Chapter 284
“No, I don’t want to get involved with dead people.”
“Mr. Sweeney, this is the house you rented, you’re already involved.”
“This is the house Gretna rents, I just pay the bills.”
“She’s your wife.”
“We’ve broken up our relationship, it’s less than normal now.” Herson Sweeney said.
Luke turned the tables, “Is there a deep conflict between you?”
Herson Sweeney suddenly woke up and realized that he had said the wrong thing, “Captain Lee, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t want to get involved with Gretna, much less clean up her mess for her.”
“OK, then let’s put it another way, I suspect that this headless lady is your wife, Gerina, and I want you to cooperate with the police in identifying the body now.
Although you had a bad relationship and deep conflicts between you, but now that she might be dead, in order to catch her killer, is it possible to put aside your previous grudges for a while.”
“Even if you’re not sure, you think Gerina is dead?”
“I haven’t seen her, that’s why I need her family to identify her body, I don’t think you’ll refuse, right?”
“Jesus Christ, how could something so horrible happen ……”
“It’s the kind of thing no one wants to happen, but it happened and all we have to do is fix it as soon as possible.”
“I know.” Herson Sweeney took a deep breath and slowly walked over to the large pit, covering his nose: “The body has no head and has already begun to decompose, how can I recognize it.”
“If there was a head, then there would be no need for identification.
Give me some clues that can prove Grina’s identity, you’re a couple, you can recognize it even by looking at the body.”
“But the body has started to rot and the figure is a bit deformed, it’s too scary.”
“Then tell us some other clues, age, skin color, tattoos, jewelry or some other features.”
“She didn’t have big breasts, she had a dark mole under her right armpit, she had a tattoo of a flowering vine next to her collarbone, she liked to wear purple nail polish, that’s all I can remember.”
“Do you have any children?”
“I always wanted a child, but she was more of a free spirit and didn’t want to be burdened by children, so we never had any.”
“Does Gretna have any other immediate family?”
“Her old mom, who lives in Arizona.”
“Wooo…… two cars pulled up to the side of the road as the coroner and tech team arrived on the scene.
Luke said, “Mr. Sweeney, we’ll talk about this for now, you can find a place to rest for a while.”
“Can I leave now? I don’t really like the atmosphere here.”
“This is the house you rented after all, I think it would be better if you stayed, you can go back to your car for now, I’ll call you if I need you.” Luke finished and walked over to communicate with the forensics and tech teams, giving a brief description of the scene.
The coroner and tech team then lifted the body out of the large pit.
The tech team surveyed the scene and the medical examiner began a preliminary autopsy ……
Luke calls Reed to report the situation, the headless female body is one more, and the nature of the case is more serious.
But it also shows that the police are on the right track with their investigation and one step closer to the suspect.
One by one, the survey team discovers some new clues, a large amount of blood was found in the toilet was treated traces, this is likely to be the first scene.
Gretna Sweeney’s ID and cell phone were found in the large pit, though no murder weapon was found, and no shovel was found in the home.
This gave Luke a bad feeling that the other party hadn’t disposed of the tools of the trade, and most likely wasn’t planning to call it quits.
The ID and cell phone are both very personal items, and although the cell phone has a password, the screensaver photo is that of Gretna Sweeney, and the above clues indirectly prove that this headless female body is probably Gretna Sweeney.
After that, the forensic pathologist Sheila also completed the preliminary autopsy.
“Medical Examiner Sheila, how are the results of the autopsy?”
“Not very satisfactory, no fatal injuries were found on the body, from the symptoms of the body it is likely that she died from blood loss, the fatal injury should be in the head.
In addition, the body was put into a sealed bag and buried, the body is more seriously decayed, the judgment of the time of death will have a certain error.
At present, the time of death can only be determined to be around September 14th.”
“Can the identity be confirmed?”
“The age of the corpse is around 35 years old.
It basically matches some of the characteristics you described, moles, tattoos, purple nail polish, etc.
That’s all the clues we’ve found out so far.” Sheila took out a couple of photos and handed them to Luke.
“Hard work.” Luke took the photos to check them out and watched Sheila leave.
“Jackson, get Herson Sweeney over here, we need to talk to him again.”
“YES, Sir.”
Herson Sweeney walked over with the smell of smoke, “Captain Lee, how’s the investigation going?”
Luke handed him the photo, “This is the photo of the deceased, you need to identify it yourself.”
Herson Sweeney took a deep breath and took the photo with his right hand, “Flower and vine tattoo, purple nail polish …… “Herson Sweeney let out a long sigh, a complicated look on his face, “That’s right, it’s her. ”
“Are you sure this is your wife, Gretna Sweeney?”
“Yes. Why was she killed?”
Luke took back the photo, “We know too little about the clues to be sure for now. It would be great if you could provide some valuable clues.”
“Uh …… I don’t know.
As I said before, we’ve pretty much stopped seeing each other, I don’t interfere in her life, I don’t know what’s happened to her lately, and I’m surprised at her sudden murder.”
Luke nodded, “I can understand that, you’re a couple, and when something like this happens suddenly, your minds are likely to be scrambled for a while.
In that case, I’d like to ask you a few questions, you just have to answer.”
“No questions.”
“First, I’d like you to describe your trip on September 14th, the more detailed the better. It starts in the early morning and ends at 24:00.”
“Are you guys suspecting me?”
“Just a routine inquiry.”
“You guys don’t have to lie to me, I know what’s going on.
There are a lot of similar dramas on TV where wives are murdered and husbands are often treated as the first suspect on the spot.
I can’t believe I’m being treated like a murderer.”
Jackson said, “Since you’ve seen similar dramas, you should also be clear that it’s best to cooperate with the police investigation at this time, and if you make the situation clear, the police will rule out your suspicion. Spend more energy on investigating the case, on the contrary, it will only increase the police’s attention on you.”
“I’m thinking about it, give me a moment. Can I have a cigarette?”
“No, this is still the scene of the crime, you’re asking for trouble if you smoke here.”
Herson Sweeney held the cigarette in his mouth, thought for a moment, held it in his right hand and said, “In the early morning hours of September 14th, I was home resting, woke up about 7:00 a.m., then ate breakfast and went to work, I worked for the Norwich Terminal Freight Company and stayed there all day.
Got off work at 5:30 p.m., then went to the bar for a drink, got home about 9 p.m., washed up and went to bed.”
“Where were you between 10:30 and 12:00 p.m. on September 15?”
“At home, sleeping.”
“Can anyone testify to that?”
“Like you said, I’m separated but not divorced …… I’m not that much of a womanizer, I have my own boundaries and live alone.”
Luke jotted it down in his notebook, his alibi wasn’t quite adequate, but it wasn’t too much of a problem either.
“When was the last time you were here?”
“Early September, I drove over to drop something off and she let me leave it in the yard without letting me in the door.
After that, I knew we were totally done and there was no way we were getting back together.”
“What do you think about Gretna’s murder?”
Herson Sweeney said, “Shocked.
She was not easy to get along with and had a bit of a temper, but she didn’t have any deep grudges against anyone else.
I can’t imagine who would kill her, and to brutally cut off her head is just sick.
I never want to come to this place again.
I guess the landlord might have killed me for that.”
“Did Gretna hang out with anyone more dangerous?”
“I don’t know, and even if she did, she wouldn’t tell me.”
“What exactly did you and her break up over?”
“Personality differences.”
“Was there a third party?”
“Uh, still asking about that.
Actually, I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s not something honorable, and even if the two of them get divorced, I don’t want to make it look too bad.
She cheated.”
Getting to the point, Luke flipped open his notebook, “Do you know the person she cheated on her with?”
“Wickedore.”
“Full name.”
“I don’t know.”
“Have you met him?”
“Yes, I’ve seen them shopping together, a white guy in his mid-thirties, stylishly dressed, I can’t figure out why he’s looking at her.”
“Can you find Wickedore?”
“Can’t.”
Luke said, “You saw your wife shopping with another man and didn’t show any sign then?”
“I’m not a pussy, of course I did.
I went over to them and asked about their relationship and Gretna said that Wickedore was her barber.
Bullshit barber, I’ve never heard of a barber shopping with a client.”
“Did you beat him up?”
Herson Sweeney pursed his lips, “No.”
“Why didn’t you, if you suspected your wife was cheating on you and the third party was right in front of you?”
“I don’t know, maybe …… have been disheartened. Don’t tell anyone else, I don’t want to be seen as a coward.”
“Any idea what barbershop Wickendall works at?”
“No idea.”
Luke put away his notebook and shook the other man’s hand, “Thank you for your assistance, we’ll let you know the outcome of the case.”
“Thanks, can I go now?”
“Of course, but it’s best not to leave Los Angeles, we may be looking for your help again.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go either.” Herson Sweeney waved and turned to get into his car.
By giving Herson Sweeney a statement, Luke didn’t notice any obvious signs of lying on the other man’s part.
“Jackson, go around the house and find out if there’s a barbershop membership card.”
“YES, Sir.”
Eustace Barber Shop.
It was a barber shop located in a busy area, the barber shop was divided into two floors, offered free drinks and snacks, disposable towels were free, and the barber’s services ranged from $50 to $300 per hour.
A black sedan pulls up outside the barbershop and Luke and Jackson step out of the car.
Luke looked at the membership card in his hand, “Yep, this is it.”
Jackson walked over and looked at the barber shop, “I kind of like the style of this barber shop, this one has a good rating online.”
The two walked into the store one after the other and a young waiter in a vest approached, “Gentlemen, do you have an appointment?”
Luke waved the membership card in his hand, “I’m looking for Wickedore.”
“Wickedore, your reservation customer has arrived.” The waiter called out, inviting Luke to step inside.
“Are you sure? I don’t seem to have any booked clients at this hour.” A white man in his mid-thirties stood up and sized up Luke and Jackson, “Man, are you guys sure you have an appointment today?”
“It shouldn’t be too late to make an appointment.” Jackson flashed his badge, “LAPD, we’d like to get some information from you.”
Wickedore gave a puzzled look, “What kind of information?”
“Do you know Gretna Sweeney?”
“Yes, I do, she was a client of mine, what happened?”
“She’s dead.”
“Even buy the Karma, she was only in her thirties, she was fine the last time we saw each other, why is she suddenly dead.”
“She was killed, that’s why we’re here to investigate, would like to ask you to provide some valuable clues.”
“OK, talk to me upstairs.” Wickedore explained to the waiter and led the two Luke upstairs.
With no other guests upstairs, Wickedore said, “Formal introduction, Wickedore Smith.”
Jackson said, “This is Captain Lee of the Robbery Murder Division, I’m Detective Jackson.”
“Hello Captain Lee, feel free to tell me anything you guys want to know, Gretna Sweeney was a client and a friend of mine, I’m sorry for her death and wish I could do something for her.”
“Were you close?”
“How can I put it? I think of my clients as friends and have always treated them as such, and have been in touch on occasion in addition to haircuts.”
“When was the last time you were in contact?”
“I think it was around August 10th, I can’t remember exactly.”
“Do you two hang out together?”
“Not often, but we did shop together.”
“According to the reactions of the people around Gretna Sweeney, the relationship between the two of you is not as simple as friends.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you know about Gretna Sweeney’s separation from her husband?”
“Yes, I know.” As if he understood, Wickedore gave an odd smile, “You suspect that Gretna Sweeney and I are lovers?”
“Is that so?”
“No, that’s simply not possible, Gretna, though nice, is not my type.”
“You’re not going to convince me with that reasoning, if I’m not interested in a woman, there’s no way I’m going to hang out with her.”
Viktor laughed, “Captain Lee, I’m not like you, I don’t like women.”
“You mean you don’t like Gretna Sweeney, or all women?”
“I’m GAY.”
“Does Gretna Sweeney know that?”
“Everyone knows, you can ask downstairs if you don’t believe me, I’ve never hidden my orientation.
It’s natural, it’s a gift from God, I have no reason to hide it.”
Jackson looked Wickedore up and down, “You don’t look gay.”
“What do you think gay is supposed to look like in your mind?” Wickedore’s tone of voice changed, twisting around and stopping in front of Jackson to wave an orchid finger in a girlish manner.
“Is that what gay has to be in your mind?
Come on, some gay do act more, but most are more normal.
Don’t let the TV shows influence you, those are fake, I’m the real deal.”
Wickedore craned his head to look at Luke, “Captain Lee, what do you think?”
Luke shrugged, “That’s good, I have one less competitor in this world.”
“That’s a novel idea you have, it’s the first time I’ve heard of it.” Wickedore gave a concerned look, “When did Gretna Sweeney die?”
“September 14th.”
“No wonder she didn’t contact me for so many days, she was a good person, she didn’t deserve this to happen to her.”
“Was there anything unusual about her a while ago?”
“Doesn’t seem to be.”
“How is her relationship with her husband?”
“It hasn’t been good, they’ve separated and will probably get a divorce.
We even ran into each other once when we were shopping. I think he may have misunderstood something, and I was going to explain it to him, but Gretna Sweeney said there was no need for that.”
Luke handed the other man a business card, “Thank you for your assistance, here’s a card, contact me if you remember any leads.”
“I will, I’ll see you guys off.”
“No need for a ride.” Luke politely declined and walked down the stairs with Jackson in tow.
When they reached the door to the first floor, the waiter took the initiative to open the door for the two.
Luke asked, seemingly offhandedly, “Is Wickedore’s girlfriend pretty?”
The waiter laughed, “Wickedore doesn’t have a girlfriend, only a boyfriend.”
“Bye.”
Luke and Jackson left the barber shop and returned to the car.
Jackson didn’t start the car right away and said, “Captain, I still don’t think Wickedore looks gay.”
“Why do you say that?” Luke didn’t see any signs of lying from the other man.
“I can’t say, it’s just a feeling.”
“You think he’s lying.”
“I can’t say, but there should be something to hide.”
It was after nine o’clock in the evening.
Eustace’s barber shop was running low.
The barber’s door was also leaving one by one.
Wickedore packed up his things, carrying a small blue satchel, and flew kisses to the remaining clerks, “See you tomorrow, babies.”
Wickedore exited the barbershop and walked forward about a few dozen meters.
“Tick-tock.”
A car siren sounded.
Wickedore saw a white Ford sedan parked in front of him, he quickly ran over to it and got into the passenger side.
“Hey baby, you’re right on time.”
In the driver’s side sat a buxom black woman, “I’m your exclusive driver.”
“You’re all dressed up today.” Wickedore wrapped his arms around the black woman and the two couldn’t help but heat w up.
Wikdor’s hands were also not honestly touching around.
“Knock knock.” Suddenly, there was a sound of knocking on the glass.
Wickdoll was startled and turned his head to look to the side, there were two people standing outside the car, looking at them curiously.
“Are they perverts? Why are they staring at us?” The black woman gave a disgruntled look.
“No, they cops.” Wickedore sighed.
Outside the car stood none other than Luke and Jackson.
Luke waved his hand, signaling for Wickdoll to lower the window, “Mr. Smith, we need to talk again.”