Chapter 84: Murder Case with a Plot Twist

The 28th day of the lunar calendar, 8:00 p.m.

The master called.

He said on the other end, "Shanhong, the Spring Festival is coming soon. Starting tomorrow, don't go to Youranju during the day. There's nothing to do there anyway. You can just stay there at night."

"Okay, I wish Master and his wife, my brother and sister-in-law, my nephew, and you and your whole family a happy Spring Festival in advance."

"Thank you. It looks like there are firecrackers outside, right?"

"Yes, I'll open the video, you can take a look."

After saying that, I ran towards Fugui Supermarket. Master and his wife stood head to head, watching the fireworks shooting into the sky in the video, both of them smiling happily.

He said over there: "On New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year, You'anju should also have fireworks, and make it lively."

The wife said, "You should buy some candy and give it to the neighborhood children."

I shouted: "Don't worry, don't worry, I will, I will——"

Just as I returned to the living room, my brother-in-law called. His voice was urgent:

"Shanhong, please take a look at this WeChat message. I'll forward it to you."

I opened it and found an official document: "Wuxiang City Public Security Bureau issues an emergency reward order."

"A homicide has occurred in Dengjia Town, our city. The deceased is a male, approximately 1.75 meters tall, with a black mole on the left side of his face, a bald head, and was wearing a red shirt and black pants. We hope anyone missing from their home will come and identify the body.

At the same time, we hope that anyone with information can provide clues. A reward of 100,000 yuan will be offered to anyone who provides important clues that help solve this case."

Huh? Isn't this Old Deng?

Was it the "hemp man" who killed him?

I originally inferred that Lao Deng killed the "hemp man", but I didn't expect that the "hemp man" killed Lao Deng. So, the plot should be:

During the Lunar New Year, Lao Deng went to the "Ma Man" to ask for money. The "Ma Man" couldn't give him any. So an argument ensued. The "Ma Man" got angry and decided to kill Lao Deng then and there, or set a trap and kill him later.

I remember clearly that Old Deng had a black mole on his face and was bald. If I had previously suspected that this murder was related to Old Deng, now I could conclude without hesitation:

"Ma people" are basically, almost, the suspects.

The Ma Man killed Lao Deng and quickly escaped. Then the Ma Man’s wife asked me to do fortune telling.

I quickly dialed 110.

"110? I have important information regarding the Dengjia Town murder case."

"Hello, where are you? Please be as specific as possible so we can send someone right away. Please don't move."

"I won't move. My location is very fixed—Chengjiao Road, Dongcheng District, at Master Hongyi's residence, 'You'anju'..."

It was half past nine in the evening.

In less than twenty minutes, police cars with sirens blaring passed through the streets. There were three or four of them and stopped at the door of Youranju, shocking the surrounding neighbors.

Because Youranju was surrounded by police cars.

And no one is allowed to approach, no matter who it is.

I had already turned on all the lights and was standing at the gate to welcome them.

Three officers came in. The leader was dark-skinned with bulging eyes. I didn't know his name, but I guess he was the sheriff. There was also a man and a woman. The woman was very impressive.

The sheriff said, "Please describe your interactions with the deceased in as much detail as possible."

I just started and my phone blew up.

The sheriff's face darkened: "Turn off the phone."

I said calmly, "Put it on silent mode. What if it's my master calling and I don't answer in time, causing him to worry?"

With his master's sign, he had no choice but to adapt and frowned:

"Well, go on and tell me as much as you can."

I told him about the two times Lao Deng came to have his fortune told, and the middle-aged woman who came to have her fortune told a few days ago.

The sheriff told his colleagues, "We can preliminarily conclude that the deceased is Lao Deng, and the man carrying the basket and promoting business is the suspect. This is because Comrade Wan's description is more detailed than the one on our reward notice and more consistent with what we saw at the scene."

He turned back and warned me, "This is just our speculation at the moment. The case is ongoing, so you can't tell anyone about this."

I felt unhappy because, as an information provider, I was like a prisoner in his eyes.

He has a rude attitude, a harsh tone, and a sharp gaze. He doesn't know how to respect others at all.

What happened next was even more outrageous. The beautiful female police officer handed me a piece of paper and said:

"Comrade Wan Shanhong, this is a confidentiality agreement. Please sign and stamp it."

I took a quick look and felt even more uncomfortable. I hadn't committed any crime, yet they asked me to put my fingerprints on it. I said dissatisfiedly, "I've never put my fingerprints on it before."

She was very kind, handed over another notebook, and said with a smile:

"And this record. You'll also need to put your fingerprints on it. Please understand that this is to ensure that what you say is true. In the future, we will need to compare the suspect's motives and process one by one. Therefore, this is very important."

I was very reluctant.

The female police officer did not have a sullen face like the sheriff, but smiled:

"Brother Wan, this won't affect you at all. If we solve the case based on the clues you provide, we'll reward you. This is the basis for your reward. One hundred thousand yuan."

She smiled, and I smiled too, saying, "Okay, I'll give you my first virginity tonight."

The female officer smiled and said, "I understand how you feel. This is procedure."

I looked it over carefully and said, "There's one thing I need to change."

The female police officer was very patient and smiled, "You tell me, I'll record it."

I said, "I'm beginning to suspect that the suspect is Boss Deng, and now Boss Deng is the one who was killed."

The female police officer said, "It's recorded. Please put your fingerprints again."

"Do I have to press it to add a sentence?"

The young police officer jokingly said, "It's just like a woman giving birth. After the first one, the second one is much easier. Don't you press it a little more?"

After completing the formalities, the sheriff extended his hand and said, "Thank you for providing such a good clue."

The pretty female police officer said, "Comrade Wan Shanhong, let's add each other on WeChat so we can keep in touch."

After adding each other, she extended her hand: "Thank you for your help."

As soon as the police left, people outside rushed in and asked:

"What does this case have to do with you?"

I bowed with both hands and said, "Everyone, go back. I just signed a confidentiality agreement. I have no further comment."

They were not obedient at all, and kept asking questions. I drove them away with both hands: "Go, go, go, go back to bed."

People had no choice but to disperse and I closed the gate.

Only then did I have time to look at my phone.

Neighbors Tongjie, Xiangjie, Shuijie, Chunjie, Jingjing;

Friends Dongzi, Zhang Ju, Ming Zhang, Shi Ge, Fang Bosen, Yu Meiren, Xiao Liming

My sister and brother-in-law...

Lots of missed calls.

At this moment, the phone rang. Thousands of miles away, Master also knew that Youranju was surrounded by police, and his first question was, "What happened?"

I repeated what had just happened.

The master said, "You've done very well. It's the end of the year now. If we can solve the case quickly, we can reassure people. Otherwise, rumors will spread everywhere, and the people will be terrified during the New Year. Once you provide this information, the case will definitely be solved quickly..."

Before Master finished speaking, his wife's voice came on, reminding me to be careful.

After a while, my brother-in-law drove, and my sister and mother came together.

I poured tea and comforted them, saying I was fine and just providing some information. Only then did the family members feel relieved.

My mother ordered, "Gao Xu, stay here with Shanhong for a few nights. After all, he knows the one who died."

My brother-in-law deliberately said, "I'll ask General Manager Wan Shuixiu for her opinion and see if she agrees."

My mother stared at him.

In the end, Comrade Wan Shuixiu was unable to spit out ivory from his mouth and said:

"Give your brother-in-law 10,000 yuan of the 100,000 yuan prize money so he can stay with you until Master returns."

I joked, "Brother-in-law, you'd better go back. If a man charges for sleeping with another man, and word gets out, you'll only be able to buy a pig's belly mask."