Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 415 My Little Piece of Land
Chen Yan stood at the door of the detention room, with his back to the inside.

According to regulations, Lu Xiaoshuang is still a suspect. If investigators want to see her, at least two people must be present, and all conversations must be recorded.

However, in this situation, it's best to turn a blind eye; writing it down is definitely not appropriate.

Chen Yan leaned against the door with his arms crossed, and couldn't help but smile.

It seems that one of Master's two treasured bottles of Moutai will have a chance to be opened.

Hmm, I bet Brother Biao is going to be happy.

Lu Xiaoshuang released her emotions by crying.

Unlike the crying during the previous interrogations, this was a cry of unease and fear as she recalled what had happened to her.

But seeing Zhou Yi cry is like a wronged child seeing an adult they can rely on.

After crying, her emotions gradually calmed down.

It was only then that she realized that she and Zhou Yi had been behaving too intimately.

From childhood to adulthood, she had never been this close to a man other than her father.

Her face immediately turned red, and she struggled to break free from Zhou Yi's embrace.

Zhou Yi immediately let go, after all, this was still the detention room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.

"Not crying anymore?" Zhou Yi asked with a smile.

Lu Xiaoshuang blushed, lowered her head, and shook her head.

"It's alright, you're safe now, don't worry," Zhou Yi said, patting her head as if comforting a child.

Lu Xiaoshuang looked up, her eyes red and swollen, her face also flushed, making it hard to tell whether she was red from crying or from embarrassment.

"Brother Zhou, I...I haven't caused you any bad influence, have I?" she asked timidly.

One sentence made Zhou Yi feel heartbroken again.

She's already in this state, yet she's still worried about whether it will affect her.

"No, we've all done nothing wrong and have a clear conscience. Didn't you say that in a society governed by the rule of law, everything is based on evidence?"

Lu Xiaoshuang hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Zhou Yi knew she wanted to ask about Xu Liu, but he couldn't tell her anything. He could only continue to comfort her, "Give me some more time. Today, I will go with Brother Yan to verify everything you said yesterday. You'll be able to leave here soon."

Lu Xiaoshuang didn't ask if it was true, but nodded seriously and said, "Yes, I believe you."

Chen Yan coughed.

Zhou Yi stood up from the bedside.

Someone passed by the door of the detention room.

"Brother Yan, let's go to the interrogation room and confirm the physical characteristics and other information of a few key witnesses. It'll be broad daylight soon, so let's get it done as quickly as possible," Zhou Yi said.

Chen Yan nodded.

Lu Xiaoshuang obediently greeted Officer Chen.

Chen Yan smiled and almost blurted out, "Hello, sister-in-law."

In the interrogation room, Zhou Yi asked Lu Xiaoshuang some detailed questions, while Chen Yan took notes. Finally, Lu Xiaoshuang confirmed and signed the notes.

After questioning her, Zhou Yi took Lu Xiaoshuang back to the detention room and told her that it might take another day or two.

Lu Xiaoshuang smiled warmly as always and said, "Brother Zhou, don't worry, Sister Qiao said I'm safe now. Go investigate the case. I just hope..."

Lu Xiaoshuang's eyes reddened, and she choked up as she said, "I hope you can catch the murderer who killed Xu Liu soon."

Zhou Yi nodded. This was Lu Xiaoshuang. She was so pure and kind. She hadn't become indifferent to Xu Liu's affairs because of their past conflict.

Zhou Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Xiao Shuang, don't worry, this time, I will definitely find the murderer. He can't get away with it forever!"

Watching Zhou Yi disappear from her sight, Lu Xiaoshuang returned to the iron bunk bed and sat down, feeling much more at ease.

Zhou Yi was like a pillar of strength in her heart.

However, she also had doubts, after all, she was so intelligent, but she didn't know whether she should voice her doubts.

Because she remembered what Zhou Yi had said to her and his concern for her safety.

She seemed to think that Zhou Yi had known he was in danger for a long time.

Moreover, she had a vague sense of unease, as if she were the one who was supposed to die.

……

As dawn broke, it became May 9th.

The tenth day since the grand case of this lifetime occurred.

Although compared to the previous life, the clues brought about by the various changes in the case have made great progress.

But this also brings with it greater mysteries and logical gaps.

There are three most important things to do right now.

First, clear Lu Xiaoshuang of suspicion.

Second, find Xiao Bing.

Third, find out the man who is keeping Xu Liu as a mistress.

Zhou Yi and Chen Yan went to the bus company first, which was the easiest to check. The bus company has a schedule, and it's easy to find out who the driver and conductor of bus route 68 are that day.

Coincidentally, the two of them were also on duty today, so Zhou Yi and Chen Yan took Lu Xiaoshuang's photo to them and asked them to identify her.

The driver wasn't sure, but the female ticket seller was very certain that the girl boarded the bus at Hongdae Station at 1 p.m. on the 30th and sat in the seat next to her in the aisle.

She also remembered that when she got off the bus, there weren't many people on the bus, and she was counting her change when she dropped a one-yuan coin. Lu Xiaoshuang picked it up for her.

After picking it up and handing it to her, the bus stopped at the station, and then Lu Xiaoshuang got off.

Zhou Yi had the other party sign the statement, which would then have the legal effect of an eyewitness testimony.

After leaving the bus company, Chen Yan asked Zhou Yi whether to go to the restaurant first or to a place near his home.

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to my place first. It's not even nine o'clock yet. Restaurants usually open late, so let's save that for last."

Chen Yan nodded and stepped on the gas.

Upon arriving at the No. 2 Steel dormitory, Zhou Yi stood at his own front door, somewhat perplexed.

Lu Xiaoshuang said that the aunt selling apples was pushing a tricycle, which means she was not a fixed vendor but a mobile vendor, so it was impossible for her to set up a stall here every day.

Mobile vendors move wherever business is good, so how are we supposed to find them?

Moreover, he and Chen Yan had also checked the alley next to the No. 2 Steel dormitory. After all, a long time had passed, and it was an open road, so it was impossible to collect footprints there.

There won't be any witnesses; if there were, they would have called the police long ago.

However, traces of bending and struggling were found in the tall weeds by the roadside.

Chen Yan practically crawled on the ground searching for clues. His hard work paid off, and he finally found a footprint less than a quarter of the way across after clearing away the weeds.

The reason it's less than a quarter is because only the front part of the footprint is embedded in the soil, making it deeper in the front and shallower in the back.

Chen Yan called Zhou Yi over to take a look. After examining the footprint, Zhou Yi said, "The front of this footprint is so deep, it must have been left with a lot of force. It's probably left unintentionally by the murderer when Xiao Shuang was being held hostage and Xiao Shuang was struggling so hard."

Chen Yan nodded: "Yes, and because the surrounding area was covered by weeds, the murderer didn't notice it. To be honest, I almost missed it myself."

Zhou Yi immediately took out his phone and called the technical department, asking them to send someone over immediately to collect evidence and samples.

While waiting, the two continued to search for clues in the vicinity. Zhou Yi found a rotten apple in a dry drainage ditch near the wall of the No. 2 Steel dormitory.

Although it cannot be confirmed whether this was one of the apples Lu Xiaoshuang bought, the fact that only one was found suggests that three others must have been picked up by someone else.

The technicians arrived, extracted information from that quarter of a footprint, and also took some soil samples for archiving.

Judging from the size of the footprint, it was likely left by a man, but the exact size and sole pattern need to be further reconstructed when they return, as there is very little information available about this footprint.

After finishing this, Chen Yan checked the time and asked Zhou Yi, "What's next? Are we just going to sit here and wait for this auntie who bought the apples to show up?"

Zhou Yi stroked his chin and thought about it. Indeed, just waiting like this wasn't a good idea.

Looking up, my gaze passed over the solid courtyard wall and fell upon the tenement building where I lived.

Zhou Yi clapped his hands, thinking to himself, "Is this stupid? This is my home, my own little plot of land."

There were people from the Second Steel Company all around, and no one witnessed Lu Xiaoshuang being taken hostage. Didn't anyone know about the aunt who bought the apple?
"Brother Yan, come with me." Zhou Yi said as he walked towards the No. 2 Steel dormitory area.

He lived in the first tenement building, downstairs from Grandpa Ma's duty room.

"Uncle Ma."

"Hey, isn't this Zhou Yi? It's been a while since I've seen you."

Zhou Yi took out Lu Xiaoshuang's photo and asked, "Uncle Ma, have you seen this girl before?"

Grandpa Ma leaned closer for a look and said, "Isn't this the girl from your family? You must have seen her before."

"It's my fault, I didn't ask clearly. Did you see her come to our house the day before Labor Day?"

"The day before Labor Day? I don't think I noticed. What's wrong?"

"It's alright. Uncle Ma, could you lend me your pot and spatula for a moment?"

A few minutes later, Zhou Yi, holding a pot in his left hand and a spatula in his right, walked around banging away, making a deafening banging sound.

The people at home were startled, instinctively thinking that Zhou Jianguo was banging the gong again.

They quickly ran out to see what was going on, only to find that it wasn't Zhou Jianguo, but his son Zhou Yi.

"Hey, the Zhou family's ancestors used to be gong-beaters, but the father stopped, and the son took over."

Because of layoffs, many people are staying at home, as it's not easy to find new jobs immediately. Everyone is curious to see what Zhou Yi plans to do.

Zhou Yi looked around and thought it was about time. He stood where his father had stood not long ago and shouted, "Uncles and aunts, you are all my elders. You have all watched me grow up. I need your help now. This is very important to me."

Someone standing on the balcony said, "Zhou Yi, just say what's wrong. If anyone bullies you, your Uncle Wang will back you up."

Someone nearby laughed and said, "Old Wang, come on, Zhou Yi is a policeman. Does he need you to back him up? With your herniated disc, do you think you can even lift a finger?"

Zhou Yi asked three questions randomly.

1. Does anyone recognize the auntie who sells apples from a tricycle at the entrance? She's about 45 years old, about 1.55 meters tall, slightly overweight, has a mole on the left side of her chin, and speaks with a local accent.

Second, did anyone find three apples and a red plastic bag in the alley next door on April 30th?

3. Did anyone see Lu Xiaoshuang around 2 PM on April 30th?
Sure enough, mobilizing the masses was the most effective method, and progress was made quickly.

Someone accurately provided the name of the woman selling apples; she turned out to be a family member of a laid-off worker from No. 1 Steel Plant. With her name, things became much easier.

Then an older woman came over to Zhou Yi, trembling, and asked, "Is it illegal to pick up apples?"

Zhou Yi knew that the old lady must have found the apple, so he quickly said that it was not illegal.

Sure enough, around 3 p.m. on the 30th, the woman came back from outside and found three apples as she passed through the alley next door. Two were on the road and one was in a red plastic bag.

Zhou Yi and Chen Yan were very excited and took a statement from the woman for her to sign.

The older woman asked hesitantly, "Picking up apples is really not illegal? If I sign the papers, you won't arrest me, will you?"

Zhou Yi and Chen Yan were both amused and exasperated, and it took a lot of persuasion before the old lady finally signed the document.

Just then, the older woman who had already left returned.

He said, "Hey, Zhou Yi, I just remembered, I also picked up something."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi and Chen Yan immediately perked up and hurriedly asked what it was.
The woman said, "A packet of flour."

"Flour?" This confused the two of them; they hadn't heard of flour in the case clues.

Zhou Yi asked, "Auntie, where did you find it?"

The older woman pointed to the alley next to her and said, "It's in that alley."

Zhou Yi was even more puzzled. What a coincidence! She asked again, "Was it also picked up on the afternoon of April 30th?"

The woman shook her head and said, "No, I picked it up yesterday."

Zhou Yi was speechless for a moment: "Auntie, you're really lucky. Go out more often in the future. As long as you don't find anything valuable, it's not illegal. Go on with your work."

Aside from the street vendors and apple pickers, the only other thing on the list is whether anyone has seen Lu Xiaoshuang.

Finally, a guy in the building behind said that when he was riding his bike out, he saw a girl coming out of your building and walking away. He didn't remember the exact time, but it was in the afternoon.

Having found enough witnesses, Zhou Yi took Chen Yan directly back to the No. 1 Steel dormitory to inquire, where they happened to run into Grandpa Zhou Asi, who was playing chess with some old men downstairs.

The old men were all retired workers from No. 1 Steel Company. As soon as you heard their names, you knew they were so-and-so's wives.

Following the map, Zhou Yi and Chen Yan finally found the auntie who was setting up a stall by the roadside.

After identifying herself and explaining her purpose, the aunt pointed to the photo in Zhou Yi's hand and nodded repeatedly, saying that she remembered this girl and that she had asked her for directions on the afternoon of April 30th.

“I didn’t intend for her to buy my apples at the time. I figured the girl wasn’t well-off either, since her backpack was patched up. But she asked me if the apples were hard, saying that her grandma was old and had bad teeth, and she was worried that her grandma wouldn’t be able to chew them if they were too hard. So I picked out a few that were a bit softer for her, and in the end she bought four.”

"Auntie, I have another question. After this girl asked for directions, did you see her go into the alley next door?"

The aunt nodded and said she saw it.

This was within Zhou Yi's expectations, because under normal circumstances, as long as one is not busy, people will instinctively pay attention to whether the person who gave them directions is on the right track.

Zhou Yi quickly asked again, "Did you see anyone nearby who followed this girl into the alley?"

The aunt thought for a moment and said, "I'm not so sure about that. It seems like someone turned into the alley behind this girl, but they came from the other end."

There were actually eyewitnesses; this was truly an unexpected surprise.

Zhou Yi hurriedly asked how tall the person looked and what his build was like.

But the aunt said that her eyesight was not very good, that she had chronic glaucoma, and that everything was blurry when she was far away. She only knew that it was a person wearing black clothes, and she couldn't see anything else clearly.

This was tantamount to pouring cold water on Zhou Yi and Chen Yan, since this person was most likely the murderer who kidnapped and drugged Lu Xiaoshuang.

It's frustrating to have witnesses who can't provide useful information.

After confirming the aunt's ID information, I had her sign it and asked her to leave her contact information, as I might need to contact her again to verify the situation later.

Up to this point, Lu Xiaoshuang's confession has been largely confirmed, although she could not provide any evidence for the period between when she was drugged and when she was discovered.

However, since 1996, the principle of presumption of innocence has been formally written into the law. It's just that the habits and understanding of criminal investigators in actual case handling are still being adjusted slowly.

However, the nature of the special task force is different from that of a regular case. It is being watched by all parties, so it naturally has to be more cautious in every move it makes.

I took these witnesses back and placed them in front of the leaders. The rest is up to them to decide what to do.

As for the restaurant that Lu Xiaoshuang mentioned, it should actually be part of the investigation into the clues related to Xu Liu.

The clue itself is not complicated; it simply involves taking Xu Liu's photo to the restaurant's front desk and supervisor to confirm.

First, it was confirmed that Lu Xiaoshuang was not lying about this clue.

Secondly, it was confirmed that Xu Liu did indeed intend to interview for a part-time waitress position.

Then we can conduct further investigations into the two points Zhou Yi mentioned earlier.

But Zhou Yi wanted to investigate this lead not only to check all the information about Lu Xiaoshuang so that he could feel at ease sooner, but also to investigate the matter of sexual harassment by the supervisor that Lu Xiaoshuang had mentioned.

In her previous life, the task force discovered this restaurant called Good Luck when investigating Lu Xiaoshuang's social connections.

However, only a routine investigation was conducted, because Lu Xiaoshuang had only worked there for a month and a half. The restaurant owner and supervisor confirmed that she had resigned and left before the Chinese New Year. Since they knew she was a college student working part-time, they were not surprised.

After that, the people at the restaurant never saw her again. After confirming some more information, the task force ruled out the restaurant staff as suspects, since so much time had passed and there was no motive.

The investigation in the previous life did not mention any information about sexual harassment. It was either some very minor physical contact, commonly known as groping, or the incidents were relatively secretive, and no one else knew about them except the supervisor and Lu Xiaoshuang.

Otherwise, just based on the sexual harassment charge alone, they should be brought back to the special task force for a 48-hour interrogation!

Now that this information came from Lu Xiaoshuang, Zhou Yi naturally had to investigate it thoroughly.

Both publicly and privately, this foreman has to pay a price!
The two of them originally thought that since it was lunchtime, they might as well go and have a meal, and find out more about the situation.

But once Zhou Yi was actually standing in front of the Good Luck Restaurant, he suddenly lost his appetite.

This restaurant, Haoyunlai, is a traditional Northeastern Chinese restaurant. It's not very big, and the decor is a gaudy, overly floral style.

The corners of the signboard at the entrance were covered in grease stains, making it unappetizing to look at.

"Forget it, I don't want to eat it. It doesn't look appetizing. I'll just go in and ask. After that, I'll find a clean noodle shop and have a bowl of beef noodles," Zhou Yi said.

Chen Yan nodded and walked inside with Zhou Yi.

Although it was lunchtime, there weren't many customers inside, only a few scattered tables.

The receptionist was a heavily made-up woman; the powder on her face could practically cover a wall.

Seeing the two enter, he raised his eyelids slightly and asked indifferently, "You two?"

Zhou Yi walked over and showed his identification: "From the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

Upon seeing the police officer's ID, the woman quickly stood up and said politely, "Oh, you two leaders, please come in, please come in."

Then he called out to the inside, "Da Bao, we have a guest."

Zhou Yi said, "We're not here to eat; we're here to find out some information from your supervisor."

Upon hearing that they weren't there for a meal, the older woman's face immediately fell.

Just then, a short, unremarkable fat man, about 1.7 meters tall, walked over impatiently and shouted, "Sister, we have a guest, why did you call me?"

Then I saw Zhou Yi and Chen Yan at the door.

The two sides are clearly not symmetrical in appearance; one side is a tall, upright, and dignified criminal police officer, and the other side is a lewd, ugly, and fat man.

But the fat man looked at the two of them with disdain.

The fat man pursed his lips and asked, "Just the two of you? Come in and sit down when you eat. What kind of airs do you have, needing someone to come out and invite you?"

The receptionist, cracking sunflower seeds, said, "He's not here for a meal, he's a policeman. He says he needs to ask you some questions. What mischief have you gotten yourself into this time? Let me tell you, I'm not cleaning up your mess this time."

Upon hearing that they were police officers, the fat man's expression changed instantly; the disdain in his eyes immediately turned into a hint of fear.

Although the fat man immediately pretended to take out a cigarette pack to avoid Zhou Yi's gaze, Zhou Yi thought to himself when he saw the look in his eyes, "Oh ho, it seems this guy has a criminal record."

The fat man said innocently, "Sis, I've been behaving myself lately. I just play mahjong and drink with them. I haven't done anything else."

Zhou Yi didn't want to listen to her nonsense, so he took out Lu Xiaoshuang's photo and asked, "Have you seen this person before?"

The fat man's features contorted in pain as he looked at himself and said, "It seems... I think I've seen you before..."

"You remember the female college student who worked part-time here for over a month?"

The fat man looked at it again, nodded, and said, "It seems to be true. Sis, come and take a look."

The lady at the front desk stood up, looked at the photo, and said, "Isn't this Xiao Lu? Once, when the store was busy, I asked her to work overtime, but she told me that she wouldn't be able to get home if it got too late. I said, 'If you can't get home, you can stay at the store. You can just put the chairs together and sleep there.'"

"She refused and just ran away. I was so angry!" the older sister said, her brows furrowed.

The fat man chimed in, "Oh, I remember now. Didn't you deduct fifty yuan from her pay for absenteeism? I saw her hiding in the corner of the kitchen, secretly crying."

The fat man and the older woman burst into laughter, as if it were something very interesting.

The older woman sarcastically remarked, "A college student, huh? You still have to serve me food."

Zhou Yi's anger level instantly reached its maximum.

The eldest sister, completely unaware of the situation, continued her reckless behavior, asking Zhou Yi, "What? Was she the woman who got killed recently?"

(End of this chapter)