Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Bob shook his head. "It doesn’t match. There’s a big difference, and Earl’s feet are quite wide. If he left footprints, they’d be very distinct, regardless of whether the boots fit."
He spoke confidently. Moreover, it was impossible for Earl to have known in advance that they would pay attention to his walking habits. So, Earl wasn’t the murderer, either.
This... The only prison guards who had time to commit the crime were Carnif and Earl, and neither was the culprit. Could it be that someone else was helping Delon?
Earl rarely interacted with others, but there was nothing wrong with his intelligence. Feeling that the atmosphere was a bit off, he scratched his head, stuttering somewhat, "Uh... what’s the matter? Why are you looking for me, and why are so many of you here today?"
Dean broke the somewhat silent atmosphere with a smile. "Earl, it’s nothing. We just wanted to ask Delon about something. By the way, could you stay and watch the office? Carnif and I are going to have a chat with Delon."
"All right," Earl said, somewhat disappointed. His daily routine was a straight line between the prison and home, so he rather craved human interaction.
「Upon leaving the guards’ office.」
Holz took his father back to downtown Los Angeles first.
Dean, on the other hand, pulled Carnif aside. "Buddy, I’ll tell you the truth. Someone attacked Howard—the little boy Delon molested back then. If this holds, Delon’s parole hearing will likely have a favorable outcome."
Carnif’s eyes widened in realization. "So you suspect I was the one? I swear, Delon hinted at it before, but I didn’t agree. For bribery, I might serve two years at most, and for my kid, I’d be willing to take that risk. But murder is completely different! I’m not that stupid!"
"I know, but the murderer deliberately left footprints from mounted police boots at the scene. Someone wants to frame you!" Dean fanned the flames opportunely. He would need Carnif’s help soon.
"FUCK!" Carnif cursed softly, then added with relief, "That bastard Delon! He even tried to get his wife to seduce me. The woman was very tempting and compliant, but I resisted. Looking back now, I realize how lucky I was."
"But he still targeted you, which means the person who helped him must be very important to him. Do you want to get back at him?"
Carnif’s answer was resolute!
He knew many detectives played dirty when solving cases, willing to do anything for their performance records. If it weren’t for Dean’s integrity, and the fact that Dean wasn’t trying to use him to boost his own record, Carnif knew he’d probably be in serious trouble by now! That’s why Carnif desperately wanted Delon to regret his actions!
"Good!" Dean nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, write down all the phone numbers Delon contacted using your phone and hand the list over to my colleague. And by the way, you’ll need to help me put on a little act later."
"I’ll do whatever you say!"
With just a few words, Carnif had voluntarily become Dean’s ally. Dean’s grasp of human nature was becoming increasingly skilled; he was already showing hints of his mentor Anthony’s influence. He reckoned he wasn’t far from fully mastering the Mind Reading Technique skill of the Akaz Academy Faction.
If Delon wanted to secretly contact the outside world, he had to rely on Carnif to provide the means—specifically, by letting him use his phone. Once Carnif cooperated, Dean and his team easily acquired the list of phone numbers.
In this world, detective bureaus possessed considerable authority when dealing with murder cases. Daisy, back at the detective bureau office, contacted the telecom company and had detailed records of those phone numbers faxed over.
After checking, they found that most of the calls were between Delon, his wife, and his son. Only two numbers were different.
One call had taken place half a year ago. Upon confirmation, it was Delon’s mother’s phone number. The conversation was very brief, lasting less than ten seconds before the other party hung up.
The other number belonged to an unregistered SIM card. When Daisy tried calling it, the phone was already switched off. Delon had contacted this number twice: once, also half a year ago, and again at the end of November.
Daisy then acquired all the communication records for this anonymous phone number and was astonished to discover that the SIM card had only ever been used twice—both times to contact Delon! She informed Dean of these findings immediately. Since the call was on speakerphone, Harry and Robert, who were nearby, also heard what Daisy said.
Harry reacted quickly. "Delon first contacted his mother half a year ago, and soon after, he contacted that unregistered SIM card. I suspect it was still Delon’s mother, just using a different number!"
Robert nodded in agreement.
Anyone who wasn’t a fool would think along these lines, especially since they had already ruled out all the suspects Dean previously listed. Only Delon’s mother remained!
Dean murmured, "Interesting." He hadn’t expected that after going around in circles, Delon’s mother would still be the prime suspect! Old Hunter was actually to blame for this. In his descriptions, Delon’s mother, Mrs. Haas, had experienced terrible hardships. Consequently, as she grew older, she had focused on aiding lonely elders, initiating corresponding charitable works. Resilient, kind, and upright—these were the qualities everyone had ascribed to Mrs. Haas based on Old Hunter’s words. This had given everyone a strong preconceived notion. Although Dean had harbored some doubts, the Fourth Squad was short on manpower, he was busy investigating other leads, and Old Hunter had spoken with such conviction.