The body was already decomposed, adhering to the ground. On the surface of the decaying flesh, a dense mass of wriggling maggots, the size of rice grains, made it impossible to discern the body’s original features. The two of them could only determine from his physique and clothing that it was a man.
On the wall next to the body, there was a large amount of splattered blood. Based on the height of the blood spatter and the trajectory of the stains, it appeared that the victim had been standing when he was struck heavily on the head and other areas. The assailant had intended to kill!
"This should be Shane," Dean scanned the body and confirmed. The clothes on the body, the length and color of the hair, all matched the photos Dean had seen at the Shane family’s home. Crucially, the black Ford parked nearby was Shane’s own car.
"Poor guy, his head is caved in, and his face is beyond recognition. It seems like he was killed by blows to the head," Lawrence was saying, when his eyes suddenly lit up. He crouched down and, incredibly, pulled out a baseball bat from under the car. "Dean, look what this is?"
It was a blood-stained baseball bat, not only smeared with large amounts of dark brown blood plasma but also with several shattered bone fragments embedded in its tip.
"Tsk tsk, the killer must have been furious. Not satisfied with just killing Shane, he also destroyed his face, smashing Shane’s head to a pulp," Dean speculated, putting himself in the murderer’s shoes.
Lawrence rolled his eyes. "Buddy, what ’killer’? It must have been Marcus. It seems Harry’s work wasn’t done very well. I suspect Marcus really had some involvement with the Shane family. Maybe it’s even some dramatic family saga."
"Maybe," Dean replied, "but I’d rather you get Holz over here. I saw he had a portable DNA analyzer in his car, and we need to accurately determine if this is Shane’s body."
Dean then turned his attention to the car. It was unlocked. The driver’s seat and the passenger seat remained unchanged.
Although I’m not sure if someone was sitting in the passenger seat at the time, the driver’s physique matches this body very well. Could Marcus have forced Shane to drive here?
After glancing around and seeing no other findings, Dean moved to the trunk and pulled it open with force. A large patch of coagulated dark brown blood appeared before him. According to the traces, the body on the ground had not been moved after being killed.
Then there’s only one possibility! This car was used to transport a body! But where is that body?
Dean suddenly looked down, fixing his gaze on the red mud in the car’s tire treads.
As far as I know, this type of red soil is rare. When the car drove over it, the ground must have been very muddy, possibly during or just after a heavy rain. Based on these features, I might be able to pinpoint a potential body disposal site!
"Buddy, any new discoveries?" Lawrence asked as he came in carrying a large case, with Holz following.
"This car was used to transport a body. The victim bled heavily. I suspect it’s the unidentified female victim from Villa 76. We’ll need to wait for Holz’s test results for confirmation," Dean said.
"No problem," Holz replied. "I have all the sample information related to the case saved on my portable DNA analyzer."
After Lawrence set down the device, Holz promptly began his work.
Dean and Lawrence stepped outside to smoke. Harry had already woken up by then. He was sitting dazed on the steps of the warehouse opposite, looking as if he were questioning his very existence. It seemed he still hadn’t recovered from the overwhelming stench of the corpse.
"Wow, buddy, I thought with your tough background, you’d have seen it all," Lawrence said, walking over and sticking a cigarette in Harry’s mouth.
"Fuck!" Harry shot them both the middle finger, stating defiantly, "I don’t want a fifth person to know about this, or I’ll never help you guys again."
"Of course, no problem." Dean gave a cheeky grin, offering a way out. "Our Mr. Harry is, in the eyes of outsiders, widely connected and exceptionally brave. There certainly won’t be any rumors of him fainting from the smell of a corpse."
The three of them smoked and chatted. Before even ten minutes had passed, Holz called them back in. The results were out.
Looking at the blue and green bars on the portable DNA analyzer, Harry exclaimed, "Holz, this thing is so convenient! Why haven’t you brought it out before?"
"Because it’s not particularly accurate. Without a comparative sample, the equipment at the forensic science department is more reliable," Holz briefly explained. Then, pointing at the analyzer, he said, "After testing, the DNA on this body matches the small amount of male blood found in the villa."
"The one mixed with the blood of the woman who bled heavily?" Lawrence added.
"Yes," Holz nodded. "Based on the approximate age of the corpse, we can basically confirm this is Shane himself.
"As for the bloodstains in the car’s trunk, I’ve tested those too. They match the DNA of the unknown female victim found at Villa 76.
"The bloodstains in the car were piled up in a thick layer and didn’t spread. This means the overflowing blood had already partially coagulated.
"Someone killed the victim and then transported her body in this Ford."
Holz showed a very professional demeanor.
"Looks like we’ve cracked the case," Lawrence said, clearly annoyed with Marcus. "I’m guessing the unknown female victim is Shane’s wife. After Marcus killed her, he coerced Shane into helping transport the body. Then, after they returned, Marcus killed Shane."
"Then what about Shane’s son and daughter?" Harry retorted. Shane’s death had been horrific. The killer had clearly acted with intense emotion. As the saying goes, there’s no love or hate without reason. For Harry, Lawrence’s conclusion implied that his own prior investigation had been inadequate.
Lawrence wanted to say something but was interrupted by Dean. "Guys, stop the unnecessary speculation. Right now, we just need to find the buried female body, and everything will come to light."
Harry was someone he valued on his team. He didn’t want the two of them to argue.
Dean looked towards Holz. "Buddy, besides these, have you found anything else?"
Holz seemed a little disappointed by the absence of a heated debate. He crouched down, lifting Shane’s foot to reveal the cuff of his trousers at the heel. There was some dark, solidified substance on it. Holz explained, "This is asphalt. It only adheres when it’s not fully solidified. The deceased must have walked on a recently constructed road before his death."
"That’s a great clue!" Dean exclaimed, his face lighting up.
This further narrows down the body disposal site!
Without hesitation, Dean immediately took out his phone and called Daisy.
"Hey, Dean, make it quick. I’m busy checking Shane’s bank account right now; there’s some issue with it," Daisy said.
"Alright..." Dean quickly told Daisy what he needed.
"Late September... rain... red soil... and a newly constructed asphalt road around that time..." Dean heard Daisy murmuring, followed by the rapid tapping of her keyboard.
Daisy found the information Dean needed. "The only place that fits those criteria is Redwood Forest outside Hamo Town. On the morning of the 30th, there was a heavy downpour there, and an asphalt road leading out of the area had just been constructed."
"I don’t need thanks, I need tangible rewards. That snack pack you sent yesterday was great. Damn it, that jerk Hamerson, why isn’t he back from training yet? He’s driving me nuts..." Daisy complained and ended the call.
Hamerson is another clerk from the Fourth Squad. However, he had gone out of town for training before Dean’s arrival, so Dean only knew of him by name and hadn’t met him in person.
Dean put away his phone and looked at Holz. "Buddy, now that we have a confirmed location, will it be difficult to find a buried body?"
Holz spread his hands. "Very easy. We have specialized ground-penetrating equipment. However, you’ll have to figure out the manpower yourself."
Dean declined Harry’s offer to volunteer and instead called Hawk, the bald patrolman.
Relationships are built over time. He needed to build his own network, one step at a time!
Hawk, of course, wouldn’t refuse such an easy opportunity for credit. He immediately said he would bring enough men and head to Hamo Town in advance to wait for them.
With the efforts of over a dozen ground-penetrating devices, a severely decomposed female body was dug out from the red soil and taken to the forensics lab.
Once the female corpse’s identity was confirmed, the case would see a major breakthrough!