Chapter 282: Chapter 279 I’m a Criminal Policeman, Not a Judge_1
Xu Xiangnian was momentarily stunned before he realized the implication of Xu Dayuan’s words, and his face showed a shocked expression.
"Are you suspecting that the deceased in our attic was killed by someone in our family? Impossible, how could that be possible? I am a village doctor, and although my medical skills are mediocre, I have saved many people. She is a teacher, who has diligently educated students. She even tutored students without charging any fees, my son..."
Xu Dayuan raised his hand, interrupting Xu Xiangnian’s words.
"Just answer the questions I ask, making judgments is our business. Now, think back to my previous question. Who was at home on August 12, 2002?"
Xu Xiangnian displayed some resistance, bracing himself against the table and leaning back.
"Who would remember something that happened ten years ago?"
Just as he finished speaking, Auntie Zhang tugged at Xu Xiangnian’s sleeve, and Xu Dayuan looked directly at her.
"Say whatever comes to mind, whatever you think of, just speak up."
After hesitating for a moment, Auntie Zhang finally said:
"The year Xu Qing took the college entrance exam, we got the results on July 25. The following days were very busy for us. We hosted a celebration on August 4, and I remember it was a Sunday. That night, Xu Qing started vomiting and having diarrhea. Mr. Xu gave him an intravenous infusion, but two days passed and he was still not better and had a high fever.
So, we took Xu Qing to Rudong People’s Hospital. After an examination, he was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and peritonitis. It was quite serious. At first, I thought about conservative treatment, but Mr. Xu felt the situation was urgent and insisted on following the doctor’s advice to have surgery.
On the third day of the hospital stay, which was the morning of the eighth, the surgery took place. Mr. Xu and I tended to Xu Qing in the hospital. Xu Qing’s grandfather was taken away by our elder uncle for a month; after all, he also couldn’t find the time to care for him.
As for Xu Dan, she came with me two days before the surgery, but with Xu Qing having surgery, it wasn’t convenient for her to stay, so I had her go back home on her own. I asked Auntie Zhang next door to prepare some food for her. Xu Qing was discharged and returned home on the fourteenth."
Xu Dayuan took some notes, glanced at the time, and compared it against a calendar, finding that Auntie Zhang remembered the dates very clearly. He wrote a note and passed it to Mr. Zeng, who quickly left, as Mr. Zhao had been waiting at the door for a while already.
"Director Zhou, Director Xu wants you to arrange for someone to retrieve Xu Qing’s medical records, to check if the dates match up."
Zhou Ning nodded, raised the police device, typed in Xu Qing’s ID number, and Mr. Zhao, without needing any instruction, grabbed the note and his jacket, giving the paper a shake.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back quickly. The body camera will keep recording, and I’ll call you with any news immediately."
Zhou Ning remained silent, and Mr. Zhao left at a brisk pace.
Actually, when Auntie Zhang mentioned these dates, Zhou Ning felt that they were probably correct, as a mother is always extremely attentive to everything about her child, especially matters such as surgeries and hospitalizations, which can leave an indelible memory.
After about fifteen minutes, Zhou Ning’s phone beeped once, receiving a photo. It was Xu Qing’s admission record, and sure enough, as Auntie Zhang said, the surgery was on the eighth, and discharge was on the fourteenth.
Zhou Ning forwarded the picture to Xu Dayuan, who glanced at the photo and took a deep breath.
"During Xu Qing’s hospitalization, were you two always there taking care of him? Nobody went home to rest?"
Xu Xiangnian nodded.
"The first night of the hospital stay, she went back to get some clothes for the child and me. The next morning, she went to the hospital. Back then, traveling from our village to Rudong People’s Hospital wasn’t so easy, the provincial road in the front wasn’t open yet, and you needed to find someone with a motorcycle for a ride, otherwise, it was difficult to leave the village."
Xu Dayuan unfolded his notebook and found a passport-sized photo of Chen Ningyu, handing it to the couple.
"Do you recognize this person?"
Xu Xiangnian shook his head slightly, and Auntie Zhang leaned in to look closely at it.
"I have an impression of him. He was probably Xu Dan’s classmate, the third son of the Chen Family from Qianti Village.
I can’t remember his exact name, but after Xu Qing was discharged from the hospital, towards the end of August, just before school was starting, they came looking for Xu Dan. Both of the young men were wearing mourning armbands on their right arms.
I was quite reluctant to let them in at the time because our custom forbids visiting others during the forty-nine days of mourning. But seeing their urgency, I didn’t say much. As soon as they entered, they asked Xu Dan about the whereabouts of their third son, who supposedly had left home to avoid repeating the grade."
Xu Dayuan stared into the eyes of Xu Xiangnian and Auntie Zhang, carefully observing.
"Were you present when the Chen Family came to visit?"
Xu Xiangnian shook his head.
"I am usually at the clinic, extremely busy during the day; I see many people and honestly don’t know that they came to our house. If it was during the summer vacation, usually only my wife would be at home."
Auntie Zhang bit her lip, unsure if she had said something she shouldn’t have; she looked worried.
"Chen Family’s third son pursued our Xu Dan. During a parent-teacher meeting, the teacher discussed it with me, saying Xu Dan seemed to have declined, and asked me to keep an eye on it. However, since Xu Dan’s grades always were good and there were no particular signs of anything, I didn’t take it seriously.
When they came to my house, they asserted that Xu Dan was in a relationship with their son. I asked them to leave. Xu Dan calmed me down and asked me to go outside. I don’t know what they discussed after that, but the visitors didn’t stay long."
Xu Dayuan watched Auntie Zhang closely; when she spoke just now, she hadn’t looked up, a subtle action. Even without using Mr. Qu’s software, Xu Dayuan could guess a thing or two.
She lied, what the school teacher had said was definitely not that simple.
"We went to Renjiazhuang Village to investigate, and the neighbors all said that they clearly knew Chen Ningyu, the third son of the Chen Family, had dated Xu Dan. Do you know what lying means?"
Zhang Shan pursed her lips tightly while Xu Xiangnian looked at her, puzzled. After all, they had been married for many years, and he knew his wife very well. He then turned his head towards Xu Dayuan with anger in his eyes.
"I say, officer, we are not criminals. Why do you keep interrogating us endlessly? What does it matter if children in their teens have dated? My daughter is already married with kids, living a happy life. Do you really have to dredge up every trivial past affair and lay it all out so clearly?"
Xu Dayuan stared coldly at Xu Xiangnian, pointing to the two-inch photo as he spoke:
"The white bones discovered in your family’s attic have been subject to DNA testing, and we can confirm that this person is Chen Ningyu, who ’left home’ ten years ago, and he disappeared on August 12th.
"On top of that, Xu Dan’s blood and half a fingerprint were found on the murder weapon. The police have thoroughly searched your house, lifting the floorboards of Xu Dan’s room to reveal a large pool of blood on the concrete beneath. Do you still think Xu Dan has nothing to do with Chen Ningyu’s death?"
With Xu Dayuan’s words, Xu’s parents were instantly stunned, their faces a picture of disbelief.
At this moment, Xu Dayuan had no time to waste on them. He flipped to the last page of his notebook and looked at them as he asked one final question.
"One last issue, does your family have any hereditary diseases, such as mental illness or epilepsy?"
This time, both parents denied it quickly, shaking their heads.
Xu Dayuan stood up, signaling the clerk to get the parents’ signatures on the record. After they signed and fingerprinted the document, Xu Dayuan walked straight to the door. Xu Xiangnian panicked.
"Officer, will Xu Dan... will Xu Dan be sentenced?"
Xu Dayuan shook his head.
"We are criminal police, not judges. However, this case involves a heinous act of murder, dismemberment, and concealing the corpse; plus, the suspect hit a police officer with a car, which constitutes resisting arrest and assaulting an officer. With these factors, I think the judgment will more likely be severe and expedited."
Xu Xiangnian’s legs went weak, and Zhang Shan hastily reached out to support him.
"Don’t scare me, Mr. Xu."
The couple broke down emotionally and were led out of the interrogation room by the police, just as Xu Dayuan was approaching the observation room next door. At that moment, Zhou Ning’s phone rang. It was He Shancun calling, a surprise to Zhou Ning.
"What’s up with Mr. He?"
"You’re asking me what’s up? Wasn’t it you who sent that person’s video and had me consult with someone to see if this person had a mental illness? I just contacted a top neurologist, and even connected with the Rudong People’s Hospital to review the EEG, CT, and other examinations synchronously.
"Based on assessments from psychiatry and neurology, this patient named Xu Dan is mentally sound, with no abnormal discharges on the EEG, nor any signs of a tumor or other abnormalities that might affect her temperament. If she’s exhibiting aggressive or erratic behavior, it’s very likely an act. I’ll send you the consultation report shortly."
With that, he hung up with a click.
Zhou Ning looked helplessly at his phone. Xu Dayuan came up from behind, patting Zhou Ning on the shoulder.
"Mr. He is a good man, but his sharp tongue spares no one. Tolerate it for the sake of our work. As for his attitude, it’s actually easy to resolve. No matter the age difference, you’re the older brother-in-law, even by a day. Just get Xiaoyu to deal with him; whether it’s kneeling on a washboard or being under the thumb with bottle caps, it’s all effortlessly within your grasp."
Zhou Ning gave Xu Dayuan a sideways glance. Such talk left Zhou Ning somewhat speechless, but he was also too tired to bicker with him. The case seemed close to being cracked, relieving some of his psychological pressure, and he looked considerably more relaxed.
At some point, Mr. Zhao appeared in front of them, regarding Xu Dayuan with a mischievous smile.
"Wow, boss, what secrets of wisdom are you imparting? It looks like you have quite some experience. Have you been getting scolded by your older brother-in-law for years, or did you accumulate wisdom while kneeling on washboards and bottle caps?"
With a wave of his hand, Xu Dayuan saw Mr. Zhao swiftly move behind Zhou Ning, perfectly avoiding the gesture.
"Keep joking around. Are the medical records copied?"
Mr. Zhao raised the copies in his hand, carefully handing them over to Xu Dayuan.
"Admission, surgery, discharge – all the dates match up. Actually, with the evidence chain now complete, Xu Dan faking illness or madness shouldn’t affect anything, right?"
Zhou Ning nodded.
"Mr. He just had a consultation, and it’s confirmed that Xu Dan doesn’t have any mental or tumor-related diseases that could affect her temperament. She’s faking epileptic seizures, and as for interrogation, that’s Director Xu’s business. We can take a break now."
Xu Dayuan nodded and checked the time.
"Since she’s pretending to be sick, let her keep up the act for the night. We haven’t discovered who tipped off Xu Dan yet. I think Zhang Sannian might find something.
"We should wait a bit. Mr. He’s intervention prevented the hospital from making a diagnosis, but the person from the immigration bureau was so certain, there must be a connection. Let’s head back to the office."
Mr. Zhao clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, the darkest place is right under the candlestick – tough to investigate!"
