The detectives waited for more than ten minutes before Clara finally opened the door.
She opened her bedroom door wide without any guile, allowing the detectives to see inside. Fang Zhenyue’s indifferent gaze immediately caught a detail:
In Clara’s room, everything else was thrown about haphazardly. The bedside table was cluttered with cosmetics, and many hair ties, eye masks, and other items were strewn about the bed, creating a messy appearance.
However, the only exception was the clothes laid on the bed and those in the fabric wardrobe, which were all neatly folded.
This inevitably reminded people of the neatly folded stack of clothes beside the victim at the crime scene.
When Clara stepped out to approach the detectives, everyone noticed that she was indeed a tall woman, but her arms and legs were slender and not very muscular.
Her overall silhouette appeared much thinner, even more so than she looked in their group photos.
Jiayi breathed a sigh of relief, ruling out Clara. It was almost certain that Qin Hongliang was the killer.
Fang Zhenyue asked Qin Hongliang to step aside for a moment, and Qin stood up, smiled at everyone, exchanged glances with Clara, and then returned to her room.
As she opened the door, Jiayi peered through the crack and caught a glimpse inside. Although it was just a fleeting view, it was enough to gather some information:
Qin Hongliang’s room was very tidy, so much so that it didn’t fit the ordinary rental room’s atmosphere.
After Clara sat down, Jiayi also stood up, joining Fang Zhenyue at the door to watch and question Clara.
Clara was a woman with a lightly provocative demeanor and a somewhat aggressive expression.
When she spoke, she habitually tilted her chin slightly, a posture that could make her seem quite unapproachable. This defensive attitude often appeared on the faces of those afraid of being bullied, with the sole purpose of ensuring that no one underestimated them, as if declaring to the world: “Don’t mess with me.”
Like a mantis raising its fists against a vehicle, or a crab growing a hard shell.
“Ah sir, what’s the hurry? You keep pushing and asking questions. Ah Hong and I are about to start work. You all are loaded with cash, don’t hold us back from making money.” Clara preemptively asserted, “So what if we work at the Daliyuan Nightclub? Is it illegal to sell drinks and chat with the boss?”
“Don’t overthink it; we just have a few questions. Officer Tan will ask, and you just need to answer. We won’t take up too much of your time.” Fang Zhenyue stood at the door and even smiled slightly as he spoke.
Clara looked up at Fang Zhenyue, seeing that he didn’t start with a barrage of sarcasm, which seemed to make her somewhat uncomfortable.
She cleared her throat, turned to look at Fu sitting beside her, and began, “So, you’re Officer Tan?”
“Yes. First, where were you around 5 a.m. this morning?” Fu, facing the ‘real suspect’ Clara, was much more cautious than when dealing with Qin Hongliang, not only appearing calmer but also concealing his emotions more deeply.
“I was just sleeping at home. What else would I be doing after work? It’s not even dawn yet, and there’s nothing else to do.” Clara said with a look that implied ‘what a silly question’.
“Can anyone confirm that you were at home the whole time?” Fu pursued further.
Clara frowned and after glaring at Fu for a moment, turned to look at Fang Zhenyue and Yi Jiayi, scanning them before asking skeptically, “Ah Sir, what do you mean? Speak plainly, are you suspecting me of doing something? Who can prove I was sleeping at home? Ah Hong wasn’t even at home.”
“Is this earring yours?” Fu pulled out a photo of an earring that was found at the crime scene, showing it to Clara for confirmation.
“Eh? It’s mine, but I lost it a long time ago. How do you have this photo?” Clara reached out to take the photo, but Fu avoided her hand.
“I heard you had a fight with Zhao Meini early yesterday morning?”
“What does Meini have to do with it? Yes, we argued, so what? Are the police now intervening in women’s arguments? Can’t you save taxpayer’s money and do some real work?”
Fu glanced at Fang Zhenyue, who nodded at him before he continued, “Zhao Meini was found dead in her bed this morning after seven. Many testimonies point to your conflict with Zhao Meini, which is unfavorable for you. We hope you will cooperate with the police.”
Clara was stunned, seemingly disbelieving, and scoffed before she began to say something, but after locking eyes with Fu, she seemed to realize the police wouldn’t lie about this just to tease her. She closed her mouth and took a deep breath.
Blinking without focus, she suddenly stood up, only to realize what she was doing and sat back down:
“How could Meini be dead? She hadn’t offended anyone. Other sisters might borrow from loan sharks, but she wouldn’t. She even mentioned saving money to open a shop recently, planning to quit being a bar girl. She didn’t have a boyfriend either…”
Clara spoke frantically for a while, then suddenly realized the implications of what Fu had said about the situation being unfavorable for her. Shocked, she stood up again, angrily declaring:
“How could it be me? Meini and I argued all the time, for many years. I was even thinking of lending her some money if she was short for opening her shop. How could I kill her? Ah Sir, you must know, even though we argue often, we sisters have the best relationship, and arguing wouldn’t break us apart! Don’t believe me? Go ask Sister Yun and the others, everyone knows.”
“Please calm down, we will be questioning others too,” Fu said, looking up at her and nodding, “Please sit down.”
Clara clenched her fists nervously, her face turning bright red, and obediently sat down, her previously arrogant demeanor completely vanished, revealing a vulnerable and helpless interior. Her face gradually paled, and she looked down at the notebook in Fu’s hands, suddenly starting to shed tears.
Fu pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Clara, his eyebrows knitted tightly.
Clara took the paper, wiping her tears and sobbing.
Under these circumstances, Fu continued to ask several questions, skillfully interleaving real inquiries with those meant to test the respondent’s reactions.
Genuine questions are used to lead out clues and assist in deducing the case.
Questions testing the respondent’s reactions are purely a trick used in interrogations, specifically designed to gauge their responses. It is an important method for agents to observe suspects and assess their level of suspicion.
Of course, sometimes, with the addition of special techniques and the unique psychological state of the respondent, it might even directly trick the respondent into confessing.
However, this time Clara did not suddenly break down and confess. She even withstood the test of trap questions and deceitful questions, displaying an almost impeccable performance.
If all this were an act by the murderer, then Clara would be terrifyingly clever.
After asking the questions, Fu even inexplicably said, “Condolences.”
…
During Clara’s interrogation, Fang Zhenyue was observing Clara’s expressions, constantly making guesses and judgments in his mind.
Jiayi, however, did not do this. Before coming here, she still had doubts, but now she was clear as a mirror: Clara was just a scapegoat; this case had nothing to do with her at all.
Jiayi stood at the door with her arms crossed, seemingly looking at Clara but actually lost in her own thoughts.
Jiayi tried to recall every detail in the flow of memories, starting from when Qin Hongliang knocked on the door and entered the victim Zhao Meini’s home, not missing a single point.
Using grid method for finding objects, she dissected the dynamic images from her memory into static photos, marking each photo with a grid, and examining them grid by grid from 1×1 to 13×13. After thoroughly reviewing one image and ensuring no details were missed, she moved on to the next photo.
It was a very time-consuming and labor-intensive method, but often the most useful one.
When Jiayi’s mind retrieved the image of ‘the murderer Qin Hongliang sitting on the sofa, picking up the glass of water Zhao Meini handed her,’ she suddenly paused.
Jiayi scanned this blurry, dark silhouette image grid by grid. Everything else seemed normal, except for Qin Hongliang’s action of drinking water, which felt strangely intense.
Why would someone pick up a glass of water and not drink, just touching their lips to it?
Why do this? Was she worried that Zhao Meini might have poisoned the water?
Could it be that in Qin Hongliang’s view, Zhao Meini also had a motive to kill her, so she was wary?
Or…
A sudden insight struck Jiayi!
She immediately refocused, her gaze falling on Clara’s lips. She was wearing a bold pink lipstick, which suited Clara’s personality and complemented her fair skin tone.
In contrast, Qin Hongliang’s darker complexion would be more suited to bright red.
Reflecting on it, today Qin Hongliang was wearing a dark red lipstick with a subtle golden sheen under the lights. As a pole dancer, under the spotlight, people often notice her figure more than her face.
But when she paused her movements, guests would still glance at her face, and the dark gold sheen of her lipstick stood out particularly under the lights.
The most notable feature on Qin Hongliang’s face was probably her plump and sensual lips.
It seems, then, that Qin Hongliang’s choice of dark gold-sheened, dark red lipstick was a multi-faceted decision.
Based on these observations, it can be almost certain that Qin Hongliang, whether for professional or everyday considerations, would not choose a pink-toned lipstick that does not complement her skin tone or look good while dancing.
However, the forensic team found a cup on the table that likely belonged to a guest, with a pink lipstick mark on it.
Brother Da Guangming has confirmed that the deceased, Zhao Meini’s makeup box and purse did not contain this shade of lipstick, leading to the preliminary conclusion that it was left by the murderer. Unfortunately, no DNA could be extracted from the lipstick mark.
No wonder Qin Hongliang only touched the cup briefly, partly because she was worried about leaving DNA and also to leave one more piece of evidence pointing to Clara—the lipstick on the cup matched exactly with what Clara was wearing today.
Before heading to the victim Zhao Meini’s house, Qin Hongliang had already planned to kill Zhao Meini and frame Clara, so she deliberately wore Clara’s lipstick.
As roommates, it was too easy to get Clara’s hair, lipstick, an earring, and so on!
It was all a trap!
How meticulous could Qin Hongliang’s mind be?!
Clenching her fists, Jiayi handed Clara a tissue while she cried.
After Clara wiped her tears, Jiayi reached out to take the tissue, and took the opportunity to push it forward slightly, accidentally touching a bit of lipstick at the corner of Clara’s mouth.
She said ‘sorry’ and took the tissue back, quietly folding it and tucking it away without a trace.
…
…
After the four detectives left Clara’s home, they met up with Uncle Jiu in the parking lot.
Under the cover of night, everyone suddenly fell silent.
“How did it go? Did you find a breakthrough at Clara’s?” Uncle Jiu yawned lazily.
“…” Fu shook his head, looking somewhat dejected.
Detectives should avoid being emotional; he felt he might have been somewhat unfair and not calm enough today. Tonight, he needed to reflect on this and discuss it with Brother Yue tomorrow.
“Alright, let’s leave it at that for today, everyone go home and get some good sleep, let’s not think about the case. Tomorrow we’ll meet to go through the information and get the latest reports from the forensic department and forensic science division, then we’ll talk,” Fang Zhenyue said, then turned to Uncle Jiu:
“Uncle Jiu, you go ahead, I’ll drop everyone else off.”
As they all got into Dad Fang’s big jeep, Jiayi finally spoke:
“Brother Yue, I want to go back to the police station first.”