Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

By this time, the supermarket employee had already been dismissed, though he was not aware of this.

By the time Jin Xiuhui went to Shan Yuan Supermarket to take secret photos, the goods of unknown origin had already been cleared out.

That's why Li Shanmei ruled out Shan Yuan Supermarket as a suspect.

Of course, these were just Luke's speculations, and he had found no concrete evidence.

There was also an interesting question.

That was why did drinking Caffèlla red wine cause stomach discomfort?

"Ms. Li, since when did your supermarket start selling Caffèlla red wine?"

"It has been almost a year. This wine has always sold well, with many repeat customers." Sensing Luke's interest in this wine, Li Shanmei smiled and said,

"Deputy Luke, if you like this type of red wine, I'll give you and Detective Marcus two cases when you leave."

"I dare not drink it," Luke waved his hand, "Has there been any after-sales issue with this wine? Like customers experiencing discomfort after drinking?"

"Never, why do you ask?"

Luke did not answer, frowning in thought. How could a wine that sold so well in Jiangnan Supermarket have problems when sold at Shan Yuan Supermarket?

If someone intentionally poisoned it, what was the motive?

And was it the same person who put cyanide in the bottled water?

What role did the group of thieves who stole from Jiangnan Supermarket play in this?

It was unlikely that the owners of the two supermarkets would poison their products, as that would harm their own business. Could it be the work of the thieves?

"Ms. Li, do you still want to find those thieves?"

"Of course.

I want to catch them not just for the sake of my business but also out of concern for the safety of my staff and myself. If they were to rob us before closing, the consequences would be unthinkable."

"I admire your courage to fight against criminals. If you need it, I can help you capture these thieves."

Li Shanmei was slightly taken aback, confusion and surprise on her face, "Deputy Luke, I'm not that I don't trust you, but this case has been going on for so long, many of the leads and evidence have vanished.

The investigation could be very difficult. Although I haven't given up hope, I am not expecting too much."

"I didn't say I could definitely catch them, I am just inspired by your spirit and will do what I can."

"Thank you, I'm so grateful," Li Shanmei said with heartfelt thanks.

Having been in business for so many years, she was no longer at an age to take people's words at face value, but with Luke offering his help, she had no reason to refuse.

"Ms. Li, I need you to describe the scene after the theft occurred, as well as the surveillance footage from the time of the theft."

Li Shanmei sighed lightly, "There was a power outage that night, so the cameras weren't working, and they didn't capture the crime or the appearance of the suspects, which is the main reason why the police haven't been able to catch the culprits.

By the time the power came back on, the burglars had already fled, leaving only images of the supermarket in disarray."

"Why was there a power outage that night? Was it deliberate?"

"It was a regional blackout, the community had notified us in the morning, the whole area was out of electricity, it's my fault for being negligent."

Luke glanced around at the wiring, "Doesn't the supermarket have a backup power supply?"

"We do, but our supermarket has a lot of frozen and chilled items. In the event of a power outage, prioritisation is given to powering the refrigeration lines, and the surveillance and lighting share the same circuit, so..." Li Shanmei's face showed regret,

"This was a lesson for me as well. After the supermarket was robbed, I had the wiring changed and the backup power capacity increased. Now even if there is a power outage, the surveillance can still function."

Luke said, "Even if the footage of the culprits committing the crime hasn't been captured, it's still valuable to see what the scene of the crime looked like; the surveillance footage still has its worth."

Li Shanmei stood up and said, "The police have already taken the original surveillance footage, but I have kept a backup, I'll go get it."

While Li Shanmei was getting up to leave, Xiao Hei muttered to Luke on the side, "Luke, shouldn't we be investigating the poisoning case first? Why are we looking into a theft now?"

Luke replied, "First Squadron and Second Squadron are all investigating the poisoning case, our presence or absence won't make much difference. Be patient."

Having partnered with Luke for so long, Xiao Hei knew that Luke always planned thoroughly and wasn't the kind to act without considering the severity and urgency of situations. Could there be a connection between the theft and the poisoning?

Li Shanmei came over with a hard drive, "Deputy Luke, this is the surveillance footage from the night the supermarket was robbed."

Xiao Hei took the hard drive and connected it to the computer.

Luke asked, "Ms. Li, what time does your supermarket normally close?"

"From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m."

"What were the hours of the power outage?"

"From 10 p.m. to 4 a.m."

"When did the theft occur?"

"The police are not too sure because it's a commercial street around here, and there's hardly anybody around at night. It was around 6 a.m. the next morning when the morning shift came to work that they discovered the supermarket had been robbed.

Then they immediately called me, and I reported to the police."

Luke noted the time, "Did anything unusual happen on the day of the supermarket theft?"

Li Shanmei thought for a moment, "Not really, nothing different from the usual."

"Has your supermarket ever experienced theft before?"

"Yes, but they were always petty thefts. A burglary of this scale is unprecedented, and it is also the reason I am afraid. If I or my employees had been there, it could have escalated into a robbery, with unimaginable consequences."