Chapter 95: Father-Son Conflict

Chen Shi walked into the bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, just a bed and a computer, but the computer tower was missing. He checked the dust patterns and saw that it had been forcibly removed, with the USB cables torn off at the back.

The torn cables matched the one they had found earlier.

Chen Shi glanced around and muttered to himself, “For a manager, this place is awfully shabby.”

He noticed the chair legs had worn marks into the floor, indicating the person had spent a lot of time at the computer. During the autopsy, he had observed that the deceased had a ring of fat around his waist and hemorrhoids, all signs of prolonged sitting.

The desk was covered in cigarette ashes and food stains, some of which had splattered onto the computer.

Tao Yueyue sneered, “Just like you, messy.”

“Nonsense, my place is very clean.”

“Is it? The desk and under the bed are filthy.”

“Is that so? We’ll do a deep clean tonight.”

Tao Yueyue opened a drawer and said, “I found something important!”

“I told you not to touch anything.”

Chen Shi walked over. Inside the drawer was a strange mask. It was wooden, crudely made, likely turned out quickly on a lathe. The right eye, nose, and mouth were exposed, with the rest covered, and it had a handle at the bottom.

Chen Shi took a closer look, sniffing the inside. It had a strong odor of garlic and alcohol. “Someone’s worn this mask.”

“What do you think it’s for? Could it be related to the case?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know. I don’t think it’s related to the case.”

“That’s pretty presumptuous!”

Chen Shi had said the same thing to Lin Qiupu not long ago, and now it was coming back to him. He put the mask back in the drawer and said, “We don’t have time to chase every lead. Let’s focus on the case itself.”

“Why don’t you have time? Aren’t you unemployed?”

“Don’t be so harsh. I bet that if I solve this case by midnight, we’ll get to eat at the best restaurant.”

“Deal!” Tao Yueyue cheered.

Chen Shi went outside and asked the neighborhood committee lady, “What’s the resident’s name?”

“He’s not the homeowner. The place is rented. His real name is Lü Jianye.”

“I heard he’s a manager at a lighting company. Is his income low? Why rent such a shabby place? And his wife, when did they divorce?”

The neighborhood lady chuckled, “Officer, you ask too many questions. I don’t know about his income… As for his wife, or ex-wife, they’ve been divorced for years.”

“Do you have her contact information?”

“The committee should have it. I’ll go find it for you.” She went downstairs.

Chen Shi told two officers, “My colleagues will come to investigate this house. Don’t go in for now. This case is now handled by the city bureau.”

“And his son’s death…”

“Where’s the body now?”

“In the hospital.”

“Which hospital? Our forensic team will check it out later.”

As the three of them went downstairs, Lin Dongxue called. She was surprised, “Chen Shi, really? My brother said you’re investigating a case alone? Does he trust you that much now?”

“It’s not about trust. None of you were around this afternoon… Where were you?”

“I took half a day off for a traffic safety course. I’ll get my driver’s license back in a few days. I just got back to the station.”

“Great, help me check the victim’s financial situation. I’ll send you the details via text.”

“Got it! Can you handle this alone? Need any…”

“No need. I made a bet with your brother to solve the case by midnight.”

“Men and their bets,” Lin Dongxue muttered before hanging up.

Tao Yueyue tugged at Chen Shi’s sleeve. When he asked what was wrong, she pointed to a man’s back and said, “That guy just looked back suddenly. I think he’s suspicious. Could he be the killer?”

Chen Shi chuckled and tapped her nose, “You were doing well until that last leap.”

“It’s my deduction! Those two officers were standing there, and the guy left as soon as he saw them. He’s definitely guilty, so he’s the killer.”

“That’s not much of a deduction.”

“Why don’t you go talk to him?”

“No, I won’t!”

Even if the man were the killer, there wouldn’t be anything to gain from questioning him right now.

Chen Shi followed his principles: investigation requires prioritization. You can’t chase every lead like a cat chasing a laser pointer. The strange mask in the victim’s house had no clear connection to the case, so he let it go.

Without this approach, solving the case tonight would be impossible.

The neighborhood lady returned with a printed document. Chen Shi glanced at it and said, “His wife is out of town?”

“Yes.”

“And the son?”

“He was initially placed with his father, but he’s nineteen now and working… Well, supposedly working, but he spends most of his time hanging out with bad crowds, frequently coming home to ask his father for money. When his father refused, they’d argue. Once, they fought so badly that the son threw a computer mouse out the window, almost hitting a pregnant woman. I had to go lecture him. By the way, Officer, I have to report that the son was here yesterday.”

“Really?”

“Around five or six o’clock, someone saw him running downstairs with a computer tower, with Old Lü chasing and cursing him, calling him names and saying he should have been aborted. I’ve never seen Old Lü so angry. He’s usually very mild-mannered. Guess what happened next? The son threw the computer into the river, and Old Lü jumped in after it. Many people saw it.”

“Is Lü Jianye a good swimmer?”

“He should be, because he swam back by himself and sat under a willow tree cursing his son.”

“Good swimmer, huh?” Chen Shi muttered, looking disappointed. “Why did this happen?”

“We don’t know. When neighbors asked, he kept saying his son was a disgrace, always resorting to violence if he didn’t get money. We don’t know the specifics.”

“What river?”

“The one in the neighborhood. You must have seen it when you arrived.”

“Please take me to the spot.”

Chen Shi asked the two officers to head back and wait for the city bureau team, then followed the neighborhood lady to the scene. The “river” was shallow and narrow with a slow flow. It was actually a decorative stream created by the developer, drawing water from a nearby park.

Chen Shi picked up a stick and poked it into the water, seeing it submerge completely. The water was over a meter deep. “Looks like the deceased could swim,” he mused.