Prev | TOC | Next
———
~ Please support this site by disabling your ad-blocker ❤️ ~
______
CHAPTER 12
PART 1
After the establishment of the task force, three policemen in charge of this case immediately discussed the next steps in the investigation. Finally, they decided that Tan Yong and Li Bin would investigate the members of the 'big family' in Yuehai Bay Community. Jiang Ming was responsible for checking the surveillance footage to rule out any suspicious individuals visiting the community last night. Simultaneously, he would analyze Xia Qi's phone to see if any useful clues could be found.
Upon viewing the group messages of the 'big family,' Tan Yong speculated that they must now know about Xia Qi's murder. He called Li Xueli and learned that all the members of the big family were currently gathered at her house. Tan Yong instructed Li Xueli to ask them to stay put as he was on his way.
A dozen minutes later, Tan Yong and Li Bin arrived at Li Xueli's house. The atmosphere inside and the expressions on everyone's faces indicated they were already aware of Xia Qi's death. After the two policemen sat down, Tan Yong said, "You all know, don't you?"
"Xia Qi was killed?" Fan Lin asked.
Tan Yong nodded. "Yes, last night, shortly after she posted those two messages in the group. Someone entered her house and murdered her."
"No need to say, the killer is one of us," Fan Lin scanned everyone. "They're sitting right in front of us now."
"I think that's highly likely," Tan Yong said sternly.
"Old Tan, you're here to ask us about the situation, deduce the killer, right? Let me tell you, before this, we've already done a bit of 'self-inspection.' Can I directly inform you of what I've gathered so far?" Fan Lin said.
"Sure," Tan Yong said, glancing at Li Bin, indicating him to take notes. Li Bin took out a pen and a small notebook.
"Last night, Xia Qi called four people separately: me, Su Xiaotong, Li Xueli, and Han Lei. Each conversation lasted about ten minutes. Afterward, she posted that message in the group, claiming she might know who the killer is. That same night, she was murdered. Though I'm not a police officer and don't dare draw conclusions, it seems evident—the killer was worried that Xia Qi actually knew they were the culprit, so they killed her. Consequently, those calls she made to us four became particularly important. Through those conversations, she might have found something out. And the killer might have realized this afterward, leading to Xia Qi's murder to silence her," Fan Lin said.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
After Li Bin made notes, he said, "You just need to tell us what you know, no need to add subjective judgments."
Fan Lin looked at Tan Yong. "Is it true, Old Tan? Are we only allowed to mechanically answer questions or state facts, without giving any of our opinions?"
Tan Yong pondered for a moment and said, "No, you can share your thoughts."
Li Bin sent a text via WeChat to Tan Yong: Old Tan, the killer is one of them. Be cautious; this person is deliberately misleading us.
Tan Yong replied: I know, but too many words might lead to mistakes. I want to hear their thoughts and see if we can find any inconsistencies in what they say.
Li Bin nodded, indicating his understanding.
The matter of Xia Qi calling those four people had been mentioned by Jiang Ming during the previous meeting. However, at this moment, Tan Yong deliberately pretended not to know about it and asked, "When did Xia Qi call each of you four? You should all have call records on your phones, right?"
Su Xiaotong, Fan Lin, Li Xueli, and Han Lei all nodded together. Tan Yong said, "Show me your phones."
The four women handed over their phones one by one. Tan Yong looked at them and read aloud, "From 9:46 to 10:02, Xia Qi called Han Lei, the call lasted 16 minutes; from 10:11 to 10:28, Xia Qi called Su Xiaotong, the call lasted 17 minutes; from 10:35 to 10:49, Xia Qi called Fan Lin, the call lasted 14 minutes; from 10:58 to 11:17, Xia Qi called Li Xueli, the call lasted 19 minutes."
Tan Yong paused for a moment and continued, "After making the last call, more than half an hour passed. At 11:51, Xia Qi posted the message in the group stating she knew who the killer was. Then, about half an hour later, she was killed at home."
"Was Xia Qi killed past midnight?" Su Xiaotong asked.
Tan Yong glanced at her and nodded. "I'll ask each of you in a while about what you were doing during that time. But for now, let's clarify the phone calls. Han Lei, Su Xiaotong, Fan Lin, Li Xueli, each of you, please tell me what Xia Qi discussed when she called you."
Han Lei said, "I didn't feel she talked about anything specific; it was just casual conversation."
"Even if it's casual, tell me the content."
"Old Tan, I can't recall everything from a conversation that lasted several minutes."
"Then summarize, give a general idea."
"Alright." Han Lei thought for a moment. "When Xia Qi called me, she first asked, 'Do you really think I'm the most suspicious?' How should I respond to that? Of course, I said it wasn't the case. She thanked me and then asked about my criteria for choosing a partner, what kind of guys I like, and such."
"How did you respond?"
"I said, being a woman who appears quite bold and flirtatious, many men might find it challenging to handle, feeling overwhelmed. So, it's not about what kind of guy I like; it's about what kind of guy would like someone like me. Even after saying this, Xia Qi still asked about the type of guys I prefer. So, I told her I like older men with life experiences. Xia Qi said, 'But weren't you interested in that young handsome guy at my café last time?' I replied, 'Who wouldn't be interested in a handsome guy? But with those types, I just want to 'sample' a bit, not develop into a relationship. For a spouse, I would definitely go for the older type.' That's about it. I've been quite detailed, but, Old Tan, I really don't see how this conversation between us helps in solving the case," Han Lei said.
"Did you realize while chatting with Xia Qi that she was trying to extract some information intentionally?" Tan Yong asked.
"I didn't feel that way. I just thought she was upset after Fan Lin pointed her out as the prime suspect during the day, so she wanted to chat," Han Lei said.
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
"Alright." Tan Yong turned to Su Xiaotong. "What about you? What did Xia Qi discuss with you?"
"She asked me the same question—whether I genuinely thought she was the most suspicious. My answer was similar to Han Lei's. Then, it was just casual talk. She expressed envy that I could marry a great guy like Gu Lei, and then she asked if there was any gap between my previous and current marriages. That's about it," Su Xiaotong said.
"Did she ever talk to you about similar topics before?" Tan Yong asked.
"No," Su Xiaotong said. "So, I found it odd, like she was trying to get something out of me, but I couldn't figure out what she was probing."
Tan Yong and Li Bin exchanged a glance. Tan Yong planned to finish questioning everyone before making a comprehensive judgment. He asked Fan Lin, "What about you?"
Fan Lin shrugged. "Because I clearly stated during the day that Xia Qi was the top suspect, when she called me at night, I thought she definitely wanted to discuss this matter. And indeed, she asked me, 'Fan Lin, do you really think I look like the killer? Do you think I could kill Yamei and poison everyone?' When she asked me that directly, how could I respond? I had to say I was referring to the situation, not targeting her intentionally."
"What else did you talk about?"
"She asked me if, after divorcing my ex-husband, I had encountered any men who made my heart flutter."
"How did you respond?"
"I replied straightforwardly—no. After my previous marriage, I pretty much gave up on men. I told her the probability of me dating or marrying again in this lifetime is very low."
"Anything else?"
"No, that's all."
Finally, Tan Yong asked the last person, "Xueli, what did Xia Qi talk about with you?"
Li Xueli said, "The content of our conversations was quite similar. Xia Qi knew I was secretly dating Ma Qiang, so she asked me if I genuinely liked him."
"How did you respond?" Tan Yong inquired.
Li Xueli furrowed her brow slightly, seemingly unwilling to discuss her emotional matters in front of so many people. "Is this really important, Old Tan? How I answered has no connection to this case whatsoever."
"It does matter, I'll be the judge of that."
"Okay." Li Xueli sighed. "I told her, if I didn't genuinely like him, how could I be with someone who isn't particularly handsome? Xia Qi then asked, 'Aren't you blaming him?' I knew she was referring to the house issue, something we've tacitly understood for a while. I said, it wasn't Ma Qiang who deceived me, it was his mother. Ma Qiang felt guilty about it, and that's why he occasionally spends time with me. It was this sincerity that touched me. Xia Qi asked if I would consider marrying Ma Qiang. I didn't give a definite reply, just said I'd go with the flow. That's it."
After questioning the four women, Tan Yong fell into contemplation. After a moment, he summarized, "So, last night, Xia Qi separately talked to each of you four about similar topics. Apart from asking if you genuinely thought she was the killer, she discussed marriage, emotions, and partner preferences, right?"
The four women nodded together. Han Lei said, "Isn't this normal? These are typical topics among women. Are we supposed to discuss global affairs or societal issues?"
"But there's something abnormal here. Xia Qi hadn't really discussed these topics with you before, and suddenly last night, she showed interest in these questions. Moreover, she talked to the four of you about the same topics," Tan Yong pointed out.
"That's true... Xia Qi wasn't a gossip-monger, we all knew that. She hardly ever inquired about our private matters," Li Xueli said.
"So, the answer is clear. She was definitely fishing for information from you all, and most likely succeeded," Tan Yong concluded.
Su Xiaotong, Han Lei, Li Xueli, and Fan Lin exchanged looks, each wearing a puzzled expression. Han Lei shook her head and said, "I really don't know what she could have gleaned. From my perspective, we just discussed regular topics."
"And why did she only talk to the four of us and try to get information from us? Why not talk to Wang Xingxing, Shen Fengxia, and Gu Lei? I raised this question before," Fan Lin said. "Then, we analyzed and considered that there's a possibility Xia Qi initially planned to call everyone for probing but by the fourth call, she already knew who the killer was. Hence, she might have felt no need to call the remaining three."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
"The fourth person? That's..."
"Me," Li Xueli said. "According to Fan Lin's theory, I'm now the prime suspect."
"Xueli, you know I..."
"No need to explain," Li Xueli interrupted Fan Lin. "I know you always focus on the matter, not the person. But I want to say two things. Firstly, after Xia Qi finished talking to me, she immediately said in the group chat that she knew who the killer was. Couldn't that have been a comprehensive judgment after all four calls? Why must it be specifically 'after the fourth call' that led her to that conclusion?"
"Sorry, I need to interject," Fan Lin said. "If that's the case, it comes back to the question I just raised. Why did Xia Qi only need to call the four of us to draw her conclusion? How did she determine that Wang Xingxing, Shen Fengxia, and Gu Lei definitely weren't the killers, without even needing to test or extract information from them?"
Han Lei said, "Yeah, I've been thinking about that too. If Xia Qi thought the killer could only be a woman, Fengxia is also a woman, so why could she be completely ruled out?"
"Why did she think the killer must be a woman?" Han Lei asked.
"I think Xia Qi might have thought that I definitely couldn't be the killer," Shen Fengxia said. "Because I couldn't have poisoned Teacher Yuan. Of course, unless you think I'm crazy or mentally ill and capable of harming Teacher Yuan. If you insist on thinking that way, I can't do anything about it."
"Alright, even if that's the case. What's the reason for completely excluding Wang Xingxing and Gu Lei?" Fan Lin asked.
No one could answer this question. Fan Lin said, "That's why I said, 'Making a judgment based on the content of four calls' doesn't hold. 'The fourth call' is the most crucial; that's a reasonable explanation."
"Maybe making these four calls was enough to make a judgment, there's that possibility too," Wang Xingxing said.
"Wang Xingxing, are you implying that the killer must be one of us four? You've already singled out the three of you, right?" Fan Lin said coldly.
"I said, focus on the matter, not the person. From the current situation, that does seem to be the case," Wang Xingxing said firmly.
Fan Lin was momentarily at a loss for words. Tan Yong listened to each of them, observed their expressions, and rapidly processed thoughts. The killer was putting on an act. He had that intuition. Unfortunately, intuition wasn't enough to tell him who the killer was.
Tan Yong noticed Li Xueli had been interrupted before finishing her sentence and asked, "Li Xueli, it seemed like you were trying to defend yourself earlier and only got part of it out. What else did you want to say?"
"I wanted to say the second point, which is crucial and can prove I'm definitely not the killer," Li Xueli replied.
"What is it?"
"Last night, I stayed at home the entire time, never stepped out of the door—someone can confirm this for me."
"Who?"
"Ma Qiang."
"Ma Qiang spent the night at your place yesterday?"
"Yes."
"When did he arrive, and when did he leave?"
"He came to my house around eleven in the evening. Xia Qi was still alive then, right? Later, neither of us stepped out, we can vouch for each other."
"When did he leave?"
"He..."
Li Xueli faltered. Everyone was staring at her.
Just as Li Xueli didn't know how to continue, the bedroom door opened, and a man walked out, saying, "I haven't gone back yet, I've been here the whole time."
Read only on https://royaltywrites.com.ng/
———–—————————————
TL CORNER
Don't forget to vote and leave a review for this series' translation on novel updates!
Show support by clicking the button below (◍•á´—•◍)❤ ~
———–—————————————
We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote for this novel translation and drop a review here!❤️
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments
What's on your mind...