Animal Detective

Chapter 308 Do You Believe the Child's Words?
Turn left after leaving the health center, and walk a short distance. There is a fried chicken and burger shop called Midea.

Shen Xin went and bought some food.

Looking at the hamburger handed to him, Li Yao swallowed hard, then turned to look at Li Shi beside him.

Li Shi held his sister's hand and glanced at Shen Xin.

A few days ago, Shen Xin also treated me to a meal.

He shook his head slightly at Li Yao and said with a pursed mouth, "We're not hungry."

His father is gone, and his grandmother is bedridden. Now it's just him and his sister. He doesn't want to owe anyone anything.

Li Yao said "oh" and lowered his head, but his eyes kept glancing at the hamburger.

Guo Jin, standing nearby, glared at him and said, "Why is this child being so stubborn?"

Without saying a word, Shen Xin shoved the hamburger into Li Yao's hand.

Li Yao put his hands behind his back and shook his head, refusing to take it.

Shen Xin said helplessly, "Li Shi, the deed is done. I know you may not be able to accept it right away. It's okay, take it slow. But you still have to eat. The sky hasn't fallen yet."

As long as a person is alive, there is still hope.

As he spoke, he handed it to Li Yao.

Li Yao looked at Li Shi, who was indeed listening to her brother and refusing to answer.

"We have money."

Li Shi pulled Li Yao and walked outside.

Guo Jin sighed and said helplessly, "What's wrong with this child? Why is he so stubborn?"

Shen Xin felt the same helplessness.

It's understandable that someone going through a rebellious phase would suddenly encounter such a huge change.

Shen Xin handed the food to Guo Jin and quickly followed him out.

Li Shi dragged his sister along for almost two hundred meters before stopping at a breakfast stall. He took out a dollar and ordered two steamed buns.

Then he gave them all to Li Yao.

The two turned their heads and saw Shen Xin.

Their eyes met, and Li Shi quickly looked away. Then he squatted down, grabbed Li Yao, and instructed her, "Sister, I'm going home to get some money. You stay here with Grandma. Don't answer anyone who asks you anything. Wait for me to come back."

Li Yao, with a steamed bun still in his mouth, nodded and leaned closer to whisper, "When Dad left, he hid the money and cards in the coat pocket in the cabinet, saying the password was written on the back."

Li Shi patted his sister's head and turned to leave.

Shen Xin was taken aback, then quickly caught up with him and grabbed him, asking where he was going.

"Do you tube."

Li Shi tried to shake off Shen Xin's arm, but he couldn't.

He glared at Shen Xin, telling Shen Xin to let go.

"Letting go is out of the question," Shen Xin said in a deep voice. "Li Shi, don't be ridiculous. At this moment, your only task is to take good care of your sister. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Li Shi remained unmoved, his eyes like those of a wounded lone wolf, and he squeezed out three words through gritted teeth: "Let go."

After a moment of eye contact, Shen Xin released his grip.

Li Shi turned and walked away, seemingly heading towards the school.

Shen Xin naturally followed.

This kid's mood is really off; if we don't keep an eye on him, something big will happen.

Shen Xin called He Wenyu again, telling him to come out quickly and see if Li Yao had gone back.

And what Li Yao said before.

She said she saw Li Xingping beat Zhang Kaiyong, but Zhang Kaiyong didn't die.

Shen Xin was too shocked just now, and now he realizes that he didn't ask enough detailed questions.

Shen Xin only found out that after the first argument, Li Yao secretly followed Li Xingping down the mountain again.

Then she witnessed the incident: Li Xingping hit Zhang Kaiyong, Zhang Kaiyong fell to the ground, Li Xingping hurriedly left, and he also noticed her, dragging her away.

As she was leaving, she turned to look at Zhang Kaiyong and saw that he was still alive.

Her exact words were that she saw Zhang Kaiyong get up again.

This description is actually quite subtle.

First of all, she glanced back as she was being dragged away.

Then she turned onto the road leading up the mountain, and didn't see what was happening behind her.

Therefore, it is still unknown what kind of "not dead" she refers to.

If someone gets hit but gets back up on their own, then they are definitely not dead.

But if you get hit and just lie on the ground struggling a couple of times, that doesn't mean you're not dead.

Secondly, there is a very basic question: did Li Yao tell the truth?

Li Xingping found her. When he gets home, will he warn her not to talk nonsense, or will he just say that he didn't kill anyone?

This is all possible.

Children in fairy tales are innocent and naive, but that's not necessarily true in reality.

So there are still many details to ask.

Shen Xin has already called Li Xiaowen to tell him about the situation, and he is rushing over here.

Sure enough, Li Shi went to school.

Then he pushed his old bicycle out to leave.

Shen Xin quickly stopped him and asked where he was going.

As always, he remained silent.

What should we do with Shen Xinneng? Should we take him back to the police station for questioning?
My father's fate is unknown, and my grandmother is seriously ill. This isn't appropriate.

Li Shi rode his bicycle away, whirring as he went.

Shen Xin quickly followed, while calling Guo Jin to see if he could arrange for someone to follow Li Shi.

Before long, Guo Jin arrived on his motorcycle.

He stopped Li Shi and gave him a long talk of persuasion.

Useless.

Li Shi stopped talking and, seeing that Guo Jin was holding onto the bicycle, simply threw it aside and dragged his legs forward in silence.

Guo Jin stomped his feet and asked him where he was going, offering to take him there himself.

He didn't reply and just walked away.

Guo Jin had no choice but to give him the bicycle, and only then did he get on it.

Judging by the direction, they're probably heading home.

Shen Xin said, "Director Guo, let's just follow him for now. He's stuck in a rut right now and won't be able to get over it anytime soon."

To be honest, I was completely dazed by this sudden and huge change. Guo Jin nodded and slowly followed on his motorcycle.

Shen Xin immediately returned to the health center.

Li Yao had already returned and was staying with Geng Aiying, silently eating her steamed bun.

He Wenyu, who was standing next to her, tried to persuade her with a hamburger, but she ignored him. When Shen Xin returned, she looked helpless.

Shen Xin squatted down and gently comforted him, "Li Yao, don't be afraid. You yourself said that your father didn't kill anyone, and you saw it yourself. So as long as we explain the situation clearly, everything will be fine."

After offering a word of advice, Shen Xin asked her what Zhang Kaiyong's state of mind was at the time.

She also hid and saw how many times Li Xingping hit Zhang Kaiyong.

Li Yao looked up at Shen Xin, his eyes seeming to want to say something, but then he shook his head and said softly, "My brother told me not to say anything."

Hey!
Shen Xin cursed under his breath, thinking, "What a fool Li Shi is! What was he thinking?"

I tried guiding them again, but it still didn't work.

The little girl may be young, but she listens to Li Shi very well.

Moreover, after getting to know her, Shen Xin felt that she actually knew everything.

As the old saying goes, poor children learn to be independent early. Li Xingping works away from home, Li Shi goes to school in town, and Geng Aiying has difficulty walking, so she is the only one taking care of the family every day.

Otherwise, would she have secretly followed Li Xingping down the mountain?

They must have guessed what Li Xingping was going to do, which is why they followed him to keep an eye on him.

Before long, Li Xiaowen arrived in a flurry with his men.

He waved to Shen Xin, then asked about Geng Aiying's situation before asking Li Yao what he had seen.

Shen Xin tried his best to repeat her original words, and finally said, "The problem now is, what kind of 'not dead' does she mean?"

Li Xiaowen, a seasoned veteran, understood immediately, and his brows furrowed.

Shen Xin turned to look at Li Yao, then said, "Now the young lady isn't saying anything anymore."

Li Xiaowen was taken aback and asked what was wrong.

Shen Xin said helplessly, "It's his brother. He probably told her not to talk nonsense. The girl is quite obedient and won't say anything no matter how we ask."

Li Xiaowen frowned even more and quickly asked where Li Shi was.

Mentioning Li Shi gives Shen Xin an even bigger headache.

After hearing the introduction, Li Xiaowen also had a headache.

Seven years old? So young, can't we take her back for questioning?

He looked around, pointed to one of his men, and told him to give it a try: "You always say you're good with kids, don't you?"

The subordinate who was called out was fair-skinned and clean-cut. He said "Oh" and hurriedly went inside.

Li Xiaowen thought for a moment, then asked someone to call a female colleague in the team and ask her to come over.

It should be easier for a woman to communicate with a little girl.

Then he pulled Shen Xin aside and asked Shen Xin what he thought of Li Yao's statement.

"Hard to say."

Shen Xin shook his head, then asked Li Xiaowen whether he believed a child's words.

Li Xiaowen pursed his lips, turned his head and stared at Li Yao for a while, then shook his head and said, "It's not a matter of believing or not. You also mentioned that Li Xingping discovered her, so it's possible that he instigated her not to talk nonsense."

The person ran away, leaving the child at home. Before leaving, they told the child to tell the police that they didn't kill anyone, which is quite possible.

Shen Xin nodded, "That makes sense."

Even if Li Yao speaks now, her words cannot be completely trusted.

A seven-year-old child may say something that is not true, either because he has been instigated or because he has been frightened.

Shen Xin said, "Captain Li, there's a new situation now. I think we should try to verify Li Yao's statement first."

"Also, Liu Shasha witnessed Li Xingping returning in a panic, but she did not mention Li Yao in her description, which is questionable."

When Li Xiaowen arrived, Shen Xincai remembered Liu Shasha's confession.

She only saw Li Xingping.

Li Yao's account states that she was discovered by Li Xingping, and they went home together.

Li Xiaowen nodded, as he was just about to say the same thing. He said, "We questioned Liu Shasha carefully, and she said she saw Li Xingping when she got up in the middle of the night."

“Li Xingping has to pass by the school gate on her way home. There are lights at the school gate at night, so she has the opportunity to see clearly.”

"However, she only glanced at it and did not come over to check the specific situation before immediately returning to her dormitory."

"In this situation, it's also possible that Li Yao was walking slowly and fell behind."

Shen Xin did not see Liu Shasha's detailed statement, but he guessed that this situation might occur.

I happened to glance at him while I was at school, but I didn't see Li Yao.

The path up the mountain was difficult to walk, so Li Yao was probably walking rather slowly.

It's also possible that Li Xingping's legs were not functioning properly, so he walked even slower and scolded Li Yao to go home first, which made Li Yao run ahead.

Anything is possible, and we cannot simply conclude that Li Yao's words are problematic based on Liu Shasha's testimony.

Shen Xin continued, "The key is the evidence."

Testimony is not always reliable; evidence is king.

"Whether Li Yao's words are true or false, if a second person appeared at the scene and ultimately killed Zhang Kaiyong, I don't believe he wouldn't have left any trace."

“For example, the murder weapon. Suppose Li Xingping didn’t kill Zhang Kaiyong. If a second person appeared, would he pick up a brick and hit Zhang Kaiyong a few more times before killing him?”

“There will definitely be fingerprints or DNA left on that brick. If he used another weapon, I think it would be visible on the body as well.”

A wild goose leaves a trace as it flies by; if a second person were to appear, it's impossible that they wouldn't leave any trace at all.

However, despite saying that, Shen Xin couldn't help but worry.

Because the scene had been disturbed, many people came to watch, and the body was taken back, the traces of the second person may have been concealed among them.

Li Xiaowen nodded in agreement.

Evidence is key to verifying the veracity of Li Yao's testimony.

At this point, Li Xiaowen said with a wry smile, "I thought that once the murderer was identified at the scene, the case would be closed. I never expected there to be such a twist."

Shen Xin thought the same way.

Based on previous evidence, Li Xingping is the murderer.

Speaking of which, I wonder how Li Xingping is doing; his testimony was actually very crucial.

For example, only he knows how many times he hit Zhang Kaiyong and how badly he beat him.

If he's dead, then it will be hard to confirm.

What you fear most is what comes to pass.

While they were still patiently guiding Li Yao, Li Xiaowen received a phone call. When he returned, his expression was grave. He said, "Li Xingping didn't make it to the operating table. He just died."

(End of this chapter)