PDLP Chapter 152 152
Chapter 152 152
Inside the house and in the hallway, the security cameras were turned off by external force an hour ago.
Two police cars were parked downstairs, their red and blue lights flashing alternately, standing out conspicuously in the night. The sounds of family members crying and ambulance sirens could be heard, attracting quite a few people to the area.
He carried the child downstairs.
Those eyes, like those of someone looking at a suspect, were filled with undisguised malice, scrutinizing the person from head to toe.
"Officer, this is a guest on our program." Sister Wang arrived after receiving the message, her face full of anxiety.
"Officer! Are you sure there's no mistake...?"
The police sirens continued to blare; the closer I got, the clearer I could hear them, and the more panicked my heart became.
"Stay inside," the person outside said sternly.
With a "bang," the car door slammed shut, blocking out all the noise.
The blue and red lights shone in softly, making one feel dazed.
After a long while, Gu Xinglan slowly came to her senses and asked, "Li Hetai, did you call the police?"
The person in his arms was clutching his collar, showing no reaction, seemingly exhausted.
Whether it's the death of a dog, an elderly person, or the arrival of the police, it seems that trouble is heading towards Leong Hoe Thai.
Looking at the silent person in her arms, Gu Xinglan inexplicably felt as if she were holding a time bomb.
"I didn't kill the dog. As for those people, I only slashed their elbows and behind their knees. As for calling the police, that's ridiculous."
After the person in his arms finished speaking, they looked up and gave him a cold look.
Can we believe these words? Given the current situation, we have no choice but to believe them.
“…I believe you.” Gu Xinglan lowered her eyes, raised her hand, and touched the child’s head.
But if the old man's death is not investigated, he will be unable to extricate himself from the case, and at best he will have to pay a huge sum of money, and at worst he will go to jail.
*
Wushui Police Station.
People were coming and going; the first floor was packed with people.
"Go up to the second floor."
The person leading the way held up a phone: "Where is Officer Lin? There's a new case here; an old man has died."
Upon hearing the word "Lin," Gu Xinglan's eyes lit up.
The police officer I met in Fusong a few days ago was also surnamed Lin.
"What's your name?" The person on the phone turned around.
"My surname is Gu, and my given name is Xinglan."
[Gu Xinglan?!]
Sometimes fate is just that coincidental. Seeing the same all-blue interrogation room and the same faces, he almost burst into tears.
"Be serious!" the person leading the way shouted.
The door closes.
Officer Lin inside twitched his eyebrow: "Mr. Gu, come on, practice makes perfect."
Gu Xinglan's backside had barely touched the seat when his fatigue vanished, and he seemed to have a thousand words to say.
"Tell me about your relationship with those elderly people first."
“I only had contact with one of the elderly people; they rented the car from the scrap yard.” Gu Xinglan took out her phone.
"This is what a bicycle looks like."
In the photo, the child's silhouette, stretched by the sunset, resembles a long black stocking, obscuring most of the bicycle.
"I rented a bicycle because I was filming a program for work, and one of the segments of the program was to pick up this child."
"A program?" Officer Lin raised an eyebrow.
Gu Xinglan nodded quickly: "I have no motive to harm those elderly people."
As Officer Lin typed, he said, "We just collected testimonies that say you have a conflict of interest with these elderly people."
The computer screen displayed a pile of images, including transfer information for 60,000 yuan, which clearly indicated who provided them.
He was so angry he almost developed nodules!
"Here's the thing, there was a stray dog in the neighborhood that was killed by someone. I found it and buried the puppy, thinking it was an act of kindness. But the old man who rented my car insisted that I killed the dog and blamed me for the car being stolen. He's demanding money from me. This happened this morning. He asked for 60,000 yuan right off the bat. It's clearly extortion! I need to film a program, and I don't have 60,000 yuan. My company reimbursed me." Gu Xinglan took out her phone's chat history: "This is my boss, surnamed Meng."
Why didn't you call the police?
"The program is in a rush to meet deadlines, so we're trying to solve this with money."
What kind of program are you filming?
In half a minute, Gu Xinglan introduced the program in a few words, and at the end, she added: "There are cameras in the house and there are cameras in the hallway. Everyone in the hallway has signed a contract, but those cameras broke down for no reason."
"Without direct evidence, this is a very tricky matter, and it will be difficult for you to clear your name."
When Officer Lin mentioned filming the program, his expression softened considerably: "You came from Fusong, and now you've encountered this matter. I'll handle this officially and try to speed up the investigation as much as possible."
"Thank you, Officer Lin!" Gu Xinglan clasped her hands together, her eyes filled with tears.
"But how did those people get their wounds?"
"They're fighting each other..."
"What I received was that the child used a knife to inflict wounds on them."
Several elderly people insisted on identifying the child, who was then taken to another interrogation room. Officer Lin stared intently at the person sitting opposite him.
His expression was perfectly balanced, conveying just the right amount of sadness, confusion, and anger.
“Those people! How could they wrong a child!” Gu Xinglan stood up abruptly.
"Don't be impatient. They have no direct evidence and cannot prove their claims."
Officer Lin stared intently at the three characters "Li Hetai" on the screen. They seemed somewhat familiar, but after a moment's thought, he couldn't make heads or tails of them.
“That child is the rich young master who was swapped with my child. He’s very smart, and I’m afraid he’s terrified this time. I’m worried that the big boss will hold me accountable…” Gu Xinglan sighed.
The two people asked and answered questions, and because there was no surveillance and someone had died, they stayed in the interrogation room for a very long time.
Finally, Officer Lin snapped his laptop shut: "My intuition and experience are missing a clue. Once I find that clue, this case will be solved."
“Then I’ll do it here…” Gu Xinglan raised her eyes.
Officer Lin glanced at his phone, looked back at the person on the other end, and said, "We need to combine your statements with further discussion and investigation, but ultimately the evidence is insufficient, whether it's you or those elderly people. You are still a suspect and need to provide a bail application. Someone will take you to do that. In the meantime, do not leave the city..."
When released.
There were cries outside, several old men were throwing a tantrum on the floor of the police station lobby, and family members rushed at him as soon as they saw him.
Gu Xinglan was startled and froze for a moment. Before he could dodge, the group of people who attacked him were blocked by the burly photographer.
"Mr. Gu, the footage was uploaded to the cloud before the camera broke. Please finish the formalities and go home. We can't film until the new camera arrives. Also, a colleague was injured. The production team intends to sue them..."
"You police officers are aiding and abetting evil!!"
He could no longer hear the various sounds around him clearly.
After completing all the formalities, I was so tired that my eyelids were drooping when I came out.
Until my gaze fell upon that figure sitting in the chair, half asleep.
Gu Xinglan let out a long sigh, slowed his pace, and walked over slowly. When he got to the other person, he could only see that the child's face was covered by slightly long, wispy hair. He raised his hand to brush it aside and gently tapped the other person's forehead.
"Wake up, it's time to go back."