Chapter 786: Exposing Lies

Upon hearing this, Li Qiang immediately became agitated and waved his hands vigorously, “Officer, you’re mistaken. How could I possibly have killed He Taiyang? I have no grudge against him.”

Song Lang stood up and smiled, “Please sit here for a while, Officer Li. Take a rest and we’ll continue our chat. If you need water or cigarettes, ask the officer at the door.”

Song Lang took Lin Qiupu outside. Lin Qiupu was surprised, “Captain, why do you think he’s the killer?”

“We have clues showing that Li Qiang visited He Taiyang’s house on the 16th of last month.”

“The 16th of last month?” Lin Qiupu recalled, “The day Mrs. He died?”

“Yes, quite a coincidence. There’s definitely something suspicious here. Mrs. He’s death itself is dubious. After her death, He Taiyang took a million in cash and went alone late at night to meet someone. What do you think? Yes, it’s likely related to He Taiyang. Li Qiang happened to witness this scene and used it to extort He Taiyang. Based on our revised reasoning, the person He Taiyang met that night is likely the murderer… Li Qiang slipped up earlier, which strengthens my belief.”

Lin Qiupu admired Song Lang’s deduction skills, “What about the motive for murder?”

“I don’t know,” Song Lang lit a cigarette, “We’ll have to wait for new evidence, then maybe we’ll see more clearly.”

It was now noon. Song Lang ordered some takeout and had meals and water sent to He Jingjing and Li Qiang. After finishing his own meal, he leisurely drank tea and read the newspaper. Although it was approaching two in the afternoon, Song Lang showed no signs of continuing the interrogation.

Lin Qiupu grew restless and asked Song Lang, “Captain, what are you waiting for?”

“Haha, I’m waiting for evidence!”

“Evidence?”

“While Li Qiang was being brought in, I had someone search his place. If he has that million, he wouldn’t have put it in the bank; he must have hidden it somewhere.”

“Is it legal to search like that?”

“Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

Lin Qiupu thought to himself, Legal or not, but didn’t dare to question the captain’s decision.

Just then, a few policemen came in. Song Lang eagerly stood up and asked about their findings. They shook their heads, and one of them said, “We didn’t find a large sum of cash. In fact, we couldn’t even find a hundred bucks in his house.”

Song Lang frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, “Anything unusual in his house?”

“Um, it’s hard to say, but we did find this.” The policeman produced a train ticket.

The ticket was recent, showing that Li Qiang intended to go a long way. Song Lang said, “Xiao Lin, check who Li Qiang has been in contact with recently. The money might be hidden elsewhere. Go with these two and find it before dark.”

“Captain, there’s something I’m not sure if I should mention,” Lin Qiupu hesitated.

“Are you afraid I’ve got the wrong direction?”

Lin Qiupu reluctantly nodded.

“Don’t doubt your judgment just because of a hiccup. It’s been three days since the murder. Even the dumbest killer would have come up with a plan to deal with the police. Put yourself in Li Qiang’s shoes. Where would he hide the money?”

“What if there really isn’t any?”

“Cross that bridge when we come to it! We’ll be thorough.” Song Lang patted his shoulder, “Hurry up, find it before dark, or else I’ll have to let him go.”

After Lin Qiupu left, Song Lang brought He Jingjing into the interrogation room. She had been impatiently waiting, “You police are so inefficient. It took you so long to ask a question. How are you going to compensate me for my wasted time?”

“Sorry, I was questioning someone else earlier who is related to you and this case.”

“Related to me?” He Jingjing raised her eyebrows suspiciously.

“Have you thought of someone?”

“I didn’t finish high school. I’m not very bright. Don’t play mind games with me. I can’t think of anyone!”

“Then let me change the question. Last time we met here, you mentioned the legend of the bowl.” Song Lang placed a small bowl from the evidence bag on the table, “Why did you fabricate that He Taiyang had received this bowl?”

“Fabricate? Don’t accuse me falsely. It’s the truth!”

Song Lang placed two more identical bowls on the table, “In fact, we checked carefully. This legend does circulate in Long’an’s pawn industry, but those duped paid tens of thousands at most, not a hundred thousand. He Taiyang is a tightwad. Even if Mrs. He passed away half a month ago, he wouldn’t pay a million to ward off bad luck. How much turnover does your pawnshop have in a month? A million is a huge sum. Your story has countless loopholes. Why spread this lie? I believe you don’t want the police to find out where this money really went, or that the person who received the money is connected to you.”

He Jingjing became furious, “Stop twisting the truth! How am I lying? I just told you what I saw and heard. You police are so annoying, always suspecting everything. You splash dirty water when you can’t catch the murderer!”

Song Lang said sternly, “Do you think He Taiyang’s death has no witnesses? This bowl only has your fingerprints. It never touched He Taiyang’s hands.”

He Jingjing was stunned, then struggled weakly, “He… he always wore gloves when he worked.”

Song Lang sneered, “There are fingerprints of He Taiyang all over his safe, cabinets, and counters. You tell me he wore gloves? Speaking of safes, that night you couldn’t open the safe in front of us. It was He Jun who opened it for you. Yet, only your fingerprints are on this bowl. It shows that you actually knew the safe’s code and you’ve been acting in front of us. Look, one lie exposed leads to another. You vehemently deny this lie to cover up something else. Am I right?”

He Jingjing’s face turned pale, her throat rolling as she gasped for air.

Song Lang softened his tone but remained firm, “We’ve uncovered a lot about you. You have no blood relation to He Taiyang, nor are you father and daughter. Your relationship with Mrs. He was very poor, not like a stepmother to a daughter, but more like a main wife to a mistress.”

Suddenly, He Jingjing lost her composure, shouting, “I was willing to be that old man’s mistress! Did I want to? It was my real father who sold me off, used me as a debt repayment. He Taiyang told everyone I was his beloved daughter, changed my name, registered me, but once the door was closed, he would ‘care’ for me! Do you know what kind of life I’ve had these years? I’ve been kept like a canary, He Taiyang wouldn’t let me go out, monitored my every move. Every night, I cried secretly under the covers. You outsiders don’t understand anything, what do you know!”