Dean was surprised to see the name on the report.
Dam! The fingerprints on the pliers and nails all matched Dam’s fingerprints!
"Dean, you’re in luck," Old Hunter said with some envy. "With these two pieces of evidence, we can summon that Dam for interrogation."
When he was young, if he’d had this kind of luck, he wouldn’t have ended up where he was now, only promoted by Monet to Deputy Chief and essentially a mascot.
However, Dean shook his head. "Deputy, I don’t think the murderer is Dam! Let’s wait for Lawrence and the others to come back tonight, get a better understanding, and then we’ll decide whether to summon Dam."
From a psychological perspective, what Dam feared most were delays in the construction schedule and his behind-the-scenes connections being exposed. Even if he had a grudge against Jerry, it didn’t make sense to kill him on the construction site. Doing so would not only delay the project but could also draw external attention, increasing the risk of exposing that he relied on connections to secure construction deals. The curiosity of the American public is strong.
Of course, this kind of self-speculation wasn’t suitable to explain to Old Hunter.
Seeing the puzzled look on Old Hunter’s face, Dean found another excuse. "Dam was able to get the prison project because of his connections with the higher-ups in the Los Angeles judiciary. We’d better make sure everything is clear before we decide what to do. Otherwise, our Fourth Squad will have a lot of trouble handling cases in the future."
The Detective Bureau wasn’t like the FBI. In cases, the forensic science division’s participation was needed for evidence, and search warrants required approval from chief justices. If there were disputes, it would be quite unpleasant.
Old Hunter nodded approvingly. "Dean, you’ve thought it through very well."
In the Fourth Squad meeting room.
After briefly recounting the current findings, Dean looked at Lawrence and the others. "Gentlemen, we’ve now confirmed that Jerry’s death was a premeditated murder. Now I need your investigation results to analyze the motive behind Jerry’s murder and find the real culprit."
To avoid the team being influenced by preconceived notions, Dean consulted with Old Hunter and did not mention the match between Dam’s fingerprints and the evidence.
Harry was the first to speak, "Dean, I looked into the foreman Dam’s background yesterday. He used to be an inconspicuous decorator. But seven years ago, shortly after Mr. Jackson, a distant relative of Dam’s, was elected as a Los Angeles Chief Justice, he set up his construction company and started getting regular orders from the government."
"Right," Harry added, "the current prison project is urgent. In addition to the normal construction price, the city government also provides Dam’s company with a $20,000 US Dollar daily subsidy. The demand is that they must get the new prison area up and initially operational within two months."
"No wonder Dam is so anxious about the schedule," Dean realized.
For those bigwigs, the sooner the prison was built, the sooner new inmates could be accepted. That was all money!
Old Hunter was also shocked by Dam’s connections. This inconspicuous guy was actually a relative of Chief Justice Jackson. It was a good thing Dean hadn’t directly subpoenaed him. Otherwise, offending the Chief Justice would make things very uncomfortable for the Fourth Squad in future cases.
Lawrence, irritated that Harry had stolen his thunder, tapped the table to draw everyone’s attention. "Phoebe and I looked into the situations of the victim, Jerry, and his daughter yesterday."
"I won’t go into Jerry’s basic information.
"But there are two points worth noting.
"First, the victim Jerry’s daughter has congenital heart disease. As she gets older, her heart is struggling to cope, and she needs surgery as soon as possible. Jerry negotiated the surgery cost with the hospital. The final price was $180,000 US dollar, which could be paid in installments, but this didn’t cover subsequent recovery and care. Jerry couldn’t afford either the surgery or the recovery costs."
Dean perked up. This was crucial information! It meant Jerry could genuinely be suspected of planning to commit suicide for an insurance payout!
Lawrence raised a second finger and continued, "Second point. Jerry, in addition to being an electrician, was also the electricians’ union representative at Dam’s company. Five days ago, right after leaving the hospital, he mentioned to some colleagues starting a strike to force Dam to give them a raise. However, it never happened. Phoebe and I found that Jerry’s bank account received a $20,000 US dollar deposit that day, with Dam as the remitter!"
Upon hearing this, Old Hunter clapped his hands. "Jerry’s potential strike was a bluff! His real goal was probably to extort money from Dam, knowing Dam was terrified of construction delays!"
Considering the findings from forensic science, Old Hunter was already convinced that Dam was the murderer! But Dam was a relative of the Chief Justice... Old Hunter’s eyes darted around, and in the end, he remained silent. Since Dean was willing to take the lead, he might as well leave everything for him to handle.
"I’d like to add something," said Phoebe, who had been silent until then. She pulled out a photocopy. "I got the insurance company’s agreement; they only pay out for accidental deaths. If it’s murder, the insurance company won’t cover it. Given the very covert manner of Jerry’s death, I think Dam is indeed suspicious."
She explained, "Jerry was popular and, as the Electricians’ Union representative at Dam’s company, had enough influence to affect the project’s progress. If he hadn’t died, to raise money for his daughter’s treatment, he might have continued pressuring Dam until the project deadline.
"Conversely, if Dam killed Jerry and disguised it as an accident, not only would there be an insurance company payout, but he also wouldn’t have to worry about strikes causing project delays anymore.
"Perhaps in Dam’s heart, he might even think that this was a good thing for Jerry, because the insurance payout would be enough for Jerry’s daughter to complete her surgery and live comfortably until she came of age."
Dean nodded. Although he didn’t agree with Phoebe’s speculation, he admired her thought process. He didn’t state his position but instead looked towards Robert.
As for this case, Dean already had an inkling of who the murderer was. But there were two things he couldn’t figure out. First, the murderer’s motive. Second, whether Jerry died willingly or unwillingly.
Noticing Dean’s gaze, Robert actually felt a bit nervous. He subconsciously straightened his collar and coughed before presenting his findings, "Dean, Amody, the one you asked me to investigate, is indeed problematic!"
"Amody was Jerry’s mentor. He had taken Jerry under his wing a long time ago, and at the time, Jerry’s wife was the sister of Amody’s wife. Because of your earlier reminder, I focused on investigating Amody’s social relationships. In the process, I stumbled upon two very interesting things."
Seeing everyone’s attention focused on him, Robert got a bit carried away and snapped his fingers, "The first thing: before Dam started his company, he was Amody’s colleague, and for some unknown reason, they had fought. The fight ended with Dam in the hospital from the beating. But later on, for some reason, Dam took Amody back and let him work for him again.
"The second thing is even more interesting! Folks, you’ll never guess it."
Robert was about to play coy when he caught sight of Phoebe’s raised palm, ready to slap this cliffhanger-loving scoundrel at any moment, which scared him into continuing, "Ahem, I found out that Jerry’s wife, after the divorce, has been staying at Amody’s house. And just last night, I personally saw Amody, his wife, and Jerry’s wife—all three of them—rolling in the sheets together!"
"You actually spied on them?" Phoebe looked at Robert with shocked disbelief, as if she were seeing her apprentice for the first time.
Robert waved his hands awkwardly, "Phoebe, that’s not the point. The key is I suspect that Jerry’s daughter is actually Amody’s daughter. Poor Jerry was just a fall guy."
"I speculate that Amody killed Jerry! That way, Jerry’s daughter would have money for her treatment, and it would also cause trouble for Dam. After all, they had a feud.
"I just can’t believe Amody would feel any goodwill toward Dam. Imagine the frustration of someone who used to be on your level. Then, after a conflict, that person soared high, and later you had to follow them just to make a living. It’s suffocating just to think about it."
Dean led the applause. "Robert, that was great, and you’ve resolved one of the questions I had."
He had confirmed that Amody was the murderer.
But what about Jerry? Did he really have no clue about Amody’s underhanded actions?
Being praised by Dean, a fellow newcomer, Robert felt exceedingly pleased and found Dean much more agreeable. At least Dean had good judgment.
Dam and Amody were both summoned to the detective bureau’s interrogation room.
It was time for this case to end.
Dean also needed Amody to resolve another puzzle in his mind: Did Jerry really not notice any of Amody’s shenanigans?
This had nothing to do with the case. Dean just felt that if he could clear up this question, he might be able to fully understand the thought pattern of the "Mind Reading Technique" mentioned by Anthony. Perhaps he could even develop a new Skill from it. Speaking of which, even now, he didn’t understand why Anthony could have known the timing of Jerry’s accident so precisely.