Chapter 177: Finding Granny Liu

Chen Shi entered the bedroom, scanning the area before lying on the floor to check under the cabinets. He pulled out a shard of porcelain. “There’s a piece here, with no dust. It must have been broken recently.”

Lin Qiupu told the officers, “You should all learn this meticulous attention to detail.”

Chen Shi looked under all the furniture. “Move the bed.”

Peng Sijue had the body moved to the living room, then shifted the bed. Underneath was a small plastic dish with a few slices of apple, now oxidized and brown. Chen Shi gestured, “The murder weapon!”

He took the knife and compared it to a slice of apple. The holes in the apple matched the knife perfectly.

Next to the bed was a shelf where miscellaneous items were casually placed. Chen Shi put the dish back on the shelf. “The knife was likely here, stuck in the sliced apple.”

He turned to the body. “Maybe the impulse to kill happened during the act…”

“I get it!” Xu Xiaodong said excitedly. “He found out he was being cheated on.”

“Ridiculous!” Lin Qiupu scolded.

“Go on,” Chen Shi encouraged.

Xu Xiaodong hesitated. “Maybe the mistress tried a new position he hadn’t experienced, making him suspect infidelity. In a fit of rage, he killed her… and then the other woman.”

“As a motive, that’s far-fetched. People don’t kill casually,” Chen Shi said.

“People are different,” Xu Xiaodong scratched his head.

“Is anything missing?” Chen Shi asked.

Lin Qiupu said, “The victim’s wallet was on the floor, only her ID left inside. The cards and money are gone. A drawer where she kept jewelry is empty.”

“What kind of card?”

“From the credit card application papers in the drawer, it’s a Bank of China card.”

“Contact the bank and check where the card was used.”

Lin Qiupu almost said, “Okay,” before remembering he was the captain. He cleared his throat and gave the order, “Contact the bank and check where the card was used.”

With nothing more to see at the scene, Chen Shi said, “You handle the case. I’m going to find the old lady and the child.”

“Let us know if you get any leads.”

“Will do!”

As Chen Shi was heading downstairs, he ran into Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue. Lin Dongxue asked, “Done already?”

“I’m off to find the old lady and the kid. You continue the investigation here.”

“Be careful driving in the snow.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a pro,” Chen Shi winked.

As Chen Shi and Tao Yueyue left, Lin Dongxue remembered something and said, “Property surveillance shows that at 10:30 PM last night, a child entered the complex. At 10:50 PM, an old lady followed. They left together 20 minutes later, looking anxious.”

Chen Shi nodded. “Thanks!”

Lin Dongxue returned inside, and Lin Qiupu asked, “Did surveillance capture a chubby man entering the complex?”

“I didn’t see one, but it did capture the old lady and the child. The security guard said he saw Qiu Ping leaving with a man in a car yesterday evening. She was dropped off at 9 PM, and the man drove off alone.”

“Winter Snow, Xiao Dong, follow this lead…”

“Let Xiao Dong and Xiao Li handle it. I’ll go with Chen Shi to find the old lady,” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“Fine! Peng, let’s check the complex.”

Lin Dongxue caught up with Chen Shi. Tao Yueyue cheerfully said, “Sister Lin, you’re coming too?”

Lin Dongxue said, “The captain approved me to work with Uncle Chen.”

Tao Yueyue unbuckled her seatbelt and said, “I won’t be a third wheel.”

“Little rascal, where do you learn these things?” Chen Shi chuckled.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Where are we headed?”

“The police station. It’s faster to check surveillance than asking around.”

This district had connected surveillance systems. At the station, Lin Dongxue explained their purpose, and an officer led them to the public safety department. The large wall was filled with surveillance screens. Tao Yueyue was amazed and asked, “Do the police see everything bad people do?”

“Yes, and if you run into trouble, run into the surveillance area to be safe,” Chen Shi said.

The officer pulled up the footage from around Hongfu Garden. At 11:10 PM, they saw an old lady hurrying away with a child.

Another set of footage from a bank’s ATM showed them spending the night there until 5 AM. Chen Shi muttered, “At her age, she’s not afraid of catching a cold? Maybe her money was stolen?”

He noticed another detail. “That’s a Bank of China ATM.”

“What’s special about that?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“I’ll explain later.”

The officer continued to pull footage from this morning. At 5 AM, the old lady walked from Fengning Road to Guangxing Road, then to East Third Wall Road. Chen Shi said, “She’s heading to the bus station!”

Watching surveillance footage at eight times speed, they saw the old lady sit down suddenly. The boy looked anxious, and many passersby avoided them.

“People in the city are wary of scams,” the officer remarked.

“Scammers have ruined people’s trust,” Chen Shi sighed.

The old lady and the boy sat there for half an hour, then went to a restaurant, staying for an hour before heading to the bus station. The old lady didn’t buy a ticket but kept talking to people.

The footage ended. The officer said, “That’s from a short while ago.”

“They’re still there! Let’s find them.”

The trio hurried to the bus station. Chen Shi told Tao Yueyue to stay in the car while he and Lin Dongxue split up to search. They also asked patrolling officers for help.

Chen Shi finally found the old lady at a food store. She was apologizing profusely to a chubby man who was gripping her clothes. The boy was kicking the man’s leg in a futile attempt to help.

Chen Shi flashed his badge and demanded, “What’s going on here?”

The chubby man, seeing the “police,” forced a smile. “Officer, you’re just in time. This old lady spat in front of my store. Look at the ground, it’s disgusting. How am I supposed to do business? I want to fine her.”

“A fine? How much?”

“Twenty yuan, not much.”

Granny Liu was overjoyed to see Chen Shi. “It’s you! Sir, I didn’t know you couldn’t spit here. I’m really sorry, but I have no money.”

Chen Shi turned to the store owner, sternly saying, “Don’t you know the law? Only government authorities can issue fines. Private fines are illegal.”

The owner, looking embarrassed, said, “How can I do business with it so dirty?”

“Have some empathy. Everyone has elderly family members. Who doesn’t get sick in old age? Let’s go, Granny.”

The owner protested, “Wait, I want to report this. She’s a scammer! I saw her begging people for money all morning. Even if she’s not a scammer, begging is illegal.”