Chapter 206

Santa Monica Beach’s turquoise sea, blue sky, and beautiful scenery had gathered many tourists on the beach.

Playing in the sea, surfing, sunbathing, beach volleyball, a lot of laughter.

Compared to the scene of the crime, which was cordoned off, it was like two worlds.

The tragedy of the crime scene also attracted many tourists to watch.

This place is different from Caporal Hill, which is more remote and less crowded, but as a tourist attraction, Santa Monica Beach is crowded with tourists, and there are even a lot of foreign tourists.

Soon, people from the TV station also rushed over for interviews.

Long guns and short cannons blocked outside the cordon, and a black female reporter even threw a wink at Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei returned the smile.

Luke shook his head, his words were in vain.

Susan would call together, “Guys, doesn’t the scene feel familiar.”

The lieutenant waved his hand, “A naked man was shot in the back of a car, a pair of handprints from a woman were found on the front face, the modus operandi is the same as the previous case, it should be the work of the same killer.

Following the pattern of the two previous cases, there should have been another female victim.”

Susan nodded, “You are right, the person who reported the case is the female victim, who is now being sent to the hospital for treatment.”

Black asked, “Was she forced to clap for love?”

“It’s unclear for now.” Susan took out a piece of information and said, “The medical examiner has completed a preliminary autopsy, the victim’s time of death was between nine and twelve last night.

The back of the car is the first crime scene, the deceased was shot three times, two in the chest and one in the head, with the one in the head belonging to the fatal wound.

The circumstances are essentially the same as the last case.”

The vice squad scanned the surrounding area, “The suspect is good at finding places, there are few people in this neighborhood after nine o’clock at night, it’s a good place to commit the crime.

If the victims in this case are not directly connected to the previous two.

I’m guessing the suspect is probably a serial killer, and the target demographic is car sex objects.

Once he starts changing his crime locations, it’ll be harder to catch him.”

“Then let’s get moving.” Susan scanned the crowd and began to organize the tasks, “Lieutenant, you and Jackson walk around and see if there are any witnesses.

I saw what appeared to be some tents on the other side of the highway when I came in earlier.

Ramon, Jenny, search the surrounding road surveillance for any suspicious vehicles or people.

Luke, Marcus, go to the hospital and meet the female victim.”

“Yes, captain.”

The crowd split up.

Yattro Hospital.

Room 205.

A girl was lying on a hospital bed, on her side, her body slightly undulating as if she was crying.

A white middle-aged woman sits next to the hospital bed, seemingly whispering comfort.

A white man paces around the hospital bed, his face grimacing as if someone owes him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The white woman looks up and says in a slightly disgruntled voice, “Will you stop spinning around, you’re making me dizzy.”

The white man stopped, his face became more and more ugly, and he looked at the mother and daughter with a puff of air, which he could only swallow in his stomach.

“Knock knock ……” came the knocking sound from outside.

The white man walked over and opened the door to the hospital room, seeing two men standing outside, revealing a wary look, he didn’t want any man to come near his daughter right now, “Who are you people?”

The visitors were none other than Luke and Blackie.

Blacky showed his badge, “LAPD, I’m Detective Marcus and this is Lieutenant Luke, we’re in charge of the robbery and murder investigation in Santa Monica Beach and we’d like to meet the victim.”

The man surveyed the two men, “My daughter has already called the police and cleared it with them. She’s not in a very good condition and doesn’t want to see strangers.”

Luke said, “Sir, I can understand your feelings and we don’t want to disturb your daughter’s rest.

However, your daughter, as the victim of the case and the only known witness, her statement is very important to us.

I’m sure you also want the police to catch the murderer sooner.”

A girl’s voice came from the room and choked out, “Let them in.”

The white man opened the door to the room and stepped aside.

Luke entered the hospital room and scanned the room, his eyes landing on the girl in the hospital bed, who looked like she should be just sixteen or seventeen, and should still be in high school.

“Are you the informant, Margery West?”

The white girl sat up, “It’s me.”

Luke was concerned, “Are you feeling better?”

The girl nodded.

Luke arrived at the hospital and questioned the doctor who examined her, Margaery only had a few scrapes on her body and lacerations underneath, but nothing serious.

“I’m in charge of the investigation into the murder of Jill Bruce, and in order to get a quick look at the case, we’ll need to get a statement from you.”

Margery nodded again.

“Were you present when Jill Bruce was killed?”

Margery nodded slightly.

“I’d like you to answer directly if your health permits.”

“You may.”

“What was your relationship to the deceased Gil Bruce?”

“He was my boyfriend.”

“Describe the trip you both took yesterday and the crime.”

“Last night we had a date to see a movie together, and at about 7:00 p.m. he drove outside the community to pick me up, and then we went to a nearby theater to see a movie.

After the movie it was already 9 p.m. He asked me to go to the beach to see the sea, so I agreed.

When we arrived at the beach about 9:20, we sat in the car and chatted for a while.

Then I heard someone knocking on the car glass, and I turned my head to see that someone was pointing a gun at us ……”

Margery whimpered and shook her head, “That’s awful.”

Luke pressed, “What were you guys doing in the car? Didn’t you see or hear the suspect ahead of time?”

“We were talking, having a rather involved conversation.”

“Talking?”

“Yes.”

Luke said, “When we saw the deceased he was wearing only socks, did the suspect undress him?”

“No.”

“Then why was he shirtless?

We need to confirm some details of the case, every detail could be the key to solving the case, I hope you’re not holding back.”

Margery scowled, “The clothes came off by himself, and we …… were in a car crash.”

“Can you describe the suspect’s features?”

“He was wearing a black mask and a black t-shirt, I only got a glimpse of him and he told us to close our eyes and threatened to shoot and kill us if we dared to open them. I have no idea what he looked like.”

“And the voice?”

“A little hoarse, not like a human voice.”

“What kind of pistol did he use?”

“A black pistol, and I don’t understand what kind.”

“Was it a revolver?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Sure.”

Luke made a note in his book that this was different from previous cases.

“What did the suspect do afterward?”

“He threw us plastic handcuffs, had me tie Jill’s hands and feet, and had Jill tie my hands again.

Then ……

he told me to leave the car, walk to the front of the car and get on my back ……

I was raped.

Jill was sitting in the car watching at the time, even buy I can’t imagine that scene.

He’s just a pervert, he’s a murderer and he deserves to die!”

From the statements so far, the MO was basically the same: “How did Gil die?”

“He was shot.” Margery cried, “After we finished playing poker, he told me to sit back in the car, then he suddenly shot Gil, I was sitting in the car, I was scared to death.

I thought …… he was going to kill me with him.

But he didn’t, he said he was going to have a cigarette and told me to wait in the car and not to come out, and if I dared to come out, he would kill me with him.”

Margery wiped her eyes with a tissue and a look of strength appeared on her face, “I didn’t dare to get out of the car, and I didn’t dare to open my eyes, so I sat in the car and cried in a low voice, I was especially helpless.

I could hear voices, he seemed to be looking for something, after that, he closed the car door and went out.

I waited and waited, I thought he would rape me again.

But I waited for a full hour without him.

After that, I had the courage to open my eyes and I couldn’t see him outside the car, so I got out of the car and ran away.

I didn’t have a cell phone, so I just kept running.

I ran a long way before I stopped a car and called the police.

Please, you must catch the murderer!”

Luke pondered for a moment, “What time exactly did the suspect commit the crime?”

“He would have shown up around ten o’clock, I don’t know when he left, I couldn’t tell the time anymore at that point.”

“Can you recall any other characteristics of the suspect?”

“No, I was so freaked out that I thought I was going to die, I didn’t think about it that much.”

Luke pulled out pictures of the people involved in the first two cases for Margery to identify, but the other man didn’t recognize either of them.

“How long have you and Jill Bruce been dating.”

“About a month now.”

“How is the relationship between the two of you?”

“It’s stable, he treats me well and I like him a lot. He’s a good guy, a worthy date, really great.

I miss him and how I wish he was still around.”

“Did you notice anything unusual or suspicious about anyone before the murder?”

“Uh …… I don’t know if that counts, Jill said we might have been followed.”

“Followed by who and why didn’t you call the police?”

“William Cam. He went to the same school as us and used to pursue me but I turned him down.

I chose Jill.

William was upset and went after Jill, but was taught a lesson by Jill instead.

After that, William even approached me and said some bad things about Jill and told me not to be with Jill.

Jill was generous and didn’t take him seriously at all.”

Luke summarized, “That means William is Jill’s love interest.”

“You could say that too.”

“Did you see William yesterday?”

“Uh, yes, I saw his car too, and he did follow us for a while, but was quickly shaken off by Jill and we didn’t take it seriously.

Besides, Gil seemed more excited.

He felt that being with me was the best lesson for William.

While I don’t want to say anything bad about William, I’m sure he was furious to see me with Gil.”

“Are you familiar with William?”

“Not too bad.”

“Do you think William could be the killer?”

“I don’t know, I was too freaked out to even look at the killer, and even if the killer had been standing in front of me, I would have had a hard time recognizing him.

I was so useless.” Margery burst into tears again.

Her mother whispered consolations from the sidelines, and her father’s red eyes and fists were clenched.

Luke asked, “Do you know where William’s house is?”

Westin’s Pizza.

A Ford Explorer pulled up in front of the pizza parlor.

Blackie got out of the car and rubbed his stomach, “I’m starving, I must eat a big meal.”

Luke asked, “Are you sure you want pizza?”

Blacky looked like he was taking it for granted, “Trust me, pizza is absolutely delicious when you’re hungry, bar none.”

“OK, as long as you like it.”

The two entered the pizza store.

At this time, there were not many people in the store, and the two found a seat by the window.

A young male waiter came over and put the menu on the two’s table, “What would you like to eat?”

Luke pushed the menu to Xiao Hei, “You read it first.”

Blackie picked up the menu and scanned it, gulping, “I’ll have this Supreme Pizza, my favorite. And another black pepper beef pizza with coke and fries.”

The menu was then given to Luke.

Luke pointed to the food on the menu, “Grilled pork ribs, snack platter, seasonal veggie salad, those first.”

Black rubbed his hands together, “Bring up the coke first, I’m starving.”

“Buzz.” Blackie’s cell phone rang, Blackie picked it up and looked at it, a smirk appeared on his face as he sent a message back.

Luke guessed, “Parley Jones?”

“Whoa whoa, you can guess that?”

Luke pressed, “What did she want with you?”

“She asked me to have dinner with her tonight.” Blackie hemmed and hawed, seeming to read Luke’s thoughts, “Don’t worry, I’ll never reveal the progress of the investigation of the case, I swear.”

“Then why are you going?”

“Don’t you think the relationship between the two of us right now is exciting?”

“Investigating cases every day isn’t exciting enough?”

“That’s different, I’m single now, dating and interacting with the opposite sex is a normal state.”

Soon, the waiter brought up the food, and Luke was so hungry that he didn’t bother trying to talk Blackie out of it, picking up the pizza and chowing down.

Blackie had a saying that was true, when you’re hungry, eating carbs is definitely the most pleasurable.

What big fish and meat, lobster and abalone can’t compare.

Soon, the two winded up eating the food on the table.

Luke called the young waiter to settle the bill, “How much?”

“Thirty-five dollars total, sir.”

Luke gave him two twenty dollar cash bills straight away, “The rest is your tip.”

“Thank you, you are a generous gentleman.”

Luke smiled, “Man, you look a little familiar to me, what’s your name?”

“William.”

“William Cam?”

“Yes, I don’t think I’ve met you before, how do you know me?”

“It is true you do not know me. But we have a mutual friend.”

“Which one?”

“Margery West, do you know her?”

“Of course, my goddess, I’ve always loved her, but sadly, she’s someone else’s girlfriend now.”

Blackie said, “Man, if you like it, you have to be brave to chase after it, don’t give up, as long as she hasn’t gotten married yet, you have hope.”

“Thanks for the encouragement, I will.” William patted his chest and asked rhetorically, “What’s your relationship with Margaery?”

Black flashed his badge, “LAPD, I’m Detective Marcus, this is Lieutenant Luke, and we’re investigating a robbery and homicide in which Margaery was one of the victims.”

“WHAT?” asked William, thinking he’d heard wrong and showing a concerned look, “A robbery and homicide? What happened to Margaery?

I’ll be damned, she’s not …… dead, is she?”

“No, Margaery’s not dead, but Jill is.”

William frowned and pressed, “Where is Margaery now? What’s her condition?

How did Jill die?”

“I haven’t asked you yet and you’re asking me back. Answer my question first and I’ll tell you about Margaery afterward.” Luke finished, staring at William’s expression and asked, “Did you see Jill and Margaery yesterday?”

“Why are you guys asking that? It’s not because you suspect me, is it?”

“No, just a routine inquiry.” Luke made a perfunctory comment, “How old are you, do you need your parents present?”

“No, I’m fine on my own.”

“GOOD, answer my previous question.”

William thought for a moment, “I didn’t see Margaery yesterday.”

Luke had been watching him and saw that he looked flustered and showed obvious signs of lying.

“Where were you between nine and eleven last night?”

“I was at home.”

Lying.

“Did you follow Jill and Margery last night?”

Sweat broke out on William’s forehead and he twisted his hands together, “No.”

Lie.

Luke pressed, “You said you were home between nine and eleven last night, can anyone prove it?”

“Uh ……,” William hesitated a little.

“Think before you speak, we’ll ask for proof.”

“No, I was alone in the house.”

“You usually live alone?”

“No, my parents are divorced and I live with my father, who wasn’t home at the time.”

Luke intoned, “William, are you very fond of Margaery?”

“Yes.”

“So you killed Jill.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You can’t fool me, you lie all the time. If you had a clear conscience, there was no need to lie, and since you did, it means you’re probably the killer.”

William scanned around, sat down across from Luke and whispered, “Hey, you can’t slander me or I’ll sue you.”

“You can’t lie to the police either, or there will be more serious consequences.”

William blushed a little, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t open his mouth.

“OK, if you don’t say anything, I will.” Luke organized his words, “You like Margaery, but Margaery doesn’t like you.

At first, she didn’t explicitly reject it, then she met Jill and the two got together.

You felt lost, felt that Gill had stolen Margaery, held a grudge against him, and even went after him to get him to leave Margaery.

Later, Margaery found out about this and approached you and made a big deal out of it, rejecting you in no uncertain terms.

You were furious and wanted revenge.

So, you followed the two of them last night and brutally murdered Jill.

Even so, you still felt unsatisfied and raped Margaery.

For one thing, out of revenge and possessiveness, and for another, it would be a stain on Margaery.

But you don’t care, you can even pretend to be a warm-hearted man to take care of and comfort Margaery, and eventually win her heart.

You can say it’s a brilliant move ……”

William interrupts Luke and shouts, “No, that’s your slander, I’ve never done any of those things at all, I wouldn’t kill anyone, much less hurt Margaery.

I’m not the person you say I am.”

Luke questioned, “Then why did you lie? If you didn’t kill anyone, why did you lie to the police?

I’ve seen more suspects than you’ve had clients, and you think you can fool me?”

William sighed and scratched his hair hard, “SORRY, I didn’t mean to lie to you guys, I just didn’t want to be suspected.”

Luke squared his shoulders, “We learned enough about the clues before we got here.

If you lie and the confession doesn’t match the clues we learned, we will be more suspicious of you.

As long as you tell us truthfully, we will naturally check it out and will never wrongly accuse a good person.”

William was silent for a moment and pursed his lips, “You guessed right, I did see Jill and Margaery yesterday.

Moreover, I followed them, and I lied.

I didn’t mean to lie, I was just afraid that you would suspect me.

Although I followed them, I never meant to hurt them.”

“Then what were you following them for?”

“I was trying to protect Margaery for fear that she might be hurt by Jill.”

“But according to Margaery, Jill is her boyfriend and the two are very close. Why would you think that Jill would hurt Margaery?”

William grunted, “She doesn’t know Jill at all.

Gil’s family is rich and handsome, and a lot of girls like him.

But this guy is not a good person, he’s a playboy, I asked around about him and I heard that he’s been having girlfriends since elementary school.

He even knocked up a female classmate. This guy is definitely not a good guy.

I’m worried that he’ll hurt Margaery and knock up Margaery’s stomach as well, in that case Margaery’s life will be ruined.

This guy definitely did it.”

“That’s no reason for you to stalk the two of them.”

“I know what I did was wrong, but I was just worried about Margaery.”

“Since you followed them, did you see Jill get killed?”

“No, my car broke down halfway. So, I lost them halfway and I don’t know where they went after that.

If I had been following them, maybe …… this wouldn’t have happened.”

“The car broke down? Such a coincidence?” Luke was a little incredulous.

William pointed outside, “My car is right outside, if you don’t believe me you can go see it.”

Luke looked in the direction he was pointing, it was a gray Kia, so beat up that he didn’t know how many hands it had been in.

The three exited the pizza restaurant and walked over to the gray Kia, Luke instructed, “Open the car.”

William unlocked the car somewhat reluctantly.

“What’s wrong with your car?”

“It won’t start at a stoplight.”

“Where did it break down?”

“The intersection of Kanga Road and Lion Street West.”

Luke said to Blackie, who was off to the side, “Check the car recorder.”

“OK,” Blackie got into the car, took out the CTR memory card and inserted it into the computer and began to check the CTR.

William said, “Lieutenant Luke, what I said is true, this car is almost twenty years old, it often breaks down and falls off at critical moments.”

Luke seemed to remember something, “You said Jill knocked up a woman, do you know the woman’s name?”

“No idea.

I also heard it from a classmate, there are always all kinds of gossip in school, I can’t guarantee that it’s true, you need to judge for yourself.”

“What are you going to do now that you know about Margaery being hurt?”

“I’m going to visit her and help her to the best of my ability.”

Sitting in the Kia, Black beckoned, “Luke, I checked yesterday’s driving records and the kid wasn’t lying. His car did break down last night.”

Luke asked Blackie to pull out his computer and he put it in front of his face to view the front of the car.

From the car recorder, it could be clearly seen that the car did follow the deceased’s car, but after following it for a certain distance, the car broke down, and there was still a considerable distance from the scene of the crime.

Luke reviewed the video repeatedly, trying to confirm that William was at the scene of the car repair and not using a blindfold.

He scrutinized the video and found that William had not lied and was indeed at the scene fixing the car and had not sneaked away.

He had an alibi.

Just as Luke wanted to turn off the computer, he suddenly found another clue, a black Tesla sedan appeared in the car recorder, not far behind the Cadillac ……

The car immediately caught Luke’s attention.