Animal Detective

Chapter 226 Old Dog
I can't drink alcohol, but I can still get a feeling from drinking too many soft drinks.

Taking advantage of the moment when the conversation turned to Jiang Qi, Shen Xin casually asked Gu Dawei about the contents of the envelope.

Gu Dawei, as the captain of the Economic Crime Investigation Team, was extremely tight-lipped.

He just smiled and urged Shen Xin to eat, but said nothing.

But seeing the barely suppressed smirk on his face, Shen Xin knew what was going on.

It must be a big case, since it involves a bank.

As the event was drawing to a close, Shen Xin said, "Team Leader Ding, to be honest, I have no idea why Branch Manager Liu came to find me."

"But the leader has spoken, what can I do? You have to understand me."

"And when I came here, the leaders told me that once I got there, I shouldn't think that just because I've solved a few cases before, I can be clever. I still need to learn from them."

"So, Captain Ding, I really came here with a learning attitude this time, please don't overthink it."

"I was just thinking of using my limited abilities to see if I could offer some new ideas for your case."

Those who hold leadership positions are generally not stupid.

He can tell whether you're being sincere or just flattering him, but who doesn't like to hear nice things?

Since Shen Xin had put it this way, Ding Junbao, no matter how much resentment he harbored, felt embarrassed to continue.

"Shen Xin, don't think too much about it. This case has been going on for so long, it's time for a result. So I'll just say one thing: I fully support you!" Ding Junbao picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Shen Xin quickly offered him a drink and thanked him repeatedly.

It was getting late, so Ding Junbao arranged for someone to take Shen Xin and his companion to the hotel, where he had already booked rooms.

After seeing the two off, Ding Junbao and Gu Dawei stood by the roadside, watching from a distance.

"Old Gu, what do you think of this kid?" Ding Junbao asked.

Gu Dawei thought for a moment and then smiled, "It's a bit slippery."

Ding Junbao shook his head: "That's not slippery, it's smart. He understands human relationships and is not arrogant. It's quite rare for someone his age."

Some young people have some talent, but they look down on everyone.

Some have smooth heads, but no substance inside.

It's rare to find someone like Shen Xin who can combine the advantages of both approaches.

"According to Liu Zhi, his family seems to be quite wealthy, owning a factory. That must have been something he learned from a young age through exposure and training."

"Of course, the most important thing is his ability. This kid is really amazing. I've heard about the cases he solved. If it were me, I couldn't have solved them."

Leaving aside the Wu Jiawang case, the Liu Laibin case, if it had happened in Songling, would probably still be an unsolved case to this day.

Gu Dawei asked in surprise, "The evaluation is quite high. What, are you trying to poach me?"

Ding Junbao laughed and said, "I wish I could, but the problem is that Nanjiang won't release them."

Based on Shen Xinhui's training of police dogs, Nanjiang would never release him.

Gu Dawei nodded.

This kind of talent is hard to find.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Dawei said, "Let's see. Han Xiaolong's case has been going on for so many years. If he can solve it, I'll be impressed."

After saying that, he waved goodbye.

Meanwhile, Shen Xin had already arrived at a nearby hotel with Song Ling's colleagues.

Quick, but fairly clean.

They booked two rooms, and since it was still early, the two of them got together to discuss what to do the next day.

The consensus reached was to examine the relevant evidence first.

These crucial pieces of evidence are still preserved in the Songling Branch Evidence Room.

Then we went straight to Wuba Village to find the dog and revisited all the key witnesses.

With the passage of time, a revisit might yield some insights.

"The key is evidence. Even if we identify the suspect, forming a chain of evidence will be a big problem," Shen Xin said, leaning back in his chair.

The murder weapon was a stone; it wasn't found back then, and it's even less likely to be found now.

Even if we find it, it's useless.

There was little physical evidence at the scene.

By 12, forensic technology was already quite advanced; it's impossible that something that couldn't be detected before can now be detected.

Even with the advancements in technology, Liu Jie still has this case on his mind. Shouldn't we re-examine it?
All we can say is that the murderer simply didn't leave any obvious physical evidence.

If DNA had been left behind, a DNA test of the entire village would have identified the murderer long ago.

Without finding the murder weapon and without the killer's DNA, forming a complete chain of evidence is no easy task.

This is also what makes many unsolved cases so perplexing.

After discussing it and confirming the plan, the two went to bed early.

The next morning, they rushed to the branch office and retrieved the physical evidence.

The physical evidence was collected very comprehensively.

We have all the relevant biological samples, including Han Xiaolong's clothes and hair.

Moreover, after examining the physical evidence, Shen Xin confirmed that the case remained unsolved not because Liu Jie and his team hadn't worked hard enough or hadn't done their job properly.

The aquatic plants in the well, the soil from the scene—even these physical evidences have been preserved.

Further scientific analysis was conducted on the aquatic plants and soil.

In the village, blood samples were taken from everyone except the children for DNA testing.

If the case is still unsolved after all this work, it can only mean that the conditions for solving the case at the time were too poor.

"Captain Lai, let's go."

"After carefully examining all the physical evidence and having a clear understanding of it," Shen Xin said, turning to the middle-aged man beside him.

His name is Lai Yong, and he is the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team.

He's almost forty years old, and you can tell he's a veteran detective. He's been on the go all year round, so his skin is bad and rough.

He was quite large, and there was a faint scar next to his ear, probably his military medal.

Ding Junbao said he would fully support him, so he specially arranged for him to accompany him to Qingyuan Town.

Most importantly, he was one of the investigators in this case back then.

The man was a bit sullen and didn't smile much. He nodded slightly and then led the two of them to Qingyuan Town.

It's not close; the navigation distance is almost 60 kilometers.

This area is located at the border of two provinces and is mainly engaged in the textile industry and the manufacturing of daily necessities.

The town is not big, and the police station is located near the town's market.

It's not a big place, with only about ten people in total.

The director's name is Jiao Guoyi. He is almost fifty years old, with graying temples, but he is a very kind person.

Upon hearing the purpose of the visit, he was somewhat surprised and asked, "Is this case going to be investigated again?"

He said "again," which must mean there had been ongoing investigations beforehand.

Lai Yong nodded and pulled Jiao Guoyi aside to give him some instructions.

Jiao Guoyi nodded repeatedly, and upon returning, he immediately took out his phone and called Zhao Peizhu, the police officer who had received the call.

Zhao Peizhu arrived quickly.

Jiao Guoyi said, "Old Zhao is a veteran police officer in our station. He was the one who took the case back then, and he was the one who organized the team to go to Wuba Village to look for people. It was Xiao Lin who finally found the body. I'll go and call him in a bit."

"Then, when Liu Zhi and his team came to investigate, Lao Zhao often followed along, so he knew the specifics of the case better than anyone else."

As he spoke, he turned and went to the station to call Xiao Lin, who had discovered the body.

Old Zhao was just over forty years old, with a kind face. He greeted Shen Xin and the other man with a smile and complimented them on their youth and potential.

He'd never seen an expert this young before.

"Officer Zhao, please don't say that. I'm not an expert," Shen Xin quickly denied.

It's normal for someone who isn't an expert not to have solved the case.

It's shameful to take the title of expert and fail to solve the case.

Zhao Peizhu smiled and asked Shen Xin what he wanted to know, saying that he also frequently went to the countryside and was familiar with the situation in Wuba Village.

Shen Xin first asked about Luo Limei's situation.

I learned that Luo Limei still lives in Wuba Village, in her old house.

Six years have passed, and she is now almost 64.

At this age, finding a job is already difficult.

So now she makes a living by farming, and the village provides her with a minimum living allowance, which is enough to keep her alive.

Before Han Xiaolong was murdered, her parents-in-law had already passed away one after another due to illness.

Now, Luo Limei only has her elderly mother left, who is being cared for by her younger brother in Qinggai Village, which is even further away. She only visits her occasionally, and she has no other relatives.

It's like becoming a lonely old person.

Shen Xin greeted Xiao Lin, who had discovered the body.

Even though he's called Xiao Lin, he's over thirty, so I should call him brother.

"Officer Zhao, do you remember the dog that Han Xiaolong used to have? Do you know where it is now?" Shen Xin asked again.

This question stumped Zhao Peizhu.

Does Han Xiaolong own a dog?

He looked surprised.

Weren't they supposed to be experts? Why are they worrying about a dog?

“It seems so.” Xiao Lin called Lin Zhaosheng and interjected, “I remember when we went to Han Xiaolong’s house, there was a black dog in the yard, and it was quite fierce. It barked at us.”

But he didn't know exactly where he was now.

Shen Xin had anticipated this outcome.

Normally, no one would care about a dog except themselves.

Thank you both. Shen Xin said, "Then we'll go to the village with Captain Lai to check things out. We'll contact you again if there's any trouble. We might be staying in town for a while, and that could cause some problems."

Zhao Peizhu nodded, still surprised.

He thought Shen Xin would ask a lot of questions, but he didn't expect her to only ask two questions, and one of them was about a dog.

What kind of expert is this?
Lai Yong also watched silently.

When he arrived, Ding Junbao gave him instructions.

So he wasn't surprised that Shen Xin asked about the dog; he was just curious how Shen Xin had managed to solve the case using this dog.

The three immediately drove to Wuba Village.

Compared to back then, the village has changed dramatically; the roads are wider, and there are many more modern houses.

The village entrance has been landscaped and a large gate stone has been erected with the three red characters "Wuba Village" written on it.

Lai Yong drove the way, not rushing to Han Xiaolong's house. He turned left at the intersection, drove a distance, and then stopped on the side of the road.

This is the crime scene.

Shen Xin got off the bus.

Looking back at the photos in the case file, the changes are quite significant.

The road has been widened, and the so-called "first scene" has been turned into a concrete surface.

“The well is over there; the village sealed it off two years ago.” He pointed to the north.

Walking along the path between the two houses, not far ahead, among several surrounding houses, there is an irregularly shaped open space. In the middle of this open space is an old well.

As Lai Yong said, it has now been sealed with cement.

"Captain Lai, why was it blocked?" Ding Yuwei asked.

Lai Yong said, "The villagers said that someone had died in the well, which was considered unlucky, so the village committee sealed it off."

Shen Xinyi asked curiously why such a saying existed.

What's so unlucky about it? Are you afraid that Han Xiaolong's vengeful spirit will linger?

Only those who have a guilty conscience are afraid.

Lai Yong guessed what Shen Xin was thinking, pointed to the four houses around them, and said, "It was those few families who brought it up, saying it was unlucky, but we checked them all at the time, and the case has nothing to do with them."

Shen Xin looked around.

The file contains photos of the area near the well.

The house in the southwest was a newly built house that had only been there for a few years.

Now, the remaining three households have all built new houses, making the Southwest household seem rather dilapidated.

After looking at the well sealed with cement, Shen Xin said he would go find Luo Limei first.

Luo Limei's house is in the northeast of the village. If you drive in along a side road, you'll see an old-fashioned house surrounded by a low wall on the side of the road at the corner. That's Han Xiaolong's house.

Shen Xin parked the car on the side of the road and got out to look around.

The village environment has changed a lot and is completely different from the photos in the file.

The only thing that remains unchanged is Han Xiaolong's family.

The gate to the courtyard was locked, and there were piles of miscellaneous items on both sides inside.

Then there was a lot of cardboard. Lai Yong explained that Luo Limei was too old to find a formal job and only occasionally did odd jobs like landscaping. She also collected recyclables regularly.

Shen Xin did not see the dog that Liu Jie had described, and his heart sank.

Dogs raised in rural areas are not well cared for, and it's already quite remarkable if they live for ten years or so.

Six years have passed, and if that dog dies, then no matter how capable I am, it won't make a difference.

"He's not home, or you can wait a bit."

Lai Yong glanced at the time; it was almost eleven o'clock.

Shen Xin nodded.

Taking the opportunity, Shen Xin also inquired about the investigation at the time.

For example, Wang Chenghui, the key suspect mentioned by Liu Jie.

Lai Yong said, "At that time, Wang Chenghui was a few years older than Han Xiaolong. He didn't have a proper job, and he had been married, but his wife divorced him and left with their child."

"To put it bluntly, he's just a hoodlum. The villagers say that Wang Chenghui would occasionally bully Han Xiaolong and make fun of him."

"As for why the two quarreled, Wang Chenghui's own explanation was that he was dating Mao Yanru, but Han Xiaolong was unhappy and even threw stones at him."

"So he punched Han Xiaolong once, and Han Xiaolong continued to harass him, so they had an argument."

"On the night of the incident, he had dinner with some people in town, and after dinner he went to sing karaoke. He left around 10 p.m. and went back to his village."

"His statement is that he went straight home and went to sleep, but he doesn't live with his parents; he lives alone, so his alibi is somewhat weak. The problem is that we can't find any evidence to refute his alibi."

"The neighbors were all asleep, and I don't know when he got home."

Shen Xin nodded and asked, "Captain Lai, I remember the case file says that this Mao Yanru has a good relationship with Han Xiaolong."

"Yes."

Lai Yong pointed in the direction they came from, to a two-story building with a red roof, and said, "That's the one. The two families are neighbors, aren't they?"

"Then Han Xiaolong's father and Mao Yanru's father were colleagues at the same factory and had a good relationship. When Han Xiaolong's father had the accident, it was Mao Yanru's father who took him to the hospital, but he couldn't be saved."

"Because they grew up together, Mao Yanru took good care of Han Xiaolong when they were young."

"Mao Yanru later married someone from the neighboring Linshui, but they got divorced and returned to her hometown. She has never remarried."

"She's quite pretty, so she has ambiguous relationships with some men in the village."

"After Han Xiaolong died, Mao Yanru was quite sad and often went to the branch office to inquire about the case."

Shen Xin then asked about the other suspects.

They all taught Han Xiaolong a lesson for various reasons.

In the end, like Wang Chenghui, they were all cleared of suspicion because they had alibis.

As they were chatting, Luo Limei returned.

He was riding a tricycle loaded with cardboard boxes and beverage bottles. He had silver hair and was already short, but now his back was hunched, making him look even thinner.

Upon seeing the police car in front of the door, she paused for a moment, then quickly went to greet it.

"I've seen you."

Her face was covered in wrinkles, and her eyes drooped, but she grabbed Lai Yong's hand and said excitedly, "You're the policeman who investigated Xiao Long's case. Have you found the bad guy who killed my Xiao Long?"

She gripped it very tightly, leaving marks under her nails.

Lai Yong didn't let go, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Aunt Luo, I'm sorry, we haven't figured out the case yet, but we've reopened the investigation."

Then, he introduced Shen and Xin.

Shen Xin hurriedly greeted him.

Luo Limei hurriedly shook hands with Shen Xin again.

"Thank you so much, thank you for your help."

She spoke with a regional accent, which Shen Xin could barely understand.

She hurriedly opened the door, led the three of them into the house, and then busied herself pouring them water.

Shen Xin looked around the room.

It wasn't big, and it was quite messy. There wasn't much furniture or appliances, which showed that life was very hard.

Then she sat down, started wiping away her tears, and then thanked them.

"Thank you all for not forgetting Xiaolong. But then I thought about it again, it's better that Xiaolong is dead. You know, I'm getting old, I can still take care of him for a few more years. If I die, what will happen to him if no one takes care of him?"

She grabbed her sleeve and wiped away her tears.

Ding Yuwei hurriedly took out a tissue and handed it over.

Shen Xin felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

When solving cold cases, Shen Xin's biggest feeling is that cases that have dragged on for several years are a torment for everyone.

Time can heal all wounds, but unsolved mysteries are like an unhealable scar.

Back when the case was listed as an unsolved case, Luo Limei could still loudly question Liu Jie, asking, "Isn't a fool's life also a life?"
Now, four years later, that spirit of hers has been worn away, and she can even say that it would be better if she died.

Shen Xin didn't rush to ask about what happened back then. He believed that Liu Jie and the others had asked countless times, and asking again would only stir up Luo Limei's terrible memories once more.

It's not too late to ask questions later when we conduct the investigation.

Shen Xin's biggest worry right now is that dog; it's not in the yard, and he's afraid it might die of old age.

"Aunt Luo, did you have a dog before? Is that dog still alive?"

"dog?"

Luo Limei paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's right, there used to be a dog. I asked the villagers for it for Xiaolong to play with, and Xiaolong loved it."

"Why do you ask?"

Luo Limei looked puzzled.

Shen Xin didn't explain much, only asking her where the dog was now.

Luo Limei shook her head and said, "It's not dead. I'm all alone, and sometimes when I come back late from work, I don't have time to take care of this dog."

“When Yanru came to visit me two years ago, she saw this dog rummaging through the garbage and said she would take it with her. So I let her take care of it. I don’t know how it is now, I’ve never asked.”

Shen Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

It's better not to die.

"Aunt Luo, that's all for today. Don't worry, we've reopened the investigation. We'll let you know as soon as we find anything."

After asking a few more questions, Shen Xin got up to take his leave.

Lai Yong was amazed; he hadn't expected Shen Xinzhen to be investigating the dog.

Luo Limei saw the three of them off, thanked them profusely, and then said that if the investigation was unclear, it was fine to leave it at that, and that they shouldn't bother everyone to make repeated trips.

He said he wouldn't live for many more years, so he didn't want to cause trouble for others.

The more she acted like this, the more uncomfortable Shen Xin felt.

On the table inside the room, Shen Xin saw boxes and boxes of medicine, clearly indicating that Luo Limei was not in good health.

It would be such a pity if the case remained unsolved and she died with regrets.

As they were leaving, Lai Yong saw that Shen Xin was heading to Mao Yanru's house next door. He stopped Shen Xin and said, "Don't go. Mao Yanru doesn't live in the village anymore. She runs a massage parlor in Linshui. I know where it is."

Without saying much, he got into the car and prepared to lead the way.

He finally understood that Shen Xin, this so-called expert, was only interested in animals.

Qingyuan and Linshui are next to each other.

Shen Xin had visited Linshui when he was investigating Liu Laibin's case.

It's inconvenient to go from Qingyuan to Pingyu, but it's very close to Linshui.

It took only a dozen minutes to leave the province, and after driving for a while longer, we arrived at Zhangwang Town, which is located below the Linshui Nanlin District.

Upon getting off the bus, I saw a small storefront facing away from the town's main street, with a sign that read "Spring Breeze Health Preservation."

Shen Xin had wanted to ask before whether Mao Yanru's massage parlor was a legitimate one.

Now there's obviously no need to ask.

Lai Yong didn't explain anything. After getting out of the car, he suddenly pointed to a black dog lying at the door and said, "Shen Xin, isn't this Han Xiaolong's dog?"

The dog was tied up next to the sink by the door.

Then there's the pretty standard four-eyed iron-clad gold one, which should be right, it's Han Xiaolong's.

The glass door was locked, and no one was there.

Shen Xin was heading straight for the dog.

Only when he got close was the dog startled, slowly turning its head to look at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin frowned slightly.

The dog's fur was no longer shiny and glossy, but rather rough and it was also shedding.

And its beard near its nose had also turned white.

Especially his eyes, cloudy, deep, and filled with a sense of weariness.

This is an old dog.

"Howling Sky Dog?"

Shen Xin greeted him with a smile.

According to Luo Limei, she didn't take much care of the dog herself; it was Han Xiaolong who looked after it.

Then Han Xiaolong named this dog "Howling Celestial Dog".

It must be because I watched Journey to the West and it left some impression on me.

Upon hearing the name, a glint of light flashed in the old dog's cloudy eyes. He raised his head and barked at Shen Xinwang.

Shen Xin was overjoyed; it actually remembered.

(End of this chapter)