Bringing the truth out (3)

"The other thing that I couldn't gather was the difference in time. The gap between the onset and the actual death. The asthma attack set in just short after the interval. But she died almost one hour later when it was time for the movie to end. What explained this gap then? If Mr. Dai had clamped her mouth shut then, then what exactly occurred an hour before when she was actually suffering?"

Wang Lei exclaimed. "Oh shit! That's how it happened! This grandma tried to kill her first."

Jia nodded. "Now that we know that both Mr Dai and Miss. Ma were involved, I will tell you the sequence of events. Then we will talk about the motive."

Ma Zhilan softly closed her eyes as if succumbing to her hate. The more she emanated such calmness, the more Ma Wenyan felt on edge.

Jia could feel the deep bone-chilling sense of unease and the impending doom that the truth was going to hurt many.

"First, Miss. Ma's seat was booked in such a way that it will be on the last row beside the Dai family. There were three seats booked at the last row - T19, T20 and T21. Yun was probably on his father's lap. But there is a catch here. Miss. Ma couldn't have known on which side Mrs. Dai would sit. But she also guessed that it wouldn't be the middle seat since she would want Mr. Dai and Miss. Yin to sit together with Yun. So it was either T19 or T21. So she booked both seats T18 and T22 so that it wouldn't be a problem for her.

But the other people on Miss. Ma's left side of the seats could pose a problem if anybody noticed her doing anything suspicious. That's why the entire left side from her seat was booked too. When I checked the booking records, it wasn't done in bulk. It was done from four different accounts and names so that it wouldn't seem suspicious. But none of those people came for the movie. I understand one group's plans canceling at the last moment but all four?"

The air felt still.

"Miss. Ma then wanted to use Mrs. Dai's allergy against her. But animal fur allergies are fairly immediate. If she inhaled a considerable amount of fur without any sort of planning, it wouldn't be possible to time the reaction."

Ma Yanyu nervously asked, "Time the reaction?"

Jia threw a look at Ma Zhilan and continued. "At first, we thought that the fur on Miss. Ma's body was the responsible factor. But she couldn't have controlled WHEN Mrs. Dai's allergy would be triggered that way. How and when the fur from her body would be released. So to control that factor, she hadn't played with dogs that day at all.

The only way left would be to bring a small bag containing fur strands in it, which she collected from those same dogs the previous days. When the movie began, she slowly started releasing very little fur in the air. Mrs. Dai didn't realize the presence of such minute amounts of fur, but her immune system was slowly beginning to sensitize the more fur got released and the more she inhaled.

After the interval, she started to show the first symptoms. Sniffling, coughing, sneezing. Small rashes might have begun to form too. When Miss. Ma noticed these symptoms, she knew it was time for releasing the final and major bunch of fur particles that will eventually trigger her allergy. But she couldn't have done so until Mr. Dai was away from his seat because then he would have definitely noticed it and everything would have failed."

Yin Xiaoling's aunt, Yin Chin couldn't help but bring light to a very odd fact. "Then isn't it very convenient that Fengge left just then?"

It was now that Jia felt the faint tremors shaking Ma Zhilan's body. A look of the impending inevitable cast a light of inexplicable sadness in her eyes.

Jia glanced at Yin Chin and addressed her. "You are right that it's odd. The timing was too good to be true. That's why it couldn't have been a coincidence. Miss. Ma could inject the last stream of fur in the air when Mr. Dai had left. But to make that happen, he needed to get the call from the one who made him leave the theater."

Sharp gasps echoed. They stood in disbelief, eyes wide in shock as they seemed to realize another graver implication. They collectively threw an incredulous look towards the lone woman standing from the Dai family and who exuded the same level of poised temperament as Ma Zhilan had.

Dai Meihui stood in silence, calm and unhurried. Her eyes seemed to hold millions of emotions, one of which was the realization of this moment's arrival from a while ago. She maintained her composure signifying that she had seen this coming. But what turmoil contained within that placid mask was something only she knew.

If Jia had figured out Ma Zhilan's involvement, then she had figured out hers as well. They were accomplices. Ma Zhilan couldn't have done it without her. It was the inevitable exposure of her identity that was bound to happen.

"It was Mrs. Dai Meihui who had pre-booked the seats. When it was time, Miss. Ma dropped you a message to call Mr. Dai until he would be forced to move out for some time," Jia stated more than asking her.

She plainly nodded without much emotion.

"When he left, Miss. Ma released the remaining fur. The allergy finally triggered in her and asthma followed soon after. But to prevent her from asking for help, she immediately put her hand over her mouth and stopped her from making any noise. Mrs. Dai would have been naturally shocked and confused. She was suffering and desperately wanted help. She didn't know who this woman was who was stopping her.

She might have resisted first but then she could have felt asthma worsening. She quickly tried to open her bag to retrieve her inhaler, but Miss. Ma had stopped her once again and in that scuffle, the bag fell down.

Mrs. Dai sensed the danger and tried to free herself. But Miss. Ma had locked her wrists with her other hand. In that resistance, she managed to kick Miss. Wu's seat. But Miss. Ma quickly took over and spoke on her behalf to drop Miss. Wu's attention from the matter. It was dark, loud and Miss. Wu wasn't wearing glasses, so she got fooled. The asthma kept getting serious, making her hyperventilate."

Jia gently took Ma Zhilan's left hand in hers and showed her palm. "When I had dropped you home, I had noticed this band-aid. You said that the dogs had playfully bit you but…it was Mrs. Dai, right? She bit your hand during the struggle and if we check, I think those would turn out to be her teeth marks."

Ma Zhilan's silence was her biggest admittance.

"Mrs. Dai eventually passed out with the struggle. But you assumed that she died because hyperventilation can cause temporary loss of pulse. Miss. Ma didn't find one and thought that she was dead."

"Mom! Why are you keeping listening to the Inspector?" Ma Wenyan demanded an answer in trepidation. "Please say something! Say that these are all lies!"

She clutched onto her stick tighter and exhaled a silent breath. The increasing heavy atmosphere felt prickly as if a thousand needles were being rained down.

Jia slowly carried on. "Mrs. Meihui then texted Mrs. Meihui that there would be no problem for Mr. Dai to come back. Even if he noticed his mother's eyes shut, he might simply assume that she fell asleep. Miss. Ma took some painkillers and probably fell asleep after all the adrenaline rush. That was the end of Miss. Ma and Mrs. Dai Meihui's conspiracy."

Her piercing stare made Dai Fengge shiver with cold. "But things took a turn an hour later when Mrs. Dai was starting to regain her consciousness. Something that her son quickly noticed. But her son wasn't innocent either. Because he was already aware of his wife's plan and thought that it was a good way to get rid of his mother without dirtying his hands."