Crazy Detective

Zhao Yu and Miao Ying gave each other a look. Although they had already roughly guessed what had happened, hearing Cheng Lingfei's firsthand account sent shivers down their spines.

"There were three mistakes at the crime scene," Cheng Lingfei reminisced excitedly, raising three of her fingers. "One, Ah Biao left in such a hurry that he forgot to take the CCTV's hard drive! Two, during Ah Biao's escape, a cleaner appeared out of the blue, and I had no choice but to kill him.

"Three, I didn't expect Xie Mengqin to bring her daughter along… Throughout my investigations, she had always gone to the association alone, and seeing as it was a Monday, her daughter should have been in daycare! I didn't expect…" Cheng Lingfei trailed off with a hint of regret.

"So… so… everyone took a bullet to their head, except for the little girl, who was shot in the body…" Cheng Lingfei muttered hesitantly. "At that time, my mind was a blank. I thought that if I shot her in the body, she might survive. But then I thought about it some more and realized if she stayed alive, I would die… Ha…" After saying this, Cheng Lingfei fell into a hysterical state, her tone disturbed.

"You…" Miao Ying said aggressively. "You were disguised. How could you be so sure a little girl could recognize you? Couldn't you have at least let off a six-year-old girl?!"

"I… I wasn't in disguise!" Cheng Lingfei exclaimed, tears rolling down her face. "I just grabbed the pistol and went in, not expecting to leave any witnesses alive!"

"What were you even thinking?" Zhao Yu frowned. "There was a gathering in Ziliu Town, and everyone was on the streets, and you just took a pistol and went in without a disguise? Weren't you afraid of being seen?"

"I checked the area out before I went in. The more people there were gathered in the city, the fewer people there would be at the association. If I wore a disguise, I would only bring more attention to myself!" Cheng Lingfei said.

Zhao Yu was speechless. "Alright, then tell me the order you killed them in."

"The first shot was the cleaner, then Zhao Meng, Wang Xuejun, and finally Xie Mengqin's daughter!" Cheng Lingfei said without a pause.

"The gun had…?" Zhao Yu prompted her.

"Yes! A silencer! And I know the cleaner was innocent, as well as the girl, but it was too late to back out. In my plan, no one could live! I had another goal, and that was to not leave any witnesses alive so the police would never find out what happened!"

Oh… Zhao Yu finally understood why the Rural Cooperatives Homicide Case was so odd. But the answer was so cruel. 

Miao Ying was shaking with anger and looked like she was about to explode. In an effort to calm her down, Zhao Yu quickly continued his questions. "What happened after that? How did you guys escape?"

"After killing them, I came out from the front door and went straight home. Ah Biao was already waiting for me at my house!" Cheng Lingfei said.

"At… your house?!" Miao Ying's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes!" Cheng Lingfei nodded, regaining her composure. "I already told Ah Biao to wait at my house once he completed his mission. Then, the kidnapped me would return safely. At that time, my mum went out to harvest mushrooms, so there was nobody at home. Before I left, I kept the door open so that once he took the money, he could easily enter my house."

"And I was quick with my murders, so we arrived less than a minute apart. He entered my house, and I was right behind him! To be honest, in my original plan, I had to shoot Yang Zebiao and dispose of his body to properly wrap everything up. That way, the police would never find him or the 800,000 yuan that were stolen. But… alas, how could I bear to kill Ah Biao? Ah Biao went as far as robbing a bank, all for me. How could I kill him like that?" Cheng Lingfei said, shaking her head in confusion.

"But if I didn't kill him, my plan would have a loose end… and how was I to explain the robbery and the murders? I was really torn. On one hand, there was my plan to get revenge, and on the other was the man who loved me the most. What was I supposed to do?" she asked.

"When Ah Biao saw me safe and sound, he was both relieved and curious. Why hadn't the kidnapper collected the ransom before releasing me?" Cheng Lingfei explained. "I knew that wasn't the time to explain everything to him, so when he let his guard down, I stunned him with a taser. Then, I tied him up and hid him in my basement."

"No way!" Miao Ying couldn't help but exclaim. "Are you trying to say that after the murder, you hid Yang Zebiao in your basement that whole time?"

"Yes!" Cheng Lingfei nodded.

"You have to be kidding!" Miao Ying shook her head. "After the crime, the police would have definitely investigated Yang Zebiao's relationships, and once they started checking up on you, you'd be screwed!"

"And…" Zhao Yu added. "Yang Zebiao brought the money to your house in broad daylight, weren't you afraid the neighbors would see?"

"My house was pretty far from the city and it's the only one you enter from the alley. It was a Monday. The kids were at school, and the adults were at some temple gathering, so nobody would be paying attention to my house. Besides, Yang Zebiao had just committed a crime, he wouldn't have wanted to be seen either."

"Then… how about you? Weren't you afraid of being seen?" Zhao Yu asked before answering his own question. "Oh, it's your own house! No wonder you didn't bother to disguise yourself!"

"That's not right…" Miao Ying said. "According to our records, the police dispatched K9 units. If Yang Zebiao was hiding near the Farmers Association, why didn't they lead back to your place?"

"Oh? Really?" Cheng Lingfei was surprised. "I'm not sure about that. I never knew about the K9's. If I had, I probably wouldn't have gone back to my place!"

"Tsch," Miao Ying frowned. "You still haven't answered my question. Weren't you afraid they would figure out it was you through the relationship web?"

"Of course I was afraid, but what else could I have done?!" said Cheng Lingfei. "I did think about hiding Yang Zebiao far away, but I didn't have a car, nor did I know how to drive. The only thing I could do was hide him in my house and erase all traces of our relationship so the police wouldn't find a connection between us. But alas, the police still came to find me as part of their rounds. What they didn't know was that Yang Zebiao was actually in my basement!"

What?! After hearing this, Zhao Yu got goosebumps.

"That was probably the most exhilarating moment in my life!" Cheng Lingfei said smugly. "But you know, it's moments like those that make me calmer, because I know for certain that they don't suspect me! Think about it! Who would think I knew a coldblooded killer and thief? And because of all the crimes committed, any sensible police officer would assume the criminal had run far away!"

What the…? Zhao Yu couldn't help but sigh. This was truly what they meant when they said the most dangerous place was usually the safest!