Chapter 319: Casting A Long Line To Catch A Big Fish (2/2)

I was suddenly interrupted from my thoughts by a loud noise–Xiaotao had accidentally dropped her mirror. ”What are you doing?!” shouted Ding Xu. “I’ve not gotten a good look at myself!”

Handing Ding Xu the other mirror, I discreetly whispered to Xiaotao, ”What did you see?”

”I think I saw a woman's face,” Xiaotao cried in horror. “She looked horrible. There were maggots all over her rotting face!”

”Are you sure?” I asked.

“It was a passing image,” Xiaotao rubbed her eyes and shook her head. ”Maybe it's just my illusion. It’s been a while since I had a good night’s sleep so maybe my mind was influenced by your words.”

When Ding Xu had enough of looking into the mirror, he returned to his seat, waiting while Xiaotao filled out a form and registered his personal information. ”Qiu Wanxia,” I began. “We’ve already filed a case and we can’t stop our investigations just because you say so. Even if you don't cooperate with us, we will arrest the murderer, so you might as well come clean!”

“I highly doubt you’ll be able to do anything,” Ding Xu dismissed, looking at his hands.

As I had expected, he wasn’t willing to answer a single question related to the case, even questions he had answered before, either outright lying or avoiding the subject.

”Qiu Wanxia, what is it you want?” asked Xiaotao.

“Nothing at all,” Ding Xu said, folding his arms and staring us down like an eagle. “It's a rare opportunity for me to enter the world of the living once more. I just want to have fun shopping, eat yummy food, take a warm bath and sleep in a soft bed.”

”Are you planning on occupying this body forever?!” she demanded.

”What does that have to do with me?” Ding Xu sneered. “It’s only after death that I’ve realized how important it is to be selfish. It's none of my business if he lives or dies.”

Xiaotao stood up abruptly, sending the chair crashing to the ground. I thought she might get violent but to my surprise, she actually took out her wallet and removed all the cash inside–about 5,000 yuan. ”Let’s make a deal, shall we?” Xiaotao announced, “I'll give you money to enjoy yourself for a few days but you can’t hurt the boy's body.”

”5,000?” he scoffed. “That’s not even enough for a meal.”

”I’ll give you more if it’s not enough!” Xiaotao exploded.

Ding Xu gladly accepted the money. ”Nevermind, it's not easy for you policemen,” he sighed. “I’ll just have to watch my spending! Well, I’m off then!”

He blew me a kiss and walked to the door. ”Don't try to run away,” warned Xiaotao. “You can call or text if you need anything.”

”I got it,” laughed Ding Xu. “Jiejie, I can tell you have a good heart so here’s a little advice for you–quit your job and find a rich man to take care of you!”

After he left, Xiaotao snorted contemptuously, ”I despise women who think they’re so great just because they’ve got a rich sugar daddy!”

I knew Xiaotao had a plan up her sleeve. Ding Xu wasn’t a suspect so detaining him any longer was useless, even counterproductive. ”Are you going to assign officers to spy on him?” I asked.

”You guessed it!” she chuckled. “Anyway, he’s not willing to cooperate so we might as well give him the freedom he desires. If we’re lucky, he might reveal some clues and perhaps sneak off to meet his former lover.”

”Brilliant idea!” I complimented.

After leaving the interrogation room, Xiaotao immediately assigned several officers to keep a constant eye on Ding Xu. They had to report back on his exact movements and the people he met up with.