Chapter 479: Who Is the Accomplice?

Lin Dongxue gritted her teeth in frustration. This death row inmate actually dared to play games with the police. Chen Shi said, “Hold on. This isn’t easy to arrange. We’ll need to communicate with the women’s prison first and then notify you.”

“Hey!” Lin Dongxue gave him a desperate look, signaling not to fall for it.

Shen sat back down, saying, “You need to hurry. Her period starts the day after tomorrow. If we meet then, will we really just chat?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll handle it as soon as I leave.”

Shen smiled broadly, excitedly rubbing his hands together, “You’re very reasonable, officer. I wish you success with the case.”

Chen Shi also smiled, packing the food into a plastic bag and pushing it toward Shen, “Take this, but with one condition. You need to give us some information to prove you actually have intel.”

“Once I see my girl…”

“I just have one question!”

Shen’s eyes darted around as he weighed his options, “If it’s too tricky, I won’t answer.”

“Fine! I ask you, when you were arrested, did you know that the accomplice would strike again?”

Shen’s eyes changed. He was about to nod but then began shaking his head.

Chen Shi seemed satisfied with the response, pushing the bag to him, “Take it.”

“Hurry up, officer!”

Leaving the prison, Lin Dongxue said, “You’re usually sharp. How did you fall for this? It’s clearly a scam. He’s a death row inmate with nothing to fear and just wants to con some benefits.”

“I know it’s likely a scam, but even if it is, we lose nothing. If he’s not lying, we gain a lot.”

Lin Dongxue thought for a moment and realized he had a point. Arranging a meeting between two death row inmates was just a procedural hassle.

“Besides, he knows his girlfriend’s menstrual cycle precisely, meaning he’s been planning this deal for a while. He will talk, trust me!”

Lin Dongxue sighed, “I hope you get conned this time, just to see you lose that confidence.”

“Hey, whose side are you on? Call your brother, no, wait, get the chief involved.”

“I… I’ve never spoken to the chief. How can I make such a request?”

“I’ll handle it!”

Back at the precinct, Lin Dongxue took Chen Shi to the chief’s office. Chen Shi respectfully greeted the chief and explained the situation. The chief pondered for a moment and then said, “Lin, you step out first.”

“Okay… sure!”

Lin Dongxue waited anxiously outside. Twenty minutes later, Chen Shi emerged. She eagerly asked, “How did it go?”

“He agreed. Your chief is quite reasonable.”

“Really? He agreed to this?”

“The chief said I’ve solved many cases for the team, so it’s a small favor. Plus, my intention is to solve a case.”

Lin Dongxue was both impressed and suspicious, thinking Chen Shi might have known the chief beforehand. Getting such a request approved on the first try seemed too smooth!

The next morning at the task force meeting, Peng Siyue reported that he had visited the complex where Xiaoli disappeared. After a thorough investigation, they indeed found female DNA at the scene. Although Xiaoli’s parents were out of town and couldn’t be reached for comparison, the apartment likely belonged to the killer.

With a second crime scene, there were more potential witnesses. The face composite created by the property management software and confirmed by neighbors had been turned into a sketch by a professional artist.

Chen Shi’s contact, the ponytailed man, reported that another girl named Xiao Feng had gone missing for a week from a massage parlor, matching the first victim’s description.

The police checked the bank records of the two missing women and found they had withdrawn all their savings at the end of May and July, totaling 300,000 and 250,000 yuan respectively.

The modus operandi pointed to a repeat of the 714 case from two years ago, with the suspect likely being the accomplice who had escaped justice back then.

Today’s task was to investigate Xiao Feng and Xiaoli, to see if the killer had any connections with them. Given their line of work, the approach needed to be discreet.

Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue left the precinct, taking the chief’s signed document to the women’s prison to bring the person to the men’s prison.

To prevent Shen from playing tricks, Chen Shi made two preparations. Lin Dongxue first interrogated Zhou in the visitation room. Zhou was uncooperative and insisted she wouldn’t talk without seeing her boyfriend.

At 10 a.m., Shen was brought into the visitation room by guards. When he saw Zhou through the window, he excitedly rushed to the window and said, “You kept your word! I’ll tell you everything after we catch up.”

Chen Shi said, “I didn’t say I’d let you meet her right away.”

“What?”

“Tell me about the accomplice, and I’ll let you in. Don’t worry. We brought your girlfriend from the women’s prison. We won’t deceive you.” Chen Shi handed Shen a condom.

It was clear Shen was desperate, caught between a rock and a hard place. “Officer, don’t mess with me. I’ve dealt with you before. I know how sharp you are. Let us meet first, then I’ll talk. We had an agreement!”

“I don’t recall agreeing to that. I promised you’d meet your girlfriend, but you need to provide information.”

“Meet first!”

“This is my bottom line. If you don’t talk, you won’t get through this door.”

Shen, frustrated, was almost on the verge of begging. In the end, his desperate need outweighed his pride.

“Fine, fine! I’ll talk. But if you trick me, may lightning strike me down!”

“I won’t trick you. Now, speak.”

“There is no accomplice. You’ve been chasing the wrong lead.”

“What? Are you messing with me?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t lie at this point. There was no accomplice. You thought there was because of another set of fingerprints at the scene and because 200,000 yuan was missing. The truth is, I was robbed! I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. I killed those five prostitutes and then got robbed. Someone broke into my safe, took 200,000, and then called the cops on me. I was dumbfounded. I kept telling you there was no accomplice, but you didn’t believe me. So I just went along with your story, hoping to get some benefits.”