Animal Detective

Chapter 111: At Least Let the Child Know How His Father Died

The fact that Shen Xin had chosen to take on a case that Sun Zhao himself had handled and that had since gone cold didn’t make Sun Zhao think Shen Xin was trying to embarrass him.

In fact, he even encouraged Shen Xin.

"You’re young and your minds are sharp. It’s been many years since the case happened. Letting you reinvestigate might bring some new perspectives."

Sun Zhao unconsciously rubbed his lower back.

He wasn’t young anymore.

Back in 2013, while chasing a suspect, he’d gotten into a fight. The man had grabbed him around the waist, and they had both fallen from the second floor. The fall had messed up his back, and to this day, whenever work got busy, he had to take a handful of painkillers.

He asked Shen Xin what his thoughts were.

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, tapped on the screen a few times, and turned it for Shen Xin to see.

It was the video of Da Mei teasing Black Panther.

"This is Bao Lane, isn’t it? That’s not far from Xiao Hong’s crime scene. You certainly haven’t been idle, kid," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.

Shen Xin felt a wave of embarrassment.

He never would have imagined the video would spread so fast that even Sun Zhao had come across it.

"Captain Sun, I can explain the video. We really weren’t slacking off. I was training Black Panther’s tracking abilities," Shen Xin said hastily.

Sun Zhao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "I never said you were slacking off. So, what’s the story? Were you?"

Shen Xin quickly shook his head.

"There you have it, then."

Sun Zhao smiled and asked, "Since you’ve been out canvassing all day, why don’t you tell me your thoughts on the case?"

He seemed to have guessed Shen Xin’s approach to the case.

Shen Xin glanced at Ding Yuwei and said, "Captain Sun, we actually do have a theory. It was Ding Yuwei who came up with it."

He then relayed Ding Yuwei’s theory about Xiao Hong’s defensive wounds and how the killer’s behavior was inconsistent with a simple robbery.

He concluded, "So we believe there’s a possibility it was a revenge killing, staged to look like a robbery-murder."

Sun Zhao glanced at Ding Yuwei. "We noticed that point back in the day, too. The reason we eventually ruled it out wasn’t just because our investigation into Xiao Hong’s social circle turned up no suspicious persons."

"Between the end of 2010 and the time of the incident, there were a total of four similar roadside robberies on National Highway 319."

"They specifically targeted truckers who had pulled over to rest due to fatigue. They’d wear masks, use weapons like daggers and switchblades to subdue the drivers, and then rob them."

"So at the time, we speculated that Xiao Hong had run into this same group, a conflict broke out, and he was stabbed to death by one of the suspects."

"Because of that, we even launched a special task force to crack down on them, but the group was elusive. They were most likely a transient crew, so after the accidental killing, they probably fled."

"So right up until the case was suspended, we were still leaning toward the theory of a robbery that escalated into murder."

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei exchanged a look, only now learning about this hidden part of the story.

"Captain Sun, I guess we were overthinking it," Shen Xin said hastily.

"No!"

Sun Zhao shook his head. "You weren’t overthinking it at all. In fact, you did exactly the right thing."

He chuckled and continued, "You’ve handled a couple of cold cases by now. Haven’t you noticed their defining characteristic yet?"

"Generally, we have a standard playbook for investigations. Following that playbook solves ninety percent of our cases. But the ones that go cold are the ones that defy common logic, the ones that can’t be solved using conventional methods."

"Take Wu Jiawang’s case. It looked for all the world like a kidnapping by human traffickers. Who would have thought he was accidentally run over and killed by Gao Jinrui, then buried in an ancestral tomb?"

"It was the same with Liu Laibin’s case. Who could have guessed that the ’real’ killer was a decoy, while everyone around him was a murderer?"

"So when you’re working a cold case, you have to think outside the box. Don’t be afraid of having theories; be afraid of having none. It’s a cold case, anyway. Let your imagination run wild. Anything goes."

Shen Xin nodded, quickly saying he’d taken the lesson to heart.

"Lesson, my ass."

Sun Zhao swore with a laugh, then asked if Shen Xin had any other questions.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Xin asked Sun Zhao if he knew anything about Xiao Hong’s life—specifically, things that weren’t in the official file.

Since Sun Zhao was encouraging him to think creatively, Shen Xin still wanted to pursue the revenge-killing angle.

Sun Zhao knew what Shen Xin was getting at. He tilted his head back in thought and said, "You know, I personally feel the best thing Xiao Hong ever did in his life was meet Gao Liyun."

He picked up the water glass on his desk.

It was empty.

Shen Xin quickly stood up to refill it for him.

Only then did Sun Zhao begin to talk about Xiao Hong.

"The guy was a punk!"

Xiao Hong’s parents were divorced, and he lived with his mother, who couldn’t control him. He dropped out of junior high and started running wild on the streets.

"He and Gao Liyun met just like in the movies—hero saves the damsel in distress. A few thugs were hassling Gao Liyun, he stepped in and stopped them, and the two started dating after that."

"Gao Liyun’s family didn’t approve. They thought Xiao Hong was a good-for-nothing. That’s what made Xiao Hong decide to clean up his act. But with no education, he bounced between a lot of jobs before finally becoming a trucker and slowly saving up a bit of money."

"But Gao Liyun stuck by him through thick and thin. She waited so long she was becoming an old maid, and her family, at their wits’ end, finally consented to the marriage."

"And then this happened. Xiao Hong was only thirty-eight when he died. He’d been married to Gao Liyun for a year and a half, and their son had just been born a few months prior. After Xiao Hong’s death, Gao Liyun never remarried."

"By the way, do you know what she says every time she comes in to ask about the case?"

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei shook their heads.

Sun Zhao sighed. "She says that her son’s father dying young was fate, and there’s nothing she can do about that. But at the very least, she says, her son deserves to know how his dad died."

That’s why Gao Liyun has never given up all these years. Every so often, she comes in to ask about the case’s progress.

Shen Xin and Ding Yuwei exchanged another look, their hearts heavy.

Seeing their somber expressions, Sun Zhao smiled. "Don’t overthink it. And don’t feel pressured. Just do your best."

It was a cold case. If Shen Xin really couldn’t crack it, who could blame him?

He asked Shen Xin if he had any other questions.

Shen Xin shook his head and stood up to leave.

This time, Sun Zhao didn’t have Zhao Tianxing accompany them.

The two of them already had experience and could handle the case on their own.

"Oh, right. You need to take this police dog business seriously. When you have free time, you should check out the dog markets more often."

Sun Zhao added this reminder just as they were about to leave.

If Shen Xin really managed to train a few police dogs for the sub-bureau, it would be an achievement on par with solving a cold case.

Shen Xin nodded, making a mental note.

’I actually have three dogs already.’

’Black Panther can go to the SWAT team as a riot dog.’

’Dou Dou’s sense of smell is incredible, so he can go to Jiang Wengang as a drug-sniffing dog.’

’As for Tiger Stripes... I guess the Criminal Investigation Division can take him, if they have to.’

’His nose is pretty sharp, too.’

’But I’ll wait and see. I need to build up their affection levels first.’

"So what’s the plan for today? Are we still going to be canvassing?" Ding Yuwei asked.

Shen Xin, however, had a new idea.

’Xiao Hong was a punk in his youth. What if he pissed someone off back then?’

’And what if that person went to prison, got out years later, and ran into Xiao Hong again?’

’Seeing Xiao Hong with a beautiful wife, a beloved son, and a happy life, he got enraged and decided to take revenge?’

Shen Xin didn’t voice this idea.

He’d only just had the thought, and already he felt it was unlikely.

’People who go to prison usually come out reformed.’

Thinking about prison made him inexplicably think of Li Jin. ’I wonder how his rehabilitation is going.’

"We’re going."

Shen Xin said without hesitation.

He’d said he was going to learn from Guo Chunping’s methods. He couldn’t just give up after a single day.

Of course, he still needed to continue training the dogs’ tracking skills.

Shen Xin decided to increase the difficulty.

After arriving at Ririshun Logistics Park, Shen Xin had Ding Yuwei take Da Mei and drive off. She was to pick a random destination at least five kilometers away.

Dou Dou could track for twenty or thirty kilometers, so Shen Xin figured five kilometers shouldn’t be difficult.

Ding Yuwei left with Da Mei.

Shen Xin, meanwhile, continued his canvassing with the other two dogs in tow.

As he was asking questions, someone actually recognized Black Panther.

The video had over ten million views and had been shared widely, even among local social circles.

At this point, Shen Xin wouldn’t have been surprised if Black Panther’s original owner contacted him.

"So he’s a police dog! No wonder. He’s so majestic and imposing, even wearing a little vest!" The young trucker he was questioning marveled, quickly pulling out his phone to take a video.