Memory Lost (美人为馅): Chapter 57

Chapter 57: The First Sight of Suspicion Part 2

The second suspect is Jiang Zi Yi.  Unlike Jin Lan Heng, Jiang Zi Yi is the absolute representation of a noble and rich bachelor.  He’s 1.8 meters tall, skinny, yet has a well-built body.  He wears gold rim glasses, has fair white skin and looks proper.  He’s very well dressed.  He doesn’t have as many brand name accessories as Jin Lan Heng, but he gives others the sense of pure nobleness.

He’s a senior engineer at a well-known IT company.  Although he’s not in a management position, his income and status are no less than an owner of a normal small business company.

“He returned from America.  Both of his parents are abroad,” Xiao Zhuan explains while thinking, “Xiao Bai, this guy matches the profile the most out of the three.  Young, handsome, rich, has a particular lifestyle, and his hobbies are drinking wine and playing with women.  According to the information gathered, he has an indecent private life.  He often stays at various nightclubs and parties.  But he’s a quiet individual.  Five months ago, he was involved in a financial case and was temporarily suspended at work to be investigated.  But there was no evidence, so he was released.  Furthermore, he also owns a mansion and an SUV.”

Everybody is staring at Jiang Zi Yi through the window.  The civil officer is asking the same questions as before, but different from Jin Lan Heng, he seems very quiet and seldom reveals a smile.  He basically gives one answer for every question the civil officer asks.  Through the thin layers of his glasses, those pair of long and narrow eyes look dim and gloomy from start to finish.

“He interacted with the first and third victims?” Chatterbox exclaims from reading the documents

Xiao Zhuan nods, “Yeah, the company that the first victim worked at was a client of Jiang Zi Yi’s.  They both knew each other.  The third victim was picked up for dinner on a Wednesday night two weeks ago.  It was caught on the surveillance camera.”

“My good boy……” Chatterbox sighs, “CBD is such a small circle.  Don’t tell me that the third suspect also knows the victims.”

Xiao Zhuan sighs, “You guessed right, he is also related to them.  The second and third victim had the third suspect’s phone number in their call logs.”

Han Chen and Jin Xi look at each other and don’t say anything.  Xu Nan Bai also remains silent.

The interrogation session with Jiang Zi Yi ends as expected.  On September 11 between 7 and 9pm when the third victim, Zhou Si Jin disappeared, he was working overtime in the office and he has a witness.  But he doesn’t have one after that time, so there is also no way of clearing him completely from being suspected.

The third suspect is Situ Yi.  The moment he enters the interrogation room, it sparks everyone’s eyes.

He’s a very handsome man.  He has a long and lean body, and distinctive facial features.  Different from Jin Lan Heng’s crudeness and Jiang Zi Yi’s feminine qualities, he makes others feel comfortable.  He’s wearing a suit that fits him perfectly.  His posture is straight and his face is showing a gentle and polite smile.  The civil officer also subconsciously becomes more polite when questioning him.

“Situ Yi, ITO Information Technology’s marketing director and also the stepson of Situ Cheng Xu, who is the President of this Hong Kong company.  When he was eight, his mom remarried to Situ Cheng Xu.  Xiao Bai, he also fits your profile,” Xiao Zhuan says, “He owns a mansion and an SUV.  Four and a half months ago, due to a case of assault of violence, he was brought back to the station for questioning.  But he was released afterward.”

“Assault?” Jin Xi repeats.

Xiao Zhuan nods, “Yes.  According to the police records, it was due to conflicts involving a love relationship.  He hit the girl’s real boyfriend.”

Chatterbox snickers, “I didn’t know that a wealthy man like him would steal someone else’s girlfriend.”

Xiao Zhuan laughs as well, “The incidents that these three suspects were involved in including the car owner who was hit by Jin Lan Heng, the legal representative who handled Jiang Zi Yi’s financial dispute case, and the ex-boyfriend whom Situ Yi hit, we will ask them to come and assist us with the investigation.  However, some of them are abroad while some of them have moved like this ex-boyfriend, so we’ll need a bit more time.”

Inside the interrogation room, the civil officer is asking about Situ Yi’s alibi.  But he says that he was staying at the mansion by himself on the weekend, so nobody can prove that.

_____

The first round of questioning with the three suspects has ended.  They’ve been brought into different rooms to stay by themselves.

And on the other side of the interrogation room, the Black Shield Team and Xu Nan Bai start their discussion.

Xiao Zhuan speaks first, “Oh right, I want to add that according to the information we gathered, this Situ Yi seems to have the best reputation out of the three.  He’s humble, kind, doesn’t involve himself in messy relationships and have a good relationship with his colleagues.  He’s also hard working and the company has been performing well under his guidance.”  He pauses before saying, “No matter how you look at him, he doesn’t seem like a psychopath.”

Nobody comments, but Xu Nan Bai smiles, “You’re wrong.”

Xiao Zhuan rubs his head feeling a bit embarrassed, “Professor, I was just speaking casually.  Please don’t blame me if I’ve said anything wrong.”

Xu Nan Bai is wearing a casual jacket today.  His shirt collar is standing up, making him look like a normal down to earth youth.  He smiles and says, “We must not conclude whether or not his mental state is normal based on his appearance.  Look at me.  Do you think I’m normal?”

The moment he says this, everybody looks up at him.  Jin Xi also becomes interested.

“Of course you’re normal!” Xiao Zhuan answers.

But Xu Nan Bai shakes his head.  He scans across the room with his eyes and says frankly, “In many psychological and behavioral tests I’ve taken, they’ve all surpassed the level of normal.  Furthermore, I have a moderate obsessive-compulsive disorder.  For example, if in a row of seats, one chair is not aligned, I have to make it right.  If I don’t make it right, I might end up thinking about it all day.  When I’m parking my car, if I’m slightly slanted, I will continue to move and adjust my car until it’s completely straight in the spot.  It’s just that others don’t know about how I feel.”

The group continues to be quiet.  He, on the other hand, picks up his cup of tea, takes a sip and says smiling, “But with my level of absurdness, I’m still far away from being a psychopath, so don’t worry.”

Xiao Zhuan and Chatterbox laugh dryly, “ha, ha.”  Jin Xi also laughs looking at him, “Senior, your joke is really too dry.”

“What should we do now?” Cold Face asks.

Xu Nan Bai speaks, “My recommendation is to continue to follow and observe them.  From a criminal psychology perspective, we need more behavioral evidence in order to determine which one is the killer.  What’s unreal may be real, and what’s real may be unreal.  The one who seems most likely to be the killer might not actually be.  And the one who seems the least likely to be the killer may be the one who’s been disguising himself.  We must not draw conclusions too quickly just from today’s short interrogation sessions.  It would be too haste of us.”

Jin Xi nods in agreement.  She glances over at Han Chen subconsciously.

Before the search, she wasn’t expecting things to turn out like this——

Three suspects; and regardless of how different their personalities are, they all seem to fit the profile:

They’ve all interacted with the victims;

Because the incident happened on the weekend, none of them have an alibi.

It’s like there is an invisible connection between them.

This makes Jin Xi feel that the case is not as simple as being just a serial killing case.

Moreover, hasn’t it been too “easy” for them to find these three suspects?

Just as she’s deep into her own thoughts, she hears Han Chen say, “Cold Face, let them ‘bump’ into each other.  But don’t give them a chance to chat.”

A spark flashes across Jin Xi’s eyes: what a great idea.

The others also click and become excited.  Xu Nan Bai, on the other hand, smiles faintly.  He looks at Han Chen and seems to show an expression of admiration.

_____

Inside the interrogation room, the Black Shield Team is sitting quietly.

They watch the monitors showing Jin Lan Heng, Jiang Zi Yi, and Situ Yi being led out of their rooms by the civil officers, guiding them to the same corner of the hallway.

All three of them look normal.  Jin Lan Heng is even chatting with the civil officer beside him, attempting to find out more details of the case.  As for Jiang Zi Yi and Situ Yi, they both remain quiet.

Very soon, they arrive at the corner.

The three of them walk over at the same time.  The moment they see each other, they’re all stunned.

They take a look at each other, don’t say anything, and continue walking following each of their own civil officers.

“F–k!  Leader, this can’t be like the last case, can it?  Could it be an organized crime?” Chatterbox says staring at the monitor.

Han Chen doesn’t answer.

And Xiao Zhuan’s thoughts are even more diverse, “Could it be that someone is imitating T to become a punisher revealing the crimes of these three individuals?”

Xu Nan Bai, who has been silent, exchange glances with Jin Xi and says smiling, “If two ‘Ts’ appear one after another, City Lan is really unpeaceful.”

Han Chen ponders for a while before saying, “There’s no point in making these assumptions.  They’ll just make us go in the wrong direction.  Continue searching for new evidence.  Have someone follow them 24/7.”