After the case was over, I rested for two days. Then, Dali rushed into my room with a newspaper in his hand.
“Dude, dude!” he yelled. “We’re in the paper!”
“What? Let me see!”
I read the article that was supposed to be about the case and didn’t know if I should laugh or cry in response. The whole case was simplified into the murder of two students as personal revenge due to the loss of a scholarship grant. There was no mention of the cursed piano, probably because the police thought it was too bizarre and outlandish to disclose to the public.
Huang Xiaotao was mentioned by name, but I was merely ‘an enthusiastic college student with the surname of Song’ who provided the police with some help. As for the rest of the article, it was just some nonsense about college students being unprepared psychologically to withstand the stress and how terrible it was for the families to lose their children.
“What a ridiculous article,” I said.
“Yeah,” replied Dali. “I think even I could do a better job! And they didn’t even mention my name at all! By the way, you must have more than ten thousand fans on Weibo by now, right dude?”
“Nah,” I said, “I closed my account. Who’s got the time to answer all those stupid questions they sent me?”
“Shit, dude. Why didn’t you use this golden opportunity to develop your fanbase? If you became famous on the internet, maybe I can share some of that attention too…”
There was no way I would dare to be famous in any way, not even if it was just on the Internet. How many members of the Song family had lost their lives due to being well known for their skills in solving cases? No, I had to remain under the radar no matter what.
Then I received a call from Huang Xiaotao who said that I should go to the police station. I asked her if it was because we were getting a bonus.
“That will come out in two days…” she muttered. “It’s um… It’s Dr. Qin. He’s trying to report you.”
“What?” I said, almost cursing. How shameless was this old man? I should be the one to report him instead!
Not only was he unable to solve the case before us, but he was even trying to harm us!
“What did I do now? What is he reporting me for?” I asked.
“You’ll see when you get here,” said Huang Xiaotao. “And make it quick! He’s pestering Captain Lin right now. If you don’t get here soon there’ll be a police car going to your college to escort you here!”
“Okay, I’m on my way!”
Dali asked me what happened.
“I’m going to the police station for a while,” I said. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Should I go too?”
“No.”
I got dressed in a hurry then got a cab to the police station. Huang Xiaotao was waiting at the entrance. She was wearing her full uniform that day, and she looked really cool in it.
“I’m sorry, Song Yang,” she said. “I got you in trouble again.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said, “it’s that shameless old man. Let’s go find him.”
We went straight to an office, where I could clearly hear Dr. Qin’s deafening voice. “Captain Lin, if it wasn’t for Huang Xiaotao who brought in that little brat, do you really think that someone with my experience can’t solve such a simple case like this? Nonsense! You have to punish her!”
I wanted to laugh at this logic of his. Did experience automatically mean capability to him?
“All right, Old Qin,” said the other voice, probably the Captain Lin that Huang Xiaotao mentioned before. “There’s no need to get carried away. Let’s hear what he has to say first.”
Huang Xiaotao knocked on the door. Captain Lin said come in and so we both entered the office.
“Captain Lin,” said Huang Xiaotao after a salute, “I’ve brought Song Yang here.”
Dr. Qin held a cigarette between his fingers, and he was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. When he saw me, his nostrils flared and he let out a loud harrumph.
Captain Lin was a lean and muscular man around the age of forty or so. He looked a bit like an actor in an action movie for some reason.
“So, you are Song Yang?” he asked, his eyes inspecting me.
“Yes,” I said with a nod.
“You look very young,” he said, “yet you managed to solve a case like this in less than twenty-four hours. Do you come from a family of police officers?”
“No, sir,” I said. “I come from a long line of civilians. It’s only an interest of mine. I’ve been reading books about criminal cases and investigations since I was very young.”
“So you are indeed a rare young talent, very impressive!” Captain Lin praised.
“Captain Lin!” said Dr. Qin. He tossed his cigarette butt into the ashtray and got up from his seat, fuming in anger. “Why are you praising this impudent brat? He’s been desecrating dead bodies and interfering with our investigation!”
“Old Qin,” said Captain Lin with a laugh, “he was just examining the dead bodies, you can’t accuse him of desecration for that! Besides, didn’t he end up helping us solve a case?”
“How can you say that?” said Dr. Qin. “He’s not a police officer! He’s a completely random outsider! How can you take his side like that?”
“I’m only being reasonable,” said Captain Lin. “From what I’ve seen, there’s really no need to make a big fuss about this. No need to report him at all.”
“Wait, I have something else to say!” interjected Dr. Qin, staring at me with darkened eyes. “This brat stole a crucial piece of evidence and destroyed it!”
I froze for a moment at this allegation, completely clueless about what the old man was talking about.
Even Captain Lin’s expressions had changed, and he began to scrutinize me with suspicion.
“Is this true?” he asked.
“Yes,” answered Dr. Qin. “There is a piece of crucial evidence in this case that he snuck out without the knowledge of the police, completely derailing our team’s investigation and causing us to waste a lot of time and effort.”
“What crucial evidence are you talking about?” I asked impatiently. “Can’t you just be clear about it already?”
“There was a brochure stuck between the pages of the murderer’s book,” said Dr. Qin, “and according to the roommate it was you who took it away. Isn’t that correct?”
Huang Xiaotao and I looked at each other in shock. Is that what he called ‘key evidence’?
After going to the plastic surgery clinic, Huang Xiaotao didn’t even remember where she put the brochure. But it was just a brochure,anyway. We could use other, much more convincing evidence to prove that Deng Chao had gone to the clinic and gotten himself a hand surgery. Dr. Qin had greatly exaggerated the importance of that brochure.
“Is the brochure that crucial?” asked Captain Lin.
“Very crucial indeed!” insisted Dr. Qin. “It was probably where the most important clues were found. Otherwise, don’t you think it’s completely unbelievable how this rand brat could solve the case before our whole team?”
This old man was an infinite well of accusations. But he was a high-ranking officer after all, so I forced myself to maintain my cool.
“Dr. Qin,” I said, “there was nothing on the brochure at all except what you’d find at the clinic. You can find out the same information if you interviewed the roommates even without it. It’s nowhere near a crucial evident at all!”
“How would I know that what you claim is true now that you’d destroyed the evidence?”
“What do you think could be written on the brochure?” I asked, laughing. “The diary of the murderer recounting how he murdered the two victims?”
“That might even be true,” he said, “that’s why you were capable of solving the case before me. Who knew what other kind of clues and evidence you hid from me?”
“Don’t worry about that,” I said. “We actually uncovered fewer clues than you did, not more.”
“But how do I know I can trust your words?”
“Dr. Qin,” I said with a smile. “It sounds like you’re insisting that you and the whole investigation team uncovered less clues than me and Huang Xiaotao? In that case it was no surprise that you didn’t solve the case.”
Blood rushed up to Dr. Qin’s face and he was so angry he went speechless for a few seconds.
“What… what nonsense are you talking about, you impudent brat?!”
That was the perfect opening for me.
“Dr. Qin,” I said, “Are you saying that you won’t honor the bet that you lost?”
“What bet?” asked Captain Lin.
I relayed the bet that Dr. Qin and I made during the investigation of the case.
“Dr. Qin,” said Captain Lin, “I can’t believe that you would make a bet about such an important thing like the investigation of a case!”
“No, no,” muttered Dr. Qin, “the little brat tricked me into it!”
Damn that Old Qin, it sounded like he would never admit that he was in the wrong no matter what. He was the kind of shady person that you’d be worried about. They’d bend facts to work in their favor and never admit anything that would not benefit them.
“Dr. Qin,” I said, “I respect you as an elder, which is why I remained polite to you. But if you keep refusing to honor your words, isn’t that a bit too dishonest of you?”
“You ignorant brat,” Dr. Qin exclaimed, “You weren’t even born yet when I first became a coroner! How dare you speak to me like that!”
“Obviously, all those years were wasted,” I said with a smile.
“You-you-you-you… Say it again if you dare!”
“That’s enough,” said Captain Lin. “I’ve heard both sides now. I don’t think the brochure was of any significance at all. Dr. Qin, you’re a senior officer, so why not take the high road and let both sides agree to a compromise?”
“We’ll see about that!” said Dr. Qin, ready to walk away.
But before he could leave, the phone rang, and Captain Lin picked it up. He said a few words, looked at me, then said, “Great timing. He’s right here, so why don’t you talk to him?”
He then handed the phone to me and said, “For you, Song Yang.”
I picked it up and immediately my ear was blasted with a familiar booming voice.
“Hey, kiddo! I just read the report, and it wouldn’t have been solved if you weren’t there! You little brat, why didn’t you tell me you’re working with the police now? Are you afraid that I’d tie you up and drag you with me to do my job?”
“Oh, Uncle Sun!” I said. “I didn’t plan to get involved with the case, but it all happened so suddenly.”
Officer Sun burst into a hearty laugh.
“By the sounds of it, I’d guess that you ‘accidentally’ solved the case just like your grandpa did all those years ago, didn’t you, kiddo? When are you coming over to visit me? We haven’t seen each other for… what… three years? You should come over and we’ll chat over a drink or two.”
Dr. Qin eyed me suspiciously the whole time, so I intentionally said, “Oh, by the way, I heard that you’re the director now. Congratulations!”
“D-Di… Director Sun!” exclaimed Dr. Qin. His jaw dropped so low it almost hit the floor.