Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Robbery and Murder Department chat group.

Luke sent a voice message, "The ninth bottle of mineral water suspected to contain cyanide resulted in one death and one injury, the injured party has now been out of danger, and Marcus and I took her statement.

According to her, she and the deceased were friends, and they had agreed to go hiking together. After that, they had an encounter. One drank the mineral water, and the other used it to wash up, leading to one death and one injury.

She claimed that she bought the mineral water at Shanyuan Supermarket, a total of two bottles, and there is still one bottle of mineral water left at home."

Susan sent a voice message, "I'm still at the crime scene, and the forensic doctor has completed the preliminary autopsy. The deceased, Ronnie, indeed died of cyanide poisoning, and the time of death was around seven o'clock in the morning.

The deceased had vigorous exercise before his death, so the toxin spread quickly throughout his body, and the victim succumbed to the poison in a very short time.

No defensive wounds or binding bruises were found on the victim's body.

Additionally, the technical team has completed the scene investigation. The mineral water bottle found at the scene contained cyanide and belonged to the same batch number as the mineral water bottle found in the subway.

Three sets of fingerprints were found on the mineral water bottle, two of which belonged to the deceased and the injured, while the third set of fingerprints is still unidentified."

Jackson speculated, "Could the other set of fingerprints belong to the poisoner?"

The deputy chief complained, "Why do we have to chat and discuss cases in the group? Can't we have a meeting in person?"

Luke said, "Because this allows us to share clues as quickly as possible. I'm planning to investigate at Shanyuan Supermarket soon and don't intend to return to the precinct.

Deputy chief, you need to keep up with the times."

"Are you indirectly calling me old?"

"I am not."

"That's what you meant."

Susan interrupted the two, "OK, let's get back to the point. Jackson has a point. We should quickly find out who the third set of fingerprints on the mineral water bottle belongs to, which could very likely be the breakthrough in this case."

The deputy chief said, "Should we ask Reid to hold a press conference? If the injured woman wasn't lying, the locations where the mineral water containing cyanide was placed might not be limited to one, and to prevent more citizens from being poisoned, I think we should inform the public widely."

"I will suggest it."

Susan's previous suggestion was not without merit, but the higher-ups at the precinct had their own considerations. Holding a press conference has a time lag, and by the time it's held, those who were going to drink might have already done so; its effectiveness is uncertain.

But surely, the mineral water company of that brand would have a thing or two to say, and they might even sue LAPD for defamation, seeking astronomical damages. Who would want to stir up trouble for no reason?

But now the situation was different. There was a new location with toxic mineral water, the uncontrollable factors had increased, and no one knew if there were other locations with toxic mineral water. It was time to inform the public broadly.

Susan began assigning tasks in the group.

"Deputy chief, Jackson, you go investigate at Jennifer's house, and do your utmost to find the other bottle of mineral water.

Matthew, you are responsible for investigating the source of the cyanide. In the United States, cyanide is a prohibited substance and is not easy for ordinary people to acquire.

Raymond, Jenny, the two of you contact the deceased's relatives for body identification, and ask about his relationship with the injured woman before their death, to see if there was any conflict between the two.

Luke, Marcus, the two of you go to Shanyuan Supermarket to investigate and confirm the source of the toxic mineral water."

"Okay, captain."

Everyone replied and dispersed to carry out their respective tasks.

...

On the way, Xiao Hei couldn't help asking, "Luke, do you think that injured woman, Jennifer Kimbo, is a suspect?

The mineral water was purchased by her, and she only got injured while the person with her died.

Could it possibly be a self-inflicted ruse?"

Luke thought for a moment, "Theoretically, it's possible. However, for now, there's no evidence to support this theory, nor have we found her motive for committing the crime. Let's wait to see if Raymond and Jenny discover anything."

Cases like this, where the assailant and the victim had no direct contact and no clear motive, are extremely difficult to investigate.

Luke had been considering the connection between the two locations where the poisoned mineral water was found.

The subway station?

The supermarket?

Which was the original source?

Could it be that someone bought the mineral water at the supermarket and placed it at the subway station, with genuinely charitable intentions, only to unfortunately purchase toxic mineral water?

There's also another possibility that the poisoner deliberately used two different locations to dispense the poison to distract police forces, expand the investigation area, and increase the level of difficulty in solving the case.

Mere speculation is useless,

The evidence, finding relevant evidence is what's most important now.

Shanyuan Supermarket is located near the Korean community, and the number of Asians walking on the street obviously increased.

Xiao Hei parked the car in front of the supermarket, and Luke and Xiao Hei got out of the car, one after the other.

Today was a sunny day, the sunshine was dazzling, and Luke wore sunglasses to survey the surroundings.

Xiao Hei also glanced around and laughed, "Wow, these girls are all dressed very fashionably."

"Korean girls are indeed nice." Luke pulled down his sunglasses a bit and also glanced at a few pairs of long, white legs.

Xiao Hei spread his hands, "I was just saying their clothes are very fashionable. I was thinking of buying a set for Julian."

Luke laughed, "I'll take you to the Japanese community to have a look sometime. They have very fashionable clothing there, too."

"I really was talking about the clothes."

"You look at clothes, I check out the girls. There's no conflict." Xiao Hei suddenly became very serious, causing Luke to feel a bit uncomfortable. Could it be that Xiao Hei had corrected his ways too much?

Shanyuan Supermarket is located near the Korean community, with mostly Koreans and whites walking around the area, and not many black people.