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墨書 Inktalez
That night, it seemed that no one had slept well. Everyone knew that the fourth body would be thrown out by the Killer tonight, but we had no idea where or how it would happen. The north wind howled outside, and I suddenly recalled what Captain Gao had said earlier: sometimes the darkness feels endless, especially at the moment just before dawn when it is at its darkest.
I tossed and turned, unable to find rest. I dreamed of Wang Kang disposing of the last body and then disappearing into the vast forest, leaving no trace behind. In my dream, our Special Investigation Team disbanded because of this, and I saw Captain Shi and Wang Gang. Accompanying the howling wind was a frantic ringing sound. I jolted awake from the nightmare, drenched in cold sweat.
“Did they find the body?” I asked as I answered Captain Gao's call.
Captain Gao replied, “The body hasn’t been discovered yet, but the leader of Major Crimes Unit Two is missing! We can’t reach him by phone, and there’s no one at his home. We don’t know where he is.”
I had met the leader of the Second Unit; his name was Zhao Wei. He was a few years younger than me, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a girlfriend but not yet married. He rented an apartment in the city and had been responsible for investigating the bodies. This task had been assigned to him by the Police Department. Who would have thought that the very person investigating the bodies would go missing? Whether his disappearance was related to this case was crucial; whether it was voluntary or involuntary was also key.
Half an hour later, nearly everyone had arrived at the Police Department except for Zhao Wei. His investigators looked at each other in confusion. I asked, “Did your leader mention anything to you?”
The team members exchanged glances and shook their heads. The deputy leader of the Second Unit said, “Yesterday, Team Leader Zhao was still with us investigating the bodies. Then he seemed to receive a call; I asked him about it, and he said you needed him for something. We didn’t pry further, but he hasn’t returned since this morning…”
“He said I needed him?” I pointed to myself in disbelief.
“That's right,” the deputy leader nodded heavily.
I furrowed my brow; this case might be more complicated than I imagined. With Wang Kang still at large and now Zhao Wei missing, I recalled what the factory manager had said—that Wang Kang had connections within the Police Department and that he and his associates were involved in illegal loan sharking activities. It was possible that Zhao Wei had dealt with them frequently. Could it be that Zhao Wei was one of those higher-ups mentioned by the manager?
“First of all, I never called him, which means he’s lying. Secondly, this indicates that he disappeared voluntarily.” I lightly tapped my temple with my finger and continued, “Bring in that factory manager and assign a team specifically to investigate Zhao Wei. There must be some connection between Zhao Wei and Wang Kang.”
We drove to Zhao Wei's apartment in the city. On the way, Yan Junde remarked, “Every time we met that Second Team Leader, he seemed a bit timid. I always thought it was just his personality, but now it seems like he has something to hide. Do you think there’s a connection between Zhao Wei and Wang Kang?”
Everyone fell silent; this matter couldn’t be commented on lightly. If that were true, we might have an insider within our ranks. If Zhao Wei was secretly passing messages to Wang Kang, we might never catch the Killer. We found the landlord and opened the door to his apartment. It was about seventy square meters—two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
We searched around in hopes of finding something useful.
After checking every corner without discovering anything significant, I fell into deep thought. If Zhao Wei had no connection with Wang Kang, why would he leave? Why run away just when we were focusing on Wang Kang? This suggested that if we caught Wang Kang, he would surely reveal something incriminating about Zhao Wei. At this moment, if I were Zhao Wei, what would I do?
Kill Wang Kang!
Then find some excuse.
“What are you thinking about?” Mary asked as she noticed my deep contemplation. “We’ve turned this place upside down and found nothing.”
I extended a finger and shook it lightly, then said, "Ren, don't you think the painting in front of us feels a bit out of place with the overall decor?" It was a painting hanging in a frame above the headboard of Zhao Wei's bed. Upon seeing this, Mary looked at me with an understanding expression, then hopped onto the bed, took down the frame, placed it on the bed, and began to knock on the wall with her hands.
"This wall is solid; there aren't any hidden compartments," Mary said, somewhat disappointed, pouting her lips.
"I meant for you to look at the painting, not the wall," I said with a smile as I picked up the frame from the bed. "Look at this painting; it's obvious that something has stained its surface. This indicates that Zhao Wei isn't really someone who appreciates art. A person who doesn't love art might hang a painting as a way to appear cultured, but why would someone who doesn't care for art repeatedly separate the painting from its frame? Surely it can't be just for cleaning."
I pointed to the marks where the frame met the painting and said, "This suggests that there's something inside."
With a firm pull, I separated the painting from its frame. Suddenly, several thin red pieces fell out from inside. They were light but felt heavy in weight. Mary exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! How much money could this be?" As she picked them up one by one, she added, "These bills are all quite new..."
Mary organized the money carefully; soon she was struggling to hold it all in one hand. "I counted earlier; there are fifty thousand yuan here," she said.
Looking at the stacks of renminbi, I suddenly recalled where I had seen something similar before. "Zhao Wei is definitely connected to Wang Kang. Remember when we found that stack of cash in Wang Kang's safe at the chemical plant? This cash here could be linked to that. Zhao Wei has accepted bribes from Wang Kang!"
Mary stared at the renminbi in her hands and asked, "Really? Why don't I remember that?"
I chuckled and pointed to my head before shaking my finger at her. "As a criminal investigator, you need sharp insight and a strong memory. If you don't remember, I can give you a tip: eat more walnuts; they’re good for your brain. By the way, walnuts that have been pinched by doors don’t help your brain..."
"Really? I need to look that up—why don’t walnuts pinched by doors help your brain..." Mary replied with curiosity.
Now that we had found evidence proving Zhao Wei's ambiguous relationship with Wang Kang, it was necessary to conduct a thorough and in-depth investigation into Zhao Wei. Captain Gao handed us a stack of documents; we looked over them and saw Zhao Wei's basic information.
Captain Gao cleared his throat and said, "Zhao Wei graduated from police academy five years ago and was assigned to our department afterward. Three years ago, he was promoted to team leader of Major Crimes Unit Two and has been responsible for several criminal cases in Beiyu City. He likely had multiple encounters with Wang Kang and his subordinates."
Captain Gao continued apologetically, "Zhao Wei has always been one of my most capable subordinates. I never expected this... Anyway, I just received files on cases Zhao Wei handled. You wouldn't believe it—Wang Kang and that person in charge have visited the Police Department multiple times. Under Zhao Wei's suppression and mediation, many assault cases resulted in injuries; those involved were only detained for a few months before being released—excluding Wang Kang and that person in charge."
No wonder when I first met the factory manager he seemed very familiar with police procedures; during interrogations, those people were evasive. If it weren't for Captain Gao using some strong measures, extracting any information from them would have been nearly impossible.
Captain Gao went on to say, "Zhao Wei owns a property. With our salaries, it's impossible to buy a house in such a prosperous area; that rental property might just be for show. I've already sent someone to start the procedures; we can raid anytime."
After saying this, Captain Gao glanced at me. I nodded and replied, "Alright then, let's go!"
The Police Department mobilized and headed towards Zhao Wei's house in the city center—a prime location with high property values. When we broke down the door, a piercing scream echoed through the air; it was undoubtedly Zhao Wei's girlfriend—a striking woman.
In this 120-square-meter apartment, it was evident how much Zhao Wei had covered up for Wang Kang’s crimes. It now seemed clear that Wang Kang and Zhao Wei were in cahoots. My previous assumptions might have been wrong; Wang Kang likely had some evidence to threaten Zhao Wei—evidence that would trigger consequences even if Wang Kang were dead. It was very possible that previous body disposal incidents had been secretly assisted by Zhao Wei. For instance, how did Wang Kang know about maintenance on surveillance cameras during the school case? That had always puzzled me; if we added Zhao Wei into the mix, everything would fall into place seamlessly.
The evidence is likely in the hands of Wang Kang's wife, but where are Wang Kang and his daughter now?
The house only contained a seductive woman, while Zhao Wei was still missing. Inside the house, one hundred thousand in cash was discovered. Back at the Police Department, Captain Gao began to interrogate the woman: "Name, age, gender, and relationship with Zhao Wei."
The woman put on a nonchalant demeanor and replied lightly, "Luo Min, twenty-three, female, I'm his wife."
"You know why we brought you in, right?" Captain Gao asked.
"Of course I do. What’s there to not know? It's about Zhao Wei's corruption and bribery. I'm not stupid; a police officer can buy a one hundred twenty square meter apartment in the city? All cash? No one would believe it!" Luo Min scoffed. "But I guess I got my money's worth, right? Four hundred thousand over three years—how many people can manage that?"
"I was after his money; he was after my looks. It was mutually beneficial," Luo Min continued. "I had anticipated this day would come. Don't ask me about him; he hasn't been back for a long time—about two weeks now. He never stays away this long. When the time stretched like this, I knew something must have happened. And here you are!"
If Zhao Wei hadn't returned for two weeks, it indicated he had been planning to escape for some time. However, there was one strange phenomenon: why did neither Wang Kang nor Zhao Wei take the cash from home when they left? Perhaps they still thought they could return? Live a normal life?
But how could that be possible?
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