By the time they left the police station, it was already one in the afternoon. Li Hui covered his forehead with his hand. "Brother Bin, how are we going to investigate?"
"Follow the route the victim took when she left the hotel." Han Bin took out a pair of black sunglasses from his pocket and put them on.
"According to Tang Yu, the victim left the hotel around eight and sent the message at the bar around ten. The time of death was before twelve. These three points of time are very important."
The police station wasn't far from Golden Beach, and Qianhao Hotel was only about a hundred meters away from Golden Beach. The two left the police station and went straight to Qianhao Hotel.
Qianhao Hotel was a five-star hotel, so its environment was naturally excellent. The hotel lobby was luxurious, and there was an endless stream of tourists. They could even vaguely hear people talking about the drowned female corpses.
Han Bin walked to the front desk and knocked with his finger. "Where's your manager?"
A receptionist looked up and asked, "Hello, how may I help you?"
Han Bin took out his police badge. "Police."
The receptionist stood up and whispered into Han Bin's ear, "Are you here to investigate the Seaside Female Corpses Case?"
"Yes, we're here to check the hotel's surveillance," Han Bin said.
"Officer, how should I address you?"
"My surname is Han."
"Officer Han, I'll have someone bring you to the lounge first. I'll contact the manager and have him go there directly."
"Sure."
A receptionist walked over and gestured for Han Bin and Han Bin to the lounge. She even poured tea for them.
After watching the receptionist leave, Li Hui couldn't help but ask, "How did she know we're here to investigate the female corpses case?"
"How can I be a receptionist if I'm not smart enough?"
Li Hui took a sip of tea. "I feel like they saw a plague when they saw us."
"We're the plague now, so it doesn't matter which hotel we go to." Han Bin smiled.
Not long after, the door to the lounge opened, and a man in his forties walked in with a professional smile on his face.
"Hello, officers. I'm the hotel manager, Luo Hongchang."
"Hello, Manager Luo. A female corpse was found at the beach. You should know about it, right?"
"I heard about it."
"We're from the Criminal Police Unit. We're in charge of this case. Please help us with the investigation," Han Bin said.
"No problem, our Qianhao Hotel will do our best to help." Luo Hongchang guaranteed.
"We need to check the surveillance footage from last night."
"Ah!"
Luo Hongchang understood what the officer was implying. "Officer, the dead woman might not be from our hotel. Why don't you give me a picture, and I'll ask the front desk staff to identify her?"
"We're not here to investigate. We've already confirmed that the deceased stayed in your hotel before she died. We're here to investigate the case," Han Bin explained.
Luo Hongchang's face became very ugly. "Comrade police, this matter is not small. Can you give me some time to report to the leader?"
"Didn't you just say that you'll do your best to help? Are you messing with us?" Li Hui snorted.
"No, no, no. I didn't mean that."
Luo Hongchang quickly explained, "Although I'm the hotel manager, I don't have the right to check the surveillance footage. I need to report to the hotel's management."
"You can report it, but I have to remind you that if you delay the investigation, it will affect the progress of solving the case. The longer this case drags on, the more impact it will have on your hotel," Han Bin said.
"I understand. Please wait for a moment. I'll be back soon." Then, Luo Hongchang strode out of the resting room.
"This hotel is so troublesome. If it was a hotel, the moment I tell the boss, the surveillance footage will be pulled out immediately," Li Hui mumbled.
Han Bin lit a cigarette and took a drag slowly. "Don't worry. It won't take too long. They're more anxious than us."
As expected, Luo Hongchang returned in less than two minutes. His attitude was even more respectful. "I'm sorry to have kept the two officers waiting."
"What did your leader say?"
Seeing Han Bin smoking, Li Hui was a little envious and took out a cigarette.
Luo Hongchang took out a lighter and quickly lit it for Li Hui. "Our leader said that we must do our best to cooperate with the police. We can check the hotel's surveillance footage at any time."
"Okay, thank your leader for me."
"There's one more thing. I want to ask the two officers for a favor." Luo Hongchang took out two red envelopes from his pocket and put them on the table.
"What are you doing?" Han Bin said coldly.
"Don't do that. Put it away," Li Hui scolded.
Luo Hongchang hesitated for a moment, took the red envelopes back, and explained, "I don't mean anything else. I just hope that the two officers won't tell anyone that the deceased stayed in our hotel."
"That's enough. Our police force has a confidentiality agreement. We know better than you what should be said and what shouldn't be said."
"Yes."
"Don't bother with these useless things. Take us to the surveillance room. The sooner we get to the bottom of the case, the better."
Luo Hongchang made an inviting gesture. "Please follow me."
Under Luo Hongchang's lead, Han Bin and Li Hui arrived at the surveillance room. Seeing that the man had no intention of leaving, Han Bin directly chased him out.
Soon, another waiter came in with two cups of coffee and a fruit platter.
Han Bin left the drinks, and the fruit platter was taken away by the waiter.
To increase efficiency, Li Hui directly checked the surveillance footage from last night at around 8 pm. As expected, he found He Shirui, Tang Yu, and a young man in the hotel restaurant.
The man had his arm around Tang Yu's shoulder, so he should be her boyfriend.
Han Bin put down his cup of coffee and pointed at He Shirui on the screen. "A blue sleeveless dress, the same as what she was wearing when she died."
Li Hui followed He Shirui's route and checked the surveillance footage. The three of them separated after leaving the restaurant. He Shirui left the hotel alone and walked towards the beach.
Han Bin ordered the hotel's security to copy yesterday's surveillance footage and left the hotel with Li Hui.
Qianhao Hotel was very close to the beach, and there were some shops, supermarkets, gift shops, and other hotels around it.
Han Bin and Li Hui walked around the area and checked the surveillance footage of the scenic spots and shops. Then, they brought it back to Qianhao Hotel to check the surveillance footage.
Checking the surveillance footage was a tedious task. Han Bin drank two cups of tea, a cup of coffee, and smoked five cigarettes with his eyes glued to the screen. His eyes were already starting to get tired.
"Brother Bin, we found He Shirui again," Li Hui said excitedly as he pointed at the screen.
Han Bin looked over and saw the figure of a woman on the screen. Because it was night time, it wasn't very clear. He could only vaguely see the clothes, hat, and figure.
The woman on the screen was wearing a round hat and a blue sleeveless dress. Her face couldn't be seen clearly, but her figure was similar to He Shirui's.
"Let's move the surveillance footage and see where she went," Han Bin said.
Li Hui continued to play the surveillance footage and found that He Shirui went to a nearby bar. It was an open-air, semi-circular bar that was only a few dozen meters away from the beach. You could drink and watch the sea at the same time.
"Why is there an extra hat? It just happens to cover her face."
"It should be a souvenir." Li Hui pointed at the top left corner of the screen. "The time is 10: 10 pm, it matches what Tang Yu said."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
