Prev | TOC | Next
———
~ Please support this site by disabling your ad-blocker ❤️ ~
______
CHAPTER 16
PART 1
As Su Xiaotong had guessed, there were no fingerprints on the steel balls—before dropping them, the perpetrator must have washed them with water while wearing gloves. This didn't surprise Tan Yong. Taking Li Xueli, Han Lei, and Shen Fengxia back to the criminal investigation detachment to compare fingerprints was just part of the procedural process. After the forensic team confirmed no fingerprints on any of the steel balls, Tan Yong let them go home.
In the office, Tan Yong and Li Bin briefed Jiang Ming on the current situation. The three of them sat together to discuss the next course of action.
"Fan Lin was attacked, Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei went out with Gu Xiaoliang, not at Yuehai Bay Community when it happened. So, can we temporarily exclude Fan Lin, Su Xiaotong, and Gu Lei from suspicion?" Li Bin suggested.
"I don't think we can so easily dismiss their involvement. At this stage, there might be more than one perpetrator. Moreover, the high-altitude scattering of steel balls, besides being a manual act, doesn't rule out the possibility of using some sort of timing device," Jiang Ming remarked.
"A timing device?"
"For instance, setting up a small mechanism on a balcony, windowsill, or rooftop. At a certain time, the steel balls would roll out of the container and fall downstairs. It's easily achievable."
Tan Yong nodded, "If the timing was calculated precisely so that the steel balls came down just as Fan Lin was passing by, then this device could only have been set up by Fan Lin herself. Meaning, it's a staged act for her to clear herself of suspicion."
"However, this is just speculation on our part, impossible to verify. Even if that's the case, after all this time, the perpetrator has surely destroyed or removed this timing device," Jiang Ming said.
"Acts like these, high-altitude throwing, are already hard to investigate. Coupled with the perpetrator being meticulous, leaving no fingerprints on the steel balls, it seems impossible to know who did it, doesn't it?" Li Bin remarked.
Read only on royaltywrites.com.ng/
"The common factor in this series of incidents is this—due to many individuals having motives and possibilities, and the perpetrator being very cunning, indeed, it's extremely difficult to pin them down," Jiang Ming said. "Our biggest breakthrough so far is apprehending someone directly related to these incidents—Fan Ke. Unfortunately, we can't get him to spill who the real person behind this is."
Li Bin slammed his fist on the table, "The person who knows who the perpetrator is, is sitting in the interrogation room right now, yet we can't get him to speak! It's frustrating! Old Tan, can't think of any way out?"
Tan Yong checked his watch, "Originally, I was supposed to interrogate Fan Ke again this morning, but the steel ball attack incident delayed it for over two hours. Now it's past noon, I'll interrogate him again as soon as possible."
"I'll accompany you."
"No, this time, I'll question him alone, take my time."
"Let's go grab lunch first, Old Tan," Jiang Ming suggested.
"I'm not hungry, I'll head to the interrogation room," Tan Yong replied, heading there.
In the interrogation room, Fan Ke was eating the boxed meal the police had bought for him. He had been here for nearly twenty hours, looking a bit weary. After Tan Yong entered, Fan Ke glanced at him but continued eating without saying a word.
Tan Yong didn't interrupt his meal, waited until he finished, then handed him a tissue. Fan Ke took it, wiped his mouth, and said, "Thanks."
"How's the food?"
"It's okay."
"Doesn't seem to suit your taste?"
Fan Ke chuckled, "I didn't expect to find any gourmet food here anyway."
Tan Yong also chuckled faintly, "As long as you're prepared for that. In the future, you might have to get used to being summoned by us every now and then, prepared for 24-hour stays."
"What do you mean?"
"We've already applied for and received approval from the city bureau to restrict your movements until the case is solved. During this time, you can only stay in the city and be available for questioning at any time. We'll also have someone monitoring your movements, to some extent, limiting your freedom."
"Based on what? I think you must have confirmed what I said yesterday. I had alibis for both my mother and Xia Qi's murders."
"Yes. But even if you're not the killer, you're a significant suspect in this case, possibly a accomplice or mastermind. Hence, we have the right to forcibly keep you in the city, monitor your every move, and summon you at any time. If you don't mind, we can continue like this."
Fan Ke stayed silent for a few seconds, then smiled stubbornly, "Alright, since the scenery in the city is so good, staying here isn't a bad thing. And as for visiting the criminal investigation detachment, as long as you don't mind, I don't mind either. This delay is affecting both our times, not just mine."
Tan Yong suppressed his anger and didn't show it. "Actually, I came here today to tell you that since you're not the murderer in this case, at most, you're involved in the crime. If you confess, there's a chance for leniency. But if we find out who your accomplice is without your cooperation, it won't be the same. That person will face severe charges. Let me be honest, during this time, as we investigate everyone you've been in contact with, 'that person' will eventually surface. If you're willing to save us some trouble and just tell us their name, I assure you, it'll benefit everyone, what do you think?"
Fan Ke sneered, "Officer, I have no idea what you're talking about. I haven't cooperated with anyone or incited anyone to commit a crime. Bringing Xia Qi to please my mother earlier, that's not illegal, right? Now, instead of investigating who killed my mother and my girlfriend, you're here detaining me, completely wasting time."
"By the sound of it, you're not planning to tell us about the 'second piece', right?"
"What 'second piece', 'third piece'? I truly don't understand what you're saying."
"Alright, if you want to be a stubborn rock in the pit, smelly and hard, it's up to you. I've already told you, there's a chance for reduced sentence if you cooperate, but since you don't value that, wait until we catch the murderer and reconvict you!"
"Officer, I also hope you catch the murderer soon. I hate that person to the bone!"
Tan Yong didn't want to waste more time with him and left the interrogation room.
In the office, seeing Tan Yong's expression, Li Bin knew he hadn't gotten any results. He walked over and patted Tan Yong's shoulder, "Old Tan, I already figured Fan Ke was planning to resist us to the end. Think about it, if he confesses, not only will he go to jail, but his accomplice will also get caught, most likely facing the death penalty. What does that mean? He won't get a cent from his mother's inheritance! So, at this point, he can only gamble that we won't catch the murderer!"
Tan Yong, frustrated, said, "Yes, that's why all my coaxing and pressure tactics were futile. Judging by his attitude, it seems like he's confident we won't find the real murderer. Probably because the way he contacted the killer initially was highly secretive, that's where his confidence lies."
"What should we do? Three more hours, then it's 24 hours, and we'll have to let him go."
"It's really frustrating!" Tan Yong unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, fanning himself a bit. "Pull up the videos from yesterday and today's interrogations; I'll review them again."
"Sure, I'll join you. Let's see if there's any overlooked information."
The two went to the room adjacent to the interrogation room, retrieved the video from yesterday's interrogation of Fan Ke, and scrutinized it. The video was 19 minutes long. After watching it once, Tan Yong played it again. Li Bin seemed to think there was no need to watch it again and went out for a smoke.
Read only on royaltywrites.com.ng/
Ten minutes later, Tan Yong abruptly pushed the door of the room open and called out to Li Bin outside, "Come in here!"
"What's wrong? Did you find something?"
"Come in, and you'll see."
Li Bin extinguished his cigarette and threw it into the trash can, quickly entered the room, and sat beside Tan Yong. The video froze at the 11th minute, and Tan Yong clicked play. This was a segment of what Fan Ke said yesterday:
"It's true, I have nothing to do with it. My relationship with my mother has been bad; we severed ties over a year ago, and we haven't been in contact since. I heard about her murder from Xia Qi. As for Xia Qi, I just found out about her being murdered."
Tan Yong paused the video and looked at Li Bin, who appeared a bit bewildered. "Do you see any loophole in what he just said?"
"It's not a loophole, but he inadvertently revealed important information. I didn't notice it yesterday, only caught it during the second viewing just now!"
"What important information?"
"Fan Ke mentioned that he severed ties with Gong Yamei over a year ago."
"So?"
"Gong Yamei was the first person from the 'big family' to buy a house in Yuehai Bay, that was two years ago! And Fan Ke said he cut ties with Gong Yamei over a year ago!"
Li Bin's eyes widened, "Are you suggesting that Gong Yamei hadn't completely fallen out with Fan Ke when she came to the city?"
"Yes, we've overlooked this detail! Previously, we just assumed that Gong Yamei's company went bankrupt, then she divorced her husband and had a fallout with her son, and feeling despondent, she moved to the city to live."
At this point, Tan Yong exclaimed, "Wait, it's not that 'we assumed', Gong Yamei herself said this!"
"So, you've held onto this impression and never verified it?"
"Yes, because her company indeed went bankrupt, the divorce and the estrangement from her son are facts, all confirmed. But I've overlooked one thing—the sequence of events!"
"Are you saying Gong Yamei moved to the city after the 'troubles' or before—this sequence of these two events?"
"Exactly!"
"If Gong Yamei bought the house in the city before her company went bankrupt and before the divorce with her husband and son, why did she move to Yuehai Bay?"
As the two policemen locked eyes, in that moment, they both conceived a dreadful possibility. Tan Yong's body trembled slightly.
"Fan Ke is still in the interrogation room. Do we need to ask him to verify this?" Li Bin asked.
Tan Yong nodded, and both of them walked to the adjacent interrogation room.
Seeing the two officers coming in, Fan Ke said, "Time's up, are you ready to let me go?"
"Yes, but before that, I have a few more questions for you, answer them truthfully," Tan Yong said.
"Officer, I think I've been clear..."
"No, these are unrelated to the case," Tan Yong intentionally said to ease his guard.
Fan Ke sighed in resignation.
"When did your mother's company go bankrupt? Do you know?"
"I don't know the exact time, about a year or two ago. I've never been concerned about her company."
"When did your parents divorce? You must know that."
"Yes."
"When?"
Fan Ke pondered, "In July two years ago, about a year and eight months ago from now."
Read only on royaltywrites.com.ng/
"Was it at that time your mother severed ties with you?"
"Yes."
"When did she move to the city, do you know?"
"I don't know, it should have been after they divorced."
"Do you really not know when she came to the city?"
"Officer, I'm telling the truth. These questions you're asking, they're not related to the case, right? Why would I need to hide anything?"
"Alright. Your mother coming to the city, she definitely didn't tell you about it, right? How did you find out she was in the city later?"
Fan Ke pondered for a moment, "I hired a private investigator to find out."
"At that time, your girlfriend was Xia Qi, right?"
"Yes."
"What about your ex-girlfriend, He Yushan? When did you break up with her?"
"Just a few months before I met Xia Qi..." Fan Ke's words trailed off, and he suddenly froze. "How did you... know about He Yushan?"
Tan Yomg's heart was pounding wildly, feeling he was on the edge of uncovering the truth. But he didn't reveal this excitement, pretending to calmly say, "Didn't I tell you before? We'll investigate everyone you've been in contact with, including your past girlfriends."
After pondering for a while, Fan Ke, seemingly thinking it didn't matter to admit, said, "Yes, He Yushan was my ex-girlfriend."
"After breaking up with He Yushan, did you keep in touch?"
"No, I didn't."
"Do you have her contact information now?"
"No, I've blocked her a long time ago."
"Why did you block her? Even after a breakup, she's still an ex-girlfriend. Was it necessary to be so cold?"
"Officer, it's not me being cold. It's this girl, He Yushan... Well, forget it, I won't say."
"No, please tell me."
"Is this related to the case? Seems like gossip to me."
"Let's treat it as gossip then. Anyway, with less than 24 hours left, about two more hours, let's just chat."
"Alright. I met He Yushan three years ago at a dinner party, and it seemed like she immediately liked me. After adding each other on WeChat, she kept messaging me. I found her somewhat cute, so we dated. However, she was too clingy, which got a bit annoying. So I distanced myself, but she thought I didn't find her pretty enough and underwent facial bone surgery to slim her face behind my back.
"But she went to some bootleg plastic surgery clinic, the surgery failed, almost disfiguring her. When I saw her like that, I distanced myself even more—normal reaction, right? Unexpectedly, she blamed me for indirectly causing her appearance change. She harassed me with messages, unreasonable demands, so I blocked her and never contacted her again."
"After blocking her, you never saw her again?"
"Right."
"Do you know her current situation?"
"No, I didn't want any connection with that grudging girl."
Fan Ke seemed genuinely unaware that He Yushan had died two years ago. Tan Yong believed he had understood enough and told Fan Ke, "Alright, you've had enough time. We'll let you go."
"Do we have to wait for the full 24 hours? It's so rigid..."
While Fan Ke complained, Tan Yong and Li Bin had already left.
Outside the interrogation room, Li Bin took a deep breath and said to Tan Yong, "Old Tan, what Fan Ke just said..."
Tan Yong leaned against the wall, one hand on his forehead, gesturing to Li Bin to hold off. "Hold on, let me process this for a moment."
Read only on 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...