Animal Detective

Chapter 140 Double Happiness
Zhang Qingpeng was taken back to Nanjiang.

Sun Zhao and Chen Chao were quite surprised to learn that the case had been solved.

Before setting off, the only key clue was the two dogs, and the evidence was not yet sufficient. For example, it was not yet clear who bought the dogs.

Unexpectedly, during the interrogation, Shen Xin unexpectedly discovered a crucial clue.

Moreover, it was decisive evidence that directly sealed Zhang Qingpeng's guilt.

"Xiao Shen, you're good." Sun Zhao patted Shen Xin on the shoulder and praised him.

It's truly remarkable that someone could deduce Zhang Qingpeng's true purpose in evading the investigation from a single instinctive reaction.

Chen Chao patted Shen Xin on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

Neither of them are the type to shower people with compliments; they're already quite generous if they can just pat someone on the shoulder and give them a thumbs up.

The case is now clear.

The next step is to investigate and solidify the chain of evidence, and then transfer the case.

The families of both sides also arrived one after another.

Shen Xin also met Zhang Qingpeng's money-grubbing parents and his good-for-nothing younger brother.

The couple were just ordinary people. The father, Zhang Li, drove an unlicensed taxi in the county town and had a very explosive temper. When he arrived in Nanjiang and met Wang Wanming, his first words were to accuse Wang Lei of having a problem and that he must have bullied Zhang Qingpeng. Zhang Qingpeng couldn't stand being bullied, so he killed Wang Lei.

Wang Wanming was so angry that he almost fainted on the spot.

His mother, Huang Lanying, works at the school cafeteria in town.

Shen Xin was unwilling to judge people by their appearance, but Huang Lanying's droopy eyes and chubby cheeks made her look like a shrew with a sharp and mean temperament.

Like Zhang Li, he immediately started arguing with Wang Wanming and his wife, and accused Shen Xin of handling the case wrongly, saying that Zhang Qingpeng was such a good kid who had even gone to university, how could he possibly commit murder?

Finally, there's the useless younger brother that Zhang Qingpeng mentioned.

He looks a bit like Zhang Qingpeng, but is a bit fatter. He follows behind his parents without saying a word.

Arguing won't help.

The chain of evidence has been gradually completed.

The buried husky has been found.

So, after being lectured by the lawyer, Zhang Li immediately changed his tune and started discussing with Wang Wanming whether they could pay compensation and get a letter of understanding.

In this case, Zhang Qingpeng might still have a chance of receiving a suspended death sentence.

Wang Wanming also hired a lawyer to provide assistance and demanded two million yuan in compensation.

Zhang Li immediately turned hostile, saying that the maximum was 100,000, and not a penny more.

Outside the mediation room, Shen Xin and the other two stood against the wall, silently listening to the commotion inside.

"Where did you find this lawyer? What were you thinking, making the Wang family issue a letter of understanding?" Zhao Tianxing scoffed.

Shen Xin shared the same thought.

Leaving aside the difficulty of the Wang family issuing this letter of understanding, even if they did, it would be hard to change Zhang Qingpeng's sentence.

In Shen Xin's view, there is almost a 90% chance that Zhang Qingpeng will die.

The chances of receiving a suspended death sentence are very small.

The reason is simple: he spent a month plotting to murder Wang Lei.

They bought a dog, infected it with rabies, frequently swapped dogs to lull Wang Lei into a false sense of security, and even lured Wang Lei into being bitten. After the incident, they deleted related videos and destroyed evidence.

It was highly premeditated.

Those who hang signs indicating premeditated murder are generally executed immediately.

Not to mention that he didn't confess for so long after Wang Lei was bitten, and just watched Wang Lei die.

Its nature is extremely heinous.

It could even be classified as a social hazard.

Such egregious behavior cannot be adequately addressed with a mere letter of apology.

Just then, a middle-aged woman walked in through the door.

Shen Xin's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to greet her: "You must be Ms. Liu?" The middle-aged woman nodded.

"Please."

Shen Xin quickly led her to the small conference room in the criminal investigation office and sat her down.

Ding Yuwei brought over a drink.

"Thank you for your help." Shen Xin sat down opposite her and turned on the voice recorder.

The middle-aged woman waved her hand and said it was no trouble, then asked somewhat embarrassedly if it was really a reward of 100,000.

The day after returning from Fukuyama, it was like double happiness: Xiao Hong's case had also made a breakthrough.

The woman in front of me, named Liu Shuxiu, called and said she should have seen the homeless man.

"Of course, if the clues prove valid, the reward will be substantial," Shen Xin quickly replied.

Liu Shuying nodded and explained, "It's not just about the reward."

Shen Xin quickly said it was alright and asked her to explain the specific situation.

Liu Shuying, who was in her forties, smoothed her graying temples and said, "Oh, it's like this. I'm from Guanzhuang Village. Our Guanzhuang Village is south of Panzhong Road. Back then, there was an Ansu Logistics Park there."

"I live over there, about 200 meters from the south gate of the logistics park. I run a fast food restaurant there."

"February 17, 2011, was the Lantern Festival, so I remember it."

"Their logistics park started work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, so we also opened on the eighth day. We didn't rest on the fifteenth day either. I mainly do fast food, so I usually have to go to the market to buy vegetables at around five in the morning and then come back around six or seven o'clock."

"Wash the vegetables, prepare the vegetables, and then cook them. I'll be busy all morning anyway."

"I don't remember exactly what time it was that day, but it was getting a little light, so you can calculate it as early as six o'clock."

“I was riding a big electric scooter. As soon as I stopped, I saw a beggar sitting outside my roller shutter door, not moving at all. I thought he was dead. It scared me half to death.”

"When I went up to check, he seemed to have been sleeping poorly. He woke up suddenly and turned to look at me."

"I asked him if he was hungry and wanted something to eat, but he ignored me and just left."

"Then, just like you described in the bounty, he was carrying a red snakeskin bag, wearing many layers of clothing, and his hair was a mess."

Shen Xin nodded silently.

That person might be the homeless man I'm looking for.

Liu Shuying continued, "I didn't think much about it at the time and just opened the door. I had just brought in a bag of vegetables when I turned around and the beggar came back."

"He asked me if I had any food, and I asked him if I had any bowls. He shook his head, so I used a takeout container to give him a portion of leftover rice. He took it and left without even saying thank you."

"but."

Liu Shuying suddenly lowered her voice and said, "I don't really remember what his face looked like, after all, it's been six years, and he had a beard and his face was dirty."

"But I remember his hand."

Liu Shuying shook her right hand and said, "His right thumb has an extra finger; he has six fingers."

Shen Xin's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked Liu Shuying if she was sure.

"Are you sure? I even told my husband, because it's quite rare."

"I also know about the driver's death. Your police came to investigate at the time, but we didn't know it was a beggar who killed him."

"It was when one of my customers was watching a video and mentioned this that I found out you had offered a reward for finding this beggar, and that's how I remembered you."

Suppressing his excitement, Shen Xin was about to ask for more details when Ding Yuwei suddenly grabbed his arm.

She kept shaking.

"What's wrong?" Shen Xin asked, noticing her agitated expression.

Ding Yuwei gripped Shen Xin's arm tightly and said, "Shen Xin, I know this person. He's in the files we've looked at."

Her eyes widened, filled with shock.

She patted her head, trying hard to recall, and then said, "Sun Yongxi, that's right, that's the name, Sun Yongxi. It's recorded in the file. He has six fingers on his right hand, and he's from Yanling next door. He was taken in on March 18, 2012."

(End of this chapter)