Chapter 49: The Tough Battle

Lin Qiupu interrupted the woman, “You and Jia Zhenhua never divorced, and then you married your current husband. Isn’t that considered biga…” He stopped himself, not wanting to finish the severe accusation.

The woman replied, “When I eloped with Jia Zhenhua, my family took my household registration booklet, so we never registered our marriage. Legally, it was just cohabitation.”

Lin Qiupu nodded and gestured for her to continue.

She continued, “A few days ago, when I went out to buy groceries, Jia Zhenhua suddenly appeared with a knife. He said, ‘If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be in this state!’ In the struggle, my arm got cut. Fortunately, a passerby came by, and Jia Zhenhua ran away. I didn’t want my husband to know, so I didn’t call the police.”

“He’s a complete scumbag. Anyone with him is unlucky. Please give him a life sentence so he can never harm anyone again,” she pleaded.

“Jia has multiple murder charges. He won’t escape the death penalty,” Lin Dongxue assured her.

Lin Qiupu frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a DNA sample from you to compare with the blood on the murder weapon.”

“Okay!”

Lin Qiupu called for someone to bring a swab, took a sample from the woman’s mouth, and then they left.

Back at the station, Lin Qiupu handed Jia Zhenhua over for further interrogation and immediately went to the technical team. Peng Siyue greeted him, “Lin, you’re here? The DNA on the weapon doesn’t match the victim.”

Lin Dongxue noticed Lin Qiupu looked like he was about to faint. He took out the woman’s DNA sample, “Compare this with the sample from the weapon, quickly!”

For the next two hours, Lin Qiupu paced outside the technical team’s door, despite Lin Dongxue’s attempts to calm him.

Finally, the results came in. Peng Siyue emerged with two printouts, “The DNA is a complete match. It’s the same person.”

“Any other DNA on the weapon?”

“No, just this one.”

Lin Qiupu sighed deeply, “I got it wrong again!”

A police officer rushed over, “Lin, the interrogation is over. Jia Zhenhua denies any connection to the headless female corpse.”

“He didn’t do it. Take him into custody for now,” Lin Qiupu said weakly.

Back in his office, Lin Qiupu sat at his desk, holding his head in his hands. Lin Dongxue knew he was deeply frustrated. She gently said, “Bro, we haven’t lost all our leads. Chen Shi still has…”

“What am I doing wrong? Why am I always outdone by that driver?” Lin Qiupu threw his hands up.

Lin Dongxue gave a wry smile, “Well, the case is solved. The credit goes to the task force and you.”

“Bad luck this year!” Lin Qiupu slapped his cheeks to regain focus, “What’s the situation with Chen Shi?”

Lin Dongxue gave a brief update, saying they could officially search the company tomorrow. Lin Qiupu nodded, “Tell him I lost the bet again. If we solve this case, I’ll treat the task force to hotpot at Dong Dashun. And if he needs any help, just ask.”

“Why are you so agreeable now?” Lin Dongxue asked curiously.

“Watch your mouth! This isn’t about admitting defeat; it’s about keeping my word. Although I messed up with Jia Zhenhua, I’m glad I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket. At least we still have your lead.”

“Think positively. You’ll crack the headless corpse case and catch a cross-provincial killer.”

Lin Qiupu’s smile broke through, “Go on then. Don’t mess up this final step!”

Outside, Lin Dongxue shared the update with Chen Shi. He texted back, “Not bad, your brother’s becoming tolerable. Let’s see how tomorrow goes.”

Early the next morning, Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue a message, asking her to check her email.

In the email was a secretly recorded video from an “anonymous citizen,” showing the manager of Kangxing Company harassing female employees during a morning meeting. Lin Dongxue quickly took the video to the director and obtained an arrest warrant.

Lin Dongxue, Xu Xiaodong, and a few officers went to Kangxing Company, where Chen Shi was already waiting downstairs. “Got the warrant?”

“Look!”

“Efficient! Let’s go, full assault!”

When the overweight manager saw a group of police officers entering, he turned pale and forced a smile, “Officers, what’s this about?”

Lin Dongxue showed the warrant, “You know exactly why we’re here!”

The manager started sweating and his eyes darted around. When Xu Xiaodong moved to handcuff him, he tried to jump out the window but was pinned down by several officers. Lin Dongxue said, “You’re under arrest for publicly harassing female employees. We have solid evidence. Come with us.”

“Oh, that?” The manager’s expression showed a glimmer of relief.

“Is there something else?” Chen Shi asked with a smile.

“No! No!” He shook his head vigorously, his cheeks wobbling.

“So the harassment charges are true?”

“That’s also false. I didn’t do it. I’m innocent!”

“Take him away!” Lin Dongxue ordered.

Chen Shi whispered to Lin Dongxue, “Take this guy back and have some chatty interrogators wear him down. Leave a few officers here to search.”

With the manager out of the way, they could freely search Kangxing Company. Lin Dongxue instructed two officers to check the parking lot and building entrances for blood stains, while she, Xu Xiaodong, Chen Shi, and two other officers gathered the employees for questioning.

The employees gathered in the conference room, looking bewildered. Some appeared particularly nervous. Chen Shi, holding a list of names, asked, “Is everyone here?”

“Yes, we only have seventeen people.”

“Who’s the accountant?”

A woman stepped forward. Chen Shi said, “Let’s talk.”

Chen Shi asked to see the payroll records. The accountant showed him records for the past few years, all indicating only seventeen employees. Chen Shi, skeptical, checked the file properties, “Why were these files from 2015 and 2016 modified recently?”

The accountant smiled awkwardly, “The manager asked me to prepare a report, so I’ve been opening them lately.”

“When?”

“A few days ago.”

“What day?”

“Monday, I think.”

“How much is your monthly salary?” Chen Shi asked suddenly.

“Six thousand four hundred.”

Chen Shi smiled, glancing at her name tag, then pointing to a column in the table, “But here, your salary is over seven thousand.”