Chapter 95 of 100

Chapter 95: The Eccentric Detective

15 min read3,651 words

Facing Shen Bingqing's admiring gaze, Du Long said smugly, "This requires a bit of spatial thinking ability, which most people can't learn, hehe..."

Shen Bingqing glared fiercely at Du Long and turned her head away. Huang Jiehao, sitting in the seat Du Long had vacated, fiddled with it and also believed Du Long's analysis. Indeed, there was space for a laptop and mouse after placing the textbooks and exercise books, which was quite convenient. Nowadays, children can't do without computers for both studying and gaming, and he had indeed overlooked this point.

Huang Jiehao called the boy's father, beating around the bush to ask if he had taken anything from the scene. The boy's father was currently at the hospital, as Huang Jiehao could hear the noise and someone crying in the background.

Tang Zhenqi was indeed at the hospital at that moment. His son, Tang Chaoyang, was still unconscious, and Dong Xiuna's family had come to the hospital, crying and making a fuss, saying that Tang Chaoyang had killed their daughter and demanding that he pay with his life. Tang Zhenqi was seething with anger. Hearing Huang Jiehao's questioning, he shouted, "I don't know, I know nothing! You find it yourselves! This is clearly a suicide case, what else is there to investigate!"

Huang Jiehao patiently persuaded, "Mr. Tang, please understand our work. If you don't know, we will have to consider this case as a suicide or murder with a third party present, because a laptop is clearly missing from the scene. We suspect it contains evidence related to the case. Without finding that laptop and ruling out other possibilities, we cannot close the case."

Tang Zhenqi was silent for a moment and finally said, "Yes, I took the laptop. I bought it for my son as a gift a few days before school started. It had only been used for a few days. How is it related to the case? Yesterday was the last day of the return period, and I have already returned it."

Huang Jiehao's voice became sharp, "Mr. Tang, you had better pray that the computer hasn't been bought by another customer or that the data on the hard drive hasn't been destroyed. Otherwise, the criminal investigation team will reserve the right to sue you for stealing and destroying evidence! You could be sentenced to 15 days of detention or up to five years in prison!"

Tang Zhenqi was frightened and stammered, "I... I was planning to return it today, as today is the last day. Captain Huang, there's really nothing on the computer. My son is quite innocent..."

Huang Jiehao said, "Whether there is anything or not is not up to you. It needs to be verified by the technical investigation department. You had better not have deleted anything. Otherwise, I still have the right to sue you. Where is the laptop now? I will send someone to get it immediately. Please cooperate as much as possible."

Tang Zhenqi smiled bitterly, "I can't leave now. Dong's family is causing a commotion at the hospital. Officer Huang, I will try to find a way to leave and return. I will call you as soon as I leave the hospital."

Huang Jiehao hung up the phone and turned to see Du Long squatting in the corner, placing pots and pans on the ground one by one. He couldn't help but ask, "Du Long, what are you doing? Are there clues in those things?"

Du Long smiled, "I don't know either. I didn't find any clues elsewhere, so I'm just taking a look. Didn't you check this area yesterday?"

Huang Jiehao said, "I'm not sure. You can take your time."

Shen Bingqing said, "I checked, but not as thoroughly. The bowls and plates were all washed and very clean. What clues could be left?"

Du Long smiled, "That's not necessarily true. Some things can't be judged by their appearance. You need to look deeper. Some things can't be seen individually... you need to see the whole picture. For example, what do you notice about this pile of pots and pans?"

Shen Bingqing and Huang Jiehao were drawn over. Seeing the bowls and plates on the ground, Huang Jiehao shook his head, "I never go into the kitchen. Don't ask me about this."

Du Long smiled, "Even if you don't go into the kitchen, you should still be able to see it. Shen Bingqing, what do you think?"

Shen Bingqing frowned and slowly said, "It seems... there are more bowls and plates than usual, and they are clearly two different sets."

Du Long smiled, "You're right, young people have sharper eyes... but you haven't said it all. If you arrange these bowls and plates neatly, what do you see?"

Du Long arranged the two different sets of bowls and plates Shen Bingqing mentioned. Now it was clear: one set of ordinary white bowls and plates, and another set with cartoon patterns in pink and light blue.

After arranging them, Shen Bingqing blurted out, "A bowl is missing, the blue one."

Du Long smiled, "That's right, a bowl is missing. Captain Huang, this bowl might have been broken while washing, or it might have been smashed in anger. We should look around to see if there are any clues to prove whether the bowl was accidentally broken or smashed..."

"I know this," the landlord of the rental house said. "The evening before last, the two children were about to have dinner when the boy's father came. Then they started arguing, and soon we heard the sound of a bowl breaking. The girl cried and ran away."

Huang Jiehao asked, "Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

The landlord said, "I didn't know. This happened a few days ago..."

Huang Jiehao said, "This might be the trigger for their suicide, very important! Is there anything else related to them that you might have missed?"

The landlord smiled bitterly, "Officer, I have dozens of tenants here. How can I know everything in detail? If I did, wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy?"

Du Long had come up behind the landlord and patted his shoulder, smiling, "Boss, your tenants are quite complex. I suggest you install some cameras at the entrance and stairwell to monitor them. These devices are not expensive, and you can register them with the police. This can save you a lot of trouble, and those with something to hide won't dare to come here. Most of your tenants are students, and ensuring their safety is good for your business!"

The landlord reluctantly agreed to install them later, but everyone could see that he was just being polite and had no intention of doing so.

Du Long said, "Captain Huang, it's been three days, so the bowl fragments might be hard to find... but with the landlord's testimony, it's not a big issue..."

The landlord quickly said, "I hate trouble. I won't testify. You should find someone else. Many people heard them arguing."

Huang Jiehao couldn't force him to testify, and it was too early to decide whether they needed a witness. Just as Huang Jiehao was about to put this aside, Shen Bingqing suddenly asked, "Boss, where do you usually throw your garbage? Is it collected every day?"

The landlord replied, "We throw it into the trash bin outside. It used to be collected every day, but for some reason, no one has come to collect it for several days. The garbage has piled up like a mountain next to the bin."

Shen Bingqing said, "Captain Huang, why don't I go look in the garbage pile? I don't think Mr. Tang's family is willing to tell the truth. Without solid evidence, they will deny it."

"Are you going to sift through the garbage?" Huang Jiehao looked at Shen Bingqing, who nodded seriously. Huang Jiehao said, "Alright, go ahead, but be careful and... hygienic..."

Shen Bingqing agreed and left. After Shen Bingqing left, Huang Jiehao and Du Long continued searching for clues in the room. This time, even Du Long couldn't find any new clues. Soon, Tang Zhenqi called to say he had left the hospital, so Huang Jiehao and Du Long left the rental house and headed to the Tang family's home. Huang Jiehao also went to check on Shen Bingqing, who was diligently sifting through the garbage pile.

It was still quite hot in Yuming City in September, and the stench of the rotting garbage was unbearable for most people. Seeing Shen Bingqing working so hard and not afraid of dirt or smell, Du Long was somewhat impressed.

Since they hadn't found the item yet, Shen Bingqing refused to leave. Huang Jiehao said he would come back to pick him up and then drove away.

The Tang family's home was indeed quite far from the Experimental High School, but because of its high admission rate, the distance was worth it. When Du Long and Huang Jiehao arrived, Tang Zhenqi had already returned home. He was a middle-aged man with thick-rimmed glasses and deep myopia. His face was haggard, and his eyes were red from lack of sleep.

"Hello, I am Detective Du Long from the Baihua District Criminal Investigation Team," Du Long extended his hand to Tang Zhenqi, who hesitated before shaking it and said, "Detective Du, hello..."

Tang Zhenqi looked at Huang Jiehao and said, "Officer Huang, I have the laptop ready. Do you want to take it?"

Huang Jiehao said, "Yes, we need to send it to the criminal investigation department for verification. If there's nothing, we will return it to you as soon as possible."

Tang Zhenqi sighed, "Today is the last day of the return period. It seems it's too late. You can take it... I have some matters to attend to, so I won't offer you tea..."

Tang Zhenqi took out a laptop bag, and Huang Jiehao checked it, confirming it was a new machine. He then said goodbye to Du Long and left. As the police car drove towards the city center, Shen Bingqing suddenly called, saying he had found the broken bowl, which was in its original box and well-preserved, and should be able to extract fingerprints.

Huang Jiehao faced a dilemma: should he turn around to pick up Shen Bingqing or go to the technical investigation department first? The two routes were like the two sides of an equilateral triangle, and no matter which one he chose, the return trip would be too long.

Du Long said, "Captain Huang, why don't you take me back to the station first, and I'll drive the van to pick up Shen Bingqing. Or I can take the laptop to the technical investigation department, which would be more convenient and faster than making two trips."

Huang Jiehao immediately decided to let Du Long pick up Shen Bingqing. After all, his old van was from the mine, and it didn't matter if it got dirtier or smellier.

About an hour later, Du Long drove the van back to the Experimental High School area and picked up Shen Bingqing. Shen Bingqing held a box of tableware like a treasure and sat in the passenger seat without hesitation. Du Long sniffed and smiled, "Shen Bingqing, you are truly a lotus that rises from the mud without being stained, a rare and unique flower!"

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