Case 036

On Sunday, Han Bin finally got his wish and woke up naturally, without an alarm. Bliss.

It was already past nine when he got up. Han Bin ate an apple, then lay on his bed, watching television and fiddling with his phone. He was young, after all, and had a habit of lingering in bed. At this hour, he didn't bother with breakfast, preferring to wait for lunch.

He remained in bed until after eleven, then got up and went to his parents’ house for a meal. After lunch, Han Bin tidied up the bowls and chopsticks and headed to the kitchen to wash the dishes. As he was about to finish, Wang Huifang entered. “Son, your phone is ringing.”

“Who is it?”

“Li Hui.”

Han Bin wiped his hands and pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

“Bin, what are you busy with? Haven’t checked your messages?”

“I’m washing the dishes.”

“There’s a new case. Come downstairs—I’ll drive.”

“Got it.”

Han Bin responded, grabbed his phone, and headed out. “Mom, there’s a case. Could you finish washing the last two plates for me?”

“Son, your apron.”

“Almost forgot.” Han Bin took off his apron, hung it on the wall, greeted his father, and left.

...

Once in the car, Han Bin checked the group chat, getting a rough idea of the case. It was an extortion case.

The complainant was a female office worker named Chen Luyan, living in Apartment 408 of Anyang Residence.

Qindao City had purchase restrictions, so many people with some spare cash but no good investment channels bought apartments. They parked the car outside and entered the lobby. Li Hui glanced around. “The environment here isn’t bad.”

“Thinking of buying property again?”

“You can’t rush these things. Have to ask around, do your research, right?” Li Hui replied.

“In Qindao, most commercial apartments have forty-year property rights. The advantage is no purchase or loan restrictions; the downside is a high down payment, expensive utilities, and hefty taxes when selling,” Han Bin explained.

“Bin, you really know your stuff. That’s professional,” Li Hui said.

“A little knowledge,” Han Bin replied.

Chatting casually, they headed to the fourth floor. Room 408’s door was open; Zeng Ping and Tian Li had already arrived.

Han Bin put on shoe covers and entered.

The apartment wasn’t large. The bathroom was on the left, an open kitchen on the right, and the main room was a spacious studio with simple furnishings: a wardrobe, desk, single sofa, wooden bed, and a TV mounted on the wall. The decor was stylish, suited to young people.

A woman sat on the bed, in her twenties, short and slightly plump, round face streaked with tears.

“You’re here?” Zeng Ping greeted.

“Captain Zeng, have you found anything?” Han Bin asked.

“We just arrived ourselves and were about to take the victim’s statement,” Zeng Ping replied.

Since the victim was female, Tian Li was more suitable for the interview. She walked over with her notebook. “Miss Chen, I’ll be recording your statement.”

Chen Luyan nodded.

“Name?”

“Chen Luyan.”

“Age?”

“Twenty-five.”

“Are you a local?”

“No, I’m from out of town. I studied here and stayed after graduation.”

“You reported extortion. Can you describe what happened?” Tian Li asked.

“I had today off and got up late. After waking, I found a letter at my door. Inside the envelope was a USB drive. I didn’t know what it was, so I plugged it into my computer and saw photos of me showering, along with an extortion letter,” Chen Luyan explained.

“Do you mean the envelope was inside your door or outside?” Zeng Ping asked.

“Inside.”

“Where are the envelope and USB?”

“Here.” Chen Luyan opened a drawer and handed over the envelope.

Han Bin, wearing gloves, took it and examined it. “This thickness could easily be slipped through the door crack.”

“What did the extortion letter say?”

“It said the sender wanted to borrow some money, asked me to raise funds quickly, and promised to pay me back once he had money. If I didn’t comply, he’d post the photos online.”

“I was terrified and called the police immediately.”

“What time did you wake up?” Tian Li asked.

“A little after eleven.”

“When did you discover the letter?”

“Around eleven forty.”

“What time did you get home last night?” Tian Li inquired.

“Before midnight.”

“Did you notice the letter then?”

“I can’t recall.”

“So you can’t confirm if the letter was placed yesterday or today?” Tian Li clarified.

“That’s right.”

“You said the photos were taken while showering, so the bathroom was the location?” Han Bin asked.

“Probably. I’m not sure.”

“Han Bin, check the bathroom. Li Hui, look into the surveillance,” Zeng Ping instructed.

“Yes,” Li Hui replied and left, but Han Bin remained.

“What’s wrong?”

“Miss Chen, can you tell me the angle from which the photos were taken? It’ll help us search,” Han Bin said.

Chen Luyan nodded, walked to the bathroom door, and pointed to the southeast corner of the ceiling. “It should be from this direction.”

Han Bin looked over; there was an exhaust fan in that spot.

He stood on a stool and removed the fan, revealing a tiny camera inside.

“Wow, such a small camera—truly hard to spot,” Zeng Ping remarked.

Chen Luyan’s face was filled with fear. She’d never expected there’d be a camera in her bathroom, and her privacy had been completely exposed.

Han Bin examined it, then replaced the exhaust fan and left the bathroom.

“Officer, why didn’t you remove the camera?” Chen Luyan asked in confusion.

“I suggest we leave it for now,” Han Bin replied.

“Why?” Chen Luyan was puzzled.

“The person who installed it can’t monitor it constantly. So it’s unlikely they know you’ve reported it. If you remove the camera, and they check periodically, they’ll notice something’s wrong,” Han Bin explained.

“Han Bin’s right. Let’s leave the surveillance untouched for now, so the suspect doesn’t realize and destroy evidence,” Zeng Ping said.

“I understand.” Chen Luyan nodded.

“The fact that the camera was installed in your bathroom suggests it was likely done by someone familiar,” Tian Li analyzed.

“How many keys do you have?” Zeng Ping asked.

“There are four: one for me, one for my boyfriend, one at the office, and one at my parents’ house,” Chen Luyan answered.

“Is the apartment rented or owned?” Zeng Ping continued.

“Rented.”

“Does the landlord have a key?”

“No. When I rented the place, my boyfriend helped me change the locks,” Chen Luyan said.

“Besides your boyfriend, has anyone else used your bathroom?”

“My apartment is small, with no living room. I rarely invite guests—meetings with friends are always outside,” Chen Luyan replied.

“Does your boyfriend know about the hidden camera?”

“No.”

“How’s your relationship?”

“It’s alright.” Chen Luyan shook her head. “When I was in school, I lived with my ex-boyfriend. Living together didn’t improve things—we ended up arguing more. So now I’m cautious about that sort of thing.”

“You don’t need to answer that,” Han Bin interjected.

“Oh.” Chen Luyan paused, realizing. “Are you suspecting my boyfriend?”

“He has a key, so we need to rule him out,” Tian Li explained.

Chen Luyan nodded. “Understood.”

“Are there any of your boyfriend’s belongings here?”

“Why do you ask?” Chen Luyan wondered.

“I found fingerprints on the camera,” Han Bin replied.