Chapter 190: Acting in Justice

“We can’t draw any conclusions just yet,” Peng Siyue said.

Lin Qiupu turned to inspect the door lock. Although the police had broken it open after smelling blood, the lock itself showed no signs of being tampered with.

The homeowner’s clothes were hanging on a rack by the door, with a keychain attached to a pair of pants. The windows were open, making it chilly inside. The floor was dirty; the homeowner seemed to walk around in shoes rather than slippers, which would make finding the killer’s footprints challenging.

In the kitchen, there was a plastic container with leftover pickled duck giblets, delivered at 7:10 PM according to the receipt on the lid. There was also half a bottle of Erguotou and a dish of spiced peanuts. Lin Qiupu went back to the living room and turned on the TV, but without a set-top box, it couldn’t help determine the time of the incident.

He asked the police officer, “How did the informant find out?”

“The informant was the property manager collecting utility bills. They smelled gas and, when no one answered, called the police. We broke in and found the body. The gas was from water boiling over and extinguishing the flame, which has since been turned off. This happened around 9 PM.”

Peng Siyue checked the deceased’s eyes, “Time of death is around two hours ago, between 7 and 8 PM.”

“The delivery person might be the last to have seen the deceased…” As Lin Qiupu pondered, he felt a craving for a cigarette and glanced at the ashtray on the coffee table. The deceased seemed to smoke cheap Zhongnanhai cigarettes, but among the white butts was one of a different color.

Lin Qiupu picked it up and saw it was an expensive mini cigar. Comparing the bite marks with the other butts and checking the deceased’s pockets, which contained only a pack of Zhongnanhai, he concluded someone else had been there around the time of the crime.

He shared his findings with Peng Siyue, who used tweezers to examine the cigar butt. He then took a needle thermometer from his toolkit and inserted it into the butt, noting the reading, “It was extinguished within the last few hours; it’s still slightly warm.”

“These cigars are even more expensive than premium cigarettes. Whoever smokes them must be wealthy.”

Peng Siyue pointed at the deceased, “He met such a wealthy person dressed so casually.”

“They must have been close.”

“Should we call Chen Shi?”

“No, no,” Lin Qiupu shook his head repeatedly, “We can’t rely on him for every case.”

They were already busy with the hunt for the fugitive Ji Chunma, a case mainly handled by Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi. With limited manpower, Lin Qiupu decided this single man’s death wasn’t a major case and that he could handle it.

They collected all necessary evidence and sealed the scene, planning for the tech team to come by the next day for fingerprint and footprint analysis.

The body was bagged and sent to the station with the help of the police officers. Lin Qiupu said, “You can go back. I’ll talk to the neighbors.”

“Take care in this cold weather.”

After the police car left, Lin Qiupu interviewed the neighbors. They hadn’t heard anything unusual that night. Regarding the deceased, Zhou Taiyang, they described him as a solitary man who seldom interacted with others, often drinking and watching TV alone late into the night.

One neighbor, an elderly woman, said, “I heard Zhou recently sold his ex-wife’s house for about fifty or sixty thousand yuan.”

“Did his ex-wife have any children?”

“Yes, he boasted once about his son doing well, but I’ve never seen the son. Their relationship seemed strained. His ex-wife reportedly had mental issues and died ten years ago. The house sat idle for ten years until Zhou got the paperwork and sold it.”

Lin Qiupu noted this information and thanked the neighbor. He then went to the property management office, but the security cameras had been broken for a long time and hadn’t captured anything.

Standing at the entrance of the complex, he reviewed his notes and called the delivery driver listed in the records. The delivery person turned out to be a woman. “Hello, I’m a detective. Did you deliver to a Zhou Taiyang tonight? He was found dead, and I need to ask you a few questions.”

“Come to the convenience store on North Jiefang Road. I’m here now.”

Lin Qiupu arrived to find a young woman restocking shelves. “Are you…?”

“I’m Gan Ping, the delivery driver. I work two jobs. After 9 PM, I watch the store.” Gan Ping was in her twenties, fair-skinned and slender, with large eyes and a long braid.

“Must be tough.”

“You get used to it. Would you like a drink, officer?”

“No, thank you. Just a few questions.”

Gan Ping didn’t notice anything unusual. She delivered the food and left. “What time was it?”

“I have the delivery records here.” She showed her app, which listed delivery and receipt times. Zhou Taiyang received his order at 7:10 PM, and Gan Ping made her next delivery at 7:23 PM, clearing her of suspicion.

“You might have been the last to see him alive. Please recall any details.”

“Um… he was a bit irritable, complaining I was late even though I was on time.”

“What did you say?”

“I apologized, said there was traffic, and left.”

“Anything else?”

“Um… I took the stairs because the elevator was slow. A man passed me. Not sure if it’s relevant.”

“Describe him.”

“The stairs were dim, so I didn’t see clearly. About your height, wearing a stand-up collar coat. He had a mask on and slightly long hair covering his ears.”

“What time was this?”

“Before 7:20, because I made my next delivery at 7:20.”

Lin Qiupu noted these details and thanked her before leaving.

Crossing the street, he heard a commotion. Turning back, he saw some rowdy men, apparently drunk, entering the convenience store.

He didn’t want to interfere but noticed the men had been inside for a while. Concerned, he crossed back to the store.

Inside, the men were harassing Gan Ping, “Skip work and come with us!” They laughed and touched her inappropriately. Gan Ping looked frightened and met Lin Qiupu’s eyes, silently pleading for help.

“Are there still such outdated thugs?”

Muttering to himself, Lin Qiupu entered the store and shouted, “Let her go!”