Chapter 29: Man Proposes, God Disposes

The suspect claimed that Big Tiger had been killed. When they arrived at the office that morning, they found his body in a gruesome state, with his brains splattered everywhere.

In their line of work, making enemies was inevitable, but calling the police was out of the question. Logically, they should have contacted Big Tiger’s older brother, but after some discussion, they decided to take advantage of the situation. They emptied the safe, taking over ten million yuan, and planned to dispose of Big Tiger’s body in the wild, making it appear as though he had fled with the money. If anyone investigated, there would be no evidence, and the real killer would take the fall.

They intended to bury the body and transfer the money to a safe place. Carrying such a huge sum made them anxious, so they armed themselves with a few homemade guns for protection.

But man proposes, and God disposes. Who could have foreseen that they’d be intercepted by traffic police? In their panic, they had no choice but to resort to violence.

After finishing his story, the suspect sighed, “It’s fate, I guess. We were never meant to get rich. As the saying goes, if you’re destined for only seven feet, don’t aim for ten.”

Lin Qiupu looked at him coldly and sneered, “Keep making up stories.”

The suspect panicked, shaking his handcuffs noisily. “Officer, I swear to God, if I’m lying, let me be shot dead! Embezzling black money is a dangerous game. I’m not asking for leniency, just that this matter isn’t exposed. Otherwise, we’re finished.”

At that moment, Peng Sijue entered and asked, “Is Captain Lin in here?”

“Yes,” Lin Dongxue replied.

Peng Sijue picked up the phone outside the interrogation room. The phone inside rang, and Lin Qiupu answered. Peng Sijue reported, “Captain Lin, I examined the body. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, resulting in a closed intracranial injury. The estimated time of death is around three days ago. The suspects’ fingerprints were found on the victim’s clothes, likely from moving the body. Additionally, there are defensive wounds on the victim’s hands, meaning the killer likely has bruises.”

Lin Qiupu nodded, hung up the phone, and asked the suspect, “When did your boss die?”

“I don’t know. We found him lying on the floor with his head bashed in when we arrived this morning.”

“Does your office close on weekends?”

“No, but we were out collecting debts for the past two days.”

“It took you two days to collect debts?”

“The debtor was a township enterprise, and it was a large sum. The boss said we could get a ten percent commission if we collected it. We got the money, deposited it in the boss’s account, and spent the next two days having fun. That’s why we returned on Monday.”

“Hmph, you seem to have had a good time.”

“Officer, you misunderstand. Collecting private loans isn’t easy. We often deal with deadbeats who’d rather die than pay. Once, in Jiangxi, a debtor slashed me with a knife, almost decapitating me.”

“Did I ask you to say this? When was the last time you contacted Big Tiger?”

“Last Friday… around six or seven in the evening. The boss asked if we’d arrived, and I said yes. That’s it.”

“Who do you think killed Big Tiger?”

“A lot of people could have!” The suspect listed several names, all recorded by the notary.

After the interrogation, Lin Qiupu had the suspect taken away. The man continued to plead, “Please don’t expose this. I beg you!”

Lin Qiupu walked out, rubbing his neck. Seeing the expectant faces of his officers, he said, “You all heard him. How much truth do you think he told?”

Everyone pondered. Peng Sijue said, “People like him rarely tell the whole truth, but one thing is certain: they didn’t commit the murder.”

Lin Qiupu frowned, “Hold them for now. Verify his alibi.” With that, he turned to leave. Lin Dongxue noticed a trace of dejection in her brother’s posture. Perhaps it was because the lead had gone cold.

The prime suspect had died before the crime was even committed, meaning the entire investigation had to start over.

The officers stood in silence until someone urged, “Let’s get back to work.”

Lin Dongxue pulled out her phone, still no reply from Chen Shi. She dialed his number, and after a few rings, he answered sleepily, “Sorry, I dozed off in the car.”

Hearing traffic noises, Lin Dongxue asked, “You’re driving while asleep?”

“You’re assuming too much. Can’t I just be sitting in the car?”

“Where are you going? Why haven’t you replied to my messages? I thought you were missing!”

Chen Shi deflected, “How’s the case? Any breakthroughs?”

“No, the lead’s gone cold.”

“Expected. By the way, can you ask your brother to do something for me?”

“What is it?”

“Have the city check all traffic exits for someone who looks like the deceased. I don’t know his name, but he resembles the victim.”

“What are you hinting at?”

“Just trust me. Go!”

Annoyed, Lin Dongxue hung up, muttering, “So mysterious!”

She went straight to Lin Qiupu’s office. The door was open, and he sat dejectedly at his desk, muttering to a photo on his desk, “If you were here, what would you do?”

Lin Dongxue knocked, and Lin Qiupu straightened up, resuming his authoritative tone, “What is it?”

“Chen Shi needs a favor…”

After explaining, Lin Qiupu raised an eyebrow. “Find someone who looks like the victim without a name or ID? That’s too much work! No, I can’t use public resources based on his word alone!”

“But, brother…”

“Don’t use that tone. Our lead may have gone cold, but I’m not desperate enough to grasp at straws!”

“Why don’t you trust him?”

“I should be asking you why you trust him! Does an amateur’s hunch outweigh the intuition of trained officers?”

“You’re just jealous!” she snapped and stormed off.

“Winter Snow!” Lin Qiupu reached out, but it was too late. He slumped back, muttering to the photo, “If only you were here. I’m out of ideas.”

Frustrated, Lin Dongxue kicked a trash can in the hallway. She took out her phone to update Chen Shi, but he messaged first: “Starving. Can you order me some takeout? It must have meat.”

Laughing despite herself, she replied, “Where to?”

“The station. I’ll be right there!”