Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I was so frightened that I shuddered. My voice came out as thin as a mosquito’s whine. “I… I was out walking with my girlfriend.”

“What’s her name? Where did you two go?”

I was so embarrassed I could have buried my head in the floor. “Her name is Zhou Rong. She’s my… my desk mate. We watched videotapes at her house today, and we went to the river to float paper boats.”

Captain Wan turned to the young officer. “Go verify that.”

Then Captain Wan patted my head, his tone much gentler than before. “Having a crush at your age isn’t some heinous crime. I was your age once too. I understand.

“But there are some things I have to ask clearly. This is my job, and I hope you can understand that. After all, you were the last person to see An’an alive, and the first person to discover her body.”

I lowered my head, tears falling from guilt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t take good care of my little sister.”

Captain Wan patted my head again. “Yanwei, how is the relationship between your father and your stepmother?”

I sniffled. “Pretty good.”

Captain Wan asked, “Do they argue?”

“Sometimes.”

I quickly added, “But it’s all just household stuff. Dad likes to drink, and Aunt Ma worries about him, so she tries to talk him out of it. That’s when they get into little arguments.”

Captain Wan jotted a few lines in his notebook. “Does your dad like An’an?”

I nodded. “An’an was cute and sweet-talking. No one could dislike her.”

Captain Wan asked again, “Then in daily life, have you ever seen your father touch An’an’s body?”

I immediately understood what Captain Wan was implying. “Sir, are you suspecting my dad of hurting An’an?”

Captain Wan raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Why would you say that?”

I thought for a moment, wanting to speak but holding back.

Captain Wan said, “We’re just chatting. Don’t be afraid. Say whatever you want.”

After hesitating for a long time, I said, “When I came home in the afternoon, An’an was already gone, but there were two plastic bags of vegetables on the kitchen floor, and the clothes Dad had changed out of were hanging on the rack. In other words, during the time An’an was killed, my dad had come home.”

My voice grew softer and softer. “Maybe… maybe I wasn’t the last person An’an saw. Maybe my dad was.”

Captain Wan looked at me for a long while, then patted my head. “Yanwei, you really are very smart.”

I said urgently, “My dad would never violate An’an! Never!”

“Why?”

My breathing quickened. “Because An’an was his stepdaughter. They weren’t related by blood. He actually didn’t like An’an that much!”

Captain Wan narrowed his eyes slightly. “So you mean your dad hated An’an?”

My palms were covered in sweat. “Not hated, exactly. It’s just…”

Captain Wan gently rubbed my arm. “Yanwei, An’an was only six and a half years old this year, and her life came to an abrupt end. Today, you got to go out and have fun with a girl from your class, but she’ll never get the chance to fall in love, or enjoy a good life.

“Right now, I’m only trying to understand a little about your family. I’m not making any conclusion about your father.

“Just think of it as chatting with me.”

I lowered my head deeply, my heart struggling. But when I thought of poor An’an, I still opened my mouth.