Time was tight, and when Hu Jia heard Guan Jinsong report that they had information on the firearm with serial number 47881, he didn't even touch the rice on his table before rushing out the door.
This was an old police officer who had a distinct impression of the firearm with serial number 47881800.
He said that about 12 years ago, a police officer had accidentally lost his gun while pursuing a suspect.
It had caused quite a stir back then, as firearms were much more precious then than they were now.
At that time, it wasn't just the police looking for the gun; the police had also enlisted the help of some underground forces.
However, he had never heard that the gun was recovered before he left the police station.
"Can you still contact the owner of the gun that was lost back then?" Guan Jinsong asked.
"No." The other man shook his head. "I heard that he was killed by the suspect during a mission, which is how he lost his gun."
Huh?
In other words, the original owner of the gun was dead.
Hu Jia quickly formed a judgment in his mind. The police officer's gun was taken after his death. It was possible that the person who took his gun was Dao Ren, or perhaps Dao Ren found his gun afterward.
"Do you remember which police station the gun was lost from?" Hu Jia wanted to start from the police station.
"Of course, not many police stations were equipped with 'big belly boxes' back then. Tongyuanmen was the police station in the city, and that deceased police officer was their criminal investigation captain."
As soon as this was said, everyone looked at each other in disbelief.
The deceased police officer was from the Tongyuanmen Sub-bureau, and this gun numbered 47881 belonged to the Tongyuanmen Sub-bureau.
The deceased police officer was the criminal investigation captain at the time.
And after his death, Yao Jieyan took over his position.
And Yao Jieyan was working for Dao Ren. Could it be that the gun was handed over by him?
Suddenly, it seemed as if all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
"Let's go and get to the bottom of this with Yao Jieyan." Guan Jinsong found the act of backstabbing despicable. The thought of Yao Jieyan possibly being the one who struck his colleague from behind made his teeth itch with anger.
"Don't rush," Hu Jia held him back. "If we go to Yao Jieyan now, he will definitely deny it, and might even alert the suspect."
"Yes. We need more evidence." Lü Qingqing also advised caution. After all, they were not investigating ordinary citizens, but the director of a police sub-bureau.
Led by Lü Qingqing, Hu Jia and the other two quietly knocked on the door of an old police officer's room.
"Uncle Zhang, do you still remember me?" Lü Qingqing smiled sweetly.
"Oh my, it's Qingqing. What are you saying? How could I not remember you? Come in, come in." Uncle Zhang was a colleague Lü Qingqing met when she first arrived at the Tongyuanmen Sub-bureau.
He used to be a veteran detective, but as he got older, he moved to the logistics department.
Uncle Zhang was very enthusiastic. "Huh?" He then noticed the two young people following Lü Qingqing.
One of them looked unfamiliar, but the other he found very familiar.
"Uncle Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Captain Hu Jia from the Municipal Police Bureau, and this is Guan Jinsong." Lü Qingqing first clarified Hu Jia's identity. After all, Hu Jia's reputation was his calling card, and it was the key to getting Uncle Zhang to talk.
Uncle Zhang looked enlightened. Although he was surprised that the famous detective would come to his home, he remained composed.
After inviting everyone to sit down, Uncle Zhang got straight to the point, asking Lü Qingqing about their purpose.
After all, anyone with a bit of sense could guess that Lü Qingqing wouldn't bring a detective for a social call.
"It's like this, Uncle Zhang. We want to ask you about a case from over a decade ago." Lü Qingqing didn't believe in beating around the bush. She preferred dealing with intelligent people.
Over a decade ago?
Uncle Zhang was surprised. "I will spare no effort to help if I can."
"12 years ago, Uncle Zhang was still in the criminal investigation team, right?" Lü Qingqing asked.
Uncle Zhang nodded, his mind racing as he wondered what Lü Qingqing wanted to ask.
"Back then, one of the officers in the team was killed, and his gun was lost. You should remember this incident well, right?"
Uncle Zhang was taken aback. He hadn't expected Lü Qingqing to be asking about this.
"Why are you asking about this matter?" Uncle Zhang asked.
"What, has this become a secret that cannot be spoken of?" Hu Jia sensed a hint of hesitation in Uncle Zhang's tone.
"It was a sensitive matter years ago, but whether it still is, I don't know." Uncle Zhang's words confused everyone.
"Perhaps because the gun was lost, the police station felt ashamed, so Director Yao specifically instructed at the meeting that this matter should no longer be discussed. Over time, no one talked about it anymore. For so many years, this is the first time I've heard someone inquire about it."
Director Yao?
Yao Jieyan?
Hu Jia seemed to understand something. "What was the name of the police officer who died? Was Yao Jieyan at the scene when the incident occurred?"
Uncle Zhang seemed to sense what Hu Jia was implying. "You suspect that Yao Jieyan took that gun, don't you?"
Hu Jia smiled. Smart!
Seeing Hu Jia not refute, Uncle Zhang shook his head. "Then you'll be disappointed. Yao Jieyan was on a business trip out of town at the time. Besides, Bai Runjia was temporarily assigned to the general bureau to help, so he had no contact with Yao Jieyan."
"Temporarily assigned to help at the general bureau?" Lü Qingqing caught something amiss.
"Yes, he was temporarily seconded to the general bureau to help. At the time, we all thought he would be promoted quickly, but he didn't have the good fortune."
Lü Qingqing subconsciously glanced at Hu Jia. Hu Jia felt Lü Qingqing's gaze, his brow furrowed, and his eyes half-closed. "So, at that time, he was acting with people from the general bureau?"
"Yes. Your Deputy Director Qiao, and he were both criminal investigation captains at the time. They worked well together and often acted in concert. Bai Runjia died trying to shield Deputy Director Qiao from bullets. If Bai Runjia hadn't died, who knows what position he would have reached by now."
Uncle Zhang's words struck them like thunder.
Bai Runjia and Qiao Huali were partners. This meant that Qiao Huali was by Bai Runjia's side when he was killed in the line of duty.
Then, that gun...
After leaving Uncle Zhang's place, Hu Jia didn't utter a single word. Lü Qingqing tried to speak several times, but his ashen face frightened her into silence.
They had always known that Qiao Huali was problematic and had suspected him of being involved in the shooting.
But that was just speculation.
Now, however, when they learned from Uncle Zhang that Qiao Huali was with Bai Runjia at the time, it meant that the gun was likely taken by Qiao Huali.
If the gun was with Qiao Huali, did that mean the shooting was done by Qiao Huali? Even if he didn't pull the trigger himself, he was deeply involved.
"That's why my father investigated this information, and he was silenced." Hu Jia was heartbroken. "No wonder my father opened the door for the killer, no wonder my father poured him tea and water. It turns out he really knew this killer, the killer he thought was his good brother."
Lü Qingqing could understand Hu Jia's feelings at the moment.
Before, they had only suspected Qiao Huali of being the killer, but they still held onto a glimmer of hope.
After all, no one wanted to believe that the man Hu Jia had called uncle since childhood was the murderer of his father.
But now, as all the evidence pointed to Qiao Huali, Hu Jia's unwillingness, pain, anger, and confusion were amplified to the extreme.
"That's not right." Lü Qingqing suddenly stopped. "Something's wrong with this. Qiao Huali might not be the killer."