Chapter 153 The Truth?
The captain and deputy captain, accustomed to such scenes of vehement denial, also became suspicious of Lin Jiefang's unusual behavior.
The captain, in particular, knew that his men had close ties with the man surnamed Lin, and thus began to concoct a conspiracy theory in his mind.
"Ask the hospital what the lethal dose of dichlorvos is?"
The deputy captain nodded and dialed the number again. The nurse's clear voice came through, "The toxic dose for adults is 75-80 ml, and the lethal dose is likely between 250-500 ml. That lady's toxic dose was probably around 300 ml..."
Everyone's attention immediately fell on the bowl that the family members were protecting.
It's a tiny bowl, barely the size of a palm, that doesn't look like it could hold 300 doses of pesticide. Besides, if someone really drank that much pesticide in front of so many people, it's impossible that no one would have seen it.
Lin Jiefang also looked over. Li Banxia glanced at the man behind her great-uncle. The man nodded to her, and Li Banxia breathed a sigh of relief.
The deputy captain sensed something and asked the family member, "Where did your wife go before she drank the soup?"
The family member's expression changed instantly; he opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and his gaze darted around.
The captain also noticed the problem. He said sternly, "Your wife is dead. This is no longer a simple poisoning case; it's a murder case! Think it through. If you know something but don't report it, we can still take you back to the station for questioning on charges of 'obstructing the investigation' until you tell the truth."
"I have no idea!"
The family member held their head in their hands, saying, "She's a human being, she has legs, how would I know where she went?"
The vice-captain looked over.
He said, "You're not unaware, you're just afraid to say it, because your wife's death is related to you, and it's even possible that you orchestrated it."
The family member visibly shuddered, and their pupils suddenly contracted.
He glared at the vice-captain and roared, "I didn't!"
The vice-captain stared at him and asked, "Where exactly did he go?!"
After asking the family members, they then asked the guests who sat at the same table with them, "You all came to Lin Jiefang's wedding together, so you should all know each other. Has anyone seen his wife? I don't need to repeat myself again about not reporting what you know, do I?"
The group of people looked at each other and shook their heads, saying they saw her leave her seat but didn't know where she went.
A woman hesitated before raising her hand and said, "I saw her in the restroom and wanted to wait for her to leave together, but she said she had a stomachache and wasn't feeling well, so I left first."
The vice-captain asked which toilet.
The woman raised her hand and pointed outside the hall; the deputy captain looked at the restaurant manager.
The restaurant manager reacted quickly, "There are three in total. There's one behind the screen with plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums facing the main hall, and one in the east or west corner."
Woman, "the one in the middle."
"Go and take a look," the deputy captain gestured for his men to go.
The captain frowned and pointed to one of his trusted confidants to follow.
As everyone's attention was focused on the large screen displaying plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums outside the hall, Lin Jiefang suddenly lowered his eyes and glared sharply at the family members.
Jia Shu collapsed to the ground.
A short while later, the captain and deputy captain returned, escorting a canned food jar. As soon as they brought it in, there was a noticeable lingering smell of dichlorvos.
"It's DDT," the vice-captain and the battalion commander said.
The woman stared at the jar. "Oh my god, this...this...this was brought by his wife. It smelled weird, so I casually asked her about it. She said she was sick and taking Chinese medicine to regulate her body. This...it's actually dichlorvos?!"
The guests who recognized the family members all looked at them differently.
"If she's sick and drank pesticide, why would she say the chicken soup is poisonous?"
"There was indeed poison in her bowl; didn't it poison a rabbit to death?"
"...Ugh! I remember she stirred her own chicken soup with her own spoon, and then stirred the soup in the bowl. Oh my goodness, I thought she was crazy. Why would she spit her saliva into the bowl and stir it? Was she trying to make it undrinkable? I thought it was dirty, so I didn't drink it..."
Some people were relieved, while others said, "Could it be that he has some terminal illness and deliberately drank pesticide to poison himself in order to extort money?"
The captain and deputy captain visited the family members and asked him, "What exactly happened?"
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have tried to take advantage of her and hurt my wife. It's all my fault..."
The family members laughed mockingly, stretching out their hands for the captain to arrest him, saying, "I'm the one who killed my wife."
"Tell me from the beginning, what is the truth?" the captain frowned.
The family members didn't say anything, they just sat on the ground with pale faces, muttering that he was wrong.
Li Banxia stepped forward, looked down at him, and said, "You're wrong. Do you think you can atone for your sins by putting yourself in jail? Since the person who ordered you to do this could take your wife's life, he has plenty of ways to deal with the rest of your family after you take the blame and go to jail. Are you sure you want to sacrifice yourself to protect him?"
The family members suddenly looked up at Li Banxia.
Li Banxia met his gaze and said, "Think about it carefully. Do you really need to drink so much pesticide just to extort money? The other party never intended for your wife to live!"
The family members were stunned, then suddenly began to tremble, repeatedly saying, "Impossible, impossible, we agreed..."
These words further confirmed that he was being instructed by someone behind the scenes.
The captain and deputy captain exchanged a glance and pressed him for an answer.
The family members turned to look at where Lin Jiefang was.
Lin Jiefang had quietly changed locations. The person he looked over at first glance was Su Youfu, who had been pushed there by He Taohua at some point.
Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on him, Su Youfu stood there dumbfounded. After realizing what those gazes meant, he was so frightened that his whole body went limp, his face turned pale, and he was too nervous to speak.
The family wanted to continue searching for the target, but He Taohua suddenly burst into tears, grabbing Su Youfu's arm with disbelief on her face. She questioned him, "Brother Youfu, how could you do this? Even if you resent Li Banxia for divorcing you and embarrassing you, you shouldn't have done something like this at Jiefang's wedding! You ruined Jiefang's wedding, what will his wife and her family think of him?! Jiefang has always respected you like a father, do you want to destroy him?"
Su Youfu's pupils suddenly contracted. He looked down at He Taohua, who was grabbing him and pleading with tears in her eyes. He then glanced at Lin Jiefang, who was looking at him with red eyes and a look of longing not far away. His throat moved, and he opened his mouth a few times before stammering out two words, "It's me."
After saying that, his body went weak and he could barely stand, collapsing awkwardly into a chair.
Li Banxia gave a sarcastic smile, her gaze meeting Lin Jiefang's once again.
Su Laosan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he shouted, "Impossible! Dad, are you crazy? Why are you helping Lin Jiefang against me? I'm your own son!"
Su Youfu completely ignored him.
Lin Jiefang walked over to Su Youfu in a few steps, squatted down, and looked up at him. "Uncle Youfu, how could you be so foolish? How could you hold a grudge just because Aunt Li insisted on divorcing you? Do you know that by using such methods to harm people, you almost ruined Su Fengtiao's future? I trusted you so much, and even wanted you and my mother to go on stage to offer tea to you, and you..."
As she spoke, she choked up.
Su Youfu hung his head and remained silent.
Everyone in the hall felt that Su Youfu had been caught red-handed and had nothing to say.
Li Banxia watched the three of them perform quietly until the captain and vice-captain were about to arrest them.
He then spoke up to remind him, "Su Youfu, aren't you going to tell the truth? Do you really want to go to jail as a murderer?"
Lin He and her son's expressions changed simultaneously.
He Taohua blurted out, "Li Banxia, that's the truth."
"Yeah?"
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