New York, 1 pm, in an office working area.
As Luo An raised the question, Chenier was the first to react, replying:
"Are you referring to the incident where the assassin took the cell phones of those street workers after their deaths and called their friends and relatives?"
Luo An nodded, his eyes slightly narrowed, and asked:
"I remember that for the first five victims, we couldn't track down any phone records because they died too long ago.
But the friends or family members of the remaining seven victims all received calls from the killer."
"Indeed, that's the case."
Winslow turned around, picked up a document from a nearby desk, and added:
"We've also located where the killer made those calls – it was in a park on Long Island, New York.
But the park is heavily frequented, and there is no surveillance; therefore, we had previously suspended the investigation in this area."
"Wait a moment, Winslow."
Before Luo An could continue, Mona abruptly remembered something, interrupting Winslow and asked:
"What's the specific location of that park?"
As she spoke, Mona began to type on the keyboard, while Winslow, although not understanding why, still named the exact location of the park.
"Everyone, I've found a new clue."
Shortly thereafter, Mona stopped typing, smiled coldly, and said:
"The suspect, Aden Crane, and his wife own several properties in this city of New York.
About 300 meters south of the park where the killer made those calls, there is a villa district.
And in that district, there happens to be a house owned by Aden Crane."
"Wow, what a lot of coincidences."
A cold expression crossed Reesi's face, as she counted with her fingers:
"White skin color matches, identity, occupation, financial status matches, vehicle, timing matches, psychological analysis matches, and now even the property matches.
If Aden Crane isn't the killer, then I might have to go to church and pray because God surely exists; there are just too many coincidences arranged by Him."
"But we still have the same problem – we lack decisive evidence," Mona said, her arms crossed over her chest and eyes squinting slightly.
"Aden Crane is quite cautious; he didn't leave too many traces at the crime scenes, and there is no sign of his DNA on the bodies.
Aden is wealthy and can afford high-class lawyers; with the evidence we have now, we can't guarantee putting him in a prison cell."
Chenier nodded, then turned her head to look at Luo An:
"Luo An, you just mentioned the issue of cell phones; do you have any ideas?"
Winslow, Reesi, and Mona quickly turned their attention to Luo An, who was holding a folder and thinking deeply. After a few seconds of silence, he looked up and said:
"I've been considering something.
The investigation records show that after the killer used the victims' cell phones to call their friends and relatives, those phones completely lost contact and could not be reached by anyone.
So, where are those cell phones now?"
A flash of insight passed through her mind, and Reesi's eyes widened in an instant:
"Could it be that Aden Crane has collected them?"
Chenier and Winslow nodded repeatedly, while Mona quickly said:
"Most serial killers have their unique habits, such as leaving special symbols or marks at the scene.
If Aden Crane is indeed the killer in this case, having killed 12 street workers, it's impossible that he has no unique habits.
The likelihood that he likes to collect the victims' cell phones is quite high!"
Reesi nodded vigorously in agreement with Mona's words, her face full of excitement as she looked at Luo An:
"Luo An, let's raid the villa next to that park!"
Luo An placed a hand on Reesi's shoulder, pushing her back into the chair, and turned his head to look at Mona, asking:
"Can you find out when was the last time Aden Crane went to that villa?"
Mona gestured an "OK" sign to Luo An, indicating that the villa district was upscale, with comprehensive surveillance facilities, making the investigation quite straightforward.
In less than ten minutes, Mona had found out the specifics:
"Aden Crane's last visit to the villa district was on March 1st, 2006, which was the first day of last month."
Chenier's eyes moved, she reached for the folder next to her, opened it, and read out loud, introducing:
"The latest body identified postmortem as Lan Rui Sha was discovered on March 14th (Chapter 576).
According to the autopsy report from the forensic investigation department, the time of death was about two weeks prior, roughly 14-16 days ago."
"Don't forget that phone call."
Winslow shook the folder in his hand with a serious face:
"Soon after Lan Rui Sha went missing, one of her relatives received a phone call from the Assassin.
The call was made on March 1st!"
"There's one more thing."
Mona tapped on the keyboard a few times and looked up to add:
"Audrey Crane, Aden Crane's wife, left New York on business on February 24th and didn't return by plane until March 11th.
From February 26th to March 3rd, Aden Crane's two daughters just happened to come home for some reason."
"Everything is connected!"
Reesi, extremely excited, flushed red:
"On February 24th, Audrey Crane went on a business trip, all was normal.
On February 26th, both daughters returned home temporarily, which reignited the malicious thoughts in Aden Crane's mind.
On the night of February 27th or 28th, Aden Crane drove his wife's car from home and encountered Lan Rui Sha on the streets.
Lan Rui Sha was deceived into getting into the car and had an encounter with Aden Crane, who was equipped with protective gear.
After the deed, Aden Crane killed Lan Rui Sha and cleared the scene before leaving the beach.
On March 1st, Aden Crane went to the nearby villa district of the park, holding Lan Rui Sha's mobile phone, and made a call to her relatives.
The records show that Lan Rui Sha's relatives later reported to the police, but due to the nature of Lan Rui Sha's job, the police did not conduct an investigation.
Not until March 14th was Lan Rui Sha's body discovered on the beach by those children (Chapter 576), bringing this serial murder case to official light!"
Winslow, Chenier, and Mona nodded in agreement. Luo An fell into silence for a few seconds then commanded:
"Mona, you are responsible for investigating all the whereabouts of Audrey Crane's car during those days.
Winslow, you guys go look into Lan Rui Sha's situation before her death, check where she solicited clients, and see if there were any witnesses that saw her getting into a car in the nearby areas.
Chenier, go contact the relatives and friends of those victims who received calls from the Assassin after their deaths, try to persuade them as we will need them to testify in court for this case."
After Luo An issued his orders, Mona, Winslow, and Chenier all nodded and immediately started to prepare for their tasks.
Reesi raised her hand and waved:
"What about me? What do I do?"
Luo An's mouth curled slightly as he pulled Reesi aside and whispered:
"You come from intelligence, there is something you are well suited to do..."
After hearing Luo An's command, Reesi agreed without hesitation.
But she still had one small question, she asked in a low voice:
"What about the phones? To avoid spooking the prey and not to alarm Aden Crane, we can't search the villa.
But without searching, how can we be certain whether those phones are inside that house?"
Luo An chuckled and patted Reesi's shoulder:
"That's simple, I'll handle it."