Chapter 158: Organs
After dinner, Xia Mufan and Sun Xianbing walked out of the house together, preparing to go to the Criminal Investigation Brigade to meet the other three people.
The food cooked by Xu Shumei was very delicious. Xia Mufan and Sun Xianbin both ate their fill and felt warm all over. The autumn wind blew, the leaves of the sycamore trees rustled, but I didn't feel cold at all.
As soon as he arrived at the office, Sun Xianbing began to show off his meal: "Aunt Xu's pickled white peppers are super delicious, and the fried dried radish is simply delicious. I ate three bowls of rice in one go."
Hearing this, Gong Weiguo and the other three were extremely envious and rushed over together to beat Sun Xianbing.
After laughing and making noise for a while, everyone finally quieted down and began to report the results of today's investigation.
Gong Weiguo was responsible for investigating the source of the threatening calls. He went to the telecommunications bureau and printed out the call list of Zou Chengye's home landline phone this month. However, when he screened the call list according to the time when Zou Chengye said the threatening calls came, he was surprised to find that there was no trace left.
Sun Xianbing asked in confusion: "What do you mean there is no trace left? Didn't anyone call at that time?"
Gong Weiguo nodded heavily: "Yes, that's what's very strange. There weren't that many calls to his home. I checked the time points he provided, and there were no calls at all at that time. How could there be any threatening calls? It feels like he just made all this up."
Conjecture? Hearing this word, Xia Mufan's eyes narrowed, and he couldn't help but think of the case in Xing City twelve years ago that Gu Shaoqi had mentioned.
In that case, the woman who reported the case also insisted that there were threatening phone calls, but the source of those calls could not be traced. It seemed that no one had ever made a threatening call to her, and everything was just imagined by the woman.
Strange, how could they be so similar?
Xia Mushige asked: "If we rule out the possibility that Mr. Zou has mental problems and paranoia, what situation would lead to this result?"
Gong Weiguo had never encountered such a situation before. He shook his head and said, "I don't know. Generally speaking, as long as a call is made, the telephone list of the telecommunications bureau should keep a record. I have never heard of any technology that can prevent the call from being displayed... unless no one has ever made the call."
Gong Weiguo did not hear Gu Shaoqi mention the case in Xing City twelve years ago. He frowned unhappily when he said this: "This Mr. Zou is the same. Has he done too many bad things? That's why he is always suspicious. He was afraid that we would not take it seriously, so he deliberately said that there was a threatening phone call, and he made it sound very real, but in the end there was nothing. He still wants us to protect him? It's a waste of police resources!"
Xia Mufan interrupted him and said, "Don't jump to conclusions yet. Let's listen to the results of Xiaoyu's investigation."
Feng Xiaoyu has been dealing with household registration files all day today. After returning to the administrative team, I hurriedly ate a few meals in the cafeteria. I was so busy that I was a little out of breath. Just now, I took the opportunity of Gong Weiguo's report to pour myself a cup of hot tea. I sat and drank it for a long time before I came to my senses.
When Feng Xiaoyu heard Xia Mufan calling his name, he put his police hat on the table and picked up some photocopied documents and placed them in front of Xia Mufan.
"The investigation has made it clear that Zou Chengye divorced in November 1985 and remarried in December of the same year. His son was born in June 1986. Judging from the timeline, Zou Chengye had been in a relationship with Yu Yaxiu before the divorce."
After hearing what Feng Xiaoyu said, everyone's impression of Zou Chengye fell to the bottom.
Zou Chengye cheated on his wife, and Yu Yaxiu got pregnant before marriage. Both of them are not good people and do not deserve sympathy at all. Thinking about the fact that everyone still has to protect their safety, I suddenly felt unhappy.
Xia Mufan asked: "How are Zou Chengye's ex-wife and daughter doing now?"
Feng Xiaoyu said, "I have only found out that Zou Chengye's ex-wife is named Cai Qinglian, and his daughter with his ex-wife is named Zou Bu Ran. Zou Chengye was transferred to Huishi Finance and Trade College in the first half of 1996, and there is no information about his ex-wife and daughter in his household registration file. So the current situation of Cai Qinglian and Zou Bu Ran is unknown. I have already contacted the Household Registration Section of Xing City Public Security Bureau, and there should be news tomorrow morning."
At this point, Feng Xiaoyu was full of sympathy for Cai Qinglian and Zou Buran: "They are unlucky. Cai Qinglian and Zou Chengye were college classmates, but she didn't expect her husband to cheat on her after only ten years of marriage. After the divorce, he even left home and ignored his daughter. I hope they can live a prosperous life in Xing City. Otherwise... if anyone knew that Zou Chengye and Yu Yaxiu were loving and happy in Hui City, they would feel uncomfortable and unbalanced, right?"
Sun Xianbing said: "Didn't Zou Chengye say that Cai Qinglian has two brothers working in government agencies, her father has military merit, and her family is well-off. With their help and support, Zou Bu Ran should be able to grow up healthily and happily, right?"
Yu Jing was relatively objective: "It's hard to say. After all, didn't Zou Chengye say that Cai Qinglian was mentally ill? Living with a mentally ill mother and living under the roof of others, Zou Bu Ran probably didn't live a happy life."
Gong Weiguo was really being literary for once: "Ah, Zou Bu Ran, what a good name. Born out of the mud and untainted, it matches the name of Cai Qinglian, so she should have been born with love, right? Unfortunately, her parents are divorced, what a pity!"
It seems that all members of the Serious Crime Unit 7 have a gossipy heart. Once they start chatting, they will talk about anything. Xia Mufan stopped everyone's discussion in time and turned to Sun Xianbing and said, "What we learned on campus today, you can also summarize it and tell everyone."
Sun Xianbing then recounted the comments made by teachers and students on campus about Zou Chengye.
After listening to this, Gong Weiguo said: "Lu Qiaoling may indeed have a desire for revenge. Since you already know where he works now, let's go meet her tomorrow."
Xia Mufan nodded: "Well, we will go to see Lu Qiaoling tomorrow morning, and take the ice cream to Zou Chengye's house tonight."
When they heard that they were going to take Xue Gao on a mission, the others were all happy. Feng Xiaoyu smiled from ear to ear: "That's great. Xue Gao is very smart and well-behaved. With him by our side, we are not afraid of anything."
Xia Mufan said to Feng Xiaoyu: "When you contact the Xing City police, remember to borrow a file from November 1984."
Feng Xiaoyu frowned. "84, such an old case. I wonder if I can find the files from twelve years ago."
Xia Mufan explained in detail: "It's an unsolved case. Gu Shaoqi has seen it before, so he should be able to find it. It's very similar to our case, except that the target is a woman. She not only received threatening letters and phone calls, but also suffered substantial harm. However, after the police investigated, they found that the woman staged the incident herself and suspected that she had a mental illness, so the case was eventually dropped."
Feng Xiaoyu glanced at Xia Mufan and said, "Xia Xia, do you suspect there is a connection between these two cases?"
Xia Mufan nodded slightly: "The two cases are highly similar, it is hard not to be suspicious. No matter what, let's get the case files first and understand the basic situation of the parties involved."
Feng Xiaoyu responded: "Okay, I'll contact them right away."
At around 10 o'clock in the evening, the five members of the Serious Crime Unit 7 once again came to the fundraising building of Hui City Finance and Trade College and knocked on Zou Chengye's door.
Zou Chengye welcomed them in warmly.
The host, Yu Yaxiu, brought some hot milk and snacks and smiled gently: "You have really worked hard this time. Eat something first, otherwise you may be hungry at night."
A chubby boy in pajamas poked his head out of the room and smiled at Xia Mufan and the others: "Hello, police uncle, police aunt."
Seeing the child's bright and innocent smile, Xia Mufan felt much more relaxed. He waved at him and said, "Go back to bed. No matter what happens at night, don't come out. Don't worry, we'll be watching in the living room. Nothing will happen."
The child's eyes lit up immediately when he saw the sheepdog squatting obediently beside Xia Mufan. He didn't care that he was only wearing thin pajamas, and rushed out of the house. He walked to the ice cream, raised his head and looked at Xia Mufan and asked, "Is this a police dog? Can I touch it?"
This time, Xue Gao came out wearing a police dog uniform, with a small black vest wrapped around his body with the word "Police Dog" written in big letters. This police dog suit makes Xue Gao look more neat and energetic.
Xia Mushige said gently: "It is on a mission today and cannot be petted by others. It is late now, you should go to bed."
The child had no choice but to reply, "Okay." Then he looked at the ice cream reluctantly and went back to the house reluctantly.
After everything was settled, Zou Chengye stayed in the living room while Yu Yaxiu took the children to bed.
At first, nothing happened.
It was getting darker.
The lights outside the window gradually went out, and everything became quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the ticking of the hands of the living room clock.
Zou Chengye chatted with Gong Weiguo in a casual manner. But as the clock slowly approached 12 o'clock, he began to feel anxious. His hands on his knees trembled slightly unconsciously, and his eyes began to wander.
Xia Mushige asked: "Does that strange sound happen every 12:00?"
Zou Chengye said in a trembling voice: "Well, about the same, basically around 12 o'clock."
It was pitch black outside the window, and Zou Chengye's family was the only one with lights on in the entire collective building.
With a click.
When the clock struck 12, the chandelier in the living room suddenly dimmed, and the entire living room fell into extreme darkness.
There is no moon today and it is dark outside.
Zou Chengye stood up suddenly, his knees began to tremble: "Here it comes..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the lights suddenly came on again, shining on Zou Chengye's pale face.
Zou Chengye's eyes narrowed due to the shaking.
Yu Jing asked: "Did you install a double-control switch during the renovation?"
Zou Chengye shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, the switch of the living room chandelier is at the entrance, and there is no double control."
As a few people were talking, the lights flickered a few more times, dimming and brightening, as if someone was controlling the switch.
As the lights flickered, Xue Gao had already stood up alertly, his ears perked up.
[There is a sound in the kitchen.] 】
Xia Mufan immediately stood up and looked towards the kitchen.
As Xue Gao stood up, a strange sound came from the kitchen. It was exactly the same as what Zou Chengye described. It was a woman's strange and creepy scream. If an uninformed person heard it suddenly, they would really think it was a female ghost appearing in a horror movie.
Zou Chengye raised his left hand stiffly, pointed to the kitchen, and said in a trembling voice: "You, did you hear it? It was that sound."
Everyone heard it and exchanged glances.
We are all atheists, but at this moment. After midnight, strange screams of a female ghost were heard from the kitchen, and the lights in the living room flickered. Anyone would think of the female ghost.
Feng Xiaoyu was a little timid and leaned towards Xia Mufan quietly.
Gong Weiguo plucked up the courage to go to the kitchen to check, but unexpectedly, Xue Gao was faster than everyone else.
The ice cream rushed to the kitchen like lightning.
If the tiles in the kitchen and living room weren't so smooth, the ice cream could have been made even faster.
After a sound of claws scratching the ground, Ice Cream quickly ran to the stove and shouted at the cupboard.
[The sound came from the cabinet. 】
[It’s right there, come quickly!] 】
Xia Mufan followed closely behind, quickly opened the cupboard, and looked around, but found nothing unusual.
Ice cream's ears moved, and he stretched out his front paws and started scratching at the side of the cupboard.
[Inside, inside.] 】
In it? Xia Mufan looked at the cupboard carefully. The four walls were all smooth panels. Could it be that the sound that Xue Gao mentioned came from behind the panel?
Thinking of this possibility, Xia Mufan made a prompt decision, took a half step back, and motioned Gong Weiguo to come forward with tools: "Pry open this panel, there is something behind it."
Xia Mufan's attitude was calm and his instructions were clear. Gong Weiguo did not hesitate at all. He picked up the electric saw and started cutting the panel against the wall that Xia Mufan pointed to.
Although Zou Chengye felt distressed watching from the side, he dared not say anything. He finally couldn't help but stamp his feet lightly, sighed secretly in his heart, and muttered: "This is an imported cabinet brand, charged by square meter. If it is damaged, it will be very troublesome to repair it."
Feng Xiaoyu rolled her eyes at him and complained in her heart: He's a university teacher, and so many people have been accompanying him in finding the truth, yet now he feels so bad for breaking one of his kitchen panels. How stingy.
Xia Mufan didn't mind what Zou Chengye said. Once she decided to do something, any outside voice would not be an obstacle.
With the sound of a chainsaw, a square was cut out of the cabinet, revealing the wall inside.
Using a flashlight to illuminate the wall, I suddenly saw a simple speaker device and a double-control switch.
Xia Mufan sneered: "Where is the female ghost? It's all caused by someone."
Yu Jing took the tools and removed all the devices at the back of the cabinet and placed them on the cabinet countertop.
Yu Jing was a car soldier and was familiar with mechanical principles. He understood the key points at a glance.
A small speaker with a recording function and a double-control switch, all controlled by a circuit mechanism in the middle, which contains a timer start device.
Everyone turned their eyes to Zou Chengye.
At this time, Zou Chengye also figured it all out.
There is no such thing as a female ghost.
The enemy who sent him the threatening letter took advantage of the opportunity of renovating the new house to install a circuit and a double-control switch for the living room chandelier before the cabinets were installed. The other party also set up an ingenious mechanism that automatically turns on the speaker to play in a loop at 12 o'clock every day, and repeatedly turns the living room chandelier on and off.
At this moment, Zou Chengye thought of a lot.
Judging from the installation of the double-control switch, this person has already been involved at least during the water and electricity stage of the new house decoration. Then, before the cabinet is installed, install the mechanism behind the cabinet panel.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he has ulterior motives and has been planning for a long time.
This enemy knows a lot.
Zou Chengye was suddenly horrified at the thought of such a terrible opponent hiding in the dark.
Zou Chengye became more and more frightened, and he grabbed Gong Weiguo's arm: "He, he did so much, it is absolutely impossible that he did it just to scare me, you must protect me and catch the person who hurt me."
Xia Mufan signaled Sun Xianbing to put all the equipment into the evidence bag, then he pulled Xuegao's dog leash and stood up to say goodbye: "Teacher Zou, we will do our best to protect you. If you think of anyone who might be a suspect, please let us know. This is the end of tonight's mission. Goodbye! Teacher Zou, please be careful when you go out recently. We will continue to follow up on the details."
After sending several people from the Serious Crime Unit 7 out of the door, Zou Chengye looked at the policemen's receding backs, and the cold sweat on his back soaked his autumn clothes.
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