The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 322 Case Summary

Upon hearing this, Joyna nodded to Eric and then began to put on gloves and shoe covers.

Seeing this, Eric followed suit and wore a mask. His role today was that of a student, and he just had to follow along.

After putting on their protective gear, Joyna cautiously stepped into the living room first, followed closely by Eric.

The half-open door was pushed open, and a strong, suffocating stench hit us.

This is the unique odor of blood rotting and human tissue decaying, enough to make an untrained person vomit instantly.

Joyna instinctively turned to look at Eric, worried that he might not be used to the smell since it was his first time encountering it.

However, she noticed that Eric only narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded at her.

“Not bad.” Joyna smiled. “Many people can’t hold on here. Hang in there. If you really can’t, breathe through your mouth. It will make you feel better.”

Eric nodded; the smell was nothing to him, he could just selectively hold his breath.

While it cannot completely eliminate the nauseating smell, it can alleviate it considerably.

"The door lock is intact, with no scratches or pry marks, and there is no damage around the door frame." Joyna winked at Eric.

Eric took out his notebook and began to write things down, while simultaneously forming a judgment in his mind that supported the decision to enter peacefully.

He subconsciously looked towards the living room in front of him.

The furnishings are simple and neat, perhaps even overly tidy.

"Was it someone we know?" The thought flashed through Eric's mind as he followed Joyna through the temporary passageway set up by the forensic department into the living room.

The stench in the living room grew even stronger, its source clearly pointing to the bedroom inside.

A forensic investigator is carefully scanning the surface of the sofa with a multi-band light source, while another is cautiously extracting potential traces from the doorknob.

The lights inside were a stark white, and shadows flickered.

Joyna didn't linger in the living room; her goal was clear, and she headed straight for the half-open bedroom door.

Eric followed silently behind. The closer he got, the more the distinctive smell of blood, excrement, and long-term decay solidified, sticking thickly to his respiratory tract.

No wonder White said that, telling him to stop throwing up.

The moment Eric stepped into the bedroom, even though he was prepared, the sight before him was enough to shock any normal person's senses.

Even though his nerves had been enhanced and he possessed a calmness far beyond that of ordinary people, his pupils still involuntarily contracted slightly.

On a double bed in the center of the room, an adult woman is spread-eagled and firmly secured to the four corners of the bed frame with metal handcuffs, completely naked.

His chest, abdomen, and face were covered with dense stab wounds, the edges of which were turned outwards and had turned dark brown due to the passage of time, creating a horrifying contrast with his pale skin.

Most shockingly, a rough wooden handle was brutally inserted into her rectum, penetrating deep into her body.

At the foot of the bed, on the floor, a boy lay face down with his hands tied behind his back and a similar wooden handle inserted into his rectum.

His throat was slashed open with a deep wound, severing most of his neck, leaving only some skin and tissue connected. His head was tilted to one side at an abnormal angle.

Both bodies were highly decomposed, with swollen, greenish skin, blurred facial features due to swelling, and an indescribable stench.

Eric frowned instinctively; the nature of this case was far too cruel, and the scene before him was nothing short of hell.

The forensic pathologist was conducting a preliminary examination at the bedside. Seeing them enter, he glanced at Joyna, straightened up, and his eyes behind his goggles were heavy.
"The initial estimate of the time of death is four days ago. The high room temperature accelerated the decomposition. The exact time needs to be determined by further analysis upon returning."

He pointed to the female victim and said, "In addition to multiple stab wounds on the body surface, foreign objects in the rectum can also cause huge trauma and pain. The direct cause of death may be hemorrhagic shock or organ failure caused by trauma, so her cause of death needs to be confirmed through an autopsy."

He then pointed to the boy: "His cause of death is clear: a laceration to the neck, which was fatal instantly."

Joyna frowned, her voice tense: "Are there any signs of sexual assault?"

The forensic doctor shook his head: "No semen was found in either victim's body, but..." He pointed to a relatively clean pillow on the bed:
"The forensic team found semen stains on the pillow."

The forensic technicians who were in the living room just came over: "The scene was handled too cleanly; there are no signs of forced entry."

Besides the signs of violence in the bedroom, we carefully examined all surfaces in the living room, including the floors, furniture, and doorknobs, but have not yet found any clear fingerprints, shoe prints, or even a single hair that does not belong to the victim.

Upon hearing this, Eric and Joyna exchanged a glance, realizing that the murderer had thoroughly cleaned up after committing the crime.

Eric frowned and glanced at the clean living room outside the bedroom door; the contrast was too stark.

In his view, the killer exhibited two completely different traits.

Inside the bedroom, there is extreme brutality and humiliation; outside the bedroom, there is ultimate calm and control.

"This perfectly fits the elements of organized psychopathic crime."

What constitutes organized psychopathic crime?

This refers to the killer's modus operandi, characterized by meticulous planning, strong control, and advanced counter-surveillance capabilities.

It also refers to the perpetrator's motive for committing the crime in order to satisfy a distorted inner fantasy related to sex, domination, and humiliation, far exceeding the need to kill the victim.

"This is going to be tough," Eric thought to himself. Even though he had never been an agent, he knew that this type of criminal was the most difficult for law enforcement to deal with.

Because these people are calm, intelligent, and their criminal motives are deeply hidden in their distorted inner world, making them difficult to fathom using common sense.

Simply put, you can't use normal logic to speculate about these kinds of people, because they are not normal people.

Joyna's expression also turned serious. She didn't say anything more, but nodded to the forensic and criminology staff, took the preliminary photos they had taken of the scene, signaled them to continue their work, and then gestured for Eric to leave.

The initial on-site investigation has concluded here; all that remains is to await the subsequent reports from the forensic and authentication departments.

The two walked silently through the living room, which was filled with the aura of death, one after the other. At the door, they strictly followed the procedure to remove their protective gear and put it into a special biohazard disposal bag.

Stepping out of the apartment building, the crisp, cool air rushed into my lungs, but it still couldn't wash away the stench lingering in my nose.

Eric nodded to the patrol officers in charge of maintaining order, then followed Joyna to the car.

Joyna opened the car door, got into the driver's seat, and instead of starting the engine, rubbed her temples and took a deep breath to clear her head.

Eric sat in the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, and looked at the apartment building.

"How are you feeling?" Joyna asked, her gaze fixed on Eric's calm profile.

"Not bad," Eric said with a slow breath.

Joyna gave him a deep look, didn't ask any more questions, and started the car.

"We'll probably have to work overtime today." She left with her last words, the engine growled, and the vehicle drove away from the oppressive crime scene.

— It was already close to the end of the workday, and when Eric and Joyna returned to the detective agency building, it was already brightly lit, forming a barrier with the gradually darkening night outside.

When the two men pushed open the door to the fourth squadron's office and entered,

Penia was busy at her workstation, with multiple computer screens lit up, displaying various messages and contact lists. She was holding a phone in one hand, speaking quietly, while her other hand was quickly taking notes on a tablet.

Upon seeing them, Penia quickly told the person on the other end of the phone to keep the channel open and to report any progress immediately before hanging up.

"Is it over?" Peña asked.

"Let's first consolidate the information you have on the ground, and then start compiling it after Costa and White return."

"Understood." Joyna nodded, casually draped her coat over the back of the chair, pulled out a whiteboard from the corner, and picked up a marker.

"Eric, synchronize the information."

“OK!” Eric glanced at the busy Penia, took out his notebook, opened it, and began to synchronize the information from the on-site investigation with Joyna onto the whiteboard.

The details include the entrance conditions, the living room conditions, the core scene in the bedroom, the gender and number of victims, the preliminary estimated time of death, and the circumstances of the victims.

As Eric narrated, Joyna quickly scribbled on the whiteboard with her marker, then pasted in photos of the scene to begin outlining the basic framework of the crime scene.

As soon as she finished speaking, the office door opened, and Costa and White walked in, bringing with them the chill of the night.

"just."

Costa walked straight to the whiteboard, quickly checked the information he had just shared with Joyna and Eric, and then got straight to the point.

“Everyone has to work overtime for a meeting. Meet in the conference room in ten minutes for a preliminary summary of the case.” His gaze swept over Joyna and Eric, finally settling on Peña.

“Penia, take all existing communication records and coordination logs.”

“OK!” Peña responded, her hands rapidly typing on the keyboard to save and prepare.

Costa's gaze returned to the whiteboard, and he frowned upon seeing the harsh words. He then looked at Joyna and Eric: "You two, get ready to explain the situation in detail at the meeting."

After saying that, he walked towards his office, seemingly to report to his superiors.

"Newbie, you didn't throw up?"

White's voice came from the side. He looked at the shocking photos of the scene, then at Eric, his tone filled with undisguised astonishment.

Eric shrugged and said, "I think I'm pretty adaptable?"

"Not bad? This is what you call not bad?" White scoffed.

"Kid, I've seen plenty of tough guys, and even they need to go outside for half a day to get some fresh air the first time they enter a scene like this. Your adaptability is unlike that of a newbie. Either you're born for this job, or you're just naturally cold-blooded."

Upon hearing this, Eric spread his hands and said helplessly, "Maybe it's just that the nerve reflex arc is a bit long? To be honest, those images and smells are indeed uncomfortable, but they seem to be within a tolerable range."

White gave a thumbs up: "Don't let your guard down, this stuff has a strong aftereffect, those images and smells might linger for a while."

If you can't sleep at night and feel a tightness in your chest, don't force yourself to stay awake. Find something to distract yourself.

“Alright, Eric’s condition is nothing for you to worry about,” Peña said, picking up a stack of documents and walking toward the conference room.

"Get ready quickly, Costa doesn't like waiting for people."

“Let’s go.” Joyna gave Eric a meaningful look.
"This is your first time attending a summary meeting like this, so just listen. Costa will call on you when needed." After saying that, she pushed the whiteboard covered with photos and keywords toward the conference room.

Eric took a deep breath, picked up his notebook, and followed.

White also dropped his teasing expression and walked behind.

ten minutes later.

In the conference room, Costa was already seated in the head seat.

Peña sat to his left, with a connected laptop, her tablet, and a stack of documents in front of her.

As for Eric and White, Joyna sat in the back with the documents that had just been distributed beside her.

Eric picked up the document and opened it. It contained a preliminary summary of information, including some peripheral photos and the victim's personal information. There were even more on-site photos that had just been sent by the forensic department and had been imprinted on it by Penia.

Costa wasted no time and looked directly at Joyner: "Let's begin, Joyner, let's go over the core information first."

“Yes, Captain.” Joyna stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and began to speak.

"Two victims, a woman named Lindsay Walsh and her son Liam Walsh."

The preliminary assessment of the time of death is four days ago.

There were no signs of forced entry at the entrance, supporting the hypothesis of peaceful entry.

The living room was unusually tidy, with no signs of struggle or disturbance, and no signs of foreign interference were found.

Joyna's pen tip moved to the photo of the bedroom area.

"The bedroom was the central location of the assault. The female victim was handcuffed to the bed and suffered extreme violence and humiliation before her death. She was completely naked and had multiple stab wounds to her chest, abdomen, and face. A wooden handle was inserted into her rectum. The cause of death is pending autopsy."

The boy, with his hands bound behind his back, was lying face down, and a wooden handle was inserted into his neck. His fatal wound was a deep cut to the neck, nearly decapitating him; it was instantaneous.

She paused for a moment and circled a point she had specifically marked: "The key contradiction in the physical evidence is that no semen was found in either of the victims' bodies, but clear traces of semen were found on the surface of a pillow on the bed in the bedroom."

According to the forensic department, they will enhance the area where the semen stain was found, hoping to find trace amounts of shed cells associated with it, but the prospects are not optimistic.

Costa listened, glancing at Peña who was quickly jotting down notes in her notebook. His gaze then shifted to White:
"White."

White sat up straight and said, “The victim, Lindsay Walsh, was a single mother from a devout religious family.”

Because she was forced out of her home by her family after becoming pregnant out of wedlock, she and her son, Liam Walsh, have been renting a room on the third floor of an apartment building at 224 Cherry Lane.

According to those around her and her landlord, the victim, Lindsay Walsh, had a good reputation; she did not use drugs or drink alcohol and had never broken the law. She was said to be a kind person who couldn't even bear to hurt small animals.

Her son, Liam Walsh, was also a well-behaved and sensible child, and his mother sent him to the Methodist Sunday school.

At this point, White paused, his tone becoming more serious.

"Therefore, Lindsay Walsh would go over every evening to help clean the church steps."

Eric sat to the side, listening to White's narration, his eyes slightly lowered as he looked at the mother-son photo on the document in his hand.

The two of them wore faint smiles, brimming with anticipation and beautiful fantasies about the future.

(End of this chapter)