Chapter 48
Lin Jiafan's black eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't respond.
Luo Jingyao didn't expect any response from him and continued on her own, "Furthermore, Cui Tingting was in Bo'an Village on the day of the incident. But the next morning, before the worship ceremony in the square even began, she was sent back to the city by the Cui couple."
"Cui Tingting didn't grow up with her parents, while Cui Da was always with Cui Jiafu and He Mei, so the relationship between the siblings has never been good."
"I've always found Cui Tingting's attitude towards Cui Da's murder strange. She seemed anxious to close the case, bury Cui Da, and get the matter over with."
She seemed to say whatever came to her mind, and it sounded disorganized.
However, Lin Jiafan was very keen to grasp a few key points, so he raised his eyebrows and asked: "Do you suspect that Cui Tingting killed Cui Da?"
Luo Jingyao spread her hands, her silence signifying her agreement.
A large sum of money equals a motive for murder, discord between siblings equals a determination to kill, and leaving in a hurry the day after the incident equals a result of murder.
Nodding in agreement, Lin Jiafan analyzed, "The only person a mother could protect, even though she clearly killed her own son, was another child, even if she was willing to plead guilty to murder."
"But we have no evidence. Even if it is speculation based on facts, it will not be accepted in court in the future." Luo Jingyao sighed.
Now that I think about it, He Mei deliberately put the second person's blood on the murder weapon, just in case Zhou Hong couldn't deal with the police one day.
Cui Tingting's figure was completely erased throughout the case. It seemed that there was no other way to go except to find a way to make Zhou Hong and He Mei speak.
"We can't alert the snake, so we can only lure it out of its hole." Lin Jiafan said this meaningfully, then turned to look at the woman on the other side of the SLR camera. "Although I don't know what kind of agreement was reached between the Cui family mother and daughter and Zhou Hong, no relationship in this world is indestructible. If we can find the crack between them, we can easily poke it and it will fall apart."
Not long after, Luo Jingyao came out of the observation room and returned to the lounge alone.
Cui Jiafu was still sitting in that chair in a daze. When he saw her coming back, his eyes lit up a little: "Miss Luo, are you leaving?"
"Yes, I've signed everything that needs to be signed," Luo Jingyao replied, then glanced into the corridor in confusion: "Has my sister-in-law not come out yet?"
"No..." The man's face was pale.
At this moment, a "ding" sound was heard not far away, and the next second Cui Tingting got off the elevator and rushed into the lounge with big strides.
"Dad, we can go now...where's my mom?"
Looking around, she couldn't see He Mei in the spacious lounge. Suddenly, a bad premonition arose in the woman's heart, and she raised her eyebrows and asked sternly.
"Your mother was called away by the police. They said there were still some questions to be asked about Xiaoda's case." Cui Jiafu seemed a little confused as to why his daughter reacted so strongly, and answered in a daze.
"Why do you have to ask her any questions? Do these policemen have any humanity left? Didn't they see what kind of condition my mother's body is in? How could she withstand such torture?" Cui Tingting first turned around twice on the spot, and finally couldn't bear it anymore and walked out the door.
"I'm going to find Officer Lin!"
But before she could take a few steps, the door opposite the interrogation room where He Mei was suddenly opened, and then Pang Guang came out with Zhou Hong.
The two of them walked past Cui Tingting without looking at her and went straight into the elevator.
"What's going on?" Cui Tingting became even more anxious and even temporarily put He Mei's matter behind her. She kept yelling at Cui Jiafu: "Why is Zhou Hong out? And she's not even handcuffed?!"
Cui Jiafu had no idea what was going on and could only stand aside and watch helplessly as his daughter spun in circles.
Fortunately, Lin Jiafan showed up within two minutes. Cui Tingting seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and stepped forward to block his way.
"Officer Lin! I just saw your people taking Zhou Hong away. Isn't she a murderer? When can a murderer move freely?!" The woman looked excited and started questioning.
Lin Jiafan was forced to stop, his face somewhat unhappy, but he still patiently explained: "First, the case hasn't been officially closed yet, so Zhou Hong can't be called a murderer yet. Second, as the police investigation deepens, the case will change in many ways. Someone who appears guilty at first may not be truly guilty."
"Miss Cui, are you questioning our way of handling cases?"
Perhaps it was because the man's aura was too strong, but Cui Tingting shrank unconsciously, but she remained firm: "She admitted it herself, didn't she? I just want to remind you, don't let my brother's murderer go!"
"Speaking of the murderer, I have something to inform you two." Lin Jiafan gave the Cui family father and daughter a steady look and said calmly, "There is now evidence that the scene of Cui Da's murder was not in the Zhou family's greenhouse. And according to Fatty Wang's explanation, the police have successfully found the real crime scene."
"Through interrogation, He Mei has admitted to the crimes of manslaughtering Cui Da and illegally disposing of the body. So, strictly speaking, Zhou Hong is not even a suspect at this point, and her personal freedom will naturally not be restricted."
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
Cui Jiafu and Cui Tingting's voices rang out almost at the same time, both of them looking incredulous.
"He Mei confessed it herself. There are transcripts and signatures. Why is it impossible?" Lin Jiafan glanced at the woman with a half-smile.
Cui Tingting immediately broke out in a cold sweat when she saw this. She didn't understand why things had suddenly turned out like this when she had just gone downstairs to go through the procedures for identifying the body.
Subconsciously swallowing, she tried to remain calm: "Cui Da is my mother's son! How could a mother kill her son?! Can't you police officers be reasonable?!"
"Sons killing their fathers and mothers, parents crushed and killed their children. I've seen plenty of cases like this in my years of work. The world is so big, and nothing is impossible." Lin Jiafan's handsome face finally showed a hint of impatience. "I still have a lot of things to do. You two should go back now. The police will notify you promptly if there's any news."
After saying that, he was about to walk around the other person.
Cui Tingting unexpectedly stopped him again and said, "I want to see my mother."
"I'm sorry, according to regulations, unless under special circumstances, suspects are not allowed to accept visitors during the investigation period, not even from their immediate family members." Lin Jiafan decisively rejected the woman's request and left without looking back.
The other party was left standing there, jumping in anger but unable to do anything.
Cui Tingting kept on struggling like this until the early morning of the next day. Finally, after Cui Jiafu's repeated persuasion, she reluctantly left the Jinshi Public Security Bureau and got on the bus back to Bo'an Village.
In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Luo Jingyao, as she had said at the beginning, shared a taxi with the Cui father and daughter.
When the sky was just beginning to brighten, the three of them returned safely to Bo'an Village.
"Thank you so much, Miss Luo, for taking the trouble to go all the way and send us home."
Outside the Cui family's gate, Cui Jiafu got out of the car and nodded and bowed to express his gratitude to Luo Jingyao who was sitting in the passenger seat of the taxi.
"It's okay. This place is not far from the town. Something like this happened to my sister-in-law... I'm really worried about you and Tingting." Luo Jingyao said it in a very high-sounding manner. Then she seemed to suddenly remember something, lowered her voice and stuck her head out of the window.
"There's something I need to remind you of. Before I left the Public Security Bureau, I heard from Officer Lin's men that Zhou Hong might have been released."
Cui Jiafu's face was full of surprise, and he moved his lips as if he wanted to confirm something.
Luo Jingyao nodded affirmatively: "I think Tingting's mood has always been quite unstable. You must pay attention to her and don't let her get too impulsive. You must trust the government and the police."
"Hey! Hey!" Cui Jiafu responded repeatedly.
In fact, Cui Tingting was standing a few steps behind the man at this moment, so even if they were careful, they would have heard most of what they said.
Luo Jingyao glanced at the gloomy expression on the woman's face as if unintentionally, then smiled and said goodbye to the father and daughter after retracting her gaze.
The taxi restarted, and the tires rolled over the stones on the village road. In the cloud of dust, the flickering taillights gradually disappeared.
However, the car stopped on the side of the road not far from the village entrance. After paying the fare, Luo Jingyao secretly opened the door and got out.
Taking advantage of the fact that it was just daybreak and the light was still dim, she groped her way back.
Most villagers pay attention to going to bed early and getting up early. Many people have already left their homes. The loud crowing of roosters mixed with the occasional greetings on the road weaves a particularly humane picture.
Luo Jingyao was terrified all the way, but fortunately, because she avoided it in time, her unfamiliar face did not attract any extra attention from the villagers.
The Haixia Supermarket, which should have been open for business, was now closed because Fatty Wang was arrested. She simply walked past and hid her figure behind the pile of messy things at the supermarket entrance.
It is extremely convenient to observe the Cui family from this angle.
There were quite a few people coming and going in the supermarket all morning, and these villagers always discussed the latest news when passing by the supermarket.
In the final analysis, it was nothing more than a few things: Fatty Wang was arrested, the girl from the Zhou family returned to the village, and Cui Jiafu's wife disappeared. But after a series of imagination, the story turned out to be as exciting as the various annual quarrels. Luo Jingyao listened with relish and sighed again and again.
There has been no movement at the Cui family.
Time slowly passed until noon, and the villagers who were working outside returned home one after another. Apart from a few wild cats and dogs running around on the road, there were no other living creatures.
Moving her slightly sore legs, Luo Jingyao had already cursed Lin Jiafan thousands of times in her heart. She also couldn't understand why she had to come here to suffer this punishment even though she knew it was a trap set by the police.
It is true that gossip is like flying sand, making people miserable.
Just as she was reflecting deeply alone, the door of the Cui family suddenly moved.
Subconsciously holding her breath, Luo Jingyao looked over intently.
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