Chapter 40: Why Aren’t You Wearing Gloves?
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Do you know where your daughter is?" Zhao Yu had a bad feeling about Li Dan and asked the old lady immediately, "How can I find her?"
"Officer, I’ve told you everything that you asked, why do you still want to look for my daughter?" The old lady was still worried about the piano issue, afraid that Zhao Yu might add salt to her daughter’s wound.
"Nothing much. We only need some information about her, so it’s not necessary that we find her! Zhao Yu showed her his police badge and spouted nonsense, "I’m just fulfilling my mission! The police are currently investigating something related to that piano competition. Who knows, we might be able to find the culprit who harmed your daugher!"
"Oh…" The old lady pondered for a while and said to Zhao Yu, "my daughter should be with the performance troupe! Probably the City Cultural Palace performance troupe? When she left today, she told me she might be going to the countryside with the troupe tonight, and would probably be back after four or five days!"
"Oh? Out of town?" Zhao Yu thought. He felt tense. Why was it so coincidental that Li Dan was rushing out of town at this time? If she was the real culprit of the Lost Hand Case, did this mean that she was going to strike again?
"Officer, how about this?" The old lady tried to cooperate, "Let me give my daughter a call and ask her?"
"Hmmm, there’s no need for that!" Zhao Yu waved his hands immediately. If there was really something wrong with Li Dan, calling her could alert her. It was better to investigate discreetly. He said to the old woman, "Alright, there’s no need to call. My mission is almost complete. I will stop troubling you!" He began to walk outside and wanted to call Li Beini quickly. He wanted her to check on Li Dan’s location to see if she was with the performance troupe. However, on his way out, he suddenly noticed something was not right. There was a lock on the door of the bedroom next to the living room. Seeing this lock, he stopped and asked, "Ma’am, why is this door locked?"
"Oh, this is my daughter’s room!" the old lady answered truthfully. "My daughter cares a lot about cleanliness! Her room is always locked, and nobody is allowed to go in!"
Not allowed to go in? Zhao Yu got more curious. He asked the old lady if she could open the door to let him take a look.
"No, no, definitely not!" the old lady waved her hands. "My daughter is very against others entering her room, and that includes me! Moreover, the key is always with her, so even I cannot enter!"
"Don’t worry! I can open it!" Zhao Yu did not care and reached for the lock.
"No! You really can’t!" the old lady stood in front of the door, blocking it. "I beg you, Officer. I’ll be honest with you! My daughter is a clean freak. If she finds out that someone has entered her room, she will be very angry! I beg you, my daughter has suffered enough, please don’t add salt to her wound."
"A clean freak? Really?" Zhao Yu thought. By this point, Zhao Yu felt that he had to go in and take a look even if he was wrong again. He would not give up! But the old lady was blocking the front of the door, guarding it from Zhao Yu with her life. Facing an old lady like this, it was not possible for Zhao Yu to use force.
What should be done? A normal policeman might have been stuck in this situation, but this was nothing for a crafty fellow like Zhao Yu. He came up with an idea fast and immediately asked the old lady with a stern face, "Ma’am! Let me ask you, is the cleanliness of her room, or the life of your daughter more important?"
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"Ah?" The old lady was confused. "Officer, what, what do you mean?"
Zhao Yu took a deep sigh and pretended to be hesitant, "Actually, I did not want to say this! But under such circumstances, I have to be honest with you in order to save your daughter’s life! The reason why I’m here to find your daughter today is because someone wants to harm her!!"
"Ah!?" The old lady was startled and began to tremble again, "Who? Who’s the wicked person who wants to harm my daughter?"
"It could be the one who planted the razor blade, or it could be someone else," Zhao Yu lied. "Your daughter might have some important evidence, which is why I want to take a look at her room! If the culprit could be arrested soon, wouldn’t your daughter be safe?"
"Oh, I see!" The old lady was terrified and confused. She said in a trembling voice, "No, I must quickly give my daughter a call and tell her to be careful!"
"No, don’t worry!" Zhao Yu quickly stopped her, "We’ve already sent some men to protect your daughter! You don’t have to worry about this, but I need to take a look at your daughter’s room! How about this, believe in my skills, and I guarantee that I won’t leave a single trace so that your daughter won’t be able to tell!"
"Really?" the old lady slowly moved away from the door after hearing Zhao Yu’s words.
"Don’t worry! I’m a professional detective!" Zhao Yu smiled happily and walked to the door. Without using a screwdriver or anything, he held the door frame with one hand and forced open the lock. "See, the lock is not damaged. I’ll fasten it again when I come out and everything will be fine!" Zhao Yu signalled "OK" with his hand to the old lady. He had done numerous lock-picking activities in the past, so naturally he was good at it. The door squeaked open, and there was a smell akin to that of resin. A neat and tidy room was vividly in front of Zhao Yu.
Although the room was furnished very simply, everything was placed neatly, and the window was spotless. It was evident that the owner not only liked cleanliness, but was also a very meticulous person!
Although Zhao Yu was inexperienced in criminal investigation, he was good at observing people. Just from this glance, he became aware that Li Dan’s character seemed to match the psychological profile of the culprit of the Lost Hand Case. The culprit was also meticulous, calm, and level-headed--someone who had the ability to execute all of the details with perfection.
Zhao Yu stepped into the room. The old lady wanted to follow him in but was stopped by Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu told her to look from outside the door as the chances of her daughter discovering would increase if more people came in.
The old lady looked from the outside obediently. The room was not big and there was little furniture inside. Other than a big, old-fashioned wooden bed, there was a wine cabinet, a wardrobe, and a bookshelf. The design of the furniture was old, but they were well maintained and timeless.
After a simple observation, Zhao Yu felt that searching the bookshelf was necessary if he wanted to find any information. There were many books on the bookshelf and each book was clean and intact. The books had been carefully categorized by Li Dan.
From the categories and book titles, Zhao Yu could tell that Li Dan read extensively, from literature and science, to technology and medical science. For medical science there were actually a few books on anaesthesiology and anatomy!
The moment he saw these books, Zhao Yu could not help but feel agitated. He was about to take a book when he suddenly heard the old lady shout at the door, "Officer, why aren’t you wearing gloves?"