The Biggest Suspect Was Already Dead?

In the break room, they waited for more than ten minutes.

A middle-aged man in a white chef's uniform knocked on the door and walked in.

"I'm Li Sen. May I ask what you two need from me?"

Li Sen was not tall, probably not even five foot three. He had a square face, a slightly chubby build, and deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes as well as heavy forehead lines. His first impression was that of the sort of stern person who always wore a long face.

Susan gave Brian a look.

Brian moved with it and blocked Li Sen from behind, cutting off his retreat.

Li Sen sensed something was wrong. "What are you trying to do?"

Susan's expression hardened as she took out her ID. "I'm Team Leader Susan from the Criminal Experiment Team. There are some things I'd like to ask you about."

"Puk nei lou mou," Li Sen reacted strongly instead, looking furious. "You call this questioning? You're clearly treating me like a criminal. You stinking bitch, I'm going to file a complaint against you."

Puk nei lou mou.

Li Sen had said it in Cantonese, and Susan did not understand.

But Susan understood the "stinking bitch" that followed.

The next instant.

Susan took Li Sen down to the floor with a grappling move.

After doing all that.

Susan was not done yet.

She pinned Li Sen's joints so he could not exert any strength, crumpled his chef's hat into a ball, stuffed it into Li Sen's mouth as he still tried to curse, then tucked her thumb beneath her index finger, made a fist, and smashed it hard into Li Sen's armpit and other spots.

"Mmph!!!"

Intense pain slammed through Li Sen's mind.

His eyes went wide, and he wanted to let out a howl of agony, but his body was locked down tight. He could only struggle weakly like a fish out of water.

Brian had not expected Susan to be this violent.

Li Sen was, after all, a fellow countryman.

On top of that, in Brian's mind, the black fast-food vendor named Audrin was more suspicious.

So he hurried forward, wanting to make Susan calm down.

But before he could speak.

Li Sen, who was on the floor, had already pushed the hat out of his mouth with his tongue and continued cursing between rough breaths. "You goddamn bastards. White people come bully us, black people come bully us too. You're just like those animals in the homeless camps. If you've got the guts, kill me. Otherwise, I'll make sure you take off that damn uniform!"

"Bully you?"

Susan gave a cold laugh and stopped hitting him. "Li Sen, forty-seven years old, divorced, with a son from your ex-wife. But your son has Down syndrome, so most of the salary you earn is spent on that son of yours."

"What are you trying to do?"

Hearing Susan mention his son, veins bulged on Li Sen's forehead.

"Nothing!"

Susan got up from Li Sen and clapped her hands. "I hit you because you have a filthy mouth. But if you keep up this attitude, I guarantee there won't be a single hotel in all of Los Angeles that dares hire you."

His son was Li Sen's weak spot.

He scrambled up from the floor in a sorry state and gave in. "Ask."

"Do you know Kenneth?"

"I do. He was my former coworker."

"Did you ever have any conflicts?"

"We did.

He wanted to steal my secret seasoning.

Actually, I knew long ago that he had been secretly learning some of my skills.

But he wasn't a bad person.

So I pretended not to know.

Because my son has Down syndrome, there's no way he'll be able to inherit my craft in the future.

So I'd even thought about whether I should take him on as my apprentice.

But that didn't include my secret seasoning!

To me, that's the same as the guns you carry.

I felt like my goodwill had been betrayed.

So I was very angry at the time."

When Li Sen said this, the anger on his face was still impossible to suppress.

Susan could not understand Li Sen's feelings and continued asking, "On September 30th, after five in the afternoon, where were you?"

"At the hotel. I didn't get off work until the early hours of the morning, then I went straight home.

"It's like that every day."

Li Sen continued, "I learned what happened to Kenneth from the news.

"But I can swear to Mazu.

"I didn't do it!

"I was furious about Kenneth stealing from me!

"But I'd never throw myself away just to get revenge!

"I couldn't abandon my own son and do something impulsive!"

Susan felt that Li Sen was not lying.

Because when he had heard about his son earlier, the anger and concern he had shown in his reaction were difficult for most people to fake.

She thought for a moment, then frowned slightly and said, "But according to my colleague's investigation, you have a violent temper and often verbally abuse your coworkers in the kitchen.

"You aren't an emotionally stable person."

A bitter look appeared on Li Sen's face.

"That was just an image I deliberately built so I could live a little better.

"I don't have a strong build.

"And most people's impression of Chinese people is that we're easy to bully.

"In a place like a kitchen, the lower-level staff also changes very quickly, so it's hard to build long-term, stable relationships with coworkers.

"A lot of my coworkers were very jealous that someone like me, who doesn't look as good as them and isn't as tall as them, could earn a high salary every month.

"If I didn't act a little tougher, "I might not even be able to protect my most basic interests."

As he spoke, he even smiled. "I once volunteered to help at a homeless camp, but what I got in return was bullying and complaints from those animals. From then on, I knew how I should communicate with those animals."

Hearing this, Susan and Brian exchanged a look. Both of them felt that Li Sen's words were highly credible.

Because a person with a soft spot would not easily go to extremes unless they had no other choice.

Brian handed Li Sen a cigarette, patted him on the shoulder, and said in Chinese, "You're a good father."

"All right, Mr. Li Sen. We'll verify the information you've provided. Please don't leave the city of Los Angeles for the time being."

After Susan finished speaking, she left Li Sen the number of a private doctor.

"I'm very sorry for my rude behavior earlier.

"If you want to file a complaint against me, I'll accept it.

"Also, this is my family's private doctor's number.

"He has many high-end connections in the medical field. Perhaps he can help with your son's condition."

Susan left somewhat embarrassed.

She felt like she had played the very disgraceful villain in a movie today, bullying a good father who had swallowed his grievances just to survive for his son.

It tormented her inside.

After leaving the hotel, Susan suddenly slapped herself. "It's all my uncle's fault. He said that if I wanted to question someone, I should first pick a fight, beat them up, then seize on their weakness and threaten them, and things would go much more smoothly. But I feel awful now."

Bullying such a responsible, good father.

She felt she really deserved to die.

Brian, on the other hand, was much more open-minded.

"Susan, there's no need to feel so guilty.

"You were just using some methods to solve the case.

"Whether you're a police officer, a doctor, or a forensic examiner, people with too much empathy can't do the job well."

Susan rolled her eyes at Brian. "You really have a good mindset."

Brian shrugged.

"I'm just selfish!

"Instead of tearing yourself apart inside, it's better to torment other people.

"As long as you let go of your personal morals, your mood will be as good as mine."

Susan thought Brian was just joking to comfort her.

She was just about to praise his sense of humor.

A phone call came in, and the smile on her face vanished again.

She hung up.

Her expression grave, she looked at Brian.

"Ivan called.

The prime suspect, Audrin, was found dead in his own underground tool room.

The body had already started to rot.

Time of death was probably more than three days ago.

There was no way he had time to commit the crime!"

What?

Brian was stunned too.

The prime suspect had actually been dead all along?

Thanks to reader "20201115103830246" for the five-hundred-coin tip. Thank you, boss.

Everyone, if you've got time, you can visit the readers' circle and leave a comment about how the story feels to read so far.

It's way too quiet there.

Oh, right, tomorrow is Tuesday again, another day for the follow-up reading PK, so please make sure to read on time tomorrow at five in the afternoon.

I'm kowtowing and begging!