Chapter 7
"These photos look old. You were so beautiful when you were young, Auntie." Luo Jingyao turned sideways calmly and pointed lightly at a few faded old photos stuck on the wall above the bed.
Looking in the direction of her finger, Wang Guifen showed a trace of nostalgia on her face, but it quickly disappeared.
The woman came forward and pushed her away from the bed in a rather unkind manner. She also stuffed a glass of water into her hand and said in a tone that was far from kind: "Drink it, and then leave quickly. I want to sleep."
The intention of driving people away is quite obvious.
Luo Jingyao lowered her eyes and glanced at the ceramic cup in her hand that was covered with tea stains inside and out, but she did not miss the other person's action of bending down to adjust the pillow.
Seeing the stack of brown paper envelopes, of which only a corner was exposed, now covered up, she pursed her lips with some regret and gently placed the cup back on the square table behind her: "It is indeed a bit late, so I won't bother you anymore."
Seeing her speak so cheerfully, Wang Guifen's scrutinizing eyes flickered, and then she waved her hand impatiently: "Go away! Don't come here again."
The moment Luo Jingyao walked out of the courtyard, a loud bang was heard from behind the door. The copper door, which had several holes in it, closed again, and the vibration of the door panel lingered in the air.
Raising her eyebrows, she took out her cell phone from her trouser pocket and opened the photo album, then slowly walked back the way she came.
In the darkness, only the phone screen flickered with a faint light.
Luo Jingyao swiped the screen twice with her thumb and index finger, and enlarged the photo she had just secretly taken in the house. She observed it carefully for a while before lowering her arm dejectedly.
Even if she really noticed something suspicious, she would be helpless given her status.
Before she knew it, she had returned to the entrance of the alley. The bustling voices in the shops formed a sharp contrast with the loneliness deep in the alley, giving her a sense of separation between dreams and reality.
Suddenly, amidst the noise, Luo Jingyao seemed to hear a familiar voice.
She calmed herself down and looked up across the street. There was only a small stall selling sweet potatoes, and the owner was sitting on a bench, scrolling through his phone boredly.
"Coach Luo."
Just when she was wondering if she was hallucinating, the male voice sounded again, becoming clearer.
Turning her head suddenly, Luo Jingyao looked towards the shadow on the left side of the alley. A jeep whose color and license plate could not be seen was parked there. The car was still running, and the exhaust gas from the tailpipe was a little smoky under the light.
Through the thin smoke, she saw a tall figure leaning against the front of the car. The next second, the other person stood up and slowly walked towards the alley entrance.
"Officer Lin?" Luo Jingyao widened her eyes in surprise, as if she couldn't understand why she met him here.
Lin Jiafan walked closer to her and curled the corners of his mouth in response.
"you……"
For some reason, under the silent gaze of the other person's black eyes, Luo Jingyao suddenly felt an infinite sense of guilt. She turned her head to look at the dark alley behind her and said dryly, "What a coincidence."
"Really?" Lin Jiafan's smile deepened a little, and he glanced into the alley meaningfully: "I'm curious why Coach Luo appeared near Wang Guifen's residence at this time."
really.
Luo Jingyao's eyelashes trembled, and after her brain raced for a few times, she chose to tell the truth: "I came here to apologize to her."
"Where's Officer Lin? Did he come to Wang Guifen late at night to find out what happened?"
After all, the words the woman shouted during the day were details of the case that the police had not yet announced to the public. Even she could sense that something was wrong, so how could the police not think of it? It was normal to come over and have a talk afterwards.
Unexpectedly, Lin Jiafan shook his head: "The person I'm looking for is you, Coach Luo."
Um?
Luo Jingyao's breath hitched when she heard this, and then she blurted out uncontrollably: "Officer Lin is following me?"
Lin Jiafan didn't respond, but his expression at this moment had already given a positive answer.
No wonder.
All the things she had felt strange about before now made sense. No wonder the other party had repeatedly come to her rescue in front of Pang Guang earlier. It seemed that he wanted to prevent her from being too alert so that there would be loopholes for her to exploit.
The corners of her mouth twitched, and Luo Jingyao silently took back the good guy card she had given out in her heart.
She opened her eyelids and looked carefully at the man in front of her, only then she discovered that the corners of Lin Jiafan's eyes behind the lenses were slightly raised, making his whole face look a bit unruly.
I have to say that the rimless glasses on this man's nose were a very successful choice. The lenses not only weakened the deep shrewdness hidden in his eyes to a certain extent, but also made him look more elegant than calculating in temperament.
Insidious and cunning.
Luo Jingyao came back to her senses and took a deep breath, wrinkles between her brows becoming faintly visible. She actually couldn't understand why the police suddenly targeted her.
As if seeing through her doubts, Lin Jiafan spoke in a flat tone, "In the past week, two extremely serious murders occurred in Jin City. During this period, Coach Luo happened to be successfully employed by the Public Security Bureau as a physical trainer."
"This morning, when Wang Guifen and her group came to the Public Security Bureau to cause trouble, Coach Luo seemed particularly interested in the conversation between our colleagues. He then bravely intervened and successfully stopped Wang Guifen's attempt to harm him."
"Then Coach Luo appeared at the latest crime scene and assisted our police in apprehending a suspected suspect who had a high probability of escaping."
"After such a tiring day, Coach Luo actually came to Wang Guifen's house at 8:53 to 'apologize' that evening..." Lin Jiafan said, slowly raising his left wrist to check his watch.
With every word he spoke, Luo Jingyao's expression would become stiffer.
As expected, the detectives are much more sensitive than ordinary people. It turns out that her covert little movements are completely exposed under their noses.
"So, Coach Luo, do you have anything to explain? Just tell me why you, a physical trainer, are so concerned about the mother of the serial killer two years ago and the latest murder case." As Lin Jiafan spoke, he bent down slightly to look at the person in front of him at eye level.
Unfortunately, even this posture cannot erase the strong sense of oppression brought about by the height difference.
Luo Jingyao subconsciously shrank back. How could she explain?
I accidentally got into someone else's refrigerator last night and saw the suspected murderer and the crime scene?
What a psycho!
So she could only take a step back and stick to her original statement: "I am indeed here to apologize. In our profession, it is inevitable that we will not be too harsh. Wang Guifen is not young anymore, and I am afraid of hurting others."
Giving her a deep look, Lin Jiafan straightened up again, his face full of amusement, but he didn't ask any further questions: "I wonder if Coach Luo would be able to come back with me to the bureau to assist in the investigation?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was sure that Luo Jingyao would not refuse, so he turned around and walked to the jeep, and opened the back door.
"..." After two seconds of silence, she took small steps to the side of the car.
Just before leaning over to get into the car, Luo Jingyao heard Lin Jiafan's words, tinged with a hint of joking, "Thank you, Coach Luo, for cooperating with the police."
Gnashing her teeth, she replied with a forced smile, "Officer Lin, you're welcome. This is my duty."
The only response she got was a faint chuckle from the other party.
On the way to the Jinshi Public Security Bureau, Luo Jingyao simply hugged her backpack and closed her eyes to rest, sighing silently during the process.
She had played more games today than in the past twenty-five years combined, and was more exhausted than playing four games in a row. Life was really too tiring.
Just as all kinds of thoughts were running wild in her mind, a male voice that was not very tuneful suddenly came from the speaker next to her seat.
Luo Jingyao was startled. When she opened her eyes, she found that it was Lin Jiafan's phone that was connected to the car's Bluetooth. The electronic screen in front of the car showed that the call was in progress.
"Boss? Where have you been? It's not very ethical to leave us working overtime at the office, is it?"
Pang Guang's hoarse voice was not diminished at all by the radio waves. It was so vivid that she could almost instantly imagine the other person's expression when he said this.
Lin Jiafan was waiting at a red light at the time. When he heard the question, he stopped talking and said, "I'm almost at the police station. What's going on?"
"Oh, it's the man that Coach Luo helped catch this morning. His identity has been confirmed after verification. His name is Ma Hongtang, 37 years old. His registered residence is not in Jinshi, but in Sichuan Province. He has no legitimate job." Pang Guang naturally reported his work on the phone.
Luo Jingyao moved her numb butt and waited patiently for Lin Jiafan to stop her.
But the driver in front seemed to have forgotten her existence for a moment, and only squeezed out a "hmm" through his nose to indicate that he was listening.
"The comparison results of the DNA extracted from the soles of his shoes are also out. It is consistent with the DNA of the victim found at the crime scene. It is enough to prove that Ma Hongtang did stay at the crime scene." At this point, Pang Guang's tone began to become indignant.
"But he only admitted to going to the house where the victim's body was found, and refused to admit that he had killed the victim. He said that not only did he fail to make money in Jinshi, but he was also defrauded and fell into debt and became homeless. In desperation, he thought of going to those old, sparsely populated communities and prying open vacant houses to temporarily stay."
"As for why there was the victim's blood on the soles of his shoes, Ma Hongtang explained that he had first pried open the door to the crime scene the night before, entered, discovered something was amiss, and quickly fled, then ended up at the upstairs apartment of the aunt."
As soon as Pang Guang finished speaking, Lin Jiafan quickly turned the steering wheel with both hands, controlling the jeep to turn and drive into the courtyard of Jinshi Public Security Bureau.
After he parked the car and turned off the engine, he spoke again: "Do you believe this kind of excuse?"
When Luo Jingyao in the back heard this, she couldn't help but raise her eyelids and saw the meaningful expression on his face in the rearview mirror.
"Nonsense, anyone who believes such a flawed excuse is an idiot, right?" Pang Guang was confused.
"That's right." Lin Jiafan leaned back in his chair with a relaxed attitude. He met Luo Jingyao's gaze through the rearview mirror and said word by word, "I don't believe it either."
Luo Jingyao: “…”
So angry.
What a bastard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com