Diary of a Criminal Investigator-Chapter 381: Huangzhou Investigation

But they never expected that the squad captain himself would come to greet a few small-time detectives like them.

Moreover, he immediately greeted Lu Chuan. Didn’t Lu Chuan say he hadn’t worked on a case here before?

"Captain Liao, you’re too kind. Thank you for receiving us. It’s truly an honor. Captain Liao, let me introduce you to Zhang Hui, the deputy leader of the Action Second Group of the Haizhou Criminal Investigation Team, and these two are our colleagues."

"We’ll really need your help this time."

Liao Junlong greeted them one by one: "Teacher Lu, you’re too polite. If it weren’t for your help on Wu Qizhou’s case last time, who knows when it might have been solved."

"It was nothing, just doing what I could. If there’s anything you need, Captain Liao, just let me know anytime."

"Haha, Teacher Lu, that’s exactly what I was waiting to hear."

Liao Junlong laughed heartily: "I heard you’re here about a missing person case from last year. Have you found the person?"

"Yes, a body was found in the landfill, confirmed to have been murdered."

A body?

"How’s the case progress?"

Since it’s confirmed the person is dead, the nature of the missing person case has changed.

Although the body was found in Haizhou, Huangzhou also has an obligation to be involved.

"We have a lead and are following up. We came to look at some materials from last year’s missing person case to see if there are any clues."

"Alright, rest assured. I’ll arrange for full cooperation from our side. If you need anything, Teacher Lu, just call me anytime."

Huangzhou’s Criminal Investigation Team has arranged for the direct person responsible for last year’s missing person case, a criminal policeman from the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team named Zhang Lijun.

"Last year’s case was only a missing person case; after the police station received the report, they never found the person, so it was passed on to the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team. They investigated for a while but found nothing, so they shelved it. It never reached the team level."

This is not just the case with Huangzhou’s Criminal Investigation Team; in any place, as long as a missing person case doesn’t involve minors or students, it’s usually handled like this.

Afterward, Zhang Hui and the others followed Zhang Lijun to the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team.

Liao Junlong personally saw them off.

"Captain Liao, didn’t you say about the fingerprint..."

"What’s the rush? They just arrived, and we haven’t done anything yet. Can we directly ask for their help?"

"But, this case is urgent, and there’s pressure on our side..."

"Even if it’s urgent, we have to wait. If they don’t come, does that mean we won’t solve the case? Call over those team leaders for a meeting."

Liao Junlong was also helpless. They have a case over here, and so do other places. The fingerprint has been reported to the provincial department, but the experts there say there’s a queue.

And who knows how long this queue will take...

Scarce resources are scarce everywhere.

"This is the file of last year’s missing Wang Lili. The reporter was her husband."

Zhang Hui carefully read through it. Although he had some understanding of the case, it wasn’t complete.

The electronic file had some details that didn’t feel as real as the paper version.

"Brother Zhang," Zhang Lijun, who looked about fifty, was older than Zhang Hui and the others. They got acquainted after being introduced on their way to the Criminal Investigation Team: "Can we go to the place where Wang Lili disappeared?"

"No problem, and do you want to call that taxi driver too?"

"That would be great."

"It’s a small issue, but the driver might have a bad attitude as he’s been called several times to cooperate..."

"No problem, I’ll handle it."

Lu Chuan interrupted, knowing that taxi drivers are out to make money. If you call them for a case once or twice, it’s fine, but too many times, and they definitely won’t be willing.

Half an hour later.

North Suburb Chemical Plant.

Lu Chuan and the others were the first to arrive, and the taxi driver arrived about half an hour late.

"Officer Zhang, hasn’t this case been dropped? I haven’t heard from you in so long. Why am I being called again? I’m busy taking fares."

The taxi driver stopped his car, looking impatient and constantly complaining.

Zhang Lijun gave a wry smile, thinking it was good enough he had come.

Lu Chuan stepped forward and pulled out a Chunghwa cigarette: "Sir, we really apologize. There’s a new discovery in the case, sorry to interrupt your work."

When the driver saw the Chunghwa, his expression softened a bit, and Lu Chuan spoke very politely.

It’s rare to see such polite police officers these days.

"This officer is too kind..."

Before finishing his words, Lu Chuan tossed two unopened packs of Chunghwa into the driver’s seat: "Sir, sorry for the trouble."

"Haha, oh my..." The driver glanced at the two packs of soft Chunghwa in his car, and his attitude turned excellent, even a bit embarrassed: "This officer is too kind, I’m just... oh... haha."

"You’re asking about that woman from last year, right? Don’t worry, I remember clearly and even recall some details."

"A year later, and you still remember?"

"Of course, they called me a few times last year. I know they might think her disappearance is related to me."

The driver took a puff of the cigarette, looking somewhat satisfied. Soft Chunghwa, he hardly ever smokes those in a year.

"Besides, a woman coming to the North Suburb Chemical Plant late at night is definitely up to something."

"Oh? Sir, did that woman show any abnormalities, or did she make any phone calls while in the car?"

"No, she was just playing with her phone in the back seat."

The driver had explained this long ago: "She definitely didn’t take any calls."

"When she got off, I even asked if she wanted me to wait because there are no residences nearby."

"The woman said no and just left."

"I thought, well, she doesn’t need me, and coming to such a deserted place, she must be here to meet someone."

"Meeting someone?"

"Yeah, just a hookup. Why else would a woman come here in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Lijun slightly frowned, well-acquainted with the file, which didn’t have these details: "Why didn’t you tell the police back then?"

"Tell them what? It was just my guess. I didn’t have evidence, so I didn’t dare say anything rashly."

The driver looked at Lu Chuan: "My young friend, I’m just guessing, so just take it for what it’s worth, haha."

Guessing?

Taxi drivers deal with all kinds of people every day and encountered all walks of life.

To some extent, their ability to read people might surpass many micro-expression experts.

A single woman taking a cab to an abandoned chemical plant late at night, along with her subtle micro-expressions or minor actions in the car, surely led the driver to speculate.

"After she got off, where did she go?"

"Over there, around that corner. I saw her walk past the corner before I drove away. And that surveillance camera up there, it must’ve recorded everything."

Lu Chuan looked up to see the camera’s red blinking light, indicating it was operational.

Ahead at the corner was a right-angle turn at the chemical plant’s outer wall. They left the spot where Wang Lili had disembarked and turned the corner to find the chemical plant’s dilapidated gate.