Mad Detective
[Author: Kuang Hai Wang Hu]
[TL: Spades]
[PR: Blitz]
[QC: Lumi]
Chapter 26 — Appalling Manners
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Ignoring Li Beini's question, Zhao Yu hung up and charged through the crowd, hunting for Shanshan's mom.
"Hey, you!" He quickly spotted her and rushed over, blurting, "Ma'am! Quick, tell me, at that piano competition you entered, did you know Gao Tian, Yuan Lili, or Luo Meina?"
Shanshan's mom's face froze, backing away like he was a plague, shaking her head.
"Come on, it's been years, how can you just say no?" Zhao Yu pressed urgently, "Think hard, did you know them? Were they in the competition with you?"
"I… I really don't remember!" Shanshan's mom, intimidated by his intensity, turned to flee.
Zhao Yu grabbed her arm, shouting, "Ma'am, ma'am, what're you scared of? I'm working a case!"
"Hey! You, parent, I've had enough!" The gray-haired homeroom teacher finally snapped, slamming the desk, "Stop it, or I'm calling security! Your manners are appalling!"
"Yeah!" Male parents started rolling up sleeves, "Look at this place, and look at yourself!"
The rebuke jolted Zhao Yu. He whipped out his badge, roaring, "I'm a cop! Major Crimes, on a case! There's a major murder case tied to this lady, so…" He faced Shanshan's mom, "You have to answer truthfully, or you're coming to the station… Hey…"
Unexpectedly, hearing "major murder case," Shanshan's mom's eyes rolled back, and she fainted! Parents rushed to pinch her philtrum and pat her chest, barely reviving her.
"Officer, is this how you investigate?" The teacher hurried over, scolding, "Look at the mess you've made of our meeting! This is a school!"
"Exactly!" Parents chimed in, "Arresting people at a parent meeting? Look how you scared her!"
"Are you even a cop?" someone doubted, "Cursing left and right, what kind of cop acts like you? Teacher Wang, verify his identity first!"
"Bullshit!" Before their outrage united, Zhao Yu's bellow silenced them, "Truth is, the culprit might strike again today. If you obstruct my investigation and let them act, you're interfering with justice, and you'll all pay!"
The parents, unaccustomed to such scenes, were cowed by his words, shutting up instantly.
"Officer, it's been 20 years!" Shanshan's mom, pale and trembling, said, "How could I remember who's who? I was nervous enough performing, I didn't pay attention to others. Those three names, I've never heard of!"
Oh…
Zhao Yu's mind clicked. No wonder the victims, despite competing together, didn't recall each other! It was long ago, and piano contests focused on individual skill, with little interaction.
"Wait," Zhao Yu remembered something, "Which competition was yours? You'd know that, right?"
"I know, I know…" Shanshan's mom nodded repeatedly, straining to recall, "Second, maybe third, at most fourth! It was early in the competition's history!"
Phew…
Zhao Yu shook his head. Gao Tian and the others were in the tenth competition, too far apart for Shanshan's mom to know them!
That left the competition's original records. Zhao Yu believed if he could find the participant list, the culprit might surface!
"Hey… what's-your-name, teacher?" Zhao Yu barked at the teacher, "Tell me, who do I ask to find records of piano competitions held here?"
"You'd need the vice principal in charge of music…" The teacher frowned, "But it's been so long, I'm not sure those records still exist!"
"Where's the vice principal's office? Directions!" Zhao Yu demanded.
Not daring to defy, the teacher gave the info, and Zhao Yu stormed out of the auditorium.
Only when he was gone did the parents exhale in relief. After a pause, someone rekindled the question, "Who was that guy? A parent?"
"No way, right?" The teacher was puzzled, "Never seen him before! Major Crimes cop? More like a thug! Any student with a parent like that is doomed!"
"I know, I know!" A woman raised her hand, "I saw him come with Jiang Xiaoqing! Must be her parent!"
Thud!
The teacher stumbled, collapsing to the floor!
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From the music building, Zhao Yu went straight to the vice principal. Flashing his badge, the vice principal promptly summoned the archive staff.
But after a morning of rummaging through the archives, they found nothing on the piano competition, no participant lists, no rules, nothing.
One archivist explained the time gap was too long. Unlike critical records, competition files weren't vital, rarely preserved. After several school relocations, the odds of finding them were slim.
Disappointed, Zhao Yu pleaded, stressing lives were at stake, urging them to keep searching.
The archivists, grasping the gravity, promised to scour every corner and call him with any leads.
With no choice, Zhao Yu left to find other ways. Just as he exited Second High's gates, Li Beini's call came, "Senior, how's it going? Good news, I've got the participant list for Qinshan City's 10th Piano Competition!!!"