Uniformed patrol officers had already arrived at the scene.
Usually, after a crime occurs, the patrol officers are the first to arrive at the scene, and after assessing the situation, they report to their superiors.
If it's a simple case, they handle it themselves.
Only more significant cases are handed over to the Robbery and Murder Department.
Luke showed his badge and asked a higher-ranking white patrol officer, "I am Luke, the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Department. What's the situation here?"
The white man, stocky with his hands on his waist, said, "Deputy Captain Luke, we haven't reported the situation yet."
"We were on a mission nearby, heard a homicide occurred here, so we came to check it out," Luke made an offhand remark. "How did the person die?"
The white patrol officer explained, "The deceased was a construction worker who fell from the rooftop and died. The ground has hardened treatment. It was likely an accident."
Luke glanced at the rooftop, about two stories high, plus a top-floor attic, roughly ten meters tall.
From Luke's experience, unless one falls on a vital part, such as the head or neck, the likelihood of dying directly from this height isn't high, more often resulting in severe injuries.
"Where is the person who reported this?"
The patrol officer pointed to a white woman in her forties, "That woman there, Mrs. McConns."
Luke observed her, Mrs. McConns was quite tall, nearly 1.8 meters, wearing a white dress, her expression somewhat anxious.
"Hello, I'm Luke, the deputy captain of the Robbery and Murder Department.
Are you Mrs. McConns?"
"Yes, I am, Deputy Captain Luke, it's good to meet you." Mrs. McConns quickly shook hands with Luke.
"Ma'am, I hear you called the police?"
"What is your relationship with the deceased?"
"My house leaks during the winter, so I get it repaired every two to three years, and since I wasn't too busy recently, I hired a construction crew to fix the roof..." Mrs. McConns took a deep breath,
"Today was the second day of work, I was drinking coffee on the second floor when suddenly I saw a figure through the window, then heard a 'bang!' It frightened me, and I quickly ran out to check.
I found a worker lying next to the swimming pool on the ground, lots of blood...
I didn't get too close, but then, two other workers came down, checked him... and said he was dead.
Oh God, I never expected something to happen."
Luke looked at the two construction workers standing nearby, "Are you the deceased's coworkers?"
An Asian man said, "Yes, I was fetching repair materials from the basement at the time, and I also rushed over after hearing the noise. I checked Adams's breathing—he was dead."
"Did you see him falling from the roof?"
Luke looked at another Mexican construction worker, "Where were you at the time?"
"I was on the rooftop, working with Adams.
I was looking down, working, when Adams said he felt dizzy.
Since it was quite hot today, I suggested we take a break before continuing.
I had just looked up when I saw Adams falling straight down..." The Mexican worker's eyes reddened, and he spoke with self-reproach, "If I had noticed sooner, he might not have died."
After understanding the situation, Luke asked, "Where is the body?"
A patrol officer led Luke to the backyard.
One must say, the house was truly large, and the swimming pool was beautifully constructed.
Next to the swimming pool, lay a Caucasian male, with evidence of injuries to his head and arms, but not much blood.
Luke guessed that the victim had died quickly after the fall, which was consistent with the witness's description.
Luke squatted down for a closer look and noticed the deceased's lips were blue, with a hint of bitter almond in his mouth, his torso was dry, but his trousers were wet with a faint smell of urine.
From Luke's experience, the victim hadn't died from injuries, but had been poisoned, possibly with a highly toxic cyanide...