North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 51 - 50: Leading the Case, Marcus Wakes Up (4200 words, 2 in 1)_2

Chapter 51: Chapter 50: Leading the Case, Marcus Wakes Up (4200 words, 2 in 1)_2

This guy is leading the case!

Thinking this, Old Hunter, who had been a detective for over twenty years and had only reached his current position as Deputy Captain through seniority, felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He coughed twice to interrupt them. "Dean, have you found anything else?"

Dean shook his head.

"Without a search warrant, Lawrence and I can only investigate so much. Marcus is still in a coma. All we can confirm for now is that someone died in the villa recently, but we’re unclear about what exactly happened.

However, I found that a glass window facing the yard in the Shane family’s villa had previously been smashed. The Shane family’s dog was also killed by a severe blow to the head around the time the family disappeared.

So, I have a few speculations."

Below, Lawrence looked moved. He never expected that even though he had merely tagged along yesterday, Dean hadn’t forgotten to include him.

How decent!

Lawrence touched the thick stack of ’mature beauty’ photos in his pocket and silently swore to himself, I will not let Dean down!

Dean shivered under Lawrence’s intense, affectionate gaze. He subconsciously turned away to avoid Lawrence’s eyes and wrote 1, 2, 3 in three columns on the whiteboard.

"First possibility: I suspect the female victim had an emotional entanglement with Shane. Driven by love turned to hatred, she threatened and intimidated the Shane family in various ways. During a conflict, the Shane family accidentally killed her. They then hastily covered up the scene, called Marcus to create a diversion, and fled Los Angeles."

Given Shane’s high income and the family’s premeditated departure, this speculation held water.

Everyone nodded.

"Second possibility: Similar to the first. However, in this scenario, it wasn’t an outsider who died, but Shane’s wife. Furthermore, this outsider supposedly first threatened the Shane family, forcing them to create the false impression of going on vacation, before killing them. But if that were the case, the killer should have had enough time to clean up the crime scene, rather than leaving so many blood splatters. Moreover, Marcus had been staying at the Shane home before the family vanished, yet he’s currently unharmed. That’s not normal either! Marcus is still unconscious, so this speculation is pending."

Again, everyone nodded; Dean’s reasoning was sound and well-founded.

Dean licked his somewhat dry lips. He rarely spoke this much, but he had to in order to gradually establish his image and status within the Fourth Squad.

"What about the third speculation?" Harry asked eagerly. Listening to Dean explain the case felt like hearing a story.

The others didn’t speak, but their eyes, including Old Hunter’s, urged Dean to continue.

"Marcus!" Dean tapped the name ’Marcus’ with a marker. "This guy is a habitual offender, an alcoholic, and a frequent marijuana user. His current injury was due to getting too high and hitting his head on the bar counter.

There’s this possibility: The Shane family was indeed planning to travel and had even informed those around them. But before they could leave, Marcus, in the throes of his addiction, killed the Shane family’s dog. When Shane’s wife confronted him, she too was killed. Once sober, Marcus panicked. He used a mop to wipe the blood off the floor, making a mess. After struggling to clean up, he decided to go all the way and killed the entire Shane family. This could also explain why the bloodstains in the villa’s hall were contaminated, but those on the walls weren’t dealt with.

Marcus was a homeless man with nothing to lose. After waiting anxiously for a while, he realized no one had discovered the incident. Eventually, he became bold, selling the furniture and appliances in the villa for drug money. Finally, Marcus got too high again and injured his head. This led the boy who found him to misunderstand the situation, ultimately resulting in our involvement."

In the United States, individual privacy is ostensibly taken very seriously. If it weren’t for the boy calling the police, the Shane family’s disappearance might have gone completely unnoticed...

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Lawrence led the applause. "Dean, your analysis is excellent. Marcus is indeed a prime suspect."

Phoebe, Daisy, and Harry also clapped vigorously, showing their support. Dean had quickly gotten along very well with them.

This guy, besides being good with women, is also adept at networking.

Influenced by the atmosphere, even Old Hunter joined in.

Only Robert, also a newcomer, looked somewhat envious. However, after a glare from Phoebe, he could only clap obediently and applaud Dean’s reasoning.

Dean thoroughly enjoyed this feeling. However, the key now was to gather more evidence. He had also already sensed Old Hunter was feeling a bit put out.

Establishing an image is a subtle process. No need to rush.

Dean clapped his hands. "Guys, I have a feeling this is another big case. But right now, our chain of evidence is very incomplete. Even if Marcus really killed the Shane family, we can’t convict him. So, we must act fast, now!" ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

The case was still shrouded in fog. He planned to wait until he heard back from Holz about the picture frame before bringing it up.

Old Hunter’s clapping slowed; something felt off.

Dean’s words, however, interrupted his train of thought. "Deputy Captain, please assign us our tasks."

"Hmm." Old Hunter stopped pondering his earlier misgivings. Imitating Captain Monet, he knocked on the desk. "Now, we must ascertain the whereabouts of the Shane family. Because aside from the three possibilities Dean mentioned, there’s a fourth: the Shane family really did go on a trip but were killed en route, and the female victim in the villa was someone else entirely."

This was, frankly, a redundant statement, as Old Hunter was merely trying to assert his presence as Deputy Captain out of habit.

"But!" Robert, who hadn’t had a chance to speak, suddenly perked up. "Deputy Captain, the female victim’s blood was mixed with Shane’s, or possibly his son’s. This means at least one of them was with the female victim at the time. How could they have been killed while on vacation then?"

Finally, a chance to speak! Robert innocently voiced his confusion.

"..."

Old Hunter was stumped. He stood frozen, his mouth opening and closing several times before he managed to force out, "...Is that so?"

Phoebe rolled her eyes at her protégé, Robert.

The idiot!

The atmosphere at the scene became awkward for a moment. Just then, Dean’s phone began to vibrate.

It was an unfamiliar number.

Dean glanced at the embarrassed Old Hunter and picked up his phone. "Deputy Captain, I need to take this call; it might be related to the case."

Old Hunter finally breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly finding Dean incredibly agreeable. "Go ahead. The meeting is about to end anyway."

Dean nodded and answered the call.

"Dean?"

Hearing the voice, the image of Hawk, the bald patrol officer with a large head, instantly flashed in Dean’s mind. "Yes, this is Dean. Is that you, Hawk?"

"Yes. I didn’t have your cell number, so I got it from the records room. Good news: Marcus is awake and in stable condition."

"That’s great!" Dean was sincerely overjoyed. "Thanks, Hawk. I owe you dinner when this case is over!"

Hawk could have called the Fourth Squad directly, but he went to the trouble of contacting me instead. He was probably worried that as a newcomer, I might have the credit for this stolen. He’s a good man.

After hanging up, Dean looked at everyone with a smile. "Guys, good news! We’ve got a breakthrough—Marcus is awake!"

Seizing the moment, Old Hunter stood up and began delegating tasks.

"Great! Dean, you and Lawrence go to the hospital to interrogate him. Daisy, investigate all vehicles owned by the Shane family. Also, monitor their credit cards and related financial activities. Phoebe, you and I will visit the Shane family’s acquaintances. Harry, you focus solely on investigating all information about Marcus. As for you, Robert..."

Under Robert’s anxious gaze, Old Hunter took the list—obtained from the logistics company—from Daisy and tossed it to him. "Your job is to recover all that furniture and those appliances. Work with the forensics team to return everything to its original place in the villa!"

Old Hunter truly was an old fox; he’d thought of everything. He also took the opportunity to teach the rookie Robert a clear lesson: Don’t embarrass your superiors!

That poor kid. Looks like he’s going to be a mover this time!

With the tasks assigned, everyone got busy.

Dean also grabbed Lawrence, the big guy, and they hopped into the charming pink Porsche, heading towards the hospital where Marcus was.

He had a premonition: Marcus, this key individual, would bring a breakthrough and direction to the case!