After the interrogation, Qian Jinfeng was escorted back to the detention room by the police.
Han Bin sat on the chair, thinking with his eyes closed.
"Brother Bin, what do you think of this case?" Li Hui asked.
"I haven't been to the scene yet. I can only make a basic judgment after seeing it."
"This Qian Jinfeng is a scoundrel. He committed such a serious crime, yet he has no remorse. How dare he bargain with the police?" Zhao Ming snorted.
"This Qian Jinfeng values cattle more than his own life. He's like a gambler who has lost everything." Tian Li shook her head.
Han Bin agreed with Tian Li and said, "I'll arrange a task. Tian Li, Zhao Ming, summon Zhang Lei, the animal feed seller, to the police station. We'll give him a statement."
"Brother Bin, we're unfamiliar with this place. It won't be easy to find him," Zhao Ming said.
"That's easy. Director Zhao, please send two police officers to go with you." Han Bin said, then looked at Li Hui and Sun Xiaopeng.
"You two follow me to the scene."
"Yes."
"Knock knock."
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Then, the office door was pushed open and Zhao Yusheng walked in.
"Leader Han, I hope I'm not interrupting your investigation."
"No, I was just about to ask for your help." Han Bin stood up to greet him.
"What's the matter? You don't have to be polite with me." Zhao Yusheng smiled.
"I just gave Qian Jinfeng a statement. He confessed two new suspects. I'm going to summon them to give a statement. I'd like to ask you to send two police officers to lead the way."
"No problem. This is what I should do." Zhao Yusheng replied, then changed the topic. "But before we go, there's one more thing we have to do."
"What is it?"
"Leader Han, it's already noon. It's time to eat." Zhao Yusheng pointed at his watch and smiled. "I've booked a private room at a nearby restaurant to welcome you."
"How can I accept this?"
"That's what we should do. You've come all the way here to help us with the case. If you don't even eat a meal, that would be too much." Zhao Yusheng pulled on Han Bin's arm and walked out without saying a word.
Han Bin couldn't refuse anymore. He could only follow the host's wishes.
The restaurant was not far away. It was only about 200 meters away from the police station.
There weren't many people in the restaurant. Zhao Yusheng seemed to be a regular here. He greeted them in the restaurant and took Han Bin and the others to a private room.
After everyone sat down, a waitress came in and placed the menu on the table. "What would you like to order?"
"Team Leader Han, please have a look." Zhao Yusheng gestured for him to take a look.
"Superintendent Zhao, you are more familiar with this place. Why don't you order a few fresh seasonal vegetables?" Han Bin smiled.
"Haha …"
Zhao Yusheng smiled. "Team Leader Han, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. I just asked the owner of the restaurant. They haven't had much meat in the past two days. You might not even have any if you want to eat."
"Vegetarian is good. It's good to eat." Li Hui smiled.
"It seems that the cattle poisoning case has affected the people around here," Tian Li sighed.
"Exactly." The waitress took over the conversation and complained.
"How evil are the people who poisoned the cattle? What did the livestock do to you? You had to poison it and kill it. It's not good for our restaurant's business."
Many people came to the restaurant for the hard dishes, but they were also afraid that there was something wrong with the meat. Naturally, the restaurant's business was not good.
"Alright, stop complaining. We are working overtime to investigate. When we catch the suspect in the cattle poisoning case in a few days, the people will feel at ease. Your restaurant's business will be even better than before," Zhao Yusheng comforted her.
"Thank you in advance. If the restaurant's business is good, we can also make more money," the waitress said with a smile.
Zhao Yusheng ordered a few vegetarian dishes, then the waitress left with the menu.
Zhao Yusheng poured a cup of tea for Han Bin. "Team Leader Han, how was the interrogation this morning?"
"Just like you said, this Qian Jinfeng is stubborn, but he was cooperative with the cattle poisoning case." Han Bin raised his hand to show politeness.
"Other than a few acres of land, this Qian Jinfeng relied on the cattle to make money. Now that the cattle are all dead, he has nothing to work for," Zhao Yusheng sighed.
"Chief Zhao, other than Liu Baipo and Qian Jinfeng, Qian Jinfeng also mentioned two other suspects. One is Liu Da, and the other is Zhang Lei. Do you know them?"
"I know Liu Da. He's Liu Baipo's son. As for Zhang Lei, it's my first time hearing about him."
"Have you compared Liu Da's fingerprints with the fingerprints on the Tetris bottle?" Han Bin asked.
Zhao Yusheng shook his head. "Liu Da didn't commit the crime. He left on the morning of the 13th and didn't return until the afternoon of the 14th. By then, the crime had already been committed."
"Is it possible that the cattle were poisoned on the morning of the 12th or 13th?" Zhao Ming asked.
Zhao Yusheng thought about it and said, "I asked Qian Jinfeng. His cattle ate grass on the afternoon of the 13th. If it was poisoned before the 13th, the cattle would have been poisoned. They wouldn't have waited until the morning of the 14th to be poisoned."
Han Bin thought for a moment. "How old is Liu Da today?"
"I think he's thirty-five."
From the shoe prints left at the crime scene, Han Bin guessed that the suspect was around forty. Liu Da's age didn't match.
"Chief Zhao, I want to go to the crime scene after lunch."
"No problem. I'll go with you." Zhao Yusheng took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to Han Bin.
Knock, knock.
There were two knocks on the door. Then, the door to the private room was pushed open. The waiter came in with a wooden tray.
There were eight dishes in total, some hot and some cold. Most of them were vegetables or mushrooms. The only dish that was slightly meaty was the egg with chopped peppers.
This meal could be said to be indescribable in a few words.
Everyone present was a carnivore. They had eaten a lot of vegetables, but they always felt that something was missing. Their hearts felt empty.
…
North Zhang Village.
A car stopped at the east entrance of the village.
Han Bin, Zhao Yusheng, Li Hui, and Sun Xiaopeng got out of the car.
Zhao Yusheng pointed at a house not far away. "That's Qian Jinfeng's house. Behind his house is the land. That's the crime scene of the poisonous cattle."
"Who's in Qian Jinfeng's house now?"
"Yesterday afternoon, when we went to arrest him, there was only him and his wife. When we took him away, he told his wife not to tell his son. He didn't want it to affect his son's studies," Zhao Yusheng said.
"The people who killed the poisonous cattle are really hateful. They destroyed a family," Li Hui snorted.
"I know," Zhao Yusheng said. "Other than the house and a few acres of land, the only valuable things in Qian Jinfeng's family were the cows. Now that all the cows are dead, the family has no income. Qian Jinfeng himself is in prison. His son might not be able to continue his studies."
Zhao Yusheng led Han Bin and the other two to the field behind the house. A few days had passed. The grass in the field had grown a lot taller. The cow dung scattered on the ground had dried up.
"What kind of grass is this? It's so tall?" Sun Xiaopeng asked curiously.
"This is Imperial Bamboo Grass. It contains a variety of nutrients that cows need. Many farmers think that cows that eat Imperial Bamboo Grass grow faster. Using this grass to feed cows can save on feed and reduce the cost of raising cows. The cows can be sold faster," Zhao Yusheng explained.
After walking for a while, Zhao Yusheng pointed at a place with white lines drawn on it. "This is the scene of the cows' death. The closest one is about two meters away, and the furthest one is about ten meters away."
"The footprints were found here?"
"Yes, there are footprints all over this area. I think they were probably left when they were spreading the poison. We followed the footprints and walked for about forty to fifty meters. We found a bottle filled with tetramine in a watering ditch. We followed the footprints and went around to the road. Then, we lost track of them," Zhao Yusheng described.
"Are there any surveillance cameras around here?"
"The countryside is different from the city. There are surveillance cameras, but there are fewer. Small roads lead in all directions. It's difficult to check the surveillance cameras," Zhao Yusheng said.
"Even if it's difficult, we still have to check. If the suspect is from another village and came in a vehicle, the surveillance cameras are likely to capture the license plate number," Han Bin said.
"Then I'll send a few police officers to collect the surrounding surveillance cameras." Zhao Yusheng nodded.
Han Bin pointed at the land on both sides and asked, "Who owns the land on both sides of this grassland?"
"The east side belongs to Qian Jinfeng's family, and the west side belongs to Liu Baipo's family. Both sides are farmland."
"Did Qian Jinfeng's cow eat Liu Baipo's crops?" Sun Xiaopeng asked.
"Both sides have their reasons. One says he didn't eat it, and the other says he ate it. Who can say for sure?" Zhao Yusheng shook his head and changed the topic.
"The conflict between these two families isn't just a day or two. The survival ability of this imperial bamboo grass is very strong, and it grows very fast. It absorbs all the nutrients in the land. The crops on both sides will definitely be affected. How could Liu Baipo's family not have any objections?"
"Is Qian Jinfeng's wife at home? I want to give her a statement, "Han Bin said.
"She should be," Zhao Yusheng replied. He led Han Bin and the others back.
After passing through the imperial bamboo grass, they arrived at Qian Jinfeng's backyard. There was a three-meter-high wall, and in the middle was an iron gate. It wasn't locked, but it was ajar.
"Knock knock knock … Is anyone there?" Zhao Yusheng knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A woman's voice was heard. Then, a woman in her forties walked out of the yard.
"Superintendent Zhao, you came at the right time. I was going to the police station to look for you. When will Old Qian be released?" the woman shouted through the door.
"This is Qian Jinfeng's wife, Tian Cuie," Zhao Yusheng introduced.
"Creak …"
Tian Cuie opened the door and looked at Han Bin and the others. She asked, "Superintendent Zhao, who are these people? Why do they look a little unfamiliar? "
"These people were sent by the municipal bureau to investigate your family's poisonous cow case. They are here to understand the situation," Zhao Yusheng said.
"Oh, it's comrades from the city. Please come in. Come in. I'll pour you a cup of tea," Tian Cuie warmly invited them.
"Sister Tian, you're welcome. We are just here to understand the situation," Han Bin said.
"Come in. How can we let our distinguished guests wait at the door?" Tian Cuie invited them into the yard.
Han Bin looked around the yard. There was a cowshed on the right, vegetables on the left, and a well on the inside. Further in was the house.
"It's a little messy in the countryside. Please don't mind." As Tian Cuie spoke, she also looked at Han Bin and the others. She seemed to have noticed that Han Bin seemed to be the leader.
She asked, "Comrade, Old Qian has been locked up for two days. Isn't it time to release him?"
"Do you know why we arrested him?" Han Bin asked.
"I know. Isn't it just to sell the poisoned beef? We know we were wrong. We won't do it again. The money from selling the cow has been taken by the police. Isn't it time to release Old Qian? "Tian Cuie asked.
"I don't like what you're saying. How many times have I told you that the money you get from selling the cow isn't for us, it's for the victims. How many people have gotten sick from your poisoned beef? Your ten thousand yuan isn't even enough to cover their medical bills," Zhao Yu said angrily.
Zhao Yu was angry. The whole city was watching this case. Ten thousand yuan was a pain in the ass. Who would care about that little bit of money?
"Someone poisoned my cow to death. My family is the victim. You police only know how to arrest Old Qian. Why can't you arrest the person who poisoned the cow?" Tian Cuie looked wronged.
"That's a different matter. If it wasn't to arrest the person who poisoned the cow, I wouldn't come to your house every day," Zhao Yusheng snorted.
Han Bin could tell that Tian Cuie didn't realize the seriousness of this case. Perhaps in her mind, she didn't care about food safety.
She always thought that if she had a stomachache, she would be fine after paying the victim some money.
"Li Hui, Xiaopeng, record her statement," Han Bin ordered.
"For what?"
"We'll ask you a few questions about the cattle theft case. You just have to answer truthfully," Li Hui explained.
"Then let's talk inside. It's warm inside." Tian Cuie led everyone inside.
After walking a few steps, Han Bin stopped and squatted down to look at the ground.
"Team Leader Han, what's wrong?" Zhao Yusheng was confused.
Li Hui, Sun Xiaopeng, and Tian Cuie also stopped.
Tian Cuie walked over curiously. "Comrade, what are you looking at? What's on the ground?"
"Stop. Don't move."
Han Bin stopped her and pointed at the footprints in front of him. "These are the footprints of the suspect. He came to Qian Jinfeng's house."
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