Animal Detective-Chapter 47: Cooperating with the Investigation

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Cooperating with the Investigation

Building 5, Nanjiang City Civic Center.

A little after eight in the morning, Gao Jinrui pulled his car into a parking space.

He didn’t get out right away, instead adjusting the rearview mirror to look at himself.

The mirror reflected a face with well-defined features, bespectacled, exuding a gentle and refined air.

But now in middle age, his skin had grown rough and his wrinkles had multiplied.

Gao Jinrui studied his eyes in the mirror.

His left eyelid was twitching.

Scientifically speaking, an eyelid twitch is just an eye muscle spasm caused by fatigue and stress.

But Gao Jinrui was more of a believer in other things.

So, a twitching left eye should be a good omen.

He reached out and touched the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva charm hanging from his rearview mirror.

He had made a special trip to a major temple to get it. A high monk had consecrated it to ward off disaster and dissolve misfortune.

After silently reciting a few lines of scripture, Gao Jinrui finally got out of the car.

He hadn’t walked far from his car when he ran into a colleague.

"Mr. Gao, congratulations!" the man said with a wide smile, asking when the official appointment announcement would be released.

"Not for a while yet."

Gao Jinrui replied modestly, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up.

He was currently the Deputy Director of the Off-Campus Education and Training Supervision Division of the Municipal Education Bureau.

Not long ago, after years of biding his time, the director he worked under had finally been promoted. Gao Jinrui had maintained a good relationship with him and, thanks to a good word from the director at a critical moment, was now smoothly taking the next step. Soon, he would be able to drop the "Deputy" from his title.

The formal talks had been held and the process was nearly complete. The public announcement was expected in the next day or two.

"Mr. Gao, you’ll have to treat us when it’s official."

"Of course."

Faced with his colleague’s flattery, Gao Jinrui couldn’t help but beam with delight.

Previously, he had been a section chief of the supervision department at the district level. Though he had the title of "chief," it didn’t really mean much.

But now, this promotion would make him a genuine section-level director.

A 38-year-old section head, and in a primary position at that, was definitely considered young and promising.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked toward the office building.

From a distance, they saw a police car parked in front of the building.

"Who called the police?" his colleague asked curiously.

"Who knows."

Gao Jinrui didn’t pay it much mind, gossiping a little. "You think Lao Li’s wife from the finance department is here to cause a scene again?"

Just the other day, Lao Li’s affair had come to light. Rumor had it he was involved with some teacher from the bureau’s training center.

Somehow, word had gotten back to his wife.

She had already come and made a huge scene yesterday.

He figured she was back for more today.

His colleague shook his head, saying the wife was shortsighted. ’Sure, you get to vent your anger by making a scene like that, but you’re also destroying Lao Li’s career.’

"When you think about it, you’ve got it good, being single," the colleague said with a hint of envy.

Gao Jinrui had gotten divorced a few years ago.

"It’s not as great as you think," Gao Jinrui sighed for some reason, not wanting to dwell on the topic.

As they spoke, the two reached the base of the building.

A small crowd had gathered, watching the commotion.

Just then, two police officers suddenly got out of the car.

It was Chen Chao and Zhao Tianxing.

To Gao Jinrui’s surprise, Chen Chao walked straight toward him.

"Gao Jinrui, I’m Chen Chao, Deputy Captain of the Tingyang District Criminal Investigation Division. This is my ID, please take a look." Chen Chao showed his badge.

The expression on Gao Jinrui’s face froze.

The people around them were all stunned as well.

The colleague he had just been speaking with, in particular, subconsciously took a step back, staring at Gao Jinrui in disbelief.

"H-Hello," Gao Jinrui’s voice trembled.

Chen Chao said, "We need you to assist with an investigation. Please come with us."

His tone was very polite.

But Gao Jinrui’s knees suddenly buckled, and he nearly collapsed.

Zhao Tianxing stepped forward just in time to grab his arm. "Let’s go," he said with a smile.

Gao Jinrui turned his head.

His colleagues’ faces were filled with utter disbelief.

Their probing gazes felt like daggers, stabbing him until his whole body ached.

His body began to tremble uncontrollably. His lips moved as if to say something, but the sound seemed stuck deep in his throat, refusing to come out.

A wave of indescribable dizziness washed over him.

Gao Jinrui’s vision went black. He was suddenly overcome by a strange sensation, as if someone were grabbing his pant leg. The fear that stemmed from the very depths of his soul was too much to bear, and he fainted on the spot.

...

It was Shen Xin’s first time at the branch office.

He had to admit, the interrogation rooms at the branch office were much larger than the ones at the police station.

Just like in the movies and TV shows, there was an observation room next door.

Through the one-way glass, you could clearly watch the entire interrogation process.

Right now, the observation room was crowded.

Sun Zhao, captain of the branch’s Criminal Investigation Division, was present.

He had broad shoulders, short, slightly thinning hair, and dark skin, looking quite ordinary.

But Shen Xin didn’t dare underestimate a man who had risen to the rank of captain on his own merit.

The political instructor was not there.

However, several criminal investigators from various sections of the team were present.

Nanjiang was a prefecture-level city, and its branch Criminal Investigation Division only had about thirty people—fewer than the Yunlin Police Station.

Nowadays, with the decentralization of case handling, local police stations were responsible for minor cases themselves.

There weren’t actually that many cases that got transferred up to the Criminal Investigation Division.

This was Shen Xin’s first time meeting most of these people. Having just been officially confirmed, he was a nobody, so he stood obediently in a corner.

Wang Shuwei had told him to just watch, listen, and learn.

Just then, the door opened and a middle-aged man with the rank of a first-class superintendent walked in.

Shen Xin’s heart skipped a beat.

Even though he wasn’t wearing the white shirt yet, he was still a top leader.

He had seen his picture in internal publications; this had to be Lv Youwei, the Director of the Tingyang Branch.

As soon as he entered, Sun Zhao and the others hurried to greet him.

"Director Lv, what brings you here?" Sun Zhao asked with a smooth, practiced smile.

Lv Youwei, his temples already graying, grunted. "You brought in a section-level director for questioning. Why do you think I’m here?"

He himself was also only at the section-director level.

Sun Zhao gave an awkward smile and corrected him, "Assisting with an investigation, not an interrogation."

Lv Youwei looked toward the other room.

Things were about to start inside.

Chen Chao was leading the questioning, with Zhao Tianxing taking notes.

Gao Jinrui sat on the other side of the table.

This was the branch office, after all; even the chairs were padded.

When they had come to "invite" him, he had fainted on the spot.

Chen Chao had considered taking him to the hospital, but the man woke up before they even got there, so they brought him straight back here.

He had barely spoken a word the entire time. Even now, he was silent, his eyes vacant as he stared at the disposable cup in his hands, lost in thought.

Chen Chao, now ready, tapped the table to get his attention and began the questioning.

"Gao Jinrui, did you or did you not once purchase a Nissan Teana?"

He got straight to the point.

Shen Xin craned his neck to see, listening intently and comparing what he saw with the books on interrogation techniques he had been reading.

Chen Chao didn’t lead with the key evidence. Instead, he chose the Teana as his entry point.

Thanks to Zhang Xuwei’s testimony, the fact that the Teana had been in an accident was irrefutable. It was something Gao Jinrui couldn’t deny.

Therefore, it was the perfect way to create an opening and break down Gao Jinrui’s psychological defenses.

Sure enough, at the mention of the Teana, the motionless Gao Jinrui reacted, his body giving a slight shudder.

But he still didn’t look up.

Chen Chao continued, "Look, since this is just ’assisting with an investigation,’ let’s just treat it as a casual chat. How about I start by telling you a story?"

He didn’t come out swinging with an aggressive approach.

It was a seven-year-old case; Gao Jinrui probably wouldn’t confess so easily.

After all this time, he had likely imagined this exact scenario countless times and prepared his story.

So Chen Chao wasn’t in a rush. He would use a slow burn, breaking down Gao Jinrui’s mental defenses bit by bit.

Unexpectedly, before he could even begin his story, Gao Jinrui suddenly tilted his head back, let out a long sigh, and said, "Officers, why don’t I tell you a story instead?"

Slightly taken aback, Chen Chao raised a hand, gesturing for Gao Jinrui to continue.