Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 108 Complex
Due to the special nature of poisoning cases, the highly concealed methods used, and the certain lag in investigation, they have always been difficult to investigate.

But this poisoning case was different. Forensic investigators found the poisoned pastries immediately and even located the person who delivered them without much effort.

The seemingly clear case has fallen into a new stalemate due to Xu Caihong's vehement denial.

She admitted that she sent the pastries, but denied that she poisoned them.

Forensic examiners examined her belongings and found no cyanide or residual toxic substances in her bag.

However, her leaving the restaurant midway through does not prove her innocence.

Chen Jin retrieved the restaurant's surveillance footage.

Around 4 p.m., Xu Caihong entered the restaurant with this box of pastries in her hand.

She didn't take the pastries to the kitchen immediately. Instead, she put them in a canvas bag and then placed the bag in the storage cabinet next to the cashier.

Unfortunately, the locker where Xu Caihong put her bag happened to be in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras.

The surveillance footage shows that after putting her bag away, she sat down at the piano and began to play.

After playing a few pieces, about half an hour later, Xu Caihong spoke a few words to a trainee who was passing by with an empty plate, then went to the cashier, took her canvas bag, and headed towards the kitchen.

She took out the pastries from the kitchen doorway, handed them to Ding Gui, then took her canvas bag and returned to the piano, placed the bag on the stool, and continued playing.

After receiving the snacks, Ding Gui placed them directly into the locker.

According to Ding Gui's description, the packaging of this pastry was not sealed, so it was impossible to tell whether it had been opened.

The next thing that happened was that Xu Caihong left the restaurant and Cheng Dafu died of poisoning.

From the moment Xu Caihong entered the restaurant, everything was traceable. However, during the half hour that Xu Caihong played the piano, this box of pastries was out of everyone's sight.

In other words, between 4:00 PM and 4:30 PM, this box of snacks placed in the storage cabinet could indeed have been touched by other people.

If the desserts were poisoned during that period, then everyone in the restaurant at that time would be a suspect.

As things stand, Xu Caihong remains the prime suspect, so we can only take her back to the police station for the time being.

When questioned by the police, Xu Caihong insisted on her version of events.

“I bought some dim sum from Xunji next door and went straight to the restaurant. I’m not sure if anyone else had touched the box of dim sum in between, but I really didn’t poison it.”

Lu Jingming tapped the table lightly and asked, "Someone saw you asking the deceased Cheng Dafu for money. How do you explain the financial transactions between you and the deceased?"

"This...can I not say?" Xu Caihong looked somewhat embarrassed, her eyes flickering as she lowered her head.

“Of course you have the right to keep it a secret, but you are now the prime suspect. If you continue to hide it, the situation will only be detrimental to you,” Wei Qingsong said in a soft and gentle voice, coaxing him patiently. “Don’t worry, we will keep it a secret for you.”

Xu Caihong hesitated, fidgeting nervously with the hem of her clothes for a long time before slowly saying, "I'm not asking him for money, I'm borrowing money from him."

As if afraid they wouldn't believe her, Xu Caihong suddenly raised her head, her tone becoming more firm: "It's true, I have an IOU as proof, in duplicate. I don't have mine with me right now, and Uncle Cheng's should be in his staff dormitory."

"What do you need to borrow money from him for?" Lu Jingming asked casually.

"I..." Xu Caihong bit her lip, as if she had made a huge decision. She closed her eyes and said through gritted teeth, "I'll borrow money from him to have an abortion."

Wei Qingsong looked slightly surprised, and his gaze unconsciously drifted to her flat stomach.

She gathered her thoughts and carefully chose her words: "According to the witness, he saw you asking Cheng Dafu for money last weekend, so you... have already had the surgery?"

"Yes, I did it the day after I borrowed the money." Xu Caihong lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Wei Qingsong pressed his temples in distress and sighed, "As far as I know, the recovery period for this kind of surgery is at least a month, but you come to the restaurant to play the piano almost every day without fail."

"Yes, because I had already told my dad that if I didn't come, it would arouse his suspicion." Xu Caihong looked like she was about to cry, glanced nervously at the closed door, and said in a low voice, "My dad doesn't know about this, officer. You promised to keep it a secret for me."

"Nonsense!" Wei Qingsong couldn't help but scoff. She looked at Xu Caihong with a complicated expression for a long time, then pressed her temples and said in a deep voice, "Tell us the name of the hospital, and we will verify it. We will keep this matter confidential for the time being, but what you said does not rule out your suspicion."

Lu Jingming remained expressionless, his expression cold and aloof: "According to what you've said, Cheng Dafu knows your secret, therefore, you have a motive to kill him to cover it up."

"I didn't!" Xu Caihong, being naive and inexperienced, was provoked and tears welled up in her eyes. She said in a sobbing voice, "I know Uncle Cheng is a good person, he won't tell anyone."

“All my friends are like me, still students and without any spare money. I had no other choice but to ask Uncle Cheng for help.”

Seeing that she was getting more and more upset, Wei Qingsong helplessly handed her a tissue.

"Your store has only been open for half a month, how can you trust him so much?" Lu Jingming questioned.

Xu Caihong took the tissue, wiped her tears and snot, and continued sobbing, "Yes, but my dad and Uncle Cheng have known each other for a long time, they are friends."

"Uncle Cheng is such a kind man, so after thinking for a long time, he's the only person I can ask for help. How could I possibly repay kindness with enmity?" Xu Caihong hiccuped, her eyes red as she looked pitifully at Wei Qingsong. "Sister, could you give me another piece of paper?"

Wei Qingsong, in a very good mood, handed her the whole pack of tissues.

Xu Caihong wiped her face haphazardly and then looked at Lu Jingming: "Officer, I really didn't poison anyone. You can ask them and you'll know. I gave the snacks to the kitchen so everyone could eat them together. If I wanted to harm Uncle Cheng because of this, I wouldn't have implicated innocent people."

What she said really hit the nail on the head.

According to Ding Gui and Wang Yong, Xu Caihong often brought snacks and milk tea to everyone. However, she couldn't predict the future and couldn't foresee who would be the first to eat the snacks.

If she wanted to murder Cheng Dafu, she wouldn't have used such a brainless method.

This poisoning case seems to be much more complicated than imagined.

Lu Jingming raised his eyes and gave Xu Caihong a cool glance, his lips slightly darkening.

Wei Qingsong seemed to notice something and asked in a slightly strange voice, "What's with that expression? What they said makes sense."

Lu Jingming hesitated, then lowered his eyes without saying a word, his expression seemingly tinged with grievance.

Wei Qingsong was very surprised.

She doesn't understand.

What's wrong with this unpredictable young man again?
Did something happen that she doesn't know about?

Thank you Feng for the monthly pass.

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(End of this chapter)