Chapter 238
Half an hour later.
The other members of the Robbery and Murder Division arrived at the scene.
In recent times, the first squadron had not been assigned a case, and this case, even if it was discovered by someone else, there was just as high a probability that it would be assigned to the first squadron.
The lieutenant took a look at Luke and said with some envy, “We’re working at the police station while you’re on a leisurely vacation at the beach.
Kid, I’m a little envious of you.”
Luke laughed, it was reasonable to say that Lieutenant Vince had already reached the age of retirement, and he was rehired by the police department not so much because of his love for his job, but for financial reasons.
Blackie bristled, “I can’t believe you didn’t call me, that’s not enough.”
“I regret not bringing you too, it was super boring.” Luke mouthed as he thought of Orty’s S-curves.
Blackie rubbed his heart, “It makes me feel better to hear you say that.”
The lieutenant scanned around, “I thought you said you found the body in the ocean. Where is it?
How come I can’t see it.”
Luke said, “The body is three meters below the surface of the sea, it’s normal that you can’t see it.”
“Then how did you find the body?”
“Actually, I didn’t come on vacation today, but to learn snorkeling, and I found it while practicing snorkeling.”
“Snorkeling? Sounds super cool.” Kuro praised, then frowned, “You’re secretly learning a new skill all by yourself again.”
“I’m also planning to learn surfing in the future, I’d love to experience that feeling of conquering the ocean.”
Blackie shook his head, “No, you’re just trying to be cool.”
“Not at all.”
Just as the two of them were chatting, Susan was discussing with the technical team and the forensic pathologist on how to get the body out from underneath the sea water.
It was finally decided to send a member of the tech team who could dive into the water, one to recover the body and another to search for any other evidence around the body.
Soon, the technical team member went into the water with a diving device, he did not immediately go to salvage the body, but first photographed the state of the body and the surrounding environment.
This was the first scene, and it was likely that certain evidence would be missed if the body was recovered directly.
After taking pictures, the diver dived to the bottom of the sea, the location here is not very deep, only seven or eight meters in total.
The black teenager’s right foot is tied to a rope, the bottom of the rope is tied to a large iron block, if the body is directly salvaged, the force of the iron block falling may damage the body.
Therefore, the salvage was divided into two parts, one part to salvage the body and the other part to salvage the iron block, both at the same time.
The divers tied up the body and pocketed the iron block again with a net, while pulling upwards, pulling the body out of the water and putting it into the motorboat.
The divers then jumped into the water again and continued to survey the scene around the body to see if there was any evidence left behind, such as tools of the trade or items of the sort carried by the body.
The body was moved to shore and the area around it was cordoned off, the tourists having been dispersed except for the presence of the police.
People from the 1st Squadron, Forensics, and Technical Teams all began to observe around the body.
Luke also saw more and more clearly this time, the teenager’s face looks a little tender, the body has traces of being torn, look at the wound mold should be torn after death, and it is likely to be underwater creatures.
Thinking about this, Luke some guilty of nausea, decided not to eat seafood in the last two weeks.
The teenager was wearing a black Nike T-shirt, shorts, and a Nike sneaker on his left foot.
Xiao Hei squatted down and observed the teenager’s sneaker: ”This pair of Nike sneakers is a limited edition, I’ve always wanted to buy them, but they are too expensive, they’ve been speculated to 1000 dollars a pair, and the children of ordinary families definitely can’t afford them.
But what kind of person is so cruel that they would kill a teenager.”
The vice squad said, “There are billions of people in this world, it’s impossible for everyone to be normal.
But why would the killer dump the body here?”
Jackson guessed, “Could the body have floated with the sea water from somewhere else?”
The lieutenant pointed to the iron lump tethered to the dead man’s left foot, “Even if it floated from somewhere else, it shouldn’t have been too far.
There are no eyewitnesses, Luke is the one who called the police, the clues we have in the early stages of this case are too few, we have to find out the identity of the deceased before we can do so.”
Blackie pointed to a few hotel buildings not far away, “Could the dead be guests of the surrounding hotels.”
Susan said, “In this case, everyone split up to visit the nearby hotels and stores, and when the forensic and technical section’s side finds out the clues, I’ll post them to the chat group.”
“Yes, captain.”
The crowd split up.
Luke and Blacky walked along the beach toward the Hilton.
Blacky said, “The deceased was a child, I hate cases like this, I always get a bad feeling in my heart.”
Luke said, “The most painful thing at this time is not more than his parents, the child who has been raised for more than ten years is said to be gone …… There is nothing in the world that is more painful than the white hair to send the black hair to the black hair of the most painful.”
Xiao Hei nodded, “You’re right, that’s why I don’t want a child in my life.”
“You don’t like children?”
“I like it, but children mean responsibility.
I …… feel that I don’t have that ability, and I don’t want to take on that responsibility.
Why must people have children?
I can’t figure that out at all.”
“Have you talked to Julian?”
“No, I don’t know how to talk to her and in what attitude to talk to her.
First of all, I’m not sure if she’s really pregnant.
If she’s not pregnant, it would be awkward for both of us.
If she’s pregnant, I’m even more unsure of how to face her.” Xiao Hei couldn’t help but complain, “I really don’t know what this woman is thinking.
The two of us originally got along very well, liked each other like glue, and had a great time.
That night, I invited her to a very expensive restaurant for dinner, very romantic and feeling ……
She suddenly said she wanted to get married.
Originally I thought she was joking.
But next ……
I realized that she really wanted to get married with me and forced me to get married by all means.
I really suffered during that time, I like her, really like.
But I don’t want to get married, I really don’t.
Much less did I want a child.
That’s a responsibility I can’t afford.”
Luke guessed, “Could she have been pregnant and wanted to marry you.”
“She never said anything about being pregnant, and if I had known then that she was pregnant, I would have told her to ……
I know this is a little cruel, but I was totally unprepared to be a dad.
No, I should say I was completely unprepared.”
Black suddenly grabbed Luke’s arm and in a shaky voice, “I’m super scared right now, I’m shaking just thinking about it, I really don’t know what to do.
God, why are you doing this to me.
Just save me.
I’m really scared!”
Luke put an arm around his shoulders, “Man, don’t be scared, I’ll back you up.
I may not be able to help much with the rest, but if you need money, let me know.
What you need to do now is talk to her and get things straightened out.
Don’t keep running away and scaring yourself.
Maybe, like you said, she’s just gained weight and isn’t pregnant.”
Kuro took a deep breath, “I will.”
“Buzz ……”
Both of their cell phones rang at the same time and Luke pulled it out to see that Susan had posted something about the dead man in the chat group.
Preliminary autopsy results, male, age between 13-15, drowned by water, time of death, August 2nd between 5pm and 12pm.
There is a Captain America shield tattoo on his shoulder.
Luke also couldn’t help but feel a little emotional, between the ages of 13 and 15 are some of the best years a person can have.
Like Blackie said, parenting isn’t easy.
When dealing with this kind of case, Luke’s biggest fear was to face the parents of the deceased.
The two entered the Hilton Hotel, the front desk was a white guy in a blue shirt, he didn’t look too old, just in his twenties, to be a little younger than Luke, with a professional smile on his face.
“What can I do for you, gentlemen?”
Blacky flashed his badge, “I’m Detective Marcus from the Robbery-Murder Division, and this is Lieutenant Luke.”
Blackie was a happy-go-lucky guy, pain came and went quickly, which was one of the things Luke liked about him.
People’s emotions were contagious, and being around people like that made you happy too.
Sometimes happiness was just a feeling.
The white guy asked, “Is it because of the dead people on the beach?”
“You heard about that.”
“Yes, a lot of customers were discussing it just now, and some others wanted to check out, we were busy for a while just now. Officers, what is your business here at our hotel?”
“According to our speculation, the deceased was most likely a tourist staying at a nearby hotel, we came to the hotel to investigate as a matter of routine, and would like to ask for your help in identifying him.”
The front desk was a job of ushering people in and out of the hotel, many people also had to pass through the front desk, if the deceased was a resident of the hotel, the front desk would probably be able to recognize him.
“OK, I’m not busy right now anyway, I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks.” Luke took out a photo of the deceased, “The photo might be a little scary, so be prepared.”
“I just attended my grandfather’s funeral a while ago, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Luke didn’t say any more and directly put the photo in front of him.
The white little brother glanced at the photo, his complexion changed slightly, frowning, “Wow wow, he’s still so young, too bad.”
Luke observed his expression, “Is he a customer of your hotel?”
The white boy hesitated slightly, “No.”
Lies.
“Have you seen him?”
“No.”
Lie.
From the other party’s reaction, Luke could basically confirm that he should have known the deceased.
With a clue, Luke was not in a hurry and sized up the little white man, “What’s your name?”
“Butka.”
“Nice name, can you help us find some employees who worked the day before yesterday? I’d like to find out more, maybe the others have seen the deceased.”
“Lieutenant Luke, I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you, I work at the front desk every day and I have a very good memory, I can basically recognize any guest of our hotel.
If I can’t recognize it. Then it shouldn’t be a guest of our hotel.”
Luke asked, “Can we look at the surveillance?”
“SORRY, I’m afraid that’s not possible, the person in charge of our hotel won’t agree.”
“How do you know it won’t agree without asking?”
“There have been similar situations before, and according to the hotel’s rules, we don’t disclose our customers’ privacy unless the police have a search warrant.
We need to be responsible for the hotel’s customers.”
“OK, I can understand that.” Luke left a business card, “If you remember any clues, you can call me.”
“No problem.”
Afterwards, Luke and Xiao Hei both left the Hilton Hotel.
Xiao Hei subconsciously asked, “Where are we going next?”
“Apply for a search warrant!”
Half an hour later, Luke returned to the Hilton Hotel again.
Besides him and Blacky, he was followed by Ramon, Jenny and two patrolmen.
The front desk boy, Butka, was a bit surprised, “Lieutenant Luke, Detective Marcus, why are you guys back again?”
“What’s that?” Blackie didn’t answer and barged straight inside the counter.
Butka rushed to stop, “Sir, you can’t do that. Even if you’re cops, you can’t barge in.”
Blacky picked up a piece of information that was being printed from beside the hotel’s fax machine, picked it up and handed it to Butka, “This is the search warrant you asked for.”
Butka was a little flustered, “Didn’t I already help you identify the dead body? Why do you need a search warrant.”
Luke said, “Because you lied.”
“I didn’t.”
“You know whether you did or not, surveillance doesn’t lie.”
Luke turned to the two patrolmen and said, “Keep an eye on him and let’s go to the surveillance room.”
“Hey, Lieutenant Luke, hold on a second, I have something to say.” Butka called out sharply.
“Think before you speak, I don’t like being lied to. Usually people who deceive me don’t end up well either.”
Butka got a coworker to keep an eye on the front desk for him and whispered, “Lieutenant Luke, can we talk somewhere else?”
Luke took him to a place farther away from the front desk, “Go ahead.”
“SORRY, I did lie, I’m really sorry.”
“Why did you lie?”
“Things are more complicated.”
“Then make it simple.”
“I met the dead man and talked to him, but, I had nothing to do with his death and I was surprised to see his picture.”
“He was a resident of the hotel?”
“Sort of.”
“Yes it was, no it wasn’t, what do you mean it was sort of.” Luke wasn’t satisfied with the answer, “Which room is he staying in? Where’s his family?”
“Room 707, he checked into the hotel alone.”
Black frowned, “You’re still lying, he’s still a kid, not an adult, he doesn’t even have the qualifications to get a room, how can he check into the hotel alone?”
“As I said earlier, things are a bit complicated. That room of his was opened under my identity, if this matter is known to the hotel’s supervisor, I might be sacked.”
“You know him?”
“No.”
“Then why did you get a room for him?”
“Employees get a 20% discount card for hotel stays after three years of employment, and I can make 20% off the difference.
I’ve been a little tight lately and needed the money, so I helped him get a room.”
“How did he contact you?”
“A week ago, he came to the room with a fake driver’s license.
I’m from that age, and I’ve had fake driver’s licenses, and since he was so young, I saw right through it.
He wanted to rent a room badly and asked me for a favor.
And gave me a hundred dollar tip.
He was young but rich.
So I agreed.
He gave me the cash and I helped him get a room.
We all get what we want. He gets a house to live in and I make a little money.
Please don’t tell my boss that I need this job badly.”
Luke said, “We’re here on a case, we’re not obligated to hide it for you.
Of course, we don’t have to report it to your supervisor either, how you explain it is up to you.
When did he check in and did he check out?”
“Checked in on July 26th, and his room was checked out today.”
“Was it cleaned?”
Butka glanced at her cell phone, “It should have been cleaned by this time.”
“FUCK!” exploded Black, “Are you deliberately sabotaging the trail?”
“I’m not, I haven’t seen him since yesterday, I haven’t seen him again today, and no one answers when I call him. The money he gave me was only enough to pay for today’s room, I couldn’t possibly lose money to help him rent a room, then I’d lose money.
So, I canceled the room at noon and that room should have been checked in with a new guest.”
The room had been cleaned and a new guest had checked in, so the clues and evidence had been destroyed, and even if the police could find clues left behind, it would be difficult to use them as evidence in court.
“What was his name?”
“Quinnell.”
“Full name?”
“I really don’t know.”
“What’s his cell phone number?”
Butka pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open, saying, “626 836 542*.”
Luke sent the cell phone number directly to Matthew, and with it, he was able to lock down the owner’s identity.
And the owner was most likely the deceased’s family.
Luke arranges the task, Ramon and Jenny are responsible for checking the surveillance to see if the deceased did come to the hotel as Butka said, in addition, if there are other suspicious people who had contact with the deceased.
The two patrolmen rush to room 707 and wait for the tech team to take over the scene, even if the clues in the room are destroyed, the necessary survey is still necessary.
Luke and Blackie were in charge of contacting the family of the deceased.
Soon, word came from Matthew that the owner’s information for the cell phone number had been found.
Owner, Maureen Yagot
Gender, female
Age, 42 years old
Address, 102 Cavayo Street.
Social Security number, 623-53-854*.
Cell phone numbers, 626 836 542*; 626 346 268*.
Luke then dialed the owner’s second cell phone number.
A few moments later, the cell phone connected.
A woman’s voice came to mind on the phone, “Hello, is this the Argotts’ house?”
“Do you know Quinnel?”
“Of course, he’s my lovely eldest son, sir, what do you want with him?”
Hearing this Luke grimaced a little, it was a cruel thing to tell a mother that your son was dead.
“Ms. Argot, how is your health?”
“Quite well, why?”
“I have something to tell you, something not so good, something to do with your son, Quennel.” Luke continued with the precaution.
“Omigod, is Quinnel in trouble again?
What a bad boy, I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson when he gets back in a little while.”
Luke listened to the tone of voice was a little wrong, according to the coroner’s speculation, Quinnel died yesterday more than 24 hours, but listen to his mother’s words, as if he had an appointment with Quinnel.”
“Ma’am, you and Quiniel made an appointment to meet together?”
“Oh, he’s my son, we live together, what’s the point of making an appointment?
He just took his brother out to play basketball and will be back soon.
Sir, what’s the matter with you? Why do you feel a little strange?”
Now, it was Luke’s turn to differ, isn’t Quinnel dead?
How could a dead man play basketball?