Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 160 The Hand of God 13
Several neighbors implied that it was retribution, a curse from Liu Sulan.

However, the curse went astray, burning the only innocent person in the Li family.

Zheng Yan went to the nearby police station to learn about the incident involving Liu Sulan and her daughter fifteen years ago. Indeed, no evidence of arson was found at the time, and no one was home at the time, so there was no possibility that someone had locked the door and caused the two to die tragically. Therefore, it was ultimately determined to be an accident, and the gas company even paid compensation.

But now a fire and a murder have occurred just like the one fifteen years ago. This time, it is definitely not an accident.

They returned to the crime scene and found Li Shixun again.

“We heard a lot of information during our visits, but Mr. Li didn’t seem to be clear about the fire the deceased witnessed fifteen years ago. If you don’t explain clearly, it will be very difficult for us to find the murderer,” Zheng Yan said expressionlessly.

Li Shixun seemed unsurprised, and said with a helpless expression, "I know what people are saying behind my back, but what happened between Sulan and Xiaoning was really an accident. No one was home at the time..."

"No one was home when your brother died."

Li Shixun paused, "But the cause of the accident was an explosion caused by a natural gas leak. The police checked and found no signs of tampering with the natural gas pipeline or the gas stove. Moreover, the kitchen window was open, and the kitchen door was a sliding door that was locked with a latch inside. To lock it from the inside, someone would have to be inside the kitchen to attach the latch. At the time, all of us had very real alibis. Xiao Xin was also shocked by the explosion and ran back from next door to see the fire."

"We heard that the little girl locked the door from the inside, but we heard a very interesting explanation for why she would lock the door from the inside."

“I know what you’re trying to say. It couldn’t have been my parents who instigated it!” Li Shixun frowned and said coldly. “After Su Lan’s accident, my former father-in-law and mother-in-law cried in the neighborhood, saying that my parents abused their daughter-in-law and granddaughter. But I can prove that it’s absolutely not true. My parents took care of Xiao Ning for half of the time when she was four years old.”

Tan Jia scoffed. His proof was the most unreliable proof.

However, this interrogation did indeed implicate several likely suspects—Liu Sulan's parents and younger brother.

It is said that the Liu family also suspected that their daughter's death was not an accident, but they could not find any evidence. So they could only harass the Li family from time to time. When Li Shixun remarried, they went to the scene and sabotaged the marriage, almost preventing him from getting married. The relationship between the two families deteriorated even further after that.

It's understandable that the Liu family wanted to take revenge in the same way.

They immediately tried to contact the Liu family to investigate, but the family arrived first.

Liu Sulan's parents, both in their sixties, stood at the door supporting each other. When they saw Old Li's miserable state of weeping and wailing, they couldn't help but shout, "Retribution!"

"It's all retribution! You old bastard, it's Su Lan and Xiao Ning who's come back to take your life! We just haven't gotten our hands on you yet, but don't worry, you're next!"

Old Man Li's eyes flashed with malice as he was cursed, and he pointed at them with trembling hands: "Was it you? Was it you who killed my Xiao Xin! You murderers and arsonists deserve to die a horrible death!"

"Then you should have died a horrible death fifteen years ago! Hasn't Xiao Ning been pestering you all these years, begging Grandpa to go down and join her? You wretched old man who deserves to die a horrible death! In order for your son to openly find someone else to have a grandson, you would even kill your own granddaughter. You deserve to go to hell after you die, have your tongue pulled out and be fried in oil, never to be reincarnated!"

Old Lady Liu Sulan was clearly better at cursing than Old Man Li; her voice was shrill and her attitude was harsh, and she could rattle off a string of words without stumbling.

Even though many people around her were trying to persuade and yell at her, she still managed to find a moment to berate Old Man Li until his face turned purple and he almost lost his breath.

Tan Jia was amazed, and felt a little regretful as she watched the other party being stopped by the police.

Li Shixun was pointed at and accused of killing his wife and daughter in front of so many people, and his face was also very ugly. After the Liu family's mouths were silenced, he finally found a chance to ask back: "Did you just admit it? You set the fire and killed my brother?" Liu Sulan's mother spat: "Don't try to smear us old folks. We're not as ruthless as your Li family!"

Then, her eyes darted around, and she continued, "You say it's us, but we'd say it's you and your dad. You can kill your daughter and granddaughter, so what's wrong with killing your brother and son? I don't think you're the kind of person who wants to support your brother for the rest of your life, and your dad isn't the kind of person who wants to take care of this burden. Who knows what he saw when my daughter was burned, which is why he's gone mad these past few years. You've been trying to prevent him from revealing what he saw all these years..."

"Enough!" Li Shixun suddenly shouted, his back teeth clenched. "The police said it was an accident back then. What's the point of you continuing to make trouble? Do you think Sulan would be happy to see us like this?!"

Liu Sulan's parents, who had been full of fighting spirit just moments before, now hunched over in their old age as they thought of their deceased daughter.

Tan Ming invited them aside, comforted them, and inquired about their whereabouts at the time of the incident.

Zheng Yan stood still, staring at the Liu family members and Li Shixun and the old man, scrutinizing them from head to toe.

Tan Jia behaved similarly to him, but she focused more on Li Shixun, watching him thoughtfully as he adjusted his glasses.

What Grandma Liu said shouldn't be thought too deeply about; once you do, it seems to make a lot of sense.

Li Shixun said that his family had a very good relationship, and in order not to upset the deceased, they didn't even know how to use a lighter or natural gas.

But what if he's lying?

If the fire fifteen years ago was indeed orchestrated by them, if their family relationship was terrible, if the deceased really witnessed the shady dealings of that year…

It's quite reasonable for the father and son to want to get rid of the deceased, who was a burden who would depend on his older brother for support until old age and on his elderly father for care until death. After all, what happened fifteen years ago shows how selfish, ruthless, and cruel they were.

When Tan Ming returned and reported that the Liu family had an alibi, her suspicions deepened.

Tan Ming said, "At the time of the incident, the couple were buying groceries at the market, and Liu Sulan's younger brother, a government employee, was on his way to work by subway."

However, Xiao Chen investigated the whereabouts of Li Shixun and Old Man Li and found that they also had alibis.

“Li Shixun works in the education department and usually lives in the East District, which is more than 20 kilometers away from here. He was just in his office when he was called back today.”

"Old Li went out to buy groceries half an hour before the incident. Many people saw him at the market. After buying his groceries, he took a detour back from the park as a form of exercise. Do you know why he took the detour? It's because he had taken a liking to an old lady. Every day, he would dress smartly, go to the market to bump into her, and then walk her home. When he was called back in the morning, he was chatting with the old lady. Many people in the neighborhood know about this."

Tan Jia: "...Wow, that's quite romantic."

So romantic that he didn't even know his son had died.

"But does that mean none of these four people are suspects?"

Zheng Yan shook his head: "We need to figure out how the fire started first. If there's a way to start a fire remotely or with a delay, all four of them are suspects. Investigate their whereabouts over the past two weeks."

(End of this chapter)