Chapter 6: False Charges
1348 Words
Sophia Miller climbed up to the fifth floor carrying her clothes, took out her key and opened the door. She moved very quietly and all her movements were no different from usual.
The room was quiet, the lights were off, and there was no sound at all.
"Mom! Look what I brought!" The excited girl didn't notice anything unusual. Sometimes her mother would go to bed early out of tiredness after finishing her work, but tonight Sophia Miller was eager to show her mother the golden fruits she grew, so she shouted regardless of anything.
She turned on the light, only to see that the entire front hall was in a mess. The only chair by the dining table was lying on the ground. The door of the cupboard by the sink was wide open, with things turned out and scattered all over the floor. There were also several red fingerprints on the edge of the sink, which looked like traces of human blood.
Sophia Miller's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously rushed into the inner room. She saw her mother lying naked on the floor, her limbs twisted in a grotesque manner. Her face had turned gray due to lack of oxygen, her eyes were bulging out of their sockets, and a pair of black stockings was tightly tied around her neck: she was obviously dead.
Sophia Miller felt as if there was a thunder explosion in her head. She slowly fell to the ground, her clothes slipped from her hands, and the round potato rolled all over the floor.
Tears flowed silently from her eyes, and her heart suddenly felt empty. After a while, a scream resounded throughout the building...
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Bao Qifeng, a criminal policeman from the 3rd police station in the 148th District, stepped into the ground floor of the slum building with a sullen face. He couldn't help but feel annoyed when he saw the poor people blocking the narrow corridor.
He hated handling cases in the slums the most. More than 90% of the cases here had no clues. Sometimes, for a few dozen Alliance coins, these fools would kill and burn people without leaving any trace.
"Make way! Make way! If you don't move aside, follow me back to the police station!" He roughly pushed away the people blocking his way. Upon hearing his words, the residents of the slums quickly shrank back into their homes. With a series of slamming doors, the aisle was finally clear.
He climbed up to the fifth floor in two steps. The crime scene upstairs was surrounded by police officers. The two small rented houses were in chaos. A girl less than ten years old was squatting in the corner, hugging her knees, with a dozen round objects rolling around her feet. The body inside was covered with a white cloth, and it didn't look as bloody as most murder scenes in the slums.
"Sir." A young police officer immediately came up to Bao Qifeng enthusiastically when he saw him.
Bao Qifeng pointed at the girl and asked, "Have you taken a statement?"
"I did it, but I didn't get anything valuable out of it. But based on the situation at the scene, it wasn't an intentional murder. I'm afraid it was an accident caused by the client who went too far."
"That's good. Let's test what needs to be tested. If there's nothing special, we can call it a day. We're spending taxpayers' money, so don't waste time." Bao Qifeng walked into the room with his arms folded, took a quick look, and turned around and walked out without even removing the shroud.
When he walked to the girl, he couldn't help but stop. The dozen or so small potatoes rolling slightly on the ground made his eyes focused.
Ordinary police officers have never seen this thing, but that doesn't mean Bao Qifeng doesn't know it. Native food is generally hard to be served on the dinner table of middle-class families, but it is not uncommon at public banquets. Last month, I accompanied the director of the branch to entertain the head of the General Administration. One of the dishes on the table was shredded potatoes with green peppers. In order to create a gimmick, the restaurant also displayed the original appearance of the food on the spot to advertise that their dishes were very fresh. At that time, weren't those round potatoes rolling around on the floor?
Bao Qifeng remembered it very clearly. When he was signing the order on behalf of the director, he glanced at the price. That plate of shredded potatoes with green peppers seemed to be worth at least 20,000 Alliance coins. The boss even said that he gave him the cost price. He was simply eating money!
Wouldn’t the dozen or so potatoes on the floor be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars now?
How could a poor single-parent family living on the bottom floor of a building and a prostitute who survives by trading s*x have raw food worth hundreds of thousands of dollars?
Bao Qifeng kicked the potatoes at his feet and suddenly asked Sophia Miller, "Where did you steal it from?"
Sophia Miller hugged her knees and was in a daze. Her mind was in a mess. Her mother's naked body kept appearing in her mind, reminding her: Mother is dead! Really dead! She was completely lost and distraught.
She had been dependent on her mother since she was a child. Although her mother always scolded her, she never abandoned her even in the most difficult days. Instead, she raised her with all her heart. Their relationship was actually quite deep. Moreover, her mother's irritability was mostly due to her worries about her future. Now she suddenly passed away and left her alone in this world. Sophia Miller seemed to have lost the focus of her life for a while, and she didn't know what to do.
She basically didn't hear what Bao Qifeng said. In fact, she didn't even answer the police's statement just now. At this moment, the girl was lost in her own world, feeling overwhelmed.
"I'm asking you a question! You little rascal, where did you steal it from?" Bao Qifeng changed his kick to the girl's calf. Sophia Miller twitched and raised her head suddenly.
"Did you steal these potatoes? Where did you steal them from?" Bao Qifeng squatted down, picked up a potato, and rubbed it in his hand. The heavy texture gradually aroused his greed.
Little Sophia Miller blinked her eyes, was stunned for a moment, and squeezed out three words: "I planted it."
"Bullshit! You planted it? Can potatoes be grown in a slum?" Bao Qifeng pinched her little face, twisted it from side to side and looked at it. His rough fingers left deep fingerprints on Sophia Miller's little face.
"Think carefully, where did you steal it from? A child who lies will be hanged." He came close to her and threatened her.
The police officers nearby all laughed when they heard this. Officer Bao always liked to intimidate people, and he could often get some benefits out of it. They were happy to see this after seeing it so many times. When there was a benefit, everyone would share it together. Looking at the dirty little girl, she must be scared silly, right?
The man's breath sprayed on her cheek, and Sophia Miller suddenly felt a chill on her spine. She looked at the greedy eyes of the policeman in front of her, like a vulture, and vaguely understood something in her heart.
No matter what she said, the police would probably think she was a thief. Sophia Miller lowered her head and stopped talking. Bao Qifeng stood up and told the police, "Take this kid back with her. She stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of stuff, which is enough to send her to jail."
After saying that, he took the evidence bag handed to him by the police officer, put a dozen potatoes in it, and put it in his pocket.
- Writer
