"So he's resentful?"
"He didn't hate her. He wanted to forget that woman. He said to me: 'Mom, forget it too, there's no point in being angry with that kind of person.'"
The old woman seemed to be aware of the answer that the detective was expecting, so she avoided saying it.
"Yeah, I think it's like what your son said. It's really stupid to be depressed or angry over that kind of woman."
The detective expressed his feelings sincerely. If this is really the truth about breaking the contract, then He Chun must be a very bad woman. Not very sympathetic.
"Did you say that when Miss He Chun was killed, rumors spread around the town?"
"Yes, that's right..."
"Madam, are you being looked down upon by others?"
"Yes, there are people who are very talkative. When we walked over, they said that my son was suspicious. It was almost like they were saying that it was my son who did it."
"But as people have said, the police also suspect that your son did it. On the night of the murder, which was the night of the 8th of this month, was your son at home?"
"Well..."
The old woman tilted her wrinkled face and gave no clear response.
"I don't remember. Sometimes he would be at home, sometimes he would go out with friends, or go fishing at night. Please ask my son directly for the details of that night."
"Okay, let me go and ask. Where is your son?"
"He's at the company."
"Which company?"
"Well, it's a hardware company in Tianjin."
"Tianjin?" The detective seemed to have the impression of passing by Tianjin station on his way here.
"Yes, in Tianjin. Take the train from here and you'll be there in just six stops."
"I see, then I'll go over and have a look. By the way, madam, if you're sorry, can you give me some oden for one person?"
"Okay, okay."
"If he is innocent, please don't worry so much." Tian Chunda said from behind her.
The police officer who left the oden restaurant planned to visit He Chun's hometown hotel through the shortcut told to him by Qiao Xiang's mother. There was a sign saying "Red Room" hanging above the entrance, so I found it right away.
There was a thirty-year-old man in an apron standing in the dimly lit store. When he inadvertently raised his head, he happened to meet the police officer's eyes. At a glance, he knew that he was the brother who had come to take away He Chun's remains. The other party seemed to also smile at Tian Chunda's face. Although he still showed an expression as if he had recognized the wrong person, it only took a moment for the two of them to smile at each other at the same time.
"Oh, isn't this Mr. Police Officer? Thank you for taking care of me at that time..."
"Is there any good news?"
"No, no, no, the case is still under investigation. I came here for the investigation."
"Oh, it's hard work for you to come all the way here. If we could find out who the culprit is earlier, I think my sister who was murdered can rest in peace."
"We'll try our best."
Three weeks have passed, but no results have been produced, so Tian Chunda had no choice but to say some words of defense. While He Liang expressed condolences to the detective for his hard work, he kindly brought him a wooden stool and asked him to sit down. Tian Chunda took out the last cigarette from his flat pocket, and the owner of the hotel immediately lit a match to light it for him. A face tanned by the sun appeared behind the red flames, and then disappeared. That face had stern eyes very similar to those of the murdered He Chun.
Tian Chunda asked the hotel owner if he had any clues about the prisoner.
"Any clues? Well, I'm not very sure, but I think it's the son of the Oden restaurant who was engaged to my sister before. Although my sister's behavior may be unilaterally ignoring the other party, there's no need to kill her. She can't. No matter what others say, I believe it was Qiao Xiang who did it."
If Qiao Xiang is the prisoner, it can be imagined that he followed He Chun to Kanazawa, secretly monitored the two of them, and waited for the opportunity to strike, but it was not easy to find the opening of the other party. Just when Qiao Xiang was quite anxious, Xiao Long and He Chun, who had returned from their visit, finally acted separately for the first time since arriving in Kanazawa. While Qiao Xiang was ecstatic about the opportunity, he continued to follow He Chun cautiously. After He Chun came out from the hotel after dinner, he appeared in front of her... If you speculate this way, did He Chun go to the crime scene on the beach not because of his own will, but because Qiao Xiang begged her to go? Or threatened by the point of his pistol? They were probably forced to take them somewhere.
Tian Chunda wanted to see Qiao Xiang quickly and understand what kind of man he was. He threw the cigarette butt behind the ashtray and opened his notebook.
"Can you tell me about Qiao Xiang's character? Judging from the information I have obtained, I would only think that he is a very honest person..."
"When he got engaged to my sister, I thought he was a good young man. But when the engagement broke off, I heard rumors that he became very loose after drinking. According to the rumors, he would accidentally say He wanted to kill my sister and other inappropriate words. I also felt that I had to be careful about him, so I wrote a letter to my sister, warning her not to come back for a while. My sister has always followed my advice. So after canceling the engagement, she She never set foot on the land in the countryside again and died like this. In the letter she sent me, she also said that she missed the mountains and sea of Jingu very much. So she felt so pitiful."
His voice became excited as he spoke. Then he seemed to feel embarrassed to show his sadness in front of the detective, so he coughed stiffly.
"In short, although we laughed off Qiao Xiang's rumors, we were very scared and on tenterhooks inside."
"I know. Can you please tell me more about Qiao Xiang?"
"OK."
"Although praising Qiao Xiang makes me angry, he used to be a very serious man in life. I haven't heard any bad rumors about him. So when my sister said she wanted to marry him, I agreed. "
"Then did he ever lose his temper?"
"It seems not. Anyway, he is a very honest man."
It seems that he doesn't know any details, and the topic is back to the original point. But if you want to know Qiao Xiang’s character, you can go to the hardware company in Tianjin and meet with your colleagues or boss to find out.
"By the way, why did your sister cancel the engagement?"
"People in the world have many different rumors, about her being tempted by desire, etc., but they are all wrong. The problem is love: she and Mr. Xiao Long fell passionately in love with each other. On the other hand, the relationship between her and Qiao Xiang , the relationship gradually faded as time passed. Although Nanguang City is very close to here, no matter how close we live, without the chance to meet, it is like living in the North and South Poles. And the love between her and Qiao Xiang is like It's prolonging the relationship we had in high school, but it's just like playing house. Now that my sister has grown up and become a mature woman, it's natural that her thoughts will change, isn't it?"
As soon as he defended his sister, his tone became different from before, and he seemed passionate.
"I understand. Are there other people who hate or hold a grudge against your sister? It doesn't matter if they don't live around here. Did your sister mention anything similar in the letter she wrote to you?" Tian Cunda asked again.
"Yes. I'm thinking about this too. Apart from Qiao Xiang, Mr. Xiao Long's former fiancée seems to hate He Chun very much. I heard that she is a very hysterical woman..."
Tian Chunda gently closed the notepad, then said that he would go to Tianjin to investigate next, and stood up. The shop owner used gestures to persuade the criminal policeman to sit down again.
"Hey, how about sitting there a little longer? My wife is out and I'll help you make tea now."
"No, I'm going to the company where Qiao Xiang works now."
8
When he arrived at the hardware company where Qiao Xiang worked, Tian Shanshu spoke to a young man who came out of the door and told him that he wanted to see Qiao Xiang from the sales department.
"I want to ask him about the marriage of my friend's daughter. My senior's daughter is about to marry Mr. Qiao Xiang's middle school classmate, so I want to hear the opinion of Mr. Qiao Xiang, who is his good friend."
In order not to arouse unnecessary vigilance in the other party, Tian Chunda often spreads some harmless novels on such occasions.
"Please wait a moment."
I just thought that the man would invite Tian Chunda into the entrance hall, but I didn't expect that he would jog out again immediately.
