Chapter 107: Was there a chance for recovery?

By midday, the precinct was buzzing with tension as Jialin sat in the interrogation room, her confession replaying on a screen and also in the detective’s minds. They were waiting for her lawyer and family to arrive, meaning the victim might confront her attacker.

Linlin stacked the paperwork with grim satisfaction. “She admitted to orchestrating the rape. That’s conspiracy, complicity and she committed fraud and about twelve other charges I can file before lunch.”

Su Jin shook her head. “It is going to be tricky charging her for some of those things. Some days, I wish we could use vigilante justice.”

“Don’t let the Chief catch you saying that.” Liwu warned her. “Crimes committed by family members always rub me the wrong way. You would think people would just argue over dinner instead of destroying the other so much that there is no chance of forgiveness ever.”

He Xiao Yi smirked. “Crime would be boring.”

“Crime should be boring.” Liwu threw a book at him.

Xuanji walked into the conference room, and everyone looked towards the door. “They are here.”

The team cleared their throats, put away crime scene photos, deactivated the murder board and put their serious faces.

Jinling and her parents entered the room. She was out of the hospital gown and dressed in jeans and pink and white cashmere sweater. Her aura was still magnetic, despite all that had happened.

As soon as she sat down, people crowded the doorway, admirers hovering outside like moths to a flame. It was like a celebrity had visited the precinct.

Xuanji closed the door, locking it from the inside while Linlin closed the shades.

Jinling’s eyes softened when she saw Liwu. “Detective Liwu, did you find the other person? We were on our way home when officers drove us here.”

Liwu and the rest exchanged glances. This was not something that they could easily say.

“Just tell us.” Jinling’s mother whispered. She patted Jinling’s arm, “Lingling is strong, she will recover, but only when she knows the names and faces of everyone that was involved. At least this way, she will never have to look over her shoulder all her life.”

“Do you want me to do it?” He Xiao Yi asked.

Liwu leaned forward. That was the push she needed. “I am sorry first of all, because this news is going to come as a shock. It was your sister Jialin.”

Jinling’s lips trembled. She shook her head in disbelief.

Her father slapped his ear, like he had misheard the name.

Her mother tightened her arms around her daughter. “Are you sure?”

Liwu nodded. “We have her in our custody, she made a full confession. She has always resented you Jinling.”

Jinling wiped her eyes with the corner of the arm of the sweater. “I didn’t want to believe it.” She said softly. “The mango shampoo, the familiar voice which said I deserved it. I kept telling myself that it couldn’t be her.”

Linlin spoke gently. “Jinling, no matter what your sister says, this was not your fault. You were born lucky or with charm, that was not your fault. But you should be more aware from now on because you draw admiration and resentment alike.”

Jinling nodded, tears glistening. “I never realized how much it hurt her. I should have seen it.”

Her reaction was much calmer than Liwu was expecting. Where was the screaming? Where was the rage?

It reminded her of the moment when Weijun’s identity was laid bare. She had also been calm like this.

Liwu’s voice was steady. “You are taking the self blame route. It was not your fault. She crossed a line. She endangered you. She could have screamed at you or slapped you. What she did….it is disgusting.”

“Do you want to see her?” He Xiao Yi asked. For the sake of his research, he wanted to watch the interaction between the sisters.

Jinling shook her head. “I am not ready.” She stood up and her parents rose with her. She stretched her hand, shaking the hands of all the detectives that had worked on her case. “Thank you for helping me.”

Xuanji escorted them out of the building.

“That went…..” He Xiao Yi winced. “Not like I was expecting.”

Liwu closed her notebook. “We did our job. Sooner or later, the sister’s will face off again in a courtroom.” She looked at He Xiao Yi, curiosity bubbling in her blood. “Hey, beautiful. About your family…”

He Xiao Yi stood up. He didn’t say anything, just walked away.

Jialin was formally charged and transferred out to be moved to a real prison. Hu Beimo was sent home, until the prosecutors decided what to do with him.

Chief Abby stamped the paperwork and Su Jin sent all the evidence to the evidence lock up.

****

In the evening, Liwu was captured by Madame Xu and taken to the Shen mansion. She had not stepped inside since her mother-in-law sent her and Weijun packing.

She had no idea what to expect, but it was not a group of ladies sitting outside, playing a game of mahjong.

“I brought my daughter-in-law,” Madame Xu declared. “Prepare to lose all your money to her.”

Liwu sighed. When Madame Xu got her claws into you, resistance was futile. Soon, she found herself seated at the table, tiles clicking under the deft fingers of Madame Xu’s five friends.

The air smelled of lemonade, rice wine and roasted peanuts.

Soon, Liwu came to learn that tiles were only props around this group pf women.

“So, you are a detective.” one the the women began. sliding a tile across the table, “your mother-in-law here said you are working on that case with the woman that was….” she leaned in an whispered, “raped.” She leaned back. “Is it true that she was in on it?”

Another leaned in, feigning concentration on her hand. “Was it just one man or more? I heard there were ten men around her in those masks.”

She looked at her mother-in-law.

Madame Xu smiled slyly. “I told them you would solve the case by the end of today because you are the best. Don’t worry about them talking, they have tight lips.”

If the had tight lips, they would not have been asking, Liwu thought. But, she felt the need to correct the narrative for Jinling’s sake.

“It was just one assailant and we found him already. As for everything else in the news, it is false.” That was all she wanted to share. The rest would be revealed in the news tonight. Just as she had promised, Jinling’s name would be cleared.

But, would Jinling herself ever recover from the betrayal?

Once upon a time, her relationship with her sisters had almost been ruined. Much like He Xiao Yi, she had left home for a while.

She couldn’t help wondering how things would have ended if she stayed on and continued to resent them for living normal lives.

Would they have been like Jinling and Jialin?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep