Chapter 417: Expert Thief (1/2)
Song Xingchen blurted, ”Could someone have stolen her gun at that time?”
I instantly connected the dots. Holding the two sugar shakers on the table, I pointed out, ”You mean the man stole Xiaotao’s gun and exchanged it for another, replacing the new gun into her holster. The two guns had exactly the same shape, weight and inscription. Xiaotao pulled out the replacement and fired into the sky. Meanwhile, the real murderer used her gun to kill Qin Aonan, then switched the gun back at a certain point?”
”What amazing sleight of hand. Is it possible?” asked Dali.
Song Xingchen explained, ”During the Republic of China, expert thieves could thread lightning through a sewing needle, that is, aiming the needle at a bolt of lightning the instant it appears in the sky. Another special skill is to mix a mung bean in a handful of soybeans and throw it into the air. The experts could grab the mung bean instantly with only two fingers. But these are all tricks in the Jianghu. Nowadays, thieves don’t have masters. If Nanjiang City really has such expert thieves, there can’t be more than two or three of them!”
Wang Yuanchao nodded, ”If that’s the case, we can narrow the scope. I’ll check with my informant in the Jianghu.”
”This person works for the Dog Trainer and must have been brainwashed,” I said. “Look out for thieves who have mysteriously disappeared for some time!”
Dali interjected, ”Can’t you tell us more about the people assassinating us? Will our lives be in danger?”
I shook my head, ”Not for the time being. I will try my best to deal with the Dog Trainer. By the way, are your phones all dual SIM standby?”
Except for Wang Yuanchao who used an old-fashioned cell phone, the rest of us had dual SIM standby phones. I instructed Wang Yuanchao to purchase a new cell phone which I offered to pay for. We had to prepare new SIM cards to facilitate communication.
The five of us sat there for a considerable amount of time and the waiter came to ask for our order several times so Bingxin ordered some coffee.
After the waiter left, I continued, ”Aside from Xiaotao, were there any other traces of gunpowder?”
”No,” replied Wang Yuanchao. “I asked around privately and they only found gunpowder on her!”
”I visited the scene this morning and noticed several bay windows above the crime scene which were good vantage points...”
Wang Yuanchao sighed, ”I’ve checked them. The residents are elderly folk.”
I couldn't figure out how the murderer fired the gun. The effective range of Xiaotao’s gun was only a hundred meters. Even if the murderer was a sharpshooter, the environment determined that he couldn't be too far away.
”I know his home address!” Wang Yuanchao interjected as he jotted it down on a cigarette paper.
I assigned our little group separate tasks. Song Xingchen and I would continue to deal with the Dog Trainer while Bingxin had to come up with ways to mobilize the resources of the Public Security Bureau and track down the Dog Trainer. Wang Yuanchao had two tasks–the first was to locate the thief and the other was to verify Wang Xuebing's identity.
Only Dali could remain leisurely. He pointed to himself and asked, ”Song Yang, what should I do?”
”Nothing, just stay at home.”
”But, I want to contribute as well!” he protested.
Upon second thought, I said, ”Alright, I’ll give you a task. Go get Baldy. I'm planning to kidnap someone!”
As soon as the words fell from my lips, the others looked at me in astonishment. ”I’m going to use the Dog Trainer’s methods against him. I want to kidnap one of his dogs, brainwash him into a normal person, and obtain information about the Dog Trainer from him. This sort of thing is best left to a man like Baldy.”
Dali frowned, ”Isn't this... illegal?”
”Oh, who cares about that now!”
Having recently researched this, I briefly explained the matter and instructed Dali what to do.