Chapter 400: Decisive Evidence
Lin Qiupu paced anxiously in the hallway. Xu Xiaodong tried to reassure him, “Captain Lin, have some food. Brother Chen will find the evidence.”
Everyone was in the conference room eating takeout. Seeing there was extra food, Lin Qiupu instructed Xu Xiaodong, “Take some to those two drama queens. Give them two bottles of water so they can keep going tonight.”
Lin Qiupu had just started eating when Xu Xiaodong rushed back, “The actress says the food is poisoned and refuses to eat.”
“Let her starve!” Lin Qiupu snapped. Nearby, Lin Dongxue was picking out all the bell peppers she didn’t like.
A commotion outside interrupted them. A police officer came in, “Hao Jie’s father is here.”
“What? Who called him?”
“No one. He came on his own.”
Lin Qiupu and the others went out to meet him. Hao Jie’s father was still in his hospital gown, draped in a coat, and supported by a nurse. Trembling, he said, “A neighbor called me and said that woman was arrested this afternoon. I knew she had something to do with it… Crazy woman, she actually harmed her own child! Where is she now? Where is she?”
From his reaction, it was clear he didn’t know the full story. Lin Qiupu said, “Mr. Hao, please calm down. It’s bad for your health. We’re still investigating.”
Using his cane for support, Hao Jie’s father said, “I don’t have long to live. Please let me see her. I want to curse her to death… A tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, but she harmed her own child. Beast! Beast!”
After some gentle persuasion, his emotions calmed, and he sat down in a conference room. “Someone asked me about Guo Bilian this afternoon. Is she involved in this?”
Lin Qiupu asked, “Who is Guo Bilian to you?”
“She was my first love in college. We were deeply in love, but this woman came between us, causing Guo Bilian to misunderstand and leave me. I admit we kept in touch afterward and met a few times in secret because my life at home was unbearable. This woman is a lunatic, always suspicious and paranoid.”
“Why did you marry her then?”
“Her father was my direct superior and pressured us into marriage. I was blind to marry such a woman. I never loved her. We argued every day. Once, after a fight, she took Xiao Jie out, claiming she’d jump into the river. She’s crazy… When we were getting a divorce, she said she’d rather kill Xiao Jie and eat him herself than let me have him. Have you ever met such a lunatic?” Hao Jie’s father pounded the floor with his cane. “When the kidnapping happened, I suspected her. It was her. It had to be her!”
“Have you been in contact with Guo Bilian recently?”
“Last year. She wanted to see me, but I refused since I have a family. She said it was important, then changed her mind and didn’t come.” He took out his phone and showed the police the messages.
The first message, from November 5th, read, “Zhiqiang, I plan to visit Long’an in a few days and have something important to tell you. Don’t worry, I won’t disrupt your family.”
The second message, from November 12th, read, “Sorry, I couldn’t gather the courage to see you. Let’s just move on.”
Lin Dongxue noticed the phone was lagging despite having few apps. “Mr. Hao, may we check your phone?”
“Go ahead.”
Lin Dongxue took the phone to the tech department. Lin Qiupu asked, “Since you knew Guo Bilian was coming to see you, why did you go on a trip?”
“A trip? I didn’t go on any trip.”
“Where were you on November 11th?”
“At home. To be honest, my wife and I have been separated for a long time. Hao Jie stays with both of us. He was with me that day… Why do you ask?”
“No reason, just routine.”
Lin Dongxue returned and called out softly, “Captain Lin.” He didn’t hear, so she had to call out, “Brother!” He immediately turned and went over.
“What’s up?”
“This number sent several texts after November 5th. The number belongs to Guo Bilian, but the messages aren’t in the inbox. We found a monitoring app on the phone, easily bought online.”
“So Hao Jie’s mother used this phone to deceive Guo Bilian, lured her with a fake address, and premeditated the murder.”
“But we still lack key evidence.” Lin Dongxue glanced at Hao Jie’s father, “I think he’s not entirely innocent. His affair set the stage for this tragedy.”
“Police aren’t moral guardians. Who’s right or wrong isn’t our concern.”
Lin Dongxue smiled, “Just my two cents on infidelity.”
Meanwhile, Chen Shi and Peng Sijue were searching Hao Jie’s house for clues. Chen Shi, feeling impatient, rushed from one place to the next while Peng Sijue trailed behind, restoring order and grumbling, “Are you searching or ransacking?”
“Enhanced searching!” Chen Shi sat on the couch. “Ugh, my brain needs some nicotine.”
Peng Sijue offered a cigarette. Chen Shi smiled and declined, “Promised Dongxue I’d never touch one.”
“Try nicotine patches. They help with withdrawal.” Peng Sijue lit up and exhaled smoke toward Chen Shi.
Even secondhand smoke gave Chen Shi a brief relief. “A bit more,” he gestured.
After Peng Sijue finished his cigarette, Chen Shi felt reinvigorated. He moved to the bedroom, “She said she was out buying groceries, meaning it was afternoon. Were the mother and son that tired? What time does the train from Guo Bilian’s hometown arrive?”
Chen Shi checked online and found the most likely train arrived at 4 PM, departing at 9 AM.
“If it was that train, they must have rested well the previous night. They wouldn’t have been so tired they missed the smell of gas, unless…”
“Drugged!” Peng Sijue recalled, “Hao Jie’s mother has a history of mental illness and used sedatives.”
“Find them!”
They tore through the place again. Chen Shi found a pill bottle deep in a drawer and showed it to Peng Sijue. “The label says it’s a sedative… It’s been opened, but we can’t date it.”
“If the same compound is found in the bodies, it’s enough.”
“That’s difficult.”
Back in the living room, Chen Shi noticed the security door was freshly painted. He crouched to inspect it. “Why was this door recently painted?”
He touched a spot and exclaimed, “Scratch marks from fingernails!”