"Dean, are you playing with a Ouija board?"
Lawrence came to the bedroom door and, seeing Dean’s current state, began to tease.
"Lawrence, Dean is simulating the crime."
"Don’t tell me Old Hunter and the others haven’t thought of this," Lawrence said, curling his lip.
Phoebe glared at Lawrence, then turned to Robert to explain, "Robert, some crime scenes may be outdoors, in large spaces, making it hard for us to meticulously search for clues. Therefore, we often use crime simulation to determine the areas where the killer might have moved, to narrow down the search range. And even in some special places, we can infer the killer’s physical characteristics through simulation..."
Actually, Old Hunter and his team had tried it long ago but to no avail.
In the midst of their conversation, Dean suddenly stopped his movements and opened the large closet door.
"Guys, come and look, I’ve made a new discovery!"
The three immediately ceased their conversation and walked over. Four people crowded into the narrow space.
Dean pointed to a spot on the inner panel of the closet door. "Look here."
"Isn’t this just an ordinary closet door?" Robert asked, confused.
Lawrence and Phoebe also nodded, not understanding Dean’s point.
Dean slapped his forehead and pulled the closet door to a position parallel to the trio’s line of sight.
Now, the three finally noticed the anomaly. On the inside of the solid wood closet door, there was an inconspicuous indentation.
Dean explained, "The victim was large. To move her from the bed and position her into a specific pose required a lot of space. So, I guess the killer must have opened this closet door; otherwise, it would have been difficult to exert force. This indentation is likely where the killer’s elbow made contact."
Lawrence stepped forward to measure the indentation. "If this is a mark made by the killer’s elbow, wouldn’t that mean he’s quite short?"
Dean nodded. "Yes, that’s why I suspect it was left by the killer. After all, the victim was over one meter eighty, and it would be difficult for her to make this mark at this position."
The nearby Phoebe, pushing Lawrence aside, compared the indentation with her own elbow and found an unexpected fit. "Oh God, the killer is actually less than one meter seventy..."
"To be exact, one meter sixty-three," Robert, unable to interject, accurately stated Phoebe’s height.
"Drop dead!" Phoebe elbowed her protégé and then called Old Hunter.
"What’s up, Phoebe?" It was noisy on Old Hunter’s side.
Phoebe quickly relayed Dean’s discovery.
"One meter sixty-three? Fuck, do you guys remember that short informant who provided us with information?" Old Hunter cursed on the phone.
Phoebe’s mouth fell open. That person was about the same height as her.
"Now you guys, go find him immediately!"
After hanging up the phone, Phoebe gestured for the three to leave and explained to Dean and Lawrence as they departed, "When Robert and I were asking the surrounding residents, a passerby came up to us and said that last night at around eleven, he was heading back to his place and noticed an old van parked outside the courtyard, which caught his attention because it smelled awful."
"Then why are you still at the crime scene?" Lawrence looked at Phoebe with a strange expression.
The Fourth Squad was understaffed. He and Dean had made a mistake and had been assigned to review previous crime scenes. Normally, Old Hunter would definitely arrange for Phoebe and her partner to look for clues about that van.
Embarrassment appeared on Phoebe’s face, but she offered no explanation. Robert, on the other hand, seemed like he wanted to say something but caught Phoebe’s warning look and closed his mouth again.
Thanks to the investigative process, Phoebe and her partner had recorded the small man’s identity information, address, and phone number. He was also a resident of this complex.
Before long, the four of them arrived outside the door of a residence. It was a courtyard similar to the victim’s, located on the southern side of the community; only the lawn at the entrance looked somewhat unkempt, as if it hadn’t been tended to for some days.
"Phoebe, are you sure this is the right address?" Lawrence asked. It seemed as if no one had lived here for some time.
Phoebe noticed this too. After eyeing the thick layer of dust on the iron gate, she immediately said to Robert, "Call the command center to check if their identity information is real. Also..."
Phoebe looked at Dean. "You go to the community’s property management and check the residential information of this house."
"Hey, Phoebe, Dean is my guy!" Lawrence wouldn’t have it.
"Then you go with him to find the property management!" Phoebe glared.
The burly, fierce-looking Lawrence immediately raised his hands in surrender, dragging Dean away with him.
"You’re really afraid of Phoebe?" This was the first time Dean had seen Lawrence back down.
"I’ve been on the force for more than ten years. How can I be afraid of her?" Lawrence’s gaze shifted unnaturally to the side as he denied outright.
Dean sneered. "That means you like her!"
Aggravated, Lawrence snapped, "Shut it, rookie. I just respect her. That’s right, I just respect a colleague! What do you know about liking someone at your age?"
Dean pointed at his own face, smiling without a word.
Fuck! Lawrence fell silent. I hate pretty boys!
The members of the Fourth Squad returned to the office to report on their work. The squad leader, Monet, was not there. Vice Squad Chief Old Hunter took the main seat in the meeting room. "Phoebe, what’s the situation?"
Phoebe stood up and spoke gravely, "The man who provided the clue is called Ackerman, but we’ve checked, and it’s a false identity. All the information he provided, including the identity and phone, is fake."
Old Hunter clenched his fist. "This is good news; it means there’s definitely something wrong with the person. Do you remember what he looks like?"
At last, there was a breakthrough! Phoebe nodded. "Robert has a good memory, and using a sketch artist, we drew the man’s appearance."
Having said that, she distributed seven or eight sketches to everyone. Dean, sitting in the corner, picked up a sketch and examined it. The sketch depicted a young man with gentle and delicate features, including not only a frontal view but also a detailed profile, very realistic.
"Distribute the sketch to the patrolling officers. We need to find this man as soon as possible; we can’t let him continue committing crimes!" Old Hunter’s voice carried weariness.
"Should I still go to Sam’s Supermarket tonight?" Clerk Daisy raised her hand to ask.
Old Hunter assigned tasks to everyone. "Yes, let Phoebe and Robert protect you. Lawrence and Dean, you two take the sketch to the substation and check for any former suspects who match. Harry, you go find your friends. I’ll have the Captain approve a budget for your informants!"
There was no doubt that everyone would be working overtime today.
Watching the backs of the departing team members, Old Hunter sighed. The serial home invasion rape and murder case had sparked frenzied media attention. If the case remained unresolved, the Fourth Squad would be in real trouble.