when the moon whispers

Chapter 479: Rose-Meeting (Part )

Case Seven Rose
Second meeting (Part 1)
The lock and door hinge of the interrogation room seemed to be rusted. I had to pull and shake the door handle vigorously several times before I could finally pull the door open a crack.

Jiang Mo was carrying a bag full of burnt evidence and bumped into two female police officers from the pre-trial department who had just finished their work and were about to leave. He turned aside to exchange a few words before stepping over the threshold and entering the house. He raised his hand to signal the prison guard in charge of escorting him to wait for a few minutes, leaned forward and took a few steps, and slowly handed the evidence bag containing amulets that looked like pieces of burnt clothing and a copy of Song Yike's autopsy report to Xue Yilian's handcuffed hands.

The days in the detention center went by in a cycle, but Xue Yilian was suffering with a dull and sad face. She was so dazed that she dared not move while holding the evidence bag and the copies. She lowered her head and stared at the familiar old things in front of her for almost half a minute. Suddenly, she shuddered and finally raised her head, looking at Jiang Mo in confusion with red eyes.

"…What I heard…in the detention center…is it true?"

"The fire started almost right under Song Yike's seat, and his face was badly damaged... It's not just you. We also suspected that he was trying to escape. The proof of his identity is in the autopsy report."

Jiang Mo tapped the paper with his fingers, his eyes falling on Xue Yilian's shaking hands. He was silent for a few seconds, then gently pressed her shoulders. "We are still investigating the explosion, but we can be sure that this explosion was definitely not an accident."

Xue Yilian slowly raised her head, was stunned for a moment, and frowned in disbelief: "You mean... someone is taking revenge on Xiao Ke?"

"He killed so many people, and those people's relatives and friends are still alive - even those who still live in this city, I can't count them with both hands. After the case was basically investigated, Song Yike died on the way to the detention center for trial -" Jiang Mo took two steps back with his arms folded, looking down at Xue Yilian's hesitation and hesitation, "Of course, after the accident, we questioned those who might have the motive to commit the crime... Unfortunately, those who had the motive did not have the ability to commit the crime, and the suspicious persons who had the ability happened to have clear alibis at the key time points before and after the accident, so... I said hello to my colleagues in the pre-trial department and the detention center, and I took advantage of these few minutes to think about... talking to you."

Xue Yilian's eyes, which had been wavering for a long time, suddenly stopped.

She avoided Jiang Mo's gaze and didn't dare to look up. She was busy rubbing the amulet made of inferior material and burned through the evidence bag. She smiled bitterly and sighed softly: "As for Xiao Ke, I don't really know much. When we met again after he was released from prison, we mostly talked about how to avenge Wan Wan. At most, we talked about the big brother prison guard who took special care of him, saying that he was always worried about his son at home..."

"Prison guard Officer Chen - he was also in the police car that was escorting people and exploded. He has died."

Jiang Mo's expression calmed down, and he muttered a sad sentence without any ripples. Then he looked down at Xue Yilian's suddenly dazed and surprised eyes, and quickly asked back: "Since Song Yike has talked to you about the things in prison, did he mention to you that he met a high school cellmate named Cheng Ye before he was released from prison... It is said that because Cheng Ye was imprisoned for malicious assault and murder, Song Yike was so angry that he beat Cheng Ye and almost got punished. If it weren't for Officer Chen in the prison turning a blind eye, he would probably still be in prison now."

Xue Yilian panicked and shook her head vigorously: "What... Cheng... Cheng Ye... I didn't hear it——"

Jiang Mo didn't listen to her stumbling lies and evaded her hesitation by saying, "Cheng Ye is also dead. Song Yike said he killed him. He is in the emergency room of the suburban hospital--" "How is that possible?!" Xue Yilian finally couldn't hide it anymore. Her upper body straightened up and leaned forward. The tears in her eyes evaporated and only an exaggerated scarlet remained. "Although Xiaoke killed so many people because of Wanwan's matter, he would never kill unrelated people for no reason. Even if it was because of Cheng Ye's imprisonment, Xiaoke just couldn't stand it and would at most find an excuse to vent his anger. How could she kill... him..."

Xue Yilian's sharp tone suddenly dropped, and her shoulders collapsed. She picked at the melted and solidified scar on the amulet with her fingertips, and shook her head in panic, mumbling: "...I...I...I don't know...I'm not sure - could it be..."

"Could it be someone else?" Jiang Mo stepped forward, held down Xue Yilian's trembling wrist, and asked solemnly: "Since Song Yike would not kill people for no reason, it means that Song Yike is hiding something!"

"He really has nothing to do with Cheng Ye!"

Xue Yilian leaned forward and shook her head in fear, then shrank back on the chair after a moment, thinking for a long time in a daze, and raised her eyes timidly: "I... let me make it clear first... Xiao Ke never mentioned these things to me... I... just... listened to the implications of his words and had a little guess."

"Three years ago, Xiao Ke was imprisoned for drunkenness and causing trouble. It seems someone told him."

Xue Yilian intertwined her fingers, her nails almost digging into her flesh. "I don't know much about what happened when the police were investigating the case, but I heard him mention it after he was released from prison. The people who died were people of status and position. If he continued to act so blatantly, he might not be able to hold on and carry out thorough revenge for Wanwan... Later... Later, I don't know whose idea he listened to, but he went to jail for alcoholism, saying that he was trying to avoid the limelight..."

Jiang Mo frowned immediately, and glanced at the red-light flashing surveillance camera in the corner of the interrogation room. "Has the person who gave him the advice ever mentioned it to you in detail?"

"No, he never talked about Wanwan's affairs, and I never asked... He always felt that if I knew less about murder and arson, even if the truth came out and he was arrested, I wouldn't be an accomplice with the same crime as him." Xue Yilian's words were about to fall, and he pursed his lips, biting the dry and curled dead skin with his teeth. After hesitating for a few seconds, he slowly shook his head, "There is one more thing I'm not sure about... but I think... it might be useful-"

Xue Yilian frowned and thought for a moment, then raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Mo firmly.

"When Wanwan was still in the suburban nursing home, he had just been released from prison. One time, I went to see him and saw someone coming out of the ward, but walked away from the stairwell. I didn't see who it was or what she looked like... but - it should be a woman. If I remember correctly... it should be - the afternoon when many police cars came to the emergency room."

Due to work and health reasons, I will be working on another day~
"Looking back, everything has turned to dust, only the green mountains remain unchanged."