Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

After a day of visiting, Wang Shuai and his team sat in the police car, all of them looked exhausted. Xiao Li sighed: "Captain Wang, we have been to so many places and asked so many people, but we haven't found any useful clues. Zhang Baode is simply a 'good guy' at the construction site and has no grudges against anyone. How should we investigate this case?"

Wang Shuai looked at the rain outside the window with a frown: "The less clues there are, the more it shows that there is a problem. Zhang Baode could not have been killed for no reason. Let's carefully review today's visit records. Maybe a detail we overlooked is the key clue. Let's go back to the police station and study it carefully." The police car started and slowly drove away on the muddy road. The autumn rain was still falling, as if it was sighing for this clueless case.

After returning to the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Wang Shuai reported and analyzed the relevant investigation results to Lu Chuan.

The meeting room of the Criminal Investigation Brigade was filled with smoke, and the air seemed to have frozen. Lu Chuan stood in front of a whiteboard covered with photos and information related to Zhang Baode, but the dense clues were like a tangled mess, and he could not find a clue. Wang Shuai slumped in a chair, holding a thick stack of visit records in his hand, his eyes tired and full of unwillingness.

"After a complete investigation, there is actually no useful clue." Wang Shuai slammed the records on the table. "Everyone said that Zhang Baode was a righteous man, responsible at work, had no enemies, no disputes, and was simply a perfect good man. How is this possible? It can't be that a murderer fell from the sky and killed him for no reason!"

Lu Chuan turned around, frowning, tapping the whiteboard unconsciously. "The less clues there are, the more it shows that there is something wrong. A person's disappearance cannot be without reason. The information we have now may be what others want us to see."

"But where else can we check?" Wang Shuai pulled at his collar, his tone full of anxiety. "We have asked everyone we can, including the construction site, the design company, and the suppliers, and checked all the information we can. Zhang Baode's social relationships are as simple as can be. His family is harmonious, his business is going well, and there is no record of him quarreling with his neighbors."

Lu Chuan walked to the map, picked up a red pen, and drew a circle around the "Sunshine Garden" construction site: "The problem lies in this 'normal'. Under the too perfect appearance, there are often unknown secrets. We only heard about Zhang Baode's work at the construction site from others. Is it possible that there are some things that everyone is unwilling to talk about, or has not noticed at all?"

"What do you mean?" Wang Shuai sat up straight.

"Expand the search scope." Lu Chuan's pen tip moved on the map. "Not only the people who had direct contact with Zhang Baode, but all links related to the construction site must be re-checked. The small shops and snack stands around may have seen something unusual. The temporary workers and cleaners on the construction site may have seen more details than the management. Even the garbage disposal and material transportation routes on the construction site may contain clues."

He paused and continued, "Carefully review Zhang Baode's movements before he disappeared. Check the places he visited, the people he met, even if it was a convenience store where he bought a bottle of water. Also, check the construction site at night to see if there were any unusual people or vehicles coming in and out."

Wang Shuai nodded, his fighting spirit rekindled in his eyes: "I will arrange for someone to investigate immediately. But Captain Lu, what if there is still no clue this time?"

Lu Chuan looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and said firmly: "Let's continue investigating. As long as the murderer exists, there will be traces left. The more we investigate, the closer we will get to the truth. Zhang Baode's death cannot be in vain, we must give him an explanation." After the meeting, the criminal investigation team members acted quickly. A new search was launched. This time, they cast their sights on a wider range and did not miss any possible corner. Although the road ahead is still confusing, they firmly believe that as long as they persevere, they will be able to find a ray of light leading to the truth in this heavy fog.

In the temporary office next to the "Blue Water and Blue Sky" construction site in the west of the city, the central air conditioner made a slight hum. When Wang Shuai and his team pushed the door open, Song Jun was leaning over to adjust the green plants on his desk. He turned around immediately after hearing the sound, with a polite smile on his face: "Oh, it's the police comrade! Please take a seat, Xiao Wang, quickly pour tea for everyone!"

He walked around the desk quickly and pulled out the chair in front of the leather sofa himself. The custom cufflinks on his sleeves reflected the light. Wang Shuai noticed that the nails of this forty-something contractor were neatly trimmed, and the dark pattern on the suit fabric shone with a low-key luster under natural light.

"Boss Song, is business good recently?" Wang Shuai took the blue and white porcelain cup, and a faint aroma of Longjing tea wafted through the hot steam.

"Thanks to you, I can barely make ends meet." Song Jun folded his hands on his knees, sitting upright like a new employee in a job interview. "I heard about Zhang Baode's situation, and it made me feel upset. We small contractors make a living in the west of the city, and we see each other every day." As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief embroidered with his initials and gently wiped the corners of his eyes.

"What is the relationship between Boss Song and Zhang Baode?" Team member Xiao Li opened the notebook with the tip of his pen hovering over the paper.

"It's fine!" Song Jun said sincerely, "We had dinner together at the 'Old Place' restaurant last month. He also said that after the 'Sunshine Garden' is completed, he will bring the workers to learn from me." He suddenly remembered something and stood up to take out a file bag from the safe. "This is the project information we have cooperated on. Every time there is a bidding, I give him three points."

Wang Shuai took the document and flipped through it casually, his eyes suddenly fixed on a certain page: "Boss Song, for the 2022 'Happy Home' project, your two quotations are exactly the same, even to the two decimal places. This is a bit of a coincidence..."

"Oh, you don't know!" Song Jun slapped his thigh with an annoyed look, "We miscalculated the material loss at that time, and when we found out, the bidding deadline had passed, so we had no choice but to bite the bullet and hand it in. Later, Baode even invited me to drink to apologize!" His voice was filled with just the right amount of regret.

When the photo of the black SUV was pushed onto the table, Song Jun's face turned pale instantly, and his hand holding the teacup trembled slightly: "This, this is the company's bus. The driver has to go to various construction sites for inspection every day." He hurriedly took out his mobile phone and slid his finger across the screen. "Look, I have kept the cloud backup of the dashcam, there is absolutely no problem!"

Wang Shuai noticed the bulging veins on his neck, but his tone remained gentle: "Then why did the driver, Master Chen, turn off his phone after talking to you on the night Zhang Baode disappeared?" (End of this chapter)