The 80s Female Detective's Guide to Self-Preservation [Criminal Investigation] - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The news that Zhao Guoying was home but hiding immediately raised the suspicions of Xia Sui and Xia Qiuyuan. A normal businessman with no criminal record—why would he hide so frantically upon hearing that the police were looking for him?

It was clearly abnormal.

Xia Sui glanced at the setting sun. “Let’s go back to the bureau and report. The others have likely finished their final screenings and are waiting for us to start the meeting.”

The small blackboard was propped up once again, and the team began reporting their latest progress. Before the meeting started, Liang Guangqi was stuffing a leek pancake into his mouth. He chewed twice, swallowed hard, and stood up to draw the new character connections.

“Yuanqing and I investigated the girl who jumped from the Xiatang Village school. Her family is from Xiatang; she lived there with her grandparents before high school. Her relationship with Zhao Yuanming was that of ordinary classmates,” Liang Guangqi stated firmly. “Many of their classmates can testify to this—before high school, she barely knew him.”

“As for Liang Chunhua’s statement about the girl scamming Zhao Yuanming’s emotions, we can’t disprove that through other witnesses. During high school, the girl’s grades plummeted. Her parents and neighbors said her behavior became very erratic. It was only after the tragedy that people suspected it was related to Zhao Yuanming.”

Liang Guangqi clicked his tongue. “However, when her neighbors talk about it, they are very biased. We can’t confirm if they actually dated. At most, we can list Zhao Yuanming as a person of interest in the events leading to her death.”

He distributed another set of documents. “Based on the investigation by Yuanqing, Qin Yi, and myself, we’ve narrowed it down to this group of people—those who have had past disputes with Jin Dacheng and conflicts with Liang Chunhua. But most importantly…”

“Most importantly what? Stop with the dramatic pauses, it’s annoying!” Xia Sui snapped, looking ready to kick him.

“One family’s daughter allegedly had a dispute with both Jin Wu and Zhao Yuanming. They used to live in Xiatang Village but moved the entire family to Shangyao Brigade because of that conflict.”

Qin Yi added solemnly, “Zhao Yuanming spread rumors that the girl was his girlfriend, making it impossible for her to go to school. She dropped out and stayed home. The timing of her dropping out was shortly after the suicide at the Xiatang primary school.”

For the police, such a specific turning point in time is usually a high-probability trigger for a crime. A faint investigative trail was beginning to surface. But the most important question remained.

“There is no solid motive for murder,” Xia Qiuyuan said, flipping through the photocopied files. They listed every petty dispute between the families and the suspects, but these trivial matters didn’t seem to warrant a clear intent to kill. These old arguments were “dead” motives. While some sociopaths might harbor grudges for a decade, such a personality would usually commit something far more heinous than simply stuffing intestines into a pig’s mouth.

There were no signs of intimidation at the scene, no deliberate gore, not even a display of venting rage. It was merely a secondary scene. This suggested the killer subconsciously wanted to stay hidden.

“What?” Zhuo Yuanqing gasped. Everyone in the room turned to look at Xia Qiuyuan, who was sitting at the end of the table.

Hou Ming raised his enamel cup and blew on the hot tea. “It sounds like Xiao Qiu has her own thoughts. Young people should share their insights more. Why do you think a motive hasn’t appeared yet?”

“You can say Zhao Yuanming had emotional disputes or spread rumors. But the rumors have existed for three years. If the party intended to retaliate, the strike would have been swifter and more brutal. Instead, the killer simply stuffed unknown intestines into a pig’s mouth. The traces left at the secondary scene were minimal. This suggests the perpetrator might be a cautious, perhaps even ‘honest’ person. They don’t want to expose themselves; they likely just wanted to teach a lesson and are now stuck in a difficult position.”

“One moment you say it’s retaliation, the next you say there’s no motive…?” Qin Yi scratched his head. “Are you playing riddles? How can a killer’s psychology be that easy to guess? It’s either a crime of passion or premeditated murder.”

Xia Qiuyuan looked up and raised three fingers. “Generally, when we determine a motive, we look at three things: Money, Passion, or Revenge. A crime of passion happens shortly after a conflict. The suicide was three years ago—too long for passion. Premeditated murder requires a more specific trigger. I’m not denying the old cases’ influence; I’m saying the reason they finally struck Zhao Yuanming and Jin Wu isn’t on the paper yet.”

“Basically,” Xia Sui translated, “Qiuyuan means Zhao Yuanming and Jin Wu must have done something truly ‘beastly’ recently. New grudges on top of old ones got them finished off.” She then shared the results of their visit to Zhao Guoying’s house.

“When we went to Zhao Guoying’s, his wife was home. Liang Jingshu avoided talking about him, constantly diverting my questions. Meanwhile, Qiuyuan looked around and concluded that Zhao Guoying was home but hiding.”

Zhuo Yuanqing frowned. “How are you so sure he was hiding?”

“The Zhaos have a Rottweiler—a guard dog.

It barked at me when I entered the garden. But after being scolded by Zhao’s daughter, it naturally went to crouch by the tool shed in the garden and sniffed at the base of the door before wagging its tail. If the shed was just the dog’s house, it wouldn’t act that way upon a command.”

“Huh?” Qin Yi laughed nervously. “Wait, you think he’s home just because of a dog?”

“Additionally, Zhao’s daughter was playing soccer alone, and her clothes were dirty. The splash patterns of the mud on her clothes suggested she was playing with someone with a heavy kick—not another child. And most importantly,” Xia Qiuyuan added, “the helper said the first-floor bathroom is mostly used by the mistress and her. Liang Jingshu lives on the second floor; she wouldn’t come down to the first floor to wash. There was one cup on the sink, but the water marks indicated two cups were there recently. There was also a low-quality razor. Liang Jingshu only buys high-end items; she wouldn’t buy a cheap razor for her family. If the helper was telling the truth, she wouldn’t have been so nervous when I saw it.”

The team was stunned. Liang Guangqi slapped his thigh. “See! I told you I graduated too early! They teach everything in police school now! When I was a student, the teacher just spoke Cantonese-accented Mandarin and told us to ‘think for ourselves.’ If I empathized with those weirdos, I’d be a killer myself!”

Investigation in this era relied on experience, legwork, and “bold hypotheses followed by careful verification.” Xia Qiuyuan’s hypothesis didn’t sound like a guess—it was a logical deduction.

Hou Ming tapped the table. “Did Zhao Yan recruit a student or a teacher? But Xiao Qiu is right. Even for a vengeful person, there usually has to be a recent friction. This case feels different. If Zhao Guoying is hiding, it means he’s heard something. The only cases connecting these people are the Xiatang suicide and the rumors.”

He began barking orders. “Guangqi, Yuanqing, go stake out Zhao Guoying’s house. See if he’s really there. Zhuo Yi, go back to the suicide victim’s family and dig deeper into her relationship with the boys and the other girl. Qiuyuan, Xia Sui, pack your gear and come with me to the Shangyao Brigade. We’re going to meet the other girl’s family.”

When they arrived at Shangyao Village, Hou Ming didn’t go straight to the girl’s house. To avoid startling them, they talked to neighbors first. Hou Ming and Xia Sui were experts at blending in. Once the locals realized the officers were willing to listen to village gossip, they opened up.

They revealed a crucial piece of information: “The man you’re looking for is also a coffin maker. He’s famous for making sandalwood incense; we call him ‘Tan the Fragrance Artisan.’ But he’s a man of tragedy. His younger daughter drowned when she was little, and his eldest daughter…”

“Wait? Does the Public Security Bureau have to register artisans who make incense for the dead now?”

Xia Qiuyuan smiled warmly. “Yes, even locksmiths have to register now. If you want to start a business later, Auntie, you’ll have to come to the station to file a record too.”

She wasn’t exactly lying—business registration was a real thing, even if it wasn’t the primary reason they were there.