I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 18 Nephew's Crime
"how do you know?"

The boss found it strange; he hadn't mentioned this incident since he filed the police report.

Zhu Yue walked over after hearing their conversation. He had been working in the criminal investigation team for more than ten years and was very experienced. He reacted quickly and had already roughly understood Han Ling's thinking.

To be able to figure out the suspect's modus operandi in such a short time, especially before any clues were missing, this kid is really something. No wonder he was able to outmaneuver those newbies from the Municipal Public Security Bureau at the film and television base.

This method of committing the crime sounds simple, and it's not difficult to solve after further investigation. However, it's very difficult to make a judgment based on just one glance at the warehouse when there are few clues.

At least he didn't do it.

The fact that "the sale of other waste products was handed over to other employees" was something that would have required further inquiry to find out, but Han Ling had already figured it out in advance.

By using the unique modus operandi, we can deduce the truth.

It only takes a few minutes.

Before coming here, I told Han Ling to learn more, ask more questions, and observe more... It's a bit awkward.

"I guessed," Han Ling replied, then looked at Zhu Yue who was walking over.

Their eyes met, and Zhu Yue pointed to the spot next to where the copper wire used to be, where the plastic buckets they had acquired were located.

Han Ling nodded, and the two understood each other's meaning without needing to speak.

Beside him, Zhang Silei was puzzled by the two talking in cryptic terms. Although he was not formally trained in police work, he was still a police auxiliary officer.

Han Ling just specifically mentioned the sale of other waste products, which should be the key point.

Other waste?

They're all mixed up together?

It seems... there really is only one way.

Holy crap, that's amazing! The logic isn't hard, but this is way too fast.

Zhu Yue said, "Boss, let's go outside first. Let's talk outside and call all the employees over."

The owner of the purchasing station said, "Okay."

The three men walked out of the warehouse, and the boss shouted, "Stop what you're doing! Come here! All of you, come here!"

Hearing the boss's call, the employees stopped what they were doing and turned around. They put down their work, and the sixteen-year-old girl wiped the sweat from her face, came to the warehouse door, and stood there timidly with her head down.

Zhu Yue nudged Han Ling's arm, indicating that he would take over the rest.

Firstly, it was for training; secondly, it was for testing; and thirdly, it was because Han Ling found the method of committing the crime.

Han Ling didn't mince words and was about to speak when one of the young employees suddenly pointed at the girl and said, "Uncle, officer, Sun Qing must have stolen that metal. Her father is sick, her mother is unemployed, and her family is short of money."

Before she could finish speaking, the girl suddenly looked up, her somewhat dirty but undeniably pretty face filled with astonishment.

"I...I..." The girl panicked the next moment and wanted to explain, but perhaps because she was too introverted and timid, she couldn't come up with the right words in a short time.

“Look, she’s feeling guilty; she can’t even say anything,” the young man continued.

The other two employees remained silent; they knew their boss had reported the theft to the police that day because the recycling station had lost a significant amount of metal.

As long as you didn't do it yourself, just stand by and watch. Answer the police's questions, don't speak up for others, and don't suspect anyone.

Keeping quiet is the best way to protect yourself.

"I didn't! It wasn't me!" Sun Qing's small body burst into a high-pitched voice. As if realizing that her voice was a bit loud and everyone was looking at her, she quickly lowered her head and repeated, "It wasn't me."

The young man was about to speak when Han Ling stopped him: "Don't speak yet, boss. And who is this?"

The boss turned his gaze away from Sun Qing and replied, "Oh, this is my nephew Zhao Kai. He couldn't find a suitable job, so he came to help out. He gets paid a normal salary every month."

Han Ling: "Isn't he the one responsible for selling the plastic waste at the recycling station?"

When plastic waste was mentioned, Zhao Kai, who was not good at hiding his emotions, immediately changed his expression and his eyes began to dart away.

Zhu Yue had been watching him closely, and now he was pretty sure that he was the one behind it all.

If the elders of both families find out that a nephew stole his uncle's things, it will be big news for the family.

"Yes, it's him." The shopkeeper exclaimed in surprise, "Officer, you seem to know everything! What's going on?"

Business people aren't stupid, but Zhao Kai is his nephew, and there's a natural bond of kinship and trust between them. He should have subconsciously ruled out Zhao Kai as a suspect.

Having ruled out the correct answer, it's impossible to figure out how the metal was lost.

Han Ling didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "The metal you lost was stolen by him. Put aside your status as his uncle, think about it carefully."

The boss paused for a moment, recalling the conversation in the warehouse, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Upon hearing this, the other two employees quickly moved away from Zhao Kai. Although they were surprised, they were not astonished. After spending so much time together, they could easily understand each other's personalities.

Zhao Kai shuddered and shouted angrily, "It wasn't me! How could it be me? How could I steal my uncle's things! It must have been her!" As he spoke, Zhao Kai pointed at Sun Qing.

Sun Qing dared not respond further and stood there timidly.

The boss had probably figured it out, and his expression gradually became complicated.

Han Ling ignored Zhao Kai's denial, looked at the two employees, and asked, "In the past year, has Zhao Kai ever asked you for help when he was loading scrap onto the truck?"

Upon hearing this, one of the employees replied, "No, we initially wanted to help, but he wouldn't allow it."

Han Ling: "Do you know why you can't?"

Employee: "Uh..."

Han Ling leaned close to Zhang Silei and whispered something in his ear. The latter turned around and quickly went into the warehouse.

When he returned, he had a plastic bucket in his hand, which he placed in front of everyone.

Everyone craned their necks to look and discovered that the plastic bucket contained many old, discarded faucets.

The faucets are not very big to begin with, so if you fill them up, there could be more than a dozen.

Besides the faucet, bundles of copper wire can also be put in it. And this is just a plastic bucket; there are many other containers that can hold things.

Over the course of a year, little by little, stealing five or six thousand worth of goods wouldn't be a problem.

Zhao Kai panicked even more.

"Zhao Kai, you secretly hid the metal in a plastic container and sold it yourself?" The boss's voice was relatively calm, and he didn't seem angry.

Zhao Kai continued to deny it: "I didn't! They're framing me, Uncle!"

When the method of the crime was no longer a secret, the boss was convinced that his nephew had done it. When the other party tried to deny it, he got angry: "Don't call me uncle! Use your position at the station!"

Han Ling: "..."

Zhu Yue: "..."

"Uncle... Boss, it really wasn't me." Zhao Kai obediently changed his story. "The recycling station belongs to our family. How could I steal from my own family!"

The boss corrected him: "This recycling station belongs to my family! Not yours! Are you going to keep denying it?"

There's no point in arguing any longer, Han Ling said, "Zhao Kai, your channels for selling stolen goods are limited. They're either metal factories or other scrap metal collection stations. It'll be clear if you investigate."

Furthermore, road surveillance footage can be stored for periods ranging from one month to several years. Where you went after leaving the recycling station and whether there were any unusual occurrences can all be tracked, so don't waste your time.

Zhao Kai opened his mouth, wanting to continue arguing, but ultimately gave up struggling, his psychological defenses collapsed, and he lowered his head in silence.

Seeing that the other party acquiesced, Han Ling and Zhang Silei stepped forward to take him back to the station.

Sensing the police approaching, Zhao Kai instinctively looked up and retreated in panic: "Uncle! I'm your nephew! Not your cousin! I'm your blood relative! I was wrong!"

The boss sighed deeply. It was only five or six thousand yuan. He couldn't bear to send his own sister's son there.

If his grandparents find out, even if it's Zhao Kai's fault, he'll definitely be the one who gets scolded.

Why go to such extremes when we're family?
"Um, can I withdraw the case?" the boss suddenly asked, having made his decision.

He didn't care what the other employees thought, since his nephew couldn't go in anyway.

Zhao Kai was overjoyed and breathed a sigh of relief.

Han Ling also stopped and looked back at Zhu Yue, choosing to listen to his opinion.

Zhu Yue didn't speak, but nodded to Han Ling, indicating that he could decide how to handle the situation.

Seeing this, Han Ling looked away and said, "Large-scale theft is a public prosecution case. Let's go back to the station first."

Theft cases involving more than 5,000 yuan are public prosecution cases. Whether or not a case will ultimately be prosecuted depends on the circumstances and is influenced by many factors, including the plaintiff's forgiveness.

The specifics are not up to the investigating police officers; they are only responsible for investigating the case and securing evidence.

To put it bluntly: Whether you withdraw the case or not is none of my business. I'll arrest the suspect first, and you can go to the station to bail him out later. If you don't want to prosecute, you can submit an application for non-prosecution yourself.

This is not child's play; the process is very complicated.

You can't be the one who reports the crime and then be the one who demands the release of the person. Are you kidding me?

"Huh?" Zhao Kai was confused and continued to back away. "My uncle isn't going to sue me anymore! What are you doing!"

Han Ling took out handcuffs and reminded him, "This is the summons phase. If you refuse, we will take coercive measures. Think it over."

Zhao Kai dared not move.

(End of this chapter)