Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 5 On-site Investigation
Chen Shu walked quickly to the Santana and knocked on the driver's side window.

Zhu Chaoran, who was on the phone in the car, quickly hung up and rolled down the window to ask, "What's wrong, Brother Shu?"

"Take a picture and send it to Chaoyang so Zhao Hu can confirm the shoes."

Chen Shu stuffed the evidence bag containing the red women's shoes into the car window: "By the way, how's the Chaoyang statement coming along? Any new leads?"

Although he already had a pretty good idea of ​​the matter, Chen Shu still reminded Zhu Chaoran to conduct a second investigation, as his good investigative habits made him remember to do so.

Zhu Chaoran nodded; he was used to Chen Shu's cautious and attentive personality.

"Fatty, after you've said your piece to Chaoyang, go to the property management office and check the security footage. Pay special attention to the elevator footage and the main entrance footage where the hostage was entering and exiting. Be polite to them, and make up a reason for the investigation yourself."

Chen Shu paused for a moment, then added, "If you find any videos related to Liu Yan, be sure to notify me immediately."

After saying that, he took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, Liu Yan's photo, and his police ID from his pocket and handed them to the fat man, saying, "You can give me more cigarettes, don't worry about saving them for me."

"Brother Shu, I'll listen to you."

Zhu Chaoran chuckled as he received the cigarettes and hurriedly got out of the car and headed towards the gate of the residential area.

The security cameras in the community can be coordinated by Fatty first, and it would be best to review them again on-site to prevent any omissions.

Not overlooking a single detail or suspicious point is a principle he has adhered to for many years in handling cases, and it is also the experience he has accumulated from years of setbacks.

Being a police officer is not an ordinary profession. Sometimes, even a small mistake can cause lifelong harm to the victim.

Turning back, Chen Shu headed straight for the steakhouse that Zhao Hu had casually mentioned in the interrogation room.

Sometimes, a casual remark people make can be the key to solving a case. This is because what they say is often something they themselves secretly care about or have noticed in their subconscious.

Chen Shu circled the steps in front of the steakhouse but found no useful information. The surveillance video above the entrance only covered the area around the steakhouse entrance.

It was afternoon, not lunchtime, and through the glass door, I could see that the store was deserted except for the front desk staff.

"Ding-dong! Hello, welcome!"

The store entrance suddenly went dark, followed by a female voice from nearby, with a distinctly electronic tone.

Chen Shu pushed open the door, walked into the store, looked around, and went straight to the front desk.

"Hello! I'm so sorry! Our chef hasn't started work yet!" The young and enthusiastic receptionist said with a hint of apology.

"Hello, Xiaohui. I'm a police officer from Zhongshan Police Station. I have something to ask you."

Glancing at the staff photo on the food safety business license hanging on the wall near the reception desk, Chen Shu flashed his signature smile, slightly easing the tense atmosphere. He then handed over his police station work ID and pointed to the door, saying:

Do you remember that white Lamborghini parked at the entrance?

"Oh... I remember, the car owner parked his car there yesterday afternoon and then had dinner at our restaurant."

Xiao Hui looked towards the door in the direction Chen Shu was pointing, but only glanced at it before turning back.

"Did you see her park the car there?" Chen Shu looked directly into Xiao Hui's eyes and pressed for an answer.

"Yes, it was still early, and there weren't any customers in the shop yet. I also happened to have nothing to do, so I was just standing here looking around." Xiao Hui pointed diagonally downwards in front of him and said definitively:
"She was wearing a white tracksuit. Oh, right, I noticed her when she was parking. The exhaust of her car was quite distinctive."

There were no customers in the store, the person was wearing white clothes, and the exhaust sound was unusual. These three details suggest that the information is likely accurate.

"Did this woman leave after finishing her steak?"

"The store got busier later, and I don't know when she went home," Xiao Hui said apologetically.

"You just said you were going home, why do you think that?" Chen Shu pressed on relentlessly, showing no sign of stopping.

"She went home after eating. This woman lives in a nearby neighborhood. She's eaten here a few times before."

"By the way, do you remember what that woman was wearing?" Chen Shu probed slightly. Repeated questioning of details is one of the basic principles of police investigation. If people lie, it's easy for clues to slip up under repeated questioning.

"...Yes, it's a white tracksuit, officer, I already mentioned that."

Xiao Hui frowned and thought for a moment, somewhat puzzled, but still described it accurately.

Unconsciously, Chen Shu began to indirectly verify the evidence he already possessed: Hmm, it seems that Liu Yan did indeed go home after eating steak, probably to change her clothes and shoes.

"Is the Lamborghini just parked outside the whole time?"

"Yes, last night when the store closed, I deliberately stayed out very late so that I could sneak over and take a selfie when there were fewer people around."

Xiao Hui's cheeks flushed red, and he looked a little embarrassed.

Chen Shu nodded to Xiao Hui, showing an understanding expression: "This car is indeed very nice. I just went over and touched it to experience what a luxury car is like."

After hearing this, Xiao Hui smiled gratefully at Chen Shu.

"Has anyone been paying special attention to this woman or this car lately?"

"Um... there was no one in the store when this woman first came in. I was busy with work afterwards and didn't pay much attention to her." Xiao Hui scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"It's nothing, I was just asking. If you remember anything later, just call this number."

As he spoke, Chen Shu handed over his police-community contact card.

"Okay, Officer Chen!" Xiao Hui accepted the business card with both hands, feeling a little flattered.

Chen Shu nodded, then calmly turned and walked out of the shop.

As I opened the shop door, the greeting "Ding-dong! Hello, welcome!" rang out again.

Ding Dong!

In the blink of an eye, Chen Shu was startled, and another idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Could this group of kidnappers be a mobile criminal gang from out of town who had committed crimes in other provinces and cities before coming to Dongzhou City, and had already attracted the attention of the Ministry of Public Security?

So this time, as soon as they received the case, the Ministry of Public Security reacted immediately within two hours and quickly relayed the information.

Unfortunately, I wasn't from the Criminal Investigation Department and didn't receive any instructions. Besides, who would care about a mere security guard at a local police station?

Chen Shu smiled and shook his head, re-examining the key point he had grasped: deducing from the side, these kidnappers were from out of town. Their trip to Dongzhou City was also due to their habit of moving around.

Kidnappings often involve scouting locations, and scouting involves meals. To minimize contact and reduce the psychological suggestion of exposure, and due to common human behavior, kidnappers from out of town are likely to eat at the same place multiple times.

The kidnappers would instinctively choose this location where they can observe most of the parking spaces along the roadside.

Chen Shu stood on the steps in front of the steakhouse, bathed in the sunlight of the setting sun. Looking at the few restaurants on both sides of the road, he quickly identified two restaurants that were the most suspicious and took out his case memo to write down their names.

Chen Shu was full of confidence.

……

"Ring ring!" The phone rang.

"Brother Shu, bad news."

Regarding the story where Chen Shu gives his police ID to the fat man for investigation, while he himself uses a work ID issued by the police station:
Domestically, the severe shortage of police force is a long-standing historical problem, especially for grassroots law enforcement agencies such as police stations or traffic police teams. It is impossible for them to strictly follow the legal requirement to send two police officers for every case or procedure.

In reality, unless it's something particularly important or a specific procedure, it's usually one police officer leading a few auxiliary police officers when they go out to handle matters. Many people have likely encountered or witnessed scenarios where a police officer leads twenty or thirty auxiliary police officers in raids on prostitution or gambling, or even situations involving auxiliary police officers on duty or handling cases.

As a police auxiliary officer, Zhu Chaoran went to the property management office to retrieve the video footage. It would be difficult to be convincing if he only carried a police auxiliary officer work permit issued by the police station.

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(End of this chapter)