Early the next morning.
Dean, fresh and clear-headed, arrived at the police station.
Lawrence had gotten there early.
Seeing Dean, he raised his coffee cup. "Any findings yesterday? Want a cup?"
"No need, Lawrence. Although I didn't gain much at the gym yesterday, I asked about the annual membership fee for you and checked out the level of the fitness trainers." Dean adjusted his waistband. "It wore me out."
Lawrence was intrigued. "How was it?"
"Smooth." Dean gave a thumbs-up. "Eighteen hundred for the annual fee, worth every penny. I've already signed up."
When he left earlier, Laura had been very satisfied with his learning attitude from the previous day and gave him a platinum VIP membership card, the kind that costs over ten thousand US dollars a year.
"Sounds good."
Lawrence nodded.
Although he didn't understand why assessing the fitness trainers would leave Dean looking so exhausted, he decided he would get a membership card too after the current case was over.
...
「Nine o'clock in the morning.」
The conference room.
Captain Monet, who had been absent all day yesterday, took his place at the head of the table. His expression was serious, devoid of his usual geniality.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the Chief specifically spoke to me yesterday. The case we're working on has already blown up online, and the situation is turning against us! Now, report on your investigations from yesterday. Deputy Captain, you first!"
Old Hunter nodded. "The third victim's body contained an unknown red substance. We should have the results today. Also, I've distributed the suspect's portrait to several precincts. Although we can't get a wanted notice issued yet, as soon as the suspect appears on the streets, we'll find him. I've also asked Harry to reach out to his informant friends for help."
As he spoke, he nudged Harry beside him.
Harry, looking completely drained and with drooping eyelids, gathered his energy and said, "Yesterday, I asked a friend who deals in fake IDs; the suspect's fake ID wasn't made in Los Angeles. However, I've sent his likeness to other friends, and I'll be notified as soon as there's news."
"Good!" Monet nodded with satisfaction. "Even if we can't immediately catch the killer, we must pressure him so he doesn't dare to continue committing crimes."
"Phoebe, any progress on your end?"
Phoebe, sporting dark circles under her eyes but still in good spirits, responded, "We didn't find any suspicious individuals at Sam's Supermarket last night, Captain. I think we can end the decoy operation."
Daisy was very attractive, and she hadn't lacked for people hitting on her. Investigating them one by one meant she and Robert had no time to sleep at all yesterday.
"Hmm, since we've already identified the suspect, there's no need to continue fishing at the supermarket. Phoebe, you and Robert go rest in the break room," Monet said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, Captain."
Phoebe and Robert quickly expressed their gratitude for the Captain's consideration.
"Lawrence, what about your team? Any findings?" Monet looked expectant. It was thanks to Lawrence's team that they could now identify the suspect.
Lawrence shook his head. "I compared the likeness against the database yesterday and didn't find any matches for the suspect. He may not have a criminal record."
"Is that so?"
Monet drummed his fingers on the table.
Although everyone had cast a wide net, Los Angeles is a large city with a high rate of population turnover and plenty of homeless people, not to mention the numerous hiding spots in the slums. Having a portrait didn't guarantee finding the person.
"Lawrence, you and Dean, go through the surveillance footage based on the dates the three victims shopped at Sam's Supermarket. See if you can find any trace of the killer. Deputy Captain, push the forensics department for any new leads. As for Harry, once Phoebe and the others have woken up, take the portrait and visit the neighborhoods near where the three victims lived. See if anyone has seen the suspect. If there are no objections, this meeting is adjourned."
Monet personally assigned the tasks.
Naturally, no one had any objections.
Dean was practically invisible throughout the whole process. He had made another discovery at the fitness center, but he wasn't sure if his speculation was correct; he'd simply asked Laura to help with the investigation covertly. Anyway, if the short suspect truly was the murderer, that would be best. If the short suspect was just a smokescreen deployed by the actual killer, then the detective bureau's current actions could be used to lull the real murderer into complacency. Meanwhile, he would stay hidden in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow! He was prepared for both scenarios; either way, he stood to gain.
...
The meeting ended.
Lawrence yawned as he took a large stack of videotapes from Daisy and tossed them to Dean. "Rookie, these are surveillance tapes from Sam's Supermarket. The paper lists the dates the victims recently went to Sam's Supermarket. You take a look first; I'm going for a nap."
Harry had already collapsed on the table, fast asleep. It was evident that to crack the case, Harry, like Dean, had made a significant sacrifice the previous day.
Dean was physically stronger than the average person and was still in decent spirits. Seeing Lawrence, a middle-aged man whose body couldn't keep up after a single sleepless night, Dean didn't shirk the task and began studying the tapes.
He had been at the detective bureau for a few days now. Dean had long realized that surveillance footage wasn't heavily relied upon to solve cases here. The scarcity of cameras was one reason. Issues with video quality and legal compliance were also significant factors. For instance, if the killer wore a large hat, even if cameras captured their movements, it wouldn't hold up as evidence. Due to the obstruction, the evidence would be insufficient. A judge would likely state that it couldn't be definitively confirmed that the person in the footage was the suspect. This was as frustrating as secretly recorded audio being inadmissible as evidence in court. Very annoying.
However, the towel fiber analysis results weren't back yet, and Laura also needed some time. So, Dean simply started watching the security tapes to pass the time.
...
「In the afternoon.」
Dean returned from the forensics department.
The results of the towel fiber analysis were finally out!
According to the analysis, the towel fibers found in the victims' mouths perfectly matched the composition of the towels supplied by Ross Fitness Center!
This gave Dean a great deal of confidence!
He hadn't found any short person approaching the three victims in the videotapes.
Now he just had to wait for news from Laura.
Lawrence, having napped, was still a bit groggy. "Dean, how's it going? Any findings from the surveillance?"
"None," Dean shook his head. "The three victims actually rarely went to the supermarket. However, we've confirmed that the towel fibers found in the victims' mouths are a perfect match for the composition of the towels provided by Ross Fitness Center."
"You're still focusing on that?"
Lawrence put down his bitter coffee. "Dean, unless you can find the actual piece of towel stained with the victim's saliva from their mouth, such comparisons can't serve as solid evidence. I think you'd be better off..."
Suddenly, BANG!
The office door was violently pushed open.
Daisy, her face a mask of disbelief, burst in and grabbed Lawrence. "The command center received an alarm! A break-in rape-murder occurred at the Karen Hotel, and it's alarmingly similar to the previous three cases..."
The fourth break-in rape-murder happened just when everybody thought they had the situation under control...
After the first case, the killer struck once each day.
Madness!