Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

The next morning, at the detective bureau.

Luke and Little Black returned to the team on time.

At 9:05 a.m., Susan convened the case summary meeting promptly.

Susan pointed at the character tree diagram on the whiteboard, "Yesterday, Raymond and I looked into suspect Pike's situation.

He has an alibi for the period from 10 p.m. on July 10th to 2 a.m., temporarily ruling him out as a suspect.

Tell us about your investigation progress."

Jenny said, "Yesterday, I video chatted with Lisa's biological mother; her statement was essentially consistent with Lisa's, and I went to investigate the cafe they were at the time.

Between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on July 7th, they were both at the cafe.

And Lisa's biological mother returned to New York on July 9th, so she had no opportunity to commit the crime on July 10th.

That's all for my investigation."

The deputy chief continued, "Yesterday, we re-examined Mr. and Mrs. Cage's alibi, and we ruled out the possibility of them committing the crime.

Additionally, Matthew reviewed the couple's bank account transactions and found no abnormal large-sum movements."

Having finished, the deputy chief spread his hands, "That is to say, all our investigative leads have come to a halt, and the case has hit a bottleneck."

Little Black raised his hand, "Hey, guys, don't jump to conclusions so soon, we have a discovery."

Jackson was somewhat skeptical, "Weren't you on a day off yesterday? What could you have possibly found?"

"True, Luke and I did take the day off yesterday.

So, Luke invited me to a Michelin three-star restaurant for dinner.

The French blue lobsters at that restaurant were huge, tender and juicy with one bite, tasted especially amazing," Little Black described with evident enjoyment.

The deputy chief was also getting a bit impatient, "Stop! What does your dinner at a Michelin three-star restaurant have to do with this case?"

"Deputy chief, don't rush, let me explain slowly. It was a French restaurant, really fantastic, and quite expensive, too.

As Luke and I sat at the dining table, that atmosphere, it felt..."

The deputy chief interrupted again, "Who paid for the meal?"

Little Black pointed at Luke, "Of course, he did."

The deputy chief curled his lips, "I don't believe Luke would treat you to a Michelin three-star French meal. Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."

"Believe it or not, that's the truth." Little Black pulled out a delicate piece of cotton cloth, "Look at this, doesn't it look familiar?"

Jenny recognized it instantly, "This handkerchief is the same as the cotton cloth stuffed in the victim's mouth."

"Bingo, you guessed right.

While dining, Luke noticed that the restaurant's hand towels were identical to the one found in the victim's mouth, so we reviewed the surveillance footage, and guess what we saw?"

The deputy chief, dissatisfied, said, "Marcus, has David been gone so long that you've forgotten what it's like to get hit?

Luke, why don't you tell it, I'm afraid I won't be able to refrain from hitting him."

"Nono, I can say it faster.

In the restaurant's surveillance video, we found the victim Nancy. On July 9th around noon, she dined alone at the restaurant, without being coerced or kidnapped. She sat there alone, enjoying a French feast.

She spent nearly 1,500 US dollars for the meal and even tipped the waiter a hundred dollars."

Jackson was incredulous, "Where did she get that much money? Our investigation at the beauty salon showed that her monthly salary, including commissions, was only around four thousand US dollars at most."

Little Black chuckled, "Rookie, take notes, this is exactly where the key issue lies."

Jackson pressed, "What's the key issue?"

Jackson played the perfect straight man, but the deputy chief didn't give Little Black the chance to show off, he interjected, "Nancy was faking her suicide for insurance fraud."

The deputy chief hit the nail on the head, leaving Little Black a bit deflated, "That's right, that's the same conclusion Luke and I reached."

Luke didn't say a word, he just played the footage of Nancy appearing in the restaurant on the projector, which was more powerful than saying anything.

The deputy chief tidied his hair with a comb, "Actually, when all leads where cut off, I started considering such a possibility, and Luke's discovery at the restaurant provided strong evidence for this speculation.

But this evidence alone is not enough to determine the case.

We need more evidence, as well as a motive for her suicide fraud.

Money is one aspect, but it shouldn't be the root cause.

Talking about suicide is easy, but humans have a will to live; suicide takes extreme courage.

Unless someone is in despair, they wouldn't fake their suicide for insurance money.

So, we now not only need more evidence to convict but also need to find the reason behind her suicide fraud."

The deputy chief spoke at length.

Little Black looked displeased; the old man with white hair was even better at showing off than himself.

Why didn't you say so earlier?

As soon as I mention it, you do too.

Were you waiting for me?

The old guy is too cunning.

Having determined the direction of the investigation, everyone split up and began their inquiries centered around Daniel's restaurant.

...

Inside a black Ford Explorer.

As Little Black drove, he said, "Why do I feel like the deputy chief has something against me?"

Luke casually remarked, "He doesn't have something against you specifically, it's everyone."

"Hearing you say that makes me feel better. Where are we headed now?"

"We're going to the Boa Men Hospital to find Nancy's family doctor." In Luke's view, when someone's health was in question, they were most likely to commit suicide fraud.

Half an hour later, they reached the hospital.

Boa Men Hospital wasn't very large, only three stories high, with yellow walls and blue glass. As they entered the door, the corridor was dim, the lights on even in broad daylight, and the walls also yellow. The doors of the hospital rooms were brown, no one in sight.