Animal Detective

Chapter 227 The suspect was identified in just one day—that was too fast!
Dogs don't have the same expressive range as humans, but people can still sense changes in their emotions from their reactions.

For example, Tiger Stripe—Shen Xin knew he was up to no good as soon as he shrank his neck.

Even though there was no favorability icon above the old dog's head, Shen Xin could still sense joy in its eyes.

It's getting old, and its memory may not be as good anymore, but some things will be forever etched in its mind.

Shen Xin reached out and gently stroked the old man's head.

It did not rub against Shen Xin's palm.

It is no longer young; it has passed the age of longing for human closeness.

Shen Xin turned around, went to the car, and got some delicious food.

Tiger Stripes and his team still haven't run out of funds.

A can of dog food, filled with thick soup and chunks of meat, was only sniffed by the old dog. When Shen Xin pushed it towards him again, indicating that he should eat, the old dog stuck out its tongue and licked it a few times.

Seeing this reaction, Shen Xin became even more certain that this was an old dog.

I've reached the age where I have a poor appetite and can't even eat much.

It looked up, its cloudy eyes casting a grateful glance.

Having lived a long time, it can accurately convey the meaning it wants to express.

The favorability icon still hasn't appeared above its head.

Shen Xin didn't care.

Its situation is probably similar to Loki's.

His talent was still effective, but in the old dog's heart, he already had a master.

Then, once the favorability icon appears, it immediately adds up to several bars.

As we were feeding them, an electric scooter drove up from a distance and stopped at the entrance.

"Officer Lai, what brings you here?"

The person who came should be Mao Yanru.

Shen Xin stood up and looked Mao Yanru up and down.

She wore high-heeled leather boots, flesh-colored tights, a bodycon skirt, and a long down jacket worn open, revealing a dark purple velvet sweater underneath, showing off her slightly plump figure.

Wide hips are a standard pear-shaped body type.

She was quite tall, with a head of chestnut-colored, wavy curls.

As Lai Yong said, she is quite pretty, especially her almond-shaped eyes, which have a charming and alluring quality.

However, she is two years older than Han Xiaolong and should be 41 this year. The skin on her neck already shows signs of aging, and her face is mostly covered in makeup.

And this outfit is quite fitting for the health and wellness shop she runs.

Mao Yanru was still a little flustered in front of the police. After parking the car, she asked Shen Xin who the two people were.

Lai Yong gave a brief introduction and concluded by saying, "Mao Yanru, we plan to reopen the investigation into Han Xiaolong's case. Officer Shen and the other officer are here to ask you about the case again. Just tell them the truth."

When the investigation was reopened, Mao Yanru frowned immediately.

This reaction suggests that they've been disappointed many times and have given up hope.

But she nodded, turned to open the door, and then, carrying the takeout box, invited the three of them inside.

The shop is small, with a few massage beds against the wall and a table on the other side covered with essential oils and foot bath packets.

Shen Xin didn't care about that. He pointed to the old dog outside and asked if it was Han Xiaolong's dog.

Mao Yanru nodded: "That's right, it's the dog that Xiaolong raises. I saw that Aunt Luo is getting old and can't take care of herself, so I brought it over to raise. It can also help me watch the door."

Shen Xin then asked how old the dog was.

"That's quite an age."

Mao Yanru did some mental calculations and said, "It should be fourteen or fifteen years. I remember when I got divorced and returned to the village, Xiaolong had already been raised for several years."

Shen Xin clicked his tongue slightly.

Fourteen or fifteen years, that's really old.

Shen Xin said, "It's like this, I have a request. Could you give me this dog? We might need it for our case investigation."

"Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of it. I will return it when the case is finally closed."

Mao Yanru put down her chopsticks, looked at Shen Xin with surprise, and then at Lai Yong.

What do you need a dog for?

She was a little confused.

Isn't this a reopening of the investigation?

Mao Yanru looked at Lai Yong with an inquiring look in her eyes.

Lai Yong silently turned his head and looked away.

I thought to myself, "Don't ask me, I want to know too."

When they were in town, they asked about the dog. When they met Luo Limei, they only asked about the dog's condition. Now they're even going so far as to take the dog away.

This method of solving cases was something he had never seen before.

"Well... alright, if you really want it, you can just take it and raise it. It's quite old and probably won't live much longer."

Mao Yanru glanced through the glass at the motionless old dog outside.

"Thank you." Shen Xin stood up and said, "That's settled then. Let's exchange contact information and get in touch if we have any questions."

Watching Mao Yanru eat spicy hot pot made Shen Xin hungry too.

I've been running around all morning and haven't even had a chance to eat yet.

Mao Yanru blankly recited the phone number, then asked curiously, "Weren't you going to ask me about the case?"

But let me ask.

"That's not urgent."

Shen Xin is not in a hurry to inquire about the case and then put himself into someone else's preconceived notions.

For example, when asked who she suspected the murderer was, Mao Yanru was asked.

Shen Xin wanted to first cultivate a good relationship with this old dog, try to identify the murderer, and then investigate around the murderer.

Moreover, Shen Xin believed that even if he asked again, it would be difficult to get any useful information.

Liu Jie and his team conducted a very thorough investigation; they should have missed nothing.

Mao Yanru saw the three of them off, completely bewildered, and watched Shen Xin lead the old dog away.

The old dog stopped and turned to look at Mao Yanru.

"It's saying goodbye to you," Shen Xin said.

Mao Yanru simply responded with an "oh".

In her eyes, it was just a dog.

Seeing her reaction, Old Dog turned around and followed Shen Xin.

Seeing that Shen Xin and the other two were about to get into the car and leave, Mao Yanru gritted her teeth and chased after them for a few steps, calling out to Shen Xin.

"Officer Shen, Xiaolong may be simple-minded, but he has a very kind heart."

“In the village, if anyone asks him to do something, he never refuses. Honestly, just for that reason alone, he’s a complete fool.”

Mao Yanru smiled bitterly, vaguely recalling the foolish things Han Xiaolong had done.

Then, gritting his teeth, he said, "So I really want to know, what kind of bastard would not even spare someone like this?"

“Officer Shen, Aunt Luo is old and has kidney disease. Sometimes she says that it’s okay if Xiaolong dies, but I know that she cares about him.”

“She only had one son, and she raised him all these years. Now that he’s gone, there has to be some explanation.”

"Thank you in advance."

She bowed and thanked them.

"rest assured."

Shen Xin nodded, got into the car, and left.

The three of them had lunch in town at noon.

After the meal, Lai Yong couldn't help but ask Shen Xin where they were going in the afternoon.

He had seen the scene and met the parties involved, but Shen Xin didn't ask them anything.

So what's next? Should we continue the visits?

Lai Yongzhen couldn't quite figure out Shen Xin's approach to handling the case.

"Captain Lai, how about this? I know you're quite busy. Why don't you go back to the station this afternoon? We'll continue the investigation here. If anything comes up, we'll keep in touch."

Shen Xin wasn't deliberately trying to get rid of people.

It's really a slow and painstaking process to cultivate goodwill, and Lai Yong, as a deputy captain, doesn't need to waste his time on me.

Lai Yong opened his mouth and nodded.

He then took his leave.

More than an hour later, he returned to the branch office.

I walked in and bumped into Ding Junbao and his team having a meeting.

"Lai Yong, why are you back? Where are Xiao Shen and the other two?" Ding Junbao looked behind Lai Yong.

"Don't mention it."

Lai Yong waved his hand, pulled Ding Junbao aside, and recounted the whole morning's events.

"Old Ding, I have a feeling this kid is unreliable."

When they met the person in question, they didn't ask any of the questions they should have asked, and instead just worried about the dog.

He knew that Shen Xin had solved a case using small animals, but he couldn't really focus all his attention on Han Xiaolong's dog.

What, can this dog open its mouth and talk to tell you who the murderer is?
Ding Junbao crossed his arms and thought for a moment, then said, "Don't say that. Anyway, after talking to him yesterday, I think this kid has a lot of ideas."

"He has his own ideas, so let's just follow his ideas for now and cooperate well."

"This case has been going on for so many years, and you know the situation yourself. It's not easy to solve, so it would be best if we succeed, but don't be too disappointed if we don't."

Lai Yong smiled wryly and said, "I wasn't disappointed, I just felt that what he did was a bit... childish."

He had never seen a case solved like this before.

Ding Junbao waved his hand, beckoning Lai Yong to come over for a meeting, as there was a case to be solved.

On the other side, after seeing Ding Junbao off, Shen Xin used his phone to search for nearby pet hospitals and then took the old dog for a check-up.

"This dog is quite old."

The veterinarian who treated the old dog carefully examined its condition and then said, "For a dog of this age, you should take it home and take good care of it. It does have some problems, such as cysts on its body and loose teeth."

"But at this age, to be honest, there's no point in getting treatment. Just eat and drink well."

After leaving the pet hospital, I got into the car.

Ding Yuwei turned her head and glanced at the old dog lying obediently on the floor, and said, "Then let's go to Wuba Village this afternoon and let it get used to its old living environment again?"

Having spent so much time with Shen Xin, Ding Yuwei had a general understanding of how Shen Xin cultivated a bond with a dog.

Shen Xin nodded.

That's what I think.

At Lao Gou's age, delicious food can't entice him, and neither can matchmaking or matchmaking by someone like Blue.

All we can do is take it for a walk around in its most familiar environment and try to find memories of the past.

Its reaction to the name "Howling Celestial Dog" shows that it still remembers Han Xiaolong.

Han Xiaolong raised it from a kitten for a full nine years.

This kind of feeling should be unforgettable.

"go!"

Without wasting any words, Shen Xin stepped on the gas and returned to Wuba Village.

It was almost 3 p.m. when we arrived.

"Howling Sky Dog!"

Shen Xin led the old dog out of the car and asked it if it remembered where it was.

Now it does everything slowly. After getting off the car, it didn't rush to take a step, but squatted there, slowly turning its head to look at everything around it.

I stared at it for almost ten minutes.

Sometimes it stares in one direction and doesn't move for two minutes.

It looked up at Shen Xin, let out a low bark, and then slowly walked north.

Shen Xin followed behind, holding the dog's leash.

Judging from the direction it went, it should be heading towards Han Xiaolong's home.

Sure enough, it slowly returned to Han Xiaolong's house, and right at the door, it peered through the crack in the gate and called out twice.

No one responded.

The gate to the courtyard was locked; Luo Limei must have gone out to collect recyclables again.

The old dog seemed tired from walking and quietly lay down at the gate of the yard.

It didn't close its eyes to rest, but instead kept them open, surveying everything around it.

That look in his eyes was like that of an old man in his twilight years, sitting in a familiar spot, looking back at everything in his memory.

Everywhere the eye can see are memories; that's the gist of it. Shen Xin wasn't in a hurry, giving it ample freedom and time.

Lu Youwei made the right decision to bring someone along; at least there's someone to talk to.

When I was in the team, there were many cases. When there were no cases, I still had to write case files and various reports. I was never free.

This is a rare free time, so I'll treat it as a break for myself.

The two of them huddled together and made irresponsible guesses about what might be on the USB drive Jiang Qi had left behind. It wasn't until a little after four in the afternoon that Luo Limei finally rode her tricycle back.

Upon seeing Shen Xin and the other person, along with the old dog, her expression brightened with joy.

The old dog, of course, wouldn't forget her. He familiarly stepped forward to greet her, wagging his tail slowly.

Seeing her son's dog, Luo Limei was overcome with emotion and began to shed tears again.

Shen and Xin helped her unload the car.

Luo Limei sat in the yard, the old dog lying quietly at her feet, rambling on about Han Xiaolong.

They said that when Han Xiaolong had meningitis, he wasn't taken to the hospital in time, and they blamed themselves for it.

I was too busy working in the fields to take good care of my child.

“Once, someone even advised me that since the child is already like this, it would be better not to have it. We should have another one while we are still young.”

A flash of indignation crossed Luo Limei's face as she clutched her chest and said, "He's flesh and blood of my own flesh and blood. How could I abandon him? I thought to myself then that no matter how much hardship I had to endure, I would raise him."

"No matter how hard it is, I accept it. I will spend my whole life making up for the mistakes I made."

"But I never expected that he would walk ahead of me."

Shen Xin quickly changed the subject, asking about Han Xiaolong and Lao Gou.

Luo Limei gradually stopped crying, rubbed the old dog's head, and said that this old dog was very intelligent and always followed Han Xiaolong.

Wherever Han Xiaolong goes, it goes too, so Han Xiaolong will never get lost, because the old dog remembers the way home.

Shen Xin nodded secretly.

This is crucial: if the old dog was always following Han Xiaolong, then it must have been nearby when the crime occurred.

Did it attack the killer?

If it attacked the perpetrator, would the perpetrator subsequently get a rabies vaccination?

This might also be a clue pointing to the murderer.

Shen Xin asked Luo Limei what Lao Gou's reaction was after Han Xiaolong, and whether he had any wounds on his body.

If it protects its master and attacks the murderer, the murderer might retaliate and injure it.

This also indirectly proves that he was present at the time of the incident.

"I don't know, I was so busy looking for Xiaolong that I didn't notice it," Luo Limei shook her head.

Ding Yuwei whispered, "Shen Xin, are you going to investigate who received the rabies vaccine after the incident?"

Shen Xin nodded slightly.

After collecting the recyclables, Luo Limei invited the two to stay for dinner.

He then said he was going out to buy groceries.

There's a supermarket at the entrance of the village that sells vegetables.

"Auntie, let's go, we can take a walk around the village."

Shen Xin didn't refuse to stay, but he still needed to ask Luo Limei more about the details of Han Xiaolong's interactions with Lao Gou.

With that, Shen Xin called out to Xiaotian Dog and led it to the supermarket at the edge of the village.

It's getting late.

As the saying goes, "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning; red sky at night, sailors' delight."

A vibrant sunset appeared in the western sky; tomorrow should be a good day.

Pingyu has a developed economy, and the rural environment is now quite good.

Moreover, every village has waterways, with small bridges and flowing streams, creating a unique landscape.

The two people and their dog strolled along the village road, looking like a couple who had just finished eating and were going out for a walk.

Ding Yuwei followed silently, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility.

At this moment, Shen Xin spoke up: "Ding Yuwei, you don't need to come with me tomorrow. Let's split up. Anyway, I don't have anything to do here, so you coming with me is just a waste of time."

"Go check the hospital records and see if there are any cases of people getting rabies vaccines after the incident six years ago."

Rabies vaccines are administered at designated hospitals, and the records have been kept for a long time, so they should be accessible.

Moreover, if the murderer was bitten by the old dog, his family should have known about it.

So we can ask about this situation during future visits.

Liu Jie's attention wasn't on the dog at the time, so he definitely wouldn't have asked that question.

"understood."

Ding Yuwei silently rolled her eyes, thinking to herself that he was a spoilsport.

The old dog walked slowly and stopped frequently.

It is slowly regaining its memories.

So it was half an hour later when we arrived at the supermarket at the village entrance.

There's only one relatively large supermarket in the village, with an open space in front of it.

Then, some landscaping was done on this open space, and some fitness equipment was placed there.

So it should be a village activity center.

When the two arrived, there were already a few people talking there.

The voice was a little loud, and Shen Xin subconsciously looked over.

A middle-aged man wearing a down jacket was carrying a takeout box of braised food. He had probably just come out of the supermarket and was about to get on his bus.

Driving an S-Class.

Then he paused for a moment and chatted with the people next to the flower bed.

"Oh dear, business is so tough these days. Every day when I open my eyes, I'm tens of thousands of yuan in debt to the bank. To be honest, it's giving me a terrible headache," the middle-aged man complained.

It sounds more like boasting than complaining.

The person he was talking to smiled and flattered him, saying that he himself wanted to borrow money from the bank but hadn't had the chance yet.

Shen Xin glanced at it, then looked away and headed into the supermarket.

He tightened his grip and found that the old dog was standing still, not moving.

It turned its head and stared at the middle-aged man, remaining motionless.

Shen Xin tugged at the rope, but it still didn't move.

"Howling Celestial Dog, what's wrong?" Shen Xin squatted down and asked.

The old dog's eyes were no longer cloudy; they stared straight at the middle-aged man.

Its eyes were strange; Shen Xin couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he sensed that it was also trying to search for its memories.

Gradually, its gaze sharpened.

His nose wrinkled, he grinned, revealing his teeth, and a very low whimper came from his throat.

But it only looked and did not take any further action.

I just watched as the middle-aged man got into the car and drove away.

Its gaze followed the car into the distance until it could no longer be seen.

It concealed its fierce demeanor, but its gaze remained sharp. It stood motionless, seemingly deep in thought.

Then it turned its head and looked at Shen Xin.

Previously, Shen Xin had seen gloom, turbidity, and chaos in its eyes.

But at this moment, its eyes seemed very clear, as if it had become awake.

Shen Xin was somewhat unsure about the meaning conveyed in its eyes.

But having talent, Shen Xin felt as if it was trying to tell him something.

The key is its reaction.

Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat. Could he have won the lottery?
Old Dog's reaction just now was clearly suspicious.

Thinking of this, Shen Xin quickly handed the rope to Ding Yuwei and went up to greet the people next to the flower bed.

"Big brother, who was that person just now?"

Shen Xin asked the man who had just been talking to the middle-aged man.

The man sized up Shen Xin and asked warily who Shen Xin was.

Shen Xin thought for a moment and realized that Hu Zhou was a relative of someone in the village.

Shen Xin drove his own car and wore casual clothes when he came to Pingyu this time.

Lai Yong came over today, also in his own car, and dressed casually.

And they left after only a short time.

So probably no one will notice.

If the murderer is a villager, Shen Xin doesn't want to reveal for the time being that the police have reopened the case and come to the village to investigate.

The man said "Oh," without asking which family relative she was from, and said, "That's Zhou Hui. He married a good wife. Look, his business is getting bigger and bigger, and he's changed cars several times in just a few years."

Shen Xin then asked which Hui.

After confirming, I thanked them and left.

"Could we really be that lucky?" Ding Yuwei asked in a low voice.

She also noticed the old dog's reaction.

Shen Xin shook his head, thinking to himself, "Who knows?"

Zhou Hui was not among the main suspects listed in the case file.

"Let's check it out tomorrow."

Let's start with the rabies vaccine.

Neither of them can cook, so they simply bought some braised dishes.

After having dinner at Luo Limei's house, seeing that the old dog was reluctant to leave, we left it there.

The two of them decided to go back to live in town.

The next morning, the two went straight to Qingyuan Central Health Center in the town.

I asked Zhao Peizhu yesterday, and he said that back then, there was only one hospital in the town that could administer rabies vaccines.

When I asked at the health center, they confirmed that there were indeed records kept there.

However, in 12, all records were handwritten. It wasn't until 13 that health centers began to use electronic medical records on a large scale.

Archives.

The records are all categorized and archived according to time, so they are easy to find.

"Right here."

The head of the hospital's administrative department pulled out a yellowed, dusty register.

Rabies vaccinations need to be reported, so they are recorded separately.

Han Xiaolong died on the night of July 11.

If the perpetrator knew about the 24-hour rule, he would definitely have come to get a rabies vaccine the next day.

Ding Yuwei quickly flipped through the pages, soon reaching July.

"Got it, Zhou Hui, come over at 10 a.m. on the 12th to take the taxi."

Ding Yuwei's eyes lit up, and she pointed to the record.

There was only one record that day, and that was Zhou Hui.

The registered ID information shows that it is Wuba Village.

Looking at the signature on the record, Ding Yuwei was incredulous.

That's incredibly lucky!

You've only been on the case for a day, and you've already identified the killer?

Shen Xin said, "Don't get agitated. He's only a suspect right now. There's still a lot that hasn't been investigated."

For example, why did Zhou Hui want to kill Han Xiaolong?

And it might not even be his.

But the discovery was still exciting, so after some consideration, Shen Xin called Liu Jie directly.

If we make any discoveries, we must report them immediately.

Upon receiving Shen Xin's call, Liu Jie, who seemed to be in a meeting, heard that Shen Xin had made a discovery and believed that Zhou Hui was a prime suspect. Liu Jie exclaimed in surprise on the other end of the line.

There was a clattering sound, like the sound of a chair moving.

"Xiao Shen, wait for me, I'll be right there."

Liu Jie hurriedly said a few words and hung up the phone.

(End of this chapter)