by Zhou HaoHui
10
STIRRING UP THE PAST
3:11 p.m.
Captain Pei’s office
Two case folders lay on Pei’s desk. Neither was as thick as he’d expected. In a hurry, the captain opened the first folder and scanned the file on top of the pile.
CHEN TIANQIAO [CT] ROBBERY: REPORT INTERVIEW
Please describe the events as you witnessed them.
CT: It was night-time and I was asleep when a sudden pain woke me up. When I came to my senses, I found that my hands had been bound. I couldn’t move. My eyes were taped shut. Then someone whispered in my ear, demanding that I tell them the code to the safe in my house. I refused and… he tortured me. I was in so much pain, so I told him the code. Then I heard him open the safe. Once I heard my door shut, I tried to work my wrists free. I eventually got the ropes off and reported the burglary to the police.
What did this person take from your safe?
CT: Everything. 204,000 yuan in total.
Did you get a good look at him?
CT: Didn’t you hear what I just said? I had tape over my eyes.
How did he torture you?
CT: He covered my mouth with a damp cloth so that I couldn’t breathe. He did that at least seven times. Maybe eight. Each time he’d hold the cloth in place even longer than the last time. He threatened me, said if I didn’t tell him the code he’d let me suffocate.
Can you describe this person’s voice?
CT: He was male. I… I can’t really describe him beyond that.
Could you identify his voice if you heard it again?
CT: Probably not. He didn’t talk exactly – he just whispered to me. I couldn’t hear what his real voice sounded like.
Besides asking for the code to your safe, what else did he say?
CT: He said he was helping someone collect a debt.
Who was he helping?
CT: I think he’s one of Wen Hongbing’s mates. When Wen kidnapped me two months ago, he extorted 10,000 yuan from me. Apparently that wasn’t enough for him, so his accomplice came to get more.
Who do you think this person was?
CT: I don’t know. Someone connected to Wen Hongbing.
The next document in the folder was an account provided by Chen’s wife. The details in both reports lined up perfectly.
Pei looked over several more notes and reports from the scene of the crime. The more he read, the stranger the case appeared.
For a start, when the intruder entered Chen’s home in the early hours of the morning, he did so without causing any damage to the door or windows. This already put him in a league above the average burglar. What was even more surprising was that all the rope and tape he used to restrain Chen came from the victim’s home. The suspect was definitely experienced and knew how to cover his tracks.
Forensics indicated that the joint areas of the victim’s arms and legs exhibited marks consistent with being bound. However, no other marks or wounds were found on his body.
The trace evidence report stated that all of the fingerprints and footprints taken from Chen’s home (from the door, windows and safe) belonged to Chen and his wife. No trace of a third party was found.
In short, the crime scene contained not a single shred of evidence that could be used to identify the intruder.
The police records also showed that while Captain Ding Ke was in charge of the early stages of the investigation, Huang Jieyuan eventually took over. The implication was clear: Captain Ding quit while it was ongoing and his assistant took his place.
There were two soft knocks on Pei’s door. Ms Mu entered before Pei could say a word.
‘How’s it going?’ she asked, approaching the desk. ‘Have you finished reading the case files?’
‘One down, one to go,’ Pei said, pushing a folder across the desk with one hand and gesturing at the empty chair with the other. ‘The records don’t say much. Have a look and then let’s talk.’
Ms Mu began to leaf through the folder.
A few minutes later, she looked up. ‘What do you think?’ she asked.
‘I think that the robbery is linked to the January 30th hostage case,’ Pei said bluntly. ‘It’s very closely connected to Wen Hongbing, just like Chen Tianqiao thought.’
‘What makes you so sure?’
‘When we investigate violent crimes like armed robbery or assault, the first thing we do is ask the victim who they think the culprit was. Most crimes of that sort are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. Their testimonies often give us a lot of information we wouldn’t uncover otherwise. Grudges, jealousy, that type of thing.’
Ms Mu nodded. ‘So where do we look next?’
‘Right before Captain Ding left the police, he was working on two different cases. One of them was that burglary. The other was the January 30th hostage case.’
‘So you’re saying that Captain Ding thought the two cases were connected.’
‘Exactly. I don’t see a reason to doubt his judgement.’
‘But there’s one thing I don’t understand,’ Ms Mu said. ‘If the motive of Wen Hongbing’s accomplice was to steal money to take revenge on Chen Tianqiao, he should have given it to Wen Hongbing’s widow. But Mrs Wen died of an illness not long after that, and her son – Wen Chengyu – was sent to an orphanage.’
‘I agree – it’s definitely strange.’ Pei shut his eyes and considered this for a moment. ‘I think we should pay a visit to the doctor who treated Mrs Wen.’
*
Pei and Ms Mu quickly looked up the doctor’s current status and learnt that he was now the director of the People’s Hospital cancer centre. The captain called to request an immediate appointment and they made it to the hospital within the hour.
Dr Sun was a pudgy man with a tuft of white hair and rounded features that gave him a kindly appearance. Pei introduced himself and handed the doctor a folder containing documents and photographs pertaining to Wen Hongbing’s family. Dr Sun glanced at the pictures for only a few seconds and then pointed his thick finger at the image of the wife.
‘That’s her. She was my patient.’
Pei let out a pent-up breath. ‘That’s some memory you have.’
‘I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast today,’ the doctor said, shaking his head self-effacingly, ‘but this woman stood out. Her family ran into a lot of trouble – that I remember very distinctly. And there was another thing: she clearly had money, but she refused to let us go ahead with her treatment. Strange patient.’
Ms Mu lit up at the mention of the money. ‘Tell us everything you remember about her,’ she said.
‘She had uterine cancer. Are you familiar with that type of cancer? It’s actually not as frightening as it sounds. If the patient has surgery, the chances of remission are very high. To begin with, the family couldn’t scrape together the money for surgery, so they opted for a very basic treatment. Later, her husband very shockingly kidnapped someone in order to get the money for her operation, and the police killed him. Unbelievable. And that was just the start of that family’s problems…’
‘But you said she obviously had a lot of money,’ Pei said.
‘Yes, but that was later. The initial treatment didn’t work, and with the shock of her husband’s death, her condition deteriorated. She needed to go under the knife quick or she’d be too far gone for us to be able to help. I remember I was so anxious about her condition that I actually had a hard time falling asleep most nights. I really felt for her, so I told her that if she got the necessary funds, the hospital would charge her the lowest possible amount for the operation. And then one day she said that she had finally got enough money and wanted to have the operation.’
‘Did you ask her how she’d got the funds?’
‘I did. I assumed that she’d scraped together all she could and borrowed the rest. But she said that her late husband had lent someone some money and that this person had finally paid the family back.’
‘Did the police que
stion you about that?’
‘They did, in fact.’ The doctor’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you saying that… she came by the money illegally?’
‘I can’t say that for certain,’ Pei replied as he considered the implications himself. The legal angle was one thing, but viewed from a different angle, the money was rightfully hers. He fought back the urge to shiver.
‘I did smell something fishy when the police came,’ Dr Sun said. ‘They asked me whether or not Mrs Wen had suddenly come into money.’
‘And did you tell them what she’d told you?’
‘Naturally.’
Pei continued mulling this over. How did the police come by that lead? And, even more puzzling, why did they then ignore it? A sudden thought occurred to him. ‘How many officers came to see you?’ he asked.
‘Just one.’
Nodding, Pei took out his wallet. He reached in deep and pulled out an old photograph. The image had yellowed, but the two young men in it were still clearly discernible. One was gaunt and had a piercing gaze. The other was dashing and shone with life. He pointed to one of them. ‘Is this the man who came to see you?’
‘No.’ Dr Sun shook his head.
‘Are you sure?’ Pei asked, disappointed.
‘It definitely wasn’t him.’ Dr Sun continued studying the photo. ‘I do remember this young man though.’
Pei’s eyebrows shot up. ‘How do you know him?’
‘That was the nice fellow who took care of the poor mother and son for quite some time. I just assumed he was a relative. The boy’s uncle, maybe. You’re telling me that he was a cop? He never mentioned that to me.’
‘Do you happen to remember the name of the officer who came to question you?’
Dr Sun gave an awkward smile. ‘I honestly can’t recall. It’s such a long time ago.’
Pei smiled apologetically in return. ‘I understand. Now, am I correct in saying that Mrs Wen never had the operation?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’ Dr Sun’s expression soured. ‘She died of complications not long after.’
‘If she had the money, why didn’t she go through with it?’
‘She said she’d been carrying the cancer for so long that surgery would be pointless – “a waste of money”. She said it would be more worthwhile to leave something for her son. But I don’t think that was her only reason. If she’d had the operation, she would probably have survived. Forgive my lack of objectivity here, but what kind of a mother wouldn’t grab even the tiniest chance to avoid leaving their child orphaned and all alone in the world?’
‘What do you think her real reasons were?’
‘I think it had to do with where that money came from. After that officer questioned me, he talked to Mrs Wen as well. I heard her tell him that she didn’t have any money – which was the opposite of what she’d told me a few hours earlier. It was after the cop left that she decided not to go through with it. Which is why I think her decision had something to do with the money and its provenance.’
Ms Mu nodded silently as she listened to Dr Sun’s explanation. His analysis made sense. But two mysteries still remained: the identity of the burglar who’d taken the money from Chen Tianqiao’s safe, and the identity of the officer who’d questioned Mrs Wen and failed to report any concerns arising from that interview.
‘It’s all starting to make sense,’ Pei murmured to himself. He extended his right hand to Dr Sun and the two shook hands. ‘Thanks very much for your cooperation,’ he said with an earnest nod.
An orange tinge lit the sky as the two investigators walked out of the hospital. Pei stopped at the edge of the walkway outside the entrance and stared off into the distance.
‘What are you thinking?’ Ms Mu asked.
‘Exactly what role did Yuan Zhibang play in the investigation into this robbery?’
‘You’re thinking that even though he made it his business to look after Wen Chengyu and his mother, he might have also been the officer who spoke to Dr Sun?’
‘Right. Otherwise it’s hard to fathom how a clue as crucial as this one didn’t make it into the official police record.’
‘Let me see if I follow what you’re saying,’ Ms Mu said, rubbing her chin. ‘Since Yuan was the one who killed Wen Hongbing, you think Yuan felt guilty about Wen Hongbing’s son and widow. He helped them out, even going so far as to conceal any facts that might eventually cause them trouble. Also, as Dr Sun just told us, Yuan’s relationship with the young Wen Chengyu and his mother was far from routine.’
Pei let out a long sigh. ‘It might not be as simple as “helping” them, per se.’
Ms Mu froze in surprise. ‘You think Yuan was behind the burglary?’
‘A perfect crime – who else but the future Eumenides would be able to pull that off? I should have realised that earlier.’
‘Yuan would have already visited the Chens during his investigations into the January 30th hostage case,’ she said, thinking aloud now. ‘Which would mean he was familiar with their house. And assuming he really did kill Wen Hongbing, his guilt would be motivation enough for him to want to help the widow. Psychologically speaking, this burglary may actually have been the prelude to the April 18th murders. It’s possible that the Chen robbery – the first intentional taking of the law into his own hands – marked the creation of the vigilante that became Eumenides.’
Pei nodded as he reflected on what they had learnt about his former friend. Yuan had turned from being one of the police academy’s top students into becoming a cold-blooded killer. They’d assumed that the murder of his ex-girlfriend Bai Feifei by her boss, Vice Commissioner Xue Dalin, had been the catalyst. Though that made sense in terms of a motive for Yuan, it did mean that Yuan’s transformation from star student to serial killer had happened very fast. If, instead, Wen Hongbing’s death and the robbery of Chen Tianqiao’s home had been the start of it all, that would make Yuan’s transformation more gradual.
Even so, two significant questions remained unanswered. There was the truth behind Wen Hongbing’s death. If the situation in the apartment had been under control as Huang and the SPU marksman had both stated, what had gone wrong?
And then there was the robbery. Who had visited the hospital and decided to conceal their concerns about the provenance of Mrs Wen’s money?
Ms Mu clicked her fingers. ‘Actually, if we want to know who that officer was, all we have to do is ask—’
‘—Huang Jieyuan!’
*
2 November, 12:13 p.m.
Private upstairs room, Black Magic Bar
‘So tell me, what brings you two here today?’ said Huang.
‘We’re searching for Captain Ding Ke,’ Pei said, pausing to take a sip of tea. ‘He’s the one person alive who knows the whole truth behind Wen Hongbing’s death. If we find him, we can untangle Wen Chengyu’s history and perhaps even get closer to understanding Yuan Zhibang’s rebirth as the first Eumenides. More importantly, we believe that the current Eumenides is also looking for Captain Ding. We need to stay one step ahead of him.’
Huang nodded in silent understanding as the thud-thud-thud of the heavy-metal music playing downstairs seeped up through the floor.
‘Yesterday morning we met with Professor Ding Zhen, Captain Ding Ke’s son,’ Pei said. ‘The professor told us about two particular cases that had stumped his father. One caused his father to retire and the other made him go into hiding. We’ve looked into them thoroughly, not only to test the veracity of the professor’s story but also to try and glean some clues as to Captain Ding’s current whereabouts.’
‘I know which cases you’re talking about,’ Huang said. ‘One of them has to be the April 7th robbery involving the hostage from the January 30th case earlier that year. The other is no doubt the infamous Bagman Killing from ten years ago. Those two cases changed my life as well.’
‘You got it,’ said Pei.
‘As you know, the investigation into the robbery of Chen Tianqiao’s home was what made Capta
in Ding decide to quit the force,’ Huang said. ‘I took over from him, so that was the first case I was in charge of. I was head of the criminal police for the next eight years, right up until the January 12th Bagman Killing. Eventually I was forced to resign as a result of how I handled that case.’ Huang’s eyes fluttered shut and he let out a long, barely audible exhalation. ‘It’s ironic that these two cases were such landmarks for both of us.’
‘You shouldn’t take it personally,’ Pei said. ‘After all, not even Captain Ding could solve them.’
‘True enough. How could I hope to succeed where even he had failed?’ Huang said, briefly animated, but a moment later his eyes crinkled with worry again. ‘But doesn’t that mean that all my work was for nothing?’
Pei shook his head gently. Huang may have retired a decade ago, but he was still absorbed in the past.
‘Few things in life are cut and dried,’ Pei said. ‘Take the April 7th robbery. The reason it’s still unsolved might not have anything to do with the skill of the perpetrator. It could very well be because of internal meddling.’
‘Internal meddling? From within the police force?’
‘All the information I have indicates that it shouldn’t have been that hard to work out who committed the robbery. Mrs Wen came into a great deal of money immediately after the burglary and deliberately concealed that fact. I’m positive there would have been a breakthrough in the case had the police pursued that lead.’
‘Are you sure about that?’ Huang asked in a doubtful voice.
Pei nodded. ‘Dead certain,’ he said, and related what Dr Sun had told them.
Huang slowly shook his head in unwilling comprehension. ‘I can’t believe the money trail was missed. A clue that obvious? Come on, there’s no chance we could have missed that.’
‘That’s the thing – you didn’t. A police officer went to the hospital and spoke to the doctor about Mrs Wen’s sudden windfall. Following the officer’s visit, she decided not to have the operation. Presumably she changed her mind for fear of attracting police attention. She sacrificed her own life in order to protect the person who had committed the burglary.’