Chapter 2
Chapter 2
City Bureau Interrogation Room.
Pei Yuming looked at the preliminary test report from the police, feeling a bit absurd. He had woken up to find everyone closest to him poisoned to death, and he seemed to be the prime suspect?
He couldn’t believe it was real, even suspecting several times that he was still dreaming.
The incandescent lights in the interrogation room were a bit dazzling; there were no windows, and all around were solid, airtight walls. Pei Yuming squinted, looking so dejected it seemed like he might fall asleep at any moment.
“Pei Yuming?” A plainclothes police officer across from him called out, “Did you hear me clearly?”
“What?”
“Did you understand the rights I just read to you?”
Pei Yuming hadn’t taken in a single word, but he nodded reluctantly. “Mm.”
“Alright,” the plainclothes officer walked over and sat next to him. “I’m Cao Lei, in charge of this case. Now, try to recall where you went today and what you did. Focus on what happened after you got home-anything particularly strange or memorable?”
This time Pei Yuming listened, but he didn’t say anything. His expression was blank, his eyes vacant. Since the incident, he had only cried out once when he found Bai Xue not breathing. The rest of the time he had been like this. He didn’t even want to cry. Apart from feeling stuffy in the interrogation room, he felt oddly calm inside.
“I know, I understand how you feel,” Officer Cao leaned closer. “A thing like this, no one could bear it. But your home is on the twelfth floor, the door was locked, and we just checked the elevator and hallway surveillance. During the time of the incident, no outsider went up. The apartment across from yours has been rented out long-term, but the tenant moved out a month ago and no one has lived there since. Lao Pei, do you understand what that means? It means the crime scene-your home-was in a sealed-room state. Eight people, seven dead, and you the only survivor. If you were in my shoes, what would you think?”
“I…” Pei Yuming finally showed signs of speaking. He murmured, “But I didn’t do anything.”
“Lao Pei, just saying that isn’t enough. The police work on evidence,” Officer Cao guided. “Of course, I personally don’t want to suspect you, but you also need to cooperate with us. Start by telling us what you did today, what happened, and why you had a gathering at home. Be as detailed as possible to help our investigation.”
There were four people in the interrogation room: two uniformed police officers sitting at the desk taking notes, and Cao Lei sitting on Pei Yuming’s side. His voice was soft, his elbows resting on his knees, his gaze slightly lower than Pei Yuming’s. There was none of the usual severity he showed toward other criminal suspects.
“I…” Pei Yuming seemed infected by the concern, and his vacant eyes slowly began to focus. He looked at Cao Lei in front of him, moved his lips, and said in a hoarse voice, “I had two surgeries today… I went to work. In the afternoon I came home, my wife was cooking, and they had all come…”
“You went to work as usual in the morning, right?” Cao Lei interjected in time, beginning to probe for details.
“Yes.”
“What time did you get off?”
“Three o’clock.”
“What time did you get home?”
“… Four o’clock.”
“That doesn’t seem right. From the hospital to your home by subway takes less than half an hour. Why did it take you an hour today?”
“I… was taken away by the police,” Pei Yuming looked down at his left foot, slowly recalling. “A young girl was molested on the subway and needed me to be a witness. Later, they checked the surveillance, arrested the guy, and let me go.”
All of this was true. The police had already discovered it before he entered the interrogation room. Asking again now was to observe Pei Yuming’s reactions.
“Mm,” Cao Lei nodded and continued, “Why did they all come to your house for dinner today? Did you invite them?”
Pei Yuming shook his head, but after a pause of a second, he nodded. “Sort of. Today is our twentieth wedding anniversary. She said she wanted to invite some friends over for a meal to celebrate. My dad and my younger brother both live in this community, so I told her to invite them too. She said she’d already thought of it and had told them long ago…”
“Then what did you do after you got home? Help your wife cook?” Cao Lei once again cut off his rambling narrative.
“No, she said Su Jin was coming to help, and she told me to buy salt, but I forgot. In the end, Su Jin brought it.”
“Who is Su Jin? What’s your relationship with her?”
Cao Lei had asked casually; they had already gotten some information from the victim Su Jin’s parents. But Pei Yuming, who had been in a daze since entering the room, clearly flickered his gaze when he heard this question, though the whole thing lasted less than a second.
He said, “She’s my wife’s best friend. They’ve known each other since childhood and have always been close.”
Cao Lei glanced at the two officers next to him before continuing, “So after you got home, Su Jin arrived shortly after, bringing a bag of salt.”
“And a bouquet of lilies,” Pei Yuming added.
“Su Jin helped your wife cook. What were you doing?” Cao Lei asked again.
“I went to the bedroom to change clothes,” Pei Yuming thought for a moment, then said, “When I came out, my wife told me to help peel garlic, but then Lu Dong arrived. He’s Su Jin’s husband. We sat on the sofa and chatted.”
“Did he bring anything?”
“Yes,” Pei Yuming confirmed. “Two bottles of red wine. I forgot the brand.”
“Then what?”
“My younger brother came.”
“Did he bring anything?”
Pei Yuming furrowed his brows slightly, as if he couldn’t quite recall such a detail. He squinted to think, when suddenly he felt someone squeezing him. A dazzling white light flashed by, and outside the window suddenly fell into darkness. Then he saw his own tired face reflected on the glass. The train car swayed slightly, and the person next to him was still pushing against him.
He looked around and realized he was standing on the subway!