Murder in a locked room bed and breakfast (11)

Liu Maoping walked up to Han Changlin with a vigorous pace. He put his hands behind his back and said in a dignified manner, "Gui Xiangyang is your brother-in-law?"

Han Changlin did not respond, but lowered his eyebrows, as if he agreed.

Meng Siqi had reacted earlier, but Zhao Lei Ting opened his mouth at this moment, seeming to be very surprised.

Liu Maoping said sternly: "Han Changlin, please stop working immediately and go home to rest."

Han Changlin explained: "Director Liu, Gui Xiangyang is not suspected of any crime at present. He is not a suspect. He came to ask questions. We asked him about some things about the textile factory."

"Even if it's like you said, asking is not enough. Just pack up and go home."

Meng Siqi understands that if judicial personnel have a special relationship with a case or the parties involved in the case, they need to take recusation measures and must not continue to handle the case. This is also to prevent favoritism or bias, and is more conducive to the fair trial of the case.

But she also understood what Captain Han was thinking. He had been in charge of the progress of the case. Although the case involved family relations, the other party was not a suspect at present. Captain Han might want to confirm this matter as soon as possible, and he was a little anxious.

"Director Liu?" Han Changlin still wanted to fight for it.

Director Liu directly retorted: "Then hand the case over to Lu He?"

Han Changlin sighed. Team Two had been following this case for a long time, and he was certainly unwilling to give up. He really wanted to follow up on Gui Xiangyang's matter, even though Gui Xiangyang was his brother-in-law. He had to explain this matter to his wife Zhang Ya, and he also had to give an explanation to his father-in-law and mother-in-law.

But he always believed in the principle of black and white. If Gui Xiangyang did not make any mistakes, it would be fine. If he did, he might have a side effect. He would not be confused or biased in the face of major issues.

Rules are rules, and Han Changlin must abide by them. He immediately replied, "Director Liu, I'm packing up and going home now."

"Okay." Director Liu said, "You can rejoin the team after Gui Xiangyang's suspicion is eliminated."

"I see."

Liu Maoping looked at Feng Shaomin again, "Shaomin, before Han Changlin returns to the team, you will be fully responsible for this case."

Feng Shaomin immediately said, "Okay, Director Liu."

Liu Maoping glanced at the entire office again and said in a strong voice: "I hope you will handle this case impartially and do it well."

"Don't worry, Director Liu." Feng Shaomin made the assurance.

After Liu Maoping left, the office fell silent. Meng Siqi sat back in her seat in silence. She was waiting for Feng Shaomin's new instructions.

Han Changlin quickly cleaned up, cleared the tea leaves, and washed the teacups. Feng Shaomin slowly walked to his table and comforted him, "Captain Han, you've been exhausted recently. Go home and rest for two days. Don't worry about your work here."

Han Changlin smiled faintly: "Old Feng, I can trust you. In a word, even if Gui Xiangyang is suspicious, don't let me hurt your feelings. Just do what you have to do and handle the matter impartially."

"Well, don't worry about that. I know what's going on."

After Han Changlin left, Feng Shaomin called Meng Siqi, "Xiao Meng, get ready. We will ask Gui Xiangyang in ten minutes."

"good."

Tang Xiaochuan was out on business today, so the questioning was chaired by Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting took notes.

When she pushed open the door of the inquiry room, what came into her eyes was a young man in his thirties, with stylish hair and slightly protruding cheekbones that made his forehead look broad. He had a square face, not a square one, small eyes, and strong-looking cheek skin. He was wearing a high-end suit and looked like a wealthy businessman.

He was lying in a chair, sitting casually, holding a thin cigarette between his right fingers. When he saw someone coming in, he took another puff.

The inquiry room was filled with the smell of cigarettes. Perhaps because of the long waiting time, I wonder how many cigarettes Gui Xiangyang smoked during this time.

Meng Siqi felt a little disgusted by the smell of smoke and covered his nose with his fingers awkwardly.

"Pinch it off." Feng Shaomin ordered coldly.

Gui Xiangyang took another deep puff and threw the cigarette butt, which had less than a quarter of the cigarette tip left, into the water cup.

With a hiss, the smoke went out.

Everyone sat down. Meng Siqi kept trying to slow down her breathing. The smell of smoke made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"Where is my brother-in-law?" Gui Xiangyang asked with his head tilted, his tone very casual, as if he was sitting at home.

"What do you mean by your brother-in-law?" Feng Shaomin said seriously, "I hope you can cooperate with our investigation. There is no brother-in-law here."

"Why? My brother-in-law is a captain, so it's fine if he didn't come, but he didn't even say a few words to you guys."

Feng Shaomin once again said sternly: "Gui Xiangyang, please take the initiative to cooperate with the police investigation and do not interfere with public affairs."

"My brother-in-law is the captain of the team. He is your boss after all. How could I interfere with official business? You underestimate me. To be honest, if I hadn't come today, you wouldn't have any chance. I came here just to take the initiative to cooperate. You can ask whatever you want. The textile factory was run by my old and confused father. I don't necessarily know anything."

Feng Shaomin winked at Meng Siqi, who understood and immediately put on a serious attitude, saying in a clear voice: "Gui Xiangyang, the main reason I asked you to come here today is because of the Long Shanwen case. You should know her."

"I know her. Didn't she die? It's a pity that she died. She was a popular girl in the factory and many people knew her."

"She worked at the Dandelion Textile Factory eight years ago. You also held important positions at the factory at that time and were the head of the factory office. I would like to ask you to recall how Long Shanwen's interpersonal relationships were."

Gui Xiangyang changed his posture and leaned back in his chair, as if thinking for a while before saying, "It's been a while. From what I remember, she was a nice person, very hardworking, not lazy, not slacking off, and pretty. There must have been quite a few men in the factory who were pursuing her. After the factory closed down, didn't she marry a small boss?"

"Do you think among those who know Long Shanwen, are there any who have a deeper conflict with her? For example, some who are resentful because they cannot pursue her, or some who are extremely jealous of her?"

"I really can't answer your question." Gui Xiangyang stood up from his chair, leaned forward, picked up the cup with the cigarette butt stubbed out and shook it.

He stared at the turbid water in the cup and said, "She is a relatively cold person. After all, the conditions are there. If you say you reject someone and he does something bad to her, she will die several times. Besides, it has been eight years. Who still remembers this pockmarked incident?"

Meng Siqi felt that Gui Xiangyang might not understand Long Shanwen's life. Judging from his description, the words were vague and not very valuable compared with the confessions of Ding Qian and others.

She was about to end this topic and get into the main topic of today. She said straight to the point: "Gui Xiangyang, can you introduce the situation of the Dandelion Textile Factory at that time? Briefly tell me what you know."

Gui Xiangyang put down the cup and lay back in the chair. "There's nothing much to say. It all depends on who has good vision in those years. My father had a bad vision. Those years were not suitable for running a textile factory. He was still old and confused and took over this big factory. Unexpectedly, it went bankrupt after only a few years."

"Please tell me more about the closure of the Dandelion Textile Factory."

"What's there to say about closing down?"

"Please cooperate." Meng Siqi said seriously.

Gui Xiangyang sighed, crossed his legs, and placed his hands on his knees. He said slowly, "We made a wrong decision in those two years. The factory had a big problem with sales. Simply put, the products were constantly produced, and things began to accumulate. It was a matter of product quality and external competition. Around 1985, as you know, the commodity economy was very active. It no longer restricted purchasing power like cloth and meat coupons did. The people's demand for better goods also increased, but our factory stagnated in all aspects of technology, and finally couldn't drag it on any longer."

Unexpectedly, Gui Xiangyang's tone became solemn when he talked about this past event. He was a witness and an important witness of the Dandelion Textile Factory. He should have a deep memory of that history.

Meng Siqi asked: "You said the factory dragged its feet for a while. Can you give us more details? For example, what was the reaction of the factory workers at the time? Did anything memorable happen in the factory?"

"It's not a big deal. The situation of every closed factory is the same. The workers can't be paid, so naturally everyone complains and eventually they have to leave on bad terms."

"You owe the factory workers wages?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. Who could have thought of doing that under the circumstances?"

"What was Long Shanwen's attitude towards the wage arrears at that time?"

Gui Xiangyang's mood gradually became low. He did not change his posture for a while, his eyelids drooped slightly, as if the past had given him a heavy shell. He said in a low voice: "What kind of attitude can she have? She is a female worker and can't cause any big waves. No one cares what she said."

Indeed, when the big factory was closed down and the building was about to collapse, what great things could an ordinary female worker with only good looks do in that era? Maybe they were unwilling and full of grievances at that time, but who could understand their feelings?

This is an unavoidable catastrophe for them. Their stable jobs are gone in the blink of an eye. They lose the jobs they were once proud of and the friendships they had spent every day with. Their hard work may not be rewarded because the factory goes bankrupt. All that is left is unrealistic fantasies about the future.

Long Shanwen is undoubtedly a lucky one. Ding Qian and her friends’ lives really changed after they left the textile factory. If the textile factory had always existed, their lives might have been very different.

This was the disaster of the Dandelion Textile Factory, and theirs as well. It was also Gui Xiangyang’s and Gui Xiangyang’s father Gui Wenjin’s. She then asked, “Did your father Gui Wenjin just watch the factory collapse?”

"He had no choice. He was old and in poor health. If the factory was going well, he could have enjoyed his old age. But when the factory collapsed, he was completely ruined. No matter if people scolded him or cursed him, you know, even a healthy person can only live for a few more years. Those factory leaders have almost all died in the past few years."

This is why this case is difficult to investigate. Zhao Leiting did conduct some investigations. Now, many important leaders have passed away, and some have Alzheimer's disease. Because their factories went bankrupt, their later years were very miserable.

Apart from Gui Xiangyang, there is almost no one else who can truly restore the truth of the factory's closure. In other words, Gui Xiangyang has become the last witness of this story.

“Can you recall anything that stood out to you when the factory closed down?”

"I really don't remember it very well, Comrade Policewoman." Gui Xiangyang seemed a little impatient. "If you were in that situation, the workers were dissatisfied, and the factory was going to close, how would you feel? Let me recall it again, would you feel better?"

"Gui Xiangyang," Feng Shaomin said solemnly, "I hope you can cooperate with us and don't hide things. This is not a solution to the problem."

"It's easy for you to say that because you have no experience. Ask those workers who have worked in textile factories. How many of them can explain it clearly? Isn't it just a farce?"

Gui Xiangyang was obviously emotional, but he didn't look like he was uncooperative. Rather, this past might be like a tangled ball of thread that he couldn't talk about at all.

In fact, I also interviewed some old employees during this period, and no one seemed to have a clear explanation, as if that past event was simply a bad account.

Gui Xiangyang suddenly took out a cigarette box and said anxiously, "Comrades, I really can't stand it anymore. You can't treat me like a criminal. I'll smoke first."

During the questioning just now, Gui Xiangyang touched his pockets many times. Perhaps he really has a smoking addiction.

In fact, today's inquiries are basically the same, because everything that needs to be explained has been explained, and nothing was said about what has not been explained.

After exchanging glances with Meng Siqi, Feng Shaomin said coldly: "Gui Xiangyang, you didn't explain everything clearly today. We may call you at any time. Go back and think about it carefully. If you can remember anything, call us."

Gui Xiangyang paused as he was trying to light a cigarette with his lighter. He raised his head and glanced at Feng Shaomin coldly, "Is there anything you didn't explain clearly? My father is dead. Can't you just dig him out of the ground and ask him?"

He added with feeling: "Those are all mistakes of the past. You can't keep picking on me."

"No smoking here, get out! Today's interrogation is over." Feng Shaomin gave the final order and stood up to leave.