Wild Creatures

Chapter 39

"But did you see her regularly? Were you friends with her?" Officer Ryan asked, leaning forward.

"No, I wouldn't call it that at all. Mrs Lan kept to herself and even when she came to open the door for JingYi, she used to kind of hide behind it. I can't believe -" Wei Ying swallowed hard, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "She came to see us on Friday afternoon...I even offered her the couch. I didn't want her to go back there." He remembered the kitchen and what it looked like. "What happened to her?" He feels he has to ask, just to give her soul some peace.

How sad would it be to have someone pass away, and what if there was no one who cared about how it happened? Her life had to have meant something, not just to JingYi.

His vision blurred but Wei Ying was able to make out the shape and colour of a white handkerchief appearing in front of him. He took it gratefully and wiped his eyes.

"As you know, we are not at liberty to discuss an ongoing case. At the moment, we are gathering evidence and only after a thorough investigation will we be able to reach a solid conclusion." Officer Ryan told them sternly.

He was basically saying that he didn't want to be the one answering questions.

"At the times that you were able to see her, could you tell that she was hurt? Did you see any bruises or injuries that seemed suspicious?" Officer Todd asked now.

Wei Ying thought back to the past.

"No...she always kind of hid behind her door. And to be honest, it's not the kind of thing you think of first, is it? I'm not going to immediately assume her husband is beating her, just because she's wearing a band-aid, am I?" Wei Ying didn't mean to sound defensive, but he hated the implications behind the officer's words.

And part of him did wish that he had done something more.

Lan Zhan rubbed his upper arms comfortingly.

Wei Ying sighed, forcing the tension out from his shoulders. His headache was worse now, and these stupid questions might be necessary to the cops, but they were nonetheless annoying, especially after a long day.

"Obviously not for just a band-aid." Officer Ryan sounded curt now. "I meant, did you see any external signs of abuse?"

"No. It was minimal contact at best. We only knew something was wrong when JingYi was favouring his arm." Wei Ying told them all about the doctor and their shock at seeing JingYi's little body, covered in bruises.

Officer Ryan asked to see the pictures then, and afterwards, told Wei Ying to forward them on by email to the address he gave.

There were more questions, but Wei Ying couldn't give them anything more, at least nothing to help in the case.

An hour later, they finally stood up.

Wei Ying stood, too.

But almost immediately, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his neck. He made himself wait until the door closed behind the police officers, before collapsing on the couch again.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan was in front of him in an instant. "Is it -"

"My head -" he moaned, holding it with both of his hands.

"Do you want any painkillers?" Lan Zhan asked urgently.

"I don't keep any in our home." The pain was shooting in two directions, simultaneously.

Like streaks of lightning, one thread split up into many and attacked the base of his neck, while another thundered into his head. Wei Ying clutched at his hair, moaning.