086 Surveillance Tracking

When they left the police station, it was already one in the afternoon and the sun was blazing. Li Hui raised his hand to shield his forehead. “Bin, how are we going to investigate this?”

“We’ll follow the timeline, retracing the victim’s route from the hotel,” Han Bin replied, taking a black pair of sunglasses from his pocket and putting them on. “According to Tang Yu, the suspect left the hotel at around eight, sent a message from the bar after ten, and died before midnight. Those three time points are crucial.”

The police station was not far from Golden Sands Beach, and the Qianhao Hotel was only about a hundred meters from the shore. The two men left the station and headed straight for the hotel.

Qianhao Hotel was a five-star establishment and, as expected, its grand lobby bustled with tourists. From the seaside, one could faintly hear people discussing the drowned woman’s corpse.

Han Bin approached the reception, tapping the counter with his finger. “Where’s your lobby manager?”

A female receptionist looked up and asked, “Hello, may I help you with something?”

Han Bin showed his badge. “Police.”

She stood up, leaned closer, and whispered, “Are you here about the woman found dead on the beach?”

“Yes. We need to review your surveillance footage,” Han Bin replied.

“Officer, may I have your name?”

“My surname is Han.”

“Officer Han, I’ll have someone escort you to the lounge while I contact the manager to meet you there.”

“Alright.”

A waitress approached, gestured politely, and led Han Bin and Li Hui to the lounge, pouring them tea before leaving.

As the waitress walked away, Li Hui couldn’t help but ask, “How did she know we’re here about the woman’s death?”

“If she wasn’t that sharp, she wouldn’t be on reception,” Han Bin remarked.

Li Hui sipped his tea. “Feels like we’re plague-bearers the way they act around us.”

“That’s exactly what we are right now. Doesn’t matter which hotel we go to, it’ll be the same,” Han Bin said with a smile.

Before long, the lounge door opened and a man in his forties entered, his face set in a professional smile. “Good afternoon, officers. I’m Luo Hongchang, the hotel manager.”

“Hello, Manager Luo. You’re aware a woman’s body was found on the beach, I assume?” Han Bin asked.

“I’ve heard about it.”

“We’re from the Criminal Investigation Unit, handling this case. We need your hotel’s cooperation.”

“No problem. Qianhao Hotel will do everything possible to assist,” Luo Hongchang promised.

“We need to review last night’s surveillance footage.”

“Ah!” Luo Hongchang hesitated, catching Han Bin’s meaning. “Officers, the deceased isn’t necessarily one of our guests. Perhaps you could show me a photo, and I’ll have front desk staff try to identify her.”

“We’re not here to screen suspects—we’ve already confirmed the victim was staying here. This is an investigation,” Han Bin clarified.

Luo Hongchang’s expression darkened. “Officers, this is a serious matter. Could you give me a moment to report to my superiors?”

“Didn’t you just say you’d fully cooperate? Are you playing games with us?” Li Hui huffed.

“No, no, not at all.” Luo Hongchang explained hastily, “I’m the manager, but I don’t have the authority to access surveillance. I have to inform senior management.”

“You may report, but let me remind you: any delay in our investigation will impact the progress of the case. The longer this drags on, the more damage it does to your hotel’s reputation,” Han Bin warned.

“I understand, please wait a moment. I’ll be back promptly.” Luo Hongchang strode out of the lounge.

“These big hotels are always trouble. If this were a small inn, the owner’s wife would pull up the surveillance immediately,” Li Hui muttered.

Han Bin lit a cigarette and took a leisurely drag. “Don’t worry, this won’t take long. They’re more anxious than we are.”

Sure enough, less than two minutes later, Luo Hongchang returned, now even more deferential. “Sorry to keep you waiting, officers.”

“What did your superiors say?” Han Bin asked. Seeing Han Bin smoke, Li Hui felt tempted and took out a cigarette.

Luo Hongchang quickly produced a lighter and lit one for Li Hui. “Our leadership said we must fully cooperate with the police. You can access our surveillance at any time.”

“Good. Thank your superiors for me.”

“There’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you, officers.” Luo Hongchang took two red envelopes from his pocket and placed them on the table.

“What’s this?” Han Bin’s voice turned cold.

“Don’t try that. Put them away,” Li Hui barked.

Luo Hongchang hesitated, then retrieved the envelopes and explained, “I meant nothing else by it. I just hope you won’t disclose that the victim was staying at our hotel.”

“That’s enough. The police have confidentiality agreements. We know what to say and what not to say, better than you do.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s get on with it. Take us to the surveillance room. The sooner we solve this, the sooner it’s over for you.” Han Bin stood.

Luo Hongchang gestured for them to follow. “This way, please.”

With Luo Hongchang leading, Han Bin and Li Hui entered the surveillance room. When he showed no intention of leaving, Han Bin promptly ordered him out.

Shortly after, a staff member entered carrying two cups of coffee and a fruit platter. Han Bin kept the drinks but had the fruit sent back.

To speed things up, Li Hui went straight to reviewing footage from around eight last night. Sure enough, he found He Shirui, Tang Yu, and a young man in the hotel restaurant. The man had his arm around Tang Yu’s shoulders, likely her boyfriend.

Han Bin set down his coffee, pointing at He Shirui on the screen. “A blue sleeveless dress—the same outfit she was wearing when she died.”

Li Hui traced He Shirui’s movements through the surveillance. After leaving the restaurant, the three parted ways and He Shirui left the hotel alone, heading toward the beach.

Han Bin instructed hotel security to copy the footage from the previous day, and then he and Li Hui left the hotel.

The Qianhao Hotel was close to the beach, surrounded by shops, supermarkets, gift stores, and other hotels. Han Bin and Li Hui made a circuit of the area, collecting and reviewing surveillance footage from the tourist zone and nearby businesses, then returned to the hotel to check it all, one by one.

Reviewing surveillance was tedious work. Han Bin’s eyes were sore after two cups of tea, a coffee, and five cigarettes, staring at the screen nonstop.

“Bin, I’ve found He Shirui again,” Li Hui said excitedly, pointing at the screen.

Han Bin looked over and saw a woman’s figure appear. It was night, so the image was unclear, but her clothing, hat, and build were distinguishable. The woman in the footage wore a round-brimmed floral hat and a blue sleeveless dress. Her face couldn’t be seen, but her build matched He Shirui.

“Track the footage—see where she went,” Han Bin instructed.

Li Hui continued playing the footage and saw He Shirui enter a nearby bar—a simple, open-air, semicircular counter only a few dozen meters from the sea, where one could drink while watching the waves.

“When did she get the hat? It’s blocking her face perfectly.”

“She probably bought it as a souvenir,” Li Hui said, pointing at the upper left corner of the screen. “The time is 10:10, which matches Tang Yu’s account.”