Once out of the conference room, Harry was the first to make a run for it. "Guys, I'm off to have some fun, see you later."
Lawrence looked on with envy. Harry knew many gang members in Los Angeles. Old Hunter had sent him to find informants, which essentially meant giving him a free pass to wine, dine, and entertain himself on the company dime.
"Alright, Dean, we should get going too. If the people at the precinct clock out, we'll have to wait until tomorrow," Lawrence said, shaking off his envious gaze and tugging at Dean, ready to leave.
But Dean stopped. "Lawrence, I'm planning on making another trip to Ross Fitness Gym."
"Why?" Lawrence looked puzzled. "We've already identified the suspect. All we need to do now is find him and catch him to crack the case. Why waste time at the gym?"
"I suspect this kid isn't the murderer."
"Don't be like that, buddy." Lawrence eyed Dean suspiciously. "You were the one who found the lead on the suspect. If you say things like that, I'll think you're just trying to slack off."
Dean pulled out his phone. "I sent the third victim's information to Laura earlier. She confirmed that person was also a member of Ross Fitness Gym."
"You suspect the gym has information on the suspect?" Lawrence's eyes lit up, conveniently ignoring Dean's previous statement.
"Something like that." Dean, seeing Lawrence had missed the point again, didn't bother to explain and just nodded.
"Fine then." Lawrence agreed to split up. "You go. But there's one more important thing... ask them how much the annual membership fee is. I'm thinking of going there to work out when I have some free time."
Dean gave Lawrence the middle finger and turned to leave.
「Arrived at Ross Fitness Gym.」
Laura received Dean with great enthusiasm and led him to her office.
The office was lavishly decorated, equipped with various home appliances, and even featured an alcove with a large, soft bed. It didn't feel like a workplace, but more like a deluxe hotel suite.
"Agent Dean, would you like something to drink?" Laura stood in front of the fridge, her back to Dean. She bent over, arching her back into an exaggerated curve, then turned her head to look at him with a flirtatious smile.
It was a particularly provocative angle.
Suppressing an inappropriate stirring, Dean took out the suspect's sketch. "No need, Manager Laura. If possible, I'd like you to help me see if this person is a member here."
"Alright, though I was hoping to have a drink with you," Laura replied, somewhat reluctantly taking the sketch. Her expression then turned troubled. "Agent Dean, is there any other information?"
Dean shook his head.
"We have a lot of foot traffic in our gym. With just a sketch, I'm afraid I won't be much help," Laura said, spreading her hands to indicate her helplessness.
"No problem." Dean stood up, taking back the sketch. "I've heard Bestia Restaurant has great food. I was planning to invite you to check it out after I finished my work, but it seems I won't be finishing anytime soon."
He saw what Laura was up to.
To solve the case, Dean was prepared to sacrifice himself.
Laura snatched the sketch back. "No, you'll definitely have time tonight!"
With that, she hurried out of the office.
Dean sat back on the sofa, his thoughts drifting.
He suspected that the short guy who provided the tip wasn't the murderer. The clues found so far were few and fragmented, making them difficult to connect. However, it was precisely because of this that Dean was certain the murderer was a meticulous and experienced individual. If I adopted the murderer's mindset... That kind of person would never risk exposing themselves just to mislead a police investigation. That would be too foolish. So, that short individual was likely a red herring, intentionally created by the murderer to confuse the police. The murderer was no longer content with just sadistic rape-murders. He wanted to toy with the police! He aimed to humiliate the Detective Bureau! The police had so few clues. Regardless of whether the clues on the wooden cabinet door were found, the Detective Bureau would be run ragged chasing the lead provided by the short individual. And if they did find the clues on the cabinet door, they would still exhaust themselves tracing the short individual's identity, only to realize it was a wild goose chase. Giving them hope, only to snatch it away! The perpetrator was treating crime as a game!
"I hope I'm wrong about this, or this case will be incredibly difficult," Dean thought, rubbing his forehead as he pulled back from that line of reasoning.
Earning Experience Points is really tough. If he didn't need the strength to protect himself right now, he really wouldn't want to engage in a battle of wits with such a high-IQ criminal. This feeling of not even being able to find the person is very frustrating.
「An hour later.」
Laura returned to the office. "Dean, I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I've asked all the staff here; no one has seen this guy."
"I appreciate the effort, Laura." Dean wasn't disappointed. This was what he had expected.
"It's okay. Are you free now?" Laura looked at Dean expectantly.
"There's one more thing." Dean took out the profiles of the three victims from his pocket. "Laura, as the manager here, you should know why these attractive members go out of their way to join Ross Fitness Gym. Can you describe their typical behaviors?"
Laura hesitated, but after glancing at Dean's face, she began, "Most of these people aren't from high social classes. They come here looking for high-quality partners. Either for a one-night stand or hoping to use someone to escape their current social status. So, their most defining trait is their strong sense of purpose. Once they've locked onto a target, they transform themselves into what they believe that person desires, becoming adept at hiding their true selves from those around them. And... once they've milked a target dry, they move on to the next. No emotions involved, purely pragmatic."
From Laura's description, Dean began to form a clearer picture.
In his previous life, he had encountered many women like this. In such situations, it's hard to tell who is the hunter and who is the prey. A hunter can become prey at any moment, tricked out of money or seduced...
Thinking of this, Dean's spirit was jolted.
That's right! If the murderer always left clues at the crime scene to mislead and toy with the police, what about how he entered the victims' homes? Did he really get in by cutting the glass? Furthermore, there were no signs of a struggle at any of the three crime scenes. It's unlikely all three women were forced to drink the drug without any resistance. This is the United States, after all. One only has to picture Dean's mother looking fierce holding a shotgun to understand. Many women here are tough! But it's a different story if someone they know drugs them! Think about it. Those women, believing they'd hooked a wealthy catch, joyfully brought him home, never suspecting he was actually a savage wolf. Unaware, they drank a beverage laced with drugs... This possibility is very high!
Dean clenched his fists.
Even if he was wrong, the Fourth Squad had other leads. As long as the case was solved, he could get some Experience Points and level up!
"Dean, are you okay?" Laura interrupted his thoughts. "It's getting late. Shouldn't we head to the restaurant?"
Dean snapped back to reality, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, I just thought of something. I have a friend who's interested in an annual membership at your gym, but he's concerned about the quality of your trainers. So, I'd like to try a session first."
"Huh?" Laura looked dumbfounded and blurted out, "What does your friend want to learn?"
"Yoga. The up-close and personal kind!"
After saying this, Dean hoisted a protesting Laura onto his shoulder and strode towards the large bed in the alcove.
She's just after my body, and she still expects me to buy her dinner! PTUI! Dream on!