Chapter 146: Commendations and summons.
A week went by, without any complicated cases. The relationship between Liwu and Weijun was coming along quite nicely. Manman had not created anymore trouble, all seemed to be well in the family and at work. Today was an even better day, because it was the kind many officers dreamed of.
A day of commendation: physical appreciation for all their efforts.
Liwu adjusted her collar, trying not to fidget under the weight of the ceremonial sash. The hall was packed--rows of polished uniforms, dignitaries, and family members filling every seat. The banners of the SOB, police force and country’s flag hung from the rafters.
Beside Liwu was her partner Linlin, equally nervous and yet she leaned close. "Relax. We have solved high profiles cases back to back. Today’s about applause not interrogation. The chief is taking us out for steak in a fancy restaurant in the Flame district tonight."
Liwu gave her a look. "Is food all you have on your mind? Wait until my mother starts talking and she points out how we could have solved the case faster by taking route B instead of A."
At the podium stood her mother, President Tai Alix, leader of the SOB. Regal in her tailored white suit and a lethal tight bun, she commanded the room with a single glance. "Today," she began, voice ringing clear, "we honor those who safeguard our country from within. I am not talking about soldiers, who I respect very much. I am talking about the officers of the bureau. Those who have safe guarded our city against fires, organ trafficking, bombs, kidnappings, system abuse, domestic violence, thefts, assaults and other crimes. This group of Detectives under the leadership of Chief Abby has brought justice in a number of cases that could have had very bad endings. For this, they are being commended."
Applause thundered. All eyes turned on the team that was sitting at the front. Liwu;s cheeks burned. She hated being the center of unnecessary attention, but there was no escaping it. Especially not when her entire family had shown up. Cousins, uncles, aunts, grand parents, great grandparents, every distant relative she barely remembered. Even Elder Zhang had come! Her family alone filled half the hall, waving and cheering like she was a celebrity.
And the Shen’s had joined them! Madam Xu was posting every moment on her we chat moments.
Linlin whispered, "You have got more suspects than we had in Professor Ce’s murder case."
Liwu muttered. "Don’t remind me."
Then came the twist: Mayor Weijun himself stepped forward, grinning broadly and waving. He had tagged along on these cases and given an opinion here and there. Somehow, he was now receiving a commendation too.
He stopped in front of Tai Ali and she put a medal on his chest. "For bravery in accompanying the detectives and protecting your city." She handed him a certificate and the prosecutor general gave him a bouquet of flowers.
The crowd erupted in laughter and applause. Weijun bowed theatrically, basking in the spotlight. Liwu buried her face in her hands. "All he did was meddle. He didn’t even take notes."
Linlin smirked. "He married you when your bad luck was at its worst. That counts as bravery."
The ceremony rolled on. Medals gleamed, speeches droned, and Liwu’s family clapped at every word. Her mother pinned the medal on Liwu herself, eyes softening for a moment. "I’m proud of you," she whispered.
She meant every word, and they both knew this. Xifeng’s musical talent had been boosted by her system. Even Xixi had used her tears to maneuver her way through the business world. But for Liwu, joining the police and getting to where she was had been her hard work. The system had arrived when she was already in the position she had, with six commendations into three year career already.
After the official commendations, the hall turned into a family reunion. Cousins swarmed Liwu for secrets on the cases she had been commended for. Aunts fussed over her wrong choice of hair for her special day. The grandmothers pressed make-up and pastries in her hands. Weijun was dragged into a circle of uncles and brothers that promised drinks were on them that night.
Liwu sighed. "I used to see you people like three times like a year. Now, I am seeing you all on a weekly basis." she muttered. She seemed to be complaining but her mouth was curved in a smile.
Her mother appeared at her side. "Enjoy it." she said. "Now that you are not toxic, everyone wants to show you how much they have missed you."
Liwu was about to join them all for lunch when her watch buzzed. A message flashed across the screen: Notice of Summons. Internal Affairs of the SOB requires your immediate presence. Investigation pending.
Her stomach dropped. She excused herself and sought out Linlin. "Have your received this? An investigation? After commendations?
Linlin’s watch buzzed as she got the same message. One by one, the other team members got the same message.
"This has got to be some kind of set up or a mistake." Linlin muttered.
Liwu went in search of her mother and she showed her the message. Alix’s face hardened as she read. "Internal Affairs," she said grimly. "They have summoned your team. All of you."
The joyous noise of the team seemed to fade, despite their families continuing to celebrate in blissful ignorance. The team was lost. Commendations one moment, investigation the next. This was the kind of thing that made people think something shady was going on.
Linlin whispered, "What do you think they are after?"
Liwu’s jaw tightened. "I don’t know. But we are about to find out."
To distract the families of the officers, Alix invited them all to dinner, at an even fancier location than the one the chief had promised the team. Meanwhile, the team members returned to the precinct.
They were still donning their ceremonial sashes.The glow of the applause and praised they had just received was still clinging to their bodies. But, the medals around their necks felt as heavy as the summons they had received.
Liwu was wondering if she would be punished if she just ripped it all off, medals and sashes all together. If she had not received a text from her mother telling her it was not big deal, she would be biting her bottom lip. In the meantime, suspicion dominated in the conference room as they waited for the Internal affairs officers to arrive.
And soon, the did. Two officers in dark suits with badges that bore the mark of SOB IA division. One was a man, tall and gaunt, eyes sharp as blades. He seemed to be suspicious of everything, even the air they were breathing. The other was a woman, shorter and stockier, with a face that betrayed no emotion.
"Detective Liwu," the man said, "we need to speak with you. Now."
Liwu muttered under her breath. "So much for basking in glory." She followed them to an interrogation room and and squared her shoulders as soon as she sat down. "What is this about?"
The female officer handed her a file. "The two suicides and death in your kidnapping case. It is one of the cases you are being commended for."
Liwu’s stomach twisted. "What about them? I wrote everything in my report as it happened. The bureau also has all the camera footage on from my body cam that day. I believe you can get everything you want to know about that case from there.:
The male officer’s voice was cold. "Yes, we have seen all that and read your report. However, someone in the bureau believes you pushed too hard. That your methods contributed to those deaths."
Liwu bristled. "Again, I followed procedure. Neither I nor Detective He Xiao Yi coerced a confession or made any threats. I don’t--"
The female officer cut her off. "The bureau is being sued by members of the Rong family. They are claiming harassment, coercion, psychological torture. They say you broke Rong Jian. They say your words tortured his mother to the point of indirectly causing her death."
The words hit like a hammer. Liwu scoffed. Commendations one moment for closing this case and saving a child and accusations the next. The irony was bitter. It seemed like the Rong family was not fully aware of all the facts in this case. If they were, they would not have threatened to sue or made a complaint.
Her voice was steady, "I did my job. I uncovered the truth. Rong Jian’s secret caused the death of his child. His mother fainted due to the shock and her medical report said her cause of death was an aneurysm. Rong Jian killed himself because the guilt was eating him alive. His secret caused three people he loved to die.
As for Huo Lingtian, I did not even interact with the man. This case was clean, there are no shadows lingering in some fictional abyss. If anybody wants to sue, they can go right ahead."