Beneath the Dome, Sin within Sins

After leaving Bai Yue’s lounge, I headed to the crime scene. As I thoroughly examined the things I had discovered there, an immature idea began to take shape in my mind.

However, to confirm this theory, I needed to investigate both the victim’s room and the rooms of the suspects. In these places, I might be able to find the answers I was looking for.

The awkward part, though, was that conducting a search would require a search warrant issued by a superior. Without a search warrant, we’d need permission from the individuals involved, and getting a warrant at this moment wasn’t very realistic.

“Senior! I discovered something!”

At that moment, Su Mo approached me, his voice full of excitement.

Whenever this kid showed such an expression, it usually meant good news. I quickened my pace and got closer to him. “What is it? What did you find?”

“When I was in the restroom just now, I heard something coming from the stall in the women’s restroom next door.”

Hearing this, the corner of my mouth twitched slightly. “Wow, how much more inappropriate could you get?”

“Inappropriate? I was being observant, okay? And if I hadn’t eavesdropped, you wouldn’t have heard this explosive piece of information!”

Seeing how energized Su Mo looked as he spoke, I couldn’t help but grow curious too. “Alright, fine. So, what’s the deal?”

“Did you know? Song Caiyin likes Zhao Ying.”

I frowned slightly. “What’s the big deal about that? Isn’t it normal for Song Caiyin to like Zhao Ying? Their relationship has always been close.”

“That’s not what I mean. When I say ‘like,’ I mean romantic feelings.”

“What?! Are you saying Song Caiyin is actually a man?” I burst out, utterly shocked.

If Song Caiyin turned out to be male, their suspicion level would skyrocket. After all, lifting a dead body and suspending it wasn’t something a woman could easily accomplish. That’s why, in my mind, I had already ruled out Song Caiyin, Zhao Ying, and the victim’s daughter.

But if Song Caiyin was a man, everything would take a completely different turn.

“Of course not! I’m saying that Song Caiyin has romantic feelings toward Zhao Ying. Also, during Tian Chuan’s search of the rooms earlier, we found something else.”

“What is it?”

“Song Caiyin’s biological parents died in a car accident, and the direct perpetrator of that accident was the victim.”

I fell silent after hearing Su Mo’s words. It seemed this matter needed to be reconsidered. If Song Caiyin knew the cause of their biological parents’ deaths, then this case might indeed take a very different twist.

“Is there any way to search the suspects’ rooms?” I asked.

Su Mo deliberated for a moment before responding, “It’s a bit tricky, but if I check with Tian Chuan, it should be doable.”

Thinking about how Tian Chuan had been thrown out of one of the rooms earlier, I couldn’t help but doubt it. “Are you sure about this? He just got kicked out earlier, didn’t he?”

“That was before. This is now. When it comes to serious work, the guy’s actually quite capable.”

After saying this, Su Mo made a phone call to Tian Chuan. A few moments later, Su Mo’s phone rang. After ending the call, he turned to me and said, “All set. Let’s head to the guest rooms!”

Following Su Mo’s lead, I first entered the victim’s room. While searching, I noticed signs of dragging on the floor, indicating that this must have been the first crime scene. There were also faint traces of blood on the ground, though it appeared to have been cleaned up.

Next, we moved on to search the rooms belonging to the suspects. Bai Yue’s room, her uncle’s room, as well as the victim’s daughter’s room all appeared normal and showed no anomalies. However, I stumbled upon a few intriguing things in Song Caiyin’s room.

First, I found an old newspaper. It contained an article that detailed a car accident from a few years ago. The information about the accident had been meticulously preserved by Song Caiyin.

Second, in her wardrobe, I noticed two distinctly different styles of clothing. One type was more feminine, while the other had a more androgynous style. Seeing the more androgynous outfits, I couldn’t help but think of the delicate girl Zhao Ying.

Lastly, in the corner of the wardrobe, I saw a slingshot.

The moment I spotted the slingshot, something clicked in my mind-it reminded me of the snapped strings I’d seen before. Without wasting a second, I left the room in a hurry and rushed to the main hall to search for something. Eventually, in a corner, I found a small stone. What came next was crucial.

I borrowed a ladder from one of the hotel staff and carefully removed the fine string that had been tied up high. Placing the string in a darkened space, I observed tiny specks of light reflected on it, and my expression immediately changed.

It seemed this case was indeed connected to that girl.

When I had gathered all the clues and evidence, I headed to the lounge. At that moment, Song Caiyin was sitting with Zhao Ying. Zhao Ying had her head lowered the entire time, while Song Caiyin was trying to cheer her up with conversation.

I walked up to Song Caiyin and said, “You’re the girl adopted by the Song Family, right?”

She raised her head to look at me, her expression full of wariness. “Who are you?”

“I’m a detective. There are some things I’d like to discuss with you.”

As I spoke, I kept my gaze fixed on both of them. The moment I finished speaking, I noticed a flash of panic in Zhao Ying’s eyes. On the other hand, Song Caiyin remained relatively composed.

“I’ve already said everything I needed to say.” Song Caiyin raised her eyes to meet mine, her demeanor as steady as ever.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. This girl was truly extraordinary. Even after committing murder, she could stay so calm. It was almost unbelievable.

But as the saying goes, “The older ginger is spicier.” No matter how composed she acted, I would confront her with the evidence and break her defenses.

“Is that so? Well, there’s still something I want to talk to you about. If you don’t mind, could you step outside with me? After all, I’m sure you wouldn’t want the others here to overhear this conversation.”

Hearing this, Song Caiyin furrowed her brows slightly, clearly reluctant. At that moment, Zhao Ying stood up, walked to her side, and looked at me, saying, “Can I go with her?”

“Of course.”

Once we were outside, I didn’t beat around the bush. I went straight to the point. “I hope you’ll consider turning yourselves in.”

The words hung in the air as both Song Caiyin and Zhao Ying fell into silence. After a long pause, they responded in unison: “What are you talking about?”

“You both know exactly what I’m talking about,” I said firmly. “I advise you to surrender yourselves. If you do, you might be able to avoid the death penalty. Song Caiyin, a car accident alone wouldn’t have been enough to drive you to harm Song Sisi. My guess is the real trigger was this girl standing next to you, wasn’t it? Compared to the parents you barely have any memory of, what truly matters to you is her.”