Chapter 90: Temporary Detective (Third Update for Votes)

Lin Qiupu was handling some paperwork in his office, a cup of red tea on his desk, enjoying a rare quiet morning.

The peace didn’t last long. A dispatcher burst in, knocking on the door and saying, “Captain Lin, there’s a dead body in May Day New Village.”

“Got it. I’ll take care of it right away.”

He dialed Officer Old Zhang’s extension, but no one answered. So, he called Old Zhang’s mobile and said, “Old Zhang, there’s a dead body in May Day New Village. Take some people over to handle it.”

Old Zhang replied, “Captain Lin, my granddaughter has a fever today. I’m on leave at home. You’ll have to call my apprentice, Xiao Li.”

So, Lin Qiupu called Xiao Li, who said, “Captain Lin, I’m currently assisting the fire department with an arson case.”

From the other end of the line, Xu Xiaodong’s voice came through, “I’m at the fire department too.”

“Alright, I’ll find someone else.”

After a round of phone calls, it turned out that everyone was occupied. Finally, he called Lin Dongxue, but no one answered. Panicking, he dialed several more times before realizing that her phone was ringing from the outer office.

It turned out Lin Dongxue had left her phone charging at the station. He asked a clerical officer where Lin Dongxue was. The officer replied, “She took leave to attend a traffic safety class.”

“Why did she go there… Oh, I forgot, her driver’s license is still suspended!”

Stuck without any available officers, Lin Qiupu hesitated. He picked up his phone, dialed a number, and immediately hung up, muttering to himself, “I really don’t want to ask this guy for help!”

Then, gritting his teeth, he made the call. A cheerful voice from Chen Shi answered, “Captain Lin, what can I do for you?”

“Where are you now?”

“On People’s East Road.”

“People’s East Road… Is that near May Day New Village?”

“About five minutes away. Why, is there a case?”

“A dead body was found in May Day New Village. Can you handle it for me? My team might take a while to get there.”

“It’s rush hour now, the traffic is terrible. They don’t need to come. I’ll bring the body back.”

“Hey, hey, you shouldn’t meddle as an outsider!”

“Don’t worry, I know the procedure.”

Lin Qiupu hesitated, then said, “I owe you one. I’ll treat you to a meal afterward.”

“Haha, skip the meal. Just give me a bonus.”

Chen Shi hung up the phone. In the afternoon, he took Tao Yueyue to a school to discuss transferring her, and also bought some groceries. Tao Yueyue, sitting in the passenger seat, was visibly upset, her lips pursed in a pout.

Having overheard the phone conversation, Tao Yueyue asked, “Uncle Chen, are you helping the police with another case?”

“Yes. Don’t you think I have a lot of influence?”

“Hmph!” Tao Yueyue, still sulking, turned her head away.

Chen Shi drove into a residential area and showed his consultant ID to the property manager. The security guard was delighted, “Oh, you guys are finally here. The whole community is in an uproar.”

“Where should I park?”

“Just over there.”

Chen Shi parked the car. Tao Yueyue quickly got out. He said, “Stay in the car.”

“No! I want to see too.”

“How can you assist in a police investigation as a child?”

“You’re not a police officer.”

“Get back in the car!” Chen Shi ordered.

Tao Yueyue pointed to the nearby security guard, “If you don’t take me, I’ll tell him you’re a fake cop.”

Chen Shi sighed helplessly, “Yueyue, be good. How about I promise to get you a hamster at home?”

“No!”

Neither threats nor bribes worked on the stubborn girl. Sighing in resignation, Chen Shi said, “Fine, but don’t touch anything. Leaving fingerprints can be troublesome.”

“Yes, sir!” Tao Yueyue saluted clumsily.

Chen Shi gave her fifty yuan, instructing her to buy plastic bags and rubber gloves from a convenience store nearby. Then he walked with the security guard to the scene of the body. The guard briefed him on the situation as they walked.

The body was found in a slop bucket at a restaurant within the residential complex. In the afternoon, someone came to collect the slop. When they tried to lift the bucket, it was unusually heavy. Poking it with a stick, they discovered an arm, scaring the collector.

“Where’s the person who found the body?” Chen Shi asked.

“He’s here. We knew you’d need to question him, so we didn’t let him leave… Why did only one of you come?”

“Traffic. The others will be late.”

“Got it!”

Arriving at the restaurant, they found a crowd of diners demanding refunds upon hearing about the body. The manager, surrounded and overwhelmed, was trying to explain.

The security guard asked, “Should I bring the manager over?”

Not wanting to draw attention, Chen Shi shook his head, “No, let’s go straight to the body.”

In the kitchen’s back door, the idle chefs were smoking and chatting. Seeing the body didn’t bother them; instead, they seemed somewhat amused. In the dimly lit kitchen, a bloated, short, and fat man lay on a waterproof tarp.

Chen Shi asked, “Did you move him?”

A chef replied, “Yes.”

“With your hands?”

“What else would we use, our feet?”

Chen Shi sighed, “Where’s the slop bucket?”

“Right here.” Nearby stood a half-full slop bucket.

“Why is it so dark in here?”

“The light’s broken. We were about to get it fixed when this happened.”

From the crowd outside came a commotion, “Kids can’t come in.”

Chen Shi said, “She’s with me.”

The chefs watched in amazement as Tao Yueyue squeezed through the crowd, handed over the gloves and plastic bags to Chen Shi, and proudly displayed her own small gloves, already worn.

“Why are you wearing those?”

“To investigate!”

“Take them off. You’re helping me with the photos. Can you take pictures where I point?”

“Yes, sir!”

Chen Shi connected to the local WiFi and started a video call with Lin Qiupu. The dim scene showed a man lying there, prompting Lin Qiupu to complain, “It’s too dark.”

“No lights. We’ll have to make do.”

“Why is the body so dirty?” Chen Shi aimed the camera at Tao Yueyue, “Who’s the kid?”

“Found in a slop bucket… This is Tao Yueyue.”

“Who’s Tao Yueyue? Bringing a kid along, can you be serious?”

“As long as I solve the case for you, right?”

“You think you can solve the case?” Lin Qiupu was skeptical.

“Don’t believe me? Wanna bet?”

“No… no bet.”

Chen Shi laughed. He instructed Tao Yueyue to photograph every inch of the area, leaving nothing out, then turned to the person who found the body, the slop collector, and asked, “When did you discover it?”

“Four in the afternoon.”

“You come here to collect slop at the same time every day?”

“Yes. I cover three restaurants, with a fixed route and schedule. The pig farm is far from here, so I avoid rush hour traffic.”

“You collect all the slop every day?”

“Yes.”

“Were you here yesterday afternoon?”

“Yes, at four o’clock.”

Chen Shi then asked the chef, “How long does it take to fill such a large bucket?”

The chef replied, “Don’t be fooled by its size. It fills up quickly after meal times, especially during dinner when customers order a lot of soup.”

“The bucket is usually kept outside?”

“Yes, it’s smelly and heavy. Who’d keep it inside? No one’s going to steal it… I poured leftovers into it at noon today and found it full, so I poured them into another bucket. Who knew there was a body soaking in this one.”

In the video, Lin Qiupu said, “Seems the person was placed in the bucket last night. Check the surveillance!”