Chapter 158

Inside the private room on the second floor of the bar.

A black man stood beside the one-way transparent glass with a cigar in his right hand, from where he could overlook the entire first floor bar.

Listening to the rhythmic music and looking at the writhing crowd on the dance floor, the corner of his mouth rose slightly, this was a vampire’s world, a world that belonged to him.

As a black man, it wasn’t easy for him to have it all.

“Bang bang.”

A knock sounded on the door, the man withdrew his gaze and was about to speak ‘cackle ……’ as the door was pushed open from the outside.

The black man cursed with a cigar-clipped finger, “FUCK, did I let you in? Know the rules?”

The black bodyguard stood in the doorway in some embarrassment, and was about to speak when David pushed it straight open, “LAPD, are you Robin Dawgs?”

The black man’s right hand froze in the air, retracted somewhat awkwardly, and colorfully said, “It’s me, what do you guys want?

Even the LAPD can’t barge into my bar.

You guys respect me and I respect you.”

David flashed the warrant, “Do you recognize this? Uh-huh.

With this thing, your face is bullshit, got it?”

Robin, the bar owner, waved his hand, signaling security to get out, “What do you want?”

“You killed that woman, we’re taking you back to jail, do I make myself clear? Let’s see if your vampire minions dare to fuck with the LAPD. I haven’t shot a vampire yet, kinda looking forward to it.”

Robin spread his hands, “I haven’t offended the LAPD, I’m a taxpayer too, you shouldn’t treat me like this.”

Luke tapped David on the shoulder, “Robin, my coworker isn’t holding it against you, he’s just allergic to bats, how about we talk?”

Robin asked back, “Do I have a choice?”

“Sure.” Luke pointed to himself and then to David, who was off to the side, “Me or him?”

“Isn’t that a single choice question?”

“So, you choose him.”

“No, I choose you. I don’t want to communicate with a cop with bipolar disorder.”

“Thanks for recognizing me.” Luke smiled and sat down on the couch, “So why did you bite the woman?”

“Hey, there could be some kind of misunderstanding here, I’ve never killed anyone?”

Luke pulled out the picture and put it on the coffee table, “What about her?”

Robin looked at the photo and was silent.

Luke advised, “You’re a smart guy and run the bar well.

Since we’re here, it means we have enough information, lying won’t do any good, it will only increase the police’s suspicion of you.”

Robin asked back, “How did you find me?”

Instead of naming Dempsey, Luke said the security guard who dumped the body with Dempsey, “Archibald Douglas.”

That would give him the upper hand in the questioning.

Robin clenched her fists, “What did he say?”

“That you killed the woman and let him handle to the body and that he was willing to testify against you.”

Robin denied it, “bullshit, he’s lying, he obviously found the body, he was the one who persuaded me to get rid of the body, I’ve never seen the body since the beginning, he’s totally lying.”

Luke said, “Interesting, you two can’t match your statements, who should we listen to?”

Robin said, “Listen to me of course, he’s totally lying.”

Luke smoothly asked, “Why did he lie?”

“After the body was dumped, I asked him what he wanted as a reward.

He said he wanted to be a security manager, which is complete blackmail.

I promised him security manager today and he wanted to be the boss tomorrow.

Still, I gave him the reward he deserved.

I gave him a bonus and transferred him from the parking lot to the clean surveillance room, I thought he should be satisfied.

Who knew this ungrateful guy would frame me.

Fucking asshole.

I shouldn’t have listened to him back then.

What I said is the truth, don’t ever believe him.”

Luke didn’t expect there to be a windfall, since there was a conflict of interest between the two, it would be better.

“OK, then describe the case.”

Robin sighed softly, to say that he didn’t doubt Luke’s words at all was impossible, but what could be done with doubt?

The LAPD came to his door with an arrest warrant, and in case Archibald really betrayed himself, and put himself on the charge of murder, it would be difficult to retract his confession.

He could only choose to cooperate with the police.

“Last night, around twelve o’clock, Archibald hurried into the booth and said he saw a body in the alley.

I didn’t believe him at first, and he showed me pictures of the body.

I hadn’t encountered anything like this before and didn’t know what to do.

So, I asked Archibald’s opinion and he said for me to throw the body far away so that the police wouldn’t look into the bar and it wouldn’t affect the business of the bar.

I agreed not wanting to get into trouble.

But I didn’t really trust Archibald either, so I got another guy to dump the body with him.

I didn’t leave my booth since the beginning, and I’m glad for that decision now.

There is surveillance outside my private room that you can view, and it’s enough to prove my innocence.” At that, Robin’s face hardened a bit, “FUCK, Archibald was transferred to work the surveillance room. This asshole is most likely tampering with the surveillance.

Detective, what I’m saying is true.”

Luke pointed to the photo and continued, “So how did this woman die?”

“I really don’t know, you guys should ask Archibald, it’s possible that he killed the man and then used it as a way to blackmail me into a promotion and raise.

I’m the one who’s been wronged the most.”

David cursed, “Bullshit, you threw a young woman’s body into the ocean to feed the fish and you have the nerve to say you were wronged, what a shameless asshole.”

Jenny came over with handcuffs and cuffed Robin’s hands, “You know what? I rarely agree with him, but for once I think he has a point.

You are indeed an asshole.”

Luke cautioned, “Be careful when you make the arrest, the killer is likely still in the bar, and it’s best if he doesn’t become aware of the police operation.”

Ramon grabbed a shirt from the couch and put it over Robin’s wrist, “That’ll do.”

Ramon and Jenny escorted Robin away.

Luke exited the booth and stood on the second floor to watch them leave, preventing any unsavory people from making trouble.

Then, his eyes scanned the bar for the bullies and ghosts, looking for Blacky and the reporter, Parley Jones, and it was a shock not to find them.

Xiao Hei with a silver mask is sitting with Pari Jones by the coffin bar drinking, the two people chatting seems to be quite happy.

Luke was a bit speechless, this unreliable guy, told you to keep an eye on her, didn’t tell you to pick her up.

“What’s going on?” David asked.

“Nothing, let’s go find Archibald.”

“What about Marcus?”

“Don’t bother with him.” It was an idle move anyway, so Luke didn’t really care.

The bar, outside the surveillance room.

“Knock knock.” Luke knocked on the door with no response.

Twisting the handle, the door was unlocked.

Only to see, inside the surveillance room, a black man in a security uniform wearing headphones was dancing, beating the beat and twisting his ass at the same time, very good at entertaining himself.

The black security guard saw Luke and the two of them, took off his headphones and asked, “Who are you guys? Why did you break into the surveillance room?”

Luke flashed his badge, “LAPD, are you Archibald Douglas?”

The black security guard froze and stammered, “Can I help you?”

“Answer me positively.”

“That’s right …… I am.”

Luke sized up Archibald Douglas, the first person known to have found the dead man and the most likely to have gotten him killed.

Luke flashed a picture of the dead man, “Do you recognize her?”

“Whoa …… is she dead?” Archibald’s voice trembled a little as he just scanned the photo and hurriedly averted his eyes.

“Archibald, did you kill her?”

“No, how could I have done such a thing?”

“But for all we know, you had a lot to do with her death.”

“I don’t know what you mean?” Archibald took two steps back and sat down in his chair.

Seeing that he was a bit flustered, Luke struck while the iron was hot: “Last night, you dressed up as a zombie and tried to tear into the female victim, probably to kill her or to scare her, but you didn’t realize that she was too timid and was directly scared to death by you.

Afterward, you contacted the bar owner Robin in order to shirk your responsibility, saying that you found a corpse outside the bar.

Suggested the owner to get rid of the body in a hurry.

Robin, in turn, got a man named Dempsey to join you in throwing the body out to sea.

You also used the incident to blackmail Robin by transferring from the parking lot security to the surveillance room, am I correct?”

Luke’s speculation was joined by the confessions of Robin, the bar owner, and Dempsey, which could be said to be both true and false, the more so the more bluffing.

Startled, Archibald rushed to retort, “NoNoNo, it’s not what you said, I didn’t kill anyone, I really just found her body, I swear to God.”

“If you just found her body, why didn’t you call the police?”

“I’m a security guard at a bar, my boss pays my salary, and when people die near the bar, of course I tell my boss.

It’s not like the LAPD pays my salary.” Archibald showed a panicked look and added, “Besides, if I really did kill the guy, I couldn’t hide, so how could I go to the boss.”

Luke pressed, “Where did you find the dead man’s body?”

“The back door of the bar, there’s no surveillance there, and I occasionally go there to smoke. I just happened to see it that day, and I was scared at the time, but I thought it was an opportunity.

I’ll admit I wanted some favors, that’s all.”

“Cackle ……”

Just then, the door to the surveillance room opened, and Black walked in from outside, still wearing the silver mask on his face, and said, in an excited tone, that

“Hey guys, this bar is more interesting than expected.”

David looked at Marcus, surprised, “Where have you guys been? Where did you get this mask?”

“Ah, it’s a bit of a long story.” Marcus opened his mouth, revealing two fangs on it.

David “……”

“Then let’s not talk about it.

Marcus, you stay in the surveillance room and check last night’s surveillance to see if you can spot the victim. David and I will take the suspect to check out the scene, any questions?” Luke was worried that taking Blackie out might be seen by female reporters.

“No, don’t worry about going, leave this place to me.” Blacky patted his chest and assured.

Luke and David then took Archibald out of the surveillance room and went out the back door of the bar.

The back door of the bar was an alley, the light was a bit dim, there was quite a bit of sewage on the ground, not far from there were a few cars parked, not far from there was a dumpster, and a faint stench could be smelled.

Luke’s eyes scanned around, “Where did you find the body?”

Archibald thought for a moment and pointed ahead, “Right there, about four or five meters from the back door.

She was just lying on the ground, wide-eyed, with two bloody holes on the left side of her neck, blood still flowing on the ground, it was a scary situation.

I really thought she’d been bitten by a vampire at first.”

Luke scrutinized the scene, seeing few clues of value, “Where’s the blood?”

“It’s been cleaned off.”

“Who cleaned it up?”

“I did, but it was at the behest of Robin, the owner, all his instructions.”

“But according to Robin, you advised him to dump the body in the ocean, and the scene was cleaned up on your own initiative.”

“No, I just told him that I found a body at the back door of the bar, how could I possibly tell him to throw the body into the ocean when I myself had been scared out of my mind and had no similar experience.” Archibald hastily denied it.

Whether it was instructed by the boss Robin or suggested by Archibald, both men were suspected of being involved in the vandalism of the scene and the destruction of the body, and both were subject to the law, and it was left to the Vice Squad to take their time with the interrogation as to who was the mastermind.

Something had to be done for the old man.

“Did you see anyone suspicious when you found the body?”

“No.”

“Were there any other objects around when you found the body?”

“I didn’t see any.”

“Come to think of it, bag, cell phone, other items that could prove identity?”

Archibald held up his right hand, “No, I swear to God, I really haven’t seen it.”

Luke sighed softly and blushed a little.

To be honest, it was hard for the police to look good in the face of both Robin, the bar owner, and Archibald.

This was also the reason why David was a bit grumpy.

Investigating a case was not an easy task in the first place, crime scene investigation and forensics were the most crucial, directly related to whether or not the case could be solved.

Now that the crime scene had been cleaned up, even if the original murderer had left clues, they must have been destroyed.

Even if the scene still retains some evidence, it is difficult to be effective in court.

These two had done such infuriating things for their own selfish interests, and from a certain point of view were even more detestable than the murderer.

“Ringing ……”

Luke’s cell phone rang, it was Blackie’s number.

“Luke, I’ve found a major clue.”

“What clue?”

“I checked the bar’s surveillance yesterday and found the victim’s figure, and at that time, there was another person beside her. And this person we recognize.”

“Who?”

“Laura Pool.”

This is a family member of one of the victims in the ‘immigration case’.

Her husband, Bardman Pohl, was the driver for Congresswoman Riley Hare, and her husband and the Congresswoman were videoed being blackmailed by the killer for clapping for love.

While delivering the ransom, her husband withheld a part of the ransom which led to his murder by the murderer.

Laura Pool also became a widow and is now dependent on her son Jaden.

Blackie had always taken good care of the mother and son.

Luke was a bit surprised, “Can you be sure?”

Xiao Hei’s tone was certain, “Of course, I’ve always been in contact with her son Jaden, and I’ve seen her occasionally, so it’s absolutely not wrong!”

Luke had also met Laura Pool a few times.

He had the impression that the other party was just an ordinary housewife, now considered a single mom.

Why would she be connected to this case?