The excavation site was bustling.

With Raymond watching over Dave, Luke felt reassured and also crowded in for a look.

Because the site was too far from the city center, they couldn't use an excavator and had to take turns digging with shovels.

The young Marcus also went down to dig for a while.

When they had dug half a meter deep, Marcus threw the shovel aside, jumped up, and complained, "I'm exhausted. I'm really not cut out for this. What do you guys think Tony buried underneath?"

The deputy didn't hesitate, "A body. Tony came here every year. Likely, he was either confessing or paying respects, or perhaps it was to prevent the body from being exposed by periodically covering it with soil."

Luke joked, "Or it could be some treasure."

Marcus perked up, "Isn't that Impressionist master's painting still missing? What if Tony had hidden it and it's just below?"

The deputy was somewhat speechless, "Marcus, think before you speak. Can a painting be preserved underground? Only a fool would do that."

"Ordinary soil, of course not, but this is Gobi, dry enough. If it were in a sealed box, maybe it could be well-preserved," Marcus argued.

"Come on, there aren't that many 'ifs.' Tony wasn't doing too well, if he had that painting he would have sold it long ago. I guess the painting is still in Lorne's hands."

The two argued for a bit, but neither could convince the other.

"clang, clang." Two metallic sounds rang out.

A digging officer shouted, "We've found something, there's something down here!"

This immediately drew everyone's attention.

To avoid damaging the item, the digging slowed down.

There was a solid object below, not small sized, with a flat surface. As they excavated the surrounding soil, the outline of the object gradually came into view.

It was a decayed old sedan, and through its mottled rust, one could faintly make out that it was a red car.

The license plate was too decayed to discern a number.

Marcus was puzzled, "What the heck! We actually dug up an antique car?"

The car body was decayed, so the excavation progressed slowly, but the overall style of the car was roughly visible.

The deputy stroked his chin and said, "This model... it should be the first generation Ford Focus."

Susan too, was from that era, but she didn't know much about cars, "From what year?"

"I don't remember the specific year it was released, but it's been at least twenty years," he replied.

Luke looked up information on his phone and found the first-generation Ford Focus, "It was launched in 1998, matches this car's style."

Marcus muttered, "A 24-year-old car then, only a few years younger than me."

The scene investigation team had now taken over, and Mary, wearing protective gear, climbed into the pit and peered through the car window. "Please have Hila the forensic doctor come over; there are two skeletons inside."

The deputy looked at the red Ford Focus deep in thought; this case...

There was a feeling of déjà vu.

It took over an hour to finally get the car out of the pit. Luke approached the car to observe it; the interior was badly decayed, and there were two skeletons in the back, one bigger and one smaller, likely dead for many years.

Afterward, the car, along with the skeletons, were hauled back to the police station for examination.

…

Back at the police station, the deputy was huddled with Matthew, discussing something.

Luke and the others were also preparing for the new case investigation.

First, they took another statement from Dave, asking if he knew more about the red car and the skeletons.

Just past two in the afternoon, the deputy called out, "Hey, everyone stop, come to the meeting room, I have something to say."

Although he did not know what the old man was hinting at, he still commanded some respect, and everyone followed him inside.

Susan asked, "Deputy chief, what clues have you found?"

The deputy chief seemed somewhat excited, "We are likely to solve a cold case from twenty years ago!"

Marcus said, "Even if this car was launched in 1998, it doesn't mean it was buried twenty years ago; it could have been buried more recently."

"Kid, don't interrupt me." The deputy chief, somewhat displeased, continued,

"I always felt this case seemed familiar. Later, I had Matthew help look up some information, and we basically confirmed that this is the 'Telson Manor Disappearance Case' from twenty years ago.

In a manor in Haim City, a mother and her two children vanished without a trace overnight.

The case was initially handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office. For various reasons, they did not take the case seriously, assuming it was just a runaway situation, and they missed the best opportunity to investigate.

Later, when the people were not found, the victims' husband made a big deal of it, and then the case began to receive attention.

The FBI took over the case, and after their investigation, they speculated that the victims might have gone to the city of Los Angeles after leaving the manor.

The Los Angeles Police Department also participated in the investigation.

But it was too late, they found no further clues, nor did they find the victims' bodies, and it became a cold case.

The skeletons we dug up today are likely the mother and one of the children."

Susan pressed, "Are there any other similarities between the two cases?"

"Of course, there are many similarities." The deputy chief took a sip of coffee and cleared his throat,

"First, the victims' family in the 'Telson Manor Disappearance Case' also had a red Ford Focus, which later also disappeared.

The Telson Manor disappearance case had a fugitive suspect named Cole Davis."

The deputy chief took out a sketch and a photograph, "This sketch is drawn by Tim, and the person in it is Tony's killer, Cole Becker.

And this photograph is of Cole Davis, the suspect in the 'Telson Manor' case, taken twenty years ago.

Apart from the signs of aging, do you think this sketch resembles the person in the photograph?"

Marcus picked up the photograph and the sketch and compared them carefully, "Yeah, indeed they look alike, both quite ugly."

The deputy chief ignored Marcus's quip and continued, "Moreover, the most critical point, the Telson Manor disappearance case wasn't just about the disappearance of a family of three; a large amount of property was also lost, including cash, jewelry, and paintings, among them was an Impressionist master Schelder Hasen's work 'Snowy Night'.

Similarly, Tony was killed and Lorne was attacked because of an Impressionist master Schelder Hasen's work."

After the deputy chief finished speaking, the meeting room was very quiet, everyone deep in thought.

Luke also linked Tony, Lorne, Cole, and the excavated car.

According to the deputy chief's guess, they continued to analyze.

Tony, Lorne, Cole were very likely the suspects of the 'Telson Manor Disappearance Case' twenty years ago.

The three of them robbed the 'Telson Manor' and killed the mother and children, taking away the manor's property.

Lorne made a fortune with that money.

Tony, feeling guilty, often came to the burial site to pay his respects.

Cole became a suspect but did not get the valuable painting; feeling the distribution was unfair and resentful, he then sought revenge on Tony and Lorne, aiming to take the painting worth millions of dollars.

The deputy chief chuckled, "Although the test results haven't come out yet, from all the clues above, Tony, Cole, and Lorne are definitely related to the 'Telson Manor Disappearance Case'.

Also, there's something else I need to tell everyone.

The reward for the painting is two hundred thousand dollars. If the police find that painting, they can also claim that reward.

Everyone, let's give it our best effort!"