New Team Members

The phone company's response was just as expected.

At 8:14 in the morning, there was indeed a call from a mobile number. The number wasn't registered, so that lead hit a dead end. But it did confirm one thing - this was a meticulously planned murder.

Wang Zhiyuan was feeling down in the dumps, so he wandered around town until dinner time before heading back to the police station. Ding and the gang were huddled in the office, poring over the case. The air was thick with the smell of food and cigarette smoke. The autopsy report was in, and based on the extent of Zhou Zhaotao's ruptured spleen, lungs, and eardrums, it was clear he bit the dust in the initial blast.

Bighead wasn't too thrilled with the findings. "Man, he checked out so fast, didn't even suffer much. Got off easy, if you ask me."

Wang Zhiyuan shot up from his seat, banging his knee on the coffee table, which screeched across the floor.

Everyone swiveled their heads to look at him.

Wang Zhiyuan blurted out, "Any word from the bomb squad?"

Ding replied, "They ruled out a gas leak."

Bighead chimed in, "Well, duh! The kitchen's still intact. Gas leak my foot. Qu Weicheng, can't you come up with something useful?"

"Watch it, Bighead! You're all sweet talk in front of me, but behind my back, you're throwing shade?" Qu Weicheng walked in with a report, "After I busted my hump to get this to you guys."

Bighead put on a cheesy grin, "My bad, bro. What's the good word? Spill the beans!"

Qu Weicheng couldn't help but chuckle, "What were you expecting? That Zhou Zhaotao scribbled the killer's name in mid-air before he croaked, and I magically deciphered it?"

Bighead quipped, "If you did that, I'd start calling you Qu the Wizard."

"Dream on," Qu Weicheng handed the report to Ding, "The powder you guys sent over is RDX, an industrial explosive. This stuff packs a wallop, and judging by the photos from the scene, they used a boatload of it."

Ding asked, "Where can you even get this stuff?"

"It's widely used in industry," Qu Weicheng explained, "and international terrorists have used it too. Tracing it back to the source is gonna be like finding a needle in a haystack."

Tadpole chimed in, "True that. Weren't we suspecting that Zhou Zhaotao was offed by his own crew? They could probably get their hands on this stuff no sweat."

Ding added, "Wait, weren't there some parts too?"

Qu Weicheng explained, "Some of the parts are from an alarm clock, but they're too generic to tell anything. The others, I think, are from a phone. But it must've been some fancy-schmancy phone, maybe a decorative piece."

It was the Reclining Venus.

Wang Zhiyuan's hand dove into his pocket for a smoke, but came up empty.

Suddenly, a piece of candy came flying his way.

Wang Zhiyuan looked up. Tadpole gave him a small smile.

Anything to keep his mouth busy. Wang Zhiyuan unwrapped the candy and popped it in his mouth. The strong mint flavor made him scrunch up his face.

Tadpole chuckled, "Wakey-wakey, eh?"

It sure did the trick. Wang Zhiyuan felt his spirits lift a bit as the minty blast pushed his gloom aside.

Ding spoke up, "The phone parts give us a clearer target. Zhou Zhaotao only had one landline and no extensions, so he probably didn't use it much. Most of his buddies must've hit him up on his cell. That narrows down the list of people who knew his landline number."

Bighead suggested, "Should we bring in some of his goons for questioning?"

"Bad idea," Wang Zhiyuan shut it down.

Bighead asked, "Why not?"

Ding and the others were all ears.

Wang Zhiyuan explained, "They don't know how many cards we're holding. If we haul them in now, we might show our hand too soon and end up playing into theirs."

Bighead laughed, "Man, you're thinking outside the box today. But hey, we're cops solving a case, not playing poker with gangsters. What's the big deal if we show our hand?"

Wang Zhiyuan was stumped. Clearly, his thinking hadn't caught up with the mindset he should have in Wang Zhiyuan's shoes.

Ding interjected, "I think Bruiser's got a point. With a time bomb, the killer doesn't need an alibi. We don't have much to go on right now, and if we go in guns blazing, we might spook the perp."

Tadpole added, "But the killer's gotta be on edge. Even if we don't question them, they'll be sweating bullets."

Bighead agreed, "Yeah, and if something this big goes down and we don't even bring them in for questioning, that might make the killer suspicious."

Ding concluded, "So, we'll question them, but let's play it cool. Don't tip our hand too soon. Best if we can get the killer to let their guard down."

Bighead thumped his chest, "You got it, boss. We're sharp as tacks."

Tadpole suggested, "How about we throw them off the scent? I heard from the drug squad that Zhou Zhaotao had a deal with some Filipinos that went south. Maybe we can make it look like we're sniffing down that trail?"

Ding agreed, "Sounds good. But let's not go overboard and start an international incident."

Tadpole grinned, "Roger that."

Tadpole's idea got Wang Zhiyuan's wheels turning, and a plan started to take shape in his mind.

"Bruiser," Ding called out, but Wang Zhiyuan was lost in thought. Ding raised his voice, "Bruiser!"

Bighead chucked a tissue box at Wang Zhiyuan.

Wang Zhiyuan instinctively dodged.

The tissue box smacked into Qu Weicheng.

Qu Weicheng caught it with a wry smile, "Well, that's one way to kick me out. Fine, fine, I see how it is. Don't come crying to me for help next time."

Bighead grinned sheepishly, "Come on, man. Don't be like that."

Qu Weicheng tossed the tissue box back, "Whatever. Figure it out yourselves. I'm outta here."

Bighead fiddled with the tissue box, "So, what's the plan? Should we round up Zhou Zhaotao's crew?"

Ding speculated, "I bet there's a whole lot of infighting going on in their ranks right now."

Tadpole added, "Qian Haiyang was Zhou Zhaotao's right-hand man, his number two. With Zhou out of the picture, he's probably calling the shots. That makes him our prime suspect."

Ding mused, "Zhou Zhaotao's death was so sudden, Qian Haiyang's probably got his hands full cleaning up the mess. Plus, there's Hou Yuankun to consider. Zhou used to be his lackey before they became arch-enemies. There's no way Hou's just sitting this one out."

Bighead joked, "Why don't we just let them tear each other apart?"

Ding shot back, "Or you could quit and eat yourself out of house and home, instead of wasting taxpayers' money."

"Heh, just kidding," Bighead chuckled.

Ding smacked him on the back of the head, "Quit the wisecracks. Get some shut-eye tonight. Tomorrow, we're bringing them in for a good old-fashioned grilling."

Bighead and the others filed out.

As Wang Zhiyuan followed Tadpole out, Tadpole suddenly stopped and turned to Ding, who was still in the office, "Oh, by the way, boss, what did you want with Bruiser?"

Ding smacked his forehead, "Oh man, almost slipped my mind. Bruiser, tomorrow at 9:30 AM, you need to pick up two people at the bus station. Here's the secret code." He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a wilted rose, "Oh, it's all squished. Hang on." He handed Wang Zhiyuan a twenty and said, "Buy a red rose and go to the bus station. They'll spot it and come to you."

Wang Zhiyuan looked at the crumpled petals and shoved the twenty into his pocket, "Who am I picking up?"

"Two new recruits joining our team, one's Wang Rui and the other's Lin Moran," Ding replied.