North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 596 - 336: A Brutal Way to Die (Book Friends, Gentry, Wish You Well on Dragon Boat Festival)_1

After Dean's friendly "discussion," Barnaby's neighbor not only cooperated by sharing what he knew but also allowed Dean and his team to view his home's recent surveillance footage.

According to the neighbor, he hadn't seen Barnaby for over ten days. The man had recently been on annual leave, staying home the entire time, so his information was highly credible.

The surveillance footage, however, wasn't very helpful. The camera's scope only covered the neighbor's yard; he hadn't dared point it towards the street to avoid privacy issues. Consequently, Dean only discovered that the man flirted with the paperboy who delivered mail daily and was an indecent old codger. There were no other findings.

After parting with the grim-faced neighbor, Dean prepared to find the patrol officer responsible for liaising with the property management company to check on their progress.

Upon seeing Dean approach, the patrol officer, who seemed to have just had a realization, ran to him as if seeing a savior. "Detective Dean, help!" he pleaded, looking tall, thin, and somewhat frail. "I need assistance..."

The rotund patrol officer beside Dean asked his pleading colleague, somewhat puzzled, "Salami, what's wrong? Aren't you in charge of contacting this community's property management company? Did someone threaten you?"

The patrol officer, Salami, said plaintively, "The property management company isn't cooperating, so I tried Detective Dean's method and threatened them. Now they're planning to file a complaint against me with the police department."

The rotund patrol officer was speechless.

Dean was also speechless.

What does he mean by 'my method'? I'm going to sue him for slander!

Dean rolled his eyes. "You're Salami, right? Can you tell me why you'd think of threatening a property management company responsible for an upscale community?"

Property management companies in the United States are no joke. Their structure is usually very complex. These companies are lucrative ventures, closely connected with courts and police departments, and often have ties to all sorts of people, both legitimate and shady. A beat cop threatening them was likely asking to be assigned to traffic duty, eating dust.

One could only blame the police force's personnel department for such comical incidents. To ensure officers on the street wouldn't overthink things and would just get the job done, the police force, when recruiting, specifically selected those with strong physiques but simple minds. This often led to patrol officers in the United States finding themselves in absurd situations, sometimes even being secretly filmed for humorous videos that amused online jesters. The lanky patrol officer, Salami, was undoubtedly a standard-issue "donut cop."

Hearing Dean's question, Salami looked aggrieved. "But Detective Dean," he said, "didn't you also threaten that rich guy?"

"Buddy, please. Didn't you see the family portrait in that rich guy's living room? I dared to question that rich man because I knew that if I legally brought him to the station according to procedure, and then visited his company to ask a few questions, it would create subtle but damaging implications for his reputation. He has several children and likely still has a mortgage on his house. A smart man like him would only make the sensible choice. But why would a property management company be afraid of a mere beat cop like you?"

"Ah..." Salami was dumbfounded. The rotund patrol officer beside him was equally stunned.

So, Detective Dean's seemingly lawless and arrogant actions had so many hidden complexities? Was the core of it really just bullying the weak and fearing the strong?

Seeing the two of them dazed, Dean sighed and patted their shoulders. "Guys, if you want to advance in your police careers, you need to learn how to project an iron-blooded attitude—one that shows you'll fight fiercely but also know when and how to retreat strategically."

Fight while retreating... iron-blooded? The two nodded as if they understood, though they scratched their heads, clearly still puzzled.

...

These two are hopeless. Dean decided to give up on them. He took out his phone and called Lawrence, asking him to take over Salami's task and prioritize getting the surveillance footage from the property management company.

After the call, the fire department finally arrived at the explosion scene. Accompanying them were reporters who, smelling a story, had used every trick in the book to get past the perimeter.

Dean ignored the reporters pestering the patrol officers. Once the firefighters had doused the flames with their hoses, he disregarded the rising steam, waved his hand, and led the two "donut cops," tools in hand, straight to the house's storeroom.

It was located behind the living room, further from the blast's epicenter, so it had sustained less damage. Only some charred, broken debris from the house blocked the way. However, beneath a tattered carpet, they could still make out the hidden iron door leading to an underground entrance.

There was a basement!

"Clear the debris!" Dean waved his hand, grabbed some tools, and took the lead in clearing the way.

The two "donut cops" exchanged a look, surprise evident in each other's eyes.

How did Detective Dean know about this secret chamber?

What they didn't know was that the array of general knowledge instilled by Dean's Tracking Skills included information on explosion echoes. Thus, when the blast occurred, Dean had already discerned the presence of a void beneath the secret chamber's location!

The two rookies naturally couldn't fathom how Dean was so capable. They found the handsome detective far more mysterious and formidable than the rumors suggested. Not wanting to waste any time, they eagerly joined in, hoping Dean would take notice, leading to a promotion, a raise, and their ascent to the pinnacle of success.

After about fifteen minutes of hard work amidst the wreckage, the three of them finally cleared an area of roughly nine square meters.