Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Chapter 647: Chapter 647: Trail Goes Cold, Investigation Restarts

"There are two calls out of the five that were made by her high school classmates."

"We conducted an investigation, and it was to invite Zhang Cuiying to a high school reunion."

"Does the reunion time coincide with Zhang Cuiying’s disappearance?" freēwēbηovel.c૦m

Zhang Hui suddenly spoke.

Zhao Kui shook his head: "The high school reunion was planned for the tenth day after Zhang Cuiying disappeared."

"Another call was from a beauty salon owner."

"We looked into this beauty salon; it’s a place Zhang Cuiying frequented."

"Zhang Cuiying had recharged over a hundred thousand yuan at this beauty salon for skin care, visiting once a week."

"She had a good relationship with the salon owner."

"The call was made because the salon had new products and wanted her to experience them."

Beauty salon...

Lu Chuan jotted down Zhao Kui’s words in his notebook, thinking carefully.

"And another call was from a farm stay."

"Farm stay?"

Zhao Kui nodded: "We investigated this farm stay, the owner is an elementary school classmate of Zhang Cuiying, and they are very close."

"Based on what we’ve gathered, their relationship has remained unbroken over the years."

"They keep in regular contact and often call each other."

"We visited the site, and the owner said she called that day because they had just received fresh mountain chickens, which Zhang Cuiying liked, so she invited her to try them."

Clues are evidently scarce.

Moreover, the Tang County police have done their work thoroughly.

As can be gleaned from Zhao Kui’s report, they must have put in a lot of effort on the Zhang Cuiying disappearance case.

"What’s your opinion, Brother Hui?"

Since arriving in Tang County, Zhang Hui’s brows had not ceased to furrow.

The visit to Tang County had not been without its gains.

Primarily, it ruled out Qin Tao as a suspect to some extent.

As the property certificate signed by Qin Tao and Zhang Cuiying before marriage eliminated the police’s suspicion of Qin Tao having a motive.

Because Zhang Cuiying being alive is most advantageous to Qin Tao from a financial perspective.

Zhang Cuiying’s chemical plant was highly profitable, and although Qin Tao worked as a coach at a gym and had an income, it was far less compared to what Zhang Cuiying provided.

According to people from the fitness club, Qin Tao’s lifestyle improved significantly after marrying Zhang Cuiying.

If anything happened to Zhang Cuiying or if they divorced, Qin Tao would receive nothing.

Moreover, observing Qin Tao’s attitude at home, he didn’t seem to be lying.

Additionally, there was the investigation into Zhang Hai.

Six months ago, Zhang Hai had plotted to harm Zhang Cuiying and had already taken action.

Lu Chuan found broken pitons wedged in rock crevices where they went climbing.

He collected fingerprint information from them, directly implicating the mahjong parlor owner.

With irrefutable evidence, Zhang Hai admitted to planning to harm Zhang Cuiying six months ago to seize her fortune.

Yet, this time with Zhang Cuiying’s disappearance, Zhang Hai strongly denied involvement.

Despite admitting to the previous attempt six months ago, he firmly denied this time.

Given Zhang Hui’s years of case-solving experience, Zhang Hai didn’t seem to be lying about this matter.

So, at present, the case’s leads have once again stalled.

What to do?

"Maybe we should re-investigate the people who contacted Zhang Cuiying when she disappeared."

Zhang Hui thought for a moment: "The circumstances on the day Zhang Cuiying went missing were unlike her usual routine."

"However, she didn’t drive when she left the chemical plant that day."

"So, I believe that someone was likely waiting outside, and after picking her up, Zhang Cuiying left the plant."

This point... Lu Chuan agreed, and Zhao Kui nodded too.

According to Zhang Cuiying’s habits, she would drive away from the chemical plant.

On the day she disappeared, she left the plant wearing a coat but without driving.

This indicates that someone she knew was definitely picking her up outside.

However, due to the lack of surveillance, the police have not identified who took Zhang Cuiying away.

"I agree with Brother Zhang’s opinion, considering the high school reunion was ten days after her disappearance..."

"I think we can first start investigating the beauty salon and the farm stay."

"Then investigate those business partners she had relations with."

"Okay, let’s do that."

This time, the two didn’t act separately but set off together.

The beauty salon was located near the bustling cross-street in Tang County.

It was just a ten-minute drive from the Tang County police station; soon, with Zhao Kui leading, they found the beauty salon owner.

"Captain Zhao, is there still no news about Boss Zhang?"

The beauty salon owner evidently knew Zhao Kui.

The two weren’t acquainted only due to Zhang Cuiying’s disappearance.

Even though Tang County is economically developed, it is still just a county town.

People living in Tang County frequently saw each other; those with status were generally familiar with one another.

As vice-captain of the county police’s Criminal Investigation Team, Zhao Kui was naturally a prominent figure in Tang County.

The beauty salon opened by Sun Xiaoman was considered the top on consumption level in Tang County.

For many unspeakable reasons, Sun Xiaoman was familiar with the public security, tax, and urban management departments.

They had even dined together before.

Zhao Kui shook his head: "Still no news. These are the two leaders from the city bureau, and they have some questions for you. Please cooperate."

Zhao Kui didn’t reveal the information about Zhang Cuiying’s death to Sun Xiaoman.

While the Tang County Public Security Bureau was handling the Zhang Cuiying disappearance case, since it now involved murder, the Criminal Investigation Team held jurisdiction.

Whether to disclose relevant case information to the person being investigated depended on the situation.

Zhao Kui had already visited the beauty salon multiple times for the Zhang Cuiying disappearance case.

This investigation was being conducted by Zhang Hui and Lu Chuan, so he refrained from saying much.

Although acquainted with Sun Xiaoman, at this moment, she was a possible suspect in Zhang Cuiying’s murder.

Thus, Zhao Kui would refrain from saying too much.

Sun Xiaoman’s attention then turned to Lu Chuan and Zhang Hui.

"Wu, serve tea to the officers."

She said, leading the three to sit down in the reception room.

Zhang Hui began the routine questioning: "When did you last see Zhang Cuiying?"

"That would be three days before Boss Zhang disappeared."

Sun Xiaoman, with a graceful figure and fair skin, seemed around her thirties or forties, but her exact age was hard to discern.

Moreover, her voice was soft, making her sound pleasant to the ear.

"Boss Sun, you remember this so well?"

"Not really. Boss Zhang comes to us for skin care once a week, usually on Fridays."

"Captain Zhao said she disappeared on a Monday. So, the last time I saw her was certainly the previous Friday."