"Baby Shrimp" food stalls are open all night, and the best business is from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am. August is the season to eat crayfish. All kinds of crayfish shops are blooming everywhere, but it is quite rare that the business is so good as "baby shrimp".
When he left the Jiangnan Theater on Saturday, Mingshu saw the three characters "Shrimp Baby" across the road. The store was full of people, and there was a long row of plastic benches outside the store, all of them sitting. The temporary parking lot on the side of the road has long been full of cars, and those who can't stop can only walk around "picking up leaks", and some people are arguing loudly because of parking problems.
"It's so lively there?" Mingshu asked Yi Fei next to him.
"You don't know about 'Baby Shrimp'?" Yi Fei said, "The most famous crayfish restaurant in Quandongye. Hey, don't you usually listen to the local food radio while driving? I recommend it every day."
Mingshu never listens to food broadcasts. He either listens to the news or the road conditions. "It's good to recommend every day? Isn't it recommended to give money to marketing every day?"
"This is a time-honored brand, and it was made by its taste! Others spend money on advertisements. This one is recommended by a food show, and the style is different." Waited in line for over two hours."
Mingshu listened to it for two hours, and immediately smiled: "How about it, isn't it worth two hours?"
In his eyes, no matter how delicious the food is, it is not worth waiting for two hours.
Except for lining up with Xiao Yuan.
Except when Xiao Yuan cooks.
Yi Fei said: "Wrong! It's a big mistake! The taste is absolutely amazing, let alone two hours, I'm willing to wait for another two hours."
Ming Shu was skeptical, "You are the deputy captain of the serious crime team, how can you get so much time to line up to eat crayfish?"
Yi Fei pretended not to hear, "Look, so many people lining up is hard evidence. If it's not delicious, it's not worth it, why would there be such a long queue?"
Mingshu thought for a while, and planned to try it together with Xiao Yuan when he was free.
At that time, he did not expect that he would have to deal with "Baby Shrimp" so soon.
No business wants to deal with the criminal police. The owner of "Shrimp Baby" is a native of Dongye. He has been in the catering business for decades. He makes money from the hot crayfish blood every year. It's a bit of a hooligan because of the relationship between the children. The serious crime team has to adjust the monitoring on Saturday night and Sunday morning, and ask the clerks to understand the situation at that time.
As a result, I received a call from a junior leader of the branch midway, and was warned. The boss immediately changed his face from a black face to a smiling face. Not only did he call up all the monitoring, but he also took the initiative to request to be investigated in the bureau.
Surveillance showed that the group of folk music club arrived at "Baby Shrimp" at 10:49. Because there was no seat, they sat outside and chatted with melon seeds until 1:32 in the morning.
"This time is normal." The boss's tone was quite proud. "That day was Saturday. Saturday and Friday nights are the most crowded, and you can't eat if you don't queue for two or three hours."
In the store, nearly an hour later after ordering, that is, at 2:27, plates of crayfish came to the table.
Later, everyone added two more dishes, and they didn't leave until 4 o'clock.
"Everyone in the 'Baby Shrimp' in the folk music club has an alibi." Zhou Yuan reported to Mingshu, "I have checked that there are eight people who did not attend the dinner party - Yang Yan and Qu Xing who played the pipa, Sun Jing who played the guzheng, Lu Hui and Ran He who played the guqin, and Li Meng, Xu Gui, and Feng Guotao who played the guqin. I will continue to investigate their whereabouts that night.”
Mingshu asked, "What did you find in Jiachuang Community?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head, "What is certain is that Sha Chun did not return to Jiachuang Community before she was killed. She disappeared immediately after leaving Jiangnan Theater and did not appear in any surveillance."
Mingshu pushed open the door of the inquiry room, and Ran He, who was sitting inside, raised his head nervously.
This is a man with half-length hair, in his early thirties. In terms of appearance, he is at least not ugly in the aesthetics of ordinary people. He wears ancient clothes, puts on suitable makeup, and puts a guqin in front of him. Really fool people.
But the crampedness and evasion in his eyes at this time had already smashed his decent skin to pieces.
Mingshu sat down.
"I've already told what I know." The sweat on Ran He's forehead was illuminated by the light, and a few strands of hair were wet with sweat, sticking to his forehead comically, "Why don't you let me go? Who are you? leader?"
"I didn't let you go because you lied." Mingshu folded his fingers and looked at Ran He with intimidation.
The policeman who was talking to him just now had no such pressure from beginning to end, and Ran He panicked even more, "I didn't lie. What do you mean?"
"First of all, I want to tell you that I don't think you are the murderer." Mingshu said slowly: "Kill Sha Chun and bury Sha Chun in the place where you work every day, I don't see that you have such courage. "
Ran He's expression became even more fearful, his eyes floated wildly, and he whispered: "I was not a murderer..."
"But you're already sitting here, but you're still reluctant to tell the truth, fooling my teammates, and missing out when Sha Chun was killed. I have to pay attention to you and focus on you." Mingshu narrowed his eyes. , the line of sight is dangerous, "After all, some murderers are very good at disguising. What if my judgment is wrong?"
"No, no! Sha Chun's killing really has nothing to do with me!" Ran He said that he couldn't say anything, "Saturday night I, I..."
Mingshu asked casually, "How are you?"
Ran He's expression was painful, "Will anyone else know what I said here except you?"
Mingshu pointed to the small camera that was working on the side, "People from the higher-level unit will occasionally check the surveillance to see if we have tortured us to extract confessions."
Ran He's face became extremely ugly.
Mingshu said, "Is there something unspeakable? Is it more embarrassing for you than being classified as a suspect?"
Ran He buried his head and did not speak for a long time.
Mingshu's tone froze, "Don't waste my time."
Ran He was startled by this sound, "Please don't tell my husband, and don't tell my wife - me, after the performance that day, I lied to my wife, saying that the unit had dinner, but Yang Yan and I actually went to the hotel. "
Mingshu remembered that Yang Yan didn't go to "Baby Shrimp" either.
"Which hotel?" Mingshu asked.
Ran He has already covered his face, "Di An."
"Okay, did you go to Di'an? When you go or leave, I can find out right away." Mingshu leaned forward slightly, "Ran He, does it make sense for you to lie? Apart from wasting our time, there are Any benefits? You said that if you treat Sha Chun well, your colleagues will follow you and lie?"
Ran He actually started to cry, "I was confused for a while. Before you were sure that Sha Chun was the one who died, Yang Yan and I discussed it..."
"Then reached an agreement and said that you never targeted Sha Chun, and that it was others who bullied Sha Chun?" Mingshu said.
Ran He nodded while wiping away his tears.
At this time, he was completely different from when he was arrogant and mocking Sha Chun on the bus.
Some weak people can only put on the skin of the strong when they are bullying others. Now the skin of the strong man has fallen off, and what hides under it is nothing but a vulgar, cowardly, and ugly soul.
"Then you probably didn't expect it." Mingshu said: "Yang Yan, who was inquiring next door, told my team members early in the morning that people in your department have more or less targeted and isolated Sha Chun. It's you Ran He who takes the lead."
Ran He's eyes widened in shock, with a look of disbelief, "Did she say that?"
Mingshu stood up and said coldly: "It seems that my judgment is indeed correct. You are not the murderer, but you are a person with a serious lack of morality."
Di'an Hotel quickly confirmed that Ran He and Yang Yan checked in at 11:04 p.m. on Saturday, and did not leave after entering the guest room. Ran He left first at 5:32 a.m. the next morning.
And why Ran He is so afraid to tell his whereabouts that day also has an answer.
Ran He was born in a relatively backward rural area within Dongye City. There were four older sisters in the family, and the more they were born, the poorer they became. All of the sisters only had primary school education and went out to work when they were teenagers. Only Ran Hean went to high school steadily and was admitted. Dongye Conservatory of Music.
Folks often say 'do not learn art from a poor family, learn to work from a poor family'. But Ran He was accustomed to growing up and had to learn music. Ran's father and Ran's mother forced his four daughters to take money for him to finish university.
Because of his good looks, good at national musical instruments, simple and sincere - at least in appearance, Ran He is very popular on campus, and he met his current wife, Chen Qian, when he was still a student.
Chen Qian's father worked in the city's procuratorate and was quite well-connected. The Chen family is in Dongye City, and it can be regarded as a family with good conditions. Chen Qian loves Ran He to death, but Fei Ran He will not marry. Chen's father and Chen's mother only have this one daughter, and although Ran He is despised, he has to compromise.
It was through the relationship of Chen's father that Ran He entered the performing arts group after graduation. Over the years, the Chen family has paid for the purchase of a car, a house, a promotion, and assistance to his hometown.
Now Chen Qian is pregnant, but Ran He cheats.
"This person is a typical 'Phoenix man'." Fang Yuanhang was very disdainful, and burst out a few words one after another, "I have no ability, I rely on women, and he is also a motherfucker in the work unit, and finally his mother cheated. Damn it, if I were his wife, I would sue him to death!"
It was already dawn. After Chen Qian learned that Ran He had been taken away by the police for questioning, she had been staying at the Criminal Investigation Bureau for the night with her stomach erect. She used her relationship with her parents to get Ran He out as soon as possible.
"My husband is very honest, he's a music nerd, and he definitely won't have anything to do with your case," she said. "He hasn't been in good health lately, and he won't be able to endure staying in your interrogation room for a long time. Please let me Take him back. He's definitely a good guy, I promise."
Reality is bloody.
In order to satisfy his daughter's request, Father Chen went up and down, but found that when the murder happened, the always humble son-in-law and colleagues opened a room in the hotel.
Ran He walked out of the interrogation room and was slapped to the ground by Chen's father, his front teeth collapsed immediately, and he spit out a mouthful of blood.
Chen Qian stood between the two men, silent at first, and then burst into piercing cries.
Such a farce will be staged every once in a while in the corridors of the serious crime unit.
The cafeteria began to serve breakfast, and Ming Shu casually took two bites, "When will Sha Chun's family arrive?"
"We already contacted him last night." Yi Fei said, "Sha Chun's parents divorced when he was in high school. His father immigrated and his mother remarried. He is not in Dongye City at the moment, and he will not arrive until this afternoon."
Mingshu put down his porridge spoon, "A place like the Performing Arts Group is different from ordinary companies. Most of the people who go in have a way, such as Ran He. Whether Sha Chun applied for the job by himself or entered through his parents, this needs to be checked. ."
"I guess it's most likely that I applied for the job myself." Yi Fei said, "At least it's not her mother's relationship."
Mingshu asked, "What have you found?"
"That's not true." Yi Fei shook his head, "But the attitude of Sha Chun's mother, Yong Huan... Hey, you'll know it when you see it this afternoon."
Ming Shu frowned, "Is she very calm when I learned that her biological daughter was killed?"
Yi Fei filled the rolls with bacon and mustard greens, eating neither foreign nor foreign, "Well, it's so peaceful that it's just like the murder of someone you know."
Ming Shu was silent for a few seconds, "Let's split up for a while. Now the clues are too scattered, and the ones that should be integrated must be integrated. You stay in the bureau, and I will go to the performing arts group again."
After the rainstorm, the entertainment group was extremely deserted. Two trees that were just transplanted this year were uprooted by the strong wind, and one of them smashed a car parked under the tree.
But everyone knows that this desertion is not caused by wind and rain.
The cordon around the pond has not been removed, and employees go to work as usual, but almost no one is still at work.
The quieter the unit, the faster the gossip spreads. In just one night, the folk music club collectively isolated Sha Chun and Ran He when his wife cheated on Yang Yan during pregnancy, which became a big talk in the group.
"As far as I know, Sha Chun's entry into the job is through the normal recruitment process." Ji Yue, the vice president in charge of administration of the Performing Arts Group, is the only woman among the executives, "I was the director of the human resources department back then, and the situation was special. So I'm very impressed."
"Why do you say the situation is special?" Mingshu sat in Jiyue's spacious and bright office with a somewhat subtle literary sense, and said bluntly: "The performing arts group seems to rarely introduce talents through normal recruitment. Even if the recruitment information is posted In the end, most of the people who join the job are people with connections and backgrounds.”
Ji Yue did not shy away from this point, "Yes, a unit like ours is almost saturated just by attracting young people who are related. Among the new employees who join the company every year, except for the introduction of special talents, the rest are basically you. Known 'connectors'."
Mingshu understood, "Sha Chun shouldn't be a 'special talent', right?"
Ji Yue said: "That's why I said just now that she was very special. The year she joined the group, it happened that the various departments of the group were expanding, and a large number of grass-roots employees were needed in a short period of time. Our requirements for these new employees are- A certain professional ability must be 100% willing. I interviewed Sha Chun, and she showed her determination as soon as she came. I have a good impression of her. Later, after evaluation, her main guzheng did not meet our assessment standards, but She also played several other ethnic musical instruments, so we accepted her. During the half-year probationary period, those whose professional scores were higher than her were not as diligent as her, and some even quit halfway through. So she stayed."
As soon as Ming Shu left Ji Yue's office, he received a call from Xu Chun, "Team Ming, the surveillance has found something!"
The security and monitoring system of the Performing Arts Group is very imperfect. The new building is on the east side of the park. There are two doors on the east side, which will be closed at night. There are security guards on duty at ordinary times, which seems to be very safe, but the large area of wasteland on the west side is directly Open to the outside world, anyone can enter the park. Between the west side and the east side, there is no obstruction.
"The surveillance at the two gates on the east side did not capture Sha Chun and the suspicious person, but the public surveillance on the road near the west side captured Sha Chun!" Xu Chun pointed at the computer screen, "It's here."
At 11:24 p.m. Saturday, Sha Chun, dressed in a linen shirt and wide-leg pants, got out of a taxi, crossed the road, and entered the entertainment group park from the west.
Mingshu rested his chin with one hand and asked the technical detective to zoom in on the picture, then make it clearer, and watch it repeatedly.
"It's fucking weird, she actually came here by herself." Xu Chun walked around. "All the surveillance cameras in the park have been checked, and only a camera on the east side near the west side of the wasteland caught her."
And that camera still captures only Sha Chun alone.
At 11:37, Sha Chun ran with his bag on his back as if he was crossing the road, as if he was eager to do something or meet someone.
"The murderer is hidden in a blind spot of surveillance, and the place where the body was buried is likely to be the first scene." Mingshu closed his eyes and thought - Sha Chun was lured to the entertainment group. In what way did that person lure him? There is nothing suspicious about Sha Chun's communication records, nor does his mental state appear to be abnormal, as if he had been manipulated.
The Performing Arts Group is far away from the edge of Nancheng District. Seeing Sha Chun's dress, it is likely that after leaving the Jiangnan Theater, he took a taxi.
Mingshu said, "Find this taxi driver."
The taxi driver's surname is Li, he is in his fifties, and his face is simple and honest. Because he just ran the night shift, he looks rather sluggish.
"I remember her." Master Li said, "She got my car on the way in Hua Cai Zhong. It was 10:40. She said she was going to the new building of the Performing Arts Group. I didn't want to go because it was too remote. , I couldn't get a guest on the return trip. She said that she would pay double the fare before I agreed to take her."
"Did she do anything special on the road?" Mingshu asked.
Master Li thought for a while, "No. She sits in the back and doesn't talk much. Every time I look in the rearview mirror, I see her looking out the window. I've been running the car for more than ten years, and I've seen too many passengers like her. A lot, nothing special. But she is very generous. From Huacai Middle Road to the Performing Arts Group, the one-way run is nearly 90 yuan, and the round-trip is nearly 180. She gave me 200, and I was looking for compensation, she said Keep the change, please."
After Master Li left, Ming Shu opened the map, "Central Huacai Road is only a ten-minute walk from the north gate of Jiangnan Theater, but Sha Chun left from the west gate at 9:52, and took a taxi around 10:40. There is an empty space in the middle. Nearly an hour, where is she, what is she doing?"
Xu Chun said, "There are a lot of surveillance cameras around the Jiangnan Theater, but none of them have photographed her. Is she deliberately avoiding surveillance?"
"Central Huacai Road is currently undergoing demolition and is the only place near Jiangnan Theater that lacks cameras. Sha Chun is going to Middle Huacai Road, but instead of leaving the north gate, which is closer, he goes to the west gate. Do you want to make a circle? When getting off the bus , She doesn't go through the main entrance on the east side of the entertainment group, but walks in through the wasteland on the west side. Also, she pays with cash - looking at her previous consumption records, she is used to paying with WeChat."
Xu Chun raised his head, "It's too weird."
Ming Shu's face sank, "Everything she did seems to cover the murderer."