Chapter 31: Shadows of Suspicion

Xiao Yu frowned, unable to pinpoint anything suspicious about the other party.

Was he just overthinking?

Shaking off his doubts, he said, “Let’s begin the interrogation…”

“There are three victims in this case. The male victim was your old buddy, the female victim is your ex, and the child…”

Xiao Yu locked eyes with He Xia. “Before you went to the victim’s house, you got a text from your ex. The text said… He Xia, you want to know why I followed Dajun, and now that you’re here, I’ll explain… right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

He Xia nodded excitedly.

At this moment, he cooperated fully, seeing a glimmer of hope.

No one could fathom the terror raging inside him.

Even a fool knows that if he were truly declared the murderer,

his fate would be sealed without a word…

“Then, you left home and went to the victim’s place.”

Xiao Yu continued, “When you entered the victim’s home, your memory went blank. When you came to, the police were already there?”

“Yes, exactly,” He Xia nodded.

Could a normal person really slip into a 33-hour stupor?

Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes.

M drugs? Or some other substance?

But it couldn’t have been due to an assault.

When the police arrested the suspect, they found no signs of a struggle on him.

Oddly enough, even the blood tests revealed no traces of any drugs.

If a murderer had done something to the suspect,

what method could he possibly have used?

Or could the suspect himself be at fault?

No!

After thorough physical examinations and a review of his medical history,

they found that the suspect was in excellent health.

Although he had experienced brief mental issues in childhood, they were quickly resolved.

In short, it was unlikely that the suspect had collapsed on his own.

It was far more likely that an external force had knocked him unconscious for over 33 hours.

Following Xiao Yu’s interrogation,

the suspect’s account matched exactly with what He Xia had previously told the police.

Disappointing?

Indeed, Xiao Yu felt a pang of disappointment.

No clues were found on the suspect…

Xiao Yu tried to console He Xia, assuring him that the real killer might be someone else.

For now, the suspect was merely a person of interest, destined to remain in custody for a while—but he would surely be released.

He Xia expressed his gratitude profusely, thanking him repeatedly as he walked out with the guard…

Watching He Xia’s retreating figure, Xiao Yu half-squinted his eyes.

“Any breakthroughs?”

Niu Peng, who had remained silent throughout the interrogation, finally asked.

“Maybe I was just overthinking.”

Xiao Yu snapped back, “There must be something on the suspect that we haven’t uncovered yet, though I’m not sure how it ties into the case.”

“How can you be so sure?” Niu Peng frowned, bewildered.

“Just a hunch.”

Xiao Yu shook his head, a glimmer of determination in his eyes. “Team Leader Niu, let’s go look for the murder weapon. I suspect the killer didn’t take it off the scene.”

Reducing a human skeleton to powder requires tools that ordinary instruments simply can’t manage.

And since no such tools were found at the scene, where did they go?

By the time they returned to the Sub-Team, it was already 7 p.m.

Xiao Yu pulled up the surveillance footage from the victim community.

If the murder weapon was large, it wouldn’t have been easy to hide.

Analyzing the footage for clues is a standard police procedure.

The Special Investigation Team had already examined the recordings thoroughly, finding no irregularities.

But Xiao Yu wasn’t convinced.

He believed the weapon might have been disassembled and smuggled out in parts.

During a specific time frame, anyone repeatedly entering and exiting the community was added to Xiao Yu’s suspect list.

In the end, three individuals were targeted.

A young woman, a middle-aged man, and a community landscaper.

The landscaper, in particular, was highly suspect—likely carrying some tools into the community.

However, any further investigation had to wait until dawn.

Xiao Yu glanced at his phone. It was already 9 p.m.

His thoughts drifted to Mu Qingwu.

She had promised her sister to return home…

……

First, he took a taxi back to the Criminal Investigation Team, hopped into a sports car, and then returned to the Villa.

He had to return the car to Mu Qingwu; after all, they weren’t truly married.

Back at the Villa, Mu Qingwu hadn’t taken a break. She was seated in the lobby, absorbed in some content on her tablet.

Noticing Xiao Yu as he entered, Mu Qingwu maintained a neutral expression.

“Did Aunt and Mom leave?”

After settling on the sofa, Xiao Yu noticed a bottle of drink on the coffee table. Thirsty, he picked it up and took a gulp without a second thought.

“……”

Mu Qingwu stared at Xiao Yu as he drank, momentarily taken aback.

Normally, she might have been angry at such disregard.

But she wasn’t petty.

After all, it was her drink…

“So sweet?”

After a few sips, Xiao Yu examined the drink in his hand.

Mu Qingwu’s beautiful face flushed a deep shade of red.

Sweet? Was she referring to the taste of the drink or the lingering sweetness of lipstick?

“What are you trying to say?!”