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

Chapter 324 It’s easy to do things with acquaintances

"."

"Goodnight, darling, love you, don't stay up too late." With a soft kiss goodbye, the phone was hung up.

Eric's smile remained unchanged as he closed the case file, a calm light shining in his eyes.

He cleared the table, put the dishes in the dishwasher, wiped the stove, and went to the computer room instead of going directly to the bedroom.

Criminal profiling is definitely not something everyone can do well.

This requires a sufficiently deep knowledge base.

Criminology, psychology, sociology, and even theology and semiotics.

The fact that no one in the team had even thought of this speaks volumes.

Importantly, this was the first time he had systematically heard about religion from Tifa.

I thought I had accumulated enough knowledge, but now it seems that compared to Tifa, I am a complete novice.

However, Eric also understood that everyone has their own expertise, and most of his accumulated knowledge was related to combat, so naturally he couldn't compare to Tifa.

Eric sat down at the computer, turned it on, and the cold light from the screen reflected on his calm face.

During the brief pause between startups, Eric closed his eyes and remained silent for a moment, gathering his jumbled thoughts before opening them again.

“Let’s begin.” Eric straightened up and created a new mind map on his computer, systematically organizing and filling in Tifa’s analysis and his own scattered thoughts.

After completing the initial mind map construction, targeted literature searches were conducted based on the religious knowledge mentioned by Tifa.

Ritualistic murder.

Religious delusions and violence.

Criminal signature.

Organized.

Eric quickly skimmed through the abstracts of relevant papers, looking for theoretical support and comparable cases to validate and enrich his and Tifa's profiles.

Throughout history, famous religious murders have indeed shown that perpetrators often regard specific objects as sacred objects or instruments of torture, and treat the crime scene as a personal altar.

Time quietly slipped towards 00:45 AM.

"So that's why the murderer didn't tidy up the bedroom? Tidying up would be a desecration of his own masterpiece?" Eric narrowed his eyes slightly. After this step, his profiling skills had improved a bit.

He already possessed profiling skills.

This time it was upgraded immediately.

Profiler LV3 (Proficient) advances to LV4 (Master).
Eric's lips curled up slightly. Hard work really does not lie. In a sense, all of his technical skills were earned through his own hard work.

Of course, the physical fitness and observation skills gained from adding points are also key components.

Composing himself, Eric then pulled up publicly available information about the Methodist Church, surrounding maps, and community data, and began to overlay the real-world data with the profile.

The church is a typical medium-sized community church.

This also means that the church's membership and permanent staff are relatively limited in size and are quite familiar with each other, making it easier for outsiders and new faces to attract attention.

教堂位于樱桃巷198号，距离案发现场的直线仅有0.8英里（1.3公里），实际步行路线与距离约有1.24英里（2公里）。

Moreover, the community where the crime scene was located is a typical low-to-middle-income residential area with a stable population structure, mainly consisting of rental apartments and townhouses.

The surveillance coverage was extremely low; the apartment building where the victim lived did not have a surveillance system installed.

The residents are mostly wage earners and retirees, and the community cohesion is average, but the mobility is not very high, which means that a stranger's frequent appearances will still attract attention.

This factual data does confirm the profile that clergy members can enter and leave without arousing suspicion.

“If the murderer is a clergyman, this distance would be very convenient for him. He could take advantage of his work and activities at the church to naturally and frequently appear around the crime scene to observe and scout the area without arousing excessive vigilance from the community residents.”

The resident clergy consists of only one pastor and one assisting deacon.

Eric retrieved and sifted through the information on the church's staff one by one.

The resident pastor, Draco Hayes, is 62 years old, with a clear background and simple social relationships, which is clearly inconsistent with the age and physical characteristics described in the profile.

"not him."

Eric shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the information of several volunteers before finally settling on the file of the assistant deacon.

Burroughs Thorne, age: 35.

This age falls right in the golden range for profiling (30-45 years old).

Eric sat up straight and quickly typed on the keyboard, bringing up more detailed information about Burroughs Thorne.

Ignoring other irrelevant details, the above resume shows that he worked as a nursing assistant at the municipal hospital for two years before entering the seminary.

"It's you!"

Eric zoomed in on Burroughs Thorne's photo with a blank expression. On the screen was a face wearing black-rimmed glasses, looking gentle and even somewhat reserved.

-

the other side.

Tifa, who had just finished discussing things with Eric, casually put down the documents in her hand and rubbed her temples.

Investing your energy in two things at once can be very mentally taxing.

Tifa's gaze lingered on the personal information in the document for a moment, then she subconsciously picked up the coffee cup on the table and took a sip of warm water.

She had just returned from studying in Paris when her supervisor, Aaron, immediately assigned her an assistant role, and solemnly told her about it.

Her mission this time was important because it involved the entire SEAL Team Seven.

This SEAL Team Seven was recently killed in action during a mission involving 'Odin's Sword' (number 664), with only two survivors.

Lieutenant James Reese, the captain of SEAL Team Seven, and Sergeant Vickers were also present.

The captain, James Reese, gave conflicting accounts with the mission log and appeared to be in an unstable mental state.

Therefore, she, having previously worked as a psychologist, was asked to confirm and assess James Reese's mental state.

After all, the discrepancy between the task log and the person involved's account can create significant problems, meaning that the matter cannot be definitively concluded.

"But what does this have to do with the FBI? Isn't this the Naval Criminal Investigative Service's business? Did they personally designate it?" Tifa shook her head inwardly, unable to figure it out for a moment, and got up to crawl to the bedside.

She glanced at the photo of her and Eric taken in Paris on the bedside table, a slight smile playing on her lips, and slowly closed her eyes.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

-

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the blinds, cutting out several slanted beams of light in the air of the computer room.

"Ha~"

Eric gave a perfunctory yawn, marking the end of his all-nighter. He turned off the Rainbow Six Siege game that was helping him level up his skills, stretched, and his spine cracked slightly.

"Another all-nighter."

Eric shook his head, got up from the ergonomic chair, and went into the bathroom.

After taking a quick shower and changing into casual clothes, I went to the kitchen, took a bottle of energy drink from the refrigerator, and gulped it down.

This can quickly replenish the body with caffeine and electrolytes.

Eric tore open the packaging of another high-protein energy bar, ate it in a few bites, and shook his head inwardly.

This breakfast was utterly unenjoyable.

But there's no way around it. I got so caught up in the game that I didn't leave the house. I'll be late for my first day of official case work and I'll probably get a cold stare from him.

Eric threw the empty bottle and wrapping paper into the trash can, grabbed his car keys and the case file, and went out the door.

Not long after, the engine of the Ford Raptor outside let out a disgruntled growl and headed straight for the detective station.

Of course, Eric didn't forget to buy a bunch of breakfasts on the way. He walked all the way to the office.

Pushing open the door, a stench of espresso, the heat from electronic devices, and human fatigue lingered in the air.

Sure enough, just as he expected, everyone in the team was working overtime all night.

But only Peña and Joyna were in the office.

Joyna stared at the computer screen, her fingers unconsciously rubbing her temples.

Peña was sitting at her workstation with three screens side by side in front of her when she heard the door open and looked up.

"Good morning." Eric walked in carrying a bulging bag of breakfast.

Seeing that it was Eric, Peña's gaze lingered on the paper bag in his hand, her tense jawline softened, and she nodded.

"Good morning, you've come at the perfect time."

Joyna turned her head at the sound, the dark circles under her eyes standing out starkly against her pale skin.

"Good morning." Her voice was a little hoarse, and her gaze involuntarily lingered on the bag in his hand.

"You're punctual."

Eric smiled, put the bag on the table, and started taking out coffee and sandwiches.

"Where are the captain and the others?"

“Costa went to the victim’s hometown before dawn. The relatives there weren’t very cooperative, so he had to go and talk to them personally,” Peña said.

"White went to keep an eye on a grocery store owner who had previously had frequent contact with the victim."

Hearing this, Eric didn't know what to think. It must be really tough on Costa, the captain of a squadron, to have to personally go out on field missions.

It could be that the squad wasn't fully equipped, or it could be that Costa prefers a lean and efficient team.

“Okay.” Eric walked over to Joyna first, placed one of the breakfasts he was carrying on her desk, and glanced at the computer screen.

The above is the analysis report that the forensic department just sent.

"Did you find anything?"

"The on-site search hasn't yielded anything yet, a wasted night." Penia took a sandwich, took a big bite, and mumbled as she chewed.

"However, there was good news from the forensic department: they detected trace amounts of isopropanol and quaternary ammonium compounds on doorknobs and several smooth surfaces in the living room."
According to them, this ingredient is commonly found in hospital-grade disinfectant wipes and certain professional cleaning agents.

The DNA from the semen stain has already been extracted. We'll go to the forensic department later to see if there are any new clues and check the DNA comparison results.

Eric's heart skipped a beat: "Okay."

He did not disclose the profiling and results from last night, since profiling is only a theoretical speculation and not a panacea; there is a possibility of misjudgment, and it needs to be supported by real data.

Incorrect profiling can lead an investigation astray.

He can only guide them, leading them step by step towards the result by combining real-world data.

However, as Eric continued to place the breakfast he was carrying on Peña's workstation, Peña revealed another piece of unfortunate news.

"Just came out, the semen DNA didn't match in the database." She took the black coffee Eric offered and took a sip.

"This route is temporarily blocked."

Joyna shrugged, unsurprised, and said, "I had a feeling. The killer was so well-prepared that he wouldn't have left such an obvious flaw. He clearly knew that his DNA wasn't in the database."

“Since the direct DNA clues have been cut off,” Eric thought for a moment and spoke at the right time, his calm voice drawing the attention of the two.

"Perhaps we should look at it from a different angle? The residue of these professional disinfectants might point us in the right direction."

Peña and Joyna exchanged a glance: "What do you mean?"

"The killer not only used professional disinfectant, but also used a very skilled technique, leaving no fibrous traces, which shows that he knew exactly how to completely remove biological evidence," Eric said.

"Could it be that they have a relevant background and have received professional training?"

Joyna's eyes lit up: "You mean, the killer's professional background might be in the medical field or as a professional cleaner?"

“It’s just a possibility.” Eric gave a cautious smile.

“This is indeed a new direction for the investigation, which can significantly narrow down the scope of the investigation.” Peña nodded in agreement.

“Eric, well done. I’ll synchronize this information with White first.” She said, already operating on the communication device.

Eric nodded, his expression unchanged. He could see that this team had a fearless, all-or-nothing attitude.

"Eric! Now that you're here, we should get to work." Joyna, holding breakfast in one hand, began to tidy up.

"Let's go, let's go to the forensic department." She strode out of the office.

Eric obediently followed behind, wanting to confirm whether the two wooden handles on the victim were indeed broom handles.

-

The forensic department is a very special and quite independent institution.

It can be said that a detective often needs the support of reports provided by the forensic department from solving a case, catching a criminal, to convicting the criminal.

Because of its independence and the large number of cases, it can sometimes take days or even weeks to produce a key report.

Therefore, detectives often need to maintain a good relationship with the forensic department in order to get them to prioritize and work overtime on the cases they are responsible for.

Of course, a mere patrolman like him wouldn't know such trivial details.

He heard all of this from Hope, who boasted about his own position to an incredibly high degree.

However, this suggests that Costa's team has a very good relationship with the forensic department.

Eric followed Joyna through the long corridor connecting the main building and the forensic department, looking around.

In contrast to the police station, behind the glass windows of the laboratories on both sides of the corridor, technicians wearing white coats or lab coats could be vaguely seen operating various precision instruments with focused attention.

The two eventually stopped in front of a glass door that required a card to enter.

Joyna took out her ID and swiped it on the sensor.

With a soft beep, she pushed open the door and entered, Eric following closely behind.

To Eric's surprise, the person inside was Hope.

He was standing in front of a spectrometer recording data, and the person standing next to him was one of Hope's students whom he had met that day.

“No wonder.” Eric suddenly understood.

"That day, Costa had Peña act as a go-between, contacting the forensic and psychiatric departments. It seems that having connections makes things easier?"

Student Helmod spotted the two first and nudged Hope.

Hope looked up and saw Eric standing behind Joyna with his hands outstretched. She gave Eric a knowing smile, clearly not surprised to see him.

"Joyna, you've arrived."

"Mmm," Joyna said.
“Hope, let’s follow up on the physical evidence in the Cherry Lane mother and son case.”

As she spoke, Joyna didn't forget to introduce Eric behind her.

"This is Eric, a newcomer to the team. He just reported for duty yesterday."

Hope gave Eric a wink, thinking, "No wonder he's called Death; he gets a case on his first day on the job."

“We know each other,” he said to Joyna, his tone relaxed.

"This kid made a big splash on his first tour, which left a deep impression, so I recommended him to Costa. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in your team."

After saying that, Hope gestured with her chin toward Eric, much to Joyna's surprise.

"How's it going, newbie? Are you keeping up with the pace of the new job?"

Eric smiled too: "I'm trying to adapt."

(End of this chapter)