After completing his questioning of Li Le, Ping An let Li Le leave and then called Hua Yu, the translator, over.
"The police believe you were the first person to enter Wang Bao's room that night, is that correct?" Ping An asked.
"Yes, because I had just finished translating a document, and Accountant Wang was waiting to see it," Hua Yu replied.
"Did he personally request to see it that night?" Ping An inquired.
"Yes, he considered it very important," Hua Yu said.
"By the way, when you were in Wang Bao's room, did you see Wang Bao smoking?" Ping An asked.
"Hmm? Oh, yes," Hua Yu replied.
"Did you notice whether Wang Bao was smoking a cigar or a cigarette?" Ping An asked.
"I... I didn't notice, I just knew he was smoking," Hua Yu said after thinking carefully.
"Alright, you may leave," Ping An said. "Please inform them to call Miller over."
"Oh, okay," Hua Yu replied, stood up, and prepared to leave.
"I heard this Miller is top-notch, so the price must be considerable, right?" Ping An said, making a jest between men.
"It's indeed not cheap, four hundred Euros," Hua Yu smiled and left.
Upon hearing "four hundred Euros," Ping An couldn't help but shrug.
- Read Novel
After tidying things up, Ping An called Mei Qian and Gao Xiaofei.
"I'm returning to China soon. How are things on your end?" Ping An asked.
"Returning to China already? Did you crack the case?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"Essentially!" Ping An said. "The murder case is solved, and the mystery of the company's losses will have an answer."
"This isn't like you. Why was this case solved so quickly?" Mei Qian asked.
"You've all gotten slow from solving cases. The cases I've handled in recent years have all been extremely complex. This kind of minor case is actually just a case of someone being too clever for their own good; there's not much difficulty," Ping An said. "I'm eager to get home, I'm afraid An Jing won't be able to hold on in China."
"It will take us at least two more days—but who is the murderer?" Gao Xiaofei asked curiously. "Wouldn't it be better to find the murderer directly?"
"No, I suspect the murder is inextricably linked to the company's operations, so we can't say anything, at least not in China," Ping An said. "I'm just informing you two. I'll call Cui Sanye now."
After informing Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian, Ping An indeed called Cui Sanye and requested that Cui Sanye issue an order, instructing the audit team and Li Le to return to China immediately.
They arrived in Germany less than 48 hours ago, came in a hurry, and were now leaving in a hurry. If it weren't for Cui Sanye's repeated confirmation that Ping An was indeed a capable senior detective, he would have thought Ping An was a fraud.
In any case, at Ping An's insistence, a large group of people flew back to China overnight.
"I've brought the police. Now can you tell me who the murderer is?" Cui Sanye asked expectantly at Hechuan Airport, where he had come to pick them up.
"Translator, Hua Yu!" Ping An said sternly. "He is the one who murdered Accountant Wang and caused the company's losses."
Him?
Cui Sanye looked at Ping An in disbelief. He had actually always suspected Li Le, but the Ping An in front of him firmly pointed to Hua Yu.
"The case happened abroad, so we don't really have any jurisdiction," said Qiao Yidan, who had accompanied them. "Now, we can only invite you, Li Le, Qiao Er, and Hua Yu to the public security bureau for a chat."
"As you wish. I already know how Hua Yu committed the murder," Ping An said.
Although he had only been away for less than three days, Ping An still missed his hometown dearly. On the way back, he learned from Qiao Yidan that Ou Erjian, Diana, and the duplicated Ma Delu had all confessed. Excluding Mr. Ke's part, the murder of the young woman that had caused unease from the very beginning had finally concluded.
"You didn't just go out this time to help Cui Sanye solve the case, did you?" Qiao Yidan asked.
"Indeed. I rushed back because I discovered something very important, and I wasn't confident I could control the situation if it happened abroad," Ping An said.
"Yes, you've improved. You know how to control situations," Qiao Yidan said with relief. "We've been reviewing Anshi International for the past few days. Your sister has been very cooperative, and we've found some issues."
"Oh, are they big issues?" Ping An asked.
"Not very big, but not insignificant either," Qiao Yidan said. "It's estimated that your mother will be staying in prison for some time."
"That's not a big deal. She's worked her whole life. Prison might be the best place for her," Ping An said. "The situation is urgent. Let's deal with Cui Sanye's matters first, and then we'll have a thorough sweep for Mr. Ke."
"Okay!" Qiao Yidan said with a smile.
In the municipal bureau conference room, all relevant parties were present.
From the moment Hua Yu learned that Ping An had identified him as the murderer, he had an expression of disbelief.
"My time is limited, so I won't say much," Ping An said. "Hua Yu, will you speak, or will I? If you speak yourself, it will be considered a confession. If I speak, you are truly finished."
"I didn't kill anyone! Do you have any evidence?" Hua Yu asked.
"Evidence is not needed," Ping An said. "Put away your cleverness and listen to me."
Originally, after reviewing the police's detailed case files, Ping An had already listed Hua Yu as a suspect. Although Hua Yu had a solid alibi, such as being the first person on the timeline to enter Wang Bao's room, Ping An ultimately determined Hua Yu was the murderer during subsequent questioning.
"This case may seem complex, but it's actually very simple. When I first encountered it, I identified three problems, and to deduce the killer, these three problems had to be solved first," Ping An said. "First, the door: who didn't close the door? Second, the medicine: why did Wang Bao, who had called for Miller's services, take sleeping pills? Third, the people: who notified Miller to come to the hotel, and who called the hotel customer service to report the incident?"
"I examined the police files. According to the German police's deduction, there were four people who entered Wang Bao's room that night, in order of entry: Hua Yu, Li Le, Qiao Er, and Miller," Ping An said. "From the situation of the case, Miller, who appeared last in Wang Bao's room, seems the most suspicious. However, Qiao Er had encountered Miller earlier, and I believe Miller wouldn't dare to kill again." Ping An said. "Besides, Miller is a prostitute. If she wanted to kill, it would be for money, but Wang Bao's possessions were all there, so I ruled out Miller first."
"If not Miller, then who killed Wang Bao?" Ping An said. "After the incident, Hua Yu and Qiao Er, who were staying at the hotel, both claimed they were resting, but there were no witnesses. The hotel's surveillance equipment was reported to be broken, and this information only came to light later." Ping An said. "After excluding Miller, only Li Le remained. Li Le claimed he left after meeting Wang Bao, but no one can attest to his drive home. Therefore, to find the killer, we can only rely on deduction."
Based on the three questions Ping An had previously listed, he had also found the answers during his subsequent questioning.
"Qiao Er claimed that when he entered the room, he found the door ajar. I believe this is true because this statement is very unfavorable to him; the police will investigate him based on this information," Ping An said. "But then again, Li Le, who was there before Qiao Er, claimed he closed the door before leaving. So why was the door open again? Did someone else come? Or did Wang Bao open it himself?"
In fact, the German police had been focusing on the door. Their investigation concluded that someone else had entered between Li Le's departure and Qiao Er's arrival. Therefore, they had been investigating who this person might be.
"However, I don't care if someone else came," Ping An said. "Because all I care about is that when Qiao Er arrived, Wang Bao was still alive, had taken his medication, and was preparing to sleep. But then another question arises, which is my second question: was Wang Bao preparing to enjoy Miller's services after taking sleeping pills?"