The Tragedy of Art vs. Child Trafficking (Part 4)
Xiao Dongliang had to rely on himself because he couldn't get help from Zhang Changming. It took a long time just to find the addresses of the people on the list. These people own several properties, and some even have mistresses and more than one home.
Xiao Dongliang and his team members encountered difficulties again and again, and had to eliminate them one by one, which made them extremely exhausted.
It is relatively easier to check construction workers, as these people have simple social relationships and have a natural fear of criminal police. They worked together during the construction and went home after the construction was completed. Because I am tired from work, I go to bed early after returning home and don’t run out in the early morning.
Moreover, they knew nothing about art. In their opinion, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a painting was simply crazy.
It is impossible for the art museum to wait until the case is solved before opening the exhibition. The exhibition was decided long ago and the other party is already urging them to go ahead. The owner of the art gallery, Pan Ding, had no choice but to contact Xiao Dongliang, as he was going to move his belongings.
On the one hand, Xiao Dongliang comforted Pan Ding and asked him to renovate other places first. On the other hand, he stepped up efforts to eliminate the suspects on the list.
A week later, there was finally some progress. There is a person on the list who has not been found yet, and Xiao Dongliang suspected that he used a fake name. There were cameras installed at the auction site. Xiao Dongliang copied the video and asked Pan Ding to find this person.
Pan Ding was busy with the renovation and was very impatient. "Captain Xiao, we have stopped working for several days to help you investigate the case. The art exhibition will be held on August 2, and I have less than a week to complete the renovation. Please do me a favor and let me go."
"The incident happened in your art gallery. If you can't catch the murderer, aren't you afraid that he will kill another person and put him in your art gallery?"
"I am afraid, but I am more afraid of breach of contract. Do you know how much I will have to pay if I don't provide the venue on time as agreed?"
"Then stop talking nonsense and quickly find out who is the person named Chi Yu on the list."
Pan Ding's eyes flickered, he spread his hands, and said with a wry smile: "So many people came that day, the list was decided by the organizer, I was just an assistant, except for those big guys, I don't know the others. So, I'll give you the contact information of the organizer, you go and contact them."
Xiao Dongliang's face looked very ugly. Not only did he have no clues in handling a case, but he also encountered obstacles everywhere.
There was no choice but to contact the organizer. The organizer sent a clerk to help identify the people in the video. Because there were many people that day, in addition to those who were invited, there were also people who bought tickets to see the exhibition. Some people, after seeing the exhibition, knew there was an auction, so they stayed to watch the fun.
The clerk pointed to a man wearing a black bowler hat, a suit, and a black bow tie and said, "He is Chi Yu, who calls himself a painting collector."
"Did he take pictures that day?"
The clerk thought for a moment and said, "No, he seemed to say that he didn't see anything he liked."
"Is Chi Yu his real name?"
"have no idea."
Xiao Dongliang hoped to find him in other videos, but unfortunately, he was not there. He pointed to the video of the auction and asked: "Why does he keep wearing a hat?"
"This is his signature. He dresses like this regardless of spring, summer, autumn or winter."
"So as soon as you see this outfit, you assume it's Chi Yu?"
“You could say that.”
"Have you ever seen his true appearance?"
The clerk shook his head. "No, he always wears a hat, which is pulled down low, so only the lower half of his face can be seen. He doesn't like to be photographed, so no one has ever seen what he looks like."
"When did you know him?"
"For a few years, he seemed to appear out of nowhere, and he sold off several paintings by new artists one after another, all at high prices, and word spread quickly in the industry."
"What did he take the photos for? To collect them?"
"He claims to like collecting paintings, but these so-called collectors are waiting for the painter to become famous, and then sell them at a higher price to make a profit from the difference."
Compared with collection, Xiao Dongliang is more inclined to this statement.
Xiao Dongliang intercepted the image of Chi Yu and suddenly realized a problem. He took Deng Yu and drove to the art museum.
The art gallery has started to be renovated again, and the construction workers were very conscious not to go to the place where the body was found. It seemed as if the place was isolated and extremely quiet. Xiao Dongliang walked over again. The sunflower had withered and its petals fell on the small nanmu table.
The pillows on the sofa remained the same as before, and the place where the body was once placed was empty. Xiao Dongliang walked over, took away the pillow, touched the gap in the back of the sofa, and felt a piece of paper. His eyebrows moved and he took it out.
Deng Yu’s eyes widened. Is this even possible?
Xiao Dongliang opened the note and saw something written in a very childish handwriting: Haha, you found out. Guess who will be the next one? There were no punctuation marks.
Xiao Dongliang gave the note to Deng Yu, who put it in an evidence bag and said worriedly, "He/she is going to kill more people. We have to find him as soon as possible."
"Go find Pan Ding."
After checking the construction progress on site, Pan Ding returned home. His family lives in Qingteng Jiayuan, a mid- to high-end residential area. The greening in the community is very well done, the lawns are neatly trimmed and the flowers are blooming brightly.
Pan Ding lives in a top-floor apartment, which is over 100 square meters. Living alone, it seems too spacious.
As soon as Xiao Dongliang entered, he got straight to the point and said, "Chi Yu is a collector of paintings, and he has photographed several new works. If you are in this industry, you can't be unaware of him. Why didn't you tell me when I asked you?"
Pan Ding looked disdainful, "He is a down-and-out painter pretending to be a painting collector, swindling people everywhere. What's there to say?"
"Do you have a grudge against him?"
Pan Ding turned his head and said stiffly, "No."
"Pan Ding, you know the seriousness of the matter. What you know may be the key to solving the case. If the murderer is not caught, he/she will continue to kill people."
Pan Ding took a deep breath. "His name is not Chi Yu, but Ge Lei. He and I were classmates in college, and we were both students majoring in painting. His paintings have distinct personalities, and are very popular with teachers. The teacher once said that Chi Yu might shock the painting world in the future.
He also boasted about this, thinking that he was different and looked down upon everyone, and he became more and more proud. While everyone was practicing in the studio, he went out dating and changed girlfriends one after another until his senior year.
When he graduated, he realized that the so-called shock to the painting world was nothing but his wishful thinking. His paintings are worthless and he can't even hold an exhibition. He wasted four years, and could do nothing but paint, and his life became increasingly miserable. ”
"Then how did he transform into Chi Yu?"
"I don't know about that. I first heard of Chi Yu's name at an auction in Shenzhen. He bought a new artist's work for one million yuan and said a famous saying: Today's new artist will be next year's superstar. Everyone speculated that he bought the painting just to wait for a higher price in the future.
But up to now, no one has ever heard of him selling any paintings. Gradually, everyone believed that he was simply collecting paintings, and they would brag to each other about seeing him at the auction. He also seemed to have dressed himself in a distinctive style in order to fit in with the public, always wearing a black suit and a black bow tie. ”
“But he didn’t take any pictures of the paintings in your gallery.”
"What's so strange about that? Back then, he looked down on me the most. He thought I reeked of money. It's possible that he wanted to disgust me on purpose." When talking about Ge Lei, Pan Ding had an impatient expression on his face.
Xiao Dongliang shook his head. "It's not that simple. Do you know where he lives?"
"I don't know. He has stopped contacting us so-called classmates."
“Are there any pictures of him?”
Pan Ding took out the graduation photo from that year. Ge Lei was standing on the far left of the second to last row. He had long hair that almost covered his eyes, his cheeks were fleshless, and his chin was very pointed. Wearing a striped polo shirt and with his left hand in his trouser pocket, he looked a bit arrogant.
Xiao Dongliang stared at his sunken nose and pointed chin, his expression becoming increasingly gloomy. Deng Yu took the photo from him, opened his mouth slightly, and looked at Xiao Dongliang, "This..."
Xiao Dongliang nodded, "The person who appeared at the auction was not Ge Lei!"
"What?! Impossible!" Pan Ding was surprised.
Xiao Dongliang looked at him suddenly, "Have you met him?"
Pan Ding paused, "...No."
"Since there isn't one, how can you be sure it was him? Even if he looks down on you and your classmates, he wouldn't embarrass you at the auction. This method is too low-level."
"If it's not him, then who is it? Why would this person replace him? Ah, could it be that he..." Pan Ding's back was instantly covered in cold sweat, "Could it be that Ge Lei has already..."
"We have to find him!" Xiao Dongliang turned and walked out, "Lend me the photos first."
With the name, photo and the university he attended, Ge Lei was quickly found. According to information, he inherited a large fortune four years ago and owns a manor, a wine cellar, and a villa.
His most recent activity was on June 6th when he went to Nanfu City and stayed at the city’s only five-star hotel.
Xiao Dongliang immediately took people there, but the front desk staff refused to reveal which room Ge Lei was staying in, citing respect for the guest's privacy.
Xiao Dongliang's face darkened. "If Ge Lei is in danger because of your obstruction, can you afford it?"
The front desk clerk was in a dilemma and called the manager. The manager was afraid that something might happen to the guests, so he personally took them to Room 1801.
The manager knocked on the door first, "Mr. Ge, are you there?"
Seeing no response, the manager swiped his card and the door opened. There was no light on in the room, and the curtains were drawn, so it was very dark. One could vaguely tell that it was a suite.
Xiao Dongliang listened attentively and turned on the light. There was a suitcase on the floor of the living room. It was open and the things inside were in a mess. The pillows were thrown randomly on the sofa, and a black wallet was thrown on the ground with its mouth open.
When the manager saw this scene, he opened his mouth in surprise.
Xiao Dongliang motioned him not to move, quickly put on shoe covers and gloves, and said, "Contact the Trace Inspection Department." He entered the bedroom and paused, "Ask the forensic doctor to come along!"
Deng Yu was stunned for a moment, then quickly walked over and saw a person sitting on the bed in the bedroom. He was wearing a round hat that covered half of his face. He had a pipe in his mouth and was wearing a black suit, white shirt and black bow tie. The lower half of his body was covered in a blanket, his left hand holding an open book and his right hand holding a pencil.
Bright red rose petals covered the entire bed, like drops of blood. There was a large Van Gogh starry sky hanging on the wall and white daisies in a vase on the table.
Xiao Dongliang walked over, picked up the vase, and placed a folded piece of paper there. He picked it up, and it was still in the childish font: Haha, you found it again, great! And there is still no punctuation.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
