“I went because I received a text message from Zi Xi on that night.” Zhang Shiyong coolly took out his cell phone and handed it over to Ji Bai.
The people outside the interrogation room were stunned: “Text message again?”
It read: “Honey, I have something to tell you, can you come to the villa as soon as possible?” The text message was received at 22:40 on the night of the murder. The sender wasn’t Zi Xi but an unknown number.
“It’s a sim card for us to contact each other.” Zhang Shiyong slowly explained.
Zhao Han stood beside Xu Xu and muttered loudly: “Sure enough there is another number, it’s no wonder he wasn’t there in Zi Xi phone history record.”
In the interrogation room, Zhang Shiyong lifted his eyes: “It was late, I was quite surprised. But there’s a pa.s.sword on our personal sim card and only Zi Xi knows it, so I went.”
“After I gathered all my things, I immediately left the villa. I didn’t want our relationship to be exposed.” Zhang Shiyong said faintly “I placed the jacket on her body. After all, she was my woman.”
Zhang Shiyong was temporarily released but remained under police surveillance.
The reason for his release was because of his driving route that he provided, police found some surveillance videos which proved that he arrived at the villa at 12 o’clock that night. According to the further forensic test results, around this time, Ye Zi Xi should already have been dead.
And, the police didn’t have any other evidence to charge him with, for the murder.
The police team immediately held a brief meeting. Ji Bai cut to the chase: “It’s most likely that the person who sent the message was Qiao Shi.”
Yao Meng said: “Yes, the message was sent around the time Zi Xi was murdered. She can’t possibly have sent the text message.”
Office Wu nodded: “On the night of the incident, the oldest son and the second daughter have alibis. Only Ye Qiao went out.”
Xu Xu a.n.a.lyzed: “n.o.body knew the private sim card’s pa.s.sword. But Ye Qiao is Zhang Shiyong’s wife, there is a probability that she may know.”
Zhao Han hesitated: “She had enough time to commit the crime and had a motive. It seems that Qiao Shi was the most suspicious. But why did she send a message to Zhang Shiyong to lure him to the crime scene? While Zi Xiao received the text message at 22:17? What happened on that night?” He asked, the case was clouded with a layer of mist.
Ji Bai spoke up: “We’ll find out after bringing her here for questioning.”
The light was focused on the woman’s gorgeous but pale face. Stiff body and hands were held together tightly. It was different from her husband’s indifferent att.i.tude, Ye Qiao was obviously nervous.
“Give me a cigarette.” Her voice was a little hoa.r.s.e.
Ji Bai: “There aren’t any.”
Ye Qiao lowered her head in silence and Ji Bai stared at her: “Zhang Shiyong has confessed about the text message.”
Ye Qiao stuttered: “What text message? I don’t understand.”
“Ms. Ye, we have found a street surveillance video of the night of the murder of you going to Lin Shan Mountain at around 10 o’clock and left the area at around 11 o’clock. Before, you gave us a false statement.” Lao Wu said softly: “Whether the person was killed by you or not, frankly it’s beneficial for you to confess the truth.”
Ye Qiao is stubborn beyond everyone’s expectations. Although Ji Bai and Lao Wu were mean and nice, one was giving the stick and the other Lao Wu was giving the carrot, half an hour later, she was still silent.
It was 3 in the morning, Yao Meng had called for food delivery, everyone gathered together in the big conference room to eat. Ji Bai gave the order to just ignore Ye Qiao for a few hours, everyone could take a break, after finished, he went outside alone.
The police station’s large stadium was very peaceful at night, Ji Bai leaned on the corridor walls and took out a cigarette from his pocket. He had just lit the cigarette when he heard the familiar light footsteps sound coming from behind.
Ji Bai turned around to see Xu Xu quietly walking over there. He spoke up: “Just one.”
Xu Xu nodded, walked up to his side. She leaned on the railing silently, deep in thought.
Watching the pet.i.te woman who walked so naturally to his side, Ji Bai’s heavy mood relaxed in just a few seconds. A thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly threw the lighter to Xu Xu: “I’ll keep my word, you keep it for me.”
“Yes.”
Ji Bai requested: “Help me light the cigarette.”
Before, Xu Xu had often lit cigarettes for Xu Jun, was fairly skilled. When the flame ignited he didn’t wait for her to bring it towards him, Ji Bai had the cigarette in his mouth and lowered his head closer to Xu Xu.
In the quiet and dark hallway, Ji Bai’s tall big body was like a tree standing in front of Xu Xu. The orange flame lit up his face making the features hazy and profound. Xu Xu was unconsciously dazed.
She had always rated Ji Bai’s appearance to be above average. In her eyes, his face was no different than the face old officer Wu.
But at the moment, perhaps due the jagged light, or perhaps, because of her blurred mind at midnight, when he lowered his head leaning close to her, she thought his face was more charmingly handsome than ever before.
Ji Bai straightened his body, smoked in and deeply exhaled then he looked at her: “You should go sleep a little.”
Xu Xu who had her head bowed down low, did not say no. She took a deep breath to calm down the fast heartbeat on her chest. She quietly thought: “s.e.x and food*.”
* It’s an old Chinese proverb that means food and s.e.x are part of human nature.
Both of them stood for a moment, Ji Bai put out his cigarette: “Let’s go, we’re going to talk to Ye Qiao.”
The interrogation room was bright and quiet, Ye Qiao wasn’t maintaining her stiff sitting posture any longer, was lying on top of the table, her head was buried inside her arms, the sleeve of one arm was soaked with tears.
Ji Bai was sullen, looking very stern. Because of the cold looking light, his face looked frighteningly harsh. Qiao Shi glanced at him, her heart trembled and she immediately lowered her head.
Xu Xu didn’t have much experience in interrogating suspects, but she could guess that Ye Qiao ’s psychological nature was pretty weak, just trying hardest to fend death. Ji Bai wanted to increase the pressure, to break her psychologically.
And subsequently, Ji Bai’s interrogation techniques are much more formidable beyond Xu Xu’s imagination.
Ji Bai threw down the evidence bag holding Zhang Shiyong’s cell phone on the table, and spoke coldly: Ye Zi Xi and Zhang Shiyong’s contact sim card is locked with a pa.s.sword, and you know it.”
Her face was still expressionless.
Before she could speak, Ji Bai continued: “Zhang Shiyong has a strong character, how would his mistress set the pa.s.sword? Would it be the last few digits of his phone number? His birthday? His favorite set of numbers? Zi Xi’s expression slightly changed at that, Ji Bai nodded: “It seems to be his favorite set of numbers.”
Her face paled, Ji Bai didn’t let go: “What’s your purpose for luring Zhang Shiyong to the crime scene? So he could see the body of his mistress? Or to make him become a suspect?” Looking at Zhang Shiyong, Ji Bai concluded: “Perhaps both.”
Ye Qiao ‘s face was becoming increasingly ugly, her fingers twisted together tightly. Ji Bai stared at her: “You sent the text message on an impulse only to realize that it is a like a hot potato, Isn’t that right? Leave it there? The police would find out that you were there. Take it home? You didn’t dare to. In the end with your wretched mentality, you threw it away. Lin Shan mountain is very big, throw it in a dark corner, the police may never find it.”
Ye Qiao’s eyes were already red, she raised her head to look at Ji Bai: “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”
Ji Bai voice turned colder: “You don’t understand? Of course, you know how to wipe all of your fingerprints on the cell phone. Even if we find it, it proves nothing.”
Ye Qiao remained silent. But who knew that Ji Bai would change the subject: “When you took the phone out of the victim’s hand, did you get blood on you?”
Ye Qiao was stunned and petrified, enclosed her whole body. Ji Bai stared at her pale face and continued: “The deadly wound is in the chest, but it didn’t immediately result in death. By conditioned reflex, Ye Zi Xi must have used her hand over her chest to stop the bleeding. After that, she took out her phone to message for help, the blood must have got on the phone then. When you drove back, did the blood get on the steering wheel? Of course, you must have seen it and wiped it off. But with police identification techniques, we can find the remnants of blood within an hour. Ye Qiao do you want to tell the truth after the result or you want to speak now?”
Qiao Shi’s whole body froze, her eyes had a dark expression, and her face became pale as like a dead person. After being silent for a moment, she covered her face with her hands, tears started to fall down, drop by drop.
Ji Bai did not continue to push her but opened the door to walk out, giving her a little time to think about it.
At this time, Xu Xu had just awoken from Ji Bai’s formidable attack. She quickly got up and followed him, there were many standing outside. It seemed that everyone, since who knows when, had been out there to listen.
Ji Bai and Officer Wu stepped aside to discuss, there was only the sound of sobbing in the room. Everyone else was silent; the atmosphere was a bit depressing. After a while, Zhao Han said: “ Head on cruelly accurate. “
Ten minutes later, Ye Qiao wanted to see Ji Bai.
Once again facing the police, her face was still quite dreadful. But it seems that she had calmed down, her eyes were, like the dead, unswerving.
“ I confess, that person was killed by me.”
“I hired a private detective and found out about her affair with Zhang Shiyong. If it were any other woman, I could endure, but it was my cousin. That day, I went to the villa looking for her. We had an argument and I accidentally killed her. I was in a panic; when I thought of the blade case, I used paper knives to cut her body and then cleaned up the site.
“ At that time, she wasn’t dead. When I wasn’t looking, she sent a message to Zi Xiao. I… then sent a message for Zhang Shiyong, I wanted to pull him into this.
When it was morning, the police team instructed people to go to Ye Qiao ‘s home, office, car for evidence. Just as Ji Bai’s said, using the method such as UV, they found Ye Zi Xi’s blood on the wheel of her car.
Ye Qiao’s confession overturned Ji Bai’s prediction of two killers. A subordinate asked JI Bai, do we have to question Zhang Shiyong since there is a probability that he’s an accomplice. Ji Bai said there was no need for it.
In the afternoon, the secretary-superintendent called Ji Bai to his office, threw to him a pack of a good brand of cigarettes: “Very good, the speed of closing cases is getting faster.”
Although Ji Bai had kept quiet about the case, unlike a few days ago, everyone in the police force was motivated. When Ji Bai came into the office, everyone anxiously looked at him. He glanced around the crowd then solemnly went to his office.
Just as he sat down, he saw Xu Xu walk in. She pulled a chair, sat down, and spoke: “I want to express my opinion, this case hasn’t been broken yet.”
Ji Bai had originally been pondering. Hearing her say this, he glanced up to look at her, his lips turned into a smile, and his heart warmed up.
We have the same mind, if I can’t succeed in pursuing you, then it wouldn’t be rational.