Chapter 398
The coroner and tech team rushed to the scene and removed the body from the large pit, a mass of maggots crawling underneath the body, a scene that made Luke gag a little at the sight.
He didn’t leave or avert his eyes though, seeing a black backpack underneath the body.
Mary of the technical team, wearing a blue protective suit, took the backpack out of the big pit and put it on a transparent plastic sheet, and then Mary took out the items in the backpack and put them on the plastic sheet as well.
Two Apple cell phones, blood-stained black pants, shirt, suit, belt, shoes, and some damaged electronic devices.
Luke’s eyes rested on the items, both apple cell phone screens were shattered, they could both belong to this body or only one could be the body and the other belonged to someone else.
This reminds Luke of the dead pianist, Lady Grey’s lover, Kiru Jones.
Kiru Jones’ body was found near Highway 1, shirtless, and no cell phone or shoes were found.
Could this extra cell phone belong to the deceased Kiru Jones?
Also, the newly found body was wearing clothes and shoes, so could the extra piece of clothing also belong to the deceased Kiru Jones.
If so, it’s basically certain that the same killer killed both men.
Luke puts on gloves and picks up the leather shoes to check them out, they are the same as the shoe prints found at the crime scene on Highway 1, and it is highly likely that they are the shoes of the deceased Kiru Jones.
It would be easy to confirm it, just use the footprint identification card, but Luke thought about it, there was no need.
There were blood stains on the clothes, just bring them back for identification, why waste a card on himself.
Luke looked over at the pieces of electronic equipment Mary was collecting, “Is this a miniature camera unit?”
Mary placed the parts carefully into a plastic bag, “Yes.”
“Can you restore the video content?”
Mary picked up the broken memory card, “We’ll have to try it to find out.”
“Captain, I’ve got something here.” Jackson stood in the distance and waved.
Luke walked over to find Jackson digging another hole in the ground with a wooden handled shovel in it.
Jackson said with some amusement, “Captain, what do you think of this evidence?”
The murderer kills and buries the body, the first thing to do is to dig a big pit, not without a digging tool, but there is no shovel found inside that dark blue Porsche Cayenne, and this one shovel is most likely left behind by the murderer.
Luke a thumbs up, “Congratulations, credit where credit is due.”
Half an hour later, the medical examiner, Sheila, also completed the preliminary autopsy.
Sheila took off her gloves and and mask and said, “The deceased is a white male around forty years old, no bloodstains or fatal injuries were found, most likely death by poisoning, as for the poison composition further testing is needed.
The time of death should be around December 29th.”
This time coincided with Luke’s guess, on December 29th Luke brought people to search Mr. and Mrs. Gray’s home, it should be that someone leaked the news to inform Mrs. Gray, and she decided to kill her husband.
As for the purpose of Mrs. Gray’s murder, it was impossible to determine for the time being.
Luke said to Jenny who was beside him, “Call Georgia Gray and ask her to go to the police station to identify the body.”
“YES, Sir.”
Robbery and Murder Division, Squadron One office.
“Oooh ……”
Luke could faintly hear a cry as he sat in his office.
It didn’t take long for a tear-stained, crying makeup covered Georgia Gray to follow Jenny into the office.
Luke invited her into the break room.
Jenny nodded slightly, implying that Georgia Gray had identified her husband.
Luke sat across from her and handed Georgia Gray a packet of tissues, “Mrs. Gray, I’m so sorry for what happened to your husband.”
“Why is that?
I’d rather he ran away than ……” Georgia Gray wiped the tears from her eyes, “Who killed him?”
“We’re in the middle of an investigation, according to the medical examiner your husband would have been killed on the 29th, did you see anyone suspicious that day? Or anyone else visit your house?”
“No.”
“Did you drink the same kind of alcohol that night?”
“Yes.”
“You were drinking before you passed out?”
“Yes. What’s the problem?”
“After a preliminary autopsy by the medical examiner, your husband should have died of poisoning.”
“Jesus Christ ……,” Georgia Gray closed her eyes and sighed, “Did he commit suicide?”
“We dug up his body underground, it would have been murdered and then buried the body.”
“What the hell happened that night? Why was I imprisoned and my husband murdered by the Recognizers?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Luke turned the tables and pulled out a file, “On the day you were rescued, the tech team drug tested you and found no ecstasy in your system.
According to the identification report, you were not intoxicated by ecstasy and should have been awake at all times.”
The sad look on Georgia Gray’s face converged and she clasped her hands together, “What do you mean?”
Luke continued, “We found a key underneath the wooden cabinet in the secret room, just enough to unlock your handcuffs.
That means that even if we don’t get to the chamber in time, you’ll be able to save yourself just the same.”
Georgia Gray shook her head, “What key, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”
“You hid it so well that I believed you at first, and if I’m not mistaken, I should have practiced in front of a mirror for a long time.
But a fake is a fake after all.”
“Didn’t you guys ask me to identify the body? Why do you keep saying strange things?”
Luke pulled out a picture and said, “Do you recognize this shovel?”
Georgia Gray pursed her lips, “No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“We found your fingerprints on the shovel and some dander on it, it’s been sent to the Technical Division for a DNA match.”
Georgia Gray slapped her forehead, “I remember, this is my family’s shovel, it’s just been sitting at the vacation home.
I didn’t recognize it at first because I used it so little.”
Luke leaned back in his chair and looked at the other party, this statement was obviously to get off the hook, but on the other hand, it also made sense, her family’s shovel, it’s normal to have used it, and didn’t recognize it because it was used less.
“Mrs. Gray, if you voluntarily confess now, I can still help you get a favorable agreement, if you continue to deceive the police, you may lose your last chance.”
“Captain Lee, there may be a misunderstanding here, my husband was killed and I was imprisoned, I’m the victim.”
“OK, then explain why you didn’t detect the ecstasy ingredient in your body?”
Georgia Gray’s eyes flickered and she let out a long sigh, “I admit that I wasn’t intoxicated, I lied.”
“Why did you lie?”
“It was my husband’s idea to kill Kiru Jones and try to escape.
Since I was in the know, I could have been implicated as well.
So he came up with this idea for me to pretend to be imprisoned and disguise myself as the victim.
That way the police wouldn’t suspect me of having anything to do with the murder of Kiru Jones.”
“Then why did your husband die?”
Georgia Gray choked out, “I don’t know, I saw him drive off in his Cayenne and thought he had fled L.A. I really didn’t think he would be killed!”
Luke stared at the other woman, seeing no obvious signs of lying, could it be that she really didn’t kill anyone?
Was there someone else who killed Kiru Jones?
Luke pressed, “Where’s the murder pistol?”
“I really don’t know.”
Luke was once again in deep thought, the biggest mystery in this case was the pistol.
The pistol’s first killing was the December 17th murder of Georgia Gray’s lover, Kilu Jones.
The second killing was the shooting of Constable Jens Haurage on the night of December 25th.
It is assumed that the killer of Kiru Jones was one of the Gray’s, but both men were white.
According to eyewitnesses, it was a black woman who killed Jens Haurage.
Could it be that Georgia Gray was telling the truth, and that there was a 4th person in the case, the black woman who killed not only Constable Jens Hauraige, but also Ariel Gray, and subsequently killed and buried the body?
Luke sighed softly, although this speculation was theoretically valid, Luke didn’t fully believe Georgia Gray.
The last time he gave a statement to this woman, Luke didn’t see that the other party was lying the first time either.
This woman’s acting skills were very good, Luke did not take it lightly and arrested her for obstruction of the most crime and harboring.
Evening.
Luke asked Orty to have dinner with him.
On the one hand, he was looking for her for something, on the other hand, he wanted to eat fondue and was embarrassed to come alone.
The embarrassment of eating hot pot alone was even more than eating a buffet alone.
Luke found a Szechuan hot pot called Lao Jiu Men.
One person had a plate-sized shabu-shabu pot, which could be either a mandarin duck pot or a single pot.
Luke directly asked for a spicy butter pot base this time.
Orty, on the other hand, asked for a curry and butter mandarin duck pot.
The variety of shabu-shabu was very complete, and the price of meat was very affordable, on the contrary, vegetables were more expensive, and Luke didn’t like eating vegetables, so he ordered a few more portions of meat.
Watching Orty use her chopsticks somewhat clumsily to hold the food, “Have you ever had hot pot before?”
“I love Chinese food, but this is the first time I’ve eaten hot pot, this butter pot base looks appetizing with its red color, but it smells a bit choking.”
Luke was a gentleman and put some slices of lamb on her with his male chopsticks, “This pot base is perfect for shabu-shabu, do you like lamb?”
“I eat beef a bit more.” Orti looked at the lamb in the pot and asked, “How long before it’s ready to eat?”
“As soon as it changes color, it will be ready to eat soon.” Luke helped her mix a little ingredient, “Dip it in this later, it tastes great.”
Orty picked it up and smelled it, “It’s pretty flavorful.”
“This is my secret dipping sauce, the lamb can be fished out now, it will cook old after a long time.”
Olti took chopsticks to clip the lamb, because the pot was still boiling, the lamb rolled in the pot, it was a little hard to clip.
Luke used a colander to help her fish out the lamb, “You can use this, it’s going to be easier than chopsticks.”
Olti took the funnel and fished out two pieces of lamb herself, flirting, “It works quite well, Captain Lee is a gentleman today.”
Luke also shucked a chopstick of lamb, “I always do, it’s just that you didn’t give me the chance.
Tell you a little secret …… it’s not too late to chase me.”
“You invited me to dinner today just to act like a gentleman?”
Ortie dipped her chopsticks in the little spice and ate a chopstick of lamb, “Wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow, that’s spicy, but I like the way it feels.”
“I’m glad you like it.
Also, I came by today for one more little thing.”
“Sure enough, this meal wasn’t for nothing.”
“Two different things, even if it’s nothing, I’ll still treat you to dinner all the same.”
Olti pointed to a plate of yellow dishes, “What’s this?”
“Little crispy pork, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it’s perfect for shabu-shabu.”
Ortie ate a piece of the little crispy pork and nodded slightly, “What did you want to see me about today?”
“It’s about the case of the robbery of the Getty Museum paintings.”
“Is that the same case you’re investigating in the Robbery and Murder Division?”
“There’s another case I’m investigating that may be connected to this one, and the two cases may be investigated together.”
“Congratulations, if you find those ten oil paintings, you’ll be rich.”
“It’s not that easy, this case is more complicated than imagined.”
“Want me to do what?”
“I want you to ask for your help to find out what forces are investigating the case of the robbed oil paintings?”
Orty shrugged, “You’re worried that someone else will find the oil painting before you do?”
“No, that’s not the point. Someone posing as a detective from the Robbery and Murder Division is contacting the victims of the oil painting heist, and I suspect that they are also looking for the whereabouts of the oil paintings and want to know who they are.
If they don’t intervene, they could tarnish the reputation of the Robbery-Murder Division and cause unnecessary trouble.”
Orti opened her small mouth to gasp at the spice and took a big gulp of the table’s sour plum juice, “The hot pot was good, but it was too spicy.
Will I get acne tomorrow?”
“You can shag the curry pot next to it.”
Luke did have a way to help her defeat the fire, but it was a method that could only be described.
Orty shook her head, “I still want this spicy one, it’s super exciting.”
“More lime juice then.” Luke’s favorite was also the spicy pot roast, and after eating this one, he always felt uninspired by other flavors.
Orty guessed, “You suspect a detective posing as someone from the Heist and Murder Division?”
Luke wiped his mouth, “That’s a strong possibility.
If it was someone from another law enforcement agency, they could have given a statement to the victim in name only, there’s no need to pose as a detective from the Robbery-Murder Division.”
“Any favors for helping you with the information?”
“How about I buy you dinner at Michelin next time?” Luke had case funds in his hand, and since he was doing a job for the Robbery and Murder Division, he naturally couldn’t pay for it out of his own pocket.
“Besides eating, or eating, am I that much of a foodie?”
“Then what favor do you want?”
Olty thought with a serious face, “To please twice.”
Luke “……”
The following morning.
Luke arrived at the police station and went straight to the Technical Division.
Yesterday, Luke had directly called Georgia Gray to the police station for custody in order to avoid a long night.
However, because many of the exhibits had not yet been appraised, it was not possible to convict Georgia Gray for the time being.
Luke was the reason why he rushed to the Technical Division early in the morning to inquire.
After finding Mary, he handed her a bag, “Brought you breakfast.”
“Thanks.” Mary was a bit surprised and opened the bag in surprise, “Doughnuts, tea eggs, and soy milk.
Wow, I haven’t eaten it for a long time.
In the past, when it was almost Chinese New Year, my grandmother would deep fry doughnuts for me to eat, it’s only in the last two years when her legs are not convenient that she stopped doing it.”
“Does your family still celebrate Chinese New Year?”
“Of course, we eat soup dumplings in the morning and dumplings at noon.”
Luke “……”
“My father is from Yuezhou and my mother is from Jizhou, technically I’m a Yue-Hebei mix.”
Luke “……”
Didn’t see it coming, you’ve got a good sense of humor.
“How’s the miniature camera restoration coming along?” This physical evidence is what Luke values the most, for the simple reason that the miniature camera was damaged the most, obviously smashed on purpose.
Mary took a sip of soy milk and said, “The miniature camera was damaged so badly that it is almost impossible to repair it again.
However, we recovered the video stored in the memory card.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Luke was somewhat looking forward to what was in the video.
Mary handed Luke a flash drive, “Take it back and watch it, don’t spoil my appetite.”
Luke returned to the First Squadron office with the USB flash drive and played the contents of the video directly on the projector.
In the video, a man was naked and swaying in front of the camera, seemingly adjusting the angle of the camera.
At this time, a woman in a lace nightgown also entered the camera, and the two seemed to have an argument, but because there was no is sound, the conversation between the two could not be heard.
During the argument, the faces of the two are revealed, the man is Kiru Jones.
The woman was Georgia Gray.
The two were arguing very hard and it was clear from the language of their actions that the woman was coming at the camera but was blocked by the man.
The man pushed the woman to the ground.
The woman became anxious and ran in the direction of the bed, pulling a black pistol out of the nightstand and pointing it at the man.
The man waved his hands, a little agitated, seemed to be explaining something, slowly approached the woman, and then the man fell to the ground without warning, blood gushing out of his chest ……
MD, fooled by this woman again.