The Brain Science Case 39

Chapter 39: The Body That Vanished in a Bloody Foam – 5

“I see. The timing fits, and there’s a motive.” Fang Zijun made a decisive decision. “Then let’s go talk to her. Ah Mu, call the club owner and ask for this hostess’s information, and also find out if this guy is her boyfriend or just a regular client.”

At his command, Chen Huomu immediately took action. “I’ll go right now.”

Jinglin looked directly at Fang Zijun. “Chief, this Tina, please let me interrogate her personally.”

“Oh?”

“She spoke very ill of the victim in front of me yesterday. I think they must have had a lot of contact… maybe we can even find out about the victim’s social circle at the same time.”

“That’s true. You already met her once yesterday.” He smiled and patted her shoulder. “Okay, you go.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah, brilliant. You found the suspicious points right away.” He smiled with unconcealed pride. “By the way, after you saw the autopsy report, Teacher… huh, Teacher?”

Jinglin looked around and saw Tang Yingli quietly approaching, her glasses almost touching the screen. “Teacher, what’s wrong?”

She was staring at a certain point on the screen. “Do you have the full video?”

“Yes… on my computer.”

“Give me a copy. I feel like I’ve missed something…”

She paused, frowning as she asked, “Is my deduction wrong?”

“No, it’s logical and reasonable. And for someone who had a falling out with the deceased to check in at the time of the crime, it’s hard not to be suspicious.”

“In that case…”

“But,” Tang Yingli stared at the screenshot of the man leaving alone, her index finger tapping the desk, “I’ll say this first… the following is just my intuition.”

“Hm?”

“This guy is very flashy, and his attitude is a bit frivolous. From his behavior when he checked in and when he left, I don’t think he’s the killer.” Tang Yingli pointed to the man’s pant leg. “He’s not that meticulous.”

Jinglin’s eyes widened, and she saw that one of his pant legs was tucked into his shoe.

“Maybe he was in a panic after committing the crime. He must have been naked when he did it, so he wouldn’t get any blood on him. After the crime, he rushed to leave the scene, so…”

Tang Yingli shook her head slightly. “Do you remember, Officer Zhou? The culprit didn’t leave a single trace.”

“Of course I know that,” Jinglin answered, raising her voice. “But don’t you forget, you deduced the culprit’s build and height, and he’s the only one who fits the criteria so far.” She glared at Tang Yingli. “What if they really did it? We have to interrogate them.”

Tang Yingli stared at Jinglin for a few seconds. The confrontational posture was familiar. In the end, it was she who backed down.

“Alright, then interrogate them.” She took off her glasses with a sigh.

“Your ability is unquestionable, Teacher, but everyone makes mistakes.” She said to Tang Yingli in a low voice, “They are definitely involved. Let me prove it to you.”

Chen Huomu quickly returned, shouting, “I got it.”

“Senior, let me go.” Before leaving, she turned back. “I’m going out. The file is on my computer desktop. You can open it if you want.” She took the keys to a service vehicle and quickly ran to the station entrance.

Tang Yingli, who had put her glasses back on, was indifferent to Jinglin’s actions, just crossing her arms and continuing to stare at the screen.

“Teacher, you and Jinglin…” The atmosphere was a little awkward, and even Fang Zijun couldn’t help but be cautious.

“Let me see these two surveillance videos first.” She looked up with a small smile. “I’ll organize my thoughts and then report my deductions to you, Chief Fang.”

“Uh, okay, okay. Thank you, Teacher…”

**

Tina’s real name was Feng Peizhen. She had originally been a student at a private university, but had later dropped out to focus on her work as a hostess. Her residence was very close to Cui Jiajia’s, so it would have been easy for her to keep track of the victim’s movements, which further increased the possibility of her involvement.

“It’s not convenient for people to come into my house. Let’s talk at a coffee shop.” After learning that Zhou Jinglin was a detective, Feng Peizhen’s arrogant attitude from yesterday had changed. Leaving her house, she was dressed plainly, with only her hair color and eyebrow and nose rings still drawing attention.

They chose an outdoor table, and Feng Peizhen started to light a cigarette before she even sat down. “Well… the owner just called me and told me to cooperate… what’s going on?”

It seemed the owner, Xu, had not yet announced Cui Jiajia’s death. Jinglin opened a photo and showed it to her. “Are you and Miss Cui close?”

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday?” She rolled her eyes. “Whoever is close to her is unlucky. She looks so innocent, but she’s a backstabbing bitch. I must have been blind…” She cursed a long string of profanities and took a harsh drag from her cigarette.

“So you insist you’re not close to her?” Jinglin sneered. “But I asked the owner, Xu. You two were very close at first. You introduced her to the job, and not only that, you even helped her find a place to live. The other hostesses have all confirmed this.”

“That’s why I said I was blind.” She suddenly exploded, slamming the table and standing up. “That bitch! Not only did she steal my clients, but she also stabbed me in the back and talked bad about me… I’ve always been the rebellious type. If she wants to be innocent, if she wants to give blowjobs and handjobs, that’s her business. But in the end, it made me look like I’m not willing to play the game…”

“What was your relationship with her before? Can you explain?”

At Jinglin’s questioning, she finally confessed that they had met in high school.

They were two years apart and had only been acquaintances in high school, but they had reconnected by chance after graduation and had become close again. Knowing that Cui Jiajia was supporting herself, she had introduced her to the job of a hostess.

As if she were getting more and more frustrated, she unconsciously started to play with a small knife. “Finding her a place to live and all that was just a small favor. I really wanted to help her. I didn’t know she would do all this behind my back…”

Jinglin frowned. “That knife, is it yours?”

“Yes, my boyfriend gave it to me. Society is so chaotic these days.”

The sharp-pointed knife was serrated, about the length of her palm. It looked fragile, but it could still kill a person.

“Then do you know any of her other friends? Or was she particularly close to any of the clients at the club…”

“Didn’t you get her client list? As for friends… I really don’t know who would be willing to be friends with that bitch.” Feng Peizhen’s smile was gloating, and she tapped the table with the knife. “Hey, what happened to her? I asked the owner why the police were looking for her, but he wouldn’t say. She always seemed to be short on money… did she steal something? Or was she being kept by someone?”

“Neither.” Jinglin shook her head. “Miss Cui was murdered.”

“Murdered?” As if things had suddenly gotten out of control, her eyes widened. “W-What do you mean?”

“She passed away.” Staring at Feng Peizhen, Jinglin didn’t miss any of the subtle reactions on her face. “Yesterday afternoon, she was murdered in a motel.”

The cigarette at her fingertips fell on the table, scattering a trail of sparks. “Ha, ha… you’re joking, right?”

“It’s true. At the Qimei Motel.”

Her hand, which was holding the knife, began to tremble. “Qimei? Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, the same place you and your male companion checked into yesterday.” Jinglin suddenly moved closer and questioned her face to face, “Miss Feng, why was Miss Cui murdered after you and she checked into the same motel yesterday? Do you know the reason?”

“H-How should I know? She was always hooking up with clients. If she ran into a bad one, it’s possible he got angry and killed her.” She suddenly stopped, finally understanding why Jinglin had come to question her. “I didn’t kill anyone! I hate her, yes, but, but I would never kill…”

“The fatal wound on Miss Cui’s body seems to match your knife. And according to the surveillance cameras, you and your male companion checked in together, but you didn’t leave together. Did you know that the time your male companion left coincides with Miss Cui’s estimated time of death?”

Feng Peizhen became even more flustered. She left her seat, looking like she could fall at any moment. “Time of death? I don’t know, I don’t know when she died. My boyfriend left early because he works at a gas station. We didn’t kill anyone.”

Jinglin pulled her jacket tighter and stood up. “Whether you did or not, we’ll find out at the station.” Her panicked expression, if it was an act, was far too realistic.

She shouted excitedly, “N-No! Her death has nothing to do with me. I don’t know anything.”

Jinglin forcefully handcuffed Feng Peizhen, but her phone rang at the worst possible time.

She frowned and pressed her earpiece to answer. “Hello?”

‘Is this Officer Zhou?’

The calm voice was like a needle, piercing straight into her ear.

“Teacher! I just caught someone… what’s wrong?”

‘I’ve checked the surveillance footage.’ Her pause made Jinglin’s heart skip a beat. ‘The killer is someone else.’

Jinglin was stunned and glanced at the trembling Feng Peizhen, who was in handcuffs.

‘They’re innocent. Come back first. I’ll explain in detail.’