Chapter 597: A New Case
“Out in the wilderness, the remains of a child were found. Who would kill a ten-year-old child?
A kidnapping shattered a once-happy family. The father is now terminally ill, and the mother weeps every day.
The police peel back layers to uncover a shocking truth. A fateful encounter ten years ago led to today’s tragedy. Is this a result of twisted morals or the degradation of humanity?”
In the conference room, everyone watched a crime TV show with blank expressions. The case being discussed was the one the second team had solved, involving Hao Jie’s mother. The TV station had dramatized it, adding eerie music and soul-searching monologues that made everyone’s skin crawl.
“Stop, stop, stop!” Lin Qiupu said. “You can’t just add drama to our police work! Who came up with those inner monologues? And the whole investigation process is completely inaccurate!”
The show’s director grinned, “Officer, this is to add some drama. The audience loves this stuff. If we stuck to the facts, we might as well read the case files. It’s all for ratings! The case is convoluted and relatable. I’m sure it’ll get a good response.”
Lin Dongxue said, “Do you always have to use clichés like ‘twisted morals and degraded humanity’? I find that phrase laughable now.”
The director shrugged, “Miss Lin, have you seen Beijing opera? Is it realistic? No, it’s exaggerated to grab attention. TV shows are the same. Without these clichés, it wouldn’t feel right, like sushi without wasabi. Our scriptwriter has lots of experience and even worked at CCTV, so the script is fine.”
“My last name is Lin, not ‘Miss Lin.’”
“Alright, Miss Lin.”
Xu Xiaodong raised his hand, “I just have one thing to say. Your editing seems biased toward Hao Jie’s mother, almost implying the victims deserved it because they were the mistress and her child. That’s not right. That woman is mentally unstable. We’ve seen her. She’s not some pitiful, helpless victim.”
“We can fix that. What you saw was just a rough cut, not the final version,” the director pretended to accept the feedback. “Captain Lin, what did you think overall?”
“Whatever,” Lin Qiupu sighed. It was just a twenty-minute midday crime show. There was no point in being too particular. No matter how it was edited, the audience would never know the full truth.
The director seemed pleased with the approval, “By the way, I’d like to shoot some additional footage—experiments by the forensic team, bones, police operations. Could you all wear your uniforms and help us out? It’ll highlight the positive image of the Long’an police.”
“Find your own footage. We’re really busy with cases,” Lin Qiupu said.
“What!?” The director’s eyes lit up. “Is it a murder case? Can we follow along? We promise not to interfere.”
“Sorry, we can’t let you in before the case is solved.”
“I’ll talk to your chief then. Excuse me.”
The director and his team left to bother the chief. The meeting room lights came on. It was November 3rd. The provincial TV station had contacted the chief, wanting to film a crime show. The chief had agreed. Lin Qiupu was frustrated by this decision made without consulting him. Reporters and cameramen had been hovering around for days.
“Bear with it, everyone. The reporters will leave after today. The higher-ups want to promote the positive image of our team. It’s a task, so just cooperate,” Lin Qiupu said.
“Tell them not to enter the lab unannounced. It’s a sterile environment. Outsiders can’t just waltz in. A reporter even asked which machine does DNA,” Peng Sijue said expressionlessly, clearly annoyed.
“The DNA machine!” Xu Xiaodong laughed.
“Thanks for your patience. Now, let’s discuss the double homicide. Any progress?” Lin Qiupu asked.
“Zhang Haichang, the father, ran a pharmacy. His son, Zhang Chao, recently graduated and worked at a design firm. Zhang Haichang remarried after his divorce. His new wife was a colleague’s ex-wife. She lent money to her ex-husband behind Zhang’s back, causing conflicts, but it was just a few thousand yuan—not enough to kill over. The son’s social circle was simple, just out of university. Since they were killed at home, the target was likely the father,” Lao Zhang said.
“Does the wife and her ex-husband have alibis?” Lin Qiupu asked.
“The wife does. The ex-husband doesn’t. I’m still investigating.”
Peng Sijue said, “The autopsy reports are out. Both were drugged and had their throats slit. They had mung bean porridge in their stomachs. The table and stove were wiped clean, and the poisoned food was taken. We found some fibers, possibly from a headscarf or ribbon. The footprints were unclear, but the suspect likely wore size 39 shoes.”
Xu Xiaodong said, “No signs of forced entry. The suspect might be an acquaintance. We found someone in a green trench coat on the surveillance footage entering the community around the time of the crime, but their features were obscured.”
Lin Qiupu nodded, about to speak when he saw the director peeking through the door, eyes gleaming like a hungry wolf. “Wow, a double homicide. Captain Lin, can we follow this case?”
Seeing the director’s eager face, Lin Qiupu felt a headache coming. “No, it’s still under investigation and can’t be disclosed.”
“We’re not the press. We don’t have to use the footage immediately. Please, let us film a bit! Real-life cases are so valuable. The rough cut you saw was full of reenactments, not as gripping.”
“I said no!”
“I’ll talk to the chief then…”
Seeing the director resorting to this tactic again, Lin Qiupu had a sudden idea. “By the way, you haven’t talked to the person most familiar with Hao Jie’s mother’s case, Chen Shi. He handled the whole case.”
“Is Officer Chen here?”
“He’s not an officer, but a consultant.”
“Wow, a criminal consultant! Where can we find this expert?”
Lin Qiupu gave them Chen Shi’s contact information and address. They left immediately, like dogs chasing a bone. Finally, some peace. Lin Dongxue whispered, “That was mean, deflecting them like that.”
“Since Zhou Tiannan’s death, Chen Shi’s been avoiding us, saying he’s on vacation. Let those reporters bug him instead!” Lin Qiupu grinned mischievously.