Chapter 396: Subpoenaing a Suspect

Lin Qiupu glanced back and Chen Shi patted his shoulder, chuckling, “Hurry up, give a sleazy grin.”

“What!?” Lin Qiupu exclaimed.

“Imagine Dongxue affectionately calling you ‘brother’.”

“Cut it out, what’s there to laugh about…” Lin Qiupu burst into laughter unwillingly, and Chen Shi joined in.

After their laughter subsided, Chen Shi whispered to Lin Qiupu, “That was for that woman’s benefit. She was watching us from the window, let her think we’re idiots, throw her off.”

“You don’t even need to act, you look the part.”

Confronting his taunt, Chen Shi simply laughed, “That’s one of my secret weapons. I don’t look serious, unlike you with your heroic demeanor.”

“You’re pretending?”

“No, I’m genuinely unserious!”

“Let’s have a serious talk, man to man.”

“Go ahead!”

Lin Qiupu took a moment, then sternly said, “Under no circumstances are you to get my sister pregnant! Or I will chase you to the ends of the earth.”

Chen Shi was taken aback, replying, “It seems you’re not so serious yourself.”

By noon, they had returned to the station. Lin Qiupu ordered takeout, and the other officers gradually returned to the conference room, sharing updates over lunch.

They learned from acquaintances of the couple that their relationship was fraught. The husband had been chronically unfaithful, maintaining a mistress and had been on the brink of divorce just before the kidnapping incident, halted only by custody disputes over their child.

The husband had somehow obtained a psychiatric evaluation of his wife, asserting she was mentally unfit to care for their child.

However, hospital checks confirmed she had no significant mental illness, only a tendency towards paranoia and irritability, labeled by doctors as “passive-aggressive personality disorder.” She had taken psychiatric medications for a short period.

Reportedly, during her pregnancy, the husband’s infidelity escalated. She had postpartum depression, once standing on a ledge ready to jump with newborn Haojie in arms—an incident too distant to verify.

Another verified incident involved the wife confronting the mistress, leading to a public altercation where the husband slapped his wife, a scene documented by the police.

Chen Shi remarked, “It seems this marriage was nearly bankrupt… Everyone, take your time with the food; we’ve got an appetizer coming up.”

“What? What?” The crowd buzzed with excitement.

Lin Qiupu thought, if the DNA results confirm the child is indeed Haojie, wouldn’t Chen Shi be contradicting himself? He wondered where Chen Shi’s mysterious confidence came from.

Just then, Peng Sijue entered, announcing, “The two DNA samples you brought back are from the same person, and after comparing them with the deceased…”

“How is it?” Lin Qiupu couldn’t wait to hear.

“There’s no blood relation.”

The room erupted in shock, with many not understanding the implications. Chen Shi clapped his hands, “That’s the real truth. The child that died isn’t Haojie but his father’s illegitimate son. This woman is a murder suspect. She orchestrated a kidnapping to make everyone believe Haojie was dead.”

The revelation stunned everyone, prompting exclamations of disbelief and conjectures about her motives and potential accomplices.

Chen Shi calmly explained, “Her aim was custody of Haojie. Considering the divorce proceedings, she wouldn’t have won custody. If ‘Haojie’ was dead, and she moved somewhere new post-divorce, she could live with him unrecognized.”

Amazed by Chen Shi’s deduction, the team praised his acute thinking. Lin Qiupu, impressed, handed Chen Shi a drink and said, “Let’s assign the tasks.”

Chen Shi took a sip and directed, “First, bring this woman into custody.”

“Isn’t that too quick?”

“Give me just one day!”

“Should I give you more time?”

“No, one day is enough; I have other matters to attend to. First, control the woman, then investigate her financial records for the past six months. Considering Haojie is likely in a boarding school, look into that. She’s a housewife with a limited range, and the victim died from gas poisoning—I noticed their home uses piped gas, check her gas usage at the company. And the victim’s identity might be best known by Haojie’s father at the hospital. Most importantly,” Chen Shi looked at Lin Qiupu, “find out about her accomplices. It’s been six months since the case; evidence will be hard to find. We need to break her during interrogation. As we expose each clue, her defenses will weaken.”

After lunch, the team set to work. Chen Shi and Lin Qiupu visited Haojie’s mother again. When served with a subpoena, she was dumbfounded, exclaiming, “What do you mean by this? Instead of going after the real criminal, you arrest me? Is this how the police trample over people’s lives?”

“Compulsory summons. We hope you’ll cooperate,” Lin Qiupu stated.

“And what if I don’t cooperate?”

“Then we’ll have to make you.”

Haojie’s mother began to create a scene, shouting, “The police are beating people! Is there no law?”

Chen Shi chuckled and said to Lin Qiupu, “How come everyone instinctively knows this trick?”

Lin Qiupu presented the DNA report, “This report shows that the deceased is not your son Haojie. We need you to explain this.”

Haojie’s mother glared, “I can’t understand all this technical jargon.”

Lin Qiupu, tired of the charade, handcuffed her and as they led her downstairs, some neighbors looked on. Haojie’s mother started screaming again, “The police are beating people!”

Chen Shi whispered in her ear, “If you really want to play it this way, we’ll go public with your actions after all this is over. Haojie’s father will see it too. Think about the consequences.”

Finally, she quieted down, glaring venomously at Chen Shi.

Back at the station, she was taken to the interrogation room. Lin Qiupu set up the video camera and sat down with another interrogator across from her. “Name.”

Haojie’s mother scoffed, “You can only detain me for twenty-four hours. As long as I keep quiet, you have nothing.”

Chen Shi, watching from outside, muttered to himself, “You will talk. Every mother has a weakness.”