Chapter 88
Reed grimaced and let out a long sigh, “I’m going to make a call.”
The lieutenant reminded, “Don’t forget to buy more time, there’s not one dead man now, but four.”
Reed waved his hand and didn’t answer.
Susan picked her thumb, “What else do the others have to say?”
Ramon swept his gaze over the bodies in the pool of blood, “This would be the first crime scene.
The victim was shot ‘execution style’ and from the wounds it looks like a handgun should have been used.
If the shot was fired in the living room, the surrounding neighbors should be able to hear it.
However, according to the patrolman’s description, the surrounding neighbors did not hear the shots, indicating that the suspect likely used a silencer.
Silencers are more strictly vetted for approval than firearms and often sell for more than the firearm itself.
The suspect is either a pro or not too far off the mark.”
Susan nodded and instructed, “Ramon, keep an eye out and get the bullet mark identification report as soon as possible.
Marcus, Jenny gather the surrounding surveillance.
David, Luke notify the victim’s brother, we need to talk to him.”
“Yes, captain.”
The men split up to investigate.
Luke swept his eyes over the scene and remembered that he had a newly drawn card, the Appraisal Card.
He hadn’t used it yet and didn’t know its exact function.
Taken literally, it was probably related to the crime scene, but there was a lot of evidence at the scene, including bodies, blood, bullet marks, and footprints, so it wasn’t clear exactly which one was being identified.
He walked over to the body and subconsciously thought of using the ‘identification card’.
No reaction.
Walked over to the bloodstains, no reaction.
Walking over to the shoe prints left by the suspected murderer, a set of data appeared in his mind.
[Shoes, thick-soled, cross-grain rubber shoes
Gender, male
Height, 180-185cm.
Weight, 85-90 kilograms.
Age, between 40 and 45 years old.]
This is a footprint identification card.
He is no stranger to footprint identification, and China can be unique in this regard.
Footprint characteristics vary according to a person’s gender, age, height, weight, and walking posture.
Through a great deal of research and experience, identification experts can back out the physical characteristics of a suspect through footprints and shoe prints.
Luke has seen a provincial hall footprint identification expert, with shoe prints to deduce the suspect’s physical characteristics, physical defects and walking habits, almost without much error.
This kind of technology is more based on experience, and it is difficult to become proficient without decades of research.
There are only a handful of experts in China who are well versed in footprint identification.
This technique is very powerful.
Luke already knew the physical characteristics of the suspect, which was especially important for identifying the suspect.
It was logical to share and report such important information in a timely manner.
Hesitantly, he didn’t think of how to explain that he would footprint identification.
Since it is not convenient, simply do not say.
Just know in your own heart that you can use it.
A red Ferrari quickly rushed into the streets of the Marca neighborhood.
Stopped near the home of the deceased Riley Harry.
A white middle-aged man came down from the car and pushed away the reporters crowding in front of the yard, “FUCK, you idiots, all of you, get out of my way.”
The patrolman pressed his right hand on his sidearm and blocked the middle-aged man with his left hand, “STOP! This place is under martial law, you can’t go in.”
“This is my sister’s house, my name is Maguire Hari, the detective bureau sent me.”
“Follow me.” The patrolman pulled back the cordon and led the man into the yard.
“DETECTIVE, there is a Mr. Maguire here to see you.”
Luke stepped to the door, “Leave it to me.” He sized up the white middle-aged man, “You’re Maguire Hari?”
“Yes, where is my sister?”
“The police are investigating the scene, you can’t go in yet.”
“Is she …… really dead?”
“Yes.”
Maguire scratched his hair hard and choked out, “Who killed her in the even ……?”
“We just got a call and we’re still investigating, we asked you to come over to get some information.”
“I can’t get over how it’s dead …… yet,” Maguire sat down on the steps and took a big deep breath with his mouth open.
Without prodding, Luke compared the footprint identification data with Maguire.
Gender, age, and height matched.
But Maguire was on the thin side, couldn’t have been 85 pounds, and wasn’t the owner of that shoe print.
After waiting about ten minutes, Maguire looked up and volunteered, “Can I see her now?”
“The scene investigation will still take some time, you can first assist me in making a statement, the more information the police have, the quicker they can solve the case.”
“How do I make a statement?”
“I ask and you answer.” Luke turned on the law enforcement recorder, “Were you and Riley Hare close?”
“Of course, we’ve been close since we were kids, see each other as dependents, and have dinner together every week.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Yesterday at noon.”
“The exact time?”
“Around twelve o’clock, we ate together. She made lunch herself, it wasn’t very good, but ……
I can’t believe she’s really gone just yet.” Maguire cried, “When I was young, I never knew what it meant to be lonely.
When you reach a certain age, especially after your parents leave, you can suddenly feel very lonely.
The warmth that Riley was able to give my family was the last thing I could count on.
There won’t be any more in the future. ……”
Luke inquired, “Do you have anyone you suspect about Ms. Riley’s murder?”
“My sister had a strong Z-governance philosophy, supported women’s rights, pushed for an immigration bill, called for a gun ban, she was always running and calling for these things, and received some threats, but never compromised.
No personal vendettas either.
She’s a great woman and I can’t think of anyone who would hurt her.”
“Has she been in an unusual mood lately?”
“No, she’s always been emotionally stable.”
Jenny came over and whispered something into Luke’s ear.
Luke nodded and continued, “Is the license plate number 7leb398 Mercedes yours?”
“Yes.”
“We went through the surveillance video and found that this car had been at Riley’s house at 1:00 a.m. How do you explain that?”
“The car is in my name, but it’s usually used by my sister, who also hires a driver.”
“What was the driver’s name?”
“Badman Pool.”
“Thank you for your assistance, feel free to contact me if you think of any new leads.” Luke handed the other man a business card.
“I will.” Maguire slipped the card into his pocket, “Can I see my sister now?”
“Someone will contact you afterward.”
It was evening at the Detective Bureau.
After a long day of investigation, the team returned to the Detective Bureau.
Susan called a meeting to summarize the progress of the investigation.
Susan put a report on the projector, “The medical examiner has completed the preliminary autopsy.
Deceased, Riley Harry.
Time of death, between 11pm and 2am on April 30th.
Battered prior to death, with defensive wounds.
The fatal wound was a gunshot wound to the head.
In addition, the fingers found in the deceased’s mouth came from three different people.
The fingerprints have been destroyed and DNA identification is underway, and specific identities cannot be determined at this time.
It was able to determine the races of the three as African-American, white, and Mexican.”
The lieutenant said, “The addition of three victims at once complicates this case and adds a lot of uncertainty.
At first glance the scene kind of looks like a robbery, but a robber wouldn’t be perverted enough to put a finger in the victim’s mouth.
It feels more like a revenge killing.”
Jenny said, “We checked the nearby CCTV and found that license plate number 7leb398 Mercedes Benz had been to the deceased’s house during the time period of the crime.
The car belonged to the deceased’s brother, but according to the deceased’s brother it had been used by the deceased himself, and a special driver, Badman Pool, had been hired.
Badman-Poel would transport the deceased to and from work on time, but today Badman-Poel did not show up and the car is missing.”
Jenny put a piece of information on the projector.
Name, Badman Pool.
Gender, male
Date of birth, August 13, 1992
Cell phone number, 626 873 7811
Address, 23 Goodman Street
Jenny continued, “We tried to contact the driver, Badman Pohl, but the cell phone number was out of contact and the car was lost.
Also, we went to the house at the contact address and not only did we not find the man himself, but the family is missing for no reason.”
The Lieutenant asked, “Why didn’t you notify the car manufacturer to assist in locating the car?”
Matthew replied, “I contacted it and the car manufacturer attempted to locate it but failed.”
Luke asked, “Can the driver be identified on the surveillance?”
Jenny shook her head, “The driver was wearing a hat, mask, and gloves that covered himself pretty well, and with the light rain last night, it was almost impossible to see the suspect’s appearance.
From the clues so far Badman-Poel looks suspicious and also fits the characteristics of an acquaintance committing a crime, the suspicion is high.”
Jenny’s analysis has some truth, from the known clues Badman-Poel is indeed highly suspicious.
However, Luke also had clues that others did not know about, and that was the suspect data from the footprint identification.
Badman-Poel was only thirty years old, which was a far cry from the 40-45 years old that the footprints had suggested.
Considering Badman-Poel’s behavior was truly suspicious.
Luke felt that he probably knew something or was the owner of one of the fingers.
If so, that would explain why the man hadn’t shown up.
But how did the car go missing?