Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Zhao Yu came out from the interrogation room, he saw that the dispatch meeting had yet to be dismissed. Having some time on his hands, he went to the Key Case Investigation Unit for coffee, while he reorganized his thoughts.
It seemed that the entire Apartment Murderer Case had now been clarified. Feng Kuo’s brother, Xiao Zhen, was the biggest suspect. In terms of motives, process, and blood stains, they were all tallied. Now, it was the final step. If he could flip Xiao Zhen’s alibi, he could then apply for an arrest warrant!
But, regarding testimony, Zhao Yu couldn’t go around another person, Xiao Guofeng! Because of his testimony, Xiao Zhen had escaped the suspicions of the police authority. From what he saw then, Xiao Guofeng most likely had committed perjury! Although they had gone to Lingyun to send goods, Xiao Zhen might not have actually gone with them.
It could be said that Xiao Guofeng should know such a thing about his own son! If he were to get the truth from him, then everything might end! But, Xiao Zhen was his son after all, and it also involved his reputation and Feng Lin’s feelings. Hence, Zhao Yu could conclude that Xiao Guofeng would definitely not say anything, even if he were to beat Xiao Guofeng to death!
But, it’s alright. Corroborating Xiao Guofeng’s testimony back then, was another person. That person was a staff member from his wood manufacturing factory. If Xiao Guofeng had bribed him, he naturally would follow any of Xiao Guofeng’s instructions.
While Zhao Yu was still pondering, Xiao Zhang and the police detectives from the Ruyang Key Case Investigation Unit came in, their meeting having finally ended. Before they were even through the door, he could hear their complaints.
“This Wang Shengyao is ridiculous! He relied on his position as the leader of the municipal criminal investigation in order to speak like that. He’s such a bully!”
“Exactly,” the other person replied. “The crime case took place less than twenty four hours ago. So, isn’t this a little early for him to say such things? Isn’t it basically him calling us useless?!”
“Making such irresponsible and sarcastic remarks, especially while we are putting in all our efforts… I mean, they were only standing around and watching by the side. I don’t understand why the higher ups sent these bastards over! And, when he spoke, his nose was pointed upwards to the sky, too. I just want to beat them up when I see them!”
“Alright, alright. Stop that!” Captain Xiao Zhang stopped them. “If we could solve the case, it would be the best counterattack! It is useless just to speak angrily!”
Zhao Yu finally understood that Xiao Zhang was also called Zhang Zichun. Even though he was called Xiao Zhang, he was the same age as him, only a few months younger.
“Hey? Police Officer Zhao? You’re out?” When Xiao Zhang saw Zhao Yu, his eyes glistened with joy. He pointed to outside the door and said, “Come on, come over here, so we can discuss something!”
Then, Jinmei quickly got up from the working desk and led the way. She brought Xiao Zhang and Zhao Yu to an empty office.
“How is it, Zhao… Mm… Brother-in-law?” Xiao Zhang was quick-minded, and he changed his tone very quickly.
“Mm… About mine? It’s about done!” Zhao Yu took another sip of his coffee and nodded.
“Then… That’s great… Look… About ours…” Xiao Zhang was afraid that Zhao Yu would go back on his word, so he spoke with extreme care.
“Don’t worry. I, Zhao Yu, am not one that would go back on his word,” Zhao Yu said solemnly. “I am going to tell you how now, but… I need to remind you about something. I am going to give you a wicked idea. Just don’t sell me out on it!”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” Xiao Zhang nodded in agreement.
“Sigh!” Zhao Yu sighed and said, “I just went through the information. The situation of the murderer, Le Chao’s family… Tsk tsk… His eldest son is in university, and the second son has been diagnosed with a rare disease, Retinoblastoma. It is a kind of eye cancer. It could be life threatening, should it becomes more serious!”
“Mm…” Hearing what Zhao Yu said, Xiao Zhang’s heart thumped. He could see something bad was coming.
“I’ve asked my colleague about it. Apparently, with this disease, he will have to change his lenses at a specialized hospital every year. The yearly expense would be at least ten thousand!”
He continued to explain. “Le Chao’s wife is a laid-off worker, who earns a living at the tailor shop. Le Chao was dismissed from the police team and was diagnosed with a terminal illness. So, this family… Sigh…”
“Because of their hardships, they caught the attention of the bad guys!” Having connected the dots, Jinmei suddenly cut in and said, “So, the mastermind behind this is the worst person ever! We have to catch him! No matter if it was Ai Lili or anyone else, we can’t just let them go free!”
“Zhao… Brother-in-law…” Xiao Zhang said, dripping with sweat, “You… You wouldn’t be thinking about making a scene by using Le Chao’s son, right? This…”
“Maybe.” Zhao Yu raised his eyebrows. “But, it might even be worse than that!”
“Don’t! How can we do anything illegal? We are policemen!” Xiao Zhang’s courage failed him.
“Captain Zhang, let’s at least listen to what Police Officer Zhao has to say!” Then, Su Jinmei who was always timid, suddenly became the calmer one, starting to comfort Xiao Zhang.
“Phew!” Zhao Yu let out a long sigh, then said, “Actually, it’s like this! There are multiple kinds of contract killing. Le Chao is not related to anyone in the case, and this kind of contract killing is called off-hands good. In other words, the hired killer had no entanglement with the person killed.”
“Mm… About this, although I have not experienced it personally, I have heard about it. Regarding the hiring of off-hands goods, it’s an art. However, Le Chao’s situation is a little different, so the rules can’t be fully applied to it! Hence, there’s a loophole that we can take advantage of!”
Xiao Zhang and Jinmei exchanging glances, and their faces were obviously stunned. Zhao Yu then said, “Alright, I will make this easier to understand! We will take the viewpoint of Le Chao. Look, Le Chao was diagnosed with a terminal illness, causing his family to be in a predicament. So, someone found him and offered him a big amount of money to kill someone!”
“In order to save his sick child, and to let his family live comfortably, Le Chao accepted the offer and decided to kill the two sisters, according to the other party’s request.”
“But, there is a problem here. How did the person pay the fee?”
“Fee? The killing fees?” Jinmei asked.
“Correct. On a normal basis, there should be a deposit. Then, after the mission has been completed, the remaining fees would be transferred!” Zhao Yu explained. “I’m guessing that their agreement was as such. Le Chao killed the person, and after he killed them, he wanted to be arrested. Then, he would reveal that Ai Lili was the mastermind personally! It would be perfectly executed then! The other party would then definitely pay the full fees, as Le Chao was still alive, so he would be able to change his testimony, if the person didn’t pay the full amount!”
“Oh… But, Le Chao is already dead.” Jinmei creased her eyebrows.
“Exactly! So, because Le Chao died, I have such a wicked idea!” Zhao Yu said. “I chased after Le Chao, and no matter if he was crossing the road or jumping off the cliff, I am guessing that Le Chao might have been prepared to die!”
“Don’t forget that Le Chao was a policeman before. If he were to do such dangerous things, he knew that he might not survive them. Then… How could he not leave any room for maneuvering?”
“I… Don’t understand! If he is dead, why would he leave any room for maneuvering?” Jinmei was getting more confused.
“No way! If he were to die,” Xiao Zhang explained, “What if the other party breached the contract, deciding not to pay the full amount?”
“Bingo!” Zhao Yu nodded and said, “So, Le Chao would definitely leave some important evidence. If, after he died, the other party was not willing to pay the rest of the money, he would then reveal the secret to the public!”
“But… Le Chao is dead, so how is he going to reveal this to the public?” Jinmei was still confused. But, after she asked this, she suddenly thought of a point. “His wife?! Le Chao left the evidence in his last words to his wife! But… Isn’t it too late? If the other party were to make the payment, the evidence would be destroyed, no?”
“Not necessarily. After finding out that the Falling Off Building Case was a contract killing, the police had already seized control of Le Chao’s wife. Otherwise, how could they find out about the two million in her account?” Xiao Zhang said. “I think, Le Chao’s death was an accident, since it was very sudden. The other party probably wasn’t ready for that! Maybe, they were waiting until Ai Lili was charged, then they would be willing to pay the full amount, right?”
Oh… True that! I heard that Le Chao’s wife has already been sent to Qinshan for investigation,” Sui Jinmei’s eyes were wide open when she spoke. “But… Why would Le Chao’s wife split the truth? She didn’t commit any crime. If she could hold back, she would be able to get a huge amount of money! If she couldn’t, wouldn’t Le Chao be dead for nothing?”
“This is exactly why I said it was a wicked idea!” Zhao Yu shook his head and said, “As it is such an inhuman method, I’ll leave it to you!
