novelaction Chapter 875 Vehicle Investigation and Jade Bracelet
Chapter 875 Vehicle Investigation and Jade Bracelet
Li Ming led a team of police officers back to the casino to conduct an in-depth investigation of the casino owner, Zheng Bao. "Zheng Bao, we hope you can tell the truth. Besides calling to collect debts, have you taken any other actions against Wang Liqiang?" Li Ming's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at the casino owner.
The casino owner broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "Officer, I really didn't lie. We just made phone calls to collect debts, we didn't do anything else."
Li Ming snorted coldly: "You'd better tell the truth. We've already gathered some clues, and you should know the consequences if we find out you're hiding something."
The casino owner hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Actually... a few days ago, a gambler came to me asking about Wang Liqiang's whereabouts. I didn't think much of it at the time and just told him the places Wang Liqiang frequented."
Li Ming pressed further, "Who is this gambler? What does he look like?"
The casino owner recalled, "His name was Zhao Hu. He was tall and thin, and had a scar on his face. I didn't know him well; I only knew that he often came to the casino to gamble."
Li Ming noted down this crucial clue and then led his officers to search for Zhao Hu's whereabouts. Meanwhile, other officers were also working diligently to investigate other gamblers and casino staff.
With the clues provided by the casino owner, Li Ming returned to the police station and immediately organized his team to investigate Zhao Hu. However, the investigation was hampered by only a name and vague physical characteristics. "The name is too common. There are hundreds of people named Zhao Hu in the city. In addition, we don't know his age or place of origin, making the screening process extremely difficult," said Officer Liu, who was in charge of information retrieval, frowning as he stared at the dense information on the computer screen.
Li Ming pondered for a moment, then instructed, "First, filter out information on all individuals in the city named Zhao Hu who have a prior gambling conviction, then conduct further investigations based on their physical build and facial features." The officers acted swiftly, and after several hours of effort, they identified more than twenty individuals who met the initial criteria for Zhao Hu. However, after verifying each one, none of them were the person they were looking for.
"It seems this lead is more troublesome than we thought." Li Ming sighed helplessly, then made a new plan, "Send a few people to stake out the casino. Zhao Hu might gamble there. Once we spot someone matching the description, make the arrest immediately."
Meanwhile, another group of police officers began to investigate the surveillance footage along the national highway where the body was dumped. Officer Xiao Wang, who was in charge of the surveillance analysis, rubbed his bloodshot eyes and said, "This national highway has a lot of traffic. As many as 326 vehicles have passed through it in a week. Finding the suspect's car among them is like finding a needle in a haystack."
Li Ming patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder and encouraged him, "No matter how difficult it is, we must keep investigating. Focus on vehicles that passed by around the time of the incident and whose driving trajectories were abnormal." The officers reviewed the surveillance footage day and night, meticulously recording and analyzing information on each vehicle. However, due to the inconsistent quality of the surveillance footage, the license plates and characteristics of many vehicles were difficult to identify, slowing down the investigation.
Just as the investigation reached a stalemate, the officers in charge of investigating Wang Liqiang's gambling ring reported that they had discovered a crucial clue involving Qin Baoguo. Li Ming immediately led his officers to Qin Baoguo's residence. Knocking on the door, Li Ming showed his identification and asked directly, "Qin Baoguo, we're investigating Wang Liqiang's case. We heard that about two weeks ago, he asked you to sell a jade bracelet?"
Qin Baoguo's expression changed slightly, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "That's right. Wang Liqiang asked me for help, saying he urgently needed money and wanted me to help him sell the jade bracelet."
"Who did you sell the jade bracelet to? How much did you get for it?" Li Ming pressed.
“It was sold to a guy named Boss Sun for over 4 yuan. I only took a small commission; the rest went to Wang Liqiang,” Qin Baoguo explained.
"Who is Boss Sun? Where can I find him?" Li Ming continued to ask.
Qin Baoguo shook his head: "I only know that his surname is Sun and that he deals in antiques. I don't know his exact name or where he owns his shop. He's the one who contacts me for every transaction."
Li Ming frowned, finding Qin Baoguo's words somewhat suspicious: "You did such a big deal with Boss Sun, and you don't even have his contact information? You'd better tell the truth, or you'll bear the consequences."
Qin Baoguo broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, "Actually... I have his phone number, but I'm afraid of getting into trouble, so I don't dare to say it."
Li Ming glared at him: "Now that someone has died, are you still afraid of getting into trouble? Hand over your phone number right now."
Left with no other option, Qin Baoguo gave Li Ming Mr. Sun's phone number. Li Ming immediately arranged for officers to investigate Mr. Sun's identity. After some effort, they finally confirmed Mr. Sun's identity and address.
Li Ming led his officers to Mr. Sun's antique shop. Mr. Sun's face showed a flicker of panic upon seeing the police. Li Ming stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Sun, you bought a jade bracelet from Qin Baoguo, right?"
Mr. Sun, feigning composure, nodded and said, "That's right. The jade bracelet was of good quality, so I bought it. Is there a problem?"
Li Ming stared into his eyes and said seriously, "This jade bracelet belongs to the deceased Wang Liqiang. We suspect it's related to a murder case. You'd better explain the details of the transaction."
Mr. Sun's face turned ashen, and he stammered, "I...I really didn't know this jade bracelet was related to the murder case. I was just doing business and making a profit."
Li Ming pressed further, "How did you know Qin Baoguo had a jade bracelet to sell?"
Mr. Sun recalled, "It was Qin Baoguo who contacted me first. He knew I was in the antique business, so he asked me if I wanted to buy jade bracelets. I looked at the photos, thought they were good, and arranged a time to make the transaction with him."
Li Ming continued, "Did Qin Baoguo mention where the jade bracelet came from during the transaction?"
Mr. Sun shook his head: "He didn't say, and I didn't ask any further. In our line of work, as long as the goods are genuine, we generally don't delve into their origin."
Li Ming found Mr. Sun's words to be quite credible, but to be on the safe side, he still had the police investigate his transaction records and whereabouts. The results showed that Mr. Sun was indeed just a simple buyer and had no direct connection to the murder case.
Meanwhile, police officers staking out the casino reported that after several days of surveillance, they had not found any trace of Zhao Hu. The highway surveillance investigation also yielded no substantial progress, and the suspect's vehicle remained a mystery.
Li Ming returned to the police station and reported the investigation progress to Qin Chuan: "Chief Qin, the investigation into Zhao Hu has yielded no results yet, and the stakeout at the casino was also fruitless. The highway surveillance footage is too difficult to check, so it's still ongoing. However, we found a jade bracelet on Qin Baoguo as a clue. After investigation, it turns out that Boss Sun was just a buyer and has nothing to do with the murder case."