Chapter 36 Chapter Eleven Confused

More than ten minutes later, the police and Coton's parents arrived at the house one after another.Kirton opened the door of the room and walked out.The mother, who was sweating profusely, stepped forward and hugged Ke Dun, "Son! Are you okay?" "It's okay." Cotton shook his head, then looked at the three police officers in the room. One of the policemen in plain clothes was about thirty or forty years old, with a straight waist and a stern expression, giving people a sense of oppression without anger and majesty. He looked like the leader of the three policemen.He glanced at Cotton and asked, "You said that criminals broke into your house and killed the dog? Where is it?"

Kirton pointed to the kitchen: "It's in there." The plainclothes policeman led two other uniformed policemen into the kitchen.Coton's parents followed closely behind, and when they saw the Pekingese being brutally disembowelled and killed, the mother screamed out loud, and the father was also stunned in shock. A policeman took a few photos with a camera. The policeman in plain clothes put on gloves, squatted forward to inspect the dead body of the Pekingese, then stood up, took out the knife inserted in the knife holder, checked it, and carefully observed the scene some details.Then he walked out of the kitchen and searched the living room and several rooms one by one.In the end, he checked the lock on the door of the house, and then sat down on the sofa in the living room, thinking about something.

Coton's father also looked at each room next to each other, and then sat down and asked anxiously: "Officer, what do you think is going on?" The plainclothes policeman didn't answer this question. He frowned and thought, and tapped his finger lightly on the crossed leg. After a while, he looked at Cotton and asked, "When did you find out that the dog was killed?" of?" "Just one minute before I called you." Cotton replied. "Did you pay attention to whether the security door of the house was closed at that time?" Ke Dun was stunned: "Well... I was very panicked at the time, fearing that the murderer was still hiding somewhere in the house, so I ran back to my room and locked the door—I didn't pay attention to whether the anti-theft door was closed properly."

"Then let me tell you." The policeman in plain clothes said, "the door of your house is ajar and not locked at all—otherwise, how could the three of us policemen have been able to enter your house as soon as we arrived? You locked yourself In the room, you didn't come out and open the door for us." Ke Dun opened his mouth: "So...the murderer didn't close the door when he slipped out?" "Did he not bring you around, or did you not lock the door properly in the first place, so that's why the gangsters took advantage of it?" Kirton remembered that it was his mother who closed the door when he went out last, and he asked, "Mom, didn't you lock the door when you left?"

"Impossible. I must have locked the door, because I heard a distinct 'snap' when I closed it—that meant it was locked. I pay attention every time I go out." Mom was anxious Looking at his son anxiously, "Unless... Cotton, you opened the door and went out later, and didn't lock it when you came back—you didn't listen to my advice, did you?" "No!" said Cotton firmly. "I haven't been out! I haven't even opened the door once." "Why isn't that door locked?" Mom asked. "Maybe it wasn't unlocked, but the gangsters pried the door open?" Dad said.

The plainclothes policeman said: "But I checked the lock of your house carefully just now, and there is no sign of being picked." Both father and mother looked at Ke Dun, and Ke Dun said one sentence at a time: "I swear, I never opened the door!" "Forget it, don't dwell on the door." The plainclothes policeman asked, "What were you doing alone at home before the incident happened?" "I took a shower and lay on the bed in my room to read..." The policeman interrupted Cotton: "Where was the dog at that time?" "I... don't know. I was afraid that the dog would disturb me, so I closed the door of the room and let it play in the living room and kitchen by itself. I didn't go out to see, so I don't know what happened outside."

"Then how did you find out the dog was killed?" Cotton recalled: "I was lying on the bed reading a book, and after a while I felt tired, so I put down the book and went to sleep. After about tens of minutes, or... more than ten minutes later, I heard a dog barking. ,At once……" Having said this, Cotten suddenly stopped, his face pale and his tongue agape.An important detail came to his mind, and it brought up a terrible thought in his mind that prevented him from continuing. The policeman in plain clothes noticed the change in Coton's expression. He looked at Coton closely and asked, "What's going on next? Keep talking."

"I..." Cotton felt the sharp gaze of the policeman, so he had to force himself to swallow his fear, and said truthfully, "I woke up after hearing the scream of the dog. But... I found that I didn't On the bed, but standing at the door of the room, as if... sleepwalking." "Ah—" Mom covered her mouth in horror, "Korton... you said, you were...sleepwalking?" Dad also felt a chill from his spine, and he stood up, and a layer of cold sweat quickly appeared on his forehead.He glanced at the three policemen, and found that they were also staring at his son closely at the moment-obviously, everyone's expressions confirmed that the same terrible thought was being produced in their hearts.

Ke Dun looked around and found that everyone was staring at him. He shivered, twisted his body unnaturally, and said, "You...why are you all staring at me? Do you suspect...that I am sleepwalking? Did you kill Jingba?" "We didn't say that." The policeman in plain clothes said, "But you already feel that way, don't you?" "No! It's absolutely impossible!" Ke Dun roared loudly, "I woke up after hearing a dog barking, and I was standing at the door of my room at that time! If I sleepwalked and killed Jingba, then I woke up You should be standing in the kitchen when you come here!"

"As far as I know, people who are sleepwalking may not be able to clearly remember what they have done, and they may be in a state of confusion for a short time after waking up-so, don't trust your own judgment at the time." Said the policeman in plain clothes . "Officer, stop talking!" Mom said excitedly, "Impossible, my son... can't do such a terrible thing!" "Calm down, ma'am." The plainclothes policeman said, "I don't believe that your son did this. In fact, it's just a possibility—we will continue to investigate in the community in a while, and we will figure it out. Did some gangster ever break into your house. But—”

Halfway through his words, he stood up from the sofa and paced back and forth in the room for a few steps.Everyone in the room looked at him. "This case is a bit strange." He stopped and looked at the crowd, "If the murderer is a gangster who came in from the outside and was about to break into the house, then his behavior and purpose are too puzzling—— Judging from the signs in the house now, there is no trace of theft, and you don't seem to have lost any valuables; there is also a very critical point: the dog was killed in the kitchen. This shows that the criminals entered the house , went straight into the kitchen, and killed the dog—in this case, two problems arose—first, the murderer didn’t seem to be here to steal at all, he was aiming at killing the dog from the very beginning. This dog came; secondly, if he was afraid of the dog getting in the way and killed it, he only needed to stab it to death with a knife, but the murderer cut the dog open and cruelly pulled out its body. Viscera—what does this mean? In my opinion, there are only three possibilities for the murderer’s purpose.” The plainclothes policeman paused for a moment, and then said: "One possibility is that the murderer is a psychopath; the second possibility is that this is an act intended to intimidate you. Think carefully, have you offended someone recently? who, or to offend someone's interests." The Cotton family looked at each other with big eyes and small eyes, and then shook their heads together.Dad said: "We live an ordinary life every day, and it is impossible to have any grudges with anyone." The mother asked her son: "Korton, you didn't mess with anyone outside, did you?" Cotton shook his head affirmatively. Dad asked: "Officer, didn't you just say that there are three possibilities? What is the other one?" "Didn't you just say it at the beginning?" The policeman in plain clothes glanced at Coton.Dad froze for a moment, frowning unacceptably. After a few seconds of silence, the plain clothes policeman said: "Let's do this. Although there are no casualties or property losses in this case, it is a vicious incident after all—we will open a case for investigation. You should also pay attention these few days. Lock the doors and windows, and it is best to keep a few more people in the house." "Okay, thank you, officer." Cotton's parents stood up from the sofa. "Also, I'd like to speak to you two alone—let's take a step." Cotton's parents were taken aback, and his father said, "Come to our room and talk." "Wait for me." The plainclothes policeman said to the two uniformed policemen, and then followed Cotton's parents into the room and closed the door. "What are you going to tell us, officer?" Mom asked. "Has your son sleepwalked before?" the policeman asked. "No." The two said in unison. "No or you didn't notice? I mean, maybe he just started sleepwalking recently?" "This..." Dad hesitated, "We don't know about that. But...it shouldn't be..." "I understand that you don't want to believe that your son will do this kind of thing-but hiding his illness and avoiding medical treatment is not the answer. At least, you should take him to see a psychologist or psychiatrist, so as to determine whether he is suffering from sleepwalking disease." "Officer, do you really... think my son did such a horrible thing while sleepwalking?" Mom asked worriedly. "As I said just now, I can't be sure, but it's very likely. In fact, this kind of thing is not unheard of - I have heard of such cases before - a high school student who is obsessed with online violent games, and at the same time Suffering from sleepwalking, one night while sleepwalking, he picked up a kitchen knife and hacked his parents to death. So, you must pay attention and not be careless!" "Ah...it's terrible." The words made Ke Dun's parents shudder, and cold sweat broke out all over their bodies.But the mother still didn't want to believe it, she covered her mouth and said, "But, I know my own son well. Even if he has sleepwalking, he should never show such violent tendencies in his sleep!" The plainclothes policeman sighed: "How many parents really know their children these days? Let me tell you the truth, judging from my experience, this matter is probably done by your son himself. Think about it, If a mentally abnormal murderer broke into your home, how could he leave no trace of the crime? If someone just wants to intimidate you, then his behavior is too bold and too risky. So, I The two possibilities just mentioned are very low. And your son himself said that he happened to be sleepwalking when the crime happened-you think about it calmly, if he didn't do it, there would be such a coincidence ?" Colton's father frowned tightly, thinking of a question: "But, if my son sleepwalked and killed the dog, what about the tools? We didn't see a bloody knife at the scene." "That's exactly what I'm going to say right now," said the policeman. "I checked your kitchen carefully just now, and found that the knives on the knife racks were all cleaned, and the drops of water on the knives were still fresh. Looks like it was freshly rinsed - which means that your son may have cleaned the bloody knife while sleepwalking after killing the dog. Otherwise, think about it - if it is outside Will the murderer here have time to slowly clean the murder weapon after committing the crime? Besides, he won’t use your knives, right? The murderer will definitely prepare the murder weapon himself.” "Ah!" Dad let out a low voice, looking at his wife in shock, "If that's the case, it means... that Coton may have done it! Because I know your habit, every time you clean the knives, you will definitely Will wipe the blade dry with a dry cloth, and will not insert a dripping knife into the knife holder!" "But...tonight, it happened that Coton washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen utensils." Mom said confusedly, "He will definitely not dry the knives. In this way..." She sighed, "Why not?" No, it’s impossible to judge again.” The plainclothes policeman stared at Ke Dun's parents for a while, and said, "Anyway, take him to the hospital for an examination as soon as possible, and pay more attention to his condition after he sleeps at night." After speaking, he turned around and opened the door walked out. "Let's go." The plainclothes policeman waved to the two subordinates waiting in the living room, squinted at Coton who was sitting on the sofa, and then nodded to Coton's parents, "Farewell." After the three policemen left, my father put the Pekingese dog's body into a plastic bag and threw it into the trash can in the community.Mom scrubbed the blood from the kitchen.Afterwards, they checked the door lock repeatedly, and after making sure the door was locked, they came over and sat next to Coton. Cotton sat on the sofa in the living room with a dazed expression, trying his best to think about this incredible case that happened tonight. Dad tentatively asked, "Korton, have you ever found yourself sleepwalking before?" Kirton shook his head dejectedly. "Son, tomorrow... let's take you to the doctor for an examination." Mom said. Cotton turned his head and looked at his mother: "What doctor? A psychiatrist? Was it suggested by the policeman?" Mom opened her mouth, but didn't speak, her face was full of worry and uneasiness. Ke Dun lowered his head and sighed, and said: "Mom, Dad, I am very clear about what I have done - I admit the sleepwalking thing tonight, but I can also be sure that Jingba will not be killed by me! Because it was Jingba’s cry that woke me up from my sleepwalking state. At that time, I was standing at the door of my room, and I went to the kitchen after tens of seconds to find that Jingba had been killed—besides, if it was The Jingba I killed should have blood on his hands, right? But when I woke up, there wasn't even a trace of blood on my body!" "Cotton, people don't know what they have done when they are sleepwalking. How can you guarantee that you didn't wash off the blood on your hands after killing Jingba? And you said that you woke up The sound of a dog barking, it may be an auditory hallucination in a dream." Dad said worriedly. Kirton took a deep breath slowly, speechless.He leaned on the sofa and recalled the strange dream he had at first—the dream was clearly related to the story he had heard.So, sleepwalking is also due to this reason... Thinking of this, Ke Dun suddenly remembered the four-color fish in the fish tank. He stood up from the sofa, walked towards the fish tank next to the TV cabinet, and asked, "Dad, these fish..." He stopped and stared blankly at the fish tank, completely stunned. The four fish in the tank are missing! After staying for a few seconds, Ke Dun quickly rushed to the fish tank, his face almost touching the glass—but there was only one tank of water in the fish tank, and the four-color fish disappeared. Cotton's parents also stepped forward, and his father asked, "Cotton, what's wrong with you? Hey—where's the fish in the fish tank?" "The four-color fish...is missing." Coton murmured to himself in panic, "They... must have been stolen!" My mother also noticed the abnormality at this time, and said: "It's strange, where are these fish? They were still in the tank this afternoon, why they disappeared!" Ke Dun stood up slowly, his eyes rolling in the dilated eye sockets: "Could it be... that the murderer who killed Jingba came for the four-color fish?" "Cotton, what are you talking about? What four-color fish?" Dad asked a little tremblingly, and he began to wonder if there was something wrong with his son's spirit. "Dad!" Cotton turned his head and asked eagerly, "Do you still remember? Are the four fish in the fish tank white, red, blue, and yellow?" "This... I can't remember." Dad turned to Mom and asked, "Do you remember? What color are the fish in the fish tank?" "I didn't pay attention to it," said my mother. "It's just a few colorful fish—Korton, why are you asking this? Where are these fish?" "Don't you understand?" Cotton yelled loudly. "A gangster broke into our house to steal these fishes. Jingba found him and killed him!" Up to now, the parents are no longer able to judge and understand what is happening now. One of the issues they are most concerned about now is whether their son has been stimulated by something, which has led to mental problems.Dad asked cautiously: "Ke Dun, you said...the murderer who killed Jingba came here to steal a few fish? But, these are just a few ordinary ornamental fish, which are only worth more than ten yuan in the market , what is there worth stealing?" "I don't know..." Cotton muttered to himself, "but there must be a reason!" "I think, could it be..." Kirton looked at his mother, saw her staring at him, hesitant to speak, and spread his hands in anger: "Oh, my God! Don't you think I did it again? I killed both while sleepwalking. Dead dog, fish out and thrown away—am I crazy? Why should I have trouble with these little animals?" That's exactly what we're worried about -- it's written on the parents' faces, but it's another attitude.The father patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Forget it, Cotton, don't worry about these things anymore. This kind of... weird thing happened today. Everyone is exhausted physically and mentally. You should rest earlier." Cotton sighed, he was indeed quite tired, and he also needed to lie down, calmly sort out all the things that happened tonight, and see if he could analyze the reasons that could explain it all.He sighed softly, "Okay." Then he walked into his room and closed the door. Father and mother stood in front of their son's room for a long time, their facial expressions were as complicated as their inner feelings, which were indescribably complicated.