Chapter 654: False Evidence

On January 20th, the suspect Jia Xu was brought to the station for questioning. As he was taken from the company, Dong Xiao instructed him, “Say what needs to be said, but don’t say anything unnecessary!” and “Don’t say anything until the lawyer arrives.”

Lin Qiupu responded, “Mr. Dong, you won’t be sitting on that couch much longer.”

Jia Xu, the secretary, was extremely nervous in the interrogation room. The lawyer whispered to him, “Don’t answer the police directly. Tell me first.”

Jia Xu nodded vigorously.

“Suspect, state your name and occupation,” Lin Qiupu began.

The lawyer answered on his behalf, “My client’s name is Jia Xu, and he is the secretary to the CEO of Zhuoyuan Company.”

“I imagine you know everything about Dong Xiao’s affairs since you’re so close to him…” Lin Qiupu started.

“Please refrain from such implications!” the lawyer interrupted. Lin Qiupu suspected Dong Xiao had instructed the lawyer to keep Jia Xu silent.

He got straight to the point, “What were you doing on the night of December 30th? Answer truthfully.”

Jia Xu whispered to the lawyer, who replied, “My client says he was performing his usual duties.”

“You’re wearing handcuffs because we have evidence against you. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have arrested you. Lying won’t help. On December 30th, a journalist named Cao Man disappeared at your company, and we have a video you’ve likely seen.”

“Cao Man never had an interview appointment!” Jia Xu blurted out.

The lawyer reminded him not to speak out of turn. Jia Xu, sweating profusely, said, “It’s fine, I know what I’m doing.” He then turned to Lin Qiupu, “I handle all of Mr. Dong’s schedules. He hasn’t granted an interview in the last six months, so it’s impossible for Cao Man to have been at the company, let alone at night. Mr. Dong goes to Fengyi Pavilion every night, to the villa he bought for Su Chan in the suburbs.”

Lin Qiupu considered this and said, “Even if Cao Man didn’t have an appointment, he could have snuck in. He did disappear at your company.”

“Who told you that? They’re lying. I don’t even know who Cao Man is.”

“Then who did Dong Xiao kill on the night of December 30th?” Lin Qiupu raised his voice.

“Mr. Dong, he…”

“Please present your evidence,” the lawyer interjected.

Lin Qiupu smirked and presented the evidence they had found—the remains of Cao Man and the hose with Jia Xu’s DNA. Jia Xu broke into a cold sweat. Lin Qiupu pressed on, “The hose you used to siphon gasoline has your saliva. The gasoline matches what was found on the body. This isn’t a coincidence.”

“Officer, I want to say…” the lawyer began.

“I know you didn’t kill anyone. You were ordered to dispose of the body. Covering for Dong Xiao won’t help you. Do you really want to take the fall for him?” Lin Qiupu questioned.

Jia Xu, trembling and sweating, ignored the lawyer’s warning and said, “Maybe Cao Man did come because… because Mr. Dong doesn’t always follow his schedule. He’s very capricious. Often, important clients want to see him, but if Su Chan calls saying she’s feeling down, he’ll rush to her and leave the clients to the VP. He dotes on her excessively.”

“Did Dong Xiao meet Cao Man on the night of December 30th?”

“I wasn’t at the company then. I got a call later and rushed over. When I arrived…”

“Jia Xu!” the lawyer scolded.

“Are you here to represent your client or to act as Dong Xiao’s spy?” Lin Qiupu retorted. The lawyer fell silent, and Jia Xu continued, “When I arrived, the person was unrecognizable. Mr. Dong was covered in sweat and blood. He had taken off his bloody suit and was eating lasagna. I saw a trophy on the ground, covered in blood and… meat.”

“What time was this?”

“Around 9 PM on December 30th. I had already gone home but was called back. When Mr. Dong calls, I always rush over without asking why. He told me to dispose of the body like it was trash. I was scared but did as he said. Another secretary and I carried the body to the car, drove to the countryside, dug a hole, and burned the body to destroy evidence. I used gasoline from the car’s tank to burn it before burying it.”

The lawyer sighed in frustration, realizing his job was done. He stood up, “I need to step out.”

“Planning to tip them off? Sit down!” Lin Qiupu commanded. Turning back to Jia Xu, he asked, “Who was with you?”

After extracting all the details, Jia Xu was temporarily detained. Lin Qiupu instructed Old Zhang to keep an eye on the lawyer to prevent any warnings. He then prepared to arrest Dong Xiao. In the corridor, Peng Siyue called him over. Chen Shi was in the lab as well. Peng Siyue showed him a photo of the hose with the saliva.

“What’s unusual about it?” Lin Qiupu asked.

“If someone had sucked on the hose, there would be lip marks and some skin cells, but there aren’t any. The saliva is evenly distributed, suggesting it was smeared on.”

Chen Shi added, “Old Peng and I found this suspicious and re-tested it. I was wondering why we found a hose with DNA so conveniently.”

“False evidence?” Lin Qiupu frowned.

“Likely fabricated by the whistleblower to lead us to Jia Xu. How did the interrogation go?”

“Very well. He confessed everything. We just need to find the murder weapon to convict Dong Xiao. The evidence may be fake, but it led us to the truth. Let’s go arrest Dong Xiao!”

On the way, Chen Shi said, “According to Jia Xu, only he and another secretary knew the details. Could that secretary be the whistleblower?”

“Didn’t you think it was Lü Qi before?”

“Wasn’t that your idea?” Chen Shi retorted.

“Either way, we need to secure Dong Xiao before he escapes. I’m sure more evidence will surface.”

Chen Shi thought to himself that the “false evidence” was like the first sip of gasoline from a tank, initiating the flow of the case. The whistleblower was incredibly clever…