Qindao Branch Office, Interrogation Room
Chen Jun sat in the interrogation chair, dark circles under his eyes, looking uneasy.
As before, the interrogation was being conducted by Han Bin and Li Hui. A recording device was set up on the table.
"Chen Jun, you spent a night in the detention center. Have you remembered any new leads?" Han Bin asked.
"I didn't do anything. I was really at home the night of June 18th. You have to believe me!" Chen Jun pleaded.
Han Bin changed his question. "Where were you on the night of June 17th?"
Chen Jun froze for a moment and shook his head. "I can't remember."
"If you want to clear your name, you'd better cooperate with our investigation."
"Let me think..." Chen Jun muttered and paused to recall, "That night... I..."
His voice grew quieter and quieter, eventually becoming inaudible.
"Chen Jun, do you want to spend the rest of your life in prison? Stop mumbling!" Han Bin snapped.
"No, no, I'll talk," Chen Jun swallowed hard. "On the night of June 17th, I went to get my hair done."
"Hair done? You're a man... wait," Li Hui suddenly realized, "You went to see a prostitute?"
"Looks like it," Chen Jun said hesitantly.
"Think carefully. I need a clear answer."
Chen Jun lowered his head. "Yes, I went to that kind of place."
"And now you're embarrassed?" Li Hui scoffed.
"I know it was wrong to go there, but I didn't force anyone. I really didn't!" Chen Jun shouted.
"Address?"
"Yindu Foot Massage on Huiyuan Road."
"What's the name of the woman who 'did your hair'?"
"Jasmine."
"Full name?"
"I don't know. It was my first time there. I only know she's called Jasmine."
"If you want to be cleared of suspicion, give us as much detail as you can. The more you tell us, the better we can investigate," Han Bin advised.
"Yes, yes."
….
Outside the Interrogation Room
Li Hui asked, "Binzi, do you really believe he's innocent?"
"First, his behavior doesn't match that of a murderer. Second, apart from his DNA, there's no evidence connecting him to the crime. We found no tools or related items at his place."
"But the murder happened on the 18th. Why ask about the 17th?"
"It's just a theory for now. We need to check out Yindu Foot Massage first," Han Bin said, stroking his chin.
"That place is involved in prostitution. Should we call in the vice squad?"
Han Bin hesitated. "Let's contact the local precinct instead."
Huiyuan Road is under Guang'an Police Station's jurisdiction. Han Bin called Han Weidong, the precinct chief, briefly explained the situation, and Han Weidong sent a few officers to help them investigate the foot massage parlor that evening.
You can't catch criminals at such places in the daytime—it wouldn't be effective.
….
Midnight, Yindu Foot Massage
A few officers entered the foot massage parlor first, detaining the staff—caught red-handed.
Since Han Bin and Li Hui are detectives, cracking down on prostitution isn't their responsibility.
Inside the parlor, Han Bin greeted a leading officer, "Brother Cui, thanks for your help."
Cui Hao, a police sergeant at Guang'an, was leading the operation. "Binzi, no need for thanks—it's our duty."
Han Bin glanced at the men and women squatting on the floor. "Which one is Jasmine?"
"I am," a young woman replied softly.
"Stand up."
"Officer, I'm new here. This was my first time..." Jasmine was in her twenties, heavy makeup, possibly even younger.
Han Bin looked her over. "We're from the criminal investigation division. We need your help with a case."
"Huh? Criminal investigation? I didn't commit any crime!" Jasmine stepped back, surprised.
Li Hui showed her a photo. "Do you know this man?"
"Uh... I..."
"We're not vice cops, but if you lie, that's obstruction of justice."
"I remember him," Jasmine said.
Han Bin was surprised. "You only looked once, and you're sure?"
"He was very fast," Jasmine replied.
"Explain?"
"The time from when he entered the room to when he left was less than five minutes."
"Pfft..." Li Hui chuckled. "That fast?"
"That's why he stood out in my memory," Jasmine blushed.
"Who's in charge here?" Han Bin asked.
"I am," said a tattooed man.
Han Bin glanced at him. "Are there cameras in the rooms?"
"No, but there are cameras at the front and back entrances," the man replied.
"Get me the footage from June 17th and 18th."
"Okay," the man agreed.
A moment later, he pulled up the footage from the night of June 17th—sure enough, Chen Jun appeared on screen.
This confirmed he had been to the parlor.
"Binzi, what's the use of the 17th footage?" Li Hui asked, watching.
Han Bin ignored him and asked Jasmine, "Where do you throw out the trash?"
"There's a bin behind the shop. We throw everything there. It gets collected the next morning."
"Can we see it from the backdoor camera?"
"Yes."
"Pull it up."
The tattooed man brought up the backdoor footage. Nothing unusual on the night of the 17th.
But on June 18th at 3 AM, someone came out the back door and threw several garbage bags into the bin.
Then at 5 AM, a man approached the bin, reached into it, and quickly walked away.
"Pause," Han Bin said, pointing at the screen. "Li Hui, what do you think this guy's doing?"
Li Hui looked closely. "Throwing trash?"
"Look carefully. He's wearing gloves."
"He's picking something up?" Li Hui suddenly realized. "You think he took Chen Jun's DNA sample from the trash?"
"Just a theory. No proof yet," Han Bin replied.
Li Hui clicked around the footage. "This guy looks familiar. I think we've seen him in surveillance footage from the city park—during the crime time window—but he never went back there, so we didn't identify him."
Han Bin studied the man. He did look familiar.
"This guy possibly took Chen Jun's DNA, and he was at the crime scene? That's way too much of a coincidence," Li Hui analyzed. "You suspect he might be the real killer?"
"Let's head back to the station and have the tech team enhance the video," Han Bin said.
"Binzi, it's the middle of the night. The tech team's already off duty. Even if we bring it back, there's no one to work on it," Li Hui tapped his watch.
Han Bin smiled wryly. "Alright then, tomorrow it is."
(End of Chapter)