"Very good."

With the help of Ronnie Prada, the police unlocked the door to apartment 209.

Raymond led the team to search the room, and after confirming safety, Luke entered the room for a detailed investigation.

The apartment wasn't big, just a large open area and a bathroom, very messy, with lots of miscellaneous items on the table and floor.

Luke walked to the table, saw a layer of white powder scattered on the surface, wiped it with his finger, placed it under his nose for a sniff, it seemed like drugs.

Port put away his gun and said, "Captain, the closet doors are all open, all the clothes inside are gone, Walda Becker likely fled, and it seems she left in a hurry."

Luke nodded.

Jackson picked up a piece of clothing from the floor, "Captain, I found something here.

This piece of clothing has burnt marks on the cuffs." Jackson placed the clothing under his nose for a sniff, "There's a lingering smell of smoke and possible accelerant on the clothes."

Little Black guessed, "Perhaps on the night of July 11, Walda Becker also participated in the Kerman Pharmaceutical Company's arson case, and was wearing this very piece of clothing at the time.

Because the sleeves were burnt, she didn't take it."

Luke also picked up the burnt clothing for a closer inspection; it was very similar to the clothing worn by the driver of the suspect black Chevrolet, possibly the same piece of clothing.

All clues and evidence pointed to Walda Becker.

Subsequently, Luke started assigning tasks to investigate Walda Becker's whereabouts.

Parking lot surveillance at the apartment showed that at 1 AM on July 12, Walda Becker returned to the apartment, and around 2 AM drove away, never to return.

It had been twenty hours since Walda Becker's escape.

The police then attempted to locate Walda Becker's phone number, but his number was already out of service and couldn't be located.

By now, it was past 10 PM, and with no clues about Walda Becker's whereabouts, the police had to temporarily call off the search.

...

The next morning.

Luke arrived at the police station and immediately gathered everyone for a meeting to discuss the plan for capturing Walda Becker.

Luke scanned the room and asked, "Folks, let's hear it, how can we catch that guy?"

Jackson said, "Walda Becker left the apartment driving a black Chevrolet sedan, we can continue to track down this car's whereabouts."

Little Black smirked, "Come on, that guy isn't a fool, he definitely abandoned the car by now."

Jackson said, "You're right, I also know there's a high probability he abandoned the car, but that car is also important evidence, and we can track from where he left it."

Port said, "Could Walda Becker have fled back to his hometown in Arizona?

I know this sounds a bit silly, but many suspects on the run hide near their hometowns.

These people are definitely not stupid, on the contrary, they're quite clever.

Hiding in familiar territory has great advantages, friends and family can help cover up."

"Port is right, we're not familiar with the situation in Arizona, even if we went there, it would be difficult to conduct an investigation, we can only ask the local police for assistance, but the intensity of the investigation..." the deputy shrugged, showing a everybody-understands look.

Little Black sneered, "Commit a crime and hide back at home? How long can he hide? The arrest warrant will always be in effect, I think it's unlikely."

The deputy asked in return, "Okay, Detective Marcus, what good ideas do you have."

Marcus thought for a moment and said, "Actually, we can have Ronnie Prada help us find Walda Becker.

Ronnie Prada is Walda Becker's boss, they share the same criminal experiences and connections.

Ronnie Prada might know better than us about Walda Becker's escape route.

We could give Ronnie Prada a chance to make amends."

"That's a good idea, we can talk to Ronnie Prada, if he can help us catch Walda Becker, we can give him a favorable plea deal, maybe even consider not prosecuting him." Luke approved Little Black's suggestion, meanwhile, he kept thinking about why Walda Becker did this?

What was his motive?

What role did he play in both cases?

"Knock knock..."

There was a knock on the door from outside.

Reid pushed the door open and came in, "Morning folks."

The deputy greeted, "Chief, you're here just in time, we're discussing the plan for capturing Walda Becker, we'd like to hear your opinion."

Reid said, "I have no opinion, once you've discussed a plan, just report it to me."

The deputy shrugged, "That direct?"

Reid pointed at the deputy, then to the others, "I trust you, and you all.

Luke, I'd like to talk to you alone."

"No problem." Luke led Reid into the chief's office, "Want something to drink?"

"No, I'll say a few words and leave." Reid sat in the chair, leaned forward to the desk, "Is the operation to capture Walda Becker going smoothly?"

"No news on him yet."

Reid pressed, "Do you think he's involved in the arson case?"

"Yes, we found a burnt piece of clothing at his house, and it tested positive for accelerant.

There's a shadow of Walda Becker in both cases."

Reid nodded, continued, "This morning, Fred Kramer, head of research and development at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company, reached out to me, hoping you can take over the arson investigation."

Luke was a bit surprised, "Why?"

"The arson case caused considerable loss to Kerman Pharmaceutical Company, they don't trust the precinct officers, feeling it's unlikely they can find the arson suspect in a short time, they're running out of patience, hoping you can take over the investigation.

Fred Kramer has a good impression of you."

Luke chuckled, "I didn't see it at the time."

"Maybe he realized it afterward, he values the newly developed blood pressure medication greatly, the arson was a huge blow to him."

Luke asked, "Did you agree?"

"Kerman Pharmaceutical Company is willing to donate a considerable sum for equipment upgrades to the Detective Bureau, and offering a one million US Dollar bounty for capturing the arson suspect.

Interested?"

"If our team takes over the case, and we catch the arson suspect, the reward is ours."

"Yes."

"Sounds pretty good."

Although Luke personally doesn't lack money now, his team members do, so it's not bad taking them to earn a bit of reward money.

Also, the recently uncovered information on Walda Becker shows he's not only a suspect in the murder of Rochelle Horn, but likely also the arson suspect, linking the two cases together to a certain extent.

This highlights the difference between actively taking on a case versus being requested to handle one.

Actively taking on a case, one may not be appreciated, imagined to be greedy for credit.

Now the other party is actively seeking Luke to take over the case, which demands some sincerity.

Of course, the premise is having sufficient capability and a very high case-solving rate.

Otherwise, the executives at the pharmaceutical company aren't fools either, why would they give you the money.