I didn't say much more. Suddenly I noticed the calendar, seeing it was December 7th. Chinese New Year was approaching, so I instructed everyone, "Be vigilant lately. For some reason, I always feel another major case is coming!"
"Uh, Director He, are you going to channel your inner Conan again!" kanshuWu.xia
I was teased by Liu Yuning but paid it no mind. However, just as I was about to return to my office to handle some letters of petition, Ma Biao's voice carried from nearby: "Team Leader He, I'm back!"
Seeing him, I didn't know what to say. I had thought he might give up on developing his career here after the last incident, but seeing him act as if nothing had happened, I approached him, "Recovered well, I see!"
"Yes, but I have something to ask of you. It's about my mother's case!"
"How is your mother?" I was a bit curious at the time. kand
Ma Biao didn't explain immediately but led me back to his home.
Director Ma was already home. Seeing me arrive with several police officers, he knew I was going to handle this case.
"Director He, I truly didn't expect you to personally oversee this. Thank you!"
"What are you saying? We're all colleagues. Alright, please explain your wife's situation in detail!"
"Okay. It's like this, the day before yesterday, Zhang Zhiwei didn't come back. When she left, she left me a letter: 'Ma Guoming, I need to leave for a while. Don't look for me during this time, understand? You won't be able to find me anyway, because this is something I have to handle alone. I'll go into hiding. I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth back then. Do you remember that case from years ago, involving you, your grandfather, and He Jianquan? Cao Youqin was arrested, but don't forget, there's still something else, still something else...' It seems that fellow is back. I didn't expect he still hasn't let go of your grandfather's matter..."
"Director Ma, what does this mean? Did you and Grandpa have dealings with the Cao family before?"
"Yes, 12 years ago. He Jianquan went into seclusion precisely because of this case. He even accepted his death when he was hanged without coming out to clarify, all to avoid being hunted by people from the Ci Men. They are probably still targeting your grandfather, but why would they go after my wife? If they have something to say, they should come for me! My wife was not involved in this case at all!"
"Besides you and my grandfather, who else? What kind of case was it?" Seeing the myriad of questions, I felt extremely uncomfortable, so I blurted them out impatiently.
"Specifically, your grandfather used his skills as a coroner to uncover Cao Xiangchen's scheme. He was then arrested, and his two sons have also been arrested. However, when he was sent to serve his sentence, he mysteriously disappeared. The forensic investigator in charge at the time couldn't figure out what was going on. Both your grandfather and I believed it was done by people from the organization. This Cao Xiangchen must have been quite important internally. Afterwards, your grandfather was constantly attacked. Later, when the people of Hejia Village found out, they came to help and took your grandfather away. You know, your grandfather is actually the village chief of Hejia Village..."
"Ah, this..." I had no idea. I thought it was that old woman. It seems Grandpa didn't want to reveal his identity and just wanted the old woman to take his place. Understanding this, I realized how cautious Grandpa had been all these years.
Director Ma continued, "Your grandfather's actions this time will surely be controlled, so it falls to you. He Sheng, it's been 12 years. Do you have the confidence to face the Cao family with me?"
"Of course. A case that you and Grandpa couldn't handle, it must be thoroughly solved in my generation. That is the ambition of us People's Police!"
"Good. However, there was another police officer named Huang Dahai who investigated this case with us back then. At that time, it was a similar situation. The wives of everyone around them mysteriously disappeared after receiving a bouquet of June chrysanthemums. But they kept sending messages to their loved ones, telling them they were fine and living well..."
"You mean to say, all the victims were the wives of the police officers handling this case?"
"Yes. That fellow specifically targeted police officers around 40 years old who were already married. However, my wife and your grandfather's wife were not harmed. We were by their side the whole time!"
"Were they found later?"
"No, they weren't found. It's been 12 years, and there's been no news. Strangely, 10 years ago, they still sent messages to our colleagues, but for the past two years, there's been no news at all."
"But couldn't messages be traced to locate people?"
"No, those people are very cunning. Every time they sent a message, they would change their location, switch phone cards and WeChat accounts. Every time we arrived at a place, the person would be long gone, but we could always see traces of their presence. It's because of this that several police officers who worked on the case back then have been in a slump. Seeing them grow thinner and thinner, I felt immense pain. Additionally, two police officers changed careers and stopped looking for their wives. I think they gave up..."
"How detestable! It's this Cao family again. People like them should be executed. Life imprisonment is too easy. What crime was Cao Xiangchen arrested for back then?"
"Murder. He killed his wife..."
This... I was confused. Could this be the reason he kidnapped other people's wives? However, we weren't sure yet if these circumstances were truly related to him. Since there was now an opportunity to investigate, I had to handle it with all my might.
I patted Director Ma's shoulder, "Give me that letter. I have a master here who is very professional in handwriting analysis. The forensics and technical team will conduct an on-site investigation here. I will find your wife, Zhang Zhiwei, as soon as possible."
"Okay! I will also participate in this case, even though she is my wife."
"Don't worry, I won't ask you to recuse yourself," I said, gesturing for my colleagues to get busy. Director Ma handed me the letter. I opened it and saw only his fingerprints. Zhang Zhiwei's handwriting was delicate and graceful, exuding a gentle beauty. She was likely an educated and sensible woman. Gao Mingqiang and others were conducting their investigation at Director Ma's home, while I continued to inquire about Zhang Zhiwei's recent situation with Director Ma.
Including her behavior, words, and habits, I learned everything. Director Ma suddenly had a thought, "Could it be that because my wife was not harmed back then, they felt there was something left unfinished, and now they want to come back to rectify it? If Guo Fang (my grandmother) hadn't died, perhaps..."