Chapter 39
House

After leaving Director Yan’s office…

Lu Qiyuan said to Tan Yi, “Xiao Tan, although the Daily News report was biased, it still caused a negative impact, didn’t it?”

Tan Yi replied, “I understand.”

Lu Qiyuan nodded, “Good. I’ll give you three days to solve the case.”

Huang Zhenyi was shocked, “Mr. Lu, isn’t three days too tight? The hospital is full of mixed personnel, and we can’t rely on technical support. It’s all manual screening. Three days might not be enough.”

Lu Qiyuan said, “Do your best.”

Huang Zhenyi looked at Tan Yi helplessly.

Tan Yi said, “Alright, I’ll do my best. Mr. Lu, Deputy Captain Huang, I’ll get back to work.”

Tan Yi went downstairs.

Lu Qiyuan smiled, “Tan Yi is a newcomer, and the second team is mostly veterans who have become complacent. Pushing them a bit will speed things up.”

Huang Zhenyi smiled, “Mr. Lu, you really understand our second team.”

…

Tan Yi returned to the office and called the household registration department to help find Pi Yan’s identity information.

After hanging up, Fu Da knocked and entered, “Captain Tan, a few tabloid reporters are at the main entrance again.”

Tan Yi frowned, “Tell everyone to ignore them. Anyone who talks will be punished.”

Fu Da reminded, “Captain Tan, isn’t that a bit harsh?”

Tan Yi said, “There’s nothing wrong with it. We’re criminal investigators, not performers. Leave this to the professionals.”

Fu Da liked this response, “Got it, I’ll inform everyone.” He took a few steps out, then stopped, “Are we still having a meeting?”

Tan Yi said, “No meeting, and no need to go to the hospital. Arrange to continue monitoring Hou Zi’an’s two rivals, as well as Li Xiaoming and Wu Meili. Also, Pi Yan—this person is not simple. We’ll go together later.”

Fu Da asked, “What about Zhang Xiuyu?”

The phone rang.

Tan Yi put his hand on the receiver, “Hou Zi’an being alive benefits her more. No need to worry about her for now. Go notify everyone, then come back to me.”

Fu Da left, and Tan Yi answered the phone.

The household registration department had a response—Pi Yan, thirty-eight years old, married, registered in Qingshan Cliff, wife Xing Xiaolian, thirty-six years old, with two sons, aged fourteen and twelve. Currently living at 112 Huimin Street.

Tan Yi tidied up his desk, slung his bag over his shoulder, and left the office.

Fu Da asked, “Captain Tan, heading out?”

Tan Yi nodded, “Let’s go together.”

They drove to Sunshine Community.

Tan Yi pointed to the premium cigarette and alcohol shop across the street, “I’ve seen Pi Yan, so it’s not convenient for me to show my face. Go next door and ask who owns this shop and how much the rent is.”

Fu Da understood, “Alright, I’ll be right back.”

Tan Yi lit a cigarette, and just after taking a couple of puffs, Chai Yu called.

“Hey, Tan, what are you busy with every day? You never call me.”

“If you want to mock me, just say it directly.”

“Hahaha, Sherlock Tan, what’s going on? How did you end up in the newspaper?”

“…”

“Tan, I know your skills. Don’t get upset. Let’s have a drink tonight.”

“If you want to drink, find someone else. I’m busy.”

“Oh, don’t be so heartless. I can’t talk to anyone else.”

“After I solve this case.”

“When will that be? You need to relax. How about tonight? I…”

Tan Yi hung up and flicked the ash off his cigarette, “Annoying.”

Fu Da returned, “The shops here were developed with Sunshine Community. Most owners are Sunshine Community residents. They don’t know if Pi Yan is renting. We should go to Ding Sheng Real Estate; they have records.”

Although going to the property bureau would be more official, the real estate company’s sales office was closer, just around the corner. Fifteen minutes later, they had the first-hand information.

They chatted as they walked.

Fu Da said, “I didn’t expect the property to be in Pi Yan’s wife’s name. Pi Yan must have married into money… Damn, Pi Yan must be wearing a green hat.”

Tan Yi said, “Most likely. Let’s go check out Huimin Street.”

Huimin Street was behind the premium cigarette and alcohol shop, a row of single-story houses. The streets were straight and easy to navigate. They found the place without asking anyone.

The Pi family’s house was likely rented, clean and tidy. The east wing had a lot of clutter outside, and a long rope in the yard was covered with wet clothes. A middle-aged woman came out of the west wing, looking warily at Tan Yi and Fu Da.

Fu Da stepped forward, “Sister, is Xing Xiaolian home?”

The middle-aged woman said, “Xiaolian went back to her parents’ house early this morning. She’ll be back in a few days. Who are you? I’ll let Pi San know when he returns.”

Fu Da said, “Thank you, sister, but no need. We know where Pi San is.”

“You’re welcome.” The middle-aged woman turned to go back inside.

“Sister, wait,” Tan Yi said, taking out his police badge, “We’re police officers from the city bureau. We want to ask you about the Pi family. What’s your name?”

“Police!” The middle-aged woman was startled, “My name is Wang. What’s going on with the couple?”

Tan Yi said, “Nothing major. Just answer truthfully.”

“Sure, ask away.”

“How is the Pi couple’s relationship?”

“Very good. Pi San is a good man and treats his wife like a treasure.”

“No fights?”

“No fights, never seen them argue.”

“What does Xing Xiaolian look like?”

“Oh, she’s beautiful, with big eyes, double eyelids, fair skin, and much prettier than Pi San.”

“Have you seen Pi San in a bad mood?”

“Well… maybe. Sometimes, he stands at the door smoking, looking scary, but he never loses his temper. Maybe we’re overthinking. What’s going on? Pi San is a good man who helps everyone.”

“Do you have rats here?”

“No, we have lots of stray cats. If there were rats, they’d be eaten.”

“Alright, thank you, sister. Please don’t tell Pi Yan about this.”

The middle-aged woman instinctively covered her mouth, “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.”

They returned to the police station, finding the office mostly empty.

Fu Da went to the interrogation area but didn’t find who he was looking for. He came back, sitting across from Tan Yi’s desk, “Captain Tan, I’ll go to Qingshan Cliff.”

Tan Yi said, “We need to go to Qingshan Cliff, but first, check where Hou Zi’an worked from fourteen or fifteen years ago until now. Find the workers who collaborated with him and see if we can trace the Pi couple.”

Going to Qingshan Cliff to find Xing Xiaolian was more direct, but it would take at least twenty-four hours round trip.

“Right, this is faster. I’ll go now.” He left quickly.

…

At three in the afternoon, Fu Da returned and found Tan Yi in the office, “Captain Tan, I found it.”

Tan Yi took out his notebook, “Pi San worked in Hou Zi’an’s construction team?”

Fu Da perched on the edge of the desk, “Not just that, Xing Xiaolian also cooked at Hou Zi’an’s construction site. They came to the site together after getting married but suddenly stopped. Pi San found a job selling goods and never returned to the site. Captain Tan, I suspect Hou Zi’an raped Xing Xiaolian. Hou Zi’an paid to settle it, but Pi San held a grudge.”

Tan Yi added, “Pi San has no connections to open a premium cigarette and alcohol shop. It’s also quite possible he’s making money by exploiting his wife. Keep a close watch on Pi San; he’s cunning. Xing Xiaolian might not have actually gone back to Qingshan Cliff, and we need to prevent him from becoming desperate.”

“Got it!” Fu Da agreed wholeheartedly, “Don’t worry, Captain Tan, I’ll make sure everything is arranged properly.”

…

Although the leadership didn’t criticize the second team, the team members were still furious. The slackers were gone, and the chatterboxes were quiet. Everyone united, fully cooperating to turn the situation around quickly.

Full of youthful vigor, Li Ke and Li Ji staked out in the old city for a day and a night. Finally, on the fourth morning after Hou Zi’an’s death, they caught a vendor selling rat poison in the countryside and brought him back to the city bureau.

When Xie Qing got out of the car, she saw Liu Feng escorting the vendor down.

Li Ke, with dark circles under her eyes, cheerfully said, “This is the last one. We finally caught him.”

Xie Qing gave a thumbs up. Li Ke was quite an exceptional girl, a true tough cookie.

Li Ke said, “This is the final push. Are you coming?” She meant that they still hadn’t found the source of the poison in Hou Zi’an’s case, and this was their last chance.

Xie Qing looked at Cao Haisheng.

Cao Haisheng said, “You can organize the materials later. Go ahead.”

Xie Qing bowed, “Thank you, Master.”

Cao Haisheng smiled and waved.

The two friends followed Liu Feng to the interrogation room. At the door, Xie Qing stayed outside to listen to the interrogation recording while Li Ke went in to take notes.

Li Ji emptied the contents of the cloth bag onto the table.

Liu Feng, as usual, asked for the vendor’s name, put on gloves, and picked up a paper package, “What’s this?”

The vendor replied honestly, “Rat poison.”

“What kind of rat poison?”

“Tetramine! It’s really just for killing rats. Don’t overthink it.”

“Someone has already been poisoned to death. How can I not overthink it!”

“What?” The vendor shuddered, “It wasn’t me. I haven’t been home for the past few days.”

Liu Feng said, “Even if it wasn’t you, it was the poison you sold. Now, you have a chance to redeem yourself. Whether we catch the killer depends on you.”

The vendor trembled with fear, “It’s not fair! I’m not the only one selling this poison. Why say it’s mine?”

Liu Feng said, “Stop arguing and answer the questions. Have you been to Qingshan Cliff?”

“Qingshan Cliff is too remote. I haven’t been there.”

“Have you sold it in the city?”

“Yes, mainly in the old city.”

“In the past twenty days, how many have you sold?”

“Well… they say a good memory is not as reliable as a written record. It’s all in that notebook, including where I sold them.”

Li Ke found a small softcover notebook among the clutter on the table and flipped through it from back to front. There weren’t many buyers of tetramine. In the past twenty days, he had sold seventy-nine packs. From these records, there was no mention of Justice Street or Sunshine Community.

Li Ke shook her head at Liu Feng.

Liu Feng took the notebook, flipped through a few pages, then set it aside and took out a few photos, “Here are some people. Take a good look and see if any of them bought poison from you.”

The vendor mumbled, “I’m over forty. My memory isn’t great. Don’t blame me if I get it wrong.”

Li Ke placed the photos on the small table in front of him, “Take a good look.”

The vendor looked at each photo carefully, “I don’t think I’ve seen any of them.”