085 Report of a Crime

Golden Beach District Police Station.

The head of the station, surnamed Song, had specially arranged a room as a temporary office for Team Two to facilitate their investigation.

When Han Bin and his colleague arrived at the station, Tian Li was just about to take a statement from the informant.

The informant was a woman in her twenties, wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, her shoulder-length black hair framing an attractive face.

Li Hui seemed a bit dejected, scratching his head. "Damn, why am I running into so many beautiful women today?"

No matter how many beauties there were, he was still single, and it was hard not to feel a little down about it.

Han Bin glanced at Li Hui, a hint of concern in his eyes. For a police officer, maintaining a healthy mindset was important; only by handling personal affairs well could one devote themselves fully to work.

Li Hui was no longer young and had never had a girlfriend, so it was inevitable that his outlook might waver at times.

Tian Li formally began the statement, drawing Han Bin’s attention as well.

"Name, gender, age, place of origin..."

"Officer, am I the one making the report?"

"There's no need to be nervous; I'm just making a record and asking routine questions," Tian Li reassured her.

"My name is Tang Yu, female, 26, from Gaolong City..."

"What is the name of the deceased?"

"He Shirui."

"Where is He Shirui from, and how old was she this year?"

"She’s also from Gaolong City, the same age as I am."

"What is your relationship with her?"

"We were high school classmates and have always been very close. I really didn’t expect..." At this point, Tang Yu covered her cheeks and began to sob quietly.

Han Bin took out a pack of tissues and handed one to Tang Yu. "Ms. Tang, please accept our condolences."

"Thank you, officer." Tang Yu’s voice was choked as she wiped her tears. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make a scene."

"Ms. Tang, we understand how you feel. If I lost a close friend, I’d be just as upset. No one is laughing at you," Han Bin consoled her.

Li Hui glanced at Han Bin, thinking to himself, When did this guy become so attentive? Is he perhaps looking for another shot at love?

"When did you discover He Shirui was missing?" Tian Li continued.

"I found out this morning. I sent her a message to ask her to have breakfast with me, but she didn’t reply. I thought she was just sleeping in, so I went to her room to look for her. I couldn’t get the door open, and she didn’t answer her phone. Later, I asked the hotel staff for help, and they opened the door for me. That’s when I realized she wasn’t in her room at all."

"What time was this?"

"Around nine in the morning, I think."

"Did you see her yesterday?" Tian Li followed up.

"Yes. We spent the whole day together and only parted ways after dinner."

"Where did you have dinner, and when did you separate?"

"In the hotel restaurant, probably around eight in the evening."

"Did you know where she was going after that?"

"She said she wanted to go out and buy some souvenirs."

"Which hotel are you staying at?"

"The Qianhao Hotel, right next to Golden Beach."

"Was anyone else present apart from you?"

"My boyfriend was there too."

"Miss Tang, why didn’t your boyfriend come with you to file the report?"

"My boyfriend went out for some errands this morning and isn’t at the hotel now." Tang Yu sighed. "I never thought anything would happen to Shirui. I just assumed she was in a bad mood and wanted some time alone, maybe she’d come back at noon. But when I couldn’t get in touch with her at all, I couldn’t stay in the hotel any longer. I went out to look for her, heard someone say a woman had drowned at the beach, and I..."

Tang Yu choked up again, unable to continue.

"Why did you think He Shirui was in a bad mood?" Han Bin asked.

"She recently broke up with her boyfriend. She came to Qindao with us to relax and get over him."

"What’s her ex-boyfriend’s name, and why did they break up?"

"His name is Mao Yiran, also from Gaolong City. They were together for several years and were already talking about marriage, but I don’t know the exact reason they broke up," Tang Yu replied.

"Did you contact her again after you parted last night?" Han Bin asked.

"Yes. I messaged her to ask what she was doing. She didn’t reply at first, but after ten o’clock she said she was at a bar having a drink."

"Did you ask who she was with?"

"I did. She said she was alone. I told her not to stay out too late, and she said she knew. We didn’t talk again after that. I was tired and fell asleep soon after."

"Which bar?"

"I don’t know."

"Did she do anything unusual in the past couple of days?"

"Unusual?" Tang Yu muttered. "She was obviously upset after the breakup, but other than that, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Could she swim?"

"No."

"Do you think He Shirui might have taken her own life?"

"I don’t think so." Tang Yu shook her head. "Mao Yiran contacted her again, seemed like he wanted to get back together."

"Ms. Tang, do you think there’s a chance they would reconcile?" Han Bin asked.

Tang Yu thought for a moment. "Not likely. She was deeply hurt this time and probably wouldn’t forgive him easily."

"Did He Shirui have any valuables with her?"

"Not that I know of."

"Did she have any enemies?"

"She was a quiet person and rarely argued with anyone. Besides, we just arrived in Qindao and hardly know anyone here. How could she have made any enemies?"

"Who are the members of He Shirui’s family?"

"Her parents, an older brother, and a younger sister."

"Do you have their contact information?"

"I have her sister’s WeChat."

…

While the statement was being taken, Zheng Kaixuan and Zeng Ping arrived as well. The two stood quietly to the side, not interrupting.

After the statement was finished and Tang Yu was shown to the rest room, Zheng Kaixuan finally asked, "What do you all think of this case? Suicide, or homicide?"

"Captain Zheng, I think there’s another possibility," Li Hui said.

"Go on."

"The victim, He Shirui, couldn’t swim, and the sea near the beach is rough. If she was out walking after drinking, a wave could have easily swept her into the sea."

"That’s possible. It could be an accidental death," Zheng Kaixuan nodded, then continued, "Our main task now is still to rule out the possibility of homicide."

Homicide could mean revenge, crime of passion, robbery, or sexual assault.

Han Bin took out a cigarette and rolled it between his fingers. "We know the victim drowned, but we don’t know the exact spot where she entered the water. With so few leads, it’s hard to make a judgment."

"Then let’s split up to gather more clues. If it turns out to be suicide or an accident, we’ll help the family handle the aftermath. If it’s homicide, we’ll do everything we can to solve the case," Zheng Kaixuan said, drawing out a cigarette himself.

"Tian Li, you’re in charge of notifying the family to identify the body, then go to the telecom company and get He Shirui’s phone records printed out.

"Zhao Ming, go with the forensics team to check He Shirui’s hotel room for any clues.

"Zeng, you contact the cyber unit and pull up all her chat logs from her commonly used messaging apps.

"Han Bin and Li Hui, check the surveillance around the hotel and see if you can find any leads related to her death."

"Understood," everyone replied, setting off to their respective assignments.