There was a sofa and a bed in a single room of about ten square meters. Jeff Stewart was lying on the bed and snoring.
Lu Ming looked through the small window on the door and shook his head.
Liu Teng was standing nearby, and his tone was a little harsh: "I think this guy is reluctant to leave. He has free food and accommodation, and doesn't have to work. It's like pie in the sky."
"When he wakes up, notify me immediately. If I'm not here, you should come and record a statement, including whether the Gao family kid saw it with his own eyes? Did he really push Uncle Deng into the water?"
Do we need to investigate the drowning incident? Liu Teng was slightly startled, then nodded, "I understand."
Lu Ming was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly stopped and looked Liu Teng up and down: "What do you understand? I'm telling you, don't record blindly, just record what he says, don't guide his confession! Don't be so clever!"
Liu Teng smiled apologetically: "Yes, don't worry, Commissioner, how could I?" Just now, I found that Commissioner Lu seemed to be keeping a close eye on Councillor Gao's son. I guessed that Commissioner Lu was going to run for councillor and had some powerful relationship with him, so he wanted to target Councillor Gao? Then, recording the confession of this drunkard would require a lot of thought. I had to get the result that Commissioner Lu wanted. Of course, I definitely didn't want him to make a false confession, but there were ways to guide him.
However, he didn't expect that Commissioner Lu saw through his warning and he had to smile to ease the embarrassment.
Lu Ming took two steps forward and asked, "No result yet on the forensic side?"
"It will probably be tonight. I'll call and urge them later."
Lu Ming nodded and walked towards the elevator. Although it was a three-story building, this kind of office space naturally had elevators installed. Moreover, because the horizontal area was large and there were many areas, there were several elevators.
…
The campaign office on the third floor was filled with campaign staff wearing uniform yellow vests, mostly young men and women, and quite a few handsome men and beautiful women, very pleasing to the eye. Most of the old-timers in the campaign had been fired by Lu Ming.
It was also Lu Ming's idea to uniformly wear yellow vests with propaganda slogans printed on them.
Murong Xue was just about to follow Lu Ming's instructions and take this group of campaign officials to District 3 to shout slogans.
Seeing Lu Ming coming in, he hurried to greet him. The originally bustling office immediately became extremely quiet.
"Tomorrow, a TV station wants to do an interview with me. Xiaoxue, they will contact you later. Please confirm the questions they will ask. Also, ask them to mention the debate between candidates on TV. Ask if it is possible to allow more voters to see several candidates expound on their political views through TV programs. Moreover, the discussion on this issue can be broadcast simultaneously on radio stations as well. After all, even in the urban area, less than half of the households have TV sets, and the proportion in Beiguan is even smaller."
Murong Xue quickly recorded the information in the notebook while nodding her head repeatedly.
The campaign officials all looked at each other in bewilderment. The TV station would definitely be willing to ask such a question.
If there really is a televised debate for a congressional election, even if the participants are not from the same constituency, but are thousands of miles away, or even from another province or state, who wouldn't find it interesting? Who wouldn't want to watch it? The ratings would definitely go through the roof.
But the question is, who would be willing to have a TV debate with you, the boss? Wouldn't that be courting death
You are the player who can make a mentally ill person become a normal person.
Lu Ming smiled at this time: "Young people, take a long-term view, we are ushering in a great era."
The first televised debate in the presidential election of a major Western country in the previous life was a few years later than my own era, but it was only the concept that was late by a few years. From the technical conditions, it was something that could have been realized long ago.
The clerks all applauded immediately. After all, what the boss said was always right.
A man suddenly appeared at the door. It was Liu Teng. He seemed to have run in, panting. "Commissioner, the drunk is awake!"
Lu Ming nodded: "You guys keep busy!"
…
Stuart, who had been clamoring for wine, was now drinking from a bottle of champagne.
"It has no taste..." The bottle was thrown aside and the champagne water gurgled out.
Lu Mingzheng walked into the room, frowning slightly.
Assistant Prosecutor Xiao Zhao hurriedly took a mop and a broom to clean up.
"Give him a cold shower to wake him up! Then, take him to my office." Lu Ming made a gesture and turned away.
Immediately, several members of the action team rushed over and heard Stuart screaming strangely.
Lu Ming coughed as he walked out of the room, thinking that the relationship between the father-in-law and the son-in-law would be difficult in the future.
After returning to the office and looking at the files for a while, about half an hour later, several team members brought Stuart over. It seemed that he had not only been washed clean, but also shaved and dressed in dry cloth clothes and pants.
Hmm? I feel more energetic.
Looking at Stuart, Lu Ming smiled.
Stuart sat on the sofa without hesitation, and seeing cigarettes on the coffee table, he picked one up and lit it. However, his hands were shaking, and he pressed the lighter several times before it lit. It was obvious that he had the sequelae of alcohol poisoning.
He looked at Lu Ming with a puff of smoke, "I heard that you are the prosecutor. I want to see a lawyer and sue you for illegal detention and assault. Or, you give me 50 yuan now and we'll let it go!"
Lu Ming looked at him helplessly. What was it that turned the dignified and elegant father in Pamela's eyes into a scoundrel
He said to the assistant prosecutor Xiao Zhao, "Call the Legal Aid Office and ask them to send a lawyer."
Then he looked at Stuart, "Mr. Stuart, you are now involved in a murder case..."
Before he could finish his words, Liu Teng knocked on the door and hurried in. He whispered a few words in Lu Ming's ear and handed a document to Lu Ming. It turned out that the forensic results had been faxed in.
Lu Ming looked at the fax paper. It was clearly written on it that the broken glass bottle in Stuart's hand was the murder weapon used to kill the maid Aunt Zhao. There were only Stuart's fingerprints on the glass bottle.
Liu Teng turned to Stuart and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Stuart, you are now officially a suspect in the murder of Ms. Zhao Linghua from Beiguan, so you will be temporarily detained for 48 hours and accept our investigation."
"Who is Zhao Linghua? You have got it completely wrong!" Stuart looked nonchalant.
Liu Teng snorted coldly, "Zhao Linghua is the maid of Gao Depei's family, Aunt Zhao who is in charge of the wine cellar! Do you have an impression of her now? Did you go to steal the wine and get caught by Aunt Zhao, so you want to kill her to silence her?!"
"Impossible, it's not like I haven't stolen wine before. Aunt Zhao likes me very much and doesn't care at all. She even secretly gave me wine!"
Stuart suddenly shut up, “I’m going to wait for the lawyer, I won’t talk to you anymore, you want to wrong me!”
Lu Ming looked at him, pondered for a while, and suddenly said: "Mr. Stewart, I know your daughter, and we are very familiar with each other, so I will hand over your murder case to the criminal police and other prosecutors. The relationship between my office and you is limited to the reinvestigation of Deng Bo's drowning case. You are a potential witness."
This case is very complicated, and Stuart's brain isn't very good. If he continues at this pace, there is a high probability that something will go wrong in the future.
Especially, if the case in which he is suspected of murder is also led by his own government.
Ultimately, in court, it may become one's greatest weakness.
Stuart sneered: "You lied to me again, I don't even know where that damn girl is, you know her? And you know she is my daughter? Ridiculous!"
Lu Ming nodded: "Anyway, whether you killed someone or not has nothing to do with me. Now, tell me, what did you see that day when Uncle Deng fell into the water?"
"I don't know!" Stuart shook his head.
Lu Ming looked at him: "Your daughter's name is Pamela, and her nickname is Paula, right?"
Stuart was startled and looked up in surprise.
Lu Ming looked at him and said, "Don't you understand? You gave evidence that you saw Gao Yulong push someone into the water. Then, when we found you, you were in the wine cellar with Aunt Zhao's body beside you and the murder weapon in your hand. If you really didn't kill her, I hope you can think about what happened."
Lu Ming waved his hand, "Take him to the detention room and let him think it over carefully!"
Stuart frowned and was taken away absent-mindedly.
Glancing at Liu Teng beside him, Lu Ming said, "It was only a few hours ago that I confirmed that he was my good friend's father."
This is not wrong.
Liu Teng smiled and said, "That doesn't matter, why should we hand it over to others to investigate?" According to the Federal Judicial Act and the East China Sea Government Ethics Act, independent prosecutors only need to avoid relatives and suspects with economic interests, etc. Of course, as long as someone they know is involved in the case, they must declare the interest relationship. The prosecutor decides whether to transfer the case to other colleagues. If they accept the case themselves, then if there are any mistakes, the internal investigation department will naturally investigate the relevant case handling procedures.
Generally speaking, if only someone you know is involved in a case, people will rarely hand the case over to others because this relationship can sometimes play a miraculous role in handling the case.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "It's better to leave it to them."
Liu Teng immediately understood that the relationship between the commissioner and the drunkard's daughter might be more than just good friends.
…
Looking at Hou Dexing who came hurriedly, Lu Ming frowned.
There was something wrong when he was appointed by the Beiguan Procuratorate Branch.
Although the Procuratorial Branch is directly under the leadership of the Supreme Procuratorate, it will still have to deal with the leading figures in Beiguan.
"Commissioner Lu, what other testimony do you need from him? Do you have to keep him here? I'm investigating a murder case, and when handling a case, we have to prioritize!"
Hou Dexing was in a hurry and wanted to take people away.
Lu Ming smiled and said, "I'm not staying here. I mean, you can just handle this case here. You can do your investigation while I get my testimony. It won't delay either of us. I have enough rooms here. There are only three of you, and you and two detectives."
"Commissioner Lu! You don't have to worry about where I'm handling the case!" Hou Dexing smiled wryly. "Anyway, I'm investigating a murder case. I must take the suspect away. Otherwise, I'll call the Supreme Procuratorate and see who's right between us."
“Prosecutor Hou, you…” Liu Teng widened his eyes. This guy was a bit arrogant. He was just a small prosecutor. And he, the deputy director of prosecution, was an official under Commissioner Lu’s office, wasn’t he
However, Lu Ming had already waved his hand, signaling everyone else to leave.
Soon, Lu Ming and Hou Dexing were the only two people left in the large and luxurious office.
Lu Ming walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the flat green lawn outside.
"Commissioner Lu, I really don't mean to go against you..." Hou Dexing said in a serious tone, "I am just doing my job."
But the fire flickering in his eyes clearly showed that he felt very comfortable to reject Lu Ming's request.
Lu Ming turned around and looked at him, smiling: "Hou Dexing, do you really think that I didn't find out that you tipped off Shan Jingfan in the Kato case? Deputy Director Cheng didn't know?"
"At that time, we held a meeting to agree on a strategy. We were well prepared, just like a scholar who foresaw the future. In court, we were passive at the beginning. However, Deputy Director Cheng and I had secretly made a plan, so we were able to turn the tide and win!"
"You think no one knows what you did?!"
Every word sounded like thunder in Hou Dexing's ears, making him dizzy and pale. He took several steps back and almost fell to the ground.
"However, Kato committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and Anzi was solved. I don't know what Cheng Jian thought. Maybe Anzi had been resolved satisfactorily and didn't want to expose the family's shame? Or, you have always been good at flattering people, and secretly flattered Cheng Jian very well, and sent your sister to Cheng Jian's bed?"
Hearing this, Hou Dexing's face turned even paler. He wanted to explain something but couldn't utter a word.
Lu Ming sneered: "Anyway, I didn't make a fuss at that time."
"Why, you still think that you have Inspector Cheng as your backer, and now you have hooked up with some unknown pier and you come to show off in front of me?!"
Lu Ming smiled, slowly sat down behind the desk, picked up a cigarette, and slowly lit it, "Do you believe it or not, tomorrow you will end up like Kato? You told everyone that Prosecutor Cheng had committed adultery with your sister, and other bullshit. What are you doing?"
"I, when did I say that?" Hou Dexing immediately understood what Lu Ming meant, and his face turned terribly pale.
If something that only I know were to spread, especially if it would affect that person's reputation and career, I would definitely hang myself or jump into the river tomorrow. At least, to outsiders, it would seem that I had encountered some setbacks and was unable to get over it, so I committed suicide.
"You should handle this case impartially, and I will handle it impartially as well, right here in my office. You do yours, and I'll do mine. Do you agree?" Lu Ming put out his cigarette.
Hou Dexing was absent-minded, but he nodded quickly and vigorously.
"You dog, get out!" Lu Ming suddenly felt extremely annoyed.
Hou Dexing immediately rolled and crawled, staggered to the door, and stood up straight the moment he opened the door.
Lu Ming shook his head. There were many things that he just wanted to pretend he didn't know. There was no perfect person in this world. The powerful people who had reached a certain status were even less likely to be good men and women. They all wore several masks. In front of you, he might be a kind senior who supported and cared for you. Of course, it was also because of your ability that you were recognized and respected by him, and he thought that you were worthy of support. But in front of other people, in front of the weak in his eyes, he might be another face, for example, an old pervert who abused his power for personal gain
After thinking about it, Lu Ming shook his head, turned around, slowly opened the floor-to-ceiling window, and breathed in the fresh air outside.
Suddenly, I remembered a classic quote.
Maybe, this is life.