The 80s Female Detective's Guide to Self-Preservation [Criminal Investigation] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

“You didn’t see a doctor after jumping from the third floor?” Xia Qiuyuan instinctively looked at Tan Liu’s legs.

It wasn’t hard to guess now why Tan Liu believed she was paralyzed and unable to walk, whereas “Tan Yi” had no such issue.

“No… I didn’t dare leave the house.”

Tan Liu had stumbled all the way home. Upon seeing Tan He, she had collapsed into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. From the waist down, the pain was so intense she had almost lost consciousness. She was too terrified to be left alone, so Tan He had to beg a neighbor to bring the village clinic doctor to their house.

When the doctor arrived and heard she had fallen from a third-story window, he was too frightened to touch her. “Old Tan, you need to take your girl to the hospital immediately. I don’t dare handle this; I might end up crippling her for life…”

Tan Liu was on the verge of fainting from the pain, but she gripped Tan He’s hand with a death-grip, refusing to go to the hospital. She was paralyzed by fear. Tan He, sweating with anxiety but unable to sway his daughter, simply had the village doctor prescribe strong painkillers to suppress the immediate agony.

The intermittent pain lasted for half a month. One day, Tan Liu suddenly realized she couldn’t stand up even while leaning against the bed. Sobbing, she accepted the “fact” that she would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.

“If you accepted it, why did you choose to jump into the river?”

Xia Qiuyuan carefully pulled away from Tan Liu. Seeing that the girl’s emotions and breathing had stabilized, she allowed her to continue her recollection.

“Because I had nightmares every night. It was agonizing. Sometimes I dreamed I didn’t escape and was caught by Zhao Yuanming and Jin Wu. Other times I dreamed of Liang Xiangxue. At first, she looked fine, then suddenly she’d be covered in blood, crawling toward me with bloody hands. My legs wouldn’t move, I could only turn the wheels of my chair… and she just kept coming…”

“Please, save me… I don’t want to die, and I don’t want to have nightmares anymore…” Tan Liu frantically grabbed Xia Qiuyuan’s hand. “Please, Officer, help me…”

The final diagnosis of Tan Liu’s mental condition would be officially issued by Wen Yaru under the name of Lingnan University Psychological Counseling. Before leaving, Wen Yaru handed over another business card. “This is for the Municipal Psychiatric Hospital the state is currently building. Given Tan Liu’s situation, the legal system won’t sentence her to death; it’ll likely be decades of imprisonment. If the court needs a place for her, contact us.”

“You want to study her?” Xia Sui pointed out Wen Yaru’s motive bluntly.

Wen Yaru gave a thin smile. “That’s a bit harsh. How can you call it ‘study’? We just want to make her life more meaningful. If we can treat her, more patients and families can be saved. Sacrificing the small ‘self’ for the greater good—what’s wrong with that?”

Xia Qiuyuan handed the card back. “If that’s how you think, Miss Wen, you should be careful walking home at night.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m afraid you’ll get punched,” Xia Qiuyuan said coldly. “The door is that way. We won’t see you out.”

Wen Yaru let out a light scoff and nodded slightly. “Until we collaborate again.”

Once she was gone, Xia Sui rolled her eyes. “Tan Liu has suffered enough, and they want to lock her in an asylum as a lab rat? They use ‘justice’ as a mask for their own lack of ethics!”

Captain Hou Ming and the team huddled around the case file. After reading the full account, everyone agreed that Zhao Yuanming and Jin Wu were absolute monsters.

“However, so far, this is all based on the statements of Tan Liu and Tan He. We still haven’t found key physical evidence linking Zhao and Jin to a wider ring,” Qin Yi noted, recording the testimony.

Hou Ming bit down on an unlit cigarette. “We have two key leads: Liang Xiangxue and the officer Zhao Guoying. We need to question Liang’s family and search her belongings. As for Zhao Guoying, that man is slippery. Bring him in for ‘questioning’ just to rattle his cage.”

Hou Ming knew that if Zhao Guoying was dirty, it wouldn’t be a quick win; they’d have to grind him down. “Qiuyuan, come with me to Liang Xiangxue’s house. Zhuo Yuanqing, go bring Zhao Guoying in—lock him in an interrogation room and let him stew.”

He then pointed to Liang Guangqi. “Guangqi, borrow He Huan from Team Two. Go door-to-door near the State Timber Mill. See if anyone remembers seeing girls acting strangely or being held there. I’ll have the Chief call the local station to assist you.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the team geared up to leave, a piercing, shrill voice erupted from the lobby.

“Why isn’t the person who killed my son getting the death penalty?! My son was such a good boy, just working hard out there, and he gets butchered for nothing! All you can say is ‘sorry’?”

“My son! My poor son!”

“Which bitch laid a hand on you? I’m going to dig up their ancestral graves!”

The screams of Liang Chunhua and Jin Dacheng echoed through the floors.

“They’re both here,” Liang Guangqi sneered, straightening his collar. “Demanding the Chief give them an explanation.”

Xia Sui looked at Hou Ming. “Aren’t you going up? Will Sister Wei Min be okay?”

“Wei Min practices Wing Chun, and her father taught her lion dancing,” Hou Ming said, rubbing his ear. “Don’t worry about her; worry about me. If anyone wants to lose their life, they’re welcome to come try our household.”

Xia Qiuyuan waved her hands. “No thanks. We’ll leave the ‘certified domestic beatings’ to you. We’ll pass.”

Liang Xiangxue’s House.

When they arrived, the door was opened by Liang Xiangxue’s grandmother, dressed in simple blue cloth. Seeing the three police officers, she frowned deeply, her tone sharp.

“What do you want now? How many times are you going to come? She’s been dead for years—must you keep disturbing our lives?”