Cui Tang hadn't expected Xuan Shuhui to still look utterly bewildered after he'd given her such obvious hints.
At a loss for words, he gave up trying to guide her.
He said outright, "Fu Na timed everything out. After drugging Kang He, she moved her to the window, positioning her so that a single push would send her falling out. Then she waited for her to wake up."
"During that time, her other task was to stop anyone from coming downstairs and seeing her leave Room 302.
Zhang Bei from the sixth floor was at the convenience store, so there was no need to worry about that. Jin Jiang was a sleazy shut-in who normally stayed home all day. She'd locked me inside my apartment on the fifth floor, and Liao Zhiming was a gloomy sort who rarely went out. The fourth-floor residents were her and Yu Yan, who'd already been missing for ages, so there was even less reason to worry about them.
As for you, you'd gone out and hadn't returned, so you shouldn't have been a concern either. But to keep you from coming back early, she deliberately spilled a huge puddle of blood outside your door to slow you down.
That was when she did the stupidest thing of all: she called the police ahead of time. Maybe she wanted the twisted thrill of toying with people, but all she did was give you an alibi."
Remembering the bizarre incident Xuan Shuhui had described to them in the Community Office-"the killer might have called the police before committing the murder"-Cui Tang finally understood and launched into a lengthy explanation.
Xuan Shuhui's eyes widened. Only after hearing him out did she fully understand.
"So that's what happened."
Cui Tang nodded.
Both were thoroughly satisfied. One had cleared