Don’t Cry, Tai Lake

Chief. How did you get those pictures of Fu in Shanghai? They absolutely crushed her.”
    “I asked Detective Yu to look into Mrs. Liu’s Shanghai background and in passing, I mentioned Fu as well. I didn’t really suspect something, not at the time. Perhaps subconsciously, but not consciously. I was just curious because, like Mrs. Liu, Fu made frequent trips back to Shanghai. Remember what Fu said to us? ‘I went back last Saturday, and I’m going there again this weekend.’ The last few weeks have been a hectic period for the company, so why was he taking the time to go back to Shanghai? That morning, I also had a feeling that Fu was trying to cut short our conversation with Mi. Anyway, Yu and Peiqin went out of their way to follow Fu around Shanghai for hours. And it was truly a random harvest. But for their help, and of course your help as well, the various pieces wouldn’t have been connected.
    “Now, time for action, Huang,” Chen concluded, getting to his feet. “I am going back in to Mi, and you are going to see Fu. Like the old proverb says, there may be too many dreams for a long night.”
    “Yes, we have to act before Internal Security can put up more hurdles, interfering with the investigation in the name of the Party’s interests. I’ll get the search warrants for both of them—”
    “Yes, have Fu’s place searched thoroughly, and quickly, before he can do anything there.”
    “I know what to do, Chief. His apartment isn’t large, and I’ll dig three meters deep into the ground.” He added in mounting excitement, “You’ve mentioned the restructuring plan Liu was working on that night. Indeed, Liu wouldn’t have been sitting at the desk without something in front of him. But we have never found it. Nor has Mi mentioned it as something possibly missing. Now I see why.”
    “The restructuring plan, among the other things—”
    Huang’s cell phone suddenly rang with a different tone. It was a text message from the head of the special team. Huang showed the message to Chen.
    “ Jiang will be sent to prison tomorrow, officially charged as the murderer in Liu’s case. Who’s the man interviewing at the chemical company with you? Internal Security asked. ”
    “Good timing,” Huang said with a grin. He didn’t write a response to the text. “Don’t worry, Chief. We’ll beat them this time. I’ll bring my notebook along with me and follow all the points you raised at the crime scene.”
    “When you’re there with your team, try to leave me out of the picture. It’s your investigation, not mine. ”
    “But how can I do that?” Huang said, shaking his head. “They’ve already raised the question.”
    “Try your best, Huang.”

TWENTY-THREE
    CHIEF INSPECTOR CHEN WOKE up with a lingering hangover.
    He sat up, pressing a finger to his temple as he looked out the window. The lake appeared to be still enveloped in mist. Occasionally, a lonely bird could be heard chirping among the trees.
    Instead of waiting for breakfast to be delivered to his room, Chen got up and brewed himself a pot of strong black coffee. The previous day had been very hectic, he recalled as he took a slow sip at the fresh coffee.
    Shortly after their parting at the bamboo groove, Huang returned to the villa with a couple of local police officers to get Mi off his hands. Instead of rushing straight to the chemical company, Huang phoned his team and had them hold Fu at the office. With Fu unable to return to his apartment, Huang searched it thoroughly even before he obtained a warrant. Huang’s surprise move really helped Chen, as Mi had been wailing, crying, and screaming there, her face streaked with tears and mucus, but not saying anything useful. Chen heaved a sigh of relief when she was lead away in handcuffs.
    But his peace was short-lived. The chief inspector was soon swamped by phone calls from the Wuxi Police Bureau, Internal Security, the Wuxi city government, and the local journalists. Not all of them seeemed pleased at the surprising turn of the investigation.
    There was only one thing the calls had in common. Everyone complained that Chief Inspector Chen should have contacted them earlier, despite his assurances that all he wanted was a quiet vacation in Wuxi.
    Chen’s assurances didn’t sound convincing, not even to himself. After all, the arrest was made at his villa, so he felt obliged to provide some explanations here and there. And that was turning into a terrible headache.
    To his