Animal Detective-Chapter 89: Family Torn Apart

With some time to kill before Guo Chunping got off work, Shen Xin and Chen Chao discussed the possibility of whether Guo Chunping had been bribed or was an accomplice.

"It was probably a bribe."

Zhao Tianxing said with absolute certainty.

Chen Chao clearly leaned toward this theory as well. He shot Zhao Tianxing a look and said, "Call Xiaoxu. Have him make a trip over to the bank before it closes and check Guo Chunping’s account statements from four years ago."

Unlike surveillance footage, bank transaction records were required by regulation to be kept for over five years.

For a four-year-old case, if Guo Chunping had received a large sum of money, they would be able to find it.

"The only worry is if he was paid in cash," Shen Xin added.

Mobile payments had only become common in the last few years. Back in ’13, that kind of thing didn’t exist.

Chen Chao, however, looked relaxed. "It’s best if we find something, but if not, we’ll figure out another way. Even if it was cash, we can still try to look into his spending habits from that time. For example, how did he buy his apartment in Yuecheng Home? Or any other similar large expenditures. He had to have left a trail. We’re bound to find some clues."

"And you... seriously. When I handed this case to you, I never thought you’d find a lead for me this quickly."

Chen Chao praised him again.

Shen Xin was quick to be modest, gesturing to Ding Yuwei. "Ding Yuwei and I discovered it together."

"No, don’t! I had nothing to do with it," Ding Yuwei said, waving her hands in protest.

Just yesterday, Guo Chunping had been tailing Shen Xin. He had only slowed down at the zoo entrance without even stopping, yet Shen Xin had still noticed him. ’I have to admit, I don’t have that kind of observational skill,’ she thought.

"Alright, you two. You’re both amazing, okay? I’m the useless one, just a decoration," Zhao Tianxing cut in.

’After all,’ he thought, ’they said I was supposed to be leading this investigation at the start.’

They waited patiently for over an hour until it was six o’clock.

Chen Chao gave a look, signaling it was time to move.

They had the summons warrants with them. With their superior present, they could fill them out and get them signed on the spot.

They drove straight to the underground parking garage.

They had people watching upstairs, so they weren’t worried about Guo Chunping getting away.

「At the elevator bank leading to the parking garage.」

It was just after six, and people were starting to leave work one after another.

Chen Chao’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out, glanced at it, and said, "He’s coming down."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, gesturing for Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei to go.

This was the first case the two of them had handled since joining the precinct’s CID team.

Shen Xin had no reason to be nervous. It wasn’t like he’d never arrested anyone back at his old station.

The two of them flanked the exit from the elevator bay to the parking garage and waited.

Before long, they heard the sound of an elevator arriving.

Soon, a crowd of people began to file out.

A familiar figure appeared—it was Guo Chunping.

He was walking out with his head down, looking at his phone, completely oblivious to anything unusual.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

He flinched, nearly dropping his phone. When he turned his head, he froze.

"Guo Chunping, here are my badge and a summons warrant. Please come with us," Shen Xin said in a low voice.

Guo Chunping stood there woodenly, stunned for a full five seconds. A flicker of what looked like relief flashed across his eyes before he gave a slight nod.

The group drove back to the precinct.

Shen Xin watched Guo Chunping through the rearview mirror.

He was unexpectedly calm.

But Shen Xin didn’t think it was the kind of calmness that came from being so scared you went numb after a sudden arrest.

’A guy like that is actually more trouble,’ Shen Xin thought.

Besides, the case was four years old. He’d had plenty of time to get his emotions in check and think up the perfect story.

’In a situation like this, even a lie detector test might not be accurate.’

「Back at the precinct.」

Sun Zhao hadn’t left work yet; he was waiting for them specifically.

When he saw Shen Xin, he didn’t say a word, just patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of gratification.

While having someone take Guo Chunping to be processed, he called Shen Xin and the others to the cafeteria for dinner.

"We checked the bank statements. Nothing. Just his fixed monthly salary. He’s a bachelor, so he doesn’t have many big expenses," Sun Zhao said as he ate.

Shen Xin shoveled rice into his mouth as he listened.

’The precinct cafeteria food is pretty good,’ he thought. ’Much better than at the station.’

Chen Chao nodded slightly. He had expected as much.

Sun Zhao continued, "Also, this afternoon I asked a colleague at Changxi South Bridge to look into Guo Chunping’s background. They called me a little while ago. This Guo Chunping... he used to be the deputy section chief of the security department at the state-owned Nanqiao Aluminum Industry."

"He started the job in ’91, when he was 21, and worked there until ’08. That’s almost twenty years. Back then, the security department of a state-owned enterprise was basically like our police departments, so his professional skills should be pretty sharp."

At this point, he looked up at Shen Xin.

’He must be reminding me,’ Shen Xin realized.

Because the two captains had just said they would let Shen Xin lead the interrogation to give him some practice.

Shen Xin nodded thoughtfully. ’No wonder he became a security manager in just one year. And no wonder he was so calm when they brought him in.’

Sun Zhao went on, "And he wasn’t laid off during the restructuring of the state-owned enterprise. He resigned voluntarily. I found out the reason for that, too."

His tone grew heavy. "He’s been married twice. His first wife passed away in the winter of ’94 from complications during childbirth. It wasn’t until ’03 that he was introduced to his second wife. They had a son in ’04."

"Then, after the new year in ’08, his wife went back to her hometown in Jiaozhou’s Qinggang City to visit family. As it turned out, their child went missing by accident. His wife couldn’t handle the blow and committed suicide by jumping off a building. That’s probably why he quit his job, left Nanqiao, and never went back."

The people at the table looked at each other, all of them somewhat shocked.

"That’s... really tragic," Ding Yuwei said softly.

Shen Xin nodded.

His family had been torn apart. It didn’t get much worse than that.

Chen Chao sighed with a mournful air, then said, "Everyone has their own fate, but if you make a mistake, you still have to face the consequences."

Shen Xin took a bite of rice. He could tell Chen Chao was reminding him again.

’He’s telling me not to be influenced by Guo Chunping’s tragic story, not to empathize and start with the assumption that he’s a good person. I need to stay calm and interrogate him as I should.’

"Captain Chen, I understand."

Shen Xin nodded.

「Interrogation Room.」

Sun Zhao and Chen Chao were watching from the surveillance room.

"Old Chen, do you think Xiaoshen can handle this?" Sun Zhao asked.

Chen Chao chuckled. "Why wouldn’t he? The kid’s got this. Besides, Guo Chunping was most likely just bribed. It shouldn’t be a problem."

Sun Zhao thought about it and agreed, so he didn’t say any more.

Meanwhile, outside the interrogation room, Shen Xin was silently psyching himself up.

"Nervous?"

Zhao Tianxing asked with a smile from beside him.

Shen Xin nodded slightly. There was no point in denying it.

Zhao Tianxing, on the other hand, looked relaxed. "Don’t worry about it. It’s not like you didn’t learn this at the academy. Just follow procedure and adapt as you go. Anyway, I think you’ve got this, kid."

He clapped Shen Xin on the shoulder and led the way into the interrogation room.

Shen Xin hesitated no longer and followed him inside.

Guo Chunping was sitting in the interrogation chair, having just finished his meal.

Zhao Tianxing adjusted the equipment.

Shen Xin didn’t delay. He went through the basic procedures—informing the suspect of his rights, asking for his name and other basic information—before beginning the formal interrogation.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Xin asked, "Guo Chunping, have we met before?"

Guo Chunping looked up and shook his head slightly.

"Well, that’s not quite right. We just saw each other yesterday afternoon, didn’t we? On the 14th," Shen Xin said with a friendly smile.

Guo Chunping paused, then actually smiled himself.

But he still didn’t say anything.

Shen Xin didn’t mind. He looked down for a moment, then continued, "Then last night, at 6:40 PM, where were you? Had you gone home from work?"

Guo Chunping just stared calmly at Shen Xin, remaining silent.

「In the surveillance room.」

Sun Zhao and Chen Chao both frowned at the same time.

Beside them, Ding Yuwei noticed the change in the two captains’ expressions and asked, "Captain Sun, Captain Chen, is there a problem with the way Shen Xin is questioning him?"

’I think Shen Xin is doing a great job,’ she thought. ’He’s not nervous, he’s using pauses, and he’s even showing some technique.’