In the conference room of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Unit.
Ding Xifeng sat at the head of the table, Ma Jingbo and Han Bin sat on either side, and the other team members lined up.
Ding Xifeng looked at his phone and flipped open his laptop. "Three foreign teachers from the Qingdao Foreign Language Institute died one after another. Not only did the leaders of the Municipal Bureau pay attention to it, but it also attracted the attention of the leaders of the Municipal Party Committee. It's been a while since Mike was killed, so we have to be careful."
"I won't say anything else. I don't want you to feel pressured. Let's talk about the case."
Ma Jingbo smiled bitterly. He felt even more pressured. "Captain, I'll report the progress of the investigation first."
"We've found the white SUV. It's in the garage on the second floor of the basement of the Jiacheng district. We've checked the surveillance video of the garage. The suspect wrapped himself up tightly after getting out of the car. He wore a hat, mask, and sunglasses, so we couldn't see his face clearly."
"The suspect left the garage at around one in the morning, then entered Cuian Street. Because it was dark at that time, it's difficult to track him. I've already sent people to collect surveillance footage and continue the tracking."
"Captain Ma, I want to see the surveillance footage of the suspect," Han Bin suggested.
Ma Jingbo waved his hand and asked He Yingsheng to bring over a tablet. He opened a surveillance video and handed it to Han Bin.
Han Bin took it and saw that it was a video of an underground garage. There was light in the garage, so they could see the suspect's figure. From the man's height, posture, walking posture, stride length, and footholds, it should be Haruk.
Han Bin said confidently, "It's Haruk."
Ding Xifeng asked, "I'm sure."
"I can't be wrong."
Team 2's Zhang Shungu took over. "If it's really Haruk, then his escape route should be from the Jiacheng district to the Sevia Hotel."
Ma Jingbo added, "If the suspect has some anti-reconnaissance awareness, he should have circled the city instead of returning to the hotel."
Ding Xifeng knocked on the table. "Jingbo, I'll leave this lead to you."
"Yes."
Ding Xifeng then looked at Han Bin. "What clues did you find? Tell me."
Han Bin walked to the projector and placed two documents on it. One was in English, and the other was translated into Chinese.
"I went to the scene again and found a notebook in a drawer in Sharman's study. The paper in the notebook was the same as the one in the letter left for Zerai. There was a torn piece of paper, and there were marks under it. After the technical department processed it, the contents of the letter were restored."
"The one on the left is in English, and the one on the right is in English. Judging from the contents of the letter, Sharman didn't want to commit suicide but wanted to return to India. At the same time, the letter also stated that Sharman and Haruk killed Mike."
"From the contents of this letter, Sharman was probably killed by Haruk."
Ding Xifeng thought for a moment. "How did Haruk poison Salman?"
"When Sharman died, Haruk wasn't at the Foreign Teaching Building, but had returned to Sevia Hotel. Based on my speculation, Haruk probably used ice to poison Sharman."
"This speculation is also consistent with the situation where there were no drugs in the beer can, but drugs were detected in the glass. Also, I just asked Zerai, and Sharman did have the habit of putting ice in his beer."
"Where's the evidence?"
"I asked Li Qin and Jiang Yang to search Sevia Hotel, and they found an ice mold in the small freezer in Haruk's room. I've sent it to the technical department for testing, and I believe we'll have the results soon," Han Bin said.
"Where's Haruk?"
"He's been taken to the detention room."
Ding Xifeng concluded. "Based on the current situation, Haruk is the prime suspect, but that letter alone is not enough to convict him."
"I've contacted Daijin Auto, and according to them, the car was rented by Sharman for a month. Haruk didn't show up."
"If Haruk is really the murderer, what's his motive for killing Mike?"
Ding Xifeng lit a cigarette, took a drag, and continued, "Mike and Haruk came from different countries, and they came to this country at different times, so they didn't have much interaction. What's Haruk's motive?"
Han Bin continued, "Zerai is the bridge between the two. Logically speaking, she's the most likely person to know. But Zerai is emotionally unstable now, and she's the suspect's sister, so she might not be able to give an objective answer. I think we can ask Chen Haijing. She's very willing to fight for a reduced sentence."
Li Qin said, "I'll talk to her. I've been visiting her in the detention room for the past two days, so I know more about her situation."
Knock knock. Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Creak … The door creaked, and Chen Yan from the technical department pushed the door open and walked in.
"Captain, the test results for Sharman's case are out."
"Go ahead."
"The ice mold sent by Team Leader Han has been identified, and drugs were found in one of the grooves. After further comparison, it's the same drug that poisoned Sharman."
"We've also checked the driving recorder sent by Captain Ma, and indeed, there's no memory card. But after further testing, we found that the driving recorder has a remote monitoring function, and it can automatically upload the surveillance video to the cloud."
Ding Xifeng reminded, "In layman's terms."
"To put it bluntly, even if there's no memory card, the driving recorder will still send the video back to the car rental company."
Ding Xifeng frowned. "In other words, the car rental company has a backup of the surveillance."
Chen Yan nodded and explained, "A camera that automatically uploads to the cloud is relatively rare, and it's more expensive. A camera with a memory card is enough for most families. However, the car rental company may have their own considerations, and they probably won't tell their customers about this."
Ding Xifeng snorted. "I don't care what considerations they have, and I don't care what taboo they have. Jing Bo, bring someone to get the video back to me now."
"Yes."
"Han Bin, go and interrogate Haruk. Don't ask about Mike's murder, just talk about Sharman's murder."
"Understood."
…
Ten minutes later, Han Bin met Haruk in the interrogation room.
Haruk's face darkened, and he glanced at Han Bin, Bao Xing, and Huang Qianqian before lowering his head.
Han Bin sized him up. "Haruk, how do you feel about this place?"
Haruk shrugged. "I don't like it here. I didn't break the law, so you shouldn't lock me up here. I'm a foreigner, okay?"
"It doesn't matter which country you're from. What matters is that you've broken the law in your country," Han Bin said coldly.
"No, I didn't break the law in your country. I'm a good person."
Han Bin smiled. "A good person wouldn't poison Sharman's beer."
"Oh my god, why would you think that I poisoned Sharman?"
Han Bin did not answer his question. "We've found the second half of the letter. Sharman wrote very clearly in the letter that he didn't want to die, but wanted to return to India. You and Sharman did something illegal, and in order to avoid exposure, you killed Sharman. "
Haruk scoffed. "Haha, do you have any evidence?"
Han Bin took out the original copy of the letter. "Look at it yourself. Is it this letter? I believe you'll recognize it."
After reading it, Haruk looked surprised. "Where did you find this letter?"
Han Bin did not think much of it. "Not only did we find this letter, but we also found other evidence. It's enough to convict you."
"You don't have to scare me. I've never done such a thing, and there's nothing to investigate. Besides, I was in the hotel at the time, and Sharman was in the foreign teacher's dormitory. How could I have poisoned him?" Haruk asked.
"That's not difficult. You knew that Sharman liked to drink cold beer, so you froze the drugs in ice and put them in Sharman's fridge. That way, even if you were in the hotel, you could still poison Sharman."
"Clap, clap." Haruk clapped his hands. "Officer Han, your deduction is so good that it could be written into a novel. But do you have any evidence? Who saw me add drugs to the ice? "
"We found ice molds in your hotel room, and drug residue in one of the grooves. It's the same drug that poisoned Sharman."
Hearing this, Haruk swallowed, and his hands involuntarily clenched together.
Han Bin continued, "You have a motive to kill Sharman, and you were the last person who came into contact with Sharman. The drugs that killed Sharman were also found in your house. What do you think the judge will do?"
After a long time, Haruk took a deep breath. "Officer Han, your so-called motive doesn't exist. Like you said, since Sharman is going back to India, as long as he leaves, the police in your country won't be able to catch him. Why would I risk my life to poison him?"
Han Bin nodded. "Good question. I've been wondering about this for a long time. Do you want to answer it for me?"
"Since there's no answer, it proves that this question is unreasonable. I didn't have to kill Sharman at all. The police arrested the wrong person."
"How do you explain the ice molds found in your hotel room? They have your fingerprints on them."
"I made them myself, and I kept them for my own use. Why would I give them to Sharman?"
"Then where did you put the drug-laced ice?" Han Bin asked.
Haruk spread out his hands. "No, I've mixed it with coke."
Han Bin asked again, "Are you sure that the drugs in the ice were for your own use, and that you've already taken them?"
"Yes," Haruk said without hesitation.
Han Bin smiled. If it were any other evidence, it might be gone after he swallowed it, but drugs were different.
"Qianqian, ask your colleagues from the technical department to come over and have them do a drug test on Haruk."
"Yes." Huang Qianqian left the interrogation room, and Han Bin continued to ask, "Haruk, where did you get the drugs in the ice?"
"From Hal's toilet. That idiot. Did he think no one could tell that he was high? What's even more idiotic was that he actually put the drugs in the reservoir of the toilet. Does he think that people don't watch American movies?" Haruk mocked.
"Knock, knock."
At that moment, there was a knock on the interrogation room's door. The door was pushed open from the outside, and Huang Qianqian waved at Han Bin.
Han Bin walked out of the interrogation room and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Captain Ma went to Daijin Car Rental Company and brought back the surveillance footage. He wants you to go to the conference room."
Han Bin ordered, "You and Bao Xing keep an eye on him, and have the technical department do a drug test on Haruk."
With that, Han Bin rushed to the conference room. When he opened the door, he found Ding Xifeng, Ma Jingbo, Wang Xiao, and the others there.
"Captain, Captain Ma," Han Bin greeted.
Ma Jingbo waved, looking like he was in a good mood. "You came just in time. Come and watch the video."
Han Bin pulled a chair and sat down. Then, he began to watch the video on the projector.
A car drove for a while and stopped by the side of the road. A man said in English, "I @ # ¥¥%&…"
Ma Jingbo pressed the pause button. "This voice sounds like Haruk. What did he say?"
Han Bin translated, "Sharman, this idiot. He didn't even remove the memory card from the driving recorder. He really is a scumbag."
Ma Jingbo continued to play the video. The driving recorder had two cameras, and so did the surveillance footage. One was in front of the car, and the other was in the back.
Haruk waited in the car for a while, then answered a phone call. Sharman's voice came from the phone. "Hello, is this Haruk?"
"It's me. Is Mike still at the restaurant?"
"No, Mike has already left. He drove away."
"Which car is he driving?"
"The black Buick SUV that I told you about before."
Haruk asked, "How long will it take for him to arrive?"
"Oh, I'm not sure. I haven't been there before."
"Damn, you idiot, what do you know?"
"Hey, Haruk, please be more respectful. I'm only helping you because of Zerai. I'm not your servant."
"Okay, I said something wrong. I apologize."
"Haruk, I still want to advise you to stop. It's too risky to kill Mike. Mike is very strong."
"Stop talking nonsense. Mike has to die. Do you understand?"
"I really don't want to be involved in this, I …"
"Sharman, don't be a coward. I'm confident that I can kill Mike. All you have to do is watch your mouth. Do you understand?"
Sha Erman sighed and hung up the phone.
Haruk scolded, "Coward, how can a piece of trash like you be worthy of marrying my sister?"
Then, Haruk got out of the car and carried a man out of the trunk. He threw the man into the bushes nearby, and the camera on the dashboard captured the whole scene.
Ma Jingbo pressed the pause button again, just in time to capture Haruk's face. "This man who got out of the car is the drunk Feng Xifan. There's also a video of Haruk picking up the body by the roadside and putting Feng Xifan in the trunk. "
Han Bin pondered for a moment. "Is there any video of Haruk killing someone?"
Ma Jingbo shook his head. "There's no video of the crime. After the car stopped, the recorder was turned off."
"When the recorder was turned on again, Haruk was already in the car and drove all the way to the underground garage in Jiacheng District. This proves that he was driving the car the whole time."
"Feng Xifan's vomit was found in the trunk of the car, and Mike's gold chain and ring were found in the storage compartment of the passenger seat. Together with the audio and video from the dashcam, it's enough to convict Haruk."
"Good job." Ding Xifeng stood up and stretched. "Han Bin, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Yes."
Han Bin carefully looked at the surveillance video on the dashcam again, then went to the technical department to comb through all the evidence.
An hour later, Han Bin walked into the interrogation room again.
Haruk smiled bitterly. "Officer Han, is there only one person in your team who can speak English? It's not easy to communicate with them. They can't even understand me when I want to have a cup of black tea. "
Han Bin replied, "This isn't their problem, it's your problem. You should learn the local culture when you're in a country, not let them accommodate you."
Haruk shrugged. "I just want to have a cup of black tea. Is that okay?"
Han Bin smiled. "Of course. Not only will I treat you to tea, but I'll also treat you to a movie."
"Please don't joke around. I'm not in the mood to watch a movie here."
"I believe you'll like it." Han Bin picked up the tablet from the table and played a video from the driving recorder. It happened to be a recording of Haruk and Sharman's conversation.
Han Bin turned the screen towards himself. He did not let Haruk watch the video, but only let Haruk listen to the audio. This would only make Haruk more uneasy.
The unknown was the greatest fear of all.
As expected, when Haruk heard the call, his face turned pale in an instant.
"That's impossible. How did you get this recording? I've already … "
Han Bin turned off the tablet and snorted. "Are you trying to say that you've already removed the memory card from the driving recorder? How did the police find the recording that night?"
Haruk lowered his head and did not speak.
"It's very simple. Your car was rented. In order to prevent the car from being damaged, the owner of the car dealership also installed other cameras. Your every move was clearly recorded. He even recorded the scene of you stabbing Mike to death with a dagger."
Haruk shook his head and muttered to himself, "That's impossible. Impossible."
Han Bin played another video. Again, he did not let Haruk watch it. It was a video of him moving Feng Xifan. "Damn it, it stinks. How much did this bastard drink? This kind of person shouldn't live."
Tiny beads of sweat appeared on Haruk's forehead.
Han Bin continued, "Haruk, your drug test just now was negative. That means you're lying. You didn't take the drugs at all. You used them to poison Sharman."
Haruk grabbed his hair with both hands, and his hands trembled involuntarily.
Han Bin continued, "Haruk, you killed someone in this country, so you have to abide by the law. If you confess, you might have a chance to reduce your sentence. If you're stubborn, the only thing waiting for you is the death penalty. "
Hearing the word 'death penalty', Haruk's body trembled.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
