Chapter 789: The Trail of Money

Song Lang paced back and forth in Peng Sijue’s office, every second ticking by as he waited for news from Lin Qiupu.

At that moment, Lin Qiupu called excitedly, “Captain, we found a banknote from that number range at a supermarket near Li Qiang’s place.”

“Good, excellent! Bring it back immediately!” Song Lang gestured, indicating there was something to discuss. He covered the receiver and Peng Sijue said, “One banknote isn’t decisive evidence. Banknotes circulate widely; even if we find Li Qiang’s fingerprints on it, his lawyer could come up with plausible explanations.”

Song Lang considered Peng Sijue’s advice and spoke into the phone, “Lin, don’t rush back just yet. Keep searching thoroughly.”

“Okay, Captain.”

After hanging up, Song Lang commented, “Lin is diligent. If he didn’t find the banknotes at Li Qiang’s place, then they’re definitely not there. But it’s only been a few days; Li Qiang couldn’t have spent it all.”

“Didn’t Li Qiang owe loan sharks? Wouldn’t he use it to pay off his debts?” Peng Sijue queried.

“No, he wouldn’t. This money is life and death. If I were him, I wouldn’t let the police trace it in any way. I’d definitely hide it…” Song Lang paused. “The murder weapon, the knife carried by He Jun, Li Qiang never had the chance to get hold of it. Only He Jingjing. They are accomplices; they must have been in contact… Yes, hiding the money with He Jingjing would be safest. Lao Peng, come with me!”

“Can’t you find someone else? I have other matters!”

“Hurry up, time’s running out. Bring your appraisal tools.”

Reluctantly, Peng Sijue accompanied him.

They drove to Taiyang Pawnshop. He Jun was tidying up after the morning’s mess, his head bandaged, evidently from an injury that made him irritable. “They invited me to the station for tea yesterday and now Jingjing today. You guys are efficient. Why hasn’t she returned?”

“She might not come back today,” Song Lang said.

“What do you mean by that?” He Jun narrowed his eyes. “Did she break the law?”

“We’ll inform you once we’ve investigated. I have something to ask you. Did Li Qiang visit here after September 2?”

“Li Qiang?” He Jun pondered for a moment. “The notorious debtor? He didn’t come here, at least not that I saw.”

It seemed He Jun had no idea about the relationship between Li Qiang and He Jingjing.

“Did He Jingjing hide anything here?”

“I don’t know.”

“Let’s check her bedroom,” Song Lang said.

Song Lang had a search warrant. He Jun didn’t object, allowing them into He Jingjing’s room on the second floor, a typical room with only a TV, no computer. The closet contained several brand-name clothes and bags, all obviously high-quality counterfeits.

“Did you give her these?” Song Lang asked He Jun.

“Bought by He Taiyang. How could I buy these fakes… Hey, where’s the LV bag I gave her? Did He Taiyang take it to sell?”

“It seems He Taiyang cares a lot for this ‘daughter.'”

“After all, she’s his only daughter.”

Song Lang meticulously searched the bed, closet, drawers, and even the floor. Peng Sijue used his appraisal tools in various places but found nothing.

Growing impatient, He Jun asked them to leave. Song Lang said, “Stay outside for a while.”

“What if you steal Jingjing’s things?”

“If I were that nosy, you could complain. I’m at peace even if I lose my job over a counterfeit item!”

Reluctantly, He Jun left, returning to his room to lift weights.

Song Lang sat by the bed, lit a cigarette. Peng Sijue said, “Hey, don’t smoke here!” then handed over an ashtray.

Song Lang smoked heavily, pondering. “He Taiyang, Mrs. He’s rooms are empty now. Could the money be hidden there?”

Peng Sijue checked the time. “You can search, but at our pace, by the time you find it, those two will be released.”

An hour later, nearing 6 p.m., Song Lang grew anxious. If someone wanted to hide something, they wouldn’t place it in an obvious spot. The house was large, with many corners where a million could hide.

“And a million could be divided and hidden in various places, like in the toilet tank in the movies.”

Thinking this, Song Lang rushed outside. At the end of the hallway was a shared toilet and bath. He eagerly opened the toilet tank, finding nothing. Peng Sijue followed, saying, “Find a screwdriver and check the water heater.”

“Are you crazy? A woman hiding money, lodging with someone else, wouldn’t do that.”

“A million, stacked high, where would she hide so much money?”

“Dig a hole and bury it?”

“Impossible. From the crime to now, the police have been diligent in visiting. Jingjing wouldn’t have time to take the money away… What if the money disappeared? Yes, money is paper; it burns!”

“You mean to burn a million? What’s the point of the murder?”

“Jingjing could get more than a million. She’s legally He Taiyang’s daughter, inheriting everything here.” Song Lang stormed out, his long coat swirling like flames.

He searched the kitchen, backyard, rough with urgency, everywhere messy. In a corner of the backyard, he found an old charcoal brazier, taking it down. Inside were ashes of paper, Peng Sijue carefully picked up with tweezers, observing with a magnifying glass, saying, “It’s banknotes!”

“I told you!” Song Lang smiled confidently.

Lin Qiupu felt very impressed, first with Song Lang’s judgment, then with the suspect’s “courage,” burning a million without hesitation.

“But can these be used as evidence?”

“I leave that to you. Bring more people over. If you can find the box the money was kept in, even better.”

“Easy for you to say.” Lin Qiupu sighed, taking on this tough job.

Song Lang hurried back to the station with a piece of identifiable ashes. Lin Qiupu had returned, and he had found five banknotes from nearby restaurants and supermarkets near Li Qiang’s home, results even better than Song Lang expected. He praised Lin Qiupu.

He returned to the interrogation room. He Jingjing had been waiting impatiently, saying, “Officer Song, can I leave? When do you plan to prolong the case?”

“Sorry, you can’t leave now. Is there a charcoal brazier in your yard?”

He Jingjing’s eyes widened, understanding what Song Lang wanted to say.

Song Lang placed the ashes on the table. “After our careful investigation, we discovered you managed Li Qiang’s tricky one million in a very simple, rough manner. Anything else you want to say?”

He Jingjing frowned. “Burned like this, I don’t believe there are fingerprints!”

“We’re checking that, but you can’t leave now.”

“Why?”

“What do you think you burned, this is RMB!”