Chapter 399: Collusion

Hao Jie’s uncle was visibly nervous in the interrogation room, constantly fidgeting. Lin Dongxue verified his basic information and asked, “What were you doing on November 11th last year?”

“Shopping online with my wife. It was Singles’ Day, you know!” Hao Jie’s uncle replied with a forced laugh.

“We checked your call records. On the night of November 11th, you received a call from your sister. It lasted half an hour. What did you talk about?”

“We just talked about family stuff… You know, my sister and her husband weren’t getting along, so she called to vent.”

“If you don’t want to tell the truth, I will. On November 10th, your brother-in-law was away on a business trip. On November 11th, a mother and son came to your sister’s house. The woman was Guo Bilian, and the child was Guo Niandong. They were there to see the child’s biological father. Your sister welcomed them, then opened the gas valve to kill them both with carbon monoxide poisoning. Panicked, she called you, and the next day you disposed of the bodies in the countryside. Then your sister came up with a plan to use their deaths to secure custody of Hao Jie. She staged a fake kidnapping. You were the kidnapper, executing her plan perfectly. You didn’t take the ransom, so the police couldn’t find you. Hao Jie was sent to a boarding school, and you took care of him while your sister played along with the police, waiting for her husband to die of illness. Once the storm passed, Hao Jie would return to her.”

As Lin Dongxue reconstructed the case, Hao Jie’s uncle broke into a cold sweat. She calmly twirled her pen, waiting for him to speak.

Minutes ticked by. Lin Qiupu called, saying, “Switch interrogation rooms.”

“Switch rooms?” Lin Dongxue realized Lin Qiupu’s intention was to let the suspects know they were both being interrogated.

“Remember, when you pass each other in the hallway, don’t let them talk.”

Lin Dongxue unlocked Hao Jie’s uncle’s handcuffs. He nervously asked, “What’s going on? Are you going to torture me?”

“The air here is bad. We’re moving you to another room.”

As they escorted Hao Jie’s uncle out, Lin Qiupu was leading Hao Jie’s mother down the other end of the hall. Lin Dongxue thought the scene was almost theatrical: a sister escorting her brother, and a brother escorting his sister.

When the two suspects saw each other, they both looked panicked. Hao Jie’s uncle tried to speak, but Lin Dongxue pinched his arm hard. “No talking!”

They passed each other, dejected, and switched rooms.

Meanwhile, Chen Shi suddenly stood up in the meeting room, saying, “This is bad.”

“What’s wrong, Chen Ge?” someone asked.

“That woman is smart. They wouldn’t be foolish enough not to have a backup plan. This could overturn the entire case…” Chen Shi immediately called Peng Sijue. “Where are you?”

“Checking the car.”

“Stop that. Meet me at Hao Jie’s house… This is urgent!”

Peng Sijue sensed the seriousness in Chen Shi’s voice. “I’ll meet you at the community entrance and bring the investigation kit.”

Old Zhang brought the mushroom seller to identify the suspects. Outside the interrogation room, the old man heard Hao Jie’s uncle’s voice and confirmed, “Yes, that’s him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely!”

“Thanks, Uncle. If we need you to testify in court, will you come?”

“What? I have to come again? I work hard selling mushrooms. Don’t make it tough on an old man. I still have half a cart to sell today!” The old man sighed dramatically.

Old Zhang reluctantly asked his colleagues to buy all the mushrooms. The old man happily drove away in an empty cart, waving, “Thanks, officers! I’ll bring more next time.”

Old Zhang relayed this to Lin Dongxue over the phone. She felt more confident and said to Hao Jie’s uncle, “An anonymous witness just identified you. Do you still want to deny it?”

Hao Jie’s uncle alternated grabbing his wrists nervously before finally saying, “I’ll confess! My sister didn’t kill anyone. That day, the mother and son came to her house. She welcomed them warmly, cooked some eggs, and went out to buy groceries. They might have fallen asleep, and the water overflowed, extinguishing the stove. When my sister returned, they were dead from carbon monoxide poisoning… She panicked and called me, her closest sibling. I came up with the bad idea to bury the bodies in the countryside. As for the fake kidnapping, we did it to keep Hao Jie with her. It’s not like we were after money; she just wanted to be with Hao Jie. It was a mother’s love!”

Lin Dongxue was enraged by his story. “You’re still lying!”

“You can check. There’s no murder evidence. You’re accusing my sister of murder. This is slander!” Hao Jie’s uncle spread his hands as if he was wronged, but a smirk appeared on his lips.

Lin Dongxue felt a wave of panic. The cause of death wasn’t strangulation or bludgeoning but carbon monoxide poisoning, which could be framed as an accident. After six months, all evidence would be gone.

She stopped the interrogation and went outside, seeing Lin Qiupu looking grim. “What happened?” she asked.

“That woman claims she was boiling eggs and went out to buy groceries. When she returned, they were dead from gas poisoning… What about you?”

“Identical story!”

“They had a backup plan for when they were cornered, sacrificing one to save the other…” Lin Qiupu paced. “This way, all our evidence could be seen as supporting accidental death.”

“Accidental death? This might not even be considered manslaughter, just an accident. In court, they could be charged with desecrating a corpse and obstruction of justice but avoid a murder conviction.”

Xu Xiaodong, who overheard, timidly asked, “What if it is the truth?”

Lin Qiupu laughed angrily. “See? Someone’s already buying it.”

“But Xiaodong has a point.”

“What?!”

“In court, the judge and prosecutor are outsiders. This could seem like another version of the truth to them.”

Lin Qiupu gritted his teeth. “Where’s Chen Shi?”

“He said, ‘This is bad,’ and ran out. He hasn’t returned.”

“He must have anticipated this move and went to find evidence.”