pjbooks Chapter 38 Search
Chapter 38 Search
The corridor outside the interrogation room of Pengcheng Public Security Bureau.
Gu Huai leaned against the wall, going over Luo Zhenbang's reaction in his mind again and again.
His hands trembled when he mentioned rainy days.
His breathing quickened when his wife was mentioned.
He fell silent when Zhang Zhenhua was mentioned.
These are all flaws, but they are not enough.
After half an hour.
"Ah Huai." Ling Yue ran over from the other end of the corridor, holding a piece of paper in her hand. "It's been sent back from Hunan Province."
After the interrogation ended, the team immediately contacted Hunan Province and got in touch with Li Xiumei's younger brother.
"His brother said that his sister had never mentioned going to Hong Kong."
As expected, Luo Zhenbang was lying.
However, what Gu Huai could never understand was why Luo Zhenbang would tell such a lie that could be exposed immediately.
After all, he's someone who practices writing with his left hand beforehand.
But now there wasn't much time for Gu Huai to think about things; five hours had passed since Luo Zhenbang was arrested.
If the investigation makes no progress in the remaining 19 hours, he will have to be released unconditionally.
Thinking of this, Gu Huai folded the two pieces of paper together and turned to walk towards the conference room.
Pushing open the door, Wang Weiguo was talking to Wu Feilin.
"Wang Zhi, news from Hunan Province has arrived." Gu Huai handed over the materials.
After reading it, Wang Weiguo handed it to Wu Feilin.
After reading it, Wu Feilin looked up and said, "He didn't even contact his younger brother before leaving, which speaks volumes."
"Not only that," Gu Huai said. "According to Li Xiumei's brother, his sister did not contact the family after she went missing. If what Luo Zhenbang said is true, that she went to Hong Kong, how could she not have contacted them?"
Wang Weiguo was silent for a moment. "What do you want to do?"
"Apply for a search warrant to search Zhenbang's home."
Wu Feilin frowned. "What's the reason?"
"The left-handed man deliberately signed with his right hand to cover up his handwriting. His wife had been missing for more than two years, claiming to have gone to Hong Kong, but there was no record of her leaving the country. In addition, he was Zhang Zhenhua's shift driver, so he had the time and motive to commit the crime."
Wang Weiguo nodded. "That's enough of a reason, Lao Wu. Go and get the paperwork done."
Wu Feilin stood up and quickly walked out of the conference room.
Gu Huai turned to look at Ling Yue, "Sister Ling, where does Luo Zhenbang rent a place?"
"Bao'an, Xixiang, Yunshu Village." Ling Yue flipped through the address. "Single room, monthly rent 150."
How far is it from Yinhu Village?
"It takes about twenty minutes by car."
Gu Huai nodded and said nothing more.
In his memory, Luo Zhenbang's "collection" was hidden in his residence.
Logically, he should be happy that the investigation has reached this point.
After all, he had successfully persuaded Wang Weiguo, and the search warrant was in the process of being issued.
But for some reason, Gu Huai had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
From Luo Zhenbang's composure when he was arrested to his initiative in mentioning that his wife had gone to Hong Kong, all of this made Gu Huai feel uneasy.
An hour later, the search warrant was issued.
Wu Feilin personally led the team, with Gu Huai, Hou Hao, Ling Yue, a large group of teammates, and several people from the technical department following behind.
The three vehicles drove out of the Municipal Bureau and headed towards Bao'an.
Gu Huai's heart was pounding all the way.
If they can't find anything, they'll have to release the person tomorrow.
If it's found, then it's irrefutable evidence.
Yunshu Village, Xixiang.
The alley was too narrow for the police car to enter; it had to stop at the village entrance.
The group got off the bus at the village entrance and walked into the village.
The roads in the urban village are winding and twisting, with buildings that are close enough to touch on both sides, and a dense network of power lines laid out by the villagers when they built their houses.
Because the overall municipal infrastructure hasn't caught up yet, the air here is filled with the smell of swill.
Upon arriving in the village, the group did not go directly to Luo Zhenbang's house, but instead went to the village committee.
After explaining our purpose to the village committee members, we were led to the downstairs apartment where Luo Zhenbang was renting.
"This is the one." The village chief pointed to a six-story building in front of them.
The iron gate downstairs was unlocked, and the group went straight up to the fourth floor.
Room 404.
Not long after, with the help of the village chief, the landlord rushed over. With the landlord as a witness, everyone opened the door.
The room is very small, only a dozen square meters.
A bed, a wardrobe, a table, and a chair.
There was an enamel mug on the table, half-filled with chilled tea.
There was a calendar on the wall, from 1993, turned to January.
The blankets on the bed were folded neatly.
"This guy is really disciplined," Old Zhou from the technical department muttered.
Gu Huai ignored him, glanced around the room, and then left.
After leaving the room, Gu Huai leaned against the railing in the corridor and took out a cigarette with some irritation.
Just as he was taking out his lighter, a pair of hands were stretched out in front of him.
Gu Huai looked up and saw Ling Yue's spirited face.
With a "pop," flames shot up.
Gu Huai took a deep breath and then exhaled a long breath.
"Why don't you go in and investigate together?" Ling Yue asked.
"Searching is a delicate task, I'm not good at it."
Ling Yue feigned surprise and teased, "Is there anything you can't do?"
"How could that be?" Gu Huai rubbed his face. "After all, I'm just a recent police cadet. I only have a little more theoretical knowledge. When it comes to actual combat, I'm not as good as many people."
"I see." Ling Yue sat down and took out a cigarette from her pocket and lit it. "You know what? I've been having this feeling for the past two days. I keep feeling like you're not a recent police cadet, but someone who's been through a lot."
"You're overthinking it, Sister Ling." Seeing that Ling Yue seemed to want to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, Gu Huai changed the subject. "Sister Ling, where is Luo Zhenbang's son now? I remember Manager Zhu said last time that his son would come to Pengcheng every time he had a holiday."
"Here." Ling Yue flipped through the notebook. "Luo Zhenbang's son is named Luo Xiaojun. He is ten years old. He was brought to Pengcheng on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month and is now living in Luo Zhenbang's rented house."
Where are they?
"After Luo Zhenbang was arrested, the police contacted the village in advance and asked them to help look after him. He should be at the village committee now."
Gu Huai stood up. "I'm going to go talk to him."
Ling Yue frowned slightly. "What do you want to talk to him about? He's still a child."
"I know." Gu Huai nodded gently. "Although he is a child, he is ultimately the person closest to Luo Zhenbang."
After saying that, Gu Huai went downstairs.
"Hey, wait for me."
At the entrance of the village committee, several children were squatting on the ground taking pictures.
One of the boys was thin and small, wearing a faded cotton-padded jacket, his face red from the cold.
"Luo Xiaojun?" Gu Huai squatted down.
The boy looked up, his eyes bright. "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of your father's, my surname is Gu." Gu Huai smiled. "Your father asked me to come and see you."
As Gu Huai said this, he felt like a bad uncle trying to lure a little girl with a lollipop.
"Friend?" Luo Xiaojun put down the picture cards and looked at Gu Huai with some wariness. "My father never mentioned your name."
Although Luo Xiaojun was young, he still had the necessary sense of caution and did not immediately trust him.
However, Gu Huai was not a truly bad uncle after all; he had specifically communicated with the village committee before coming.
At this moment, the village's women's director was following behind him.
"Xiaojun, this uncle is indeed your father's friend. He has something to do and can't come back right now, so he asked this uncle to come and see you."
"Oh." Luo Xiaojun was still a child after all, and he was somewhat wary, but not much.
Seeing that his aunt, who had always been kind to him, had said this, he immediately lowered his guard.
"Uncle Gu, when is my dad coming back? He said he's taking me to KFC today."
Looking at Luo Xiaojun's innocent expression, Gu Huai's heart tightened, but he still had a smile on his face. "Soon, he'll be back soon."
After making a joke, Gu Huai led Luo Xiaojun toward the village committee. There were some questions related to the case that he couldn't ask in front of so many people.
As they walked, Gu Huai chatted with Luo Xiaojun.
"Xiaojun, how does your father usually treat you?"
"It's fine," Luo Xiaojun replied. "My mom told me that if my dad treats me badly, she'll come and take me away."
"Mom?" Gu Huai swallowed hard, trying his best to remain calm. "You still have contact with your mother?"
"Of course!" Luo Xiaojun said decisively, "Every time I come here, my mother calls me. I even called her a few days ago!"
Looking at Luo Xiaojun's expression, he didn't seem to be lying.
Moreover, he had no reason to lie to himself.
This caused Gu Huai to fall into a brief period of self-doubt.
[No, something's definitely wrong here!]