Chapter 275: Do All Cops Have Two Faces?

Chen Shi said, “No need to go for now. Let’s wait until we have clear evidence.”

Peng Sijue said, “By the way, we found an unknown fingerprint on the fake key. If you have a suspect, we can compare it.”

The next task was to review the footage from that night, identifying everyone who entered or left the community around midnight. This was time-consuming and exhausting. By 5:30 PM, Chen Shi said, “I have to go pick up Yueyue.”

Lin Dongxue rubbed her temples, “We still need to work overtime. I’ll update you on the results in tomorrow morning’s meeting.”

“Take care.”

They worked until 8 PM, identifying everyone who left the community after the crime and putting their photos on a whiteboard. Xu Xiaodong was amazed, “We have to question all these people?”

“Pretty much!” Lin Dongxue scanned the faces. Surprisingly, Xiao Gu, the delivery girl, was not among them, clearing her of suspicion.

However, one face caught Lin Dongxue’s attention—Miss Jiang, who shouldn’t have been at the scene. The footage showed her leaving the community at 12:20 AM.

At the special case meeting the next morning, they summarized their findings. The TV station and website staff confirmed they hadn’t left before or after the incident.

Moreover, regarding who made the hotline call, the TV station promised to help but seemed indifferent, with no follow-up contact with the police. The person who provided the news tip to the website used an anonymous number, making it untraceable.

“It seems the reporters are not suspects,” Lin Dongxue concluded.

The officer in charge was reluctant to give up, “I think we should verify their testimonies with more manpower.”

“We have limited resources. Let’s put the TV station on hold. I have a lead—Miss Jiang said she felt unwell and went home at 9 PM, but the surveillance footage shows her leaving the community at 12:20 AM.”

People speculated, “If she had a motive, Miss Jiang definitely has one. You said she gave you a fake key, which means the real key might be with her. She’s familiar with the scene and has the means to commit the crime.”

“Let’s bring her in for questioning today.”

Chen Shi asked, “When did Miss Jiang enter the community?”

Lin Dongxue replied, “I checked the earlier footage. She entered at 11:30 PM.”

Everyone was shocked, “Right within the crime window!”

At this point, Xu Xiaodong sneaked in through the back door. Lin Dongxue noticed and said, “Xiaodong, you’re late!”

Xu Xiaodong apologized, “My cat is sick. I took it to the vet first thing this morning. Sorry!”

Not knowing how to scold him, Lin Dongxue said, “Don’t let it happen again!”

Peng Sijue suddenly asked Xu Xiaodong, “What’s wrong with the cat?”

“Cat scratch fever…”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a bacterial infection. The vet asked if I had any scratches. I said no.”

“What happens if a person gets scratched?”

“Probably get an infection…”

Lin Dongxue was about to remind them not to talk during the meeting when Peng Sijue suddenly stood up and left. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Lin Dongxue said, “Let’s go find Miss Jiang!”

Around 10 AM, Miss Jiang was brought into the interrogation room. She looked very anxious and said to Lin Dongxue, “Officer Lin, I didn’t commit any crime. Why are you arresting me?”

“It’s just questioning.” Lin Dongxue sat down. “No need to be nervous. Want some water?”

The others were watching from outside.

“No, just ask your questions. I need to get back to work.”

“On the evening of April 16, we had dinner together. Then at 9 PM, you said you felt unwell and went home, right?”

“Yes, you know that.”

“And then?”

“What do you mean?”

“Were you home the whole time?”

“Yes, the whole time!”

“The community surveillance shows you entering at 11:30 PM and leaving at 12:20 AM. Any comments?”

Miss Jiang was shocked, “It only captured me alone?”

Though not good at interrogations, Lin Dongxue caught the implication. “You weren’t alone?”

“No, no, just me!”

Lin Dongxue put a key on the table, “You gave me this key to mediate the issue, remember?”

“Yes.”

“But this key is fake. It doesn’t open the door.”

“How is that possible!!” Miss Jiang, in her panic, knocked over her water cup.

Lin Dongxue gestured at the one-way mirror, and an officer came in to clean up. The cup was actually taken for forensic testing.

The results came quickly. The unknown fingerprint on the key didn’t belong to Miss Jiang; it was someone else’s.

Lin Dongxue got the results via intercom and told Miss Jiang, “Your boyfriend Ma died around midnight that night. You knew that, right?”

“Yes, I saw it on Weibo.”

“You have a motive…”

“No, no, I don’t. If I had the guts to kill, things wouldn’t have gone this far!” Miss Jiang denied desperately.

Lin Dongxue continued, “We believe you have a motive and the timeline matches. Denying it will only make things worse for you.”

Miss Jiang twisted her handkerchief and bit her lip.

She said, “Do all cops have two faces? You comforted me that night, and now you’re treating me like a criminal.”

Lin Dongxue said, “I’m just doing my job. This is my first solo interrogation. I thought facing me might make you less nervous.”

Miss Jiang glanced at the recorder and said, “Can you turn that off?”

“No, but we’ll keep your words confidential.”

After a long hesitation, Miss Jiang finally spoke, “First, I didn’t kill anyone. Second, neither did he.”

“Who is he?”

“My ex-boyfriend! The one my family broke us up. I lied to you. I did cheat, but it wasn’t as bad as Ma Jianjun thought. I ran into my ex and told him about my situation. He still loves me. I agreed to be his girlfriend again, but we’re keeping it secret… The hotel thing was intentional. I knew Ma Jianjun was paranoid. I wanted to hurt him, thinking he’d let me go. Who knew this maniac would do something like this!”

“Miss Jiang, I won’t judge you. After all, he’s your true love,” Lin Dongxue said. If Lin Qiupu were here, he’d probably scold her for saying the wrong things during interrogation.

“Thank you!” Miss Jiang wiped her tears with her handkerchief. “That night, my boyfriend… no, my current boyfriend found out and said he’d deal with the maniac. I was afraid he’d do something extreme, so I ran to the community to stop him! The time was just as you said, 11:30 PM.”