Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Luke asked, "Are you familiar with Teddy Colin?"

"Pretty much, we all live in Mogaro Forest Park and occasionally sit together for beers or share free pizzas."

"Has Teddy Colin been acting strangely lately?"

Seimir Pick thought for a moment, "He suddenly got rich recently, does that count?"

"Could you specify the time frame?"

Seimir Pick looked envious, "I remember on August 26th, he bought a lot of pizzas, fried chicken, and whiskey for us to enjoy together, spending at least a few hundred US dollars; that was also the first time he treated us.

The next day he bought himself a new set of clothes, I don't know the exact price, but it definitely wasn't cheap.

And I heard from others that he had been dining at nearby restaurants during those days and purchased many new items for his tent, which was unusual."

Luke asked, "Do you know where his money came from?"

"No, we asked him, but he just smiled and wouldn't say.

At the time, I thought he must have been favored by Lady Luck, who knew in just a few days an accident would happen."

Luke found Teddy Colin's situation suspicious and asked, "Has he been in contact with any particular people recently?"

"I don't know, I rarely pay attention to others and mostly stay in my tent."

Luke asked, "Besides his name, do you know any other information that could confirm his identity?"

"Umm..." Seimir Pick thought for a while, "I think I have his phone number, let me find it."

Seimir Pick started checking his phone, and after a while, he said, "Yes, I have his phone number, 714 836 2526."

Luke noted down the phone number and handed his card to Seimir Pick, "Thank you for your help; if you think of any other clues, feel free to contact me."

"I will, it's the least I can do for those two unfortunate friends."

After escorting Seimir Pick out of the office, Luke assigned tasks to the team members.

"Deputy, investigate the background of Arian Osborne, the third victim, and contact his family, checking surrounding relations."

The deputy nodded, "Got it."

"Matthew, verify the identity of Teddy Colin, the second victim, using his phone number."

"Jackson, examine Teddy Colin's phone records to look for recent suspicious contacts."

"Yes, sir."

The team members set off in different directions.

...

By eleven in the morning, the police confirmed the identity of the second victim.

Name, Teddy Colin

Gender, Male

Date of Birth, March 2, 1979

Phone number, 714 836 2526

Social Security Number, 623-52-7355

Luke examined Teddy Colin's phone records and discovered a suspicious contact, Anika Carmen.

Teddy Colin rarely made calls; in a recent period, there were eight call logs, seven of which were contacts with Anika Carmen.

Their first call was on August 25th, and there were continuous call logs over the following days.

Luke also investigated Anika Carmen's background and found that Anika Carmen lived near Mogaro Forest Park.

Instinctively, Luke felt that Anika Carmen might be related to the arson case or at least know some insider details.

...

Wickart Community.

This was a white middle-class community, though somewhat remote, its proximity to Mogaro Forest Park meant a good environment and landscaping.

Two cars parked outside a blue two-story villa.

Luke stepped out from the front passenger seat and looked at the blue villa to his right, its style somewhat peculiar, like a retro design.

Coco also came over, "This house is nice, must be wealthy people living here, why would they connect with a vagrant?"

Luke said, "Let's go in and find out."

Coco took a couple of steps forward and pressed the video doorbell.

"Woof woof..."

Barking could be heard faintly from inside the blue villa.

Soon the video doorbell opened, and a young white woman asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Coco asked, "Is this Miss Anika Carmen's home?"

"Yes, I am Anika Carmen.

Who are you? I don't believe we've met."

Coco showed his badge, "I'm Marcus, Detective Chief of the Robbery and Murder Department, investigating the Mogaro Forest Park arson case, and would like to ask you some questions."

Anika Carmen refused, "Sorry, I was home all day on the day of the fire and I'm not familiar with it.

I suggest you ask someone else."

Coco changed his tone, "Miss Anika Carmen, please open the door, we need to talk."

"I don't see anything to discuss between us. I've already told you, I don't know about the Mogaro Forest Park arson case."

"Do you know Teddy Colin?"

Anika Carmen paused for a moment, "Yes, I know him, why?"

"He's dead."

"Dead!" Anika Carmen seemed a bit surprised, "When did he die?"

"August 29th, he was killed in Mogaro Forest Park."

"Oh my, that's horrible!"

Blacky said again, "Miss Anika Carmen, we want to ask you about Teddy Colin."

After a moment, Anika Carmen relented, "Okay, you may come in."

"Ding dong..." The gate opened.

Luke and his partner walked along the cement path to the villa's entrance.

As they approached, the villa door opened, and Anika Carmen brushed her hair back with her hand, "Officers, please come in."

The two entered the living room and sat on the sofa, with a photo on the coffee table in front of them — a picture of Anika Carmen and a black Rottweiler.

Luke asked, "You have a dog?"

"Yes, its name is Coco.

I was worried it would bark, so I took it to the bedroom," Anika Carmen shrugged, "Would you like coffee or tea?"

"No, thank you," Luke waved his hand, "Let's talk about Teddy Colin instead.

What was your relationship?"

"We're friends."

"When did you meet?"

"We haven't known each other for long; he's a new friend of mine."

"Do you know what he did for a living?"

"He didn't seem to have a job; he was a drifter."

"I'm a bit curious, why did you become friends?"

"You're not the only one, I didn't expect to become friends with a drifter either," Anika Carmen looked towards the bedroom, "A while back, I took Coco for a walk in Mogaro Forest Park. It was so playful it ran off and got lost.

I was really anxious, searching everywhere, but I just couldn't find it.

It's like family to me, I couldn't be without it.

In the end, Teddy Colin helped me find Coco. I was very grateful, and Coco liked him a lot too.

That's how we became friends."

Luke asked, "When was that?"

"It was August 24th, I believe."

"Since then, did you keep in touch often?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me what you talked about?"

"All sorts of things, bits and pieces. I'm usually busy, and sometimes Coco gets quite bored.

I asked him if he could occasionally look after Coco, take it to Mogaro Forest Park to play.

Teddy Colin was very nice and readily agreed."

"Did you have any financial transactions with him?"

"He helped me find Coco, so I did give him some money. Initially, he didn't want it, but then I asked him to help care for Coco, and he accepted it.

He really was a good person.

I'm very sorry about what happened to him.

I believe Coco would be very sad too."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"It was probably August 28th, yes, the evening before the fire in Mogaro Forest Park.

I was taking Coco for a walk and ran into him. We chatted for a bit."

"Did he seem unusual at that time?"

Anika Carmen thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I didn't notice anything."

"Do you have any suspects regarding his murder?"

"No, although he was a nice person, we hadn't known each other long.

To be honest, I didn't know him very well."

"How much money did you give Teddy Colin in total?"

"One thousand US Dollars."

"How did you give it to him?"

"Cash," Anika Carmen said, frowning, "Hey, you don't suspect I had something to do with his death, do you? I have absolutely no reason to do such a thing."

"We're not suspecting you, just conducting routine inquiries with people around the victim," Luke replied, then asked, "Where were you on the day of the fire, August 29th?"

"I was home, had just finished bathing Coco. Then the fire started in Mogaro Forest Park, it was very loud, I was worried the fire might reach us, and I couldn't sleep at all that night."

"Did you go to Mogaro Forest Park that day?"

"No, I planned to bathe Coco, which is a big task. It's very tiring every time, so I didn't go," Anika Carmen sighed, "If, and I say if, we had gone to Mogaro Forest Park that night and met Teddy Colin, it might have changed his fate.

Perhaps he wouldn't have died in the fire."

Blacky nodded, "Miss Carmen, you're a kind girl."

Luke handed her a business card, "Miss Carmen, if you think of any new clues, feel free to contact me."

Anika Carmen took the card with both hands, "I will."

After that, Luke and Blacky left Anika Carmen's house.

Once in the car, Blacky looked towards the villa and asked, "Captain, do you think Anika Carmen is hiding something?"

Luke smiled, "Did you notice anything?"

Blacky thought for a moment, "What she said seemed fine.

But they met on August 24th, and Teddy Colin was murdered on August 29th, just five days later. Yet, they had seven phone conversations in that short time, and each call lasted quite a while.

It doesn't seem like the casual friendship Anika Carmen described; I think she might be hiding something."

Luke looked at Blacky with newfound respect, gave him a thumbs-up, "Not bad, I also think she's hiding something about Teddy Colin, perhaps even lying."