Animal Detective

Chapter 247 - 229: You Hurt My Brother! (Part 2)

"His wife came to warn you? When was this?" Liu Jie quickly pressed.

Mao Yanru thought for a moment. "Early 2016, I think. Zhou Hui and I were at the mall once and Li Jing’s best friend saw us. She called over a few people from her family, and they came to trash my shop."

Liu Jie nodded, then asked Mao Yanru to explain in detail when she met Zhou Hui.

Mao Yanru said, "Honestly, at first I just thought Zhou Hui was kind of handsome. He was gambling back then, playing for big stakes, and he even got set up. He didn’t have much money."

"Later, he struck it rich again, I guess. He was the one who came looking for me. Since he was willing to spend money on me, I slept with him."

She summed it up in just a few words.

Liu Jie felt that wasn’t enough and asked her for more details, especially whether the two of them were already together when Han Xiaolong’s case occurred.

Mao Yanru was about to speak when she suddenly caught on. She retorted, "Liu Zhi, what are you trying to imply?"

Liu Jie didn’t answer, only telling her to elaborate.

Mao Yanru’s brows knitted together as she began to speak slowly.

At that time, the two of them were indeed involved with each other.

"We just secretly slept together a few times, we didn’t let anyone else know..." Her voice trailed off.

Then she shot up.

"That son of a bitch!"

She cursed angrily, her eyes wide as she asked, "Did he kill Xiaolong?"

Liu Jie waved his hand, signaling her to calm down, and said they were just investigating.

Mao Yanru sat down, her expression shifting unpredictably.

After some more questioning, Liu Jie finally let it rest, telling Mao Yanru to contact him if she remembered anything else.

The group headed out.

Liu Jie pulled Shen Xin and the others aside. "Any thoughts?"

Ding Junbao nodded. "First off, Li Jing must be a very forceful person, which is why their relationship was a secret. And Liu Zhi, think about it. Even now, the factory Zhou Hui runs, he’s still relying on his father-in-law for it."

"So back then, Zhou Hui probably didn’t dare let Li Jing know about his relationship with Mao Yanru."

"Also, another thing. Mao Yanru mentioned offhandedly that Zhou Hui was set up in a card game back in the day. Could it be that he racked up some gambling debts then? If he needed to pay them back, what could he do? He’d have to rely on his wife."

"That’s even more reason why he wouldn’t have dared to let his wife know about his relationship with Mao Yanru."

"We previously speculated that because Han Xiaolong was looked after by Mao Yanru since he was little, when he grew up, being the single-minded person he is, he wanted to protect her too. He heard some gossip, people talking about Mao Yanru behind her back, and that’s why he threw rocks at Wang Chenghui."

"So what if he found out about Zhou Hui, and threatened to tell the whole village, and that’s what drove Zhou Hui to kill him in a fit of passion?"

Shen Xin nodded repeatedly.

That motive was plausible.

Liu Jie said, "Investigate first. Verify everything Mao Yanru told us."

"Also, have someone keep an eye on Mao Yanru. Her reaction was a little off."

Ding Junbao immediately called someone over and told him to stay behind and tail Mao Yanru.

Shen Xin didn’t go to the village today.

He had Ding Yuwei go instead.

The old dog’s affinity had gone up, so if it reacted, it would be the same with Ding Yuwei watching.

In Liu Jie’s car.

Shen Xin thought for a moment and said, "Liu Zhi, based on what we’ve found so far, Zhou Hui is highly suspicious."

"But the problem is, how do we find evidence?"

The rabies vaccine record, Mao Yanru’s testimony—none of it is useful.

For a murder case like this, you can’t proceed without a solid chain of hard evidence.

Liu Jie nodded. He understood what Shen Xin meant.

They didn’t find enough evidence at the scene back then. Now, six years later, the scene is long gone, making it even harder to find clues that point directly to Zhou Hui.

Liu Jie said in a low voice, "His mother, Huang Qingmei. Her testimony is crucial."

"Think about it. If Zhou Hui killed Han Xiaolong that day, he could have gotten rid of the rock, but he would’ve definitely had signs of a struggle on his body. Han Xiaolong had defensive wounds."

"He was also bitten by a dog. It would have been very difficult to hide that from Huang Qingmei after he got home."

"That’s why Huang Qingmei’s testimony is extremely important."

Shen Xin nodded. Indeed, Huang Qingmei was a crucial potential breakthrough.

"But Liu Zhi, that’s his mother. I think it’ll be difficult."

This isn’t some TV drama where people righteously turn in their own relatives for the sake of justice.

In reality, Huang Qingmei only has this one son, and she’s in her seventies. Expecting her to come forward and testify against him is practically impossible.

Liu Jie obviously understood this point as well. Seeing Shen Xin frowning in silence, he smiled encouragingly. "Don’t worry. Compared to six years ago, we’ve already made huge progress on this case. As long as we can lock onto him as the suspect, I believe we’ll find the evidence sooner or later."

Shen Xin forced a smile.

It was true. You couldn’t solve a cold case without that kind of confidence.

Back at the station, Liu Jie immediately arranged for people to verify Mao Yanru’s testimony.

Shen Xin, meanwhile, joined Liu Jie in poring over the original crime scene reports and physical evidence, trying to find a new breakthrough.

It’s not uncommon to have a suspect locked down but be unable to secure a conviction due to a lack of evidence.

If they had evidence, Liu Jie would have brought Zhou Hui in for interrogation by now.

While they were busy, Liu Jie’s phone vibrated. He answered, and after listening for just a moment, his expression changed drastically. "Didn’t I tell you to watch her? How did it come to this? Wait for me, I’m on my way!"

Shen Xin hurriedly asked what was wrong.

Liu Jie rushed out the door. "Don’t ask. Mao Yanru grabbed a kitchen knife and went to Zhou Hui’s factory. She’s screaming that she’s going to hack him to death."

Shen Xin was shocked.

The two of them drove over and quickly arrived at Zhou Hui’s water heater factory.

It was on Zhang Jun Road, and wasn’t very large.

A police car was parked at the factory gate. The employees had all apparently run out and were now crowded around the entrance, craning their necks to peer inside.

Liu Jie stopped the car.

Lai Yong came up to meet them.

"You guys," Liu Jie glared at Lai Yong, "you couldn’t even keep an eye on one woman?"