Chapter 1286 - 567: Case Closed (Part 2)
"The farther, the better."
Gil Warren took a deep breath, his right hand gripping the armrest tightly. "If I tell you, can you guarantee my safety?
That person...
is not someone I can afford to provoke. He might just kill me."
"Of course, we can help you turn into a witness, and if necessary, we can even provide protection for your family."
Gil Warren was silent for a moment, seemingly making up his mind, "Royce Woodman."
The deputy scratched his thinning hair. "The name sounds familiar."
"He's the vice president of Jelsin Pharmaceuticals."
...
8 p.m.
Royce Woodman's house.
This was a sprawling villa, its style leaning modern with white walls, towering floor-to-ceiling windows, and a semi-circular swimming pool in the front yard taking up more than half of the space.
Little Black approached the gate, peering inside through the iron gate, envying, "You know? Even in my dreams, I couldn't imagine living in such a house."
Luke laughed, "Cultivate your daughter well, there's still a chance for her."
"You're right," Little Black smiled and pressed the doorbell, "Ding-dong."
Soon after, a Latina woman appeared on the video intercom, "Hello, this is Royce Woodman's residence. Who are you looking for?"
"LAPD, we're looking for Mr. Royce Woodman."
"Just a moment."
After a while, the iron gate opened, and a voice from the intercom said, "Come in."
The two walked into the yard. The middle was paved with gray stone slabs, extending all the way to the villa's door.
The villa's door opened, and the Latina woman led the two inside, inviting them to sit on the sofa in the living room and serving them coffee.
After a while, Royce Woodman came down from the second floor, "Good evening, Captain Lee."
"Good evening, Mr. Royce Woodman."
When Luke first investigated Rochelle Horn's murder, he only discovered she was a test subject and had taken antihypertensive drugs that were somewhat similar to drugs produced by Jelsin Pharmaceuticals. So, Luke took people to investigate Jelsin Pharmaceuticals, where he was received by Royce Woodman.
"What brings you to my house so late?"
"Two things.
First, about the murdered test subject Rochelle Horn, thank you for the information you provided. She was indeed a test subject from Kerman Pharmaceutical Company. We've also clarified the cause of her death."
"You're welcome. As a good citizen of Los Angeles, it's what I should do.
Now, what's the other matter?"
"On the night of July 16th, there was a shooting near Kerman Pharmaceutical Company. The victim was Fred Kramer, the head of R&D at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company. Are you aware of this incident?"
"Yes, I've heard about it.
I know Fred Kramer. He's a very talented person. How is he doing now?"
"He's still in the hospital for treatment."
Royce Woodman said, "Hope he recovers soon.
By the way, what brings you to me?"
"During our investigation, we found a hitman named Gil Warren. According to him, someone paid him 500,000 USD to kill Fred Kramer.
And this person who hired him was none other than Jelsin Pharmaceuticals' Vice President, Royce Woodman."
"Me?" Royce Woodman seemed to hear something unbelievable, "Captain Lee, you're joking, right? How could I do such a thing?
This is definitely defamation. While I do know Fred Kramer, we're not close enough for me to have a reason to kill him."
Luke said, "On the night of July 15th, you drove under Martha Bridge, got into a Mercedes, where you and Gil Warren made the deal.
You gave him a 200,000 USD deposit to have his people kill Fred Kramer, with another 300,000 USD to follow.
Gil Warren recorded your transaction at that time.
Would you like to see?"
Royce Woodman remained silent, his face looking somewhat grim.
Luke took out his phone and played a video. The background was inside a car, featuring two men as parties to the transaction, with one of them speaking being Royce Woodman.
Royce Woodman's face fell instantly, cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Luke turned off the phone, saying, "Mr. Woodman, you were too careless to make such a basic mistake."
Royce Woodman sighed, self-mockingly, "You're right, I was careless...
Everything was too rushed, but I had to seize this opportunity, it was the only chance."
Luke smoothly asked, "What opportunity?"
"You know?
In the current international antihypertensive drug market, our Jelsin Pharmaceuticals' Nebivolol takes a huge share, bringing in billions of dollars in profit annually.
You know what that means?" Royce Woodman pinched his forehead, helpless, saying,
"We've long known that Kerman Pharmaceutical Company is developing a new antihypertensive drug, and we've been keeping a close eye. Based on the information we gathered, this drug's composition is similar to Nebivolol but is expected to be more effective, potentially even curing hypertension.
We knew very well that once this drug successfully launches, it would pose an enormous threat to Nebivolol, definitely stealing the market that originally belonged to our company.
Our company would face massive losses." Royce Woodman shrugged helplessly, "But there's nothing we can do but hope their research fails.
Until you came to investigate Jelsin Pharmaceuticals, we learned that the test subject at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company died, which rekindled our hope.
Subsequently, someone even set fire to Kerman Pharmaceutical's building, destroying the research data on the new antihypertensive drug.
You know?
When I heard the news, I was overjoyed to the point of madness, feeling like even God was helping us."
Royce Woodman became somewhat frantic, punching the air, "I knew I couldn't just sit idly by anymore; I had to do something.
Kerman Pharmaceutical's research data was destroyed, so if the drug were to launch, it would require a massive investment of money and manpower to redevelop, needing complete research data to go to market.
That's not easy.
Fred Kramer, as the head of R&D, played a crucial role in the project. As long as he died, the project's risk would significantly increase, and the backing capital might pull out.
The new antihypertensive drug would never hit the market.
We'd preserve our interest in Jelsin Pharmaceuticals."
Little Black looked at the opulent living room, enviously saying, "Mr. Woodman, you've already lived in such a nice house, enjoying a king-like life, why take the risk of murder?
It could leave you with nothing.
Honestly, I find it hard to understand."
Royce Woodman looked at his house, then at Luke and Little Black, teasing, "If not for taking risks, why would I be able to live in such a nice house?
And we're talking billions of dollars in profits every year!
Do you understand what that means?
I believe if you truly understood, you'd make the same choices as me.
I don't regret what I've done.
It's just too bad the opportunity was too rushed this time, and my preparations were inadequate.
Otherwise, you might not have caught me!"
Billions of dollars in profit could indeed be tempting, but fortunately, Luke didn't have to make such decisions.
He stood up, taking out handcuffs, "Mr. Royce Woodman, you're under arrest!
Regardless of whether the new antihypertensive drug can be successfully developed, it no longer concerns you."
Royce Woodman seemed to be responding to Luke, while simultaneously comforting himself, "A price always comes with a cost, didn't it? I've done so much for the company; they're not going to abandon me."