Chapter 4

At the mention of April 15, both officers immediately grew intensely excited.

The younger officer shot an eager glance at the older one, took the statement back from me to correct it, then returned it for me to sign and leave my fingerprint.

“Put your signature by April 15, too. All right, you can go for now. If you remember anything else, tell us right away.”

“Yeah, yeah. All right.”

…

“Captain Lin, I was right! Liu Xiaofang is the killer! And the crime took place on the fifteenth!”

Xiao Hu was beside himself with excitement.

I was excited, too.

The truth was finally about to come out.

“Xiao Hu, interrogate Liu Xiaofang again.”

When she heard that Dr. Wang had come in with a lead, Liu Xiaofang let out a breath of relief and slumped in her chair.

“Yes. I killed him.”

“What exactly happened?” Xiao Hu asked, frowning.

“That day was Xiaoning’s birthday.

“After work, I stopped by a fast-food place and bought him a hamburger, so I got home later than usual.

“When I got there, the room was a complete mess.

“Xiaoning was lying on the floor, covered in blood.

“And that bastard Liu Cheng was standing on the dining table, eating Xiaoning’s birthday cake.

“‘So you finally came home, did you? Where were you crawling into bed with some man this late at night? Did you leave all that education in a dog’s stomach? You shameless slut!’

“I was furious in an instant.

“Anyone could call me shameless. Anyone but Liu Cheng!

“He was the one who ran off with the money he owed and destroyed my family!

“It was because I had to raise his child that I kept forcing myself to smile at those disgusting men, again and again!

“I went to school! I was educated! Did I not know right from wrong? Didn’t I want to live with dignity, like a human being?

“But could I?

“Because of him, I lived worse than a dog!

“I thought about killing myself more than once.

“But if I died, what would happen to Xiaoning?!

“I’d raised that child with my own hands, feeding him wild greens when he was so little he didn’t know anything!

“How could I abandon him?!

“When Xiaoning heard Liu Cheng insulting me, he struggled to get up and hit him.

“Liu Cheng kicked him again. Xiaoning curled up on the floor, blood coming from his mouth.

“‘You filthy woman, you stupid little bastard! Hmph. This brat even tried to hit me when I asked for the house deed earlier. Who does he think he is?’

“‘I’m done wasting time with the two of you. Hand over the house deed! I’m in a good mood today and don’t want to kill anyone, so don’t push your luck!’

“‘Auntie, don’t give it to him.’ Xiaoning struggled to speak from the floor.

“Liu Cheng grabbed the chair beside him and was about to throw it at the boy.

“I rushed to stop him, but he flung me aside.

“There happened to be a hammer next to me. I picked it up and brought it down hard on the back of his head.

“He went limp at once and fell on top of Xiaoning.

“I couldn’t think straight. I shoved him off and lifted Xiaoning up.

“His head had split open again. He was barely conscious, still mumbling:

“‘Auntie, don’t give it to him… don’t…’

“My tears started falling immediately.

“I frantically grabbed the medicine Dr. Wang had prescribed to stop Xiaoning’s bleeding.

“But no matter what I did, the bleeding wouldn’t stop.

“We’d used up all the medicine.

“Xiaoning’s face was getting paler and paler. All I could do was press down hard on the wound.

“I kept calling to him:

“‘Xiaoning, don’t fall asleep! Stay awake and talk to your aunt! We’re going to the hospital right now. You can’t sleep…’

“Xiaoning didn’t answer me.

“But Liu Cheng woke up beside us.

“He felt the blood on the back of his head.

“‘That hurts like hell! You little bastard, you hit me? You’re tired of living, are you?’

“I thought Xiaoning was dead. I was also afraid Liu Cheng would kill me once he got back on his feet.

“While he was still staggering and couldn’t stand, I grabbed the hammer beside me.

“I brought it down hard on his head again.

“Once, twice, three times…

“I don’t know how many times I hit him.

“When I came to my senses, Liu Cheng’s skull was smashed to pieces. Red blood and yellow brains were everywhere.

“I held Xiaoning, covered in blood, and screamed.

“Maybe Xiaoning and I should just die together.

“Then I cried until I was exhausted.

“When I turned around, I saw the demolition papers I’d brought home from the neighborhood.

“In that moment…

“I didn’t want to die anymore.

“Four hundred thousand yuan was waiting for me in the future.

“And now that Liu Cheng was dead, no one could stop me from living a better life.

“I checked Xiaoning’s breathing. He was still alive, and the bleeding had stopped.

“I forced myself to calm down.

“I helped Xiaoning onto the bed, then wrapped Liu Cheng’s shattered head in a plastic bag and wiped the blood off the floor.

“Liu Cheng was very heavy. I tried several times to move the body outside, but couldn’t manage it.

“So I went to find Old Qian.

“He’d promised to marry me. He would help me.

“Old Qian came over quickly.

“We chopped Liu Cheng’s body into pieces.

“We wrapped each piece in several layers of plastic bags and took them to the dump behind the house in several trips.

“Old Qian was so nervous that he cut his own hand.

“We’d used up all the medicine at my place, and he was worried about an infection, so he told me to go to Dr. Wang’s to buy more.

“I was so scared that I forgot to bring money.

“That lecherous old Dr. Wang wanted me to pay with my body.

“I refused. We struggled for a while, then I ran home.

“I was terrified and didn’t realize he had followed me and overheard the conversation between Old Qian and me…”

“Do you remember what you and Old Qian said after you got home?”

“Old Qian asked if I had really killed him.

“I said, ‘I killed him. Xiaoning had nothing to do with it.’

“Then Old Qian said:

“‘Are you planning to take the demolition money and turn on us, putting all the blame on the two of us?’

“I said:

“‘No. I killed him. None of you had anything to do with it.’”

At those words, Xiao Hu was so excited he nearly jumped to his feet.

He leaned over and whispered to Captain Lin:

“Captain Lin, it all fits. Every last detail.”

“Why did you suddenly think of having Liu Ning turn himself in, after all this time?”

“A few days ago, the demolition money was paid out.

“Dr. Wang came to see me. He said he knew I’d killed someone and demanded five hundred thousand yuan. Otherwise, he’d report me to the police.

“For a month, I’ve been living in constant fear.

“Then I heard people say that if a child under fourteen killed someone, he wouldn’t have to pay with his life. If he showed the right attitude, he might not even have to go to prison.

“That’s when I thought of this plan.

“Maybe it would work…”

“Maybe? What were you thinking?” Xiao Hu snapped.

“You’d really make a child take the blame for you!”

I brushed the clothes I was wearing.

“Officer Xiao Hu, do you know how much this outfit cost?”

Before he could answer, I continued.

“One hundred and fifty-eight yuan.

“You may not think that’s much.

“But it’s the nicest thing I’ve ever worn.

“One hundred and fifty-eight yuan…

“Before, Xiaoning and I could have lived for five months and eight days on that.

“But now it’s on my back.

“I only wanted to live well for a few days.

“What’s wrong with that?

“The house has already been demolished, and Liu Cheng’s body has long since turned to ash.

“Dr. Wang was drunk that night. He could easily have remembered the date wrong.

“Maybe it would work…

“Xiaoning would only have to spend a few months in a juvenile facility.

“I’d get no more than three years.

“I’d behave in prison and get released early.

“Then Xiaoning and I could live well. At least we could live like human beings.”

Xiao Hu was stunned when he heard that.

Captain Lin continued questioning her.

“Do you know where Old Qian went?”

“No.

“The next day he said he wanted to lie low for a while. He told me he’d come back to find us once things had blown over.

“He didn’t say exactly where he was going.”

The interrogation-room lights went out.

My back was soaked in cold sweat. I sat in the chair for a long time before I had the strength to get up and leave.

In the office, Captain Lin studied Liu Xiaofang’s statement while Xiao Hu stood beside him, brimming with excitement.

“Captain Lin, we can write up the report for the bureau chief! Liu Xiaofang killed him!”

But that strange feeling still lingered in Captain Lin’s mind.

“Interrogate Liu Ning again.”

“My aunt didn’t kill him! I did! My aunt is lying!”

“I killed Liu Cheng with a hammer on April 14! My aunt only helped get rid of the body!”

“Liu Ning! Stop hiding the truth!”

“If you don’t cooperate, you won’t help your aunt. You’ll only end up hurting yourself, too!”

Captain Lin couldn’t explain the feeling in his gut.

His own son was about the same age as Liu Ning. Just yesterday, the boy had thrown a tantrum because he wasn’t allowed to buy a video game console.

“You’re fourteen. Do you think avoiding prison means this is all over?”

“This will stay on your record for the rest of your life.

“You’ll be treated like an outcast, and you’ll face obstacles wherever you look for work.

“Do you think a juvenile facility is just somewhere you go to relax for a few days?

“And if you keep taking the blame, you’ll also be committing perjury.

“You’re fourteen now.

“You won’t save your aunt. You could end up getting yourself into trouble, too.

“Listen, kid. Tell us the truth. If you confess honestly, we’ll go easy on you. We’ll help you.”

At that, Liu Ning looked up at Captain Lin with a strange expression.

“Help me? Ha.”

Liu Ning seemed to have heard the funniest thing in the world.

“I killed him.

“My aunt is lying.

“Old Qian couldn’t have helped my aunt get rid of the body on the night of the fifteenth.

“Because Old Qian had already boarded a bus and run away that afternoon.”

Captain Lin froze.

Old Qian’s wife had indeed said he bought a ticket in the morning and left for Hunan that afternoon.

In their excitement over Liu Xiaofang’s confession, they had overlooked that detail.

“How do you know he left that afternoon?” Xiao Hu asked.

“I saw him get on the bus myself.

“On the morning of the fifteenth, I was hiding under the bed.

“After everything was over, he told my aunt he was about to get divorced and showed her the divorce papers.

“He said he’d marry her once his wife signed them.

“He’s been taking advantage of my aunt for years.

“Now he suddenly wants to marry her because he knows our house is about to be demolished.

“And my stupid aunt actually believed him.

“I couldn’t let her escape one fire only to jump into another.

“So after lunch on the fifteenth, I took a wrench to Old Qian’s house.

“When he left, I followed him, looking for a chance.

“I’d already killed one person. What difference would one more make?

“Besides, Old Qian deserved to die.

“But I never found an opportunity the whole way there. All I could do was watch him get on the bus.”

“Stop making things up. This won’t help you.”

“He got on a white coach with yellow stripes at 3:35 p.m.

“He was going somewhere in Hunan.

“I can’t read the two characters, but I can write them for you.”

“You remember all that from a month ago?”

“Ever since he left, I’ve gone to the bus station every day to wait for that route.

“If he comes back, I won’t let him near my aunt again.”

Captain Lin handed Liu Ning a pen and paper.

Liu Ning wrote in a scrawl:

“Hunan — Loudi.”

Everything seemed to have returned to the beginning.

Which one of them was lying—Liu Ning or Liu Xiaofang?

There was only one way to find out now…

Find Old Qian.

“Send someone to verify it at the bus station. We’re going to Old Qian’s house.”

“Where did your Old Qian go in Loudi, Hunan?” Xiao Hu asked bluntly.

Old Qian’s wife stared at him in surprise.

“I only know he went to Hunan. I don’t know anything else.”

“Did you sign the divorce papers with Old Qian?”

“What divorce papers? I never planned to divorce Old Qian!”

“Who told you Old Qian wanted to divorce me?!”

She looked so distraught that she was on the verge of tears.

Xiao Hu pulled a crumpled divorce paper from inside his coat. At the bottom, three names were scrawled: “Qian Jinbao.”

Captain Lin told Xiao Hu to take it from Liu Xiaofang.

Old Qian’s wife snatched the paper.

It was barely a page long, but she read it over and over.

“That bastard Old Qian… How could he be so heartless…”

“Xiaoni is only just starting school…”

“He’d divorce me for that slut Liu Xiaofang…”

“How are my daughter and I supposed to live now…”

She cried until her already pale face turned even whiter.

“You still have a daughter.

“Knowingly hiding information is a crime. You could go to prison.

“Do you really want Xiaoni, at such an important time in her life, to lose both her father and her mother?”

Old Qian’s wife was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

“I only know that back in his hometown in Loudi, Hunan, he has an older brother named Qian Jinlong.

“That’s all I know. I swear.”

When we returned to the bureau, the chief immediately contacted the police in Loudi, Hunan, to coordinate.

The chief came to my office with the approved travel order.

“I don’t need the story. I need results.

“Go to Hunan.

“Bring Old Qian back.

“Solve this case within three days.

“Put a clear, complete result on my desk three days from now.”