090 Suspicion

A sobbing sound came from the phone as Li Hui switched on the speaker.

“Captain Zeng, what’s going on over there?”

“The victim’s family has come to identify the body,” Zeng Ping replied with a sigh, then shouted, “The online company has already closed for the day— we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to check the payment records.”

Han Bin continued, “Captain Zeng, I have another favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“According to the bartender at Golden Sands Bar, a woman suspected to be He Shirui did come in last night. He doesn’t remember her face clearly, but he recognized her hat and clothes, and he said she was wearing pale nail polish,” Han Bin explained.

Zeng Ping hesitated. “But I remember the victim’s body didn’t have any nail polish.”

“Li Hui and I suspect either the nail polish was dissolved in seawater, or that woman wasn’t He Shirui at all.”

“I’m in the morgue now; I’ll ask Dr. Wu to check if there’s any residue on her nails,” Zeng Ping, seasoned as he was, needed no reminding.

“We'll wait for your update,” Han Bin replied.

Zeng Ping gave further instructions, “Once you finish at the bar, head to Qianhao Hotel and take another statement from Tang Yu.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Didn’t Tang Yu already give a statement? Why are we interviewing her again?” Li Hui asked, puzzled.

Han Bin turned the question back, “If the forensic test shows there’s no nail polish residue on He Shirui’s nails, how do you think we should proceed with the investigation?”

“That would mean the woman at the bar wasn’t He Shirui but someone deliberately impersonating her to mislead the police and create the illusion that He Shirui was still alive. We’d have to track down who impersonated her,” Li Hui reasoned.

“Who do you think is the most likely candidate to impersonate He Shirui?” Han Bin pressed.

Li Hui blurted out, “Tang Yu?”

Han Bin lit a cigarette and pondered aloud, “Tang Yu mentioned the bar during her statement; otherwise, we wouldn’t have known the victim had gone there, nor found the nearby surveillance footage so quickly. Secondly, during Tian Li’s statement, when asked why He Shirui went out, Tang Yu said she went to buy souvenirs, and the surveillance shows He Shirui wearing a round floral hat. The causal link seems logical, but it looks more like an attempt to cover up abnormal behavior on the footage. Most crucially, when I handed Tang Yu a tissue, I noticed she was wearing pale nail polish. Of course, these are just suspicions, not evidence.”

“Now that you say it, Tang Yu does seem pretty suspicious,” Li Hui muttered.

“When you take her statement, remember to snap a photo of her and send it to Jiang Anyang, the bartender, for confirmation.”

“Why don’t you take the photo?”

“I have other things to handle,” Han Bin replied, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. Outwardly calm, his mind was anything but.

Judging by the clues, Tang Yu was a strong suspect. She knew He Shirui well, their figures were similar, making her the most likely person to impersonate He Shirui.

Yet, when Tang Yu reported the case at the station, Han Bin had observed her as Tian Li took her statement, and he hadn’t noticed any signs of lying.

Had micro-expression analysis failed him? Or had he wronged Tang Yu?

With these doubts, Han Bin and his companion made their way to the hotel.

To assist the police, Qianhao Hotel had set aside a meeting room for Tian Li and Zhao Ming. Although Tian Li and Li Hui had been there for some time, Tang Yu and her boyfriend were still dining in the restaurant and had yet to come for the interview, so the officers could only wait.

Zhao Ming slouched in his chair, bored, and yawned. “Any leads on your end, Bin?”

“We'll talk after the statement,” Han Bin replied. With Tang Yu under suspicion, discussing the case before her arrival risked alerting her if she walked in unexpectedly.

Soon, a hotel staff member entered and served Han Bin and Li Hui each a cup of hot water. After a whole afternoon of reviewing surveillance, they were thoroughly sick of tea and coffee.

The sound of footsteps approached, and the meeting room door opened.

Tang Yu entered, wearing an apologetic smile. “Sorry, we were delayed in the restaurant.”

“No problem, please have a seat,” Tian Li replied.

“Officers, allow me to introduce my boyfriend, Xiang Hongbo.”

The young man nodded in greeting.

“Mr. Xiang, please take a seat. I’ll be taking your statement,” Zhao Ming said, pulling out his notepad.

Xiang Hongbo acknowledged and took the seat opposite.

Tian Li switched on her body camera and began the routine questions. “Name, gender, age, place of origin…”

“I…my name is Xiang Hongbo, I’m twenty-five, male, from Gaolong City.”

“Don’t be nervous; it’s just a standard statement,” Tian Li reassured him.

“Alright.”

“Xiang Hongbo, what was your relationship with the deceased, He Shirui?”

“We were friends.”

“How did you meet?”

“He Shirui was Tang Yu’s classmate. We met through Tang Yu.”

“Did you contact her privately?”

Xiang Hongbo shook his head. “No.”

“When did you last see He Shirui?”

“We had dinner together yesterday evening, then I didn’t see her again.”

“What did He Shirui do after dinner?” Han Bin interjected.

“She said she was heading home soon and wanted to buy some souvenirs,” Xiang Hongbo replied, his eyes flickering evasively— a classic sign of lying.

“Who paid for He Shirui’s room?” Han Bin pressed.

“I did,” Xiang Hongbo repeated.

“When did you find out He Shirui was dead?”

“Tang Yu called me at noon today,” Xiang Hongbo said, glancing to the right— another telltale sign of deception.

Han Bin had asked three questions in succession, and each time, Xiang Hongbo exhibited signs of lying.

After finishing with Xiang Hongbo, Han Bin turned to Tang Yu. “Miss Tang, your previous statement was a bit lacking in detail. I’d like to ask you a few more questions.”

“Miss Tang, what did you do after dinner last night?”

Tang Yu glanced at Xiang Hongbo, her cheeks flushing. “I was with Hongbo.”

“Did you leave the hotel at all last night?”

Tang Yu shook her head. “No.”

“Did He Shirui ever mention anything about Mao Yiran being in Qindao?” Han Bin asked.

“Mao Yiran is in Qindao? When did that happen?” Tang Yu appeared genuinely surprised.

“It’s been two or three days.”

“What is he doing here?” Tang Yu’s face showed her confusion.

“According to our investigation, He Shirui arranged to meet Mao Yiran last night. They may have met at Golden Sands Beach, very close to the time of her death,” Han Bin said, his eyes fixed on Tang Yu’s expression.

“This…” Tang Yu furrowed her brows, muttering, “No wonder Shirui insisted on going out alone so late last night. It turns out she went to see Mao Yiran.”

“Miss Tang, do you think He Shirui’s death could be related to Mao Yiran?” Han Bin asked.

Tang Yu looked lost. “I really don’t know…”