Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Henrik Cartman angrily corrected, "The killer, the one who murdered my wife!"

Luke shook his head, "From the clues we've gathered so far, he isn't the murderer of Haida Cartman.

And he's not the romantic rival you imagine."

Henrik Cartman questioned, "What do you mean by that? What exactly is that guy Milko's relationship with my wife?"

Luke spread his hands, "Sorry, we have confidentiality rules.

I won't reveal your privacy to others, and likewise, I won't disclose someone else's privacy to you."

"OK, then I'll ask him myself. Let your people release me."

Luke waved his hand, signaling Jackson to let him go, advising, "Mr. Cartman, as an adult, I suggest you calm down.

Don't do something you'll regret."

"I haven't broken the law, at least not yet." Henrik Cartman rubbed his arm that had been painfully grabbed, and rushed towards Milko Moss's house, shouting, "Bastard, I know you're home.

If you're a man, come out now!"

After a while, Milko Moss emerged from the house with an indignant expression, glaring at Henrik Cartman, "Are you the trash who only knows how to beat his wife?" Milko Moss then looked toward Luke and the others, "Sir, why don't you arrest this domestic abuser?"

Henrik Cartman pointed at Milko Moss, "Fuck, you pretty boy who's only good at seducing others' wives, how dare you act so arrogantly in front of me!? I swear, I'll make you suffer miserably."

The tension between the two was intense, and Luke, worried about an accident, also stepped forward with his men.

Milko Moss angrily retorted, "Are you crazy? You're throwing dirt on your own wife.

I had no such relationship with Haida as you think."

"Then you tell me yourself, what exactly is your relationship? What's the secret you can't reveal?"

"Don't point your finger at me!" Milko Moss pushed Henrik Cartman's hand away, took a deep breath, "Haida is my biological mother."

Henrik Cartman laughed in disbelief, staring at the slightly taller Milko Moss, "What? Are you out of your mind? How could Haida have a son your age?"

Milko Moss questioned, "Do you think you know her well?

No, you know nothing.

All you do is blame her without knowing the immense pressure she's endured.

You contributed to her death.

You are the killer!"

"Oh god!" Henrik Cartman still found it hard to believe, but Milko Moss did bear some resemblance to his wife. He scratched his head vigorously and looked at Luke nearby, "Captain Lee, is what this guy said true?"

Luke didn't answer. Seeing the situation calm down a bit, he said to Little Black, "Detective Marcus, you stay here and handle this.

Port, go get the car."

"Yes, sir."

Having clarified the situation with these two, Luke didn't want to stay any longer and waste time. Seeing the sky was already dark, it was better to go back and get a good night's sleep.

"Captain, don't worry, I've got it here," Little Black replied with a smile, enjoying dealing with such ethical and scandalous matters.

Of course, whether he could handle it well was another matter.

...

The next morning.

After arriving at work, Luke first made a trip to the forensic lab.

After returning to his office, he chatted with Matthew for a while, and then gathered everyone for a meeting.

Luke scanned everyone in the room with his eyes and finally focused on Little Black, "Marcus, how are those two getting along?"

Little Black paused, as if taken aback by the question, then responded, laughing, "You're right, theoretically they do share a father-son relationship.

Both believe the other is responsible for Haida Cartman's death, filled with hostility. Without my timely intervention, they surely would've started fighting.

However, after my patient persuasion, they eventually shook hands and made up."

"Shook hands and made up? Are you sure about that?" Luke found it hard to believe.

Little Black awkwardly laughed, "Though they still find each other a bit unpleasant, Henrik Cartman has accepted that Milko Moss is his wife's illegitimate son, and at least won't resort to physical altercations anymore."

"Well done." Luke nodded, finding it reasonably credible, then changed the subject, "Does anyone have any new investigation updates?"

The deputy captain said, "The mental patient's wife, who pretended to be an arsonist, is handling bail procedures and might be released today.

If you want to talk to him again, it's best to do it soon."

"Forget it, there's no need to waste more time on him." Luke picked up a file from the table, walked to the projector, "I just went to the forensic office. They confirmed the identity of the third victim through dental records."

Name, Arian Osborne

Gender, Male

Height, 174cm

Weight, 150 pounds

Eye Color, Blue

Hair Color, Brown

Date of Birth: March 16, 1974

Phone Number: 909 836 2453

Luke looked at Matthew behind the computer screen, "Have you found any other clues about Arian Osborne?"

Matthew frowned and said, "There is very little official information about him, and it hasn't been updated for a long time.

I can't find any recent work history or tax records for him, and both of his parents have passed away.

He has a sister who lives in Ohio, but I'm not sure if they are in contact.

This is all we have for now."

The deputy habitually ran a comb through his hair, "Victim number 3 died from smoke inhalation. Judging from the manner of death, he was likely affected by the fire and had no direct connection to the killer.

Actually, I'm more interested in the identity of victim number 2. Victim number 2 was killed before the fire. The arsonist's direct motive might have been to destroy his body, which makes him the most valuable person for investigation among the three victims of the arson."

Little Black reminded, "Victim number 1, Haida Cartman, was also killed and then her body was burned."

The deputy grunted, "I'm not senile yet, no need to remind me.

The time of victim number 1's murder was several days before the fire. Her body has surely been tampered with, and many clues have disappeared over time, making the investigation very difficult now.

But victim number 2 was killed just before the fire, so there might be more clues left behind."

Little Black thought for a moment, then shook his head, "The killer set the fire to destroy evidence; the bodies were turned to char, so what clues could be left?"

Luke interrupted the two, saying, "Since we already identified victim number 3, let's start by looking into his connections..."

"Knock, knock..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Creak..."

The office door opened, and a black man in his fifties or sixties walked in. His clothes were a bit worn, and he cautiously looked at everyone in the office, "Hi, my name is Seimir Pick. I wanted to ask if this is the Robbery and Murder Department?"

Luke asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I heard you're investigating the fire in Mogaro Forest Park."

"Yes, please come in," Luke invited the black man to sit and asked, "Mr. Seimir Pick, do you have any leads regarding the Mogaro Forest Park fire case?"

"Uh... I'm not sure if it's related, but after the fire, two friends of mine went missing."

Luke asked further, "What are your friends' names?"

"One is Arian Osborne, and the other is Teddy Colin."

Luke raised an eyebrow; the Arian Osborne that Seimir Pick mentioned was exactly the victim number 3 they had just identified.

Luke asked, "How do you know your friends' disappearances are related to the Mogaro Forest Park fire? Were you there at the time?"

"Yes, we all lived in Mogaro Forest Park. The fire destroyed my home too."

Luke shrugged, "But as far as I know, the fire didn't burn any homes near Mogaro Forest Park."

"It was my tent.

That's right; all three of us were homeless. In fact, there are many homeless people living in Mogaro Forest Park.

The fire burned down all our tents, but luckily we survived. However, Arian Osborne and Teddy Colin have never been seen since."

Luke took out a photo of Arian Osborne, "Do you recognize him?"

"Yes, he is Arian Osborne.

How do you have his photo? Does it mean... he's already dead?"

Luke didn't hide it, "Yes, he's one of the victims of the Mogaro Forest Park fire case."

Seimir Pick showed a sad expression, holding his forehead with his right hand, "Poor guy, I should have thought of it earlier. His tent had items left by his mother; he definitely would have tried to save them."

Luke asked, "Did Arian Osborne show any unusual behavior before the fire?"

Seimir Pick thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No, his daily routine was just drinking and sleeping. He was completely a victim of that fire.

Unfortunately, I wasn't with him at the time. Otherwise, I would have dragged him to escape first thing."

Seimir Pick's description matched what the police understood: victim number 3, Arian Osborne, likely died of smoke inhalation, probably caught by surprise by the fire and failed to escape in time.

Luke focused on Seimir Pick's other missing friend, Teddy Colin, "Mr. Seimir Pick, can you describe Teddy Colin's appearance?"

"What kind of description?"

"For example, physical characteristics?"

Seimir Pick recalled, "He's a white man, a bit taller than me, roughly six feet tall, younger, probably in his forties.

On the day he disappeared, he was wearing dark jeans and a pair of black leather shoes.

That's all I remember."

Luke took notes. Although Seimir Pick's description wasn't detailed, it generally matched the circumstances of victim number 2. Victim number 2's real identity was very likely the person he called Teddy Colin.

So far, the identities of the three victims are basically confirmed, and the police can carry out an in-depth investigation into their surrounding relationships and connections.