Reid's face was grim as he let out a long sigh, "I need to make a call."

The deputy chief reminded him, "Don't forget to ask for more time, it's not just one victim now, but four."

Reid waved his hand dismissively without replying.

Susan raised her thumb, "Does anyone else have something to say?"

Raymond's gaze swept over the bodies in the pool of blood, "This should be the first crime scene.

The victims were executed by shooting, and judging from the wounds, it was likely done with a pistol.

If the shots were fired in the living room, the neighbors around should have heard it.

However, according to the patrol officer's description, the neighbors did not hear any gunshots, which suggests that the suspect might have used a silencer.

The approval process for a silencer is stricter than for firearms, and its price often exceeds the firearm itself.

The suspect is either professional or not short of money."

Susan nodded and instructed, "Raymond, keep a close watch and get the ballistics report as soon as possible.

Marcus, Jenny, collect the surrounding surveillance.

David, Luke, notify the victim's brother, we need to talk to him."

"Yes, captain."

Everyone went to investigate separately.

Luke's gaze swept over the scene, remembering that he had a newly drawn card, the identification card.

He hadn't used it yet and wasn't sure of its specific function.

Literally understood, it was likely related to the crime scene, but there were many pieces of evidence like a body, bloodstains, bullet casings, and footprints, so it wasn't clear which it was meant to identify specifically.

He walked to the body, subconsciously thinking of using the 'identification card.'

No reaction.

He moved next to the bloodstains, no reaction.

Walking to the suspected killer's footprint, a set of data appeared in his mind.

[Shoes, thick-soled rubber shoes with horizontal tread

Gender, Male

Height, 180-185CM

Weight, 85-90 kilograms

Age, between 40 and 45 years old.]

This was a footprint identification card.

Luke was not unfamiliar with footprint identification; in his country, it was considered unique.

People's gender, age, height, weight, and walking posture differ, and so do their footprints.

Identification experts, through extensive research and experience, could infer the suspect's physical characteristics from footprints and shoe prints.

Luke had seen a provincial footprint identification expert who had, with a shoe print, deduced the suspect's physical characteristics, physical defects, and walking habits with virtually no errors.

This technique was mostly based on experience, difficult to master without decades of consistent research.

In his entire country, only a handful of experts were proficient in footprint identification.

This technique was impressive.

Luke now knew the suspect's physical characteristics, which were crucial for identifying the suspect.

Logically, having obtained such important information, it should have been shared and reported promptly.

After much hesitation, he wasn't sure how to explain the footprint identification.

Since it was inconvenient, he simply chose not to mention it.

As long as he was aware and could make use of it, that was enough.

...

A red Ferrari raced into the streets of the Maca community.

It stopped near the victim Layli Hary's house.

A Caucasian middle-aged man stepped out of the car, pushing through the reporters crowding the entrance, "fuck, you bunch of idiots, move aside."

The patrol officer, with his right hand on his service weapon and left hand blocking the man, said, "stop! The area is under martial law, you can't go in."

"This is my sister's house, my name is Maquire Hary, the detective bureau sent me."

"Come with me." The patrol officer lifted the police tape and led the man into the yard.

"Detective, there's a Mr. Maquire Hary looking for you."

Luke approached the door, "I'll take it from here." He sized up the Caucasian middle-aged man, "You are Maquire Hary?"

"Yes, where is my sister?"

"The police are currently surveying the scene, you cannot enter now."

"Is she... really dead?"

"Yes."

Maquire gripped his hair tightly, choking up, "Oh my god... who killed her?"

"We just received the report and are still investigating. We asked you to come to gather some information."

"I still can't accept it, how she could just be gone..." Maquire sat on the stairs, taking deep breaths with his mouth wide open.

Luke did not rush him, instead, he compared the footprint identification data with Maquire.

Gender, age, height matched.

But Maquire was thin and couldn't have weighed 85 kilograms, so he was not the owner of the footprint.

About fifteen minutes later, Maquire lifted his head and asked proactively, "Can I see her now?"

"The scene investigation still needs some time; you can help me with the statement first. The more information the police have, the sooner the case can be solved."

"How do I give a statement?"

"I'll ask, you answer." Luke turned on his law enforcement recorder, "Were you and Layli Hary close?"

"Of course, we've been close since childhood, relying on each other, and we would dine together every week."

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"Yesterday noon."

"Specific time?"

"Around twelve, we had lunch together. She cooked the lunch herself, and although it wasn't very tasty, I still can't believe she's really gone."

Maquire started to cry, "When I was young, I never knew what loneliness was.

When you reach a certain age, especially after your parents pass away, you suddenly feel very alone.

Layli provided the warmth of a family, my last reliance.

There won't be anymore..."

Luke asked, "Regarding Ms. Layli's murder, do you have any suspects?"

"My sister had strong Z governance beliefs, supported women's rights, pushed for immigration laws, advocated for gun bans, and she was always actively involved in these causes, even faced some threats, but never compromised.

She had no personal grievances.

She was a great woman, I can't think of anyone who would harm her."

"Has she been unusually emotional recently?"

"No, her mood has always been very stable."

Jenny came over and whispered something to Luke.

Luke nodded and continued, "Is the Mercedes with the license plate number 7leb398 yours?"

"Yes."

"Through surveillance footage, we discovered that this car was at Layli's home at one in the morning. How do you explain this?"

"The car is registered in my name, but it's usually used by my sister, and she also hired a driver."

"What's the driver's name?"

"Badman Pole."

"Thank you for your cooperation. You can contact me anytime if you recall any new leads," Luke handed him a business card.

"I will." Maquire tucked the card into his pocket, "Can I see my sister now?"

"Someone will contact you later."

...

Evening, Detective Bureau.

After a day of investigation, the team members gradually returned to the bureau.

Susan convened a meeting to summarize the investigative progress.

Susan placed a report on the projector, "The forensic doctor has completed the preliminary autopsy.

The deceased, Layli Hary

Time of death, between 11 PM on April 30th and 2 AM.

She had been beaten before death and had defensive wounds.

The fatal injury was a gunshot wound to the head.

Fingers found in the deceased's mouth came from three different individuals.

The fingerprints have been destroyed, and DNA identification is underway, currently unable to determine specific identities.

It's certain that the three individuals are of African, Caucasian, and Mexican descent."

The Deputy said, "Suddenly adding three victims makes this case complex and adds many uncertainties.

At first glance, the scene looked like a robbery, but robbers wouldn't go to the extent of putting fingers in the victim's mouth.

It feels more like a vendetta."

Jenny said, "We checked the nearby surveillance and found that a Mercedes with the license plate number 7leb398 visited the victim's house during the time of the crime.

This car belongs to the victim's brother, but according to her brother, it was always used by the victim herself, who had specifically employed a driver, Badman Pole.

Badman Pole was supposed to transport the victim to and from work on time, but today Badman Pole didn't show up, and the car disappeared."

Jenny placed a document on the projector.

Name, Badman Pole

Gender, Male

Date of Birth, August 13, 1992

Phone Number, 626 873 7811

Address, 23 Guman Street

Jenny continued, "We tried to contact the driver, Badman Pole, but his mobile phone is out of service and the car has also disappeared.

Additionally, when we visited the address listed, not only did we not find him, his family was also mysteriously missing."

The Deputy asked, "Why not notify the car manufacturer to assist with the location?"

Matthew answered, "I've contacted them, and the car manufacturer tried to locate it, but failed."

Luke asked, "Can the driver's identity be seen clearly in the surveillance?"

Jenny shook her head, "The driver was wearing a hat, a mask, and gloves, covering themselves very thoroughly, plus it was drizzling last night, making it almost impossible to discern the suspect's appearance.

From the current clues, Badman Pole's actions are suspicious, and they match the characteristics of a crime by someone familiar, making him a prime suspect."

Jenny's analysis was reasonable; from the known clues, Badman Pole indeed had significant suspicion.

However, Luke had another clue unknown to others, which was the suspect data from the footprint identification.

Badman Pole, only thirty years old, greatly differs in age from the 40-45 years suggested by the footprint estimation.

Considering Badman Pole's suspicious actions,

Luke felt that he might know something or be the owner of one of those fingers.

That would explain why the person hasn't appeared.

But how did the car disappear?