Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 389 Why not check the call logs?

A black Ford Transit troop carrier belonging to the SWAT team is parked on the roadside.

This troop carrier, which is over six meters long and converted from a passenger bus, has a capacity of 17 people, but it can actually comfortably accommodate 30 people.

In previous years, when the SWAT team handled or assisted in large-scale gambling and prostitution cases, these vehicles were invaluable assets. It's fair to say that the police station invited the SWAT team to participate in the handling of the aforementioned two cases partly because they wanted these "large buses." Therefore, the locals jokingly referred to it as "returning fully loaded," a double entendre.

The special police officers sitting in the car were just there as an afterthought; they weren't really needed for the investigation.

At this moment, Chen Shu, Chen Chuan, Li Meng, and Yan Chenxi were sitting scattered in the air-conditioned car, discussing the case of Sister Hua's disappearance.

Yan Chenxi consciously went to the last row and sat up straight, feeling that even sitting too close might affect the police's ability to solve the case.

But she didn't realize why she, a street-level cadre, was getting into the police car.

Chen Shu sat in the single seat next to the car door, a seat usually reserved for the team leader on patrol.

He stroked his chin and slowly said, "I think there are only two reasons why the suspect would target a prostitute. Either he's a pervert, or he's after money. Sister Hua and Gu Xiaoxue live together and are very close roommates. If he was after money, he would have contacted Gu Xiaoxue within three days."

"The profession of a prostitute is destined to keep her away from her family."

Chen Chuan asked excitedly, "Shu, do you mean we've run into a monster this time?"

Li Meng remained silent, but having worked as a criminal investigator for seven or eight years, he had never encountered a truly deranged person, so he held his opinions to some extent. In fact, even now, he felt that Chen Shu was making a mountain out of a molehill; it was just a matter of not being able to find the person.

Just by checking Sister Hua's call history, we can find out where this person went. Maybe he's on vacation in a seaside city right now, or he's back in his hometown going on a blind date.

Checking phone records is the most convenient tool for police investigations; it's genuine and of fair value.

After all, he was just a local police officer, so his vision and skills were somewhat lacking.

Li Meng, confident in her status, glanced at Chen Shu, who was speaking eloquently, her sense of superiority palpable.

"Considering the number of people involved, I speculate that there is only one suspect. If he was after money, he didn't contact Sister Hua's family or friends to ask for money, as one person couldn't do that alone; secondly, it is very likely that he killed Sister Hua for various reasons while receiving her services."

"A crime of passion!" Chen Chuan added enthusiastically, "Haha, pretty professional, right? I haven't returned my school stuff to my teachers!"

Li Meng scoffed inwardly, thinking Chen Shu was spouting nonsense. Regardless of how many people were involved, the immediate priority was to identify one person.

"You also think the book is dead?" Chen Chuan, a 'white-collar' worker in a government office, said with lingering interest, "Tsk tsk, there are so many scenes like this in movies where a pervert invites a prostitute out and then kills her."

“Not necessarily.” Chen Shu held up one finger and continued, “Considering that the other party is only one person, if we start from the point of ‘money,’ then we need to first lock onto Sister Hua’s bank card and see if anyone has used her card to withdraw money from the ATM in the past few days.”

“After all, people who work as prostitutes don’t carry cash. Of course, the suspect wouldn’t be stupid enough to let her transfer money to him via Alipay and WeChat.”

Li Meng's pupils suddenly contracted. When carefully considering the case, his usual way of thinking still started with Sister Hua's call records, without any particularly new ideas.

So when he heard Chen Shu still speculating on the number of people, he was somewhat dismissive. But he never expected that the number of people was just one point in Chen Shu's speculation, and that it ultimately pointed to the people who went to the bank to withdraw money.

Li Meng pursed her lips, staring intently at Chen Shu's opening and closing mouth, waiting for him to bring up "checking the call records".

Chen Shu pointed to the ground below with his index finger and continued his analysis: "Sister Hua must have had her accident on Lianhua Road."

"Huh? A book? How did you know that?" Chen Chuan asked curiously.

"You still say you didn't return it to the teacher?" Chen Shu raised his hand to his forehead, exasperated. "An experienced professional like Sister Hua would definitely inform Gu Xiaoxue if she changed the location of her prostitution business for safety reasons. But today, Gu Xiaoxue still ended up looking for someone on Lianhua Road, which means that Sister Hua's final destination could only be here."

Why haven't you checked the call details yet?

The order to book a customer is definitely placed via mobile phone.

Once the call record is checked and the personnel are analyzed, it's almost certainly true!

Li Meng clenched her fists, secretly hoping that Chen Shu would say the words "check call records" soon.

"Oh, okay," Chen Chuan said dismissively.

“We need to visit all the hotels and guesthouses on this street in a bit and check their surveillance footage.” Li Meng, who had been silent until now, was getting impatient. Eagerly waiting for Chen Shu to bring up the “call logs,” she couldn’t help but add a few words, hoping to end the conversation quickly. “Wait a minute.” Chen Shu squinted at the street scene outside the window for a while, then said in a deep voice, “Unless it’s a crime of passion, they probably wouldn’t book a hotel or guesthouse. Since Sister Hua only mentioned going to Lotus Street to Gu Xiaoxue before leaving, instead of specifying a hotel, I suspect the transaction location will most likely be a guesthouse.”

A guesthouse!?
Having been accustomed to handling major cases, Li Meng pondered for a moment and understood the essence of the "homestay" that Chen Shu, who was used to handling prostitution cases at the grassroots police station, had pointed out.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding clients, sex workers generally avoid highly private and secluded locations like clients' homes. For their personal safety, they typically choose establishments like hotels or guesthouses for their transactions. However, the downside of these locations is that they are more likely to attract police attention and be subject to inspection.

The rise of urban homestays has solved both of these problems at the same time, and is highly favored by the current special service industry.

Li Meng felt a little ashamed for not having any up-to-date practical life skills. However, these were minor details, and he still held a sliver of hope as he waited for Chen Shu to suggest investigating Sister Hua's phone. After all, who doesn't carry a phone with them these days?

Checking call records is the best way for criminal police to solve cases!

"Hehe!" Chen Chuan smiled slightly and said in a serious tone, "Leave the inspection of the guesthouses to me. I will knock on each door and go in to check them thoroughly."

It seems like this guy just wants to go see a play.
Chen Shu's lips twitched, and he said helplessly, "Remember to use those apps to find guesthouses. They're all hidden in nooks and crannies. Take a few more people with you when you get back to the team."

"Don't worry, I'm more professional than you in this area!" Chen Chuan waved his hand and jumped off the troop carrier.

Li Meng swallowed hard. At this moment, he even hoped that Chen Shu would say the words "check the call log" soon, so that he, a police officer with impeccable credentials, could be relieved as soon as possible.

In those short ten minutes or so, he had already gone through the "call detailing" plan several times in his mind, just waiting for Chen Shu to start.

Chen Shu, looking completely unperturbed, pulled out a long-forgotten case memo from his pocket, gently patted off the non-existent dust, turned to the latest page, and took out a pen to write something.

Li Meng, the only full-time detective among the four people in the car and the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team, was the one who spoke the least at this moment.

He wanted to say something, especially regarding the skill of "checking call records." He had ample experience and means to thoroughly investigate the case using Sister Hua's phone and call records.

Things have come to this point, and it's no longer as simple as just finding someone; it's a matter of honor for criminal investigators.

But Chen Shu had to bring it up first, and then he would chuckle and slowly explain his plan – that's the demeanor a professional deputy captain of the criminal investigation team should have.

He secretly glanced at Yan Chenxi sitting in the last row, and for some reason felt extremely irritated.

"Cough cough."

Upon hearing Chen Shu's cough, Li Meng immediately perked up, knowing that what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

Chen Shu turned to Li Meng and said seriously, "Li Meng, I think that girls like Sister Hua who work in KTVs are different from those girls who take private orders. They are definitely used to cooperating with their 'moms' in terms of business, so I judge that this order was most likely issued by her 'mom'. We need to pay close attention to this."

"Next, we'll split into three groups. I'll go to the bank to retrieve surveillance footage and information, Chen Chuan will take care of the guesthouse, and you can investigate the KTV matter. We'll contact you again when we have any news."

After speaking, Chen Shu looked intently at Li Meng, as if seeking his opinion.

Li Meng shrugged, knowing that Chen Shu was just being polite; he had already thought things through and was simply giving him a way out.

Sigh, fine, I'll offer to check the call records myself. If I'm the first to get a crucial lead, that wouldn't be bad.
He still felt that with his years of experience and skills in checking call records, solving this minor missing person case would be a piece of cake.

Besides, after finishing your regular work at the office, using your spare time to click through the police intranet's call detail record system to solve cases sounds pretty cool. Quite sophisticated!
Immediately after a moment's thought, Li Meng made a decision. She planned to first find an excuse to say that she was too busy with her work, and then reluctantly offer to help at work by checking call records on the computer to assist in solving the case.

"Chen Shu, I have some things to do at work this afternoon, would you like to wait for me?"

"Okay, you go ahead and get busy. We'll contact you again when we have time."

After saying that, Chen Shushan, understanding Li Meng's situation, interrupted her explanation, pulled the doorknob next to him, and jumped out first.

Yan Chenxi walked up from the back row, smiled slightly as she passed Li Meng as a greeting, and then followed Chen Shu off the troop transport vehicle.

Looking at the empty carriage, Li Meng said with a blank and resentful expression, "Why didn't you check the call records? Why? Don't we always check call records first when we're handling a case?"

"No matter what, let people finish what they have to say."

(End of this chapter)