Chapter 123 Gloves

Chapter 123: The Gloves [Clue]

If only one person remembered the time, it could be written off as coincidence—perhaps they happened to glance at the clock at that moment.

If two people remembered, the word "coincidence" could still work.

But if three, four...

If everyone clearly recalled that exact time, then "coincidence" wouldn’t cut it.

Something must have happened at that moment to stick in their minds so clearly.

The old-timer before Shen Qingye provided the answer.

"Right, that guy passed by the pond yesterday while we were fishing and asked if there was a fee. I told him it was free, just for recreation. He said he’d come by tomorrow after his kid fell asleep."

"I showed up early today, around two o’clock. I remember waiting for quite a while before the guy I’d spoken to yesterday finally showed up. He mentioned offhand that his kid had been fussy (cranky) and wouldn’t sleep. ‘It’s almost 3:30 now,’ he said, ‘so I probably won’t be here long.’”

"Some other fishermen I’d met over the past couple of days were nearby—they must’ve heard it too."

Shen Qingye asked, "Did he bring up the time to you?"

The old man nodded. "Yeah."

Shen Qingye pressed, "Did you check the time yourself?"

"Nah," the man replied after a pause. "But I’d say it was around then. I’d been there for over an hour by that point."

In other words, the timing wasn’t off.

Shen Qingye went quiet, thinking.

She had noticed something.

Every time mentioned came from Qu Peiyun.

The time Jing Jing fell asleep—her grandmother only checked the clock after Qu Peiyun mentioned it. The old-timers only knew the time because he had told them.

Repeatedly emphasizing the time... it was almost as if he was deliberately telling them, *At that exact moment, I was with you.*

—He was crafting an alibi.

Time... time.

What had puzzled Shen Qingye before was also time.

The child fell asleep shortly after three, and by 3:20-something, Qu Peiyun was already by the pond.

In such a short span, it would’ve been impossible to climb the mountain and back.

But what if... it wasn’t just twenty minutes?

Her head snapped up. "That clock..."

Yue Lingchuan locked eyes with her, their thoughts clearly aligned.

Shen Qingye took a deep breath and calmly analyzed, "If Qu Peiyun could sneak the key to Jing Jing’s room and spirit her off silently—then tampering with the clock in her room when no one was around wouldn’t be difficult, would it?"

What if Jing Jing had actually fallen asleep not at three, but a little after two? That would give him a full hour from around two to 3:20—more than enough time to pull this off!

Upon hearing this, a police officer beside Lu Yingzhuo immediately perked up and smacked his hands together loudly. "Exactly! That means he has both the motive and the opportunity for the crime!"

The group exchanged meaningful looks and, without further delay, hurried toward the rented house where the Song family lived.

As they walked, Shen Qingye added, "Song Runing left around one o'clock, and her phone records can confirm that. If Qu Peiyun had tampered with the clock before then, Song Runing would've spotted the one-hour discrepancy."

Yue Lingchuan said, "So, before Song Runing left, the time was accurate."

Shen Qingye went on, "The clock was only tampered with after Song Runing left."

Yue Lingchuan continued, "Which means something must have happened during that period to distract the grandmother and child, giving Qu Peiyun the chance to alter the clock."

Hearing this, Lu Yingzhuo whirled around to the officer beside him. "Xiao Yan, go ask Song Runing's mother if anything unexpected happened after Song Runing left that made them temporarily leave the room."

Xiao Yan nodded and hurried off.

Before long, Shen Qingye and the others arrived outside the courtyard where the Song family lived.

After the incident, the local police officers had taken control of all members of the Song family, and their house had been sealed off, with unauthorized entry prohibited.

After greeting the officers on guard, Lu Yingzhuo strode inside. His eyes swept the room before zeroing in on the round clock hanging on the wall above the sofa.

The clock showed 8:32. Shen Qingye checked her phone—the time was correct.

But this didn’t prove anything. Qu Peiyun must have readjusted the clock afterward; otherwise, a one-hour difference would have been obvious at a glance.

Shen Qingye compressed her lips as she watched Officer Xiao Cui take a pair of gloves from his bag. Lu Yingzhuo carefully put them on, stepped onto the sofa, braced himself against the wall, and carefully lifted the clock down.

Once he was steady, Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan quickly moved closer. They all stiffened as they looked down.

"Dust!" Xiao Cui blurted out.

Clocks were usually missed during cleaning. Even meticulous people sometimes neglected them, never mind careless ones.

Given that this was more of a hotel setting, the cleaning staff weren’t that thorough—just ensuring visible areas were tidy. As for the clock, unless the battery died, nobody usually touched it.

Especially in this rural area, with dirt roads and dusty air, thick dust would naturally accumulate on the clock over time.

Where there was dust, traces could be left.

The group scrutinized carefully, examining the clock from all angles. Finally, on its side, they found a patch where the dust was slightly lighter, like from handling.

Lu Yingzhuo held the clock up to the light, squinting as he examined it from different angles. He said quietly, "...About 2.5 centimeters long, running along the entire side of the clock; less than 2 centimeters wide... and the edges are blurred, not very clear."

Xiao Cui glanced at his own fingers and murmured, "Two centimeters... seems a bit wider than a finger."

He had noticed Qu Peiyun's fingers—slender and long, probably no more than 1.5 centimeters wide.

Shen Qingye said solemnly, "But if he was wearing gloves, wouldn’t that width make sense?"

Xiao Cui's eyes lit up. "Right!"

Given today’s findings, if Qu Peiyun really was the culprit, he was clearly extremely cautious. Someone like that wouldn’t touch the clock bare-handed, leaving such an obvious clue.

Wearing gloves would align with his way of operating.

But if that was the case—

"Then the gloves—?!"

Xiao Cui blurted out, looking at everyone. Lu Yingzhuo's face fell as he quickly instructed, "Xiao Cui, go ask the park administrator when they usually collect the trash and whether any has been transported out yet!"

If it really was Qu Peiyun's doing, he'd naturally ditch the evidence. Gloves don't leave prints, so discarding them would be the best choice.

—Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that Qu Peiyun had enough confidence to hide the gloves in his own room.

So while Xiao Cui went to find the park administrator, the team moved to the adjacent room, rifling through Qu Peiyun's belongings and every corner of the space.

As expected, no gloves were found.

Before they could get discouraged, Xiao Cui called:

"Captain, good news! They usually collect the trash after 10 PM! That means the garbage from today hasn't been touched yet!"

The team perked up immediately and hurriedly left the room. Before departing, Lu Yingzhuo flagged down the nearby police officer to assist.

Since it was still unclear whether Qu Peiyun had changed the clock while taking Jing Jing away or after returning from committing the crime, the team split into two groups. One was responsible for checking the trash bins along the path to the back mountain, while the other searched those along the pond route.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingye seized the moment when fewer people were around to whisper to the hair ribbon. However, it had remained atop Jing Jing's head, and with the child asleep, it couldn't see much—it hadn't witnessed Qu Peiyun changing the clock. After careful recollection, it mentioned that Qu Peiyun had walked over shortly after opening the door and taken Jing Jing away directly, with no unusual noises heard during the process.

This suggested it was highly likely he had changed the clock after returning from the crime.

Shen Qingye now had a clearer picture and quickened her pace, wearing the gloves Lu Yingzhuo had provided, working methodically through each trash bin.

It was summer, and while the temperature here wasn't high, it wasn't exactly glove weather. If Qu Peiyun had indeed discarded the gloves in a trash bin, they'd stand out.

Yet, from the residential area to the pond, after searching two-thirds of the bins, there was still no sign of the gloves.

Shen Qingye stood up from another bin, her mouth set in a hard line, almost beginning to doubt their judgment.

Yue Lingchuan, noticing her frustration, wanted to pat her shoulder but hesitated upon seeing his own dirt-covered hands. Instead, he offered reassurance, "Rushing leads to mistakes. Take your time."

Shen Qingye managed a weak smile. She didn’t want to rush, but knowing the killer's identity yet being unable to arrest him—forced to watch him play innocent—was undeniably infuriating.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together.

Captain Yue was right. Rushing leads to mistakes, and overlooking something due to impatience would only make her angrier.

She turned to him with a smile. "I'm fine. Let's keep searching."

Seeing her usual composure return, Yue Lingchuan relaxed.

The final stretch involved more sifting through garbage, but fortunately, the further they went, the more secluded the area became. Fewer tourists meant less trash in the bins, making their contents easier to inspect at a glance.

Shen Qingye skillfully sifted through a pile of trash with a stick. Finding nothing of interest, she moved on to the next bin.

This one was tucked behind a few trees, almost hidden from view—so much so that from a distance, one might not even notice it was there.

Her steps slowed as she narrowed her eyes, a hunch forming.

Approaching, she shone her flashlight inside. Sure enough, this bin had the least trash of all, barely covering the bottom.

And there, standing out against the white tissues and brightly colored food wrappers, were two black objects.