Chapter 105: The Psychologist – 12
“I… I did throw it.”
After the detective showed him the surveillance footage, the neighbor finally admitted to throwing the flammable object. “But it was her fault. She won, and she still insulted me. And that parrot of hers is so annoying… anyone who’s played mahjong with her knows.”
“So you snuck in and killed the bird, and then you threw the Molotov cocktail?”
“N-No, I didn’t kill the bird. And… I was just trying to scare her. I didn’t know it would burn so badly…”
“Alright.” Fang Zijun finally intervened. “In any case, you threw it and there’s evidence, so it’s a crime. Take him back.” As for the severity of the punishment, that would be decided later.
“No, officer, you can’t take me.”
Ignoring his wife’s pleas, Chen Huomu and the other detectives enforced the law. Fang Zijun directed the team to pack up and said to the defeated Chen Huomu, “Are you satisfied now?”
“Chief, I…”
He waved his hand. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I want to use this example to tell you—you have to listen to the teacher.”
Just as he was about to escort the person back to the station, Fang Zijun’s phone suddenly rang. “Hello, Teacher. I’m done here…”
The other end of the line was in chaos, with the sound of hurried footsteps and shouts. ‘Chief Fang, something big has happened.’
“What’s wrong?”
‘Officer Jian reported that Zeng Chonghao has escaped on his motorcycle, but I just received another report from the Shilin precinct that another house is on fire.’
Fang Zijun’s heart suddenly tightened. “Where?”
‘The reported location is on the same alley as Tao Youchun’s house… I have reason to suspect that the fire is at his house, and that it was set by Zeng Chonghao.’ There are not so many coincidences in the world.
“At this time… damn it. Could Ah Qian be there?”
Tang Yingli gasped in surprise. ‘In any case… Officer Lu and I are on our way now, and the fire department has also been dispatched. If you can, please notify the precinct to set up a checkpoint as soon as possible.’ She also reported Zeng Chonghao’s motorcycle model and license plate number.
“Roger that. I’ll make the arrangements. We’ll meet at the scene later.”
“Chief, what’s wrong?”
“That kid Zeng Chonghao has set another fire.” He frowned and hung up. “Tsk… we’ll split up. You take the person back to the station, and I’ll go and meet the teacher.”
“Got it.”
**
The main door of Tao Youchun’s house and Tao Chengfei’s car had both been doused in oil and set on fire. The back door had been set on fire by throwing bricks and flammable materials into the house. The fire had spread very quickly, and almost as soon as the arson was discovered, the first floor was engulfed in flames.
Before they reached the roof, Tao Qianya asked urgently, “Is there an extension on the third-floor roof?”
“Yes, the whole thing is a tin-roofed house.”
“Then that’s not good. The fire will come up very quickly.” And on the second floor and above, Tao Youchun had installed anti-theft bars on almost every window.
Tao Chengfei’s face changed. “Then… what should we do?”
“Go down.” He had a flash of inspiration. “To the study.”
When they returned to the second floor, they could already see a faint smoke. Tao Qianya casually grabbed two wet towels and pulled Tao Chengfei into the study.
“What are you doing?”
“To block the smoke.” He stuffed the towels into the door crack. “Good thing this door is very sturdy… we’ll wait for rescue here.”
“Isn’t it usually that you run up to the roof when there’s a fire…”
“That’s wrong.” Where did you learn your fire safety education? “When you encounter a fire, it’s safer to hide in a room with a sturdy door than to jump out of a building or a window, and you should never hide in the bathroom.” A plastic door can’t block fire and smoke.
Tao Chengfei nodded blankly and then received a message from his mother and brother. “They’re outside. They’ve already called the fire department.”
“That’s good.”
Running his hands through his hair, Tao Qianya looked around the study, which was used as an office. Not long after, the lights in the room quickly went out.
“This… is it really okay?”
“Don’t worry.” The two of them turned on their phone flashlights, and Tao Qianya couldn’t help but chuckle. “You forgot? He never let us in here, whether it was his collection of watches, foreign wine, or passbooks…” he looked at the desk, “the things that could be seen and the things that couldn’t be seen were all locked in here, just like a fortress.”
He gave a dry laugh. “Yes, it is like a fortress…” Tao Qianya’s phone rang, and he automatically fell silent.
“Yes, Teacher… I’m at my uncle’s house. Yes… it’s fine for now. I think I hear the fire department… see you later.”
“A woman?”
“Yes, the one who pushed you away. She’s a super detective in our division.”
Tao Chengfei still remembered it vividly. “Oh, that tall, pretty girl. She’s so impressive…”
He chuckled. “A pretty girl who’s older than you.”
“Really?” he widened his eyes, but unfortunately, Tao Qianya didn’t see. “I thought she was your girlfriend for a moment.”
“I wish I could have a girlfriend as talented as her.”
With nothing to do while waiting for rescue, the two of them sat on the floor, and the conversation started.
“You… you’re not married yet?”
“No, unlike you and Guofeng, who are so popular with women.”
“I remember you didn’t have a girlfriend when you were studying, right?”
Tao Qianya was silent. In his school days, he had been so busy with his tuition and living expenses that he had had no extra money for a relationship.
“Renting a place on your own, the financial burden must not be small.”
“It’s okay.”
“What you said just now, it made me very sad.” Tao Chengfei covered his mouth. “But I also think you’re right. You’re right… I didn’t know Dad had done such an outrageous thing… just a thief… not worthy of the name ‘family’.”
“Are you reviewing yourself now?”
“Qianya… are you lonely, living alone?”
Tao Qianya was silent, and he could vaguely hear the firefighters shouting “pull the water line” in the distance. After a moment, he looked at Tao Chengfei and said, “Although I’ve never had a partner or a family, I have a great group of work partners.”
His tone was filled with pride.
“Not just the teacher.” The images of the people in the Criminal Investigation Division flashed through his mind. “There’s also a chief who is very considerate of his subordinates, a very small but energetic female detective, a hot-tempered but generous deputy chief, a male police officer who is very afraid of seeing a corpse but is very meticulous… it’s them who make that work environment, which is always digging into the dark side of human nature and is full of blood and violence, warm.” He flipped through his phone, deliberately not letting the light shine on himself. “It’s like a home.”
Tao Chengfei let out an “Mm” of either envy or admiration.
“So… I don’t feel lonely.”
“I see.”
The sound of breaking windows seemed to be getting closer. Tao Qianya’s phone receiver emitted a shout. ‘Dr. Tao.’
It’s Tang Yingli again. This time there was no ringing… “Teacher?”
‘Where are you?’
“We’re in the study… right after you come up the stairs on the second floor and turn right at the end.” He paused for a second and added, “Right across from the bathroom.”
She quickly provided the information to the firefighters. ‘The fire at the main door has weakened a little. They’re going to try to go in. Hold on a little longer.’
He finally smiled. “Understood.”
“Is rescue here?”
“Yes, it’s coming soon.” he was very confident.
**
Although each house in the community was a detached building and was not completely connected, perhaps to obstruct the rescue and to confuse the situation, several nearby houses were also affected by the fire.
Ending the call, Tang Yingli widened her eyes and searched among the onlookers. As far as the eye could see, every pair of eyes was anxiously watching the firefighters fight the fire. There was more than one fire truck on standby, and since it was after work, the residents’ cars were blocking the scene.
The scene was so chaotic, and watching the police and fire personnel run around… he must have been very proud.
Because he had never gotten any attention, his relationship with his family was weak, and he had no friends, so he desperately craved control and took pleasure in it.
In that case, he must be here, whether he was mixed in with the crowd or had found a good vantage point…
He must be watching.
She quickly scanned every face and turned on her earpiece. “Everyone, pay attention to whether Zeng Chonghao is mixed in with the onlookers.”
The detectives involved in the operation responded one after another, and a moment later—‘Teacher, that…’ it was Cai Yuwei’s voice, ‘I see someone all bundled up over here. And, uh…’
“Is he masturbating?”
‘Um, I think so…’
“Go and check him out.” She threw her scarf behind her. “Where is he?”
‘He’s at the alley entrance, behind the third fire truck… he’s running.’
“Stop him.”
She found the location of the fire truck from a distance, but it took a lot of time to get through the crowd. With her height and long arms, she finally got out, and a black shadow flashed in the corner of her eye.
“Is that person wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans?”
‘Yes, yes, that’s him.’
She sighed softly. “He ran into the fire escape across the street.”
Her high heels clicked on the concrete road. She gritted her teeth and chased after him, and at the same time, Xiangrong’s voice came through her earpiece. ‘Teacher, I’m in the alley across the street.’
“Find his car first.” As long as they could stop him from escaping on his motorcycle, he wouldn’t be able to get far no matter how he ran.
‘Teacher, I’m behind you.’ Cai Yuwei shouted with a hint of defeat.
She switched channels. “Officer Jian, where are you?”
‘We’re at the community entrance.’
“Send a team in to chase him. The target is about 170 centimeters tall,” she took a deep breath, “a man in a black hoodie and blue jeans, running in the direction of Third Street.”
‘Roger that.’
‘I found his motorcycle.’ Xiangrong shouted, and Zeng Chonghao quickly turned right after he came out of the fire escape.
“He’s out. Stay there.”
She ran out of the fire escape and saw Xiangrong and Zeng Chonghao’s blue motorcycle in the distance. He realized he was surrounded, took two steps back, and turned to meet her gaze.
“You… how did you…”
“You’re under arrest, Zeng Chonghao.” She was still out of breath, but she still stepped forward with determination. “I’ve already figured out your M.O. Tao Youchun… was also killed by you and then burned along with the house, am I right?”
“So you’re with the police. You woman…” he gritted his teeth and took out a self-defense aluminum bat from the large pocket of his hoodie.
She stood still, her arms crossed. “I advise you to surrender…”
He interrupted, “Go to hell.”
Facing the oncoming aluminum bat, Tang Yingli nimbly dodged, grabbed his right wrist with both hands, and with a powerful sweep of her right leg, Zeng Chonghao only knew a dizzying spin, and in the next second, he was pinned to the ground.
“Ugh.” His arm was completely twisted, and he cried out in pain, and the aluminum bat fell to the ground.
Xiangrong quickly took over and subdued Zeng Chonghao. When Cai Yuwei approached, he was still holding his service pistol. “Teacher, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands. “By the way, Officer Cai is actually slower than me?”
“I was just blocked by a firefighter…” he gave a dry laugh.
Meanwhile, the service vehicle driven by Jian Minggui also arrived, and they took the handcuffed Zeng Chonghao back to the station for interrogation.
“I’ll go back with them. Let Chief Fang know.” Counting the time, he should be arriving soon.
“Okay, we’ll let him know.”
“Also, on my behalf, tell Dr. Tao,” she pushed up her glasses, “I don’t like the term ‘pretty girl.’ At least call me ‘sister.’”
“Huh?”
Xiangrong’s mouth was wide open in suspicion, but she didn’t explain further, just gave a mysterious smile and left with Jian Minggui and the precinct police.
“What did the teacher mean by that just now?”
“I don’t know… hey, don’t touch me. You just grabbed Zeng Chonghao…”
Xiangrong was stunned for a moment before he understood, and he also wiped his hands on his pants.
**
After being arrested, Zeng Chonghao, although he denied the crime and claimed that the fire at his old house was an accident caused by a faulty electric heater, Fang Zijun later found key evidence in his house, which caused his lies to instantly collapse.
“This fountain pen, you must be familiar with it.” Tang Yingli held the tip of the pen to his face, and his face turned ashen. “After a careful analysis, we found a sample of Tao Youchun’s blood on it.” This proved that this pen was the weapon used in the second attack on Tao Youchun in the empty house.
And because the tip of the pen had been stabbed hard into a human body, it was severely clogged with ink and could no longer be used for writing. This was also the reason why he had suddenly put it away and had used a regular ballpoint pen instead.
“I burned it.” He finally confessed to the arson and said that the first fire that had killed the old couple in the apartment was to give Tao Youchun a warning, so he had given him a warning beforehand and had set the fire as promised. “He was really scared. He rushed to say he wanted to meet me, ha.”
“So you used the opportunity of his appointment to attack him from behind and kill him?”
“You’re only wrong about one thing.” Zeng Chonghao’s face was filled with pride, but in the next second, it was replaced by an angry expression. “He was the one who acted first. He was the one who owed me money. If he had just honestly paid me back, I wouldn’t have bothered to kill him… and you wouldn’t have caught that kind of evidence.”
It turned out that Tao Youchun had pretended to meet him to pay him back, but had actually taken an iron rod and had prepared to attack him in the empty house. But to his surprise, Zeng Chonghao had seen through him, and in his rage, he had knocked Tao Youchun out. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he had taken him to the empty house to set a fire and burn the body, but at the last minute, he had encountered Tao Youchun’s dying struggle.
“Do you understand? You think he’s some good thing? A good supervisor? Don’t be fooled by his appearance. He was a gambling addict and a sinister person. If I hadn’t fought back, the one who would be dead in that empty house now would be me.”
As for his description of his relationship with Xin Sumei and her son, it almost completely matched Tang Yingli’s profile. After he had confessed to his crimes, the police had also found all of Tao Youchun’s watches in his car, and he had also admitted to six other arson cases, the earliest of which could be traced back to five years ago.
This case was prosecuted with three counts of murder and multiple counts of public endangerment.
**
After the interrogation, Tang Yingli ran into Tao Qianya, who was waiting outside.
“Teacher, how did it go?”
“Yes, he confessed. Especially in the case of his mother’s murder, both the cause and the method were the same as my prediction.” She smiled and pushed up her glasses. “As expected, the brain doesn’t lie.”
“Oh, oh, he said it.” He pointed at her cooperatively. “Then… how did he attack my uncle?”
“Oh, that’s a little different from my estimation…” she had originally wanted to hide the fact that Tao Youchun had premeditated the murder, but Tao Qianya had quickly seen through her.
“It was actually him who owed Zeng Chonghao money, right?”
Her eyes widened, and she was at a loss for words for a rare moment. “Today, when I went to help pack things up, I finally found the autopsy report I had identified back then in the study…” Tao Qianya told Tang Yingli how Tao Youchun had plotted to get his parents’ property.
“Although he was the one who was killed in the end, he brought this on himself.”
“Dr. Tao…”
“I’m fine.” He laughed it off. “You don’t have to worry about my feelings, Teacher. My cousin apologized to me when the fire happened, and he said they were also kept in the dark. I can only say that ‘family’ is not always for you… in comparison, the Criminal Investigation Division is more like a big family.”
She coughed twice. “I heard your confession, you know.”
“Huh?”
“You still don’t get it? The call was never cut off.”
“Ah, ah.” He covered his mouth in embarrassment. “No wonder Officer Cai said that meaningless thing to me…”
“Now you know the importance of hanging up after a network call, right?” she winked and looked at the clock, “oh, it’s almost five. It’s Saturday today…”
“Yes, it is.” Seeing Tang Yingli immediately pack up her backpack, Tao Qianya couldn’t help but be curious. “Teacher… do you have something important to do?”
“Officer Zhou is being discharged today. We have a date tonight.” She quickly put on her scarf. “I’m going now. We’ll be in touch by message if there’s anything.”
“Okay.” He waved, and with everyone else, he watched her leave. “Take care, Teacher.”
