Chapter 57 Red Leaves 18
On typhoon nights, some specialized professions remain busy, sometimes working even harder than usual. These include doctors treating patients and saving lives, traffic police on duty at key intersections, and water and electricity maintenance workers who maintain the city's normal operations.
On nights like this, there are still many police officers in the city police station who stay behind to prepare for emergencies in the city.
Steel, concrete, and glass withstood the typhoon and torrential rain. While the wind howled outside, the city bureau was safe and warm.
Luo Siwei and Chi Li returned to the municipal bureau office together.
Luo Siwei first took a quick shower and changed her clothes. She quickly blew her hair, and when it was half dry, she tied it into a bun and went to ask the team members about the progress.
Deputy Captain Guo Zhengyao, Ni Xiang and Lao Huo were already sitting in the interrogation observation room.
Ni Xiang handed the sorted list to Luo Siwei. "Qi Moxue has been settled. I asked her to change her wet clothes and shoes. The other three have been locked up in the interrogation room."
Luo Siwei asked, "Have you started the interrogation?"
Lao Huo shook his head: "Not yet, Captain Luo, the situation is a bit tricky right now."
Guo Zhengyao said seriously, "We have four suspects. All four of them said they were the only ones responsible and had nothing to do with the other three."
Luo Si frowned slightly: "All four of them said so?"
"Yes." Huo Cunsheng nodded in confirmation. "Zhai Yifei also said that Qi Moxue rented the house from him, and that he murdered the landlords."
The four interrogation rooms of the Criminal Investigation Team 3 are now full of their suspects. The real murderer should be among these four, but how can the police determine who the real murderer is?
Luo Siwei thought for a moment, walked to the end of the corridor and knocked on Chi Li's office.
Chi Li said "Come in", and Luo Siwei walked in.
There was only a small desk lamp on in the office. Chi Li had just finished taking a shower and his hair was still wet. His face was a little pale, but it made his eyebrows and eyes look even darker.
Luo Siwei briefly outlined the progress of the investigation and then said, "Captain Chi, now the suspects all say they did it themselves."
Chi Li asked her: "What are you going to do?"
Luo Siwei thought for a moment and said, "I plan to have my subordinates begin interrogating the suspects simultaneously. Then, based on the results, we can determine who the murderer is."
"What is the specific interrogation strategy?"
"Generally, the interrogation strategy for this type of group crime is the prisoner's dilemma, but I don't think they're suited to that method. I want to interrogate them in detail," Luo Siwei explained after a pause. "That's like giving them a basic test."
"Test?" Chi Li paused slightly. Testing the suspect, such a bold and whimsical idea could probably only be thought of by the person in front of him.
"Yes, the murderer's test." Luo Siwei explained in detail, "I think those suspects are different from ordinary suspects. Ordinary suspects lie when they confess because they want to get away with it. But these people, their purpose in lying is probably to take the blame for their companions."
Now that the police have apprehended the suspect, they only know the beginning and end of the case, leaving the intervening events as if they were a blind box. A confession is undoubtedly crucial to understanding what happened.
Luo Siwei continued, "Even if these people were at the crime scene, seeing the murder happen is completely different from committing the crime themselves. Even if they colluded with each other in their confessions, it's impossible for them to estimate all the details. Now these people are claiming to be the murderer, so we need them to prove it to us..."
"I will combine criminal investigation, forensics, physical evidence, and all relevant details, and then list the crime process in as much detail as possible. I will ask each suspect the same questions. I will thoroughly investigate them and find out their understanding of the case and their involvement in it."
"Anyone who can reveal every detail without missing a single detail is more likely to be the real killer. If they are accomplices, we can also determine their roles in the crime, and who is the principal offender and who is the accessory. We can work backwards from the killer's confession to uncover their true motives and even find concrete evidence."
Chi Li thought intently upon hearing this. Under the illumination of the desk lamp, a stream of light seemed to flash across his handsome brows. After a few seconds, he made a decision: "I don't think things are that simple, but the murderer's test is a good test plan. You should proceed according to this plan first. We'll make a judgment after the results come out."
The suspects in the four cases were interrogated at the same time, which had never happened since the establishment of the Donglan General Bureau.
Luo Siwei called all the police officers on duty. After discussing, they simply wrote down all the problems and worked for a while to arrange everything.
Without further ado, at eight o'clock in the evening, all the police officers entered the interrogation room.
In addition to the case files, they also brought a "test paper" full of case details. The four interrogation rooms were like four "examination rooms", the suspects were "examinees", and the police officers opposite were "examiners".
Four interrogations began at the same time, which would determine their lives and their future fate.
Guo Zhengyao and Huo Cunsheng both participated as chief judges, and Ni Xiang will also face her first independent interrogation.
Luo Siwei worked with a young police officer, and they faced Qi Moxue.
In the observation room, the officers were on high alert. Several one-way windows showed the interrogation progress, with different officers responsible for monitoring and recording. Simply by switching to the corresponding monitoring equipment, one could hear the progress of the interrogation.
Chi Li sat in the observation room watching the interrogation. He was like the "examiner" of this "exam".
Luo Siwei sat opposite Qi Moxue again.
Qi Moxue changed her clothes. Her short hair stuck to her pale cheeks, making her look pitiful. It was a bit cold on the typhoon night. Luo Siwei asked the police officer to get her coat and handed it to Qi Moxue. Qi Moxue whispered thank you to her.
After verifying the information, Luo Siwei began the interrogation. She asked Qi Moxue: "How much of what you told me last time was true?" She could tell that not everything Qi Moxue said was false.
Qi Moxue lowered her eyebrows: "Most of it is true, but I only told half of the story..."
Luo Siwei continued to ask: "Then the information you are hiding is..."
"I cruelly drove those old people out. I heard they didn't want to leave, so I cruelly didn't go back to see them until three days later..." Qi Moxue said this, pulling at the clothes she was wearing, her expression seemed to be lost in memory. "That day was also a rainy night. I was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of wind and rain. I suddenly thought of those old people, so I put on a raincoat and ran out."
Qi Moxue pursed her pale lips as she spoke, "I've been thinking in my heart, I hope they've all left and found their own homes. I hope to see an empty door and all my troubles will disappear."
"But when I ran to the door of the nursing home, I saw the elderly people huddled in the corner at the door in the heavy rain."
"They had picked up some plastic bags from somewhere and tried their best to cover their heads and bodies, but they were still soaked. When I got there, this was the scene I saw..."
Luo Siwei, who had just experienced a typhoon night, could imagine the tragic situation at that time. People are all made of flesh and blood, and she could understand Qi Moxue's feelings at that time.
Qi Moxue lowered her head slightly, her brows drooping as she looked diagonally downward. This expression reminded Luo Siwei of the compassionate gods and Buddhas that were enshrined.
The wet hair on Qi Moxue's forehead trembled slightly as she continued speaking.
"When I saw this scene, I felt like a knife was cutting my flesh in the chest. At that moment, I realized that I was not as ruthless as I thought. Many of them were friends with my parents."
"I knew them before I went abroad. My parents could call out each of them by name and would tell me stories about their past. Besides studying, I would help the caregivers and my parents take care of them. Some of those elderly people were former doctors, some were teachers, and one was a bus driver. They didn't have much spare money, but they still bought me snacks and made me happy. Aunt Qiao was very skillful and would pick summer flowers and weave them into beautiful flower baskets. Teacher Wei would explain my homework to me, and Uncle Li always said he wanted to teach me how to drive..."
As Qi Moxue spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks, and she wiped them away gently.
"They were all such good people, law-abiding and hardworking their entire lives. I've even seen photos of them when they were younger. Even though their clothes were different, you could still tell they were young and beautiful. They... were just like my parents and my family..."
"Some of them were once loving couples, some had children, some were small business owners, and some owned property. But no one can escape aging, and no one can escape death. Unexpected events always happen, loved ones pass away, serious illnesses plague them, and their money disappears. If there were any other way, no one would want to live without dignity."
"I walked over and cried with them in the pouring rain. I was thinking, I'm divorced and don't plan to get married again. I don't have children, I don't earn enough money, and I can't afford a house. If one day I get old, will I end up like them? I even think that when I'm old, because the aging population is more serious and there are more elderly people, my life will be even more miserable..."
Luo Siwei was listening on the other side. She knew that there were thousands and thousands of such elderly people in the world, and in the future, many more people would have to face such old age life.
In the observation room, Chi Li focused on the interrogation. Since Qi Moxue had many connections with the case, she was currently the prime suspect in the case.
Luo Siwei asked in more detail.
At this time, the progress in other interrogation rooms was obviously faster.
Guo Zhengyao was presiding over the trial of the elderly woman disguised as a cleaner. Her name was Shi Yingcui, and she looked frail and her hair was all white. Guo Zhengyao couldn't believe that such a frail woman could have killed the younger landlords, but the woman insisted that she was the real murderer.
Across from Ni Xiang stood the man in black, Ge Wenfeng, a former caregiver at Hongye Nursing Home. Ni Xiang lacked experience, but Ge Wenfeng was also nervous. The young policewoman stuttered, and sweat broke out on the old man's forehead. It was a closely matched duel.
Huo Cunsheng faced the slick sub-landlord Zhai Yifei. Both men were from the underworld, and they had a certain sympathy for each other. Huo Cunsheng offered Zhai Yifei a cigarette, and Zhai Yifei began to tell how he came to Donglan, how he temporarily settled in a nursing home, how he was taken care of by Dean Qi, and how he became a sub-landlord.
He just talked about his acquaintance with Qi Moxue.
Zhai Yifei said, "When I first saw that woman, I felt that she was different from all the other women I've known before..."
Under the police interrogation, some inside information gradually came to light.
After the Hongye Nursing Home closed, it was Qi Moxue who took away the homeless elderly people.
At first, they also looked for agents and contacted landlords, but it was extremely difficult for the elderly to rent a normal house. They often ran into obstacles and could only temporarily live in some unfinished buildings and old factories.
Until one day, by chance, Qi Moxue met her old acquaintance Zhai Yifei again. With the help of Zhai Yifei, the elderly people began to move into the shared house.
Among the several interrogation rooms, Guo Zhengyao made the fastest progress. He had finished asking about Shi Yingcui's basic situation and began to ask detailed questions using the test paper.
"You said you killed people, so when did these cases happen?"
"The first landlady died in the winter of that year. The exact time... I remember it was December of that year. The second landlady died in the autumn, in September. The third landlady died last year, in August..."
"A specific date."
"December 17, September 3, August 26."
"What were the locations and causes of death of those people?"
"That female landlord died in the rental house. We had an argument, and she fell and hit her head, and then she died. I went to the second landlord's house and strangled him while he was sleeping... The landlord who died most recently died in the rental house. They used... a fruit knife." Shi Yingcui hesitated, "A fruit knife I brought with me."
"The length of a fruit knife."
"About... ten centimeters... No, that's not right, maybe fifteen centimeters..."
"Where was the insertion site?"
"Is it... the chest?"
Because the case was complex, involved many victims, and lasted for several years, she soon found some details difficult to explain.
Guo Zhengyao continued to ask: "Who else was there at the time?"
"Where did you abandon the body?"
"What did you do after killing someone? Where are the deceased's documents?"
Shi Yingcui's answers grew increasingly hesitant, her voice growing quieter, and many details began to mismatch. If this were a test, her answers wouldn't pass.
Guo Zhengyao demanded, "Are you kidding us? You keep claiming to be the murderer, yet you can't even answer these basic questions. Also, even at his age, Niu Liangyu was still a tall man. How did you manage to go to his house in the middle of the night and strangle him?"
Shi Yingcui seemed to have discovered her own flaws: "I'm old now, and I can't remember a lot of things, but I didn't lie to you. I really did kill him."
Guo Zhengyao said sternly, "This is the police station. You will be held legally responsible for what you say. Stop talking nonsense to me."
Shi Yingcui covered her face with her hands and burst into tears: "Why am I so useless? I can't even do such a small thing... I really can't remember a lot of things. After those things happened, I hypnotized myself, telling myself that I didn't do them. Then slowly, I couldn't remember them anymore."
Guo Zhengyao didn't believe her nonsense. He seemed to have lost his patience and stood up and asked, "Let me ask you again, who is the real murderer?"
Shi Yingcui stopped crying and looked up at him. The old man looked a little dull, and then he shook his head.
Guo Zhengyao sneered and pointed out, "Such obvious partiality would rather go to jail or be sentenced. In my opinion, the murderer must have done you a favor, and is an extremely important person."
When he said this, Shi Yingcui's expression froze, and the color on her face gradually faded: "I don't remember."
"You really don't remember?" Guo Zhengyao pressed her. "Even if you don't tell us, we'll find out. If you give the person up sooner, it'll save both of us time. It's so late, you want to rest, right?"
Shi Yingcui hesitated for a while.
The old woman seemed really tired. Then she closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
Just when Guo Zhengyao thought she would not speak again, the old woman's mouth moved and she said a name: "It's Qi Moxue."
As he said these words, two lines of tears flowed from the old man's cloudy eyes: "I have no choice, I am too stupid, I can't protect her..."
In the observation room, the sound of wind and rain outside could be heard from afar, disturbing everyone.
Chi Li's expression was serious and focused. On the surface, Shi Yingcui had been cleared of suspicion, leaving only three of the four suspects. The possibility that Qi Moxue was the real murderer had increased.
In the observation room, Chi Li did not dare to jump to conclusions. He never underestimated any interrogation. This was a battlefield where truth and lies were intertwined. Human hearts were far more complicated than anything else, and the judge had to clear away the clouds to see the sun.
He turned his gaze back to Qi Moxue and Luo Siwei.
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