I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 87 Wei Tianyong Lies

The following morning, the police car arrived in Huaiyan Town.

Ji Bowei took a criminal police officer to the funeral home first, where there were still some loose ends to deal with. He also wanted to find out more about Weijiazhuang Village and Cao Kexuan by visiting various places.

Fang Zhou, Han Ling, and others went to Weijiazhuang Village.

When we returned to Weijiazhuang Village, the villagers were less patient than yesterday. Everyone was quite busy and unwilling to face lengthy questioning by the police.

They were fairly cooperative and answered all my questions, but that might change over time.

If the investigation drags on for ten days or half a month, and the villagers' patience is completely worn out, it will probably be much harder for the criminal investigation team to ask questions.

Therefore, it is best to conduct the visits quickly and efficiently.

The exploration team split up; Fang Zhou led a group to find Cao's relatives, while Han Ling and Tong Feng went to the village committee.

Although Wang Zhenzhou was sidelined, he was still the primary person in charge of Weijiazhuang Village and had spent several years there, so he must know some things.

Furthermore, Wang Zhenzhou is considered one of their own, and his status is fundamentally different from that of the villagers, making communication easier.

"If you really want me to say it, I think..." Inside the room, Wang Zhenzhou had just brewed some tea, "Cao Kexuan's death was probably an accident. No one had any motive to kill him."

Compared to the Cao family, the Wei family, and other villagers, Wang Zhenzhou, who had received higher education, fully understood why the police were investigating Cao Kexuan's death.

According to the law, this is how unnatural deaths are handled, and he thinks it's normal.

Han Ling lightly tapped the table with her fingers as a gesture of pouring tea, and said, "We understand that the Wei family and the Cao family are the two major families in the village. We wonder if Cao Kexuan has been involved in any internal family disputes?"

Wang Zhenzhou laughed: "That's an exaggeration. It's just a small clan in the village. They may be rich, but everyone has their own interests. We've been used to it for so many years, so it's impossible for a conflict to suddenly arise."

Furthermore, I overheard the Cao family chatting before that Cao Kexuan wouldn't be returning to the village in the future. He would settle down in Qingchang, get married and work in the city, and his parents were already preparing to buy a house after Cao Kexuan graduated.

"What a pity, he's gone just like that."

Han Ling: "Do you think it's reasonable to cremate illegally?"

Wang Zhenzhou: "Whether it's reasonable or not depends on who you're talking about. I think it's unreasonable, and you police officers also think it's unreasonable, but in the eyes of the Cao and Wei families, it's reasonable."

The death was accidental; it was an internal matter of the village, and they didn't want outsiders to interfere.

"That's normal. It would be very troublesome if the police came. Your investigation went smoothly yesterday and today, but if it drags on, the villagers will definitely be dissatisfied. Ultimately, it will prove that not calling the police was the right thing to do, and in the future, they'll probably be even less likely to call the police."

After saying this, he paused for a moment and added, "Intellectual development is a very difficult thing in any era, now and in the future, and it will not change with the development of technology."

Upon hearing this, Han Ling and Tong Feng couldn't help but scrutinize the man before them. They hadn't expected him to have such insightful views; he was very perceptive and truly worthy of someone who had worked in officialdom.

Despite his clear understanding, he ultimately failed to achieve peaceful coexistence with the Wei family.

There is no absolute answer to whether a local bully or a foreign power is more powerful; it depends entirely on the environment and the comparison of individual strengths.

One has the home advantage, the other has its own inherent deterrent power.

As things stand, in Weijiazhuang Village, the local bully has won.

"Has anything suspicious happened in the village in the past few years?" Han Ling asked.

Wang Zhenzhou shook his head: "No, I don't know about three years ago. Anyway, in the three years I was here, I didn't see or hear anything suspicious."

Han Ling: "Okay."

The two talked for an hour, but Han Ling and Tong Feng only gained a better understanding of Weijiazhuang Village and made no new discoveries about Cao Kexuan's death.

The investigation continues.

noon.

The group left the village and found a small restaurant nearby for a meal. During the meal, Fangzhou took out a piece of paper.

Han Ling looked over and saw a hand-drawn map of Weijiazhuang Village, with key points marked on it, such as the spot where Cao Kexuan fell into the water, the location of the Cao family, and the location of the Wei family.

The drawing is very vivid and clear; Fangzhou has a solid foundation in art.

"Brother Zhou, you can draw too?" Han Ling asked in surprise.

Fang Zhou smiled and said, "Yes, I learned it when I was a child. My grandfather was an amateur painter."

A family with a long tradition of scholarship.

Generally, families whose grandfathers are skilled in calligraphy and painting are considered to be scholarly families.

A man like Fang Zhou wouldn't have trouble finding a partner, but he's already married.

“Here.” After answering Han Ling, Fang Zhou marked with his pen, “There are three roads leading from various parts of the village to Cao Kexuan’s fishing spot.”

The road to the west leads directly into the village, and its network extends in all directions, allowing access to any part of the village.

The road to the south is a lakeside road, and it can also lead to any place in the village.

The road to the north forks after about 200 meters. The left path leads to the village's main road, while the right path leads to Tiezhu Mountain. In the afternoon, we continued our search along these three paths, asking if anyone had been to the lake while Cao Kexuan was fishing, and more importantly, if anyone had seen him there.

Several people: "Okay."

Fangzhou's thinking is perfectly sound. It's true that Cao Kexuan was fishing by the lake. Now, the criminal investigation team needs to investigate the circumstances of his falling into the water.

Did anyone go to the lake on the night of the incident?
If so, then we should ask them what they're doing by the lake so late at night.
After lunch, without taking a break, everyone drove straight to Weijiazhuang Village.

To improve efficiency, Fangzhou broke down the organization into smaller units, with each person responsible for a small area. They had to ask whether the villagers were home or not, and if they weren't home, they would go to find them.

At the village entrance, the group dispersed and blended into the village.

Han Ling knocked on the door of a house. Inside were a village woman and children; the man was busy in the fields. He asked a few simple questions, then went to find the woman's husband, ensuring complete coverage of the investigation area. This was time-consuming, but unavoidable. Phone inquiries and face-to-face visits are not the same. Criminal investigators never call if they can meet in person; the expressions and reactions of those being questioned are also crucial for determining clues.

The time came to three o'clock in the afternoon.

A few hundred meters ahead was the lake. Han Ling left a villager's house and continued walking. He saw an old man sitting in the doorway sunbathing, so he went up to greet him.

"Grandpa, have a smoke." Han Ling didn't mind the mess and sat down next to him.

The old man took it naturally, rummaged around in his pocket for a while and pulled out a matchbox. He rubbed it to start a fire, lit it, and then held the still-burning flame out to the old man.

Seeing this, Han Ling quickly put the cigarette in his mouth and brought it to the other end.

"I heard about the investigation into Cao Kexuan's death, right?" Before Han Ling could ask, the old man spoke up.

Han Ling exhaled a puff of smoke: "Yes, according to our country's laws, accidental deaths also need to be investigated."

The old man said "Oh," and then said, "Okay, your police have regulations, so we'll cooperate."

Young man, just ask me if you have any questions.

Han Ling first inquired about Cao Kexuan's situation, but did not get any new clues, so the topic shifted to the evening of April 17th.

Besides Cao Kexuan, did anyone else go to the lakeside on the evening of April 17th?

The old man puffed on his cigarette, the rising smoke blurring his vision: "That night I went to my son's house for dinner, and when I came back I saw that Wei family's kid heading towards the lake."

"The Wei family?" Han Ling perked up. "Who?"

Old man: "Wei Tianyong."

Han Ling craned his neck to look at the lake in the distance, then pointed to the road beneath his feet and said, "Is this the road?"

Old man: Yes, it's this road. I saw the child go that way, but I don't know if he went to the lake.

Han Ling: "Are you sure it's him?"

The old man said, "It was too dark to see clearly, but it must be someone else. How could I mistake a child from the village? I see them all the time."

Han Ling: "What time exactly?"

Old man: "It should be past eight o'clock. I finished eating at eight o'clock, and I didn't get home until nine o'clock."

"Please have a seat, sir. I have something to attend to and must leave now."

Han Ling got up and left quickly, continuing to ask questions along the way, and sped up.

Wei Tianyong, have you been to the lake?

He didn't say that before.

According to Wei Tianyong's confession, he only saw Cao Kexuan at the entrance of the village on April 17, and then went home to play games. He did not come out again that day.

If the old man wasn't mistaken, then Wei Tianyong lied.

This is fatal. Cao Kexuan died unexpectedly, so why lie?

Han Ling asked around, but unfortunately no one else had seen Wei Tianyong. Around 8 or 9 o'clock, few villagers went out.

A crucial clue emerged, and he called Fang Zhou, who ordered him to gather directly at the Wei family's residence.

"Wei Tianyong lied?" On the way, Tong Feng confirmed repeatedly, "It's Wei Tianyong, right? That old man couldn't have made a mistake."

The other villagers were fine, but Wei Tianyong was Cao Kexuan's best friend.

Han Ling: "We're from the same village, so I don't think I'm mistaken. Let's assume it's Wei Tianyong and see how he reacts."

As they were talking, they arrived at the Wei family's residence.

Upon learning that the police had arrived again, Wei Shoushan, Wei Tianyong, and other relatives left the house.

This three-story building belongs to Wei Tianyong's father, who is also Wei Shoushan's youngest son. Wei Shoushan has been living in his youngest son's house for many years, probably because he likes his grandson Wei Tianyong.

The Wei family is not short of money; where they live is entirely up to Wei Shoushan's own whim.

"What's wrong now? Didn't you come yesterday?" Wei Shoushan asked, somewhat displeased, the furrows on his brows a mixture of wrinkles and anger.

Fang Zhou shifted his gaze to Wei Tianyong: "Wei Tianyong, you said yesterday that you met Cao Kexuan on April 17th and then went home, and haven't come out since, is that right?"

Wei Tianyong nodded: "Yeah, why?"

"Liar!" Fang Zhou raised his voice. "Someone saw you walking towards the lake around 8 PM. How do you explain that?"

Wei Tianyong's gaze sharpened slightly, and he remained silent without answering.

Seeing this, Fang Zhou said directly, "Wei Tianyong, if you cannot provide a reasonable explanation, you must come with us for investigation."

You can ask here, or you can go to the Huaiyan Town Police Station, or you can go back to the branch office. If Wei Tianyong can't explain or his explanation is unreasonable, we will consult Ji Bowei, who is still in the town.

“I…” Wei Tianyong’s face was full of conflict.

Wei Shoushan turned to look at his grandson: "You went to the lake that night? Tell the truth!"

Wei Tianyong: "Hmm."

Upon hearing the other person admit it, Wei Shoushan slapped him hard on the back of the head: "You little brat, what lied about then! What were you doing by the lake?"

“Mr. Wei,” Fang Zhou said, “we need to speak with him alone.”

(End of this chapter)