bdsm-fiction Chapter 37 The Clues Break
Chapter 37 The Clues Break
At 6:30 p.m., the headquarters of the Chongqing Investigation Bureau fell silent.
Most of the seats in the office lobby were now empty, and the team leader had also left.
But at this moment, Luo Qiu was at his workstation, carefully reading the report by the last rays of sunlight streaming through the window and the glow of the orange lamp on his desk.
This was the first time he had worked overtime this year.
The patrol detectives who had been sent out in the afternoon submitted their reports one after another, piling them up on his desk in a thick stack.
[Survey Area: Rockston subway station and surrounding commercial area]
[Reporter: Inspector xxx]
[The subway station staff confirmed that there were many passengers after the event ended that evening, and they did not notice any suspicious persons.]
A woman's handbag (white, leather, with obvious stains) was found near the base of the ventilation shaft on the north side of the subway station. Inside were: one concert ticket, several loose coins, and one silk scarf.
[It appears a passenger's wallet was stolen; a photo was taken for record-keeping.]
……
Luo Qiu put down the first serving and picked up another one.
[Survey Area: Residential alleys north of the racecourse (from Oak Street to Watermill Lane)]
[Reporter: Inspector xxx]
【接受询问者表示，4月4日晚间至4月5日凌晨曾听到可疑猫叫，位置大概位于橡树街76号屋顶……】
A broken men's watch was found next to a trash can at the intersection of Watermill Lane and the riverside promenade. The watch face was shattered, the hands were stopped at 10:47, and the strap was broken.
The watch is severely worn, with the inscription "JT 1758" on the back. Preliminary assessment suggests it was a discarded item by a nearby resident and is not directly related to the missing person. A photo has been taken for record-keeping.
……
Luo Qiu rubbed his temples and opened the third copy.
[Survey Area: Tavern north of Darlington River]
[Reporter: Inspector xxx]
When questioned, the owner of Mande Tavern stated that the tavern was open until 2 AM last night, and there were no unusual circumstances; he had not seen the missing person.
Fresh bloodstains were found on the floor of the pub's kitchen, along with several steaks in the refrigerator. The chef explained that the bloodstains were from accidental spills while processing the steaks…
[The food consumption record has been confirmed to be correct.]
[Confirm the ingredients are fresh. Take photos as evidence.]
……
Luo Qiu set the three reports aside. They contained nothing of note.
The rest are probably the same.
The content is largely the same, all stating "nothing found," "no abnormalities," and "no witnesses."
If there were any truly significant discoveries, the patrol officers wouldn't need to wait until the afternoon to submit their reports.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
I walked along the riverbank for nearly two hours in the afternoon, keeping the Clarity spell active the whole time, which greatly depleted my mental energy.
When Luo Qiu discovered the brooch, he felt he was close to finding the body. Unfortunately, despite thoroughly searching the area within a ten-meter radius, he found nothing else.
This situation left him somewhat bewildered.
Why is there a brooch there?
Da Da Da~
Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor, and Smith walked over carrying a bag of evidence, with a slightly uncertain expression on his face.
"Senior, I've asked Miss Moran about the brooch." He sat down opposite Luo Qiu. "She confirmed it's the same style as Mr. Winslow's. But she couldn't tell the difference any further."
Luo Qiu took the evidence bag, glanced at the brooch inside, and said nothing.
"Senior, are there any other clues?" Smith asked tentatively.
"You can look at these reports yourself."
Luo Qiu pushed the report he was holding over; after hearing about Smith's news, he was even less inclined to read the reports.
What he wanted was evidence to prove what had happened to Mr. Winslow; the brooch, which was barely considered an item, was now greatly diminished.
How could he possibly covet those extraordinary items?
At this point, it seems that the only one we can count on is Clyde.
……
At 6:40, Clyde finally returned to the Bureau of Investigation.
His leather shoes were covered in mud, suggesting he had walked along many back roads.
After walking over, he threw a stack of photos on the table, then plopped down in a chair and let out a long sigh.
"A discovery?"
Seeing Clyde's condition, Luo Qiu's hope was rekindled. The mud spots on his shoes clearly indicated he had done a lot of work; could it be that they had discovered the body?
Thinking this, Luo Qiu reached for the photo.
Disappointingly, the photos only showed some grass, with a few scattered bloodstains on it.
Clyde picked up the cigarette case from the table, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, lit a match, took a puff, and then spoke.
"South of the racecourse, near the Darlington River, a little blood was found. But that's all."
"The location is near the river? Didn't you find anything else?" Luo Qiu asked.
"Right next to the river. Besides that, there's really nothing else to report." Clyde flicked his cigarette ash. "I spent three hours searching around the bloodstains just for clues."
Luo Qiu put the photo down and sighed.
Even the last hope is gone.
However, after gathering his thoughts, Luo Qiu quickly showed the evidence bag containing the brooch and exchanged information with Clyde:
"This brooch was found to the north, about 500 meters from the racetrack, on the riverbank, in the grass outside the walkway. It's confirmed that this brooch is the same style as the one worn by the missing Mr. Winslow. Other than that, like you, nothing else was found."
Clyde took the evidence bag, glanced at the brooch inside, and frowned.
"It's the Darlington River again; this doesn't seem like a coincidence. Two directions of suspicion."
"Someone abducted the missing persons, murdered them, and dumped their bodies in the Darlington River. But that direction is unlikely; the brooch was obviously expensive, and the murderer wouldn't have been indifferent to it."
"Someone used a boat to kidnap the missing person. The brooch and the bloodstains may have been left during the struggle, or they may have been deliberately left as clues."
Clyde stood up as he spoke.
"I'll request to check the ships that have passed through these past two days. The Darlington River flows downstream to its mouth, from where you can reach various places. Perhaps we can find some clues there."
Luo Qiu nodded but did not respond to the topic.
He knew Clyde was struggling.
Finding clues from passing ships is no easy task. Thousands of ships come and go from the port of the Fog City every day, and the situation has become even more complicated these days because of Alicia. The port only has a few thousand staff members, whose main job is to inspect cargo.
Furthermore, Clyde might not even be able to obtain a survey vessel.
"Alright then, Clyde, you go ahead and get busy. I'll... organize the evidence. Maybe we'll find some new clues."
Meeting Clyde's gaze, Luo Qiu ultimately didn't say that he was about to leave work.
His teammates are still working hard, and he tries his best not to hold them back.
Of course, he would actually go and organize the evidence.
He hasn't even seen the evidence Clyde found yet.
……