Chapter 278: Locked In On the Real Murderer

The original video file was too large, so Lin Dongxue only copied a few screenshots and left.

After coming out, Lin Dongxue said, “Judging by the killer's fastest speed, it would take at least ten minutes to kill the victim and leave the community. Those who left the community after 11:27 are all suspects.”

“Maybe you will find unexpected people in the video.”

“You mean…”

“It's getting late. I'll send you back to the office and then go and pick up Yueyue.”

Back in the bureau, Lin Dongxue watched the surveillance footage from the community again. At 11:30 that night, a figure riding a red motorcycle left the community.

“No way?”

She finally understood who Chen Shi was referring to. It turned out that he was also skeptical of the waitress at the Japanese restaurant.

Rewinding back, Little Gu entered the community at 11:15 and was at the scene completely within the time period that the crime was committed.

Lin Dongxue immediately called Chen Shi and said excitedly, “It's Little Gu, she went in and out of the community before and after the crime.”

Chen Shi seemed very calm. “This girl appeared within our sights twice and I was a little suspicious of her. I guess it can be confirmed now.”

“I’ll go find her now... I can't wait for tomorrow.”

“So impatient. Okay, I’ll be there right away.”

Half an hour later, Chen Shi drove in and brought Lin Dongxue a homemade bento. Lin Dongxue opened it, looked at it and said, “Your dinner from home?”

“Yeah, I was having dinner when I was called by you... I’ve already eaten!”

“Thank you! I’ll eat in the car.”

The two drove to the Japanese restaurant next to the community which was still open at this time. Little Gu wasn’t around. As soon as they entered the door, the waitress from the North-east bowed again and said, “Irasshai... Oh, it's the police officer!”

The head chef was very excited, mostly because he saw Lin Dongxue. He wiped his hands and came out from behind the counter. He said, “It’s getting late. Are you still investigating the case?”

Lin Dongxue asked, “Where is Little Gu?”

“Delivering food.”

The head chef asked the waitress to pour tea for the two of them, sat down, and asked, “Why do you want to find Little Gu? Do you want to understand the situation further? She just delivered food at noon that day.”

Chen Shi asked, “What time do you deliver until?”

“We say it’s 9:00 in the evening, but if there’s a customer who needs it, we’ll still deliver outside of these hours.”

“When did you stop delivering on April 16th?”

“April 16th? Oh, Wednesday? 10:00!”

“Little Gu has a red motorcycle. Is it her own?”

“Yes, she rides it away after work.”

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi exchanged glances and Chen Shi continued to ask, “Can you talk a bit more about Little Gu?”

“Is there any need to talk about Little Gu? She is a child with an introverted personality but she is very hardworking. She’s been here for three or four years...” While talking, the head chef kept smiling and watching Lin Dongxue.

The waitress chimed in, “Little Gu was very scary when she first arrived.”

The head chef rebuked, “That's personal privacy. Stop talking nonsense, okay?”

Lin Dongxue said, “Can you talk to us about it? Rest assured, we will definitely keep it secret.”

“This... This...” In front of Lin Dongxue, the head chef succumbed without fighting for very long. “When Little Gu first arrived, her face was burned to pieces that were slowly falling off and her clothes were torn. She carried a big canvas bag. She said she hadn’t eaten for a few days and asked if she was able to work here. She already asked a few stores at the time. Since they didn’t like the look of her, they didn’t take her in. I looked at this pitiful child and talked to the store owner to take her in. It turns out that my choice was correct and my eyes didn’t fail me. Little Gu is a really dedicated worker.”

“I don't see anything wrong with Little Gu's face!” Lin Dongxue said.

“You wouldn’t know, but all the money she earned in the past two years has been used for skin grafting surgeries. She looks decent now. In fact, if you look closely, you will find that there are some pieces of skin on her face that are lighter in color than the rest... Oh, This is all personal privacy. Is it appropriate to talk like this? What are you doing asking about this?”

“We’re investigating the case. We have to investigate anything and everything.”

“Oh, I understand... Ever since the police officer came to us that day, the number of customers has really increased.”

Chen Shi thought that this was probably an illusion as he didn’t promote the business at all.

“Oh yeah. Where does Little Gu live?” Chen Shi asked.

“She will be back in a moment.”

“I know. I’m just asking for the address.”

The head chef gave an address and Chen Shi took Lin Dongxue there first. Lin Dongxue questioned, “Aren’t we going to wait for her?”

Chen Shi said, “Let’s go to her house first.”

The puzzled Lin Dongxue followed Chen Shi to Little Gu's apartment, located in a nearby unit building. When they found Little Gu's apartment, Chen Shi took out the key. Facing Lin Dongxue's surprised look, Chen Shi explained, “This is the fake key that I borrowed from Lao Peng.”

“Do you suspect Little Gu switched the keys and replaced the key of the crime scene with her own?”

“Yes!”

Chen Shi inserted the key but couldn't turn it at all. He checked the lock and smiled. “She changed the lock entirely. Look, it's completely new.”

The door was painted with red paint, but there was no paint at all on the newly installed lock. In fact, it was new and shiny.

This move was sufficient proof that Little Gu was a cause for major suspicion.

“I didn't expect someone who had nothing to do with the victim to kill someone,” Lin Dongxue said.

Chen Shi pointed to his face. “From her experience, maybe she had sympathy for Miss Jiang!”

The thought of arresting her made Lin Dongxue's heart a little heavy.

The two returned to the Japanese restaurant where Little Gu had already returned from her deliveries. She was leaned over a table and playing with her mobile phone. The other waitress said, “Little Gu, the police are looking for you.”

Little Gu looked up, slightly surprised.

Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat down in front of her. Lin Dongxue said, “We met that night.”

Little Gu nodded.

“Miss Jiang's bag was left here and you gave it back to her.”

Little Gu nodded again.

Lin Dongxue organized the language she would use in her head and cut to the chase. “When did you deliver the last meal on the evening of April 16th?”

Little Gu recalled for a while before using her finger to write the number nine with her finger.

“Then you got off work at ten?”

Little Gu nodded.

“However, on the surveillance video of the community entrance, we saw you enter the community at eleven and leave at 11:30. Please explain what you did in the community.”

Little Gu's eyes widened. Realizing that the situation was heading in an odd direction, the head chef was about to come over to mediate, but Lin Dongxue stopped him with a gesture.

Chen Shi had been looking something up on his phone.

Little Gu opened her mouth said slowly with a hoarse voice, “Private matter.”

“What private matter?”

Little Gu said nothing.

Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi for the key. “Are you familiar with this key?”

Little Gu's expression became more and more tense, as a drop of cold sweat flowed between her brows.

At this time, Chen Shi said from his mobile phone, “Your name is Gu Xiaoting. Four years ago, you broke up with your boyfriend and he splashed sulfuric acid on you making you disfigured. This incident caused a public sensation at the time...” Chen Shi observed Little Gu's expression. “After finishing the skin grafting and changing your hairstyle, you look a little different.”

Little Gu bit her lips and lowered her head.

Chen Shi asked while carefully enunciating each of his syllables, “What did you do at Ma Jianjun's house on the evening of April 16th?”

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