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

Chapter 511 What to do with the child?
Zhou Yi's words left Li Linglong stunned.

Tell him to tell us what happened.

Zhou Yi laid out his thoughts completely.

Actually, he hadn't figured it out last night until he heard some information from Yang Chuan, which led people to deduce the real reason why Shi Jian was involved in this case.

Miao Genhua's confession contained both truth and lies.

Miao Genhua must have indeed told Shi Jian that Ge Fangfang might be his daughter.

Miao Genhua wanted to find someone trustworthy for Ge Fangfang, someone that neither the people around her nor the police would associate with the person she had found.

Shi Jian, this father who appeared out of nowhere, was undoubtedly the best choice.

Even whether Shi Jian is actually the child's father or not could be a lie concocted by Miao Genhua.

However, no matter what, only if Shi Jian believes that Ge Fangfang is his daughter will he be willing and take the initiative to take care of the child for him.

However, the two likely did not meet on July 23, because Ge Fangfang "disappeared" on July 22.

As for whether to use Ma Weichang's molestation of their daughter as an excuse, Zhou Yi was skeptical, because that might lead Shi Jian to go and "settle accounts" with Ma Weichang, which would create unnecessary complications and alert the culprit.

Therefore, they must have used some other reason that was both reasonable and wouldn't cause any further trouble for Shi Jian.

Hearing this, Li Linglong asked, "But Shi Jian himself has no fixed abode, so where can he take the child? Moreover, the so-called father-daughter relationship might be useful to Shi Jian, but Ge Fangfang is only a six-year-old child. Letting her go with a strange man might work for a while, but it's impossible to manage her for so many days."

Li Linglong's doubts and concerns were not unfounded.

First of all, where can Shi Jian go? He doesn't even have a home. Where can he take the child?

Seeking refuge with relatives? Putting aside whether the relatives have any suspicions, how many people can accept a nearly 30-year-old relative who doesn't do any proper work and has a "daughter" who just appeared out of nowhere?

Not calling the police is already being very lenient.

Moreover, kinship is a rather peculiar relationship in itself.

They are a group of people who are related by blood, yet they can easily quarrel and never speak to each other again over who gets an extra bite of meat.

If they didn't go to their relatives, would they go to Shi Jian's cronies? The cronies might not care, but they would definitely be scared.

It's also impossible for them to stay in a hotel.

Therefore, Li Linglong couldn't imagine where Shi Jian would take the child if Miao Genhua handed the child over to him.

“Director Li, I don’t know exactly where the child and Shi Jian are now, but I have a guess as to where they might be,” Zhou Yi said.

Li Linglong hurriedly asked, "Where?"

"At Shi Jian's mother's place."

"Shi Jian's mother? Doesn't he only have a grandfather, and he's already passed away?"

“I remember the Shacao Town Police Station had previously investigated Shi Jian’s situation by interviewing his relatives and neighbors. It seems that when Shi Jian was eight years old, his parents divorced. After that, his father went out to work and never came back. He and his grandfather depended on each other for survival. Later, his grandfather died, and he dropped out of school and drifted into society,” Zhou Yi said. “As for his mother, I remember that she remarried at the time.”

"If Shi Jian and Ge Fangfang need a place to go, his mother's place might be the best choice."

"That makes sense!" Li Linglong exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands in delight.

"I'll have someone investigate Shi Jian's mother immediately! A thorough investigation!" Li Linglong excitedly opened the door and ran out to call for help.

Zhou Yi knew that although Li Linglong said that, in this day and age there was no network system, it was not easy to find someone who had lost contact with him twenty years ago.

Moreover, there is a high probability that Shi Jian's mother either married Shi Jian's father or remarried later.

This "marriage" may simply be a matter of folk custom, rather than a legal "marriage".

That means the Civil Affairs Bureau might not be able to find this person's information, so they would have to look for clues from different channels and then search through the household registration records.

This workload can't be rushed.

After a while, Li Linglong returned and said before even sitting down, "I've sent someone to investigate, and we should have news soon."

Zhou Yi knew that Director Li was decisive and efficient, and couldn't wait a moment longer.

However, he figured things wouldn't go as smoothly as he thought.

"By the way, you just said that Shi Jian might be silenced soon. What's going on?" Li Linglong thought to himself, he had read the interrogation records and didn't see any indication of that.

"Director Li, have you spotted Ma Weichang's car?"

"Yes, it's in a ravine northwest of Xipinggou."

"Why do you think this car is there?" Zhou Yi asked.

Li Linglong smiled and pointed at Zhou Yi: "Are you testing me?"

Zhou Yi quickly waved his hand: "No, no, how could I dare?"

"It was very unusual for this car to be in that place. Logically speaking, if Ma Weichang committed suicide, the car should have been parked at the quarry. But it was in such a far place, so my first thought was that this car might have been used to dispose of Ge Fangfang's body."

“We did find some bloodstains in the trunk, but we didn’t find any signs of dumping or burying the body near the car.”

Li Linglong said, "To be honest, I thought at the time that the murderer deliberately used this car to mislead us. After all, based on your analysis of how the victim was murdered, we know that there were at least two murderers. One of them drove the car to this place to mislead us, while the other went elsewhere to dispose of Ge Fangfang's body."

He laughed as he spoke, "I originally wanted to expand the search area further, but everyone was really exhausted. Just then, Yang Chuan called and told me your analysis, which I found very reasonable, so I temporarily suspended the search."

Li Linglong's analysis surprised Zhou Yi somewhat, because high-achieving students like him from the 1970s and 80s were usually trained as reserve cadres.

This direction excels in organizational management, connecting the past and the future, and having a holistic perspective.

Therefore, in their time, such talents were unlikely to be placed on the dangerous front lines of criminal investigation.

But Li Linglong's analysis just now was quite remarkable; he actually figured out that the car was used to distract people.

Zhou Yi hadn't even considered that possibility.

Although there is actually a very fatal logical flaw here.

That is, if Ge Fangfang was really dead, why would the murderer go to such lengths to prevent anyone from discovering her body?

Ma Weichang committed suicide out of fear of punishment, but Ge Fangfang's body has still not been found.

Doesn't that illustrate the point even more?
If the murderer killed an adult, couldn't he have dealt with a child?
However, Zhou Yi naturally wouldn't say anything, since praising or correcting a leader you're not familiar with is the wrong thing to do.

Praising someone makes you seem more knowledgeable than your boss.

Correcting mistakes also makes you seem more knowledgeable than your boss.

So nodding in agreement is enough.

"So how did you connect this car to the possibility that Shi Jian might have been silenced?" Li Linglong asked curiously.

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Actually, Director Li, you already stated the reason."

Li Linglong was taken aback: "Huh? Did I say that?"

“You said it was very unusual for this car to be in that place. Logically speaking, if Ma Weichang committed suicide, the car should have been parked at the quarry.”

Li Linglong nodded: "That's right."

"The murderer who killed Ma Weichang must know this, right?"

"That's for sure."

"If they knew that, why did they do it? If Ge Fangfang was still alive, if Ge Fangfang was taken away by Shi Jian, then there would be no possibility of deliberately creating a diversion to dispose of the body. So this should be a backup plan left by the murderer."

"Backhand?"

“Yes, if our police believe Ma Weichang committed suicide, then the bloodstains left in the car trunk would lead us to believe that Ma Weichang disposed of the body before his death. Although there are still doubts, there's no way to verify it now that he's dead.” Zhou Yi meticulously unraveled the mystery. “But what if we don't believe Ma Weichang committed suicide and want to continue the investigation?”

Li Linglong suddenly realized: "The murderer needs a scapegoat."

Zhou Yi said with a solemn expression, "That's right! Miao Genhua was already giving us frequent hints during the interrogation. She was deliberately trying to mislead us because she saw that things were not going well."

“I understand, I understand,” Li Linglong said repeatedly. “If Shi Jian also committed suicide, then this case will become a complete unsolved mystery. It’s like a Russian nesting doll. Ma Weichang committed suicide because he raped and murdered Ge Fangfang, but if the truth comes out, it will become that Shi Jian killed Ma Weichang to avenge his daughter Ge Fangfang, and then committed suicide!”

The young county police chief stared wide-eyed. He never imagined that such a complex and horrifying murder case would occur within his jurisdiction.

This isn't a Russian nesting doll, it's a Russian nesting ghost! Once you break off one layer, the ghost inside is even more terrifying and grotesque.

"Director Li."

"What's wrong? Do you have any other ideas?" When Li Linglong looked at Zhou Yi again, his eyes were full of longing and admiration for talent.

If only I had such talented young people under my command, they would surely become my right-hand men.

“Shi Jian probably won’t commit suicide,” Zhou Yi said.

"Yes. I mean, like Ma Weichang, his death was staged as a suicide."

"No... I mean, Shi Jian might just vanish into thin air, and we won't even be able to find his body."

This statement is chilling.

Zhou Yi added, "The 'vanished into thin air' conclusion does not apply to Ma Weichang, because Article 23 of the General Principles of Civil Law stipulates that only when a citizen has been missing for four years can an interested party apply to the court for a declaration of death. This level of uncertainty is too high."

“But Shi Jian is different. There is no inheritance from Shi Jian, so 'fleeing from justice' is safer than 'committing suicide out of fear of punishment.' As long as this most suspicious target disappears into thin air and can never be found, the case will never be closed.”

“Once there is a highly suspicious suspect who is ‘fleeing from justice,’ the police will naturally not focus on anyone else until that person is found.”

"It can't be broken, it really can't be broken." Li Linglong suddenly lowered his head and murmured.

Zhou Yi was taken aback. "Director Li, what did you say?"

"Ah, it's nothing." Li Linglong looked up.

What he was just muttering was that if the case was really as Zhou Yi analyzed, then without Zhou Yi's involvement, based on his understanding of himself and Zhou Xiangdong, he felt that the case would be impossible to solve.

The inevitable outcome was as Zhou Yi predicted: they highly suspected Shi Jian, but couldn't find him anywhere, so they had no choice but to issue an arrest warrant and request assistance in the investigation.

Then came the endless waiting, and just like the case in Huangniu Township ten years ago, it became an unsolved mystery with no clear answer.

He didn't know how Zhou Xiangdong, who would be retiring in a few years, would view this outcome.

However, given his personality, this case will likely become a source of anxiety for him and may also affect his career.

If Zhou Yi's capture of Zhang Gensheng and the solving of the case in Huangniu Township were a pleasant surprise, then that was the icing on the cake.

Zhou Yi's involvement in the Xipinggou case was a timely and much-needed act of kindness.

He began to feel fortunate that he hadn't politely rejected Zhou Yi yesterday.

"Won't Ge Fangfang become an unregistered resident? What will happen to her in the future?" Li Linglong said.

Zhou Yi nodded: "Yes, if that's the case, then Ge Fangfang can't be Ge Fangfang anymore, otherwise she'll be exposed. But then again, in some economically and ideologically backward places, what does a girl's life matter? She was born into such a family and environment, with a mother who gambles with her reputation and life, so she won't have a very good life when she grows up."

Hearing this, Li Linglong sighed deeply. Yes, Zhou Yi was right. He was also a proud son who had come from the mountains, so he certainly knew better than Zhou Yi what kind of people with outdated ideas were.

Ge Fangfang's life was destined to be anything but good.

They either marry young, go to the city to mingle in society, or even fall into prostitution.

Therefore, Zhou Yi admired Lu Xiaoshuang's parents even more. They were like two bright lights standing in Yangjiatun, illuminating the future of the village's children.

Zhou Yi didn't know what Yangjiatun was like before, but after spending time with the villagers, he felt that they were all very simple and kind.

Or perhaps this is also a causal change brought about by Lu Guohua and Su Xiuying.

"Do you think this was their plan from the beginning?" Li Linglong pondered.

"Maybe not..."

Zhou Yi was also pondering this question: Was such a complex plan formulated from the beginning, or was it a last-minute change?

“When the Shacao Town Police Station went to the county hospital to find Miao Genhua and Ma Weichang to understand the situation the day before yesterday, I remember that Miao Genhua was hiding her relationship with Shi Jian, and she was quite agitated when the police suspected Shi Jian.” Zhou Yi witnessed all of this firsthand.

“But during yesterday’s interrogation, her story changed again. She told the so-called truth and immediately pointed all the blame at Shi Jian.”

Zhou Yi was suddenly stunned. The stark contrast in Miao Genhua's attitude over the past day made her think of a possibility.

That was the original murder plan; it might have just ended with Ma Weichang committing suicide.

Shi Jian was merely a tool to watch over Ge Fangfang; there was no original plan to kill him to silence him.

But because of their appearance, or more precisely, because of their own appearance.

After all, Zhao Liang didn't have the ability or experience to see through the strange relationship between the two people.

He saw through Ma Weichang and Miao Genhua's unusual behavior, which caused the original plan to change.

The murderer had to put another layer on top of Ma Weichang.

In other words, it is very likely that my involvement will make the case more complicated.

Ma Weichang was doomed to die, after all, this whole scheme was set up for him, regardless of whether he, as a "dark horse," intervened.

But Shi Jian, who might have been out of danger, is now in a very dangerous situation.

Upon thinking of this, Zhou Yi jumped to his feet.

"Director Li, send more people. Find Shi Jian as soon as possible to prevent any further accidents."

Although Shi Jian may be irresponsible, he is innocent after all, and he doesn't want anyone to lose their life because of his involvement.

Li Linglong nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

"There's one more thing that I might need to look into."

"You said."

"Miao Genhua said that on the day she was hospitalized, she contacted Shi Jian using a public phone near the hospital. We can trace Shi Jian's pager number backwards by checking the dialing records of the public phone. In addition, we need to check whether Miao Genhua left the ward to make a phone call the day before yesterday, after we went to the hospital to find her and Ma Weichang. Her change in behavior may be due to someone instructing her."

Li Linglong now listens to Zhou Yi completely, especially since everything Zhou Yi says makes sense.

Before we knew it, it was already completely bright outside.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast. People need to eat to fight; you can't fight without a full stomach." Li Linglong enthusiastically pulled Zhou Yi out of the county bureau and to a nearby breakfast stall, where they ordered two sets of local specialties.

“The conditions here are tough, so please make do.” Li Linglong smiled and handed Zhou Yi a clean pair of chopsticks.

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "I think it's great. These breakfast stalls have a really lively and down-to-earth feel to them."

Although there weren't many people on the street, there were already some early risers hurrying along; they were just ordinary people.

Although Zhou Yi had dealt with evil for half his life, he knew that in the world of ordinary people, these things were actually very far removed from reality.

Most people simply live their normal lives step by step, striving to make their lives better.

“Our county bureau used to have a canteen,” Li Linglong said. “But not long after I arrived, I found that everyone seemed to dislike eating in the canteen and preferred to buy boxed lunches outside.”

"I ate that lunchbox last night, and it did taste pretty good."

"Yeah, the food tastes pretty good, and it's clean too. But that's not the point. The point is, the cafeteria food isn't good, but I found out their expenses are quite high, so I checked their past accounts myself. Guess what?"

"Did the cook take a kickback?"

"Yes, he gets a 50-cent kickback on a one-yuan dish, that's outrageous!" Li Linglong exclaimed excitedly, slamming his hand on the table.

But this folding table was very light, and it made a clanging sound when tapped. Li Linglong quickly steadied it and said sorry.

This is probably the humility unique to intellectuals.

"Later, I simply closed the cafeteria and used the funds that were originally used for the cafeteria to distribute as subsidies to everyone every month. Everyone was happy with this."

As Li Linglong was speaking, Zhou Yi, who was sitting facing the entrance of the county bureau, suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Several vehicles arrived at the county bureau's entrance; the lead vehicle was a sedan, followed by three vans.

Then one by one, people got out of the car and gathered at the entrance of the county bureau.

Li Linglong also noticed something was wrong, because Zhou Yi was staring at him from behind, so he turned around and glanced back.

Just then, the leader shouted something, and then the group shouted in unison, "Severely punish the murderer Miao Genhua!"

(End of this chapter)