I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 132 A Series of Speculations
Han Ling was also thinking about this question: Could it be that Ren Yi's father was the one who poisoned her?

It is entirely possible in theory.

We need to ask about the alibi.

"Uncle, where were you yesterday afternoon?" Han Ling asked.

Ren Yi's father said, "At home, the community's micro-factory provides me with piecework, which is not very tiring. I usually earn a little money on my own."

Look, they're all over there.

As he spoke, he pointed to a box placed against the wall, on which were some handmade ornaments.

For impoverished households like the Ren family who have fallen back into poverty due to illness, responsible community centers will provide some form of assistance.

Whether the other person has truly been at home the whole time needs to be verified from other sources.

After leaving the breakfast shop, the two got into their car and prepared to return to the branch office.

Tong Feng was driving, and Han Ling, in the passenger seat, rolled down the window and lit a cigarette.

As the vehicle started, Tong Feng said, "I just thought about it again. If Ren Yi's father was the one who poisoned her, he should be able to guess our identities and wouldn't easily reveal the indirect cause of his wife's death. That would only arouse the police's suspicion."

The claim that the scholarship indirectly led to Ren Yi's mother's sudden death is actually a false proposition; it depends on how the parties involved think.

Before her sudden death, Ren Yi's mother's body was probably nearing its limit, and her second part-time job became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Only Ren Yi and her father knew about this. As long as they didn't say anything, it would be very difficult for the police to find out the cause and effect, so there was no motive for the crime.

From this perspective, it's unlikely that Ren Yi's father would casually mention the indirect connection between the scholarship and his wife's sudden death; he's probably not the one who poisoned Du Juncai.

Han Ling nodded: "Yes, that makes sense. If I were Ren Yi's father, I wouldn't bring this up."

Something still doesn't feel right about this case; the real suspect may not have surfaced yet.

Tong Feng listed them one by one: "Lu Zhanpeng and his mother, Ren Yi and his daughter, these four people are all suspicious. They are all related to this case. Who is the one who knows the truth and who is innocent?"

Han Ling: "Tomorrow we're going to investigate new interpersonal relationships."

Tong Feng hummed in agreement; he knew the other person was referring to Ren Yi's mother.

If this case is an act of revenge, the husband and daughter are the prime suspects, but the possibility that there are others cannot be ruled out.

Back at the branch office, Ren Yi was already sitting in the interrogation room; the task force had acted swiftly.

They weren't handcuffed; it's just a preliminary hearing, but criminal detention is definitely inevitable.

Fang Zhou was in charge of the interrogation. It was easier to communicate with someone of the same age, which could weaken Ren Yi's vigilance and psychological defenses.

"We found out that your mother died of sudden cardiac arrest," Fang Zhou said to Ren Yi. "The cause of her sudden death was partly due to her working a second job at night, which further shortened her rest and sleep time. Do you agree?"

The task force needs to investigate this matter.

When the police took her to the police station late at night, Ren Yi remained relatively calm. She may have been mentally prepared and had made counter-surveillance plans beforehand, or she may have guessed that she would definitely face an investigation after her boyfriend's death.

"I agree," Ren Yi nodded.

Fangzhou: "You originally had a scholarship to help you out, so your mother might not have had to take a second job. But in the end, the scholarship didn't go to you, right?"

Ren Yi: "Yes."

Fang Zhou: "Du Juncai took the scholarship."

Ren Yi: "That's right, so you suspect I killed him?"

Fang Zhou said calmly, "Investigating criminal cases is our job. You have a motive for the crime, Ren Yi. Murder is no small matter. I hope you can think it through before answering my questions."

Ren Yi nodded gently: "I understand. I know the law. Du Juncai took the scholarship, so my mother had to work, which led to her sudden death. Under normal circumstances, I would hold Du Juncai responsible. Your suspicions are correct."

But I didn't kill him. I've been at school these past few days, almost never leaving.

Fangzhou: "Yes, we have confirmed your alibi; you did not kill him."

Upon hearing this, Ren Yi looked at Fang Zhou with surprise, seemingly asking: If you have a confirmed alibi, then why bring me to the police station?
Fang Zhou said, "Killing someone doesn't necessarily mean doing it yourself. Now that we suspect you, what we need to do next is to conduct a full investigation into you, such as... the laboratory."

Ren Yi remained silent.

She did not ask why the laboratory was being investigated, implying that she likely knew the cause of Du Juncai's death.

However, Han Ling and Tong Feng had not informed them beforehand.

This is the purpose of preliminary investigation: to obtain more information through facial expressions and snippets of conversation, and to analyze and infer the likelihood of accuracy.

“I suggest you tell us everything you know,” Fang Zhou continued. “Crime isn’t as simple as you think, and the police aren’t as stupid as you think. Now that you’ve been brought here, it’s basically impossible for you to leave. Detention centers aren’t easy places to be in. Rather than resisting the investigation, you might as well confess and try to get leniency.”

These words had no effect. Ren Yi said helplessly, "Are you so sure that his death is related to me? Yes, it is true that he took the scholarship, which was a big blow to my family, but he was unaware of it and did not do it on purpose."

Besides, he didn't cheat on the scholarship application process; it was a fair competition. Why should I blame him for my mother's death? Isn't that unreasonable?

It was a very sincere explanation, but the Ark remained unaffected.

Understanding the principles is one thing, doing them is another.

Everyone knows that murderers should be punished with their lives, so why are there still so many murders every year? Everyone knows that drugs are extremely harmful and strictly prohibited by the state, with the penalty for being caught being death, so why are there still so many drug dealers?

Two different things.

Judging from Ren Yi's current attitude, the task force has deepened its suspicions about her, and the in-depth investigation into her will certainly not stop.

An hour later, after an unsuccessful interrogation, Ren Yi was taken to the detention room, where the task force held a meeting.

Fangzhou was the first to express his opinion: "This girl is very calm, so calm that she doesn't seem like a student. It's probably related to her father's illness and her mother's death. She's mature and has a strong mental fortitude."

In my personal opinion, she was absolutely aware of Du Juncai's death, and the possibility of her being an accomplice cannot be ruled out.

Ji Bowen looked at Han Ling and Tong Feng: "What are your thoughts on Ren Yi, who is in charge of the investigation?"

Han Ling said, "I agree with Brother Zhou's opinion. I suspect this is a case of coordinated murder, similar to the Orient Express murder case."

Murder on the Orient Express is a novel written by Agatha Christie in the 1930s. The case involves the complex testimonies of twelve people and explores the ethical dilemma of legal justice versus vigilante justice.

Of course, the motives for committing the crimes are very different. In literary works, the victims are directly involved in the crimes, causing great suffering to the suspects, while Du Juncai's case was not so serious.

Everyone nodded slightly, clearly aware of this literary work.

Ji Bowei: "Continue."

Han Ling: "Assuming a conspiracy to commit murder, it would be difficult to get results through interrogation. Murder is no small matter, and the contractual relationship between the collaborators needs to be very strong. They are unlikely to give in easily."

Ji Bowei turned around and wrote three names on the whiteboard.

Pan Xia.

Lü Zhanpeng.

Ren Yi.

Lu Zhanpeng and Ren Yi have sufficient alibis, while Pan Xia is suspected of committing the act.

After a brief pause, Ji Bowei added a question mark and drew a circle after the three names, indicating his doubt about the existence of a fourth person.

The fact that the surveillance camera at the small gate in the northwest corner of Ping An Garden was damaged, and the irrationality of Lü Zhanpeng agreeing to his mother's assistance in the murder, both point to this.

"Tomorrow we'll retrieve Ren Yi's call records," Ji Bowen said. "We'll also add another investigation team, with the cooperation of Qingchang University, to conduct an in-depth investigation of the laboratory where Ren Yi works, looking for any traces of missing cyanide."

University laboratories have extremely strict controls on cyanide. If Ren Yi took advantage of his student status to steal it, even without evidence, there is a high probability that clues could be found.

After assigning a task, Ji Bowen looked at the names on the whiteboard again and said, "If this is a collaboration, what roles do you think each of these people would play?"

“Risk sharing is a given,” said Hu Lihui. “At least it ensures that Lü Zhanpeng and Ren Yi have sufficient alibis.”

Han Ling stared at Pan Xia's name for a while, then said, "Pan Xia should be a variable, someone who was added at the last minute."

Ji Bowei nodded: "Yes, I think so too. Assuming there really is a fourth person, then there should only be three suspects in this case of joint murder."

Ren Yi, Lü Zhanpeng, and the murderer.

With Du Juncai murdered, Lü Zhanpeng is the prime suspect, and the police will focus most of their attention on him.

Ren Yi was responsible for providing cyanide.

A third person is responsible for implementation.

In this way, everyone's role becomes very clear.

Han Ling: "Lu Zhanpeng provided Du Juncai's living habits and house key, Ren Yi provided the tools for the crime, and the third person took action. Just then, Pan Xia suddenly learned that her son was going to kill someone, and that's when things changed."

The plan to kill was real, and the notebook was real, but that notebook might only be a first draft, or rather, it came from Lü Zhanpeng's earliest fantasy.

The real murder plot began the moment Pan Xia brought her son to turn herself in.

Surrendering herself was also part of the murder plan. Pan Xia may have overlooked the responsibility of concealing her own involvement in order to completely clear her son of suspicion; therefore, her surrender was not very meaningful.

After a moment of thought, Fang Zhou spoke up: "The overall process sounds fine, but isn't it against common sense that a mother, upon learning that her son is going to kill someone, doesn't stop him but instead joins in?"

Hu Lihui: "I can only say that she can no longer change her son's mind. It's one thing to commit a crime alone, but it's not so easy to quit halfway through a murder in cooperation, right?"

The plan has been set. What if Lü Zhanpeng gives up, but Ren Yi insists on taking action? Should Lü Zhanpeng stop him or not? Judging from his personality and feelings for Ren Yi, he most likely won't stop her.

If they don't stop it, they will ultimately be suspected of being accomplices, providing the victim with their living habits, including house keys, which are very important parts of the murder plan.

Han Ling was right; turning oneself in doesn't really make much sense.

Only the mother and son themselves know exactly how they communicated.

The current discussions are still in the speculative stage, and the task force needs to continue its investigation.

……

P.S.: Sorry, something came up tonight, so I'll only be posting one chapter. I'm currently owing three chapters.

(End of this chapter)