Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Send a banner to Xiao Ji! ...
"...The victim's death was tragic, and the case is extremely serious. We'll have to work overtime for the next few days! However, Director Rao invited a trace expert from the provincial department. I heard he previously studied abroad and participated in FBI operations. He's quite impressive!"
During dinner, Ji Yinhe excitedly told Old Ji and Ms. Lian about what he had seen and heard today.
"My daughter is amazing too!" Lian Qiao quickly brought out a casserole of braised beef from the kitchen, and was so burned by the hot handle that she pinched her earlobe.
"Exactly, what's the FBI like? Our little police officer Ji is the best!"
Ji Jianguo took a few large spoonfuls of soup from his daughter's bowl and muttered quietly, "Don't think everything is harmonious now, there will be a tariff war later!"
"Tariff war?" Ji Yinhe blinked at the aroma of black pepper. "When?"
"It's early, drink your soup."
Whenever Ji Jianguo thought of the stocks he was stuck with before he entered the book, he wanted to shed two wide noodles of tears.
Lian Qiao, who had been eavesdropping in the kitchen, was very interested in the case. "Is this dancer who fell from the building the one Su Yue mentioned this morning?"
"Yes." Ji Yinhe nodded repeatedly, "At present, it is more likely that she was killed by her lover."
"...Oh." Lian Qiao lowered her eyes and took a few bites of food. Suddenly, she asked her husband, "Old Ji, does your neighborhood office handle child adoptions?"
"Whatever, what's wrong?"
"Today, several foreigners came to my shop, men and women, blond and blue-eyed, tall and strong... I thought it was strange that there could be any tour groups in a small place like Jiangtan! So I eavesdropped on their chatter--"
Ji Yinhe was holding the rice bowl in shock, "Mom, can you understand?"
Lian Qiao rolled her eyes at her daughter. "What's so difficult about English? I passed 60... well over 60!"
"..." Ji Yinhe was confused, "Doesn't that just mean passing?"
"That's not important." Lian Qiao looked at her daughter seriously. "Anyway, I've figured out why those foreigners came to Jiangtan—they came in groups to adopt children! I don't know where they got these kids from. You police officers need to pay attention!"
Ji Yinhe waved his hand nonchalantly.
"There are welfare homes and family planning offices. The municipal bureau doesn't have the time to get involved. If you're worried, I'll ask someone after I finish this case."
"..." Lian Qiao warned, "Don't delay, ask in the next two days."
"I know!"
That night, after Ji Yinhe fell asleep, the couple closed the door of the master bedroom, turned on the TV and started chatting.
"Honey, why did you suddenly bring up the issue of foreigners adopting children during dinner? I remember it was very common in the 1990s."
Lian Qiao touched his chin and said, "I just feel something is wrong. After all, sons have been favored over daughters for thousands of years, so girls are usually adopted. But today I saw the album in the foreigner's hand, and there were actually several little boys!"
Ji Jianguo frowned, "Do you suspect human trafficking?"
"Yeah, wasn't it the human traffickers who mistakenly took Su Yue and Su Yiyun away? And the man in the book hid well the whole time, never faced legal action, and later even went into business... You say, that nightclub couldn't be owned by a human trafficker? Otherwise, why would they have such a strong hatred for Su Yue, drugging her and hiring someone to molest her?"
Ji Jianguo's eyelids jumped. "What was the trafficker's last name?"
Lian Qiao rubbed his face and said with certainty, "My last name is Yu."
*
Just after 7:30 in the morning, the office of the Serious Crime Squad was already filled with the aroma of tea. Everyone was sitting in front of the blackboard with panda eyes, holding large teacups in their hands, sorting out the case.
"...Manager Yu Yexiang, female, 56 years old, unmarried, childless, responsible for the daily affairs of Lijing Nightclub. The identity of the owner behind the club remains a mystery."
Tang Ci tapped the photo on the blackboard and continued, "According to the other dancers, the boss came back a while ago, but no one saw his face. There are bodyguards guarding the office door on the first floor of the nightclub. Yu Yexiang said there is only one key, and it is in the hands of the boss... Xiao Wu, come up and tell us about the witnesses and the other dancers' testimonies."
Xiao Wu ran up happily.
"The witness was a breakfast shop employee. He got up at 3 a.m. to light a fire and cook porridge when he heard a loud bang outside, like a watermelon dropping. He ran over and saw the victim's head was in a mess. He must have died instantly... It was his first time seeing a suicide scene, so he was so scared. Plus, it was dark, so he didn't care if there were any other people on the rooftop."
"Bai Mei, on the other hand, had a nice figure, was charming, had regular customers, and even her own room, so the other singers, dancers, and waitresses didn't interact much with her... The thing I remember most was her tendency to show off, often not following the set list prepared by Manager Yu. The two of them even had a fight about this... Well, that's about it."
Tang Ci nodded and flipped through the report in his hand.
"Ye Qing's autopsy results are also in, and they're consistent with the initial on-site examination results. Furthermore, the dark green fibers between her nails are indeed velvet."
Cheng Mo raised his hand. "I saw that the curtains in the nightclub's dressing room and the dancers' dresses were all made of this fabric. It's hard to tell when she caught it."
Tang Ci nodded and turned his gaze to the side, "Old Che, it's your turn."
"Oh, I followed that line of Hong Kong businessman Chen Honglang!" Che Zhiwen slapped his head. "I asked my acquaintances at the United Front Work Department. He came to Jiangtan to do a joint venture. He's married, but men, after being away from home for a long time, are bound to have affairs... The love letters Xiao Ji found in Bai Mei's room were indeed written by him, and the number on the pager was also his. I found a public phone to call back, but no one answered! Oh, and his registered address is in Beijiang District. Old Tang, do you want to take someone to check it out?"
"Well, I'll go in the morning." Tang Ci finally turned his gaze to Lu Zheng, "Teacher Lu, what do you think?"
"It's not a brilliant opinion, but judging from the fingerprints and footprints I collected, Bai Mei had no contact with men before the incident."
Lu Zheng's concise words made Tang Ci's anger rise again.
"Are you saying we're following the wrong lead on Chen Honglang? Did Bai Mei commit suicide?"
"That's not what I meant." Lu Zheng raised his eyelids, speaking calmly. "It's possible that Chen Honglang had some kind of anti-detection strategy, erasing his fingerprints and footprints after the murder. However, I'm more inclined to believe there was another person at the time of the crime—a second set of high-heeled shoe prints appeared on the rooftop. Judging by the length of their stride and the depth of the prints, they don't look like those of a man."
A figure suddenly jumped out in front of Ji Yinhe.
“…Yu Yexiang?”
"Not necessarily. Maybe Chen Honglang has a fetish for cross-dressing and kills people while wearing high heels." Tang Ci stared at Lu Zheng with burning eyes.
The expert from Lu University remained silent, and everyone around him was silent. Comrade Xiao Ji raised his hand and made a gesture as if he was "zipping up" his mouth.
In the silence, Xiao Wu's innocent voice rang out:
"By the way, I found a half-finished bottle of drink outside a private room!"
He pulled out a glass soda bottle from behind, with half a reddish-brown liquid left in it.
Ji Yinhe stared at the turbid impurities in the drink suspiciously.
...Could it be the thing that almost knocked Su Yue unconscious?
"A foreign brand!" Xiao Wu unscrewed the lid with a look of surprise, opened his mouth and wanted to pour it down his throat -
Ji Yinhe, who was quick-witted, snatched the bottle away and asked, "What if it's poisonous??"
Xiao Wu stared blankly, "..."
Lu Zheng stood up, took out a test paper from the drawer, and threw it into the drink bottle neatly.
After a few seconds, the drink turned an eerie dark blue.
Xiao Wu: “!!!”
"The drink is spiked with benzodiazepines," Lu Zheng said lazily. "It can cause drowsiness, coma, and even mild hallucinations."
"How many times have I told you not to pick up food from a crime scene!" Tang Ci slammed the table in frustration. "Is the Municipal Bureau short of food for you? Why are you so greedy?"
"I...I'm just curious!"
Xiao Wu lowered his head, and when he looked up again, there was more admiration in his eyes when he looked at Lu Zheng.
"Damn it! This is too scary! Captain Tang, I request a thorough investigation of Lijing Nightclub!" Che Zhiwen shouted immediately!
He has a daughter who is at such a beautiful age that she cannot tolerate such things.
But Tang Ci shook his head.
"Lao Che, our team is short of manpower, and the drugs might have been brought in by a customer. We can't neglect one thing while focusing on the other. We still have to focus on Chen Honglang."
Che Zhiwen sighed heavily, "Alright, you're the boss so I'll listen to you."
On the other side of the office, Lu Zheng was sorting his appraisal box.
Ji Yinhe walked over curiously. "Teacher Lu, I read in the newspaper that a very advanced DNA technology has been developed overseas. Even a small amount of blood or a strand of hair can be detected even after 100 years. It can quickly help the police identify the murderer. Is it really that powerful?"
"Yes." Lu Zheng glanced at her. "This technology is a gift from modern science to victims. It's just that DNA testing is very expensive. Not only does it require specialized personnel, but it also requires the establishment of a database, so it hasn't been fully applied in criminal investigations yet... But I believe that it won't be long before our country realizes this."
"Wow!"
Ji Yinhe supported herself on the table with both hands and leaned forward, wanting to see what good things were in the great expert's treasure chest, when she suddenly heard someone calling her name.
She turned around and saw Rao standing at the door with his hands behind his back, nodding at her with a smile.
Comrade Xiao Ji ran over and said, "Director, please give me your instructions!"
"Have you done any good deeds before?" Rao just took out something hidden behind his back and shook it into the air. "A female comrade named Chen Ling gave you a banner!"
On the bright red silk banner, there are eight large characters embroidered with gold thread:
"Solve the case quickly! Save my...cat's life!" Xiao Wu came over and read it again, holding his stomach. "Hahahaha, I'm laughing to death!"
"What are you laughing at? Xiao Ji is the first comrade in your team to receive a banner. What an honor!"
Rao just raised his hand and patted Xiao Wu on the head, then looked at Ji Yinhe, "Say a few words?"
The glorious Comrade Xiao Ji swallowed hard.
How can I tell you all that helping Chen Ma find Daji that day was purely accidental. It all started with Ms. Lian stealing electricity...
"Xiao Ji might be a little shy." Tang Ci tried to smooth things over. "Ju Rao, how about you help me see where to hang this banner?"
Rao took a quick look around and pointed at the wall at the gate. "I think this is a good place!"
"Okay!"
Everyone was in a panic, leaving Ji Yinhe standing there blankly, with cold sweat dripping down his forehead.
After finishing the job, Director Rao gave her a few words of advice before leaving with his hands behind his back, satisfied.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late!" Tang Ci glanced at his watch. "Let's go now and bring Chen Honglang back for interrogation...Teacher Lu!"
"?" Lu Zheng raised his head from behind his desk.
"There may be relevant evidence at Chen Honglang's residence. Please come with us!"
After Tang Ci finished speaking, he glanced at Ji Yinhe, intending to separate the two of them, "Xiao Ji, you stay and look after the house."
“…Oh, okay.”
After everyone in the room had left, Ji Yinhe sat back in his chair, holding his chin, and stared blankly at the blackboard.
At present, all the clues seem to point to Chen Honglang, but she always feels that something is wrong, as if there is a hidden thread lurking in the dark.
Ji Yinhe's gaze rested on the photos in the lower right corner——
Why can’t we order songs at Lijing Nightclub? Why do the performances have to be designated by the manager Yu Yexiang?
Why do some songs, which are obviously gentle and romantic, have performers wearing androgynous shirts and trousers?
What’s more, the boss’s office is on the first floor. Wouldn’t it be easy to be disturbed?
Comrade Xiao Ji narrowed his pupils slightly, and after a long time, he tapped the back of the chair with his fingertips.
She wanted to go to the nightclub again...and she wanted to go on the night when business was at its peak, when there were the most customers, and when the dancers were the busiest!
After learning from the lesson of being reprimanded by Captain Tang when he went to the compressor factory alone to gather intelligence, Ji Yinhe decided to wait until they captured Chen Honglang and obtained their consent before going to Lijing.
Unexpectedly, no one came back until four o'clock in the afternoon.
Ji Yinhe frowned, walked around the office a few times, then dialed Tang Ci's pager number and asked him to call back when he had time.
The phone on the desk remained silent until the bell rang at 5:30.
The lights came on, the stars and the moon rose, and Ji Yinhe became a little anxious.
...How far can Chen Honglang run alone? He can't just hide back in Hong Kong, right?
What should we do about the many suspicious points regarding Lijing Nightclub?
Comrade Xiao Ji gritted his teeth, sent a secret code for the operation to Tang Ci's pager, threw a note on the desk, went downstairs, got in the car, and drove towards the vast night of Beijiang District.
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