Genius Detective - Chapter 189

Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Lin Dongxue Moves House

Volume 13: Last Return

February 24th; today was the Lantern Festival[1] . Lin Qiupu told everyone to go home early to spend time with their families .

Lin Dongxue was thinking about a certain detail of the case she was working on while walking home . As she reached her door, she suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no!”

A few days ago, the landlord had said that her son had been released from prison early and she wanted to take the house she was renting back for him . As an apology, the landlord was willing to refund half a year’s worth of rent . The agreed date for her to move out was today, but she had been so busy the past two days that she completely forgot about it and didn’t contact a moving company .

She opened the door and took a final look at the place she had rented for the past five years . She felt a little bit reluctant to let this place go, but she still looked up the phone numbers of several moving companies . Unfortunately, the other parties all told her that she’d need to make an appointment as they were unable to provide her with their services today .

Lin Dongxue held her cell phone pondering what she should do for a while . The amount of things she had could not be classified as plentiful nor minimal .  Who can I ask for help?

Xu Xiaodong? She’d hate to disturb his private life .

Lin Qiupu? If her brother knew that the landlord had breached the contract, he would come all the way over to talk about it . It would turn very unpleasant, so she didn’t want to go down that road .

In the end, only Chen Shi was left . Lin Dongxue smiled bitterly . Besides the little police circle she worked with, she didn’t have a single friend to ask for help .

She called Chen Shi and he asked, “Have you found a new place?”

“No, I’ll have to find a cheap motel first and then slowly find the right place . ”

“Then, you should pack up . I'll be right there . ”

Lin Dongxue had just begun to pack her things when there was a knock downstairs accompanied by some shouting . “I was released after serving a full sentence! Those places don't want me at all! Don't beg for help everywhere!”

Half a minute later, a middle-aged man with a shaved head wearing a military-green jacket appeared in front of Lin Dongxue's door . Lin Dongxue was a bit surprised as she was just about to carry out a box of her things .

“I . . . I thought you had already moved away,” the man said embarrassedly .

“I’m just about to move!”

“Aiya, aiya . I’ll help you . ”

“Ah, no need . ”

The man moved Lin Dongxue’s things to the staircase for her, making Lin Dongxue very embarrassed . The man apologized, “I'm really sorry . I came back so suddenly and forced you to move . ”

“It's okay . No problem . ”

“Did you hear everything just now? People won’t accept someone like me . My mother used her network to beg everywhere to find a job for me, but everyone just refused her in a roundabout manner . She had to use her hot face to rub on their cold asses[2] . When I see that, it really hurts . ” As he was saying this, his eyes became red .

Lin Dongxue didn't know how to comfort him . “You can try freelance work, such as opening an online shop or something . ”

“I’ll try . ” He responded faintly and went to the house to continue moving everything . In one of the boxes, he saw a textbook from the police academy and asked in surprise, “Miss, what do you do for a living?”

“I'm a police officer . ”

“Criminal police?”

“Yes . ”

“Will you look down on someone like me?”

Lin Dongxue paused and said, “I remember your mother said that you were in for manslaughter, right?”

He sat down in a small chair with his head down . “This is the sentence they gave me in court . In prison, there wasn’t a day that I didn’t regret that . When people are young, they will do stupid things . However, they make up for it with a lifetime . ” He shook his head .

“You’ve regained your freedom, so cherish it now . You’re only in your thirties, so that’s not too old . ”

He smiled bitterly again as he looked up at Lin Dongxue . His line of sight made Lin Dongxue a little scared . He said, “My name is Wu Xu, how about you?”

“Lin Dongxue . ”

“I know this is a bit sudden and it’s difficult to say, but can you do me a favor . . . ” Wu Xu stuttered . “I . . . I haven't touched a woman for over a decade . ”

“What?!” Lin Dongxue backed away in shock .

“No, no, don't get me wrong . I meant to ask if you can touch my head? You can refuse . I don’t want to force people to do something they don’t want to do . ”

Lin Dongxue's first reaction was to refuse . However, when she thought about her profession, she realized she was a criminal police officer, part of the same group who sent him to prison . If even the criminal police avoided him, then wouldn’t the words “accepting transformation and reform” be just empty words?

“Come here . ”

Wu Xu accepted and put his head towards her . Lin Dongxue stroked his short hair on the scalp, and his posture was like a monk kneeling down in confession . In order to disperse the embarrassing and awkward air, Lin Dongxue said, “Don't take the wrong way, alright? I know you'll be facing a hard time, but you have to pull through so you don’t make your mother sad . ”

Wu Xu nodded and cried, “Thank you, Miss . ”

There was a car honking outside and Lin Dongxue said, “I have to go . You take care of yourself . ”

“I'll help you move things . ”

A small truck drove by downstairs . The driver was actually Chen Shi . Lin Dongxue asked, “Why did you drive a truck over?”

“I borrowed it from a friend . ” Wu Xu, who got out of the house and rushed to move things with Lin Dongxue, said, “Brother, thank you!”

“You're welcome . ”

After getting in the car, Chen Shi suggested, “Why don’t you go and live at my house for a few days? There’s a bed there anyway . That way, you can take your time in finding a place!”

Lin Dongxue thought about it . Since Tao Yueyue was there, it didn’t count as a man and woman being in a space alone . Additionally, she was only going to stay a few days . She asked, “Do I need to pay rent?”

“Haha, am I such a stranger? Just treat me and Yueyue to dinner tonight . ”

“I haven’t even moved places yet and I need to treat you to dinner? Fine, fine . I’ll invite you guys to eat grilled fish!”

That night, everyone in the task force went home to spend time with their families . Lin Qiupu finished processing several documents in the office, drank the coffee that had already grown cold in the cup, packed up, and got ready to go home . At this time, there was an internal call that had been transferred over from the emergency hotline center .

The person over the phone said, “Captain Lin, I just received a call from the local police station reporting calls for help and the sound of fighting at the electroplating factory plant community in Shuangta Road . The police went and found the body of a middle-aged man . ”

“Okay, let me handle it!”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Qiupu wanted to call someone . However, after thinking about it, he decided to handle it by himself . Today was the Lantern Festival and he wanted everyone to rest .

He passed by the forensic department and sure enough, Peng Sijue was still working overtime . Lin Qiupu interrupted, “Old Peng, there is a murder case . Come with me!”

An hour later, the two arrived at the scene where three policemen stood by a door . The policemen briefly described the situation when the body was found . When they entered the house, they saw a blood-stained man lying on the ground in a mess . “It's really sad!” Peng Sijue commented .

“Yeah, a bachelor was killed at home alone . ”

“No, I meant us two bachelors investigating here during the Lantern Festival . ”

“When did you get so emotional? Let’s get to work!”

The local police had already verified that the deceased was Zhou Taiyang, a 56 year old employee of the former state-owned electroplating factory . After the factory closed, he worked in a private electroplating factory .

He was once married, but had no children and divorced shortly after . Since then, he’d been a bachelor .

Lin Qiupu took out a digital camera to take photos . Peng Sijue cut the thin clothes that the victim wore and found that he was covered in criss-crosses of bruises, which should have been left by a stick or a belt .

In addition, the pants were half-removed, exposing a buttocks full of hemorrhoids . Peng Sijue saw some sticky substance near the victim’s anus .

He dipped a cotton swab on it, took a closer look and said, “It seems to be a lubricant . ”

Peng Sijue also noted that close to the neck and ears, there were burns that were received while the victim was alive . There was a soldering iron thrown on the ground not far from the corpse with obvious burnt human tissue on it .

“Could it be sexual abuse?” Lin Qiupu guessed .

1 . I understand that the last chapter (188) mentioned the date was March 15th . This was most likely a flashback .  

2 . An expression that means she has to lower her head, lose all her face and beg others .