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CHAPTER 4
PART 5
Back at the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Tan Yong called Li Bin. Li Bin said that he had visited the nursing home where Gong Yamei often went and found out that she was genuinely dedicated to charity work there.
She had a good relationship with the elderly residents and staff, often helping them with bathing, feeding, taking walks, and chatting. The elderly people and staff were all shocked and saddened by the news of her death.
In addition, Gong Yamei didn't visit the nursing home yesterday, considering all the factors, Li Bin believed that Gong Yamei's murder had nothing to do with the nursing home.
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Tan Yong acknowledged the information and told Li Bin to go to "Ma Ji Barbecue" on Yushu Street when he came back and confirm with the owner whether Li Xueli had spent the night there. Also, find out the exact times of her arrival and departure.
After several tens of minutes, Li Bin returned. He sat down and took a sip of tea before speaking, "I went to that barbecue place and asked. The owner's name is Ma Qiang, he's thirty-nine and unmarried. He bought this shop a year ago, with the downstairs operating the barbecue business and the upstairs for accommodation. Li Xueli did go to see him yesterday. She arrived around eleven o'clock and left this morning after eight. They were together the entire night, at least that's what Ma Qiang said."
"Mmm," Tan Yong nodded. "Actually, whether it's confirmed or not is not very important. I just asked you to check on it while you were coming back. If Li Xueli was the culprit, she could have committed the crime first and then gone to see Ma Qiang. But personally, I think the possibility is low."
"Tan Yong, you're wrong. This matter is quite important."
"Why?"
"Do you know who this Ma Qiang is?"
"Who? Don't play games, just tell me directly."
"When I was at his shop, I saw a familiar person, the old lady who reported the incident two years ago, the one who scavenged for a living." Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng
Tan Yong blinked and didn't quite understand. "What do you mean? Is this old lady working at Ma Qiang's shop? No wonder I haven't seen her collecting recyclables much lately."
"Work? This old lady is Ma Qiang's mother! She used the money from selling that haunted house in Yuehai Bay to buy this storefront. Her purpose was to get her son to come back from out of town. The shop is her own, and having a barbecue business would be profitable, right?"
"What?" Tan Yong was surprised. "So, does Li Xueli know about this? The man she's involved with is the son of the former owner of the haunted house!"
"It's impossible that she doesn't know. When she bought that house, she found out shortly afterward that it was haunted. Didn't she sue the mother and son duo back then? At that time, she already knew that Ma Qiang was the son of that old lady."
Tan Yong's mouth was open, and he was stunned for a while. "This doesn't make sense. Li Xueli knew that the mother and son concealed the fact that it was a haunted house and still let her buy it. She must have resented them and couldn't possibly have any relationship with Ma Qiang."
"That's right. If Ma Qiang were a rich and handsome guy, it might be a different story, but given his appearance, it's hard to compliment him. The barbecue business is just average, not making much money. In theory, Li Xueli shouldn't be interested in him."
"Li Xueli is one aspect, and the old lady is another. After such an incident, she would definitely avoid Li Xueli. How could she agree to her son being involved with her?"
"The old lady may not know about this. I asked at the barbecue shop just now, and the old lady doesn't live with her son. She only comes to help during the day. So it's possible that she doesn't know about Li Xueli spending the night there," Li Bin pondered and said, "Tan Yong, do you think Li Xueli's involvement with Ma Qiang could be for some ulterior motive, with another purpose in mind?"
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"I'll find an opportunity to ask her. But I doubt whether she will tell me the truth."
"Let's set that aside for now. Have you gone to Li Xueli's place to inquire about the situation? How did it go? Are there any suspicious points?"
"I asked them one by one, but I don't know if it was a coincidence or what, everyone in the 'big family' has an alibi."
"Doesn't that mean everyone has the potential to be the culprit? That makes it difficult."
"But, if the culprit is among them, one thing doesn't add up. They mentioned it as well, and I think they have a point, they don't have a motive to kill."
"That's hard to say there might be some hidden conflicts between them that you're not aware of."
"But I can't think of any conflicts. They don't even know each other otherwise, someone would have spoken up by now. Even if there are some minor frictions in their daily lives, it wouldn't escalate to the point of murder."
"According to your reasoning, it's possible that Gong Yamei's murder has nothing to do with them." Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng
Tan Yong pondered for a moment. "Then, do you think it's related to the murder case from two years ago?"
"You don't think the person who killed Gong Yamei is the same as the one two years ago, do you?"
"Why not? They still haven't caught that killer."
"But it's been two years, and he hasn't committed any crimes again. Why would he do it now? Besides, the modus operandi is completely different from back then. So, I think it's unlikely."
"But there is one similarity, both victims were related to the house in 1203."
"Isn't the owner of 1203 Li Xueli? Gong Yamei only went to her place frequently."
"It's more than that. Gong Yamei left 1203 before the incident. Could it be that she accidentally discovered something and was killed by the culprit... Of course, this is just my wild guess."
"It's probably just a coincidence."
Tan Yong looked at Li Bin. "Do you really think so? That these two murder cases, both related to the house in 1203, are merely coincidences?"
"I can't think of any connection... But when it comes to the murder case from two years ago, the stories circulating now are exaggerated versions, talking about dismembered bodies placed in the refrigerator's freezer, and so on."
"Don't divert the topic, let's go back to whether these two murder cases are related."
"Why are you so hung up on this question?"
"What do you think? If the same person is the culprit, can you guarantee that he won't commit another crime?"
Upon hearing Tan Yong's words, Li Bin's expression turned serious because that possibility did exist.
"Gong Yamei's phone has been sent to the tech department. I'll go and remind them, see if they can recover the data from her phone as soon as possible and find any useful clues," Li Bin said.
"Okay. Li Xueli mentioned that Gong Yamei originally planned to stay at her place for a late-night snack, but she suddenly seemed to encounter something and immediately said goodbye and left the neighborhood. I speculate that someone might have called or messaged her to meet up. If we can find the person she was in contact with, we might get some leads."
"Understood. I'll head to the tech department right away."
Tan Yong nodded. After Li Bin left the office, he gazed out the window, lost in thought, with one word echoing in his mind.
'Motive.'
What was the motive for the two murders?
His intuition told him that uncovering this would be the key to solving the case.
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