Street Hustler and His Policewoman Wife

Chapter 346: 199...1!

Liu Dayou’s words drew everyone’s attention.

But when Chen Xiao looked at him, Liu Dayou shook his head at him.

As if telling Chen Xiao not to ask him for now, because he hadn’t figured it out himself.

Understanding Liu Dayou’s meaning, Chen Xiao withdrew his gaze and looked at Pan Huiping.

"Captain Pan, let’s discuss the case first."

Seeing Chen Xiao not speaking either, Pan Huiping had to suppress her curiosity and said:

"Mr. Qiu’s family has been in Hai City for almost a month. During this month, apart from searching for relatives, they have also been doing good deeds everywhere. For example, they donated millions to renovate the orphanage where Miss Qiu once lived, replacing beds and updating equipment."

"After donating to the orphanage, they began looking for places suitable for their investment in Hai City, eventually focusing on our Celestial Valley District."

"The entire Hai City is filled with skyscrapers, so prosperous that people nationwide think there couldn’t be any poverty here. But Celestial Valley District is different. So when the signal that Mr. Qiu was willing to invest was spread, the entire district was like injected with a shot of adrenaline."

"Yet no one expected that at the most critical moment, Miss Qiu died!"

Chen Xiao had already read through the case files. He was clear about the whole incident but still wanted to hear Pan Huiping recount it once.

Not because her voice and eloquence were good, but because written and oral expressions can often convey different feelings.

Seeing Chen Xiao didn’t interrupt, Pan Huiping continued:

"Miss Qiu’s disappearance was very bizarre. I learned from Mr. Qiu and Mrs. Qiu that she went out alone that day without informing anyone. Before leaving, she didn’t leave any information at home."

"She went out at ten in the morning. Until noon, when Mr. Qiu couldn’t reach her by phone, he arranged for people to search for her. In the afternoon, still without any news, they reported to the police."

"Due to his special status, the branch allocated quite a few police officers that day to search for her...."

At this point in Pan Huiping’s account, Chen Xiao interrupted:

"How was that mountain found? The case files state that the mountain is located three kilometers north of Sanshui Town. This is quite a broad area, yet the search found her by the third night."

Pan Huiping replied: "We conducted a very intensive visit to local residents. In the end, a little child pointed us in the direction, saying a young lady bought her a bag of candies, then she saw Miss Qiu heading towards the mountain."

Chen Xiao’s mind immediately sharpened.

"Was it a boy or a girl? How old? What kind of candies?"

Pan Huiping was taken aback: "A girl...."

Upon saying the first bit of information, Pan Huiping’s expression changed.

Seeing her expression change, Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes and said, "Could she be five or six years old?"

Pan Huiping suddenly felt an extreme sense of regret but had to nod and say:

"I didn’t ask her age, but I felt it should be about right. Also, I didn’t ask what kind of candies they were."

Saying this, Pan Huiping directly instructed one of the officers in the meeting room:

"Immediately find that girl and ask her about the candies, regardless if they’ve been eaten or not. Even if they’re gone, find out what kind of candies they were, including the brand."

Of course, the candies themselves aren’t important.

The important thing is that bag of candies might have been the last thing the deceased, Qiu Tingfang, did before she died!

The last thing she did likely left some clues.

After arranging for this task, Pan Huiping looked at Chen Xiao with changed eyes again.

From initial suspicion to reassurance, and now to belief.

The whole process, Pan Huiping calculated seriously, took less than an hour!

Pan Huiping took a deep breath, gave Chen Xiao a wry smile, and said, "You’re the first person who’s made me feel admiration this quickly."

"How long did it take you to trust our Director Zhang?"

"Half a day," Pan Huiping replied, but then changed her tone with a smile: "But I still think he’s the most charismatic when solving a case."

Chen Xiao gave a thumbs up, then gestured for Pan Huiping to continue.

The latter collected her smile, and continued:

"Guided by that little girl, we found Leigong Mountain in Sanshui Town."

"Years ago, this mountain was barren because the trees on it were a source of income. Later on, no one cared about it, so in a few years, Leigong Mountain became lush."

"After entering the woods, we soon caught a scent. Following the smell, we found Miss Qiu sitting on a branch. At that time, she wasn’t wearing any clothes."

"After conducting a trace inspection of the branches and trees, we took Miss Qiu down from the tree. Because she wasn’t wearing clothes, we continued to look for her clothes in the woods."

"But we didn’t find the clothes; instead, we found a relatively new dent at a mound and footprints left by someone else on the fallen leaves."

Chen Xiao intervened again: "The woods were thick with fallen leaves, hence no footprints of the perpetrator were found in the mud?"

"Yes, but based on the imprints on a few leaves, we determined it was a pair of size 41 feet. Such a shoe size is rare among females, so our current assumption about the perpetrator’s gender leans towards male."

Pausing, Pan Huiping looked back at Chen Xiao.

However, seeing that Chen Xiao had no intention of speaking, she continued:

"On Qiu Tingfang’s forehead, we also found mud. Combining the dent and the mound, I had someone dig up the mound, where we found a neatly placed set of clothes, determining it was a symbolic grave!"

"From the clothes, we also determined it was a set of men’s fashion. Judging by the style, it was popular sixteen years ago. That coincidentally was the year Qiu Tingfang was adopted by Qiu Huasheng."

Chen Xiao nodded and said softly: "So in 1990, Qiu Tingfang became an orphan and was taken in by the Hai City Orphanage. That same year, a solitary grave appeared on Leigong Mountain, with a set of clothes buried."

"If that’s the case, how was Qiu Tingfang adopted by the orphanage? I’m not doubting Hai City officials’ sense of social responsibility, but at that time, many street orphans who lost their parents wouldn’t necessarily get timely aid from society or officials, right?"

"That’s right; she was lucky. After wandering the streets for a short while, she encountered the then-director of the orphanage. After conversing with her, the director discovered she couldn’t find her parents and brought her back to the orphanage."

As Pan Huiping explained, Chen Xiao immediately asked, "What about that director?"

"Passed away."

"When did they die?"

Pan Huiping replied, "199...1!"