Chapter 803: Silencing Witnesses

The police conducted a thorough search of Lie Guoxiao’s mansion. Throughout the search, Lie Guoxiao remained composed, smoking a cigar and sipping red wine on the sofa. After half an hour, Captain of the Third Team asked him, “Where did you hide the paintings?”

“What paintings?”

“The ones you extorted from those pawnshop owners.”

Lie Guoxiao raised an eyebrow, “I don’t understand what you mean by ‘extorted.’ I acquired those paintings myself, piece by piece. Is this part of the search?”

“Of course.”

Lie Guoxiao called over one of his subordinates and instructed him briefly. The subordinate said, “Those paintings are stored elsewhere. Please follow me.”

“Is it far?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“We’ll need a car.”

Lin Qiupu arranged for a few people to investigate, including Lin Dongxue, with Chen Shi naturally accompanying her.

Leaving the mansion, Lin Dongxue expressed her disgust, “That old man is so annoying. He kept trying to chat me up, clearly not a decent person.”

“Just ignore him.”

Lie Guoxiao’s subordinate drove in front, followed by several police cars. They arrived at an ordinary residential area, where the subordinate led the police to an apartment building and opened a door.

The first impression upon entering was the cold; the air conditioning was set very low, and the lighting was dim, likely to protect the ancient paintings.

The living room was empty, with no paintings hanging on the walls. The subordinate asked everyone to put on shoe covers, gloves, and even hats before leading them to a bedroom. Inside was a tall shelf lined with scrolls.

“These are Lie Guoxiao’s collection. Please handle them carefully.”

Lin Dongxue picked up a painting and unrolled it. Although she didn’t recognize the artist, there was a Qianlong seal, indicating its high value.

“We need to make an inventory. Can you act as a temporary consultant since we’re not familiar with ancient paintings?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Of course. I’m very knowledgeable about these paintings. I take care of them for Mr. Lie.”

“Where did these paintings come from?”

“From legitimate sources, of course. Mr. Lie is a respectable man who would never forcefully take anything,” the subordinate replied monotonously.

Lin Dongxue sneered, then the police began photographing and documenting the paintings. The room was extremely cold, so they took turns resting in the hallway.

When it was Chen Shi’s turn to step outside, he noticed a man in black across the street, leaning against a motorcycle and watching through binoculars.

Was the old man uneasy and sent someone to watch them?

“Wow, it’s so cold!” Lin Dongxue came out, stomping her feet. Frost had formed on her temples. “It’s colder than the morgue.”

“Are we just here to confirm Lie Guoxiao’s assets today?” Chen Shi asked.

“Yes, that’s the Third Team’s decision. These paintings have histories. By tracing them, we can find evidence of Lie Guoxiao’s crimes.”

“But will those pawnshop owners dare to sue him?”

“They’re definitely afraid of him, but seeing the police take action, they might turn on him. Many big bosses fall this way—one moment they’re powerful, the next everyone’s against them.”

Chen Shi chuckled.

“Why the uninterested face?” Lin Dongxue huffed.

“Is this an uninterested face?”

“I know this case isn’t as exciting as a murder, but it’s still a police duty!”

“I understand! I’ll definitely stick with it.”

They worked late into the night before returning to the station. After tonight’s joint operation, the Third Team would continue tracing the origins of Lie Guoxiao’s assets, while Lin Qiupu’s team continued investigating Boss Shen’s case.

The next morning, Lin Dongxue arrived at work to find Chen Shi sitting in her chair, staring out the window. She said, “You’re here early. Had breakfast?”

Chen Shi turned in the chair, “I’ve been rethinking the case. The killer’s motive might be that negotiations with Boss Shen broke down, leading to murder to silence him and perfectly frame Liu Feng. This suggests that before entering the pawnshop, the killer had two plans: negotiate or kill.”

“What would they negotiate?”

“Considering the big picture, it must be something highly valuable, more so than an ancient painting. The killer casually left the priceless painting at Liu Feng’s house to make the frame-up more perfect, which wasn’t necessary. But I can’t figure out what in Boss Shen’s circle could be more valuable than that painting. Whatever they were negotiating must be extremely sensitive, so when Boss Shen refused, he had to die. Only the dead can keep secrets…”

“Why wasn’t the assistant killed?”

“You’ve hit the key point. From the killer’s perspective, the assistant didn’t need to die for three reasons: he was unaware, his presence was accidental; the killer knew he could be bribed, indicating they knew each other; his testimony could mislead the police investigation.”

“The surveillance showed the killer on that street!”

Chen Shi nodded, “The assistant slipped yesterday, revealing there were two killers. I think one is the brains, the other the brawn. To conspire together, they must be very close, perhaps brothers, lovers, or spouses…”

Chen Shi had two suspects in mind but couldn’t say. Only Song Lang was familiar with their past, and he had to “stay true” to his character.

“Why don’t we visit Shangma Street today and question people door to door?” Chen Shi suggested lightly.

At Shangma Street, Chen Shi glanced at the broken surveillance camera. Lin Dongxue said, “The cameras have been fixed. On the night of the incident, there were five pawnshops in the blind spot. Which one should we start with?”

Chen Shi pointed casually, “Let’s start with this one.”

The pawnshop owner knew nothing about that night. He said Shangma Street was pitch black at night, and he didn’t notice anyone passing by.

“Do you know which pawnshop owner was close to Boss Shen?” Chen Shi asked.

The owner laughed, “Pawnshop owners on this street are both colleagues and competitors. No one is really close; after all, business rivals are enemies. I was just an acquaintance with Boss Shen, just greeting each other occasionally.”

“Do you know that Boss Shen’s ‘Mountain Dwelling Painting’ was targeted by Lie Guoxiao?”

Upon hearing Lie Guoxiao’s name, the owner looked terrified. “I dare not speak about it. I don’t want trouble. You better ask elsewhere!”