Luke whispered, "The coffee is hot."

The three around him also became alert. Jenny guessed, "This means the suspect, Lydia Kuni, likely hasn't gone far."

Luke glanced around, "It's also possible she's still in the house."

Blackie said, "But we've already searched the house."

"Then search it again, and be more thorough this time." Generally speaking, when the police search for a suspect's hiding place, they don't just search once.

The first search is to ensure safety, the second is to find evidence and clues, followed by a more detailed on-site investigation.

Earlier, the four of them only conducted a rough search of the room to confirm there were no armed individuals or dangers inside.

Afterwards, the four of them searched again, checking the cabinets, under the bed, behind the curtains, even inside the fridge.

After finishing the search, they met again on the first floor.

Jenny shook her head, "We've searched all the places where someone could hide, and found no sign of anyone."

Blackie rubbed his chin, "Could someone have secretly tipped her off, and she escaped just before we entered the community."

Luke said nothing, but he felt something was off about the layout of the house. It seemed the bedroom on the first floor was smaller than its actual size.

He had been furnishing his new home recently and was sensitive to house layouts.

Luke remeasured the length outside the living room and then entered the first-floor bedroom to measure, discovering the bedroom was eighty centimeters shorter than it should be.

"Thump thump."

Luke knocked on the wall, and the sound seemed off, as if it were hollow.

Blackie and the other two realized something was wrong too and stood guard with their guns ready.

Luke carefully examined this wall. It looked like a decoration but was actually a hidden door, with the switch and lock presumably inside.

By observing, Luke determined the approximate location of the hidden door, then Blackie brought a door ram and smashed it directly into the hidden door.

With a loud "bang," the hidden door was broken open.

"LAPD!"

"Freeze!"

"Hands up!" Jenny and Raymond charged in from the left and right.

"Don't shoot, I'm unarmed," a woman's voice echoed from inside the room.

It was a woman in her thirties, a white female crouched in a corner of the compartment, with blonde hair, tall stature, and wearing blue-framed glasses, exuding an intellectual aura.

Jenny asked, "What's your name?"

"Lydia Kuni."

Jenny first backed out of the compartment and shouted to Lydia Kuni, "Raise your hands and walk out from there."

Lydia Kuni took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and walked out of the compartment as Jenny instructed, "I'm unarmed. You can lower your guns now."

"Hands on your head." Jenny indicated for the other to turn around and then proceeded to frisk her.

Lydia Kuni said unhappily, "Why did you break into my house? If you don't have a reasonable reason and the paperwork, I will definitely file a complaint against you."

Luke displayed the search warrant, "Based on witness identification, we suspect you are involved in the arson case on the evening of July 11th at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company. We hope you will assist in the investigation."

"Oh my god, you must be crazy. How could I be involved in an arson case.

Who identified me?"

Luke stared at Lydia Kuni, "Now is not the time for you to ask questions. Answer my questions first."

Lydia Kuni replied firmly, "No, I don't think I have any problems."

"If that's the case, why didn't you respond when we knocked on the door? Instead, you hid in this secret compartment?

That's not normal behavior."

"You're right, I did hear the doorbell, and I checked the video doorbell. I saw a stranger, a black man, looking aggressive and unfriendly outside.

I was worried he was a bad guy, that he'd harm me, so I hid in the compartment." Lydia Kuni glanced at Blackie and added, "If I wasn't afraid you'd hear me, I would have called the police."

Blackie "..."

I...

You...

Fuck...

Luke said, "My colleague didn't display any aggressive behavior or actions, your reason is a bit far-fetched."

"Sorry, it wasn't intentional.

Maybe the arson case made me a bit nervous, causing me to become overly sensitive." Lydia Kuni looked at Blackie again, "Sir, I apologize to you."

"No, I don't accept," Blackie showed no friendliness.

Lydia Kuni shrugged, "Anyway, I've already apologized. If there's nothing else, please leave my home."

Luke showed the search warrant again, "Ms. Kuni, we're conducting a legal search. We hope you will cooperate."

Lydia Kuni scratched her head with some helplessness, "I really don't know what's worth searching in my house, you're completely wasting your time."

Luke asked, "Where were you between eleven and twelve on the evening of July 11th?"

"Are you interrogating me now?"

"Just a normal inquiry."

"I was home."

Luke scrutinized her, noticing signs of lying on her face.

"Can anyone vouch for that?"

"No, I was alone."

"Ms. Kuni, where's your daughter?"

"Uh... she went to my mother's house."

"When did she go?"

"July 10th."

Luke saw the signs of lying on her face again.

"Are you involved in the July 11th arson case?"

"Oh my god, I'm tired of your baseless accusations. I am a researcher; I've put in a lot of effort to research a new type of antihypertensive drug.