New Gods of North America.

Chapter 575 Extra Number
The funeral was completed before sunset, marking the end of the part of the funeral that believers could directly participate in.

But for most people who follow the church, the main event for the clergy may only be beginning.

Because sooner or later, tonight, or tomorrow, the pastors will hold an "internal election" for the new local bishop.
In any case, the out-of-town bishop who came to preside over the ceremony could not stay in Richmond for long. His more important task was to represent the church and complete the ordination ceremony of the new bishop.

Wayne's character had already been spoiled in the show.
On his way back, he bought a bunch of newspapers, but he didn't even glance at the reports that introduced and speculated on "possible candidates for the new bishop." He just waited for everything to settle down before the detective agency proceeded with its plan.

"The state government has issued an executive order that will bring about significant changes to the training model for militias in Virginia's counties."

This is likely related to what Victor Beeton just mentioned. The American management model is similar to an onion, with layers covering each other. While superiors may not be able to directly penetrate to subordinates, they can exert constraints within their authority through laws and administrative orders.

Especially for projects involving budget allocations, those who want the money have to cooperate honestly, and the effect is sometimes more immediate than administrative bans.

"Latest development in the Scott case! The case has been appealed to the Supreme Court."

This case is a high-profile lawsuit that has garnered significant attention from people in the South; it's the kind of case that easily sparks debate even when brought up in academia.
The case itself is not complicated; the dispute concerns whether a slave who gains freedom in a free state will remain free or become a slave again when he returns to the slave state where he was born.

Supporters argue that freedom is an inherent human right, and that slavery is merely based on a contract. However, opposition is significantly stronger, as opening this door could render the Fugitive Slave Act meaningless, meaning slaves could be completely safe simply by escaping to free states—a matter involving very real interests.

In any case, "freedom" and "slavery" are now enshrined in the American Constitution. If the slave hadn't initially filed the lawsuit in the North, the case probably wouldn't have even had a chance to go to court.

"A fake detective? Wayne Constantine's alleged academic fraud sparks controversy."

???

I've never even written an academic paper, so what kind of fake information could I possibly fabricate?

I picked up the newspaper and took a closer look. It turned out that a reporter had gone to the college to verify the facts regarding the fingerprint issue.
Many professors in the college have stated that they have conducted relevant research, but to be fair, none of their academic findings have been published.

The writer of the report also tried to stir up trouble, saying that Wayne was deceiving the public and fooling the court, and that the public probably needed to re-examine even the cases the detective agency had been involved in before.

Meow.

Wayne is very confident in his fingerprint-related theories, which are based on facts. His arguments are actually quite easy to refute, as it's very difficult to find counterexamples.

But these days, it really costs money to refute or clarify something in the newspaper. If this report attracts public attention, it will affect the credibility of the detective agency, so Wayne will have to respond.

Although it may not be much, it is all my money.

Wayne glanced at the byline of the report. If you were also secretly killed by gangsters, I definitely wouldn't help you get your case overturned.

Unexpectedly, Wayne proved himself wrong the very next morning.

The police officers who came to the restaurant to investigate were quite polite. "Mr. Wayne, do you know Scott Thompson?"

That's that petty scoundrel who stirs up trouble in the newspapers, isn't he?

Wayne answered honestly, "I don't know him, but I've read his fake news." The officer in charge of the questioning nodded slightly, took a newspaper from his colleague—the one folded on top was the article Wayne had read yesterday:
"His body was discovered this morning, and he died a gruesome death. There were also large words written in blood on the bedroom wall: 'liar'."

“We’ve already been to the newspaper office. None of the feature articles he’s written in the last two months have been published. He can only help other colleagues polish their articles and is on the verge of being fired. Only this one article got published.”

Wayne quickly understood what the officer was trying to say.
Holy crap, where did that jinx come from?!
He just published a false report about himself yesterday, and today he's going to die right here.
Are you going to splatter blood all over someone for no reason?

Wayne pushed the newspaper back. "I just learned of his death myself, and this matter has nothing to do with me. It's just fake news; a simple clarification will solve the problem. I had no motive to target him personally."

The officer carefully rubbed his hands together, his attitude remaining polite: "We respect your opinion, but according to procedure..."

Wayne understood; he was quite familiar with the Richmond police station. "I'll go back with you to give a statement."

……

"Thank you for your cooperation. However, during the investigation, we may need to contact you at any time, so please do not leave Richmond for the time being."

The sheriff, who was in charge of taking the statement, escorted Wayne all the way to the police station entrance.
Wayne can at most be considered to have a "motive for the crime," not even qualifying as a "criminal suspect," so he doesn't need bail and can leave after giving his statement.

Although the sheriff's words didn't sound very authoritative, they were actually mandatory—in this day and age, an ordinary person who, after being warned, still left the local police jurisdiction without authorization during an investigation could be issued an arrest warrant.

The police station probably sensed something fishy about the case. Not only did the police chief not show up, but even their old acquaintance, Sergeant William, didn't appear. They were probably either avoiding suspicion or waiting to see how things developed.

The police sergeant who was chosen was nearly sixty years old. He had risen to this position through years of experience working in the municipal government system. Previously, he was in charge of internal police affairs and did not participate in case investigations at all.
Wayne felt he probably couldn't count on this person; it would be more reliable for the detective agency to investigate.

The credibility of "proving one's innocence" will certainly be greatly diminished, but hiring a private investigator to find the truth of a case is not an excessively outrageous practice.

That's what makes it a little troublesome; the evidence you find must be strong enough for the jury to accept it.

That evening, newsboys began selling the extra edition, printed urgently by the newspaper, along the streets.
Newspapers have issue numbers, and the so-called "extra issue" refers to the content that is printed separately by the newspaper and is not included in the issue number. Usually, only major news that is likely to receive widespread attention is eligible for this treatment.

As expected, at the church, Pastor Tyrell was elected as the new bishop of Virginia.
Those believers who have come from all over to bid farewell to Bishop Corleone, if they have not yet left, will be able to witness the ordination of the new bishop at the cathedral tomorrow.

Also being sold by newsboys were some newly printed newspapers from that day:

"Based on the clues currently available, Wayne Constantine himself does not seem to have had enough time to commit the crime—the police could even be part of his alibi, since the great detective had just assisted in the arrest of a group of slave thieves the day before the incident."

"But as a highly skilled detective, Wayne Constantine is clearly familiar with police procedures, and with his abilities, he could easily make his crimes go undetected. More importantly, he might not even need to do it himself."

"It's important to know that this isn't the first time Wayne Constantine and his detective agency have faced public scrutiny. Previously in Georgeburg, there were rumors that the Wayne Detective Agency coerced citizens into dropping their cases."

"I can't help but ask, is he truly innocent? Could this so-called 'detective agency' be a newer form of gang?"

Good guy,
Are you trying to exploit a bug for me?

(End of this chapter)