In the break room, he waited for about fifteen minutes.
A middle-aged man dressed in a white chef’s uniform knocked on the door and walked in.
"I am Li Sen," he said, "may I ask what brings you two here to see me?"
Li Sen was not tall, not even reaching one meter sixty-five, with a square face, slightly overweight, his crow’s feet and forehead furrows were pronounced, giving the first impression that he was the kind of stern character who often kept a straight face.
Susan shot Brian a glance.
Brian smoothly moved behind Li Sen, blocking his way out.
Li Sen sensed something was wrong: "What do you guys want to do?"
Susan’s face turned stern as she pulled out her badge: "I’m Team Leader Susan from the crime lab, and there are some things I’d like to understand from you."
"Fuck your mother," Li Sen’s reaction was explosive, displaying great anger: "Is this an interrogation? You’re clearly treating me like a criminal, you fucking bitch, I’m going to file a complaint against you..."
Li Sen had spoken in Cantonese, which Susan did not understand.
She did understand the "fucking bitch" that followed.
Li Sen was taken down to the ground by Susan with a martial arts maneuver.
After doing all this,
Susan was not done yet.
She pressed down on Li Sen’s joints so he couldn’t exert any force and screwed his chef’s hat into a ball, shoving it into the still cursing Li Sen’s mouth. Then she placed her thumb under her index finger, made a fist, and forcefully pounded Li Sen’s throat and other areas.
Intense pain shot through Li Sen’s brain.
His eyes widened as he tried to let out a pained howl, but his body was locked tight, and he could only struggle feebly like a fish out of water.
Brian hadn’t expected Susan to be so violent.
Li Sen was, after all, a fellow townsman.
Moreover, Brian felt that a black fast-food vendor called Audlin was a more likely suspect.
So he quickly stepped forward, hoping to calm Susan down.
But before he could speak,
Li Sen had already pushed the hat out of his mouth with his tongue and continued to gasp and curse: "You damned bastards, white people bully us, black people bully us too, you’re no better than those animals in the homeless camps, if you’ve got the guts, kill me. Otherwise, I swear I’ll make you take off that uniform!"
Susan scoffed and stopped hitting him: "Li Sen, forty-seven years old, divorced, with a son from your ex-wife, but the boy has Down syndrome, so most of your earnings go to your son."
Li Sen’s forehead veins bulged when Susan brought up his son.
"I don’t want anything!"
Susan got up from Li Sen and dusted off her hands: "I hit you because you have a foul mouth, but if you keep this attitude, I assure you that no hotel in Los Angeles will dare to hire you."
His son was Li Sen’s weakness.
He climbed up from the ground, humbled: "Ask your questions."
"Do you know Kenneth?"
"Yes, he was my former colleague."
"Did you ever have a conflict with him?"
He wanted to steal my secret seasoning.
Actually, I knew before that he tried to steal some of my culinary skills.
But he was not a bad person.
So I pretended not to know.
Since my son has Down syndrome, he surely won’t be able to carry on my craft.
So I even thought about taking him as my apprentice.
But that doesn’t include my secret seasoning!
To me, it’s as important as the gun you carry on your person.
I felt like my kindness had been betrayed.
So I was very angry at the time."
Li Sen still could not conceal his anger when he spoke of this.
Susan, unable to empathize with Li Sen’s feelings, continued to ask, "Where were you after five o’clock on September 30?"
"At the hotel, until the early morning when I finished my shift, and then I went straight home.
I do this every day."
"I saw on the news what happened to Kenneth.
I was angry at Kenneth’s theft for sure!
But it’s impossible for me to take revenge myself!
I couldn’t possibly abandon my son to do something impulsive!"
Susan felt that Li Sen was not lying.
Because after hearing news about his son earlier, the frustration and concern he showed were hard to fake for most people.
She thought for a moment, then said with a frown:
"However, according to my colleague’s investigation, you have a quick temper and frequently insult your colleagues in the kitchen.
You are not a person with stable emotions."
Li Sen’s face showed bitterness:
"This is just an image I deliberately constructed to live better.
I don’t have a strong physique.
Most people’s perception of people from Hua Country is that they are easy to bully.
In a place like a kitchen, where the bottom-level personnel change frequently, it’s hard to build a long-term stable relationship with colleagues.
Many of my colleagues are envious of me for drawing a high salary every month when I don’t look as good as them, nor am I as tall.
If I don’t appear a bit more dominant,
I might not even be able to protect my basic interests."
he even managed a smile: "I once volunteered to help out at a homeless camp, and all I got in return was those animals bullying and complaining about me; since then, I’ve known how to communicate with these animals."
Hearing this, Susan and Brian exchanged a look and both felt that Li Sen’s words had a high degree of credibility.
Because a person with vulnerabilities does not resort to extremes unless compelled.
Brian handed Li Sen a cigarette and patted him on the shoulder, saying in Mandarin: "You are a good father..."
"Well then, Mr. Li Sen, we’ll verify the information you’ve provided, and please don’t leave Los Angeles in the near future."
After finishing her statement, Susan handed Li Sen the number of a private doctor:
"I’m very sorry for my rude behavior towards you earlier.
If you want to file a complaint against me, I will accept it.
Also, this is the number of my family’s private physician.
He has many high-end connections in the medical field, which might be helpful for your son’s condition.."
Susan walked away feeling somewhat embarrassed.
She felt like she had played the ignoble villain in a movie today, picking on a good father struggling for the sake of his son.
This was tormenting her.
After leaving the hotel,
Susan suddenly slapped herself: "It’s all because of that uncle of mine who said that to interrogate someone, you should pick a fight first, beat them up, then grab their vulnerability and threaten them, it would make things go smoother, but I feel so terrible now..."
Bullying such a responsible good father.
She felt she truly deserved to die.
Brian, on the other hand, was much more open-minded:
"Susan, there’s no need to feel so guilty.
You just used some methods for the sake of cracking the case.
Whether as a police officer, a doctor, or a forensic doctor, those with strong empathy are not good at their jobs."
Susan gave Brian a blank look: "You really have a good attitude."
Instead of consuming myself, I’d rather torment others.
As long as you let go of your personal moral standards, your mood will be as good as mine."
Susan thought Brian was joking to cheer her up.
She was about to compliment him on his humor.
Then a phone call came in, causing the smile to fade from her face.
she looked at Brian with a serious expression:
The top suspect, Audlin, was found dead in his own basement workshop.
The body was already somewhat decomposed.
The time of death must have been over three days ago.
He couldn’t possibly have committed the crime!"
Brian was also stunned.
The top suspect was already dead?