Chapter 23 Bird of Paradise 08
After getting the screenshots and printouts of the surveillance video, Luo Siwei took Ni Xiang back into the interrogation room.
He Jin was still sitting in his seat. When he heard the door open, he turned to look at her.
Luo Siwei didn't speak softly this time. She seriously pressed the photo in front of He Jin: "You said you didn't go home last night. How do you explain this surveillance screenshot?"
He Jin looked down at the photo and asked in a trembling voice, "Did I...did I go home back then?" She pulled at her hair, as if trying to recall. "I don't remember... Maybe I drank too much, I don't remember..."
Luo Siwei folded his arms and watched how she acted in the face of evidence.
After half a minute, He Jin seemed unable to continue acting. She raised her head and said tearfully, "I remember now. I went home and I think I was standing downstairs. I saw a fire... I didn't know it was my house..."
"You really don't know it's your home?" Luo Siwei asked her.
He Jin frowned and remained silent. After a moment, she said, "I don't remember."
"Where were you before the fire started?"
"I...I..." He Jin bit his nails and couldn't answer.
"You were also standing there when your mother Liu Wangnan appeared." Luo Siwei put another photo on the table.
He Jin's eyes dodged, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at the screenshots. "I don't know... I was very scared. I think I called the police later. But this fire really had nothing to do with me..."
Luo Siwei refused to let her go. Her questions were sharp and pressing: "Even if you called the police, it doesn't prove that you didn't set the fire."
"I didn't set the fire, and I certainly didn't kill anyone." He Jin shrank back, tears welling up in her eyes as she said, "Sister, I need to go to the bathroom."
The rhythm of the interrogation was interrupted.
Luo Siwei paused, realizing she shouldn't let her emotions get the better of her during the interrogation. She immediately regained her composure and turned to Ni Xiang, saying, "Take her there."
After returning from the bathroom, the pressure that had just built up dissipated. He Jin sat back in his seat, his expression indifferent again.
Luo Siwei asked a few questions, and He Jin still answered cooperatively, but this time, Luo Siwei finally discovered He Jin's flaw.
She confirmed that He Jin did lie, and her habit of lying may have lasted for many years. In other words, this girl actually made lying a normal part of herself.
For other people, there are two or three lies among ten truths, which makes them easy to identify. But when she was questioned by the police, nine out of ten or even all of her sentences might be lies.
Moreover, she would habitually lie when faced with questions that were not related to the case.
Ordinary people will show some characteristics in their daily conversations, but she just spoke without thinking and said whatever came to her mind. It was this situation that misled the police.
Now, Luo Siwei re-evaluated He Jin's situation.
After making this clear, the trust that had just been established disappeared, and Luo Siwei's tone became even harsher.
Ni Xiang, who was in charge of recording, also noticed the change in Luo Siwei's interrogation rhythm. Ni Xiang felt a little regretful. She hoped that He Jin was an innocent good person. She almost believed her.
When asked to the end, He Jin kept saying that he did not kill or burn anyone.
Luo Siwei came out of the interrogation room and said to Ni Xiang, "Contact the fire alarm center and get me all the calls related to this fire." She wanted to confirm whether He Jin had called the police last night and what he had said on the call.
Ni Xiang hurriedly contacted the fire alarm center, and soon a file package was sent to Luo Siwei.
Since there was only one fire at the same time last night, the fire department gave them a copy of the complete fire alarm record from last night.
Luo Siwei listened to the calls one by one. The first one to report the fire was a male neighbor, the second was an aunt with a dialect accent. The third call was from a young woman.
"Hello, this is the 119 emergency center."
There was a pause of silence and noise from the other side, followed by a low, "Hello?"
The responding officer asked, "Excuse me, are you listening? How can I help you?"
A voice from the other side sounded, somewhat unclear: "Fire..."
"Where's the fire?"
"My house, my house is on fire." The woman's voice was clear, yet unclear, sounding like a child's mumbling.
"Where is your home address? How serious is the fire? Are you a child? Are there any adults nearby?" the dispatcher asked patiently. Then she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is your home address near Tomorrow Lake?"
"yes."
"We have sent firefighters..." The police officer wanted to say something when the call was hung up.
Luo Siwei listened to the fire alarm call several times and confirmed that it was He Jin who made the call.
He Jin's unclear words on the phone were consistent with the fact that she was drunk last night. However, even when she was unconscious, she still knew that it was her home. This was another lie.
Luo Siwei also listened to the other calls to the police. Most of those calls were from neighbors, and there were also a few busy and harassing calls. It was unknown who called in and why, but the police officer who answered the call was already used to it. He quickly identified the call and hung up the phone.
It was lunch break time, and Luo Siwei was still sorting out this information.
"Captain Luo, it's lunchtime." Ni Xiang stood up to remind her, "Do we... need to prepare lunch for He Jin?"
Luo Siwei said, "Please get a staff meal from the cafeteria and bring it to her." After giving the instructions, she stopped working and ordered a braised chicken.
The office became a little quieter at noon. The police officers ate lunch and chatted about the gossip they had seen recently.
Guo Zhengyao was halfway through his meal when he suddenly paused scrolling through his social media feed. "This has become a trending topic in the city. Check this one out."
As he spoke, he shared a link in the work group.
Huo Cunsheng said, "It's not surprising that it's trending in the city. After all, so many people saw it this morning."
The link shared by Guo Zhengyao was a video of the fire scene this morning. In addition to filming the fire, the owner of the phone also took pictures of the neighbors who were taking shelter from the fire downstairs.
One of the hot comments below read: "Yesterday my neighbor's house caught fire and several people were burned to death. Today I saw a video someone took and found that the eldest daughter of the family on fire was also in the crowd watching the excitement."
"Which one?"
"Two minutes and fifty-three seconds, the one standing at the back of the crowd."
Obviously, someone discovered that He Jin was mixed in the crowd last night, and the close-up footage was naturally clearer than the surveillance footage the police could find.
Luo Siwei located the time and looked over, and sure enough, he found He Jin in the crowd.
The girl in the picture is looking at the burning room. She tilts her head slightly up and squints her eyes. Her expression doesn't seem like she is looking at a fire that has killed her relatives, but rather like she is admiring some beautiful scenery.
The next moment, the firelight illuminated her face, and a smile appeared on the corner of the girl's mouth. She looked innocent and pure, but the strange smile made people's hair stand on end.
Luo Siwei patiently scrolled through the comments and found a lot of them, some of whom even took screenshots.
"I found it. Is it her house that's on fire? Why would she be so happy watching her house burn?"
"The police should investigate this woman thoroughly."
"I was there last night. Her mother crawled out of the fire. It was like a horror movie. Her father, brothers, and sisters were all burned to death. How could she laugh?"
"Hiss, is what the floors above say true?"
"This smile is so weird, it makes me creepy."
"I know this girl. She's in the same class as my sister and she often skips classes."
"Wearing a skirt this short doesn't make you look like a good person."
"Maybe she was the one who started the fire. She's a born villain."
"I know her and have added her contact information. I also saw her post cursing her parents. I guess she forgot to set her privacy settings and deleted it immediately."
The people who followed followed the gossip and dug up the inside story. After a while, they had exposed He Jin completely. In the end, some people even began to say with certainty that she was the one who committed murder and arson, as if they could solve the case just through the Internet.
Luo Siwei was still watching when that floor suddenly disappeared. It was unknown whether it was deleted by the floor owner or the person who filmed the video.
After another refresh, the entire video disappeared.
Luo Siwei was thinking about the case and got up to make a cup of coffee in the tea room. As she walked around the corner with the cup in her hand, she heard voices coming from the tea room.
Luo Siwei paused. It was two young auxiliary police officers from her team who were talking. Their voices were not loud, but Luo Siwei had excellent hearing, so those words penetrated her ears.
"Deputy Captain Guo is such a jerk. He said he'd help us before, but when he saw she was a beauty, he went silent. Being a criminal police officer doesn't rely on looks to make a living..."
"Thinking about working under a female captain in the future, I'm still not used to it... I feel like it's going to be a trap."
"Everyone online says the eldest daughter did it. So, she must have set the fire, right?"
"Ah, the case is too simple. I'd say that female captain is really lucky to have been handed such a simple case right away. It looks like they'll soon announce it's solved."
"Yeah, it's a free gift."
Luo Siwei couldn't bear to listen any longer. Just as she was about to walk over, she heard the conversation between the two people being interrupted.
A man's voice rang out: "Do we actually need to listen to netizens when investigating a case? Should I fire you guys and pay the netizens instead?"
Luo Siwei recognized that the voice was Chi Li's. She stopped and did not take a step forward.
The two detectives fell silent for a moment, then politely said, "Captain Chi...we were just...looking through some gossip..."
"Remember your identity as a police officer." Chi Li hit them, "There are no simple cases, only self-righteous law enforcers."
The young policemen were educated. Luo Siwei felt that the words sounded familiar.
"yes."
"Let's investigate the case carefully..."
Hearing this, Luo Siwei breathed a sigh of relief. Someone was criticizing and educating her on her behalf, which saved her a lot of trouble.
After the two men left, the tea room became quiet, and Luo Siwei walked out from the corner. As soon as she entered the tea room, she saw Chi Li leaning against the side cabinet with a teacup in his hand. He was facing the door, as if waiting for her to come in.
Luo Siwei was startled, then he paused and greeted her, "Captain Chi, good afternoon."
Chi Li nodded, lowered his head with drooping eyelashes, and drank the tea in the cup.
Luo Siwei went to the side and got a cup of coffee, tore open a sugar packet and poured two-thirds of it into it, then opened a milk cup and mixed half of it, and finally she poured a little cold water into it, just enough to drink immediately.
While drinking coffee, Luo Siwei was thinking about the case in front of him.
She knew full well that this case was a test for her, and everyone would be watching her next move. She had to solve it quickly and effectively to convince everyone. But speed was more important than the truth, and she was determined to investigate this case thoroughly.
Chi Li seemed to see what she was thinking, and suddenly said, "Investigate this case carefully. Don't be influenced by the outside world, and don't care what others say."
Hearing these suggestive words, Luo Siwei raised his head and asked him directly: "Did you know...I was outside just now?"
"I heard it. Your footsteps sound different from others." Chi Li tilted his head and said, "Come on, I believe you can find out."
Luo Siwei lowered his head and took a sip of coffee. The sugar in the Municipal Bureau was good, so the coffee was not bitter but a little sweet.
At around five o'clock in the afternoon, the police officers in charge of the investigation also returned to the Municipal Bureau.
The forensic autopsy has been completed and the preliminary autopsy results are out.
Luo Siwei called the police officers together for a meeting to summarize information from all sides.
The three people died around three in the morning, and the cause of death was similar to the analysis given by Chu Shisui before.
In this case, most of the traces were destroyed due to the fire and firefighting. The fire scene was very noisy and there were many people on the scene. No new suspects have emerged in the investigation so far.
The police officers have strength and energy, but have nowhere to use them.
Guo Zhengyao suggested, "Captain Luo, based on those photos and the repeated lies-filled testimonies, we can arrest He Jin first. As for the others, we can investigate them slowly."
Luo Siwei lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "The evidence is still not strong enough. There are no direct evidence such as fingerprints, footprints, murder weapons, or surveillance. He Jin's confession has been repeatedly denied. It is difficult to confirm that she is the suspect at this point. This is a bit hasty."
As they were talking, Luo Siwei's phone rang. When she picked it up, she heard Shen Qing's voice: "Captain Luo, I'm at the hospital. The victim just woke up."
The police officer sitting nearby also heard this. When the investigation of the case reached a deadlock, this news gave them a glimmer of hope to break through the fog.
The police officers sat up straight and stretched their necks to hear what Shen Qing would say.
Luo Siwei pressed the hands-free button to ensure that everyone else could hear the call clearly: "Please tell me the details."
"The victim had been in a coma and woke up for a while. We went over to chat with her. I asked her if she suspected anyone, and she said..." Shen Qing said this in one breath, but stopped when she got to the key information.
Huo Cunsheng asked anxiously: "What did you say?"
"She said it was He Jin who did it." Shen Qing said.
The mother personally corrected her daughter. This was an answer that the detectives found both predictable and somewhat unexpected.
Upon hearing this, Huo Cunsheng became excited: "What did I say!"
Luo Siwei made a gesture to silence him and continued to ask, "Did the victim see the specific process of the crime?"
"That's not the case." Shen Qing said.
Guo Zhengyao shook his head and sighed softly, "If there were no clues, a mother wouldn't suspect her daughter, right?"
Luo Siwei continued to ask: "What is the specific process?"
"Liu Wangnan said that last night He Jin had a few arguments with her and then slammed the door and walked out, threatening them. Later in the middle of the night, she got up to go to the bathroom and looked out the window. She saw He Jin sitting under a streetlight. About twenty minutes later, she heard some movement outside and mumbled He Jin's name. Then it was quiet. She thought she had misheard, but then a fire started. When she came to, the fire was already huge. She wanted to save her husband and child, but it was too late. After she rushed out of the room, she found that her youngest son had died in the hallway."
Luo Siwei asked: "Anything else?"
Shen Qing said, "That's all I have to say. Liu Wangnan fainted again, and the doctors are trying to save him. I used a body camera to record the interrogation. I'll borrow a computer and send you the whole process."
Luo Siwei said: "Okay, we'll contact each other if there is any situation."
Soon, the video was sent over, and Luo Siwei played the whole process again. Watching it live was even more shocking than listening to Shen Qing's narration.
Liu Wangnan lay in bed, her body covered in bandages and covered in burns. Other wounds, medicated and bleeding, were disfigured and somewhat disoriented. The poor woman kept mumbling the names of her young daughter and son, a scene that was heartbreaking to watch.
Finally, the woman woke up. She opened her eyes, her lips cracked, and she murmured, "They've all..."
Shen Qing explained a few words, and the woman kept crying.
When asked who she might be responsible for the murder and arson, Liu Wangnan's expression changed.
The woman's eyelids fluttered, her chapped lips parted, and her throat, choked by the smoke, struggled to speak. Her voice was hoarse, like fingernails scraping against sandpaper. Even so, she still managed to call out the name: "He Jin!"
Shen Qing didn't hear clearly, so he raised his head and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"He Jin!" Liu Wangnan's expression twisted, the veins on her neck bulging as she struggled to get out of bed. She reached out and grabbed the bed railing tightly, her strength so strong that it seemed she was about to break it.
The scene looked a bit scary. The woman's body was covered in charred and blurred flesh and blood. She looked like a hungry ghost who had returned from hell, looking for someone to take her life.
"It's her! She said she wanted to kill us!" Liu Wangnan gnashed his teeth in hatred at the mention of that name. The instruments connected to his body began beeping, and even his heartbeat quickened.
Shen Qing was still a little confused: "Isn't He Jin your daughter?"
"It must be her! It must be her! She hates me! She has always hated us..." the woman shouted emotionally.
Shen Qing asked for details.
Liu Wangnan's chest heaved as she spoke intermittently about what she saw He Jin in the yard after midnight. Then she suddenly fell straight onto the bed and fainted again.
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