Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Robbery and Murder Department, Team One.

As soon as Luke returned to the office, he faintly heard the sound of sobbing.

The deputy pointed towards the break room, "The victim's mother has identified the body, but her emotions are quite unstable. Jenny took her to the break room."

"I'll go take a look," Luke said, heading directly to the break room and opening the door.

A white woman sat on a chair inside, quietly crying, and she didn't react to Luke's arrival.

Jenny put down the tissue box she was holding and walked over to Luke, "She's very guilty and her emotions aren't stable."

Luke nodded and pulled up a chair to sit across from the white woman.

Jenny also came over and softly said, "Ms. Bergman, this is Captain Lee, the lead investigator on the case."

Sudanna Bergman wiped her eyes and slowly looked up, "Captain Lee, have you found the killer who murdered my daughter?"

Luke replied, "We are doing our best to investigate.

We asked you here today to inquire about some case-related matters."

"Go ahead, as long as I know, I will tell you."

"Does your daughter have a boyfriend?"

"Not that I know of, but even if she had one, she might not tell me."

Luke took out a photo of Yarn Columbus, "Have you seen this person?"

Sudanna Bergman picked up the photo for a closer look, "He looks familiar. Does he have any relation to my daughter?"

"He claims to be your daughter's suitor and says they might be in a relationship."

Sudanna Bergman sighed, "I am not a competent mother..."

Luke said, "Ms. Bergman, I've heard that your relationship with your daughter isn't very good. Can you tell me about the conflicts between you two?"

Sudanna Bergman wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, "Kids grow up and have their own ideas.

We used to have a good mother-daughter relationship, but since her father and I divorced, she's been short-tempered.

At first, I didn't think much of it and tried to tolerate her.

Later, when I found a new boyfriend, she became more and more difficult, making things awkward for him every time we met.

I know she wanted me to reconcile with her father, but adult affairs are complicated.

Once certain things happen, they are hard to change, not just because I want them to.

But she didn't understand it...

Gradually, I also lost patience and had a big quarrel with her some time ago.

I regret it now; I shouldn't have treated her that way...

She's still a child." Sudanna Bergman began to cry again, "I've lost her forever; I truly regret it, I miss her... sob sob..."

Jenny offered a tissue and comforted her for a while until Sudanna Bergman's emotions gradually stabilized.

Luke took out the photos of Sharon Frank and Marissa Hawking, "Do you recognize them?"

Sudanna Bergman looked at them and nodded, "Yes, they are my daughter's classmates."

Luke took out the photo of the dark-haired girl found in the bar, "What about her?"

"Lacy Wayne, she was my daughter's good friend and often came to our house to play."

"Does Lacy Wayne also attend Maraboya High School?"

"Yes."

"Where does she live?"

"Angelitte Community, not far from my home." Sudanna Bergman asked, "These three girls are all my daughter's friends, is there a problem?"

Luke pondered for a moment, "Do they know the door lock code to your house?"

"I'm not sure, but the door lock code is my daughter's birthday, so it wouldn't be hard for them to know."

"Did the three of them often play together with your daughter?"

"Yes."

"As far as you know, did your daughter have any enemies or conflicts with anyone?"

Sudanna Bergman paused for a moment, then shook her head, "Sorry, she hasn't talked to me about school things for a long time.

I feel guilty, I'm truly an incompetent guardian.

Besides providing materially, I haven't contributed to her growth at all.

It's all my fault."

The conversation ended, and Jenny escorted Sudanna Bergman out of the office.

Based on the current situation, all three girls seem to have visited the deceased's house, but why did they conceal the whereabouts of the third girl, Lacy Wayne?

Assume that the three girls are involved in the victim's death.

These three individuals' actions become very suspicious.

Luke speculated there were two possibilities: the first possibility is that the dark-haired girl and Sharon Frank and Marissa Hawking disagreed; therefore, Sharon Frank and Marissa Hawking did not mention her, fearing she might talk indiscreetly to the police.

This is quite possible; after all, the three girls are young and are at a more emotional stage. Softheartedness over a close friend's murder is normal.

The other possibility is that the dark-haired girl has special reasons that keep her out of the police's sight.

Jackson swiveled his chair around and raised his arm, "Captain, I found the driving route of that blue Tesla."

Luke walked over, "I want to know the driving route of those three girls after they left the bar."

"No problem."

While operating the computer, Jackson said, "At midnight, the blue Tesla left the vicinity of the bar. I found a clear surveillance snapshot; driving the car was Sharon Frank. The car drove around the city for nearly an hour but never went near the body disposal site."

"What was the purpose?"

"Unclear, the car eventually stopped near a motel."

Luke analyzed, "Assuming these three girls are the culprits, if they didn't dispose of the body themselves, they would definitely find someone they trust to do it."

Little Black said, "This is a murder case. Finding a trustworthy accomplice who won't draw police suspicion in a short time isn't easy."

Luke pondered for a moment and said, "Black-haired girl, Lacy Wayne.

She might have gone to the victim's house but never showed up.

In other words, this could be why Sharon Frank and Marissa Hawking didn't confess about her.

She is trustworthy and hasn't appeared on the police radar, making her the best candidate for disposing of the body."

Luke thought this reasoning made sense and continued, "Lacy Wayne lives in the Angelitte Community. Has the blue Tesla ever been near the Angelitte Community?"

Jackson checked the computer, "At 12:20, the blue Tesla appeared near the Angelitte Community."

Luke continued, "The blue Tesla probably sent Lacy Wayne home, suggesting Lacy Wayne went home to get a vehicle and handle disposing of the body.

After this period, were there any suspicious vehicles coming out of the Angelitte Community?

This car is likely black."

Little Black began to check the surveillance around the Angelitte Community and after a while said, "Around 12:30, a black Toyota drove out of the Angelitte Community." He found a clear video screenshot and said, "The driver wore a black baseball cap, obscuring their face, but from the physique, it appears to be a woman."

Luke reminded, "Check the license plate."

"The owner is Flory Wayne, black hair, family relationship as wife and daughter.

He is likely to be Lacy Wayne's father."

Luke nodded, "Check whether this black Toyota's route intersects with the blue Tesla, and also if this car has been to the scene where the body was disposed of?"

Jackson said, "At 12:40, the black Toyota appeared near Kalu Street, and simultaneously the blue Tesla also appeared there, so the two cars likely intersected."

Little Black was also tracking the car's movement and said, "Around 1 a.m., this car went near Marshall Street, where the body was disposed of."

"Snap!" Little Black clapped his hands, "All the movements matched up.

Sharon Frank and Marissa Hawking were responsible for dealing with the police and diverting their attention, but they never went to the site where the body was disposed of, so the police couldn't convict them.

Meanwhile, black-haired Lacy Wayne was always in the shadows; on the surface, she seemed unrelated to this case, so naturally, she wouldn't draw police attention, as she was responsible for disposing of the body.

A perfect collaboration."

Port asked, "Murder isn't a trivial matter, what are their motives? So far, I haven't seen their motive."

Jenny said, "Conflicts among girls their age usually arise from two reasons—men or jealousy."

Little Black speculated, "Could it be that one of the three girls fell for the victim's boyfriend, became jealous after seeing the victim and their boyfriend together, and then orchestrated this murder case?"

The deputy team leader said, "That reason isn't sufficient. Why would three girls collectively feel justified to murder their friend?

And don't forget, the victim was also assaulted post-mortem, so there must be a male suspect involved.

Considering all the above reasons, your earlier hypotheses theoretically make sense but lack concrete evidence."

Luke thought for a moment and said, "Could this be two separate cases, where after the killer disposed of the body, someone else discovered it and committed the assault? This also aligns with the autopsy results."

Little Black nodded in agreement, "Yes, that makes sense."

7 p.m. in the evening.

Angelitte Community.

Several cars were parked in front of a white two-story house.

The door of the first black SUV opened, and Luke stepped out. He turned to Raymond in the car behind and said, "You take people to guard the area."

"Alright, Captain."

Luke gave some more instructions to other team members, then entered the yard of the white two-story house.

The owner of the yard seemed to have heard the commotion too. The door opened, and a black-haired Caucasian man came out, warily asking, "What do you want?"

Little Black showed his badge, "LAPD, we are investigating a homicide.

Are you Mr. Flory Wayne?"

"That's me, but I don't believe I'm involved in any homicide."

"Do you own a black Toyota with the license plate 7pcb298?"

"My car is in the garage. What's the problem?"

"Have you driven this car recently?"

Flory Wayne frowned, "I won't answer any more questions until you answer mine."

"I've told you, we're investigating a homicide. Witnesses saw your car near the crime scene."

"That's impossible," Flory Wayne looked baffled, "When?"

"Around 1 a.m. on November 16th."

"Haha, that must be a misunderstanding. My wife's mother was ill, and on November 16th, we were in Montana visiting her, not in Los Angeles, so there's no way I drove out."

"Where was the black Toyota on November 16th?"

"At home."

"Who is at home?"

"My daughter."

"Does she have the car key?"

"I refuse to answer. You can suspect me, but not my daughter.

She's just a student and this could severely impact her.

I won't allow it."

"Is your daughter at home? We'd like to talk to her."

"I refuse."

Luke vaguely saw a figure at the corner of the window, "I want to search your house."

"This charade needs to end." Flory Wayne pointed outside the yard, "I demand you leave immediately."

Luke produced a search warrant, "Sorry, we aren't going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this."