Chapter 92

On the fifth day after Chen Yanqiu’s body was found, Zhang Congyun was taken to the interrogation room of the Nancheng City Bureau. He was also the first suspect to appear in this case.

Song Wen looked through the observation room window at the old man in front of him. Under the interrogation room lights, he had a stern face, and the wrinkles on his face were more pronounced, making it difficult to discern what he was thinking.

Today, Song Wen had instructed Fu Linjiang and Lao Jia to go in for questioning first. Compared to him and the seemingly refined Lu Siyu, Fu Linjiang seemed more like the ordinary police officer in people’s minds, and Lao Jia, due to his age, seemed less approachable. He hoped to exert some pressure on the old man.

The interrogation didn’t go smoothly. Since it began, it had been over two hours, and the old man provided very limited information. Many of the questions asked by Fu Linjiang were met with silence, and when pushed, he simply claimed not to know.

During the break, Lao Jia came out to pour water and said, “Captain Song, this old man is pretending to be deaf and dumb because of his age. He claims not to know anything no matter what we ask.”

Lu Siyu bit his nails, looking at the still blank notebook in front of him. From morning till now, he hadn’t recorded anything valuable.

Zhu Xiao knocked on the door and entered the interrogation room. “Captain Song, you asked me to check Zhang Congyun’s whereabouts during the time of Chen Yanqiu’s death. I found this.” He handed Song Wen a printed paper, which was Zhang Congyun’s round-trip train ticket to his hometown for the Lunar New Year.

Song Wen opened it and saw that he went back with Zhang Lili and their granddaughter. “Has the information been verified?”

Zhu Xiao nodded. “It’s been verified. During that time, he was in his hometown. I called his relatives to confirm. Zhang Congyun’s hometown is in Lizhou, and the round trip takes over ten hours by train. It can be confirmed that during that time, he did not leave.”

Chen Yanqiu’s body had become mummified, and the police could only determine a rough time frame based on Lin Xiuran’s autopsy results and Fu Linjiang’s inquiries with the hotel owner, proving that he was murdered during that time.

Now, Zhang Congyun’s travel information happened to cover this period. This discovery meant that Zhang Congyun had a strong alibi, proving that he was not the killer of Chen Yanqiu, or at least not the direct one.

Lao Jia also walked over to take a look at the information. “There’s one thing I haven’t figured out. Since he’s not the culprit and has a solid alibi, why did we interrogate him for so long? Isn’t this a waste of time for both parties?”

Lu Siyu thought for a moment, then looked at Zhang Congyun, who was silent in the interrogation room. “He doesn’t need to use this to defend himself, maybe because he doesn’t know the exact time of Chen Yanqiu’s death.”

Lao Jia said, “So, does that mean this old man really isn’t the culprit?”

“I checked their information. Zhang Congyun had a deceased son, and Chen Yanqiu also lost his father at a young age. Perhaps these two formed a subtle connection during their interactions,” Lu Siyu said as he fiddled with the pen in his hand and spoke softly. “We can question the strangeness of this relationship and find his behavior suspicious, but without direct evidence, we cannot say anything from a legal or professional perspective.”

Zhu Xiao asked, “So, if Zhang Congyun’s interactions with Chen Yanqiu and Chen Yanqiu’s death are not directly related, even if there are doubts about Zhang Congyun, can we not detain him for too long?”

Song Wen nodded, “If Zhang Congyun is not the culprit, detaining him for a few hours is already the limit.” Then, with a slight frown, he continued, “But there’s something I can’t figure out. Why did he lie before?”

Deep down, Song Wen didn’t want to let Zhang Congyun go easily. He always felt there were unexplained points about this man.

As someone involved in the case, distinguishing lies from truth was one of their daily tasks.

But people lie for a reason.

Some are timid, afraid of trouble, have been warned, or threatened. They may think that by remaining silent or telling a lie, they can avoid getting into trouble; some lie to hide information, protect family members, relatives, or have other purposes; then there’s the most annoying but common situation where people just won’t tell you for no reason. It seems that causing trouble for others brings them joy. They simply resent the police and refuse to cooperate in the hope of hindering the investigation.

Which category did Zhang Congyun fall into? What were his concerns, his reasons for concealing the truth?

Song Wen thought for a moment, then stood up and stopped Lao Jia, who was about to return to the interrogation room. “Let me handle the questioning this time.”

Lao Jia nodded, happy to have some free time, so Song Wen took on this hot potato and walked out, pushing open the door to the interrogation room.

When Zhang Congyun saw him come in, he lifted his head to look at him. The interrogation room fell silent for a moment, with only the hum of the ventilation fan heard.

“I know you may not be the killer of Chen Yanqiu, but…” Song Wen placed a stack of surveillance photos retrieved from the vicinity of Ruyi Inn on the table. “With both witness and physical evidence, do you still want to claim that you don’t know Chen Yanqiu?”

Zhang Congyun sat quietly, looking down at the few photos on the table, and finally spoke, “The previous photos were unclear, and I’m old with poor memory. I forgot.”

The light in the interrogation room shone down from above, casting shadows under his eyelids. He wasn’t as irritable as he had been at home, but his unwillingness to cooperate was still evident in his words.

Song Wen sat down next to Fu Linjiang. “Right now, we’re just investigating Chen Yanqiu’s cause of death. You were someone who had contact with him before his death, someone who knew he was still alive. If you’re not the culprit, I hope you can provide us with relevant clues. Let us solve this case.” This opening was sincere enough; Song Wen almost laid all his cards on the table. He paused and asked, “When did you meet him?”

This time, Zhang Congyun remained silent for a moment before answering, “It was after the car accident.”

In the observation room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Siyu finally began to take notes. As long as Zhang Congyun was willing to cooperate, they could extract some information.

“…Was he approaching you under the guise of Zhang Rui?”

“No.” Zhang Congyun shook his head to deny this. “I know his connection to my wife’s car accident. I also know that he wasn’t the one who actually killed my wife.”

“How do you know?”

“He told me.” Zhang Congyun’s voice was calm and hoarse, devoid of emotion. “After my wife’s death, one day I suddenly received a call from someone who said they could tell me the hidden truth about my wife’s accident. I went, and that person showed up.” Zhang Congyun pointed to the photos on the table. “Then I met that young man, and he told me the whole process of the accident. He was in a group and received this task. He didn’t expect things to develop like this.”

“And then?” Song Wen pressed on.

“Initially, I hated him and wanted to beat him up or even kill him because, due to his existence, the real culprit who killed my wife was not punished. I still don’t know who the bastard was who killed her. My wife’s death shouldn’t have become his way of making money.” Zhang Congyun leaned back in his chair. “He said he was willing to compensate me, but I refused. I questioned him about who the culprit was. But like me, he didn’t know much about the whole thing. Then, before I could do anything, he fainted. I had no choice but to take him to the nearby clinic.”

“So, you forgave him like that?”

“I knew he was seriously ill and that it was only a matter of time before he died. What could I do? My wife is already dead, and I received compensation. I can’t be stuck in that car accident forever; I have my own life.”

Fu Linjiang asked, “Knowing that someone took the blame for the accident, why didn’t you report it to the police?”

“How do you know I didn’t?” Zhang Congyun looked at Fu Linjiang and sneered. “I went to the Traffic Bureau and told them something was wrong with the accident. Do you know what those people asked me?” He paused and continued, “They didn’t ask where I got the information or if there was any evidence. They asked if the compensation wasn’t enough.”

Such a result was indeed chilling.

Song Wen continued, “You took Chen Yanqiu to the clinic more than once, it seems.”

“The second time was because he fell ill at the small hotel, felt like he was dying, and called me, begging for forgiveness before he died, saying he wouldn’t rest in peace otherwise. I felt a little sorry for him. He didn’t know about the scapegoat thing at first, and besides… he was just a kid, younger than my daughter. I couldn’t just stand by.”

“Where did the model of Nancheng Tower in your house come from?”

Zhang Congyun looked up at Song Wen. “Officer, I know what you’re thinking. We weren’t that close. After I bought medicine for him and saw him finally getting better, I told him one day that my wife never got to visit Nancheng Tower before she died. I refused his monetary compensation, so he wanted to buy one as compensation.” Zhang Congyun’s eyes finally flickered. “In fact, it wasn’t until you came to me yesterday that I learned he was already dead. His death has nothing to do with me.”

Song Wen asked, “Why did you lie to us when we went to your house last time?”

“Because I didn’t want these things to disrupt my life anymore. And… I was a little scared…”

Song Wen pressed, “Scared of what?”

“When someone you know, have spoken to, and eaten with suddenly has someone tell you they’re dead, and it’s unclear how they died or who killed them, wouldn’t that scare you? It’s human nature to distance oneself from such events, isn’t it?” Zhang Congyun looked up at them. “And you police officers. Shouldn’t you first go find out who killed my wife?”

Song Wen stared at him and said, “Once the case is in my hands, it will be thoroughly investigated. Your wife’s death, Chen Yanqiu’s death—I will clarify everything, make it crystal clear.”

“Hmph.” The old man looked at them, seemingly skeptical of Song Wen’s words, letting out a cold laugh. Song Wen remained silent, understanding his feelings of despair. The case happened six months ago, and at that time, he might have hoped that the police could provide him with answers.

“Is what you’re saying now true?” Fu Linjiang seemed somewhat incredulous.

Zhang Congyun lifted his head slightly. “Are my answers unsatisfactory to you? You can torture me severely and make me confess to being the murderer.”

“What else do you know?” Fu Linjiang continued to ask.

“My story is finished; I really don’t know anything else.” Zhang Congyun closed his eyes and, after a moment, opened them again. “Can you tell me how… he died?”

Song Wen hesitated for a moment and told him, “At the end of last year, right before the Chinese New Year, he was stabbed in the chest. He was found dead in a chemical plant afterward.”

Zhang Congyun nodded without asking anything further.

After being detained for six hours, Zhang Congyun, having signed some documents, was allowed to leave.

Lu Siyu escorted him out. It was summer, during the day, but he wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants. After leaving the City Bureau’s gate, Zhang Congyun walked across the street to the bus station and sat down. His back was hunched, his body curled up, the wind tousling his hair—silver outnumbering the black. Only at this moment did people truly feel that he was just an old man who had lost his wife.

Across the bustling traffic, Zhang Congyun looked up at Lu Siyu, who had escorted him out. Their eyes met for a second. In that moment, his eyes were filled with the weariness of life, but afterward, there was a kind of stubborn sharpness like a sword.

Lu Siyu wanted to see more clearly, but his view was blocked by several passing cars. By the time those cars left, the platform across was empty.

At the same time, inside the South City Bureau, Song Wen had just finished organizing things and came out of the observation room. Zhu Xiao walked over and said, “Captain Song, I just saw the transfer list from Captain Xu. It seems like Lu Siyu’s name is on it…”

This Captain Xu was someone they couldn’t avoid. Song Wen stood up and said, “Continue with the investigation; I’ll go communicate with the special task force.”