Animal Detective

Chapter 514: Chapter 420: Scar

The signature, the mailing records, Huang Shaolong’s confession, the source of the rat poison.

And of course, there was the smoking gun: fipronil had been detected in the samples from both Fu Lanting and Guo Jinhua.

"That’s not right."

Even when presented with this evidence, Guo Jinhua just shook his head, pointing at Huang Shaolong’s photo. "I’ve never seen this man, and I never paid him for any rat poison."

"When we were in Qiong Province, we never went to this so-called Dongfeng Farmers’ Market, and we didn’t eat any seafood."

"You... you’re lying to me! I was poisoned too! I’m the victim! You can’t do this."

He argued frantically, and by the end, he looked so aggrieved he was on the verge of tears.

"My life is already in shambles. My daughter died from her illness, my wife was poisoned by someone, and then there’s me. Just look at me!"

He pointed at himself, then rolled up a sleeve to show Yang Zeran the massive bulge on his arm, formed from his dialysis treatments.

"Look! I’m in this state. Why do you still insist on wrongly accusing me?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t do any of it."

He kept shaking his head, his heart beating faster and faster.

The doctor monitoring the interrogation quickly shook her head at Yang Zeran, then went forward to placate the man.

Guo Jinhua pushed her away, his hands trembling violently. "Go catch the real killer! Where’s that Officer Shen of yours? Didn’t he tell me you were making progress on the case?"

"So where’s the killer? Who actually did the poisoning? Why are you coming after me?"

He grew more agitated as he spoke, his expression pained and his breathing ragged.

The doctor frantically waved her hands, signaling for a pause in the interrogation.

Yang Zeran’s expression was as pained as if he were constipated, but there was absolutely nothing he could do.

In the observation room, Sun Zhao’s eyes flickered with thought. "Shen Xin," he asked, "with him in this state, should we get a psychologist to take a look?"

"It’s like you were saying—he might have some kind of dissociative symptoms. Let’s consult a psychologist and see how to handle this."

"This interrogation got cut short. The next time we try, he’ll just do the same thing again whenever he can’t come up with an answer."

If it kept going like this, the interrogation will be impossible.

Shen Xin had been about to suggest the very same thing to Sun Zhao. "Should I contact Director Yan at the Municipal Bureau right now?" he asked.

The Municipal Bureau didn’t have any so-called criminal psychology experts, but it did have a Mental Health Services Center.

It was under the purview of the Municipal Bureau’s Political Department.

The director’s surname was Yan, and his day-to-day work consisted of providing psychological counseling services.

Police work is stressful, so officers need psychological counseling too.

Beyond that, the center also guided the development of mental health programs for all departments throughout the city; it was staffed by several people.

All of them were professional psychological counselors, essentially experts in their field.

On occasion, when dealing with complex cases, the police would indeed ask for their help in analyzing a suspect’s psychological state.

Sun Zhao nodded.

Just as Shen Xin was about to make the call, a dejected Yang Zeran pushed the door open and walked in.

When he saw Shen Xin looking at him, his head drooped. He opened his mouth as if to make an excuse, but he just couldn’t get the words out.

Remembering how he’d boasted that this case was in the bag, his face burned with shame.

Just then, Sun Zhao’s phone rang.

It wasn’t good news.

It was from Chen Chao. Tao Yiping couldn’t handle the shock and had actually fainted. She was now being taken to the hospital.

Sun Zhao glanced at Guo Jinhua in the interrogation room and shook his head, feeling a major headache coming on.

But since they had brought him in, they had to deal with the situation one way or another.

At noon, Shen Xin ate in the precinct cafeteria.

Guo Jinhua had been given a sedative and had calmed down considerably. The medical office staff was keeping a close watch on him.

Director Yan had rushed over and was currently conducting a psychological evaluation on Guo Jinhua.

As for the interrogation, it was on hold for the time being.

Tao Yiping had been checked out at the hospital and had since recovered. There were no major issues.

The couple had now arrived at the precinct.

Zhao Tianxing went to suss out the situation and came back shaking his head. He said it wasn’t going well.

"I heard from Gan Yong. The second the man saw Captain Sun, he dropped to his knees on the spot. It made Captain Sun’s face go pale."

"Right now, he’s inconsolable. We can’t even get him to stand up. We’ve tried reasoning with them every which way, but it’s useless. He’s fixated on one thing: asking us why we arrested Guo Jinhua."

"He keeps saying Guo Jinhua was poisoned, too. And another thing, Shen Xin—the man is clamoring to see you. He says you’re the one who told him there was progress, that there was hope, and now he’s demanding an explanation from you."

Zhao Tianxing recounted the scene with colorful detail, shaking his head the entire time.

This was the very reason Shen Xin hadn’t shown his face.

After sitting down, Zhao Tianxing came up with a rotten idea. "I think we should notify Fu Lanting’s family and let them argue it out. A Magic-on-Magic showdown."

They were once united by a common enemy, but now... well, if Fu Lanting’s parents found out that Guo Jinhua was the one who really murdered their daughter, there’d be no need to keep up the pretense of being in-laws.

Shen Xin shot him a speechless glare. "Just stop trying to stir up more trouble."

Director Yan’s full name was Yan Peng.

After lunch, Shen Xin, Sun Zhao, and a few others met to discuss the situation.

Yan Peng said, "I’ve been briefed on the case, and I’ve spoken with him. My personal analysis... well, I believe he might genuinely have dissociative amnesia."

"I noticed that when he brings up Guo Meijing, his tone and expression are filled with such fondness. He must have really loved his daughter."

"Because of that, Guo Meijing’s death was something he was emotionally unable to accept."

"At the same time, I can also sense that he loved his wife, Fu Lanting, very much, yet he is also filled with self-reproach when he speaks of her."

"I can sense his psychological conflict, so he has selectively forgotten these events and then fabricated an alternate explanation for himself."

"Specifically, that the killer is someone else. That way, he can accept it emotionally and has an outlet for his feelings."

Seeing Shen Xin and Sun Zhao staring at him expectantly, Yan Peng stopped talking, folded his arms, and fell into a thoughtful silence for a moment.

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