Chapter 21: Speculation

They looked through the recording for the afternoon—well, it was pretty much Li Fanyang watching the recording, while Lu Hui was responsible for making noise. He munched loudly on potato chips to vent his dissatisfaction, getting on Ji Fanyang’s last nerve. 

Thank goodness Ji Fanyang had a good temper, or all that would be left of Lu Hui on this Earth would be cautionary tales. 

“Stop. This one.” Lu Hui sat up in his chair and tapped the screen with a greasy finger, “It’s Li Yun.”

The resolution was quite low, as it seemed that the shopkeeper’s camera was low quality. Ji Fanyang rewound it a few times to be sure: “It’s him.”

It was like a huge weight was lifted off of Lu Hui’s shoulders. He tilted his head up to down the last dregs of the potato chips, then opened his eyes wide and pretended to be pitiable: “Am I free to go, Mr. Policeman?”

Ji Fanyang laughed as he answered: “You’re free to go.” He pulled out the car key and tossed it to Lu Hui. 

Lu Hui caught the keys adeptly, shook the potato chip crumbs off of himself, then stood up to leave. He walked over to the shopkeeper and earnestly said: “Find a better security camera. Corrective eye surgery for police officers is paid for by taxpayers like you.”

With a face full of ignorance, the shopkeeper nodded, and Lu Hui left contented. 

Ji Fanyang copied the footage to a USB drive, then turned to thank the shopkeeper: “Thank you for your cooperation.” He and the shopkeeper shook hands, then he left. 

Lu Hui sat in the driver’s seat, his right arm hanging over the window like a kitten clinging to a window frame. A strand of his short, disheveled hair hung low over his temples and pointed to his lips, which were hooked upward slightly in a smile that was neither derisive nor grim. His mood was quite good. 

While the word ‘friend’ may have been unfamiliar to him, he still enjoyed it. Friends made him happy, presently speaking. 

Ji Fanyang went around to the other side and got in the car. He turned on the car’s stereo, and relaxing piano music floated out. Lu Hui’s expression shifted: “Where’s my rock music?”

“Deleted.” Ji Fanyang shrugged and tilted his head to look at Lu Hui. His brown eyes twinkled slyly, “What reason is there for me to keep the music that disturbs the civilians and turns me into a scapegoat?”

Lu Hui dejectedly blew out his cheeks like a pufferfish and wordlessly turned the key to start the engine. With his arrogant attitude, he should not suffer a defeat often, but had been choked off by Ji Fanyang twice now, each time a critical hit. 

They drove to Luowan County’s local precinct. Lu Hui had just gotten out of the car when he was blocked by Rao Feifei. He rubbed his eyes: “I need to rest for a bit. Find Ji Fanyang if you need anything.”

Ji Fanyang, who was used to Lu Hui’s routine of loafing on the job, declined firmly: “Chief Lu ate potato chips all afternoon, he’s fine.”

“Chief Lu, Li Weiguo said that he returned home because he had received a phone call from someone claiming to be from the same village. They said that his mother had passed.” Rao Feifei followed behind Lu Hui, droning on like an industrious little honey bee. 

“Is his mother dead, then?” Lu Hui asked. 

“No, just sick.” Rao Feifei said. 

“Did you inquire further?” Lu Hui asked. 

Rao Feifei replied: “Li Weiguo said that he could not tell who’s voice it was. The other person may have been using a voice changer.”

“One meter seventy-nine, sixty-eight kilograms.” Lu Hui said, “What’s Li Yun’s height and weight?”

“One meter seventy-nine, sixty-seven kilograms.” Ji Fanyang answered. 

Lu Hui said: “Looks like Zhuang Ze guessed correctly.”

If Zhuang Ze had been there, he would have yelled 【It’s all speculation! Speculation!】 at Lu Hui for sure. It’s a shame he wasn’t there; he had no way to refute this deduction of his.

“Is Li Yun at the precinct?” Lu Hui asked. 

“Yes. When we went to his house to bring him in, he refused to have his mother accompany him.” Rao Feifei said, “He said that he was an adult.”

“Oh?” Lu Hui raised an eyebrow, “His residence registration states that he has not come of age.”

Ji Fanyang was a little puzzled about why Lu Hui continued to emphasize Li Yun being underage. 

“Underage people are a protected class.” Lu Hui said, one side of his mouth curling sardonically, “Li Yun’s smart, but even smart people can overdo it.”

The three of them walked to the main area of the precinct, took a right, then arrived in front of the third door on the right. Lu Hui pushed open the door and entered. Yang Jie was sitting beside Li Yun and speaking with him. 

“You. Underage kid.” Lu Hui stood in front of Li Yun, “I have a recording of you buying a strong flashlight. I know your motive and your method. Do you think there’s anything left we need to convict you?”

“You haven’t found the murder instrument, have you?” Li Yun raised his eyebrows. The youth had an innocent-looking face, with trim, tidy hair, and a clean school uniform. He was fair, delicate, and with both of his hands in his lap, he was steady and self assured. 

“Yup.” Lu Hui pulled another chair over, completely at ease, “Your height and weight matches with the shoe imprint we found. You forgot to clear away the evidence.”

“Or.” Li Yun was not stupid enough to give himself away directly. He tilted his head, “An alibi is still missing.”

“Correct.” Lu Hui snapped, the crisp sound drawing everyone’s attention, “Were you at home that night?”

“Yes, you can ask my mother, too.” Li Yun responded. 

“Mother.” Lu Hui displayed great interest in this somewhat distant word, “Have you always called your mom ‘mother’?”

Li Yun’s expression froze and his face went blank. Lu Hui’s questions had poked a hole in Li Yun’s flimsy defense. He squeezed a few broken syllables out of his throat: “Yes. Yes, I have.”

“Rao Feifei, go make a call.” Lu Hui said. Then he analyzed, in high spirits, “So you don’t have a good relationship with your mother. Estranged, even. And so, I’d wager that you didn’t collaborate for your alibi? You also didn’t let your mom come with you because you suspect she’d hesitate between protecting you and protecting Li Peng, right?”

The youth unintentionally revealed a trace of alarm. He did not offer a defense for himself, and he stared at Lu Hui coldly. 

Lu Hui’s eyes lit up; the truth made him excited. He was unable to hold back from answering, his manner like an adrenaline junky: “So, you just said she was at home, but that’s just your inference. Your mother may have been at home. The probability is about ninety percent because she usually plays mahjong from three to seven in the afternoon, then buys groceries and returns home between eight and nine o’clock. You chose to leave while she’s out buying groceries, going to stand on the berm like a hunter guarding a pit. You considered the angle, distance, and even the weather. It was raining that day, so you figured that your mother would be at home with a ninety-five percent probability. 

“All of this is speculation.” Li Yun said. 

Lu Hui leaned steadily back in his chair and stretched: “Yes, before Rao Feifei comes back, you are Schrödinger’s murderer.”

They sat quietly, waiting. Lu Hui and Li Yun. Yang Jie and Ji Fanyang. The meeting room had four people in it, and no one planned to break the silence. 

“Creak—” 

Ro Feifei pushed the door open, and four pairs of eyes all focused on the young policewoman. Rao Feifei’s expression was solemn. She flashed her phone: “That day, your mother was not at home. She said that it was raining, and she was held up at the mahjong parlor until nine-thirty. She could only return home after someone lent her an umbrella. When she arrived, you had not come back yet.”

Lu Hui pulled out his familiar, triumphant smirk: “Tsk, the five percent chance appeared. When you left, he had not come home yet, but when you returned, she was home. And so you thought she had come home at nine, as usual, made dinner, and ate with you.”

In the end, Li Yun was a kid. He raised his right hand to cover his eyes to avoid showing too much emotion: “I don’t regret it.”

“We have not found the shoes or flashlight. You definitely threw them into the pond.” Lu Hui said, “Knowing that, once we dredged them out of the pond, the water would have washed away the fingerprints, and examinations would not give you away.”

Li Yun’s eyes widened: “What are you implying?”

Lu Hui shook his head: “I’m not implying anything. Find a good lawyer, that’s my recommendation. Consider it repayment for giving me an interesting case.” He narrowed his eyes cunningly, “You have not come of age yet, and this is a tricky case.”

Li Yun was thoroughly dumbfounded. He watched Lu Hui’s back as he left, then turned to ask Yang Jie: “Is he a good person?”

“No.” Ji Fanyang answered.