The second day of a three-day holiday is often the most relaxing.
The stress of work is relieved on the first day, and with another day before returning to work, there’s no rush. It’s a perfect time to completely relax and let the day disappear in idleness.
However, Yi Jiayi was unusually motivated to get up early. After breakfast with her sister and brother, they took a minibus to Wan Chai to browse through a bookstore.
She bought herself a BB-call, allowing her to record while at the police station and be an on-call junior detective.
Passing by an audio shop, they played Leslie Cheung’s “Silence is Golden” on a vinyl record player. Jiayi stopped at the entrance, gazing at the streetscape of Hong Kong, and listened to the entire song. She then went in and decisively bought three small tape recorders for Jiaru, Jiajun, and Ding Baoshu to use for studying—they could listen to their textbooks, English lessons, and songs.
At noon, Jiayi enjoyed a long-queued tasty snack of egg waffles and grid cakes, followed by a unique tricolor mix of rice noodle rolls, fish balls, and pork skin.
Passing by a nicely decorated restaurant, even though she was full, the young policewoman couldn’t help but pause outside, her feet seemingly glued to the spot.
The menu displayed in the window featured the most attractive photos of the dishes: typhoon shelter crab, large shrimp stir-fried with noodles, and pigeon filled with shark fin dubbed as “Crane and Magic Needles”…
She wanted to try everything, but the prices made her scalp tingle in fright.
As expected, the clientele inside, dressed in fine clothes, seemed able to afford the meal, which seemed to add to their dining pleasure.
Looking up, she saw the sign: “Wan Chai Xianshan Restaurant.”
She silently made a note, clutching a wish of indulgence: “I’ll eat here once I get my salary next month.”
Then, she headed back to the bookstore to continue the book she hadn’t finished that morning.
After reading a few pages, she reflected and summarized in her notes:
First, confirm the seven elements of the case: time, place, who, with what motive (the criminal intent), using what tools, with what objective (whether it’s for murder, assault, or robbery, etc.), and the consequences.
Second, initial collection of clues: traces at the scene, items left behind, victim information, and the method of the crime (and its characteristics).
Methods include forensic examinations and scientific investigations.
Investigative interviews to find witnesses and relevant personnel.
Gathering information from informants across various industries.
Third, summarize and analyze the case (make bold hypotheses, but verify carefully).
Fourth, determine the direction of the investigation, define its scope, and continue the investigation…
While scribbling and drawing in her notes and reading more of the book, she looked up to find the sky had turned dusky.
Jiayi sighed deeply, wishing there was a way to instantly learn all the knowledge in the world due to the slow pace of her studies.
Before leaving the bookstore, she generously spent a considerable amount of money to purchase three books: “Criminal Psychology,” “Logical Reasoning,” and “Criminal Investigation Techniques and Strategies,” deciding to take them home to read and study at her leisure.
As she was contemplating heading back to Yi’s restaurant for a meal, Jiayi noticed many families and couples strolling hand in hand, their faces beaming as if they were heading to an incredibly important date.
Life’s happiness also lies in these surprising, special days.
After walking a few more steps, she finally made up her mind and turned towards the bustling Wan Chai Xianshan Restaurant to reserve a four-seater window table. Fortunately, it wasn’t a weekend, and she had arrived early enough to actually secure a reservation.
She then borrowed a phone at the front desk to call her brother, giving him the address and asking him to hurry over.
Jiayi also ran to the entrance where she found an elderly lady selling flowers on the street, bought a bouquet, and brought it back to the restaurant to place on the table.
Looking at the prices on the menu, her hands turned cold while her head felt hot—anxiety and joy from the indulgence mingled within her.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Jiadong arrived at the restaurant with their younger siblings.
Through the window, Jiayi saw all three siblings dressed in their finest new clothes; Jiajun had even slicked his hair back with his brother’s pomade, looking like a little lord from a poor family.
As soon as Jiadong sat down, Jiayi presented him with the flowers.
“Thanks, big brother, for taking care of us three,” she said with a smile, yet it was enough to bring tears to the eyes of Jiadong, a grown man.
Jiaru and Jiajun mercilessly teased him, leaving Jiadong caught between being moved and maintaining his composure, awkwardly losing his authoritative demeanor.
While ordering, everyone carefully calculated the cost of each dish, fearing they might enter the restaurant but not be able to afford to leave.
The four of them cautiously budgeted, choosing the four hot dishes and one cold dish with the best cost-performance ratio, plus a dessert. They also ordered four different drinks, planning to switch them around once served, so everyone could taste the most flavors.
Although the ordering process was slow and somber, everyone enjoyed their meal immensely, chuckling quietly, each bite filled with satisfaction.
Little Jiajun glanced at his brother and sister after every bite, his desire to share every moment of happiness with them through eye contact and facial expressions was particularly strong, making his eating seem rather busy.
Since they had spent the money, they were determined to fully enjoy the restaurant’s ambiance. Thus, they ate while taking in their surroundings and peering out the window. When people looked inside, they sat up straighter, tilted their heads, squinted their eyes, and chewed in an exaggerated manner, as if savoring the taste.
After thoroughly enjoying their meal and cleaning their plates, they felt content both spiritually and physically when it came time to pay.
Although Jiayi felt the pinch when paying, she still considered herself one of the happiest people in the world.
At least one-fourth of the happiest, since her siblings seemed to be no less happy than she was.
Rubbing her belly and accompanied by the moonlight on her way back, Jiayi thought that earning money was truly worthwhile when spent like this, honoring all the hard work and sweat.
Worth it!
…
On the third day of her holiday, Yi Jiayi switched to reading at home, particularly absorbed by an article about the different information that footprints bring in case investigations, which she read several times, finding it extremely beneficial.
Like a sponge, the young policewoman soaked up knowledge, striving to fill her once barren knowledge bank.
Meanwhile, the police station faced setbacks.
Since the day of the arrest, despite numerous interrogations, Zhang Dafu had not spoken a single word.
He ate his meals and did not make a fuss, but he kept his head down and stayed silent, leaving everyone wondering whether he was plotting something or had resolved to play mute. The detectives took turns playing the waiting game, and though they wore Zhang Dafu down to where his complexion turned ashen, his eyes darkened, and his eyes were bloodshot, the detectives themselves were hardly in better shape, looking even more haggard due to their lack of results.
“He’s as clever as his mother said,” Gary said, scratching his head as he walked out of the interrogation room, his expression furious, seeming like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
“Go take a shower and get some sleep,” Fang Zhenyue suggested, patting Gary on the shoulder and peering through the small window at Zhang Dafu, who still sat with his head bowed, pursing his lips.
Liu Jiaming, who had just returned from eating, took a big gulp of water and walked up to Fang Zhenyue. “Brother Yue, shall we go back in and keep at it?”
“Yes,” nodded Fang Zhenyue.
“This guy is really tough. We’ve tried threats and temptations, but nothing works. If it weren’t prohibited, I’d really want to beat him,” Liu Jiaming sighed, pushing the door open and nodding at Uncle Jiu.
As the shift changed, Uncle Jiu, who had been craving a smoke, quickly left the interrogation room as if he had been pardoned.
Even with officers taking turns, Zhang Dafu still remained seated, truly enduring.
Fang Zhenyue sat at the desk, legs crossed, carefully observing Zhang Dafu.
In these three days, they had done a lot. Zhang Dafu’s home, the scene of the crime, had been examined three times by the forensic department. The ground outside the old house was turned upside down, various tests were conducted, and reports were written, yet all that was missing was a confession and statement from the suspect.
The notorious cardboard box murder case, because the murderer never confessed, remains controversial decades later, with many still believing it to be a miscarriage of justice.
It’s evident how significant a murderer’s confession is to the investigation of a case and the judgment of a trial.
Especially now, with a significant issue in the dismemberment case, as Fang Zhenyue received the medical report of the rescued victim, Wu Shanrong, yesterday.
While there was evidence of abuse, there was no evidence of sexual assault.
The young girl bore many injuries but remained a virgin.
However, all the female victims in the dismemberment case showed signs of sexual assault, which contradicts the situation with victim Wu Shanrong.
Currently, the DNA comparison between the suspect and Zhang Dafu has not yet yielded results, and they still need to wait.
This morning, forensic expert Xu Junhao discussed this case with Fang Zhenyue and mentioned that while they indeed detected semen on the body parts, the severe condition of the corpse meant their report could only state that the semen was present, without being able to determine whether it was deposited before or after death.
To prove that the person who violated the victim, the one who left the semen, and the one who strangled the victim are the same individual, further tests would be required on the victim’s sexual organs. However, the killer was meticulous with the parts carrying crucial information—either they were too decomposed or had turned to bone, rendering it impossible to extract any information.
The task of identifying the killer’s fingerprints from the fatal strangulation marks on the victim’s neck has also not been completed for various reasons.
This means that although the police have ‘caught the thief with the goods’, they have not ‘caught them red-handed’. Linking the person to the crime unequivocally still requires more definitive evidence.
Now they have the testimony of the killer’s mother, but they haven’t obtained statements from the victim or the killer. The case still has unstable elements.
Under the laws of Hong Kong, once a trial concludes, even if the killer is lightly sentenced or acquitted due to insufficient evidence, they cannot be re-prosecuted under the same charges.
Therefore, the Major Crime Unit must present a case to the Department of Justice with solid, scrupulous evidence, free of any flaws, to ensure the perpetrator receives the punishment they deserve.
For all detectives in the Major Crime Unit, the steps following an arrest are the most tedious and require the utmost attention to detail.
“I have a friend,” Fang Zhenyue began, leaning forward with his arms on the table, looking directly at Zhang Dafu as he shifted to a casual conversation:
“As a child, he was incredibly smart and excelled academically, quickly mastering anything he learned. Even the wealthy in his class couldn’t compare to him. Teachers liked him, and classmates respected him for his academic prowess—it was a rule of the schoolyard that if you were sharp, you’d be treated favorably and stand out.”
“But he had his troubles. No matter how hard he tried or how well he did, his father would beat him for the slightest perceived slight. He could be humiliated in front of neighbors or classmates by his father’s harsh beatings, wishing he could kill his father.”
“During these beatings, his mother, who always claimed to love him and was otherwise gentle, never protected him. She was good to him in every other respect but would coldly observe when his father hit him. During these times, he came to resent his mother, sometimes even more than his father. It was through these experiences that any residual warmth in his heart gradually cooled, and unnoticed, he grew to hate everyone in the world—even during his relatively glorious days as a student, this hatred grew.”
“Why should those less intelligent than him live carefree lives, with every demand met by their parents? Why should those fools never experience beatings, even daring to spectate when he was being abused by his father?”
“People who grow up like this have peculiar personalities and extreme ways of dealing with the world, and nobody likes them.”
“After entering society, the rules around him suddenly changed. Intelligence was no longer the sole criterion; he also needed to be sociable, generous, cheerful, likable, and a team player. This friend couldn’t adapt and faced setbacks time and again in his job search.”
“His once advantages were worn down again and again until they seemed trivial, and his faults became increasingly hard to ignore. He began to feel as if everyone was targeting him, and even a casual remark from someone else could make him explode in anger. Thus, he saw the disdain in the eyes of those around him, sensed the disrespectful whispers… and he decided never to leave his room again, to hide from all the detestable things.”
Zhang Dafu’s breathing became rapid, and his gaze at Fang Zhenyue gradually turned angry.
By now, Liu Jiaming had realized that the ‘friend’ Sir Fang was talking about was none other than Zhang Dafu himself.
Listening to Fang Zhenyue’s account, he started to wonder if Brother Yue had access to some material they hadn’t seen; otherwise, how could he be so detailed? It surely couldn’t all be conjecture?
Fang Zhenyue seemed oblivious to Zhang Dafu’s emotional shift and continued unhurriedly:
“However, squatting in his dark and dirty home did not bring him any relief. The endless verbal abuse from his father still fueled his rage.”
“Until one day, this friend coerced his mother to join him in killing his father. Seeing that indifferent woman tremble with fear from her role as an accomplice, and watching his father, who had beaten him since he was young, breathe his last, this friend suddenly felt better.”
“During this process, he felt that his father, who had always oppressed him, suddenly became insignificant. And he, who had always been beaten, dominated, and verbally abused, became the master and felt powerful.”
“He didn’t realize that he was still a reject of society, still a coward who only dared to strike a drunk, unconscious drunkard. Instead, he thought of himself as brave—”
“Do you think you know a lot? Think you understand everything?” Zhang Dafu suddenly interrupted Fang Zhenyue, speaking for the first time in three days.
Fang Zhenyue smiled slightly, “Am I wrong? Otherwise, you tell me what the truth is?”
Zhang Dafu snorted coldly, “You people, other than sitting here presumptuously making up stories, what else can you do? So many of our citizens have died, and you still haven’t caught the murderer. You are the real failures, aren’t you?”
“What did you say?” Liu Jiaming slammed his hand down on the table.
Fang Zhenyue pressed Liu Jiaming’s hand down, calming him. Liu Jiaming gritted his teeth in anger, itching to smash Zhang Dafu’s face, but he had to suppress his emotions at Sir Fang’s signal.
Slumping back in his chair in frustration, Liu Jiaming glared at Zhang Dafu, stabbing him with his eyes.
Such a lovely family 🥺