Chapter 401: Breaking the Psychological Defense

The scratch marks, densely packed and covered with paint, were concentrated at the bottom of the door. Chen Shi glanced back and noted, “The victim crawled here, desperately scratching at the door, trying to escape.”

“Someone poisoned by gas wouldn’t have the strength to stand,” Lin Qiupu countered.

“True, but it’s not solid evidence… Still, why would she try to cover it up?”

Running out of things to investigate, they opened the door to leave. An older woman hurried up the stairs, looking concerned. Chen Shi reassured her, “We’re not bad guys; we’re the police.”

“Oh, the police? What are you investigating? This afternoon, you took away the woman who lives here. What did she do?”

“Do you know her name?”

“The woman downstairs.”

It seemed the old lady didn’t even know their last name. Chen Shi asked, “Can you recall anything unusual happening here on November 11th last year?”

“Unusual? Let me ask the neighbors.”

“Thank you very much.”

Soon, a group of neighbors gathered, all talking at once about how the woman was a lunatic, often crying when disciplining her child, saying his father didn’t want them. They couldn’t believe how the couple stayed together, always fighting.

Finally, one neighbor remembered something, “I don’t know the exact day, but I was walking my dog one night, and it wouldn’t stop barking at their door. I heard scratching noises from inside.”

“And then?”

“The woman came back. I asked what was going on inside, and she said she bought two bamboo rats and planned to kill them. She laughed, saying the little beasts were scratching at the door. So, I left.”

“Could I speak to you alone?”

Chen Shi led the neighbor to the stairwell and asked, “Did you smell gas at the time?”

“Not at all. Why? Was there a gas leak?”

“Hold on a second.”

Chen Shi asked other neighbors, but none had smelled gas. He whispered to Peng Sijue, “This is odd. Gas companies add a foul smell to gas. You should’ve smelled it outside the door. Her doors and windows aren’t that airtight.”

Peng Sijue pondered, “I noticed adhesive marks around the window frames during our inspection. Maybe…”

“I get it!” Chen Shi exclaimed. This was the smoking gun.

He turned to the neighbor, “Could you come to the station to help with the investigation?”

“What? Go to the station? I have things to do.”

Chen Shi pulled out 300 yuan. “Here’s a small reward for your information. We’ll provide transportation and ensure you’re not delayed.”

The neighbor smiled and reached for the money, but Peng Sijue sternly said, “Paying a witness is bribery. If the defense lawyer finds out, it nullifies the evidence!”

“It’s just a reward for information.”

“It’s a matter of principle!”

“I’m not a cop.”

“You’re working with us.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

The neighbor, now embarrassed, said, “I’ll help the police. I’ll go feed my dog and come down to meet you.”

“Thank you.”

Returning inside, they carefully examined the doors and windows, photographing the adhesive marks. Chen Shi said, “She must have sealed the place airtight with rubber mats, filling it with gas! Check her purchases from those days for more evidence.”

“Do you think she planned everything, even how to deal with the police today?”

“I don’t know, but it’s clear she intended to kill the moment they arrived.”

Back at the station, the arrival of new evidence excited the previously idle officers. Peng Sijue immediately began testing, while everyone else waited anxiously. It was already 10 PM when Peng Sijue emerged, reeking of chemicals. He handed Lin Qiupu a report, “The victim’s bone marrow contains trace amounts of diazepam, matching the drugs found in that bottle.”

Lin Qiupu, invigorated, said, “Let’s see what she says now!”

In the interrogation room, Hao Jie’s mother, growing impatient, shook her head, “Still not letting me go?”

Lin Qiupu placed the drug test report in front of her. “We found diazepam in the victim, and the same drug in your home.”

“The body’s rotted to bones, don’t lie to me!”

“Even bone marrow and periosteum have blood vessels. Don’t you know that?”

Her face turned pale. “She said she couldn’t sleep and asked me for sleeping pills.”

“Are you saying she asked for sleeping pills in an airtight room? You bought glue and rubber mats online on November 6th to seal the windows and doors. Still denying it?”

“It was cold at the time.”

“A neighbor heard scratching sounds from inside and saw you leave without opening the door, returning around eight. Why?”

“…” She lowered her head, her psychological defense crumbling.

Lin Qiupu pressed on, “What do you think the judge will make of this evidence? You thought you left no trace? But the world has an eye called the ‘heavenly eye.’ When you do something wrong, it will notice you eventually, like a magnifying glass revealing all traces. There’s no perfect crime. If you kill, there will be traces.”

“…”

“If you confess now, you might get some leniency. You could see Hao Jie again in your lifetime. If you keep quiet, you may never get that chance.”

Hao Jie’s mother suddenly burst into tears, her defenses shattered. She pounded the interrogation chair, “You police are beasts! How can you tear a mother from her son? What did I do wrong? A mother’s love for her son is wrong? Then all mothers are guilty! Don’t you have a mother? Don’t you have any sympathy?”

Suppressing his anger, Lin Qiupu coldly replied, “If you truly loved your son, you’d have thought of the consequences before killing. Think of the impact on Hao Jie’s life. He’ll be called ‘the killer’s son’ and face discrimination forever! You call that love? It’s selfishness! Your own son is precious, but others’ children can be killed? What kind of role model does that set?”

Hao Jie’s mother buried her face in her hands, sobbing. Lin Qiupu, losing patience, said, “If you still won’t talk, then don’t ever talk!”

“I’ll talk… I’ll talk…” she muttered between sobs.