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Without waiting for Dai Liu's instructions, I quickly began investigating Ling Yun's call records. After some effort, I finally obtained the records. They were quite chaotic, likely due to the nature of the job; there were many incoming numbers, and some appeared repeatedly. After technical filtering, we analyzed and organized Ling Yun's call records with Xiao Ye, Aki, and Miao. The most calls were made to Xiao Ye, followed by Aki, while Miao had only received a few calls.
Upon returning to the station, I initially thought that after the uproar caused by Xiao Ye's parents, the department would announce the case closed under the pretext of an accident. To my surprise, Dai Liu managed to persuade the Department Leader somehow and, under pressure, established a special task force! There were five members in total, with Dai Liu as the team leader, who organized our first case analysis meeting.
"The establishment of this task force means what you all know it means: this is a Murder Case!" Dai Liu declared, breaking from his usual casual demeanor.
"Murder Case?" Whispers erupted among us. Why would Xiao Ye want to kill Aki? There was no motive or reason; their marriage seemed harmonious at least on the surface. A middle-aged officer raised a question—Old Li, a veteran from the Criminal Investigation Team—echoing our thoughts.
"If it really was sleepwalking that led to murder, then the source of the knife remains a major point of suspicion. The person who brought the knife into the house must be very suspicious."
"Xiao Ye's cup only has fingerprints but no lip prints. How do we explain that? Did anyone drink from the water laced with sleeping pills? Who drank it? That's the second point of suspicion. I've consulted several medical experts who confirmed that sleeping pills can increase the likelihood of sleepwalking and can even cause confusion and loss of control without being in a sleep state."
"Aki died instantly from a stab wound; she wouldn't have died immediately before the knife was pulled out. She would have had at least three to five minutes to react, yet she hardly struggled before dying. Why didn't she fight back? That's the third point of suspicion."
"I've already explained these points to the department, and they support my preliminary judgment. Therefore, I've established this task force. The basic situation has been collected and organized by Ah Huang in advance. I need you all to review relevant materials while I interrogate several related individuals. And remember to take good notes. Alright, let's get to work!"
"Wait!" I called out to Dai Liu before leaving. "I need to ask Miao if she ever saw her sister secretly hide that knife; it was used for cooking."
"Oh?!" Dai Liu raised an eyebrow. "Then hurry up and bring Miao back! Tell Wang to bring Ling Yun here."
By the time I returned with Miao, questioning Xiao Ye was nearly finished. I took Miao into a temporary interrogation room nearby and entered the interrogation chamber myself to report that I had brought her in. As I pushed open the door, I saw the Interrogator questioning Xiao Ye; Dai Liu gestured for me to stand by quietly.
"Xiao Ye, you keep insisting you're innocent. You need to understand that the only way to clear your name is to tell us everything you know. Now recount what happened that night in detail."
I recognized this as a technique—constantly asking similar questions and having suspects repeat their answers is meant to uncover inconsistencies in their stories and find a breakthrough. Once someone tells one lie, they often weave more lies around it until it snowballs into a tangled mess full of flaws.
Xiao Ye paused for a moment before painfully recounting, "That night, our family ordered takeout and had a great time eating together while drinking some red wine. Miao had an early morning for school and went back to her room after chatting with us for a bit. My wife and I watched TV in our bedroom and reminisced about old times; after having some wine, we ended up having intimate relations before I went back to sleep. After that... I don't remember anything until I woke up in shock at what happened." He covered his face again and began to sob.
"Do you remember anything about that knife?"
"No! I clearly took all the knives away because I was worried there wouldn't be enough food for everyone; during that time, we often ordered takeout."
"Do you usually take sleeping pills?"
"I never used to eat it, but recently my wife called the doctor and asked if I could have some diluted, which is supposed to help with sleep quality. I didn't object, so she insisted that I drink it every day."
"Did you drink it that night?"
Xiao Ye thought hard for a moment. "I really can't remember. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. I was very tired at the time, and after leaving Qi's room, all I wanted was to rest. I practically collapsed into bed and fell asleep right away; I can't recall that."
I noticed Dai Liu whispering something to the Interrogator beside him before signaling for Xiao Ye to be taken out. Then Dai Liu turned his head to look at me and said, "Go bring in someone named Miao." On the way to fetch Miao, I observed her expression; she still looked anxious and uneasy. This expression had been consistent throughout, I thought to myself.
"How is your sister's relationship with your brother-in-law?"
"They've always been good. I've hardly ever seen them argue. They do business together and have become wealthy. My brother-in-law comes home to spend the night no matter how late he is out socializing." Miao paused for a moment before adding, "My brother-in-law has a sleepwalking condition, and my sister worries about him. She keeps in touch with doctors and constantly urges him to see them regularly."
"What about your sister? Has she been in contact with anyone more frequently lately?"
"Not really. She just stays at home watching TV or goes out shopping or for beauty treatments. Every time I come home, she's there, and she always manages to prepare meals. I haven't seen her getting particularly close to anyone; my sister is quite introverted and doesn't like communicating much."
"Do you know if your brother-in-law has been taking sleeping pills recently?"
"I don't know." Miao shook her head in confusion.
"Have you ever seen your sister hide a chef's knife? Is that true?"
"Yes, actually. A while ago, my brother-in-law took all the knives away. Later on, it was inconvenient for my sister not to have any knives in the kitchen, so she secretly bought one back, but I don't know where she hid it."
"Now tell me about that night!"
"That night, I had dinner with my brother-in-law and the others. After drinking a bit of wine, I felt sleepy, and since I had an event at school the next day, I went back to my room early to sleep. After that, I don't know what happened."
"Miao, have you been in contact with Ling Yun?" Dai Liu suddenly asked from the side.
"Ling Yun Doctor? Yes, my sister asked me a few times to check his consultation hours when she was busy so she could make an appointment for my brother-in-law." Miao replied casually.
"Do you remember the time?"
"I can't recall, but I have the call records on my phone. If needed, I can pull them up for you."
...
The questioning of Miao quickly came to an end. Dai Liu signaled for a female officer to take her home and then had Ling Yun brought in. I watched Miao's retreating figure, thinking that she seemed like a good person, but unfortunately caught up in such a big family issue. Huh? Why am I so concerned about her? I shook my head, trying to refocus my attention on reality.
"Doctor Ling Yun, you are Xiao Ye's attending psychologist. Did you prescribe sleeping pills for him recently?" The interrogator patiently waited for Ling Yun to settle down before asking.
"Yes, that was me." Ling Yun adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. "Normally, patients with sleepwalking shouldn't take sleeping pills, but his partner has been going through a rough patch in business lately and is feeling down. She requested something to help him sleep better since their doors and windows are locked anyway. I suggested they use a diluted version; it would have some effect but wouldn't induce deep sleep or trigger the subconscious leading to sleepwalking."
"Did Xiao Ye come for treatment alone?"
"Not necessarily. Xiao Ye doesn't take his sleepwalking too seriously; he only continued treatment here last year due to his wife's influence and encouragement. They often came together, and she was very concerned about his condition. Sometimes she would come by herself to consult about his illness and some precautions. I think she loves him very much," Ling Yun said slowly.
"How many years have you been married?" Dai Liu interjected.
Ling Yun paused for a moment before replying, "Six years."
"Do you have children?"
"Not yet."
"Oh, Doctor Ling Yun, you're successful in your career. Why haven't you considered having children yet?"
"Well," I noticed Ling Yun's expression becoming uncomfortable, "Officer, that's a personal matter and seems unrelated to this case."
"Oh, right, right. I was just asking casually. Your relationship with your wife is good, right?"
"Officer, I'm here to cooperate with your investigation, not to be interrogated as a suspect. I believe I don't need to answer questions unrelated to my patient," Ling Yun said, clearly growing impatient and less polite.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just a professional habit of mine, haha. Alright, you all continue," Dai Liu said with a smile as he watched Ling Yun being questioned. I glanced at Dai Liu and then turned to look at Ling Yun, deep in thought.
After the interrogation concluded, the task force held a second meeting. All the written records and evidence analyses were laid out on the table, including the text message logs from the deceased Aki's phone. I flipped through them; most were messages exchanged with her husband, mostly brief notes about what time she would finish work or when she would be home. They matched well with her sister's communication style, giving off a vibe of someone who didn't particularly enjoy socializing. There were also some sporadic messages sent to Ling Yun, such as "Appointment for Wednesday at 8 AM" and "We have set off, what time will we arrive?" Nothing suspicious stood out.
"What are everyone's thoughts now?" Dai Liu asked, propping his legs up on the table and yawning.
"From the testimonies, it seems these three don't have any particular issues," Zhang Interrogator was the first to respond.
"If this is a murder case, we should be able to rule out a crime of passion in this situation. Everyone should agree on that, right? Well then, since it appears to be premeditated murder, there must be a motive and someone who stands to gain the most. Let's continue down this line of reasoning. If it weren't for the physical evidence pointing to Xiao Ye, I would rather believe Miao was the murderer than Xiao Ye. Moreover, Xiao Ye's motive and evidence are insufficient, so I still maintain that it leans more towards an accidental killing," Old Li stated.
I felt a jolt at the mention of Miao.
The room fell silent; it seemed everyone leaned towards the judgments of the two above. I had some thoughts but knew it was best not to speak up in this setting.
"No, it was Xiao Ye's wife Qi who killed herself!" Dai Liu suddenly declared.
I felt a shock run through me!
(To be continued; stay tuned for more exciting developments!)
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