Chapter 72: Younger Brother Kills Two Girls
The daylight outside the window was brilliant, but no lights were turned on in the room. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, not allowing a sliver of light to penetrate.
Lai Rongtao stayed in the darkness, enveloped by the gloom, his heart filled with a thick sense of unease and fear.
Qiu Ailin had been dead for five days, and Dai Ruofei for three days.
In these five days, he had only gone to the 13th floor once and had stayed home the rest of the time.
He had killed two people, and he was very scared, even having nightmares while sleeping.
He dreamed that he was caught by the police…
“No, it won’t happen,” Lai Rongtao patted his violently beating heart, trying hard to comfort himself, “It won’t happen, nothing will happen.”
I took the stairs up, and the hallway surveillance on the 13th floor was also broken, so it didn’t record me going to the 13th floor.
Moreover, I even mopped the floor of the room clean, not missing a single hair.
Most importantly, Dai Ruofei, who had evidence in her hands, was already dead.
No one else knew about this; the police could never find me, so I am very safe now.
Thinking of this, Lai Rongtao’s rapid breathing gradually became steady, and the fear surging in his heart slowly disappeared.
“Xiao Tao,” Older Sister Lai knocked on the door, “Come out for a meal.”
Lai Rongtao responded softly, “I know.”
While eating, Older Sister Lai asked him, “When are you going to look for a job?”
“I’ll talk about it later,” Lai Rongtao frowned irritably, took a few bites of rice, and put his bowl on the table, “I’m full.”
As he stood up, the doorbell rang.
“Who is it?” Older Sister Lai said while eating, “Xiao Tao, go see who it is.”
“You see for yourself,” Lai Rongtao was unwilling and turned to walk back to his room.
Older Sister Lai sighed, got up, and walked to the door.
She opened the door and saw two handsome men and one woman, and asked in surprise, “Who are you looking for?”
“Police officers,” Si Heng and the others showed their identification cards and said lightly, “Is Lai Rongtao at home?”
After looking at the identification, Older Sister Lai asked nervously, “Officer, what is it you need from Xiao Tao?”
“Don’t be scared, we just have a few questions we’d like him to answer,” Si Heng’s stern expression softened, “It won’t take much time.”
“I understand, please wait a moment, I’ll go call him.” Older Sister Lai walked to the door of Lai Rongtao’s room, opened it, and said, “Xiao Tao, the police are looking for you.”
Lai Rongtao’s face instantly turned pale, and panic and unease flashed in his eyes.
How could this be…
I did everything so perfectly, how could the police still find me?
Seeing that he didn’t react, Older Sister Lai called out again, “Xiao Tao?”
“I, I know,” Lai Rongtao’s fingernails dug hard into his fingers, trying to keep himself calm.
Everything will be fine, don’t scare yourself.
He walked out of the dark room and met the cold and scrutinizing gaze at the door. A chill ran down his spine, and a bad premonition inexplicably surged in his heart.
Lai Rongtao suppressed his fear and approached Si Heng, speaking shyly, “Officer, hello, I am Lai Rongtao, what do you need me for?”
Si Heng said lightly, “Hello, Lai Rongtao, do you know Qiu Ailin?”
Lai Rongtao nodded, “Yes, I pursued her before, but I was rejected.”
Si Heng: “Are you aware of the news of her falling to her death?”
Lai Rongtao raised his hand and scratched his messy curly hair, “Yes, I didn’t expect her to commit suicide either.”
Si Heng: “When was the last time you went to room 1303?”
Lai Rongtao’s eyes instinctively darted to the upper right, “Last month.”
Si Heng: “Do you know her roommate, Dai Ruofei?”
Lai Rongtao shook his head, “I know of her, but I don’t know her.”
Si Hengmo raised an eyebrow slightly, “Are you sure?”
Lai Rongtao: “Sure.”
Si Heng: “Dai Ruofei fell to her death in the early morning of February 5th, did you know that?”
Lai Rongtao: “I knew someone fell, but I didn’t know it was her.”
“Why are you asking my younger brother these questions?” Older Sister Lai, listening from the side, looked puzzled, “What does it have to do with my brother?”
Jiang Yuan and Meng Xiaokai glanced over; her face was filled with unease and worry.
Si Heng’s handsome face seemed to be instantly covered in frost, and his voice was cold, “Through meticulous investigation, the police obtained key clues from room 1303. After analysis and investigation, all signs point to the truth of Ms. Qiu’s and Ms. Dai’s falls being related to Lai Rongtao. We now need you to cooperate with us and come to the police station.”
“No!” Older Sister Lai shrieked, “Xiao Tao is not that kind of person!”
“Ms. Lai, please calm down,” Meng Xiaokai said calmly, “Don’t worry, if Lai Rongtao is not involved in this matter, he can return after giving his statement.”
“Really?” Older Sister Lai frowned.
Jiang Yuan said softly, “Really, the police will not wrong any good person.”
Older Sister Lai looked at Lai Rongtao, seeing his pale face and slightly trembling fingers, she thought he was scared and quickly comforted him, “Xiao Tao, don’t be afraid, the officers said you just need to give a statement, and you can come home after that.”
Lai Rongtao stared at his sister for a long time, his lips trembled a few times, and finally, he said nothing.
His face was deathly pale, his eyes red, and his steps stiff and slow as he followed Si Heng and the others into the elevator car.
Older Sister Lai shouted at the closing elevator doors, “I’m making soup at home, you can have it when you get back.”
Jiang Yuan saw this scene and sighed softly in her heart.
She wondered how devastated this sister would be when she heard her brother had killed two girls.
Interrogation room.
Lai Rongtao sat alone for an hour.
His heart was beating rapidly, and every moment felt anxious and agonizing.
What evidence had the police found?
As he was thinking, the door was opened from the outside.
Si Heng and Xiao Xu sat down in front of him.
Lai Rongtao met Si Heng’s gaze, and the fear in his heart intensified.
“An hour has passed, have you thought it through?” Si Heng said lightly.
Lai Rongtao’s eyes flickered, and he asked in a low voice, “Thought what through? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Si Heng observed him, his dark eyes sharp as an eagle’s, “Never harbor any false hope, evil cannot triumph over good; confessing voluntarily is the best option.”
“What are you talking about?” Lai Rongtao’s emotions became irritated, “I don’t understand at all.”
Si Heng said coldly, “Are you still pretending? Did you think that by using the safe passage and the broken hallway surveillance, we wouldn’t find evidence of your crime?”
These words made Lai Rongtao’s heart tremble violently, “I, I really don’t know what you’re talking about…”
“There’s a backup of the evidence on Dai Ruofei’s phone,” Si Heng said slowly, “Do you understand now that I’ve said this?”
Lai Rongtao’s pupils contracted sharply, and he murmured excitedly, “How is that possible? This is impossible…”
“The video is in this USB drive,” Si Heng took out a silver USB drive from his Chong Feng jacket pocket, his voice steady yet extremely oppressive, “If you confess voluntarily now and cooperate with the investigation, you can still get a chance for a reduced sentence.”
