Chapter 38 Evidence

Xu Shumei felt distressed when she saw Xia Mufan rushing back, looking exhausted.

While adding warm water to the enamel basin, Xu Shumei said, "Why are you back so late? Why don't you live in town? You've been on the road all day today. Does your waist feel sore? Wash your face quickly and wipe it. I'll get you pajamas to change into."

Xia Mufan, who was used to the dark and deserted kitchen when he got home from get off work, enjoyed this kind of treatment for the first time. He stood at the door for a moment, staring at his mother stupidly, his eyes shining brightly under the light.

Xu Shumei talked for a long time and seeing that Xia Muchan didn't move, she chuckled, walked over, took her arm and walked to the washbasin, wrung the towel half dry, and gently helped her wash her face.

Like treating a little baby, Xu Shumei wiped half of Xia Mufan's face first, then the other half, and said softly as she wiped, "Are you tired? Being a police officer is really hard. You come home so late."

The warm towel was pressed against his face, so warm that it went all the way to Xia Mufan's heart.

Xia Mufan raised his hand to take the towel and smiled a little embarrassedly: "Mom, I can do it myself."

Xu Shumei let go of her hand and stood aside to watch her wash her face and hands. She smiled and then felt distressed: "Child, when mom was not around, you took care of yourself, right? It's okay, now mom is back, mom will take care of you. Are you hungry? Mom will make you a bowl of egg noodles?"

Xia Mu shook his head hurriedly: "No, no, I ate a lot at night, I'm not hungry."

After leaving the town hospital, I ran more than 100 kilometers at night and arrived at the Criminal Investigation Brigade at almost twelve o'clock. The dormitory building was quiet and everyone was asleep. Should I go to the corridor to turn on the gas stove to cook noodles at this time? Don't bother with that.

Xu Shumei could see that her daughter was just afraid of trouble, so she took out a pack of instant noodles from the drawer: "I heard from Xiaoyu that you young people like to eat this instant noodles, which can be eaten by just soaking it in boiling water, so I bought some. How about I make you a bowl?"

Xia Mufan pursed his lips and smiled: "Okay."

You know what, after being busy all day, I’m really craving for instant noodles now.

As the bag of ingredients is brewed in boiling water, a rich and fragrant aroma fills the dormitory.

Xia Mufan changed into cotton pajamas and slippers, sat at the small dining table and started eating noodles. Xu Shumei put the clothes she had taken off in a basin, ready to wash them tomorrow.

The room was very quiet, with only the sound of Xia Mufan slurping his noodles being heard.

Xu Shumei looked at her daughter, whose nose was covered with sweat, with a smile in her eyes.

It’s so nice to be able to be with my daughter and watch her eat with such delicious delight.

Xu Shumei suddenly thought of something: "Oh, by the way, Xiaoyu and I went to look at houses today."

Xia Mushi raised his head and said, "Looking at the house?"

Xu Shumei nodded: "Yes, Xiaoyu and I went to three communities in the city this afternoon and finally found a house we liked, but found that we couldn't afford it."

Xia Mufan never thought about buying a house.

The housing conditions at Hui City Public Security Bureau are good, and young people who have just started working can be allocated a single room. If you get married, you can report to the property department and be allocated a two-bedroom suite. The unit is planning to build collective housing. Employees are ranked according to their level and length of service. Those who get a number can pay and live in the new building.

It is not the turn of newcomers like Xia Mufan to live in collective housing, but if those with more experience all live in collective housing, Xia Mufan will be able to choose a house when it is his turn. As long as she still works in the Public Security Bureau, the housing problem will definitely be solved when she gets married in the future, and there is no need to spend a lot of money to buy a house.

Xia Mufan really liked the relaxed atmosphere of eating and chatting. He took a sip of the noodle soup and found that the flavor was too strong, so he stopped drinking. He put down the bowl and said, "Mom, forget it if we can't afford it. We live in the company's house now and don't have to spend money. How great is that."

Xu Shumei expressed some regret: "It's good that the company's housing is free, but it's inconvenient to cook. I even have to borrow a stove from the neighbor. It would be much more convenient if I had my own house."

After a pause, Xu Shumei told her daughter the truth: "Besides, this house is allocated to you. It's not good for mom to live here all the time..."

Xia Mufan glared and said, "You are my mother, who dares to gossip about you when you live here?"

Seeing that she had finished eating, Xu Shumei handed her a handkerchief and said, "Wipe your mouth. It's not that I'm afraid of gossip. The dormitory of your Public Security Bureau is full of police officers who have to go to work. I'm an idle person living here, and I always feel uneasy. You said you would support me, and I'm happy, but I have hands and feet, how can I really let you support me?"

Xia Mufan said, "My monthly salary is enough to support the two of us. Mom, you have just recovered, so don't worry about this. You live here now, and I can see you as soon as I get home. This is the life I dream of."

After hearing this, Xu Shumei's heart softened. She thought about how her daughter left her mother at the age of six, and how Xia Manyin had ignored her. It was really pitiful that she had been alone for these sixteen years. Never mind. I’ll just stay by her side and do some logistical work first, and then make plans for the future after I get familiar with the environment.

Xu Shumei reached out and held her daughter in her arms, patted her head, and said softly and lovingly: "Be good, mom will be with you from now on. No matter how late you come back, I will be waiting for you at home."

Her mother's arms were so warm that Xia Mufan seemed to have returned to her childhood when she was still a spoiled and naughty little girl. Xia Mufan closed his eyes gently and said "hmm" softly.

——Home is where my mother is.

The mother and daughter snuggled together and chatted some more.

"Where's the soot?"

"There was a rat at the Anning Road Police Station, and Chief Wei came over and took it away."

"Mom, you know what? Chief Wei is a very nice person. He taught me a lot when I was at the police station."

"Well, Wei Suo seems to be a kind person. Mom will make something delicious in a few days to thank him."

"Okay. I like the egg pancakes my mom makes. They're delicious."

"That's easy. I'll make it for you tomorrow morning."

…

The cottage is very cozy.

Everything is so beautiful as if in a dream.

Xia Mufan's eyelids gradually started to droop and he fell asleep.

The next morning, there was a lot to do.

The first thing was to take fingerprints from Shen Hongyun's home last night, and also take a diary of Shen Yitong. The diary, resignation letter, and message note were handed over to the technical department for handwriting identification and fingerprint testing.

The results came out quickly, proving Xia Mufan's guess.

——The resignation letter showed signs of forgery and was copied word for word.

——The message note was written by Shen Yitong herself and was cut from a B5 notebook or diary.

——No fingerprints of Shen Yitong were detected on the resignation letter envelope, resignation letter, or message note.

The second thing was to investigate the call records of Xiao Zhenwei's pager and office phone, especially the call at 5:50 yesterday afternoon. Xia Mufan learned from Xiao Niao that Xiao Zhenwei had contacted the murderer, so he had to focus on tracing the source.

This time, Gong Weiguo played to his strengths and quickly printed out a large stack of communication records from the telecommunications department. All that was left was to screen the calls.

The third thing is that the Serious Crime Unit 7 held a meeting to study the next investigation plan.

This is the second case for Group 7 since its establishment, and everyone is still in the process of getting used to it.

Sun Xianbing gave a brief report on yesterday's investigation and took out the appraisal report from the technical department.

After investigating several cases, Sun Xianbing gradually gained confidence and analyzed the cases in an orderly manner with everyone.

"Based on the evidence we have so far, we can basically overturn the conclusion that Shen Yitong ran away from home, but was imprisoned or killed by an acquaintance.

First, someone placed the resignation letter on Section Chief Wang Xiumei’s desk afterwards, or Wang Xiumei was an accomplice.

Second, the note was cut out from Shen Yitong's diary, and Xiao Zhenwei took the opportunity to search the dormitory to put the note in the book.

Third, Fang Yuanyuan said that Shen Yitong had been forced to have sex. The relationship lasted for six or seven years. The other party was married, powerful, good at calligraphy, had a good relationship with Xiao Zhenwei, and was a member of the City Calligraphy Association. Shen Yitong discovered some secrets of the other party and obtained evidence, and wanted to use this as a condition to break up with the other party. ”

When Sun Xianbing reached this point, he felt a tightness in his chest and took a few deep breaths before continuing.

"My guess is that Shen Yitong has most likely been murdered. The murderer is her secret lover, and Xiao Zhenwei is responsible for the aftermath."

When Gong Weiguo heard this, he was completely shocked.

He slammed the table and jumped up in anger: "This Xinzhang Town is really evil! The police station chief openly broke the law? This is a disgrace to our police!"

Feng Xiaoyu also frowned: "Yes, Director Xiao openly forged evidence. He is so bold and lawless."

Gong Weiguo rolled up his sleeves and asked, "What should we do next? Invite the man surnamed Xiao to our brigade for tea first?"

Yu Jing shook his head. "I think it's best not to alert the enemy. He is the chief of the police station. He has been dealing with various cases for many years. He is familiar with our case handling process and has a good psychological quality. If there is no substantial evidence, I guess we won't be able to get anything out of him."

Sun Xianbing also supported Yu Jing's opinion: "Even if Xiao Zhenwei's fingerprints were on the note and the resignation letter, he could still say that he did not wear gloves during the investigation. The police station concluded that he ran away from home based on the existence of the resignation letter and the note. Xiao Zhenwei could say that the murderer was too cunning and that the grassroots unit's case handling capabilities and technical level were limited, and he completely shirked his responsibility."

Gong Weiguo glanced at Sun Xianbing and said, "So you mean we have no solution?"

Yu Jing sighed, "Yes, at the moment we can only overturn the conclusion that she ran away from home. It is only a guess that Shen Yitong was murdered. We need to find her alive or dead. We don't have any clues at the moment."

Feng Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and said, "Even if he was murdered, we must find the body and let the body speak for itself!"

Feng Xiaoyu used to do mostly clerical work in the serious crime squad. He is meticulous and gentle, but also the most soft-hearted. Hearing Shen Yitong's story, I felt sad and angry.

What's sad is that a girl in her prime, a beautiful and intelligent girl, was assaulted by a so-called person in power just two years after she started working, and was forced to be his underground lover for six or seven years. I thought I could be freed if I could find evidence against the other party, but before I could realize it, he disappeared and my life or death is unknown.

What is infuriating is that a small Xinzhang Town Police Station can actually cover up everything. If Xia Mufan hadn't met Shen Hongyun and asked a few more questions, Shen Yitong would probably have disappeared without a trace.

Feng Xiaoyu was really angry and talked a lot more than usual: "We can't say we have no clues at all now. At least we can be sure that Xiao Zhenwei is an insider. As long as we keep an eye on him, we will definitely find clues."

Gong Weiguo rubbed his hands and said, "I have experience in surveillance, let me go."

Sun Xianbing said, "Tsk!" "The Xiao guy has anti-reconnaissance capabilities. You can't follow him, so why not let Meihui do it?"

Gong Weiguo was stunned for a moment: "Coal ash? Are you talking about the cat?"

Sun Xianbing nodded: "Yes, the last time Wu Dameng was captured, it was Coal Ash that infiltrated the Wu family. Although it can't speak, it has a telepathic connection with Xiao Xia."

The last time Coal Hui did the stalking, he relied on the gray magpie to pass on the message, which no one else knew, so on the surface it seemed that Coal Hui only made a contribution in the arrest.

But as Sun Xianbing got along with Xia Mufan, he could see that she had a natural affinity with animals, which enabled her to demonstrate a strong intuition in the process of solving cases.

Sun Xianbing called it "telepathy."

Gong Weiguo didn't quite believe that Coal Ash had this ability, and muttered: "No matter how powerful Coal Ash is, it's just a cat. If it finds something, will it come back and tell you?"

Yu Jing thought about it and answered seriously: "Well, if Mei Hui finds any problems, he will probably come back to find Xiao Xia."

Gong Weiguo thought it was ridiculous, but seeing that they insisted, he could only wave his hand in dismay: "Okay, okay, coal ash is your treasure anyway, and in your eyes, coal ash can do anything."

Xia Mufan finally made the decision: "Yu Jing, go get the coal ash and bring it back to Xinzhang Town."

Yu Jing happily accepted the task and drove to Anning Road Police Station to pick up the coal ash.

Xia Mufan looked at Gong Weiguo and Feng Xiaoyu and said, "While Yu Jing is receiving the coal ash, you two should sort out the call records in the Xinzhang Town Police Station Chief's Office. First, check who Xiao Zhenwei talked to at 5:50 last night and whether they had frequent contact before and after the incident."

Gong Weiguo: "Okay."

Feng Xiaoyu: “Yes!”

The two quickly got to work.

Sun Xianbing looked at Xia Mufan: "What about me? What should I do?"

Xia Mufan said, "Check Xiao Zhenwei's pager call records to see which numbers he contacts the most and who they are."

Sun Xianbing immediately responded: "Yes!"

The call records were printed out in a thick stack. The amount of information was so huge that it really required a lot of manpower and energy.

But after a while, Gong Weiguo shouted: "The phone number has been found."

Xia Mufan walked up to him and asked, "Who is it?"

Gong Weiguo rubbed his eyes and said, "It's the office phone number of the Municipal CPPCC."

Xia Mufan asked: "Where is the Municipal CPPCC?"

Gong Weiguo said: "Vice Chairman, Lu Chengji."

Xia Mufan sneered, "Oh, a high-ranking official. Keep checking! Xiaoyu, check Lu Chengji's files to see where he is from and what titles he has."

After a while, Feng Xiaoyu pulled out Lu Chengji's resume.

Born in 1946, he is fifty years old this year, married and has one son. He is from Xitong Village, Xinzhang Town, Hui City. He used to be the secretary of Xinzhang Town Government. He is currently the vice chairman of the Municipal CPPCC and the vice president of the Municipal Calligraphy Association.

The ID photo on the resume should be what Lu Chengji looked like when he was young, with a square face, small eyes, big eyelids, a serious expression, and hair combed back, looking like an official.

Six years ago, he served as town secretary and vice president of the Calligraphy Association.

——Lu Chengji, this is the person!

Gong Weiguo, Feng Xiaoyu and Sun Xianbing devoted themselves to the study of the call records, while Xia Mufan went to Yue Yuan's office to report on his work. This matter is too big, involving not only people within the public security system but also city-level leaders. The five people in the Serious Crime Unit 7 cannot handle it at all, and they must get the support of the brigade.

After listening to Xia Mufan's report, Yue Yuan thought for a moment and then gave instructions.

First, make every effort to find Shen Yitong's whereabouts.

Second, no matter who the opponent is, track him down to the end.

Third, after obtaining enough evidence, we must strike with thunder and wipe out the power network in Xinzhang Town!

After that, Yue Yuan looked at Xia Mufan's lively eyes and said earnestly, "Go ahead and do it. Our Criminal Investigation Team is your greatest support."

Xia Mushi raised his head and chest: "Yes!"

Before Xia Mufan left, Yue Yuan reminded him, "Be careful, the five of you should move together. Don't stay overnight, come back when you're done. Oh, by the way, find the gun controller to get your guns, manage them strictly, use them according to regulations, and don't shoot easily."

When Xia Mufan heard this, he immediately became alert.

The Criminal Investigation Brigade now has strict gun management. Guns can only be carried when performing tasks that require the use of guns. Guns are received and returned every day, and a report must be written if a gun is fired and returned.

This is her first operation with a gun!

Five people acted together, all equipped with guns.

Xia Mufan's eyes were shining with eagerness: "Yes!"