PCJ – Chapter 213 County Town Theft Case

This case was peculiar. First, the county bureau received a report from Jin Aixiang, the wife of Agricultural Bureau Director Dai Chengbao, saying their home had been burgled. The county bureau took it very seriously, and the case was handed directly to the Criminal Investigation Team. This was Luo Changjun’s first case since joining the county’s criminal investigation team, and given that it involved a county leader’s home, he naturally took it very seriously. However, when Luo Changjun arrived at Dai Chengbao’s home, Jin Aixiang claimed nothing was missing.

Luo Changjun clearly saw that the mattress in Dai Chengbao’s home was slashed, and the living room sofa’s foam was pulled out. The room was in disarray, with items from the cabinets scattered. Yet, the bedroom and study were evidently tidied up. When Luo Changjun asked Jin Aixiang why she had tampered with the crime scene, she said that since nothing was missing, she didn’t want to bother the police. Luo Changjun was helpless; even knowing she was lying, there wasn’t much he could do.

Initially, since the victim’s family was uncooperative, Luo Changjun wasn’t keen on pursuing the case. But then, the Water Resources Bureau Director Yang Weidong’s home was burgled, and his wife, Yu Lan, was knocked unconscious by the thief. The neighbors, hearing the commotion, rushed her to the hospital. This was no ordinary case now.

The county’s Public Security Bureau found itself in a passive position. Two county-level officials’ homes had been burgled, with one family member left unconscious. Yu Lan’s condition was severe, and she remained in a coma. The county demanded that the bureau solve the case within three days. The successive incidents had left county leaders in fear, worried they might be next.

Yang Weidong’s crime scene was well preserved and had been sealed off by the county bureau. However, Luo Changjun found that the criminal had strong anti-investigation skills, leaving no clues behind. Even the police dogs were at a loss. The investigation had hit a dead end, and with the deadline approaching, Luo Changjun grew anxious. His position as the criminal investigation team leader was earned by solving a major case, but failing to crack this one in time might cost him his job.

Driving to the county bureau, Luo Changjun was met by Zhu Qiyou, a detective from the criminal investigation team. “Captain Yang, where have you been? Director Xu is holding a special meeting, and you’re the only one missing. Things are looking bad.”

“I had some business to attend to,” Luo Changjun replied, getting out of the car and asking Zhang Jiaohua to follow. “Xiao Zhu, take this young man to the criminal investigation team.”

“Sure. Kid, come with me. By the way, what’s your name?” Zhu Qiyou asked.

“Zhang Jiaohua,” he replied.

“Jiaohua, huh? Interesting name,” Zhu Qiyou chuckled.

“And your name means ‘little pig.’ Your surname isn’t great either,” Zhang Jiaohua retorted sharply, disliking jokes about his name. His comeback left Zhu Qiyou stunned.

Luo Changjun hurried to the meeting room, where he could hear Xu Yinshan speaking before he even reached the door.

“Two consecutive burglaries targeting county-level leaders in our county—this is no ordinary case; it’s premeditated. The county has given us three days, and we’re halfway through with no valuable leads. Yet some people still have the nerve to attend to personal matters. This is serious dereliction of duty and must be strictly pursued…”

Despite knowing the remarks were aimed at him, Luo Changjun steeled himself and entered the office.

“Director Xu,” he said, standing at his place without sitting down.

“You’re just in time, Luo Changjun. Tell us how the burglary case is progressing,” Xu Yinshan demanded, glaring at him.

“There are no leads so far. The thief’s anti-investigation skills left no traces at the scene. Even the police dogs found nothing. Moreover, the rescue efforts for Mrs. Yu interfered with the police dogs’ work, and Director Dai’s crime scene was tampered with before we arrived, leaving no clues. We’ve also investigated the surroundings of both crime scenes but found no witnesses or suspicious individuals,” Luo Changjun reported truthfully.

“So, with no progress on the case, where were you this afternoon?” Xu Yinshan slammed the table, his voice booming.

Luo Changjun knew Xu Yinshan was looking for an excuse to criticize him. He had learned that the previous investigation team leader, Yu Xingkuan, was promoted by Xu Yinshan but had poor case-solving abilities and even created some wrongful convictions. Yu Xingkuan was dismissed, and the position fell to Luo Changjun after he solved a major case. Many in the bureau thought he was just lucky.

“I had to go to Gezhu Ping Town for something related to the case,” Luo Changjun explained.

“Luo Changjun, going home is going home. Don’t make it sound so grand! You’re neglecting your duties. Do you believe I can dismiss you right now?” Xu Yinshan shouted.

Luo Changjun knew Xu Yinshan was making a fuss but couldn’t refute him.

“Why aren’t you making excuses? What’s your plan for this case?” Xu Yinshan wasn’t going to dismiss him immediately, knowing he needed someone to blame if the case wasn’t solved in three days.

“Does it matter what I say? If I don’t solve the case within three days, you’ll use me as a scapegoat anyway. There are countless unsolved cases, so why blame me for failing to crack one in time? This pressure just forces people to create wrongful convictions,” Luo Changjun emphasized the phrase “wrongful convictions.”

The room grew tense. Xu Yinshan was furious but rational enough to know it wasn’t time to settle scores. He still needed Luo Changjun to work on the case to meet the deadline.

“Fine! I’ll settle old and new scores with you after the deadline,” Xu Yinshan fumed.

Luo Changjun headed out of the office.

“Luo Changjun, where are you going?” Xu Yinshan erupted again.

“To solve the case, of course. Should I wait here for the deadline?” With the confrontation out in the open, Luo Changjun no longer bothered with formalities.