proudly. “Our village produces the best ‘Guiwei’ lychees. Lychee trees all over the hills, rice paddies below. It’s beautiful.”

“Lychee trees? There must be some ancient ones,” Qin Yu said, her voice turning more scholarly.

“There’s a century-old ‘Luotangpu’ tree outside our courtyard,” Xia Sui said. “My ancestors brought it from Lianjian City four or five hundred years ago.”

Qin Yu’s eyes sparkled with envy.

“It’s Spring now,” Xia Sui continued, selling her “sister” out completely. “By the time it’s Qiuyuan’s birthday in early summer, we can go back and pick them. You have to eat them just as they turn red—that’s when the flavor is best.”

“Then I’ll count on Officer Xiao Xia’s good fortune to let me taste lychees from an ancient tree,” Qin Yu said with a smile.

Xia Qiuyuan’s mind drifted to the tree back home. For a moment, she actually felt a pang of homesickness.