I looked around and saw that it was all merry and rowdy around the table. Sun Tiger was still in a drinking duel with Yuanchao, while the rest of the officers were laughing and having lively conversations. It was in stark contrast with the icy atmosphere that I was stuck in, what with Xiaotao and Bingxin bickering with each other non-stop.
After three rounds of drinks, Sun Tiger suddenly announced, “Right! I’ve invited you all here today for two reasons—first, to celebrate; and second, for work!”
I was confused for a moment. Xiaotao looked unsurprised. She whispered to me, “When Sun Tiger treats you to a meal, you can bet that there’s work he wants you to do.”
It turned out that as the year was about to end, a special team was set up to deal with unsolved cases in nearby small townships. This year, the Director-General himself requested that I be included on the team too. Xiaotao mentioned that this was nothing new to them. In fact, it was during the holidays like these that police officers tend to be the busiest.
Apart from me, Bingxin was to join the team too, as she was now the intern coroner. This type of work didn’t tend to be very risky or dangerous, so Sun Tiger agreed to let her participate without much opposition.
When Sun Tiger finished speaking, Xiaotao raised her glass and said, “We have Master Detective Song with us this year, so we should be able to get everything done in no time and finally celebrate the new year like normal people!”
Everyone cheered and applauded.
“So where are we going, Uncle Sun?” I asked.
“Your task this year is to go to Qinglian County south of Nanjiang City,” he explained. “A number of murder cases occurred in the small town, but I’m sure they won’t take you much effort to solve at all.”
“You’re being too kind, Uncle Sun,” I smiled.
These high expectations put on me made me feel slightly nervous, because I knew that the most difficult cases were often the simplest ones. Besides, time had passed since the murders occurred, so no clues and perhaps no witnesses could be found anymore. I had a hunch that it would be quite a challenge to solve these cases.
“But, Dad!” complained Bingxin. “Song Yang-gege was going to go home for the new year celebration! He’s not a police officer, so you have no authority to force him to work during the holidays!”
Sun Tiger laughed. “My daughter’s right, kiddo! I must ask you to do me a favor this time. I promise you that when you all come back, I’ll treat you all to a grand meal. By the way, you’re getting famous within the police force. I think you should be the leader of the task force, what do you think?”
Many people seemed to show signs that they agreed with this arrangement, but I had been the task force leader before in the Wuqu City case. I found the task simply too tedious. I’d rather just focus on the investigation of the cases instead.
“I’ve got a better idea, Uncle Sun,” I suggested. “Let Xiaotao lead the task force instead! She’s a much better leader than I am. Also, that way I can just focus on solving the case.”
Sun Tiger nodded. “Okay, Xiaotao will be the team leader then.”
Xiaotao smiled ever so slightly. She clinked her glass of juice with mine and whispered, “Thank you!”
“You’re very welcome,” I replied with a smile.
We would be leaving for Qinglian County that same evening. After the meal, I showed Xiaotao the ATM card that the rich lady gave me and explained to her what had happened. I then asked her to give it back to the rich lady.
“That’s admirable of you,” said Xiaotao. “If you were a police officer, I’d recommend you for a medal or something.”
“I’m serious about this,” I emphasized. “You must return it to her. I don’t want to kowtow to her the next time we meet…”
Xiaotao would later tell me after the New Year that the case had a great impact on the rich lady. She resigned from her position as president of her company and stayed home every day, meditating on Buddhist scriptures.
I went back to my dorm room to pack up, then cancelled my train ticket home and called my family telling them that I’d be back a few days later than originally planned.
Xiaotao picked me up later that evening. Bingxin was also in the car, and she asked me to sit with her in the back. I was always caught in an awkward situation when the two of them were in the same place, so I had to think up the most diplomatic answer fast.
“You’re planning to get your driving license soon, aren’t you?” I asked Bingxin. “You should sit in front and learn how to drive from Xiaotao then.”
We took off, and later met up with Yuanchao at the toll station. At around four o’clock in the afternoon, we reached Qinglian County. It was a small town comprising of just a few streets. When we arrived at the police station, we were greeted by a group of people standing near the entrance holding a huge banner which read, “A Warm Welcome to the Task Force Team!”
As we approached them, a plump officer barked, “Ready, start!”
Then the rest of the group shouted in unison, “Welcome to Qinglian County!”
It was such a cringe-inducing scene that we felt embarrassed for them.
The plump officer turned out to be Officer Feng, who was the director of the county police station. He shook our hands earnestly and announced, “It is our honor to have you here! We’ve been looking forward to your arrival. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of you on behalf of the whole county! By the way, which one of you is the legendary Master Detective Song?”
Bingxin nudged me forward and exclaimed, “Here he is! The inimitable Master Detective Song!”
Director Feng gasped. “But you’re only a young man! We’ve heard of your exceptional feats and we’re immensely impressed! It is our honor to welcome you here!”
“You don’t have to be so polite, Director Feng,” I scratched my head awkwardly. “I’m just a consultant to the police, not even a proper officer.”
“We’re planning on organizing a lecture on the ancient knowledge of the Traditional Coroners. I hope you won’t mind being our guest of honor, Detective Song!”
I was staggered. Was he really asking me to give a lecture on my family’s secret arts? Xiaotao looked at me and sniggered. I noticed then how much fame did not agree with me.
Director Feng had booked hotel rooms for us and invited us to dinner straight away, but Xiaotao waved her hand and said, “Let’s do that later. We’d like to talk about the case now.”
“Okay,” Director Feng nodded. “Please follow me.”
We were led into the police station, where a fair-skinned tall police officer brought us a stack of files. Director Feng introduced him as Officer Chen, and he was his most competent officer. Officer Chen would be assisting us in the investigation of the cases while we were here.
Officer Chen greeted us briefly with a nod, Xiaotao returned the nod, and we dove straight into the files.
The case-solving rate for this branch was really low. There had been only two murders here this year, but neither were solved. The first case involved a dismembered body, but the identity of the victim had not been determined. The body parts were found at a construction site last June. Because it was summer, the body parts were severely decomposed and the body was basically unrecognizable. There were many workers who had worked here temporarily but they had since left, so no real investigation was ever conducted.
The other murder case involved a young female hairdresser who was disfigured. Her body was found in a nearby forest last April.
I was more concerned with the dismembered body case, because it seemed that the murderer was more skilled. I asked Officer Chen, “Had any other similar cases happened before?”
“No,” he answered with a stony face.
“This is only a small town,” Director Feng chimed in. “We’re not like large cities where the populations are larger. We don’t have that many criminals here.”
I thought I noticed a slight agitation in Director Feng’s expressions when he spoke. It almost seemed like he was hiding something from me.
Bingxin had been reading the case files as well. She asked, “Can I go see the body now?”
“Sure,” Officer Chen replied. “I’ll take you there.”
Xiaotao immediately ordered two other police officers to follow them. Firstly, they were to serve as Bingxin’s assistants should she need any help, and secondly, they would protect her should anything happen. Xiaotao was being vigilant as usual.
By the time we were done discussing the cases, it was already dark. Director Feng insisted on inviting us to dinner, and we thought it best not to refuse him. At the restaurant, Director Feng paid the most attention to Xiaotao. He chatted with her and even poured drinks for her, probably because she had the highest rank among all of us. His position as the director of the county police station might sound impressive, but in truth, his real power and authority was limited compared to Xiaotao. Besides, being posted at a small town like this one meant that there would be little chance of promotion.
The rest of the party seemed to be enjoying themselves. They talked and laughed—the atmosphere seemed lively on the surface. Still, I couldn’t help but feel that there was a tension in the air between our group and the local officers…