Little Black glanced at Luke, "Captain, the phone is ringing."

"I'm not deaf." Luke thought for a moment, then picked up the deceased's phone and pressed the answer button.

"Thank God. Darling, you finally answered the phone." A woman's voice came from the phone.

Luke replied, "Ma'am, I am not the owner of this phone."

"Why do you have my husband's phone? Where is he?"

"Ma'am, how should I address you?"

"Christian Horn. You haven't answered me, why is my husband's phone in your hand?"

"Your husband is unable to answer the phone."

"What happened to my husband? Why can't he answer the phone? And who are you?"

"I am Luke Lee, captain of the first team of the Robbery and Murder Department."

"Oh my God, what happened to my husband? You have to tell me!"

"I'm sorry, it's not convenient to explain over the phone.

You can come to the Robbery and Murder Department at the police station and inquire, we will host you at the first team office."

The woman's voice was tinged with tears, "No no no, please, tell me, what happened to my husband?"

"Mrs. Christian Horn, what is your husband's name?"

"Rochelle Horn." The woman on the phone answered and then asked in return, "Don't you know my husband's name?"

"It's not that I'm not telling you, but some things can't be clearly explained over the phone." Luke wasn't being evasive, firstly, he wasn't sure if the caller was indeed the deceased's wife.

Secondly, the phone was found near the deceased, but that doesn't necessarily mean it belonged to him.

Luke had just taken over the case and everything needed to be verified.

"I understand, I'll go to the police station now." Christian Horn said, and hung up the phone.

Luke handed the phone to Little Black beside him, and asked the forensic doctor and the tech team, "Is there anything found that can prove the deceased's identity?"

"Yes, we found a driver's license in the deceased's pants pocket." Mary handed a driver's license to Luke.

Luke opened it to see the picture of the deceased, named Rochelle Horn.

Luke sighed softly, "Anything else discovered?"

Mary replied, "We found an empty rum bottle under the bed, which may have been consumed by the deceased before death. We'll extract fingerprints and DNA from the bottle once we return to the police station.

Moreover, there are no signs that the body was moved, this should be the primary crime scene."

"Any traces of a second person present?"

"Not at the moment."

"Thank you."

Little Black picked up the bag with the rum, "Very cheap rum, probably no more than five dollars.

I guess it's likely some unhappy family man's bad luck drinking by himself in here."

Jackson asked, "Drinking alone is understandable, but why is he dead?"

Little Black shrugged, "You'd have to ask the forensic doctor for that."

Luke also turned his gaze to the forensic doctor, Hila, as he hadn't noticed any obvious fatal wounds on the deceased, not even superficial ones, and was equally curious about the cause of death.

After a while, forensic doctor Hila stood up and said, "I just conducted a preliminary autopsy. There are no obvious signs of struggle on the deceased, no bindings or lethal injuries found either.

The deceased's lips were pale, with residue at the corner of his mouth, dilated pupils—these are symptoms similar to sudden death.

As for the cause of sudden death, it could be due to illness, or perhaps drugs or toxins; it requires further autopsy and testing to determine."

"What about the time of death?"

"Between two and six yesterday afternoon."

"Was it murder or suicide?"

Hila shrugged, "I don't know either, you all will need to figure that out yourselves."

"OK, once results come out, notify me immediately."

"I will."

Soon after, the deputy team also entered the house and asked, "Have you determined the cause of death?"

"No apparent external injuries found, we'll have to take the body back to the station for further examination." Luke replied, then countered, "How's the canvassing going?"

The deputy team responded, "I had the surrounding neighbors questioned, and nobody has seen strangers going in or out of this house.

However, a neighbor noticed a black Toyota sedan new to the area. I had the license plate checked, and the owner is indeed the deceased, Rochelle Horn.

This car was parked a certain distance from the house, likely out of concern of being discovered, initially parked far away, then sneaking into the house."

"Was anything suspicious found in the car?"

"I did a general inspection and found nothing suspicious. I already notified the tech team to do a detailed search."

"Appreciate it."

The deputy team then asked back, "Can it be confirmed yet whether it's suicide or murder?"

"Not clear for the moment." With that, Luke shifted the topic, "Deputy, I'll leave the scene to you; I have to head back to the station and talk with the deceased's wife.

Perhaps we can learn some new clues."

...

Robbery and Murder Department, first team.

Inside the lounge, a woman paced back and forth in the room, her face full of anxiety.

"Creak..." The door sounded.

Luke pushed the door open and entered the lounge, holding a folder in his hand.

The woman looked at Luke, "I'm Christian Horn. Do you have any news about my husband?"

Luke said, "Ma'am, we spoke earlier over the phone, I just returned from the scene."

Christian Horn asked, "Scene? What scene?"

"Let's sit and talk." Luke pulled a chair and sat down, flipping through the folder Matthew had just handed over, "Mrs. Horn, this morning, the police responded to a report. In the Tarip Community, an owner found a male body in their home; we found your husband's phone next to the body."

"Oh my God, you're saying... my husband is dead?"

"We need your help to identify the deceased's exact identity, would you be willing to assist us?"

"Yes, take me there, I want to see my husband."

"Sorry, the forensic doctor hasn't finished processing the body, so you can't see the body for now, but I can show you the scene photos." Luke took out photos of the deceased and handed them to Christian Horn.

Christian Horn took the photos with both hands, held them against her chest, and burst into tears, "Rochelle, Rochelle...sob...why did this happen? You were fine when you left yesterday, why did you die? Why?

Sob..."

The cries echoed throughout the entire squadron.

However, everyone in the Robbery and Murder Department was already used to it.

Jackson handed over some tissues to Christian Horn, murmuring a few consolations, but to little effect.

Christian Horn cried for a few minutes before stopping, wiping her tears, "Captain Lee, I want to see my husband."

"I will inform you as soon as there's news from the forensic doctor."

"How did my husband die? Who killed him?"

"How do you know your husband was murdered? Is there a possibility he committed suicide?"

"Suicide?

No, why would he commit suicide?

We have a happy family, two lovely daughters, there's no reason for him to commit suicide, it's impossible."

"Has he been acting strange recently?"

"Uh, he's been very busy at work lately, quite stressed, sometimes becomes irritable due to work issues.

A few days ago, he scolded the kids for bickering, and afterwards felt very guilty and apologized to them.

Besides that, nothing unusual."

"What does your husband do for work?"

"He works at a travel agency."

"What's the name of the travel agency?"

"West Travel Agency."

"Are you sure it's West Travel Agency?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Luke stroked his chin, the house owner Clint Mann and his family had gone on a week-long trip to Guam through West Travel Agency, which explained why the deceased, Rochelle Horn, knew the house was empty because the house owner was a client of the travel agency, allowing him to be aware of the family's movements.

Yet this still couldn't explain why he entered the house while the family was away on vacation.

Moreover, through the data Matthew provided, Luke discovered that the deceased, Rochelle Horn, had a theft record, and asked, "Can your husband pick locks?"

Christian Horn frowned, "Why are you asking this?"

"His records show a theft record."

"No no no, my husband isn't a bad person, I swear." Christian Horn scratched her head, helplessly said, "My husband did have a theft record, but he was only 18 at that time, at a silly age.

He's a responsible husband, ever since we started a family, he hasn't done anything illegal."

"So, he does know how to pick locks?"

Christian Horn glared at Luke without answering.

Luke took her silence as confirmation, which explained why the deceased, Rochelle Horn, could easily enter the homeowner's house.

Christian Horn was somewhat displeased, "My husband is dead now, why are you interrogating me as if I'm a criminal's family?"

"No, you've misunderstood, I'm just trying to clarify the situation and find out the cause of your husband's death as soon as possible." Luke took out the photos of the deceased and the house, "Your husband died in someone else's home.

We need to investigate first why he was there and how he got in?"

Seeing Christian Horn's momentum weaken, Luke continued asking, "Do you recognize this house?"

"No, I don't."

"Do you know why Rochelle Horn was there?"

"I don't know."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Yesterday morning, just after eight, after breakfast he kissed me and the kids, then went to work.

The day went as usual, I noticed nothing unusual until over ten at night when he hadn't returned, so I called him.

No one answered, and when I called his office, no one picked up either.

This morning, I again called his mobile, and then you answered...sob..." Christian Horn started choking and sobbing once more.

"How does your husband usually commute to work?"

"He drives his car, a black Toyota sedan."

"Has he ever stayed out all night before?"

"Sometimes when the travel agency is busy, he comes back quite late, but he's never stayed out all night, this is the first time..."

"Does your husband drink?"

"Yes, during his free time, he enjoys a few drinks."

"Does he use drugs?"

"No, he never touches drugs."

"Does he have any severe sudden medical conditions?"

"No, he's very healthy, rarely even gets a cold."

"Think carefully, has he encountered any difficulties lately or any suspicious people around him?"

Christian Horn pressed her forehead, tried to recall for a moment, then shook her head, "Sorry, my mind is a mess right now...I can't think."

Luke handed her a business card, "If you recall anything new, you can contact me anytime."

Christian Horn took the card with both hands, "When did my husband die?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

Christian Horn pressed on, "At that time, he was supposed to be at work at the travel agency? Why did he die at someone else's house?"

Luke did not tell her that Rochelle Horn died in a travel agency client's house, and he was also curious about how West Travel Agency was connected to this case.