CHAPTER 482: CHAPTER 288 SOUTHEAST ASIAN WOMAN_1

The fall incident attracted over a dozen onlookers, both inside and outside the hotel, with some kind-hearted individuals calling the hospital and police station.

"Murphy?"

By identifying certain physical characteristics, a hotel staff member recognized the person who had fallen to their death.

It was indeed Murphy!

Dean’s premonition had not been wrong.

Soon, under the direction of a middle-aged Caucasian man with a small mustache, a group of male and female hotel staff dispersed the crowd and isolated the scene. Because of their obstruction, some of the bystanders, worried that the police would question them later, also chose to leave.

Not far away, Dean swept his gaze over each of the departing bystanders’ faces and expressions, then refocused on the circle of hotel staff, finally locking his eyes on a small-statured blonde girl about 1.6 meters tall, with an average appearance and a slender figure.

The blonde girl was wearing the hotel’s uniform, but she was not Caucasian. She had the face of a Southeast Asian native with darker skin. Her makeup, seemingly influenced by local beauty standards, featured sharply arched, aggressive eyebrows and eyes that weren’t particularly large, adding a touch of harshness to her already plain appearance.

Dean noticed her not because she was the only Asian among the hotel staff but because the subconscious indifference that flashed across her narrow eyes when they swept over the twisted body was not the normal reaction of an ordinary person to such a gruesome scene.

A Southeast Asian female with no mixed-race features... Dean mused to himself.

He vaguely guessed the truth behind the missing person case!

However, this truth seemed a bit far-fetched in the United States.

An ambulance arrived first. But this time, they were likely to act as a hearse. Also, since the police had not yet arrived, the medical staff simply waited to one side after verifying the woman was dead, not intending to go back empty-handed.

Almost twenty minutes after the woman named Murphy fell, a police car finally made its leisurely way to the scene.

The police car stopped. A short Caucasian man and a tall, hairy African American man stepped out of the police vehicle.

The mustached man who had earlier directed the staff to clear the area obviously recognized them and hastened to meet them, saying something with a slightly excited expression. However, it wasn’t clear what he said, as the African American officer impatiently pushed him aside and quickly walked toward the body on the ground.

After the arrival of the ambulance and police car, Dean focused on observing any eye contact between the Southeast Asian woman and them.

To his surprise, let alone eye contact, the Southeast Asian woman didn’t even glance at them.

They don’t know each other? Inside the car, Dean’s brows furrowed. The town was only so big, with a local population of just a couple thousand. Given that there were likely only a few police and medical personnel, if his earlier guess was correct, this situation didn’t make sense!

After some thought, he turned his attention back to the muscular African American and the skinny Caucasian police officers. When Wade was collecting information about Cheston En, it seemed to be this pair who had responded to the call and taken Cheston En away.

The short Caucasian officer looked unstable on his feet. He had a vacant expression and seemed to be in a poor mental state. His clothes were loose and unkempt, with darkened and yellowed edges, indicating a disheveled private life.

The other African American officer, unlike most African Americans, had a robust amount of hair and likely was mixed-race. However, his gait seemed uncomfortable—as if he had recently been injured in the leg or elsewhere—and he showed impatience in his mood.

These two officers merely glanced briefly at Murphy’s strangely contorted neck. They then allowed the nearby medical staff to take the body, spoke a few words with the mustached hotel man, and walked into the hotel with the group.

It was obvious that neither of them knew the Southeast Asian woman.

Seeing that everyone had gone inside, and not wishing to spook anyone with police now present, Dean reluctantly took out his phone and called Wade to ask about the situation with Cheston En.

The moment the call connected, a burst of laughter and joking came from Wade’s side: "This is the Admiral Rescue Team..."

That must have been deliberately said because there were other people around him.

The noise of laughter and chatter gradually faded into the distance.

Taking the opportunity, Wade stepped out of the room and whispered, "Boss Dean, we are currently chatting with the police chief at the station."

"How’s my partner doing?"

"He..." Wade hesitated for a moment before continuing, "When we arrived, we saw Black Goat shirtless, cursing and swearing as he came out from the detention room at the police station, then left on a call with another man.

"That guy is a stout black man, a well-known queer in the town, your partner..."

HISS.

Hearing this, even Dean, who was experienced and well-informed, couldn’t help but inhale sharply.

He had anticipated that Cheston En might be interrogated severely or even beaten after being outed, but what normal person would expect the local police to be so lacking in underworld etiquette! Animals!

Fortunately, he was alright, which wouldn’t hinder their ability to question him for clues.

As for Cheston En’s experience... Sacrifices are inevitable when working on a case. Didn’t he also sacrifice himself to solve a case and spend some time with that tramp Laura (Ross’s ex-girlfriend)?

Dean feigned condemnation in his heart for a moment, pacifying the slight sympathy he had just felt, before comfortably changing the subject, "Did you ask about the latest missing case at the hotel?"

"We did," said Wade with a touch of distress. "It was a couple who went into the mountains a few days ago. They didn’t check out when they left, so they probably didn’t plan to go deep into the mountains, but they never came back even after their deposit was used up. The hotel called to inquire, but their phones are unreachable as well."

Another case of going into the mountains...

This was a camping spot frequented by tourists, located in a country where guns are freely available. It was unlikely that serial attacks at such a scene could go undetected for years. Therefore, there had to be something crucial that wasn’t understood. This unknown element is the key to solving the case!

After thinking it over, Dean instructed, "Wade, is there any way to get into the detention room?"

He now had to keep an eye on that Southeast Asian woman and couldn’t afford to leave. In fact, unless he exposed his identity, even if he could leave, Dean could only rely on force to forcibly take Cheston En away, which obviously risked alerting the enemy.

If Wade and the other two could infiltrate the detention room and get the clue from Cheston En, that would be ideal.

Wade said with difficulty, "There’s only one person in the station now. Jenny and I will try to find a way, but how can we make your partner, Boss Dean, believe us?"

"Amon, just say the name Amon when you meet!"

When the FBI’s Los Angeles branch was destroyed, Cheston En was the sole survivor and found himself in dire straits. He made a deal with Amon, who was in charge of the investigation. This eventually led Amon to bring him to Dean. When Cheston En hears the name Amon, he will know that Wade was sent by Dean.

After hanging up, Dean refocused his attention back to the hotel.

About half an hour later, the black police officer and the white police officer, accompanied by the small-mustached man from the hotel,匆匆离开了酒店, having completed the crime scene investigation.

In such small places, there was no forensic department. There might be a designated coroner—also known as a medical examiner—though not necessarily specialized. Ultimately, the police chief, who wielded immense power, had the final say.

After the police left, the hotel staff cleaned the bloodstains from the marble.

Dean also changed into a disguise and headed towards the hotel. He couldn’t pin all his hopes on Cheston En. He had to capture the suspicious Southeast Asian woman before too much time passed since the death of the server Murphy, to prevent the lead from going cold.

The hotel staff, still reeling from the death of their colleague, didn’t notice Dean, now disguised, entering the elevator.

The Southeast Asian woman wore a maid-like uniform. This type of uniform was typically worn for cleaning rooms and replenishing consumables after guests checked out. During slow periods, staff in these uniforms would usually be in a designated break room. This aspect is generally consistent across many countries’ hotels.

Dean followed a cleaner who had just finished their work and slipped in behind her cart. In a small room, he found the Southeast Asian woman!