Hong Kong Detective [90s] Chapter 26

Ding Baoshu identified the male victim based on his clothing.

It was his brother, Ding Baolin.

The last time they saw their brother was the day before the female victim’s body was discovered in the King’s Park Murder Case.

This was important information corroborating that the male victim was another casualty of the King’s Park Murder Case.

According to the forensic department’s analysis of the shoelace material and other details, and after the Team B detectives had searched all the shoe markets and stalls nearby, the victim’s shoes were finally narrowed down to about a dozen models.

Ding Baoshu, shown a photograph, recognized one pair without any hesitation, confidently recalling the size and color.

“How can you be so sure?” Liu Jiaming couldn’t help but suspect the kid was playing them.

After such a long time, how could he remember so clearly?

“My brother said he would wear these shoes carefully, and once my feet grew bigger, he would give them to me,” Ding Baoshu suddenly stood up, walked into the detectives’ field of vision, and stomped his foot, saying clearly:

“The ones I’m wearing now, I bought with my brother. He worked as a waiter at a restaurant, said it was very profitable just running errands and carrying plates, and he could make a lot of money, especially since he was paid weekly and the money came fast. Our shoes, and a pair of cloth shoes for grandma, were all bought with his first week’s salary. I liked his pair more, they were cooler, but they were all too big for me.”

Ding Baoshu, still prepubescent and not having reached puberty, still looked very much like a child, and indeed, his feet were small, wearing a pair of blue children’s sports shoes.

Their family was poor, buying new shoes was a once-a-year event; such trivial matters as a pair of shoes, a pair of pants, or a pencil, which might seem insignificant to others, he could remember for a long time.

Liu Jiaming nodded somewhat uncomfortably, signaling for Ding Baoshu to sit down again:

“Did your brother have any friends, or enemies perhaps?”

Ding Baoshu’s testimony didn’t provide any more useful information.

Though the male victim had often been in trouble for stealing or acting as a tough guy, he seemed very protective of his younger brother, never bringing his questionable friends home or introducing them to his brother.

After escorting Ding Baoshu to the police station’s entrance, Liu Jiaming thought for a moment, then asked a uniformed police officer patrolling the streets to help send Ding Baoshu home.

The young boy shook his head, took a step forward out of the police station, and headed towards his home in Sham Shui Po under the hot sun.

A uniformed officer came out and asked if he should ride his motorcycle to take him, but the boy turned around, shook his head, his lips pressed into a straight line, and after a small bow, he walked away.

Yi Jiaru rode to the police station to deliver food, handing over a rich afternoon tea to her sister while asking, “Who’s that kid who just walked out of the station? Did you guys scold him for doing something bad?”

Yi Jiayi looked at the slender figure that had already reached the crossroads and shook her head, “No. That was a victim’s family member, his brother was killed.”

“Oh… I see, walking and wiping tears at the same time,” Yi Jiaru stuck out her tongue slightly and handed the last drink to her elder sister, adding, “That’s really pitiful.”

As Yi Jiayi handed her younger sister the money for the delivery and the tip for the delivery person, she thought for a moment, then handed back the last cup of Yi’s Iced Delight milk tea to her sister, “Give this to that kid on your way back later. He was at the police station for half a day giving statements and didn’t have a sip of water.”

“Oh, okay.” Yi Jiaru nodded, put on her helmet, looked around curiously inside the police station, and then rode off.

She quickly caught up with Ding Baoshu, stopped, and tried to give him the Yi’s Iced Delight, saying it was a gift from the police detective. But Ding Baoshu refused to take it, and when Yi Jiaru insisted, he turned and walked away.

Stubborn as a mule.

Yi Jiaru, frustrated, stamped her foot, clutching the Yi’s Iced Delight, pedaled her bicycle twice, and as she passed Ding Baoshu, she quickly and forcefully pushed the milk tea in front of him.

Instinctively, the boy reached out to catch it, and in the next instant, the girl withdrew her hand and rode away quickly on her bicycle.

Ding Baoshu held the cold paper cup of milk tea, gazed at Yi Jiaru’s retreating back for a while, then looked down to closely examine the drink he had never tried before.

Hesitating for a few seconds, he finally took a sip. It was cool and refreshing, sweet but not cloying, with a smooth and silky texture.

It was the tastiest thing he had ever drunk.

He continued walking, drinking as he went, head bowed. The sweetness did not stop his tears; if anything, it made him cry even harder.

…

…

The detectives of Team B gathered around Fang Zhenyue’s desk, listening to Liu Jiaming’s report.

“Ding Baolin was a local thug from Pei Ho Street in Sham Shui Po, dropped out of school after grade 5, idle and mischievous, engaged in petty crimes like gambling, robbery, overseeing gambling dens, learning to collect protection money.”

“His parents died long ago, leaving only his grandmother and younger brother at home, both unable to fend for themselves.”

“He disappeared for two days, and his brother Ding Baoshu reported him missing at the police station because Ding Baolin had once again run off with some stolen money to go fishing at Chuanwan with friends, hiding for two months before returning.”

“The police officer thought Ding Baolin was probably up to no good again and had gone into hiding, so although they recorded him as a missing person, they didn’t take it seriously.”

“The owner of the diner where Ding Baolin worked also thought he had just run off to return to his old ways after a week, didn’t even look for Ding Baolin, and just hired someone new.”

Liu Jiaming paused, then added:

“Everyone thought Ding Baolin had definitely abandoned his helpless grandmother and brother to run off, except for Ding Baoshu, who refused to believe it, insisting his brother was missing, running to the police station every week to ask if they had found his brother. Six months passed, and it was the same every week.”

“He’s really as stubborn and dense as a bull.”

“He told the police that his brother had a girlfriend, which made the police believe even more that his brother had run off with his girlfriend, leaving his grandmother and younger brother behind.”

Ding Baoshu still did not believe it, stubbornly insisting that his brother had reformed and would not flee, and that something must have happened to him.

“Doesn’t he know who his brother’s girlfriend is?” Fang Zhenyue asked.

Liu Jiaming shook his head. “He doesn’t know her name, hasn’t even seen her, just knows she’s nice because his brother really likes her.”

The room fell silent for a while before Fang Zhenyue said, “Jiaming, make another trip to the Sham Shui Po police station, check up on the people who were arrested with Ding Baolin before, and investigate each one of them thoroughly.

“Uncle Jiu, take Gary and check around Tsuen Wan again, find out who Ding Baolin was hiding with there, and who he contacted.”

The three men took their orders and were about to leave.

“Let’s have afternoon tea before we go.” Yi Jiayi suddenly said timidly.

Otherwise, the food will cool down and won’t taste as good.

Everyone involuntarily looked towards Fang Zhenyue, and upon seeing him nod, they happily sat back down and joyfully began to eat, praising as they did:

“Jiayi really has an eye for food; everything she ordered is delicious.”

“Is it from Yi Ji again? Wow, it’s like an endless recipe book. How can everything be so delicious without repeating dishes?”

“Jiayi is really blessed, getting to eat meals made by Brother Dong every day.”

“Brother Yue, you should try some too.”

“You guys eat, we’ll leave after you’re done. I’m stepping out for a bit.” Fang Zhenyue picked up an Yi’s Iced Delight cup and a photo of the type of shoes worn by Ding Baolin, then stepped out of the office and drove off to an unknown destination.

The next day, Gary came back from Tsuen Wan empty-handed.

Many had forgotten the events of the past, and the fishermen in the area had changed over the years.

Even the permanent fishermen who come into contact with countless youths coming to the sea to fish each year could not identify Ding Baolin from his photo.

Liu Jiaming brought back some of the bad company Ding Baolin used to hang out with, and after several rounds of harsh interrogations, he still failed to extract any useful statements.

With no evidence and no convincing motive, it was difficult to take control during the interrogation.

These young men, seasoned by their time in the underworld, treated the police interrogation room as if it were their own home, not only unafraid but also wasting police time by dragging conversations off-topic.

Despite significant progress in the case, the Major Crime Unit detectives were still at a loss.

Lin Wangjiu looked at the names of these bad guys recorded on the whiteboard, even going as far as to burn incense and pray for the vengeful ghost they had drawn to appear quickly and guide them.

This atmosphere lasted for two days, and though the red circle did not appear, Fang Zhenyue received a call from an informant.

After writing down an address and a name on a banknote, Fang Zhenyue hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

Everyone watched Fang Zhenyue expectantly, and Yi Jiayi, who had come over to deliver forensic reports, also stood at the door holding the documents, nervously watching him.

She has been unable to find a time when Office B was empty these past few days, wanting to draw circles but unable to, which has left her feeling extremely frustrated and breaking out in acne.

“Found the guy wearing the deceased Ding Baolin’s sneakers, named Da Jianzi. Tseung Kwan O, Kin Ming Estate,” Fang Zhenyue turned to glance out the window, struggling to suppress his excitement to remain rational.

Everyone was emotionally charged, and Yi Jiayi blinked, voicing what everyone was thinking:

“Sir Fang, how did you find this guy? That’s amazing…”

“If you have informants all over Hong Kong, finding someone wearing shoes that aren’t his and also buying new shoelaces isn’t that hard.”

Fang Zhenyue arrogantly curled his lip:

“Everyone knows that informants are maintained with money.”

“What kind of person do you think can maintain the most informants?”

“…Sir Fang, you?” Yi Jiayi answered, her eyes wide open.

Liu Jiaming laughed heartily, “Of course, it’s the rich people!”

Fang Zhenyue also chuckled, then shifted away from the joking mood and became serious, “Get ready, I’ll report to madam, and then we’ll head to Tseung Kwan O to apprehend the suspect.”

“Yes, SIR.” a group of spirited men shouted in unison, their voices thundering.

Fang Zhenyue smiled and shook his head, clapping the nearest officer, Sanfu, on the shoulder before leaving the office.

As he passed by Yi Jiayi, he turned back for a moment of eye contact, receiving a look full of admiration from the young policewoman, which made him pause momentarily, feeling an unexplained warmth in his chest.

Putting aside his strange feelings, he knocked on the door of Qiu Sushan’s office and entered without waiting for a reply.

“You should wait for a response after knocking before entering—” Qiu Sushan immediately complained, pounding on the desk. She was applying lipstick, and it was embarrassing to be caught by a subordinate.

But her complaint was cut off halfway by Fang Zhenyue:

“The King’s Park murder case has identified a suspect in Kin Ming Estate, Tseung Kwan O, and we are about to carry out the arrest now.”

Qiu Sushan opened her mouth, then immediately stood up, “Let’s go!”

She had only applied lipstick to her upper lip and couldn’t bother to finish.

…

The King’s Park murder case was horrific. It terrified the people of Hong Kong, who dared not visit King’s Park for months.

Team A detectives had worked tirelessly for months without cracking the case, and the day after it was designated a cold case, a tabloid disregarded communications from the public relations department and published doubts about the abilities of the Hong Kong detectives.

It was a disgrace for the Yau Ma Tei Police Station.

The case has now been reopened, and Team B’s detectives are staking their honor on it.

Finally!

They finally have a solid suspect!

The entire Major Crime Team B assembles, armed and serious, determined to win, they set out!

Just as Fang Zhenyue was about to lead his team, pressing the car lock of his Jeep to unlock it, a group suddenly burst out from the police station—six detectives from Major Crime Team A, led by You Zhaohua, who sprinted with a stealthy gleam at their waists, clearly also armed.

“?” Liu Jiaming turned his head.

What?

Was Team A also setting out to catch the criminal?

Why did Team B have a suspect and coincidentally, Team A had one at the same time?

What’s the reason?

Are they copying us?

“Madam, let’s go together. We’ve also invested a lot of effort in this case. Let us go catch the criminal together,” You Zhaohua ran up to Qiu Sushan, his expression earnest, his eyes sparkling under the cold garage lights.

He clenched his teeth, his expression so sincere it seemed as if, if Qiu Sushan disagreed, he would take her by force if necessary.

“Follow orders,” Qiu Sushan took a deep breath and finally did not refuse.

“Yes, madam!” You Zhaohua saluted immediately, then checked his radio and adjusted the frequency before turning to his car, waving his hand.

“Kids, get in the car, let’s go!”

…

Over fifty minutes later, the Major Case Team A and Team B converged in a small hut in Kin Ming Estate, where they pinned down Da Jianzi who was in the middle of a card game.

Another young guy who was playing mahjong tried to flee upon seeing the detectives arresting people, but was tripped at the door by Fang Zhenyue and handed over to Liu Jiaming to take away.

Da Jianzi was pinned to the ground, Lin Wangjiu’s knee on his left back, You Zhaohua’s knee on his right, his head pressed down by Gary, his hands clicked into cuffs by a Team A detective in a blue vest, his buttocks enduring kicks from some unknown detective.

The room’s light shook from the impact, flickering on and off, and as Da Jianzi lifted his head, all he could see were shadows of armed detectives everywhere.

He felt so suffocated under the pressure, his entire skeletal frame aching, his guts trembling with fear:

How… how are there so many people… huh?