Chapter 801: Exposing the Lie

Lin Dongxue opened her eyes and stretched lazily. Sleeping in Chen Shi’s car was surprisingly comfortable. She asked Chen Shi, who was sitting next to her playing on his phone, “What time is it?”

“Two in the afternoon. Did you sleep well?”

Lin Dongxue exhaled a breath onto her hand and smelled it. Chen Shi thoughtfully handed her a piece of gum. Lin Dongxue didn’t reach out her hand but opened her mouth instead, so Chen Shi had to unwrap it for her and pop it into her mouth.

“Has the search warrant come through?” Lin Dongxue asked while chewing the gum.

“I just went in to check. Team Three plans to act tonight and catch the old man off guard.”

“Team Three loves operating at night. They are all night owls… So what do we do now?”

“Want to grab some food?”

“I’m thinking of going back to question that assistant again. I have a feeling he might be lying. We should have enough time this afternoon.”

“Since we’ve got nothing better to do, let’s handle this!” Chen Shi started the car.

When they arrived at the assistant’s house, Chen Shi said, “Same routine: you question, I polygraph.”

Since he wasn’t working, the assistant was at home playing games to pass the time. When they arrived, he put down his controller and enthusiastically said, “It’s a bit messy inside, just make yourselves at home!” while sneaking a few glances at Lin Dongxue.

He took out iced tea and cola from the fridge and asked what they were there for.

Lin Dongxue glanced around, “Do you live here with your family?”

“Yeah, I don’t have my own place, so I have to live with my parents. They can be quite annoying, but luckily they’re not home today.”

“Do you usually stay at the pawnshop?”

“I live in the attic because we have customers at night too. Often, I’m busy until late before I can rest.”

“Regarding your testimony, there’s something I’d like to clarify. At the time of the incident, around four in the morning, how did you wake up?”

“Oh, just for this? You didn’t have to make a special trip. You cops are really diligent! I woke up because I heard a loud ‘thud’ from downstairs. I ran down and saw the boss lying on the ground with someone standing beside him. I was so scared that I turned and ran. I even broke a toenail on the stairs. Thinking about it still gives me chills,” the assistant said, showing a fearful expression.

Chen Shi thought to himself, “He’s rambling. Some people tend to describe unnecessary details when they’re lying. His expressions also seem overly dramatic.”

These are all signs of lying.

“Do you sleep lightly?” Lin Dongxue continued to ask.

“Very lightly…”

“From the evidence at the scene, it looks like the boss and the perpetrator had a conversation and possibly even an argument. Since you sleep lightly, why weren’t you woken up by that?” Lin Dongxue stared into the assistant’s eyes, applying pressure.

The assistant swallowed nervously and said, “I did… hear them, but I thought it was just a customer. I didn’t pay much attention and didn’t get up. You wouldn’t get up every time you hear someone talking, would you? The pawnshop is open to customers, after all.”

“What were they talking about?”

“Something about a painting. I couldn’t hear clearly through the floor. Plus, I was still groggy from sleep.”

“Did you hear a man’s voice or a woman’s voice? How many ‘customers’ were there? What time did they arrive?” Lin Dongxue fired off questions in quick succession.

“I… I can’t remember clearly.” The assistant sensed the atmosphere was off, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Lin Dongxue nodded.

After he left, Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi, “So, is he lying? From his expression, I think he’s lying!”

“Great minds think alike. Keep the pressure on. A small tip: when questioning, do small things to distract him so he can’t focus entirely on making up lies.”

“Haha, no wonder my brother always twirls a pen during interrogations. I thought it was a bad habit!”

“Your brother is quite skilled at interrogation… though not so much in other areas.”

“If you want to praise someone, just do it without slipping in a jab!”

Chen Shi’s attention was caught by the colorful game screen on the computer. He walked over for a closer look, “I don’t understand these new games at all. Is this an online game?”

“Single-player, I think!” Lin Dongxue casually opened the Steam taskbar and let out a small gasp, “This guy bought so many games!”

“Did he buy them recently?”

“Yes, the dates are here…” Lin Dongxue’s voice trailed off as she pondered, “These games cost quite a bit. Can he afford them on his salary?”

When the assistant returned from the bathroom and saw them ‘researching’ his games, he smiled, “I’m not very good at it. Still trying to get the hang of it. Do you guys play games?”

“You bought quite a few games recently. Did you come into some money?” Lin Dongxue asked with a sneer.

The assistant’s expression changed, and he forced a smile, “N-no, my dad gave me the money.”

“How much did he give you?”

“Three, four thousand…”

“Can I call your father to confirm that?”

“No, no, no!” The assistant suddenly knelt down, “I admit I lied. I shouldn’t have done those things. Please don’t arrest me!”

Lin Dongxue was slightly surprised by his extreme reaction, “What did you do?”

“I… I took some valuable items from the pawnshop to sell.”

“After Mr. Shen was murdered?”

“Yes, the place was a mess anyway. I… I just took advantage of the situation. That’s not considered theft, right?”

Chen Shi said, “This contradicts your previous statement. You said you saw the perpetrator, then ran to the nearby police station to report it. You stayed at the police station until the police arrived. You didn’t have the chance to take those items. Either your original story was a lie, or you didn’t run away immediately after seeing the perpetrator. You stayed at the crime scene for a while. If you could calmly take items from the scene without the perpetrator killing you, it suggests you were working with the perpetrator to harm Mr. Shen!”

The assistant never expected his lie to backfire so severely, exposing a fatal flaw.

“No… it’s not like that, not like that. Why would I harm Mr. Shen? He was friends with my dad and treated me well…”

“That’s irrelevant!” Chen Shi shouted, “Who was the perpetrator you saw at the scene?”

“Liu Feng!”

“What was he wearing?”

“A black suit!”

“Could you see clearly in the dark?”

“It was definitely him!”

After quickly firing off these questions, Chen Shi suddenly asked, “Was Liu Feng alone or with someone?”

“Two…” Realizing his slip, the assistant covered his mouth.

Chen Shi sneered, “Did you just say Liu Feng was two people?”

“I… I meant he and Mr. Shen. You asked so fast, I couldn’t think straight.”

“Couldn’t think straight or couldn’t make up lies fast enough? You probably don’t know that the police have evidence showing Liu Feng wasn’t at the pawnshop that night. The real perpetrator is someone else. I believe you’re deliberately deceiving the police. You know the perpetrator, and they either bribed you or you were involved from the start.”

“No, I’m not an accomplice!” The assistant had lost his ability to think and instinctively defended himself, his face covered in cold sweat.

Lin Dongxue said, “XX, I now suspect you of perjury and will exercise my right to detain you!”