Chapter 176 Suspicion Exposed
"Where was the car lost?"
When Chu Lingyun asked again, Niu Qiu immediately took him to the door of a furniture store. It was a small to medium-sized furniture store. Ren Han rode his bike to look at the furniture, but his bike was stolen not long after he had looked at it.
This place is about 400 meters away from Hou Laosan’s factory, which is not far.
But the distance is not close. If you run, it will take at least one minute to run 400 meters on this road. The other party needs to make an emergency evacuation notification, so every minute and every second is important.
If Chu Lingyun had not been one step faster this time, Liu Dazhuang might really have escaped.
"Team Leader, I think it's Hou Laosan. You see, he received a notice that this is the only way to get to the hotel. There are no rickshaws passing through this alley. He wants to make a call faster, so stealing a car is definitely the best way. He has superb lock picking skills, so stealing a car is not difficult."
Loach pointed to the distance and said that the hat he found in Hou Laosan's house made him even more certain that Hou Laosan was the person they were looking for.
“Don’t be too judgmental.”
Chu Lingyun shook his head and walked out.
Just looking at the map, you can't tell anything about this area. Today's maps are far less clear and accurate than the online maps of later generations. You can see what shops are on the roadside.
There are several furniture factories in this area, and many people sell furniture here.
Outside this area, there is a commercial area about 800 meters to the east, where several shops have public telephones.
After checking the surrounding situation, Chu Lingyun returned to the car and looked at the map in silence with his head down.
Hou Laosan was obviously closer to the commercial district than the hotel he called. If he had notified Liu Dazhuang, it would have been faster and more convenient to get to the commercial district.
And less than a hundred meters to the east is the main road, where there are many rickshaws.
Of course, it is possible that in order to avoid being discovered, Hou Laosan did not dare to take a rickshaw, or deliberately came west to go to a hotel farther away.
There are all kinds of possibilities. Before we identify the real caller, we must consider all issues comprehensively and not arbitrarily rule out any suspicion.
"Didn't you say there were two people who were exposed to paint and could pick locks? What about the other one?" Chu Lingyun suddenly asked.
"That man is small and thin. The hotel clerk has seen him. There is a big difference."
Loach replied hurriedly that this was one of the reasons why he was sure that Hou Laosan was the person who called. Of the two key suspects, the other one could be ruled out, leaving only Hou Laosan.
Wu Da has a bad body shape, so he can indeed be ruled out.
Hou Laosan is still the prime suspect, but Chu Lingyun will not arrest him immediately, let alone determine that Hou Laosan is a Japanese spy, until these doubts are clarified.
"Have you checked on Hou Lao San's disciples?"
"Not yet. Do they want to check too?" Loach was stunned and asked hurriedly.
"Investigate. All those who can open locks must be investigated."
Chu Lingyun glared at Loach. If he had not been in charge of the case and handed it over to Loach, he would probably have caught Hou Lao San.
"Yes, I'll check it out right away."
Loach was shocked and realized that there was an omission in his work. He now identified Hou Lao San and didn't think of anyone else at all.
More than an hour later, Loach came back. Chu Lingyun did not leave but waited for him in the car.
"I've asked the police carefully. Hou Lao San had four apprentices. One was beaten to death years ago. Two are no longer here. We don't know where they are now. I think they're still stealing. Currently, only one apprentice is with him."
The apprentice that Niu Qiu refers to is someone who has learned the lock-picking technique from Hou Lao San.
"This man's name is Huang Ye, and he is Hou Lao San's last disciple. He has never been a thief and has always been by Hou Lao San's side. I just checked and his name is not on the list provided by Wang Sheng. It may be because he has never stolen anything and only studied with Hou Lao San, so there is no record of him.
"Huang Ye is also a carpenter now, but he doesn't work in the same factory as Hou Lao San. He works in the Huayuan Furniture Factory in front."
Loach pointed to a factory to the west. The factory was very close to the furniture store, diagonally opposite.
Chu Lingyun looked at the map again. Starting from this location, it was indeed the closest to the hotel, and it would only take five minutes to get there by bike.
"Check the situation of Huang Ye." Chu Lingyun ordered. Loach didn't dare to waste time and took his men away again.
"Team leader, Huang Ye is not in the factory."
A few minutes later, Niu Qiu returned, looking a little panicked. "I asked the people at his factory. Huang Ye was out when I called yesterday. He was wearing a blue robe and the same hat as Hou Lao San. He came back in a hurry, and no one has seen him since."
Blue robe, the same hat, Chu Lingyun's eyes tightened slightly.
"Go find out who last saw him, what he was doing when they saw him, and what he was doing before the phone call yesterday?"
Chu Lingyun gave orders in succession, wearing a blue robe and the same hat, plus this position, although the hotel staff had not confirmed it yet, Huang Ye was also a major suspect.
Most importantly, he disappeared.
"Yes, Team Leader, I'll check it out right away."
Loach left in a hurry. He identified Hou Lao San, but a more suspicious person emerged, which made him realize that his investigation was not detailed and comprehensive enough.
If the person who called was really Huang Ye, once they caught Hou Lao San, Huang Ye would most likely know that he had been exposed and would escape.
More than half an hour later, the loach came back.
"Team leader, Huang Ye is a painter at the furniture factory, mainly responsible for painting. The last person to see him yesterday was the factory owner. He told the owner that something happened at home and asked for leave."
"His home is not in Nanjing, but in Wuxi. When he left, he only took a suitcase with him and nothing else."
"But I found out that Huang Ye likes to listen to the radio. He has a radio that he listens to while he works. Before he left yesterday, he was painting and listening to the radio as usual. His coworkers said that he suddenly said he had something to do and took the radio with him. He never came back."
"Go and find out what the last thing he heard on the radio was."
Chu Lingyun's face was gloomy. He thought of sending someone to notify, calling and radio, but ignored the radio.
For the person receiving the information, there is no need for a radio station or a telephone. With a radio, he can receive any information he wants.
He was also negligent in this case.
"Yes, Team Leader."
Loach ran out again. He realized that he had made a mistake before and arbitrarily concluded that Hou Laosan was a Japanese spy. Now it seems that Huang Ye was more likely the person who called.
"Zhao Dong, go back to the office and call Team Leader Hu from the Technical Department, and pick up Yang Jian as well."
After Loach left, Chu Lingyun gave instructions to Zhao Dong beside him. Zhao Dong was born into a military family, did a good job, and had good skills, so Chu Lingyun specially transferred him to his side.
He is both a guard and his own communicator.
Based on the existing clues, Huang Ye is obviously more suspicious. All the doubts can be explained by him. Moreover, he has disappeared and is likely to be hiding temporarily.
Chu Lingyun judged that it was hiding rather than evacuation because he asked his boss for leave.
If you evacuate directly, there is no need to ask for leave, just disappear, but it may also be to avoid arousing the factory's suspicion and exposing yourself too early.
Now that the person has disappeared, we can only rely on speculation as we can’t find him.
Loach returned to Chu Lingyun first. Time was pressing, so he went straight to Huang Ye's co-worker and brought him back.
"Sir, I'm not saying Huang Ye went out to do something. He likes to listen to an opera channel on the radio, and I listened to it with him when I had nothing to do. Yesterday, the opera was going well, but suddenly a commercial interrupted the show. After the commercial, he took the radio and left. I even said he was stingy and didn't even leave the radio for us to listen to."
The worker was a little panicked when he saw so many people and the person who was looking for him was carrying a gun, which showed that he was an official.
"Don't be nervous, what was the content of the last advertisement you heard yesterday?"
Chu Lingyun treated him well and said something to comfort him, which made the worker feel a little relieved.
"It's an ad for a plaster. The name is quite difficult to pronounce. Let me think about it, it seems to be Sanshan brand. Yes, it is Sanshan brand."
"What were you doing before listening to the advertisement?" Chu Lingyun continued to ask.
"We are painting now. We have several sets of furniture that need to be delivered urgently, so we need to finish the painting as soon as possible."
"What color?"
"Dark yellow."
Loach said hurriedly: "This factory also purchased those two types of paint."
The dark yellow paint matched the number, and Huang Ye's suspicion increased again. Chu Lingyun looked at the worker and continued to ask, "What was he wearing when he was working yesterday?"
"We only wear work clothes when we work, and it's easy for paint to get on our bodies when we paint. Who would be willing to wear nice clothes?"
"Did Huang Ye change his clothes before he left?" Chu Lingyun asked again.
"Of course he changed. Our clothes were covered in paint. How could we go out? He changed into the blue robe he was wearing before, took a hat and left."
Wear the same clothes you wore when you went out and check the number again.
"Do you know Hou Lao San?" Chu Lingyun asked again.
"I recognize him. He is Huang Ye's master. He introduced Huang Ye to our factory. I heard that he used to do this job but didn't learn it well."
The worker stretched out his hand and made a gesture of picking up something, meaning thief.
"Is Huang Ye's body shape similar to Hou Lao San's?"
"Yes, they look alike, not only in body shape but also in appearance. We usually tease Huang Ye, saying that Hou Laosan looks like his biological father."
The body shape is very similar, and it matches the previous one. Combining so many clues together, it can almost be determined that Huang Ye is the real person who called.
"Team leader, I was wrong." Loach lowered his head in embarrassment.
"We'll talk about your business later."
After Chu Lingyun finished speaking, he asked the workers, "What are Huang Ye's hobbies? Do you know where he likes to go?"
If Huang Ye is just hiding, he will most likely come back, but before he comes back, Chu Lingyun will not just wait. He must find Huang Ye's flaws and try to catch him as soon as possible.
"He likes to listen to commercials, and he likes to listen to operas the most." The worker said hurriedly.
Listening to operas and the radio is not a real hobby. He listens to the radio most likely to be waiting for notifications at any time, or to be waited for notifications at a fixed time.
"Besides these?"
"No, I don't know him very well. Xiaowu from the factory is the closest to him. Maybe Xiaowu knows what he likes."
The worker shook his head. Chu Lingyun glanced at the loach, and the loach immediately ran away.
"Team Leader, Team Leader Hu and the others are here."
Before Loach came back, Zhao Dong had already returned, bringing back the technical staff with boxes and Yang Jian.
"Team Leader Hu, please go and take the fingerprints and compare them to see if there's the half fingerprint we found in the car yesterday."
Chu Lingyun said to Team Leader Hu that if the fingerprints matched, then Huang Ye must be the person who called.
He suddenly disappeared on his own, and the place where he lost his bicycle was so close to him. He was wearing the same clothes, had the same body shape, could open locks, and might have the same paint on his body. When compared with his fingerprints, all the evidence would point to him.
"Commander Chu, I'm here."
After Chu Lingyun finished giving the order, Yang Jian approached with a flattering smile. Yesterday, he had been on a trip for no reason and was taken back in the end. He did nothing, but he had no complaints. Chu Lingyun paid him a lot of salary every month. Where else could he find such a comfortable life?
He is not afraid of being asked to do things, but is afraid of not being given things to do.
He really was no longer needed, and he believed that people would throw him away at any time. He had no other skills except painting, and if no one wanted to use him, he would be reduced to the embarrassing situation of painting on the streets.
"Yang Jian, get ready to paint."
Chu Lingyun didn't waste any words on Yang Jian. Yang Jian hurriedly took out the drawing board, spread out the paper, held the paintbrush and waited for Chu Lingyun's instructions.
"I ask and you answer. Don't be nervous, just tell the truth." Chu Lingyun comforted the workers again, saying that it is easy to make mistakes if you are too nervous.
"What hairstyle does Huang Ye have? How long is his hair? Is it curly? Are the sides higher?"
Chu Lingyun guided them step by step, and the workers kept describing Huang Ye's appearance. Yang Jian had experience and painted calmly.
This time, I didn't waste so many sheets of paper. I only used six sheets to draw Huang Ye's appearance.
"That's it! It's amazing! You can draw a human being just by talking about it?"
When the workers saw the final product, they exclaimed in surprise. People of that era didn't know much about sketching. They had never seen anyone draw a human being, so it was very surprising to them.
"Team leader, he is Xiaowu."
Just when I was painting, Niu Qiu came back and saw Chu Lingyun was busy, so he didn't dare to disturb him.
"Xiaowu, you have the closest relationship with Huang Ye, do you know him well?"
Chu Lingyun looked at Xiao Wu, who was also nervous and shook his head hurriedly: "I have a good relationship with him, but Huang Ye is usually taciturn and doesn't talk much, so I don't know much about him."
"What are his favorite things, such as what he likes to eat, what he likes to do, whether he likes gambling, women, or cricket fighting. Just tell me all the hobbies you know about him."
Chu Lingyun continued to guide and ask directly, but these workers were confused.
If you are more specific, they will understand what is going on.
"Huang Ye usually lives alone. He doesn't drink or gamble. I've never seen him go to a brothel, nor have I heard that he's been in a relationship with anyone. But I once heard him say that he likes fishing and that he hadn't fished in a long time."
Xiao Wu spoke quickly. There were more than 20 big men on Chu Lingyun's side, hiding in the dark. He was really scared and didn't answer any of the questions.
I wish my friends a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and teachers a happy holiday. This chapter is an extra update for the Mid-Autumn Festival and there will be more updates today.
