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

Chapter 327 Search and Comparison
Joyna didn't get out of the car with them, but watched Eric walk alone toward the church, then picked up her phone to report the latest developments to her team.

Eric approached the church and gently pushed open the half-open door in front of him.

The light inside the church was much dimmer than outside, and the colorful patches of light cast by the stained glass windows flowed quietly across the empty pews and stone floor.

The air was filled with the familiar scents of candle wax, old wood, and a faint aroma of incense.

Eric quickly adjusted to the change in light and landed on the bench inside.

Some believers, however, were scattered and praying silently.

On the first row of benches next to the altar, he saw Father Donnie, but he also saw Helen Wick.

Eric wasn't too surprised.

After all, Helen Wick was clearly a very devout believer, so it wasn't surprising that she was in the church.

Father Donnie was facing away from him, leaning slightly forward, and talking quietly to Helen Wick sitting next to him.

Helen Wick was wrapped in that familiar thin cashmere shawl.

From his angle, he could see her slightly slender profile and her drooping neck, a silent sense of fragility surrounding her.

“She’s even weaker than before.” Eric sighed, recalling the plot of the movie, and slowly walked over.

"...I'm just a little tired, Father. Sometimes it feels like this is going to never end."

"The burden the Lord gives you will not exceed what you can bear, Helen. You, John, and Zizimin are all blessings to one another."

Helen listened to Father Donnie's gentle voice, and a faint smile managed to tug at the corners of her lips. She knew her own situation; having a terminal illness was not an easy thing.

Especially after the arrival of Zhizhimin, the fleeting happiness became so intense, which in turn deepened her reluctance to leave this world, even though she had already prepared herself mentally.
But fate sometimes likes to play tricks on people.

Helen was about to say something more when a subtle feeling of being watched made her stop and subconsciously turn her head slowly.

Upon seeing Eric, a brief look of surprise flashed in her eyes, before a forced smile appeared on her pale face.

"Officer Stevens?"

Father Donnie turned around upon hearing the sound, a look of surprise flashing across his face as well.

"police officer?"

“Father, Madam Helen,” Eric said, approaching them.

"I hope I haven't bothered you."

"No, no." Helen shook her head slightly, her voice brighter than before, and exclaimed in surprise:
"I just didn't expect to meet you here. I was originally planning to invite you to my home, Officer Stevens. Zhizhimin misses you very much."

Eric paused for a moment, recalling his first encounter with Zhizhimin, including the memories at the hotel, and smiled, "Thank you, I miss her too. How about we set a time sometime?"

Helen's smile deepened, and she nodded gently.

Seeing this, Father Donnie smiled gently: "Officer Stevens, what brings you here?"

Eric sat down on the bench next to Helen, across an aisle:
“There is indeed something I need to ask you. Father, do you know Marianne Thorne?”

He had no intention of hiding it from Helen Wick, after all, she was his last resort.

Since both of them happen to be here, why not make it public?

“Marianne?” Father Donnie asked, slightly surprised.

"Of course I know her. She's been a church member here for over 20 years and comes to worship every week."

"My arthritis has flared up recently, making it difficult for me to move around."

Helen, sitting to the side, nodded gently.

Sure enough, she also knew Marianne Thorne, as devout believers usually interacted because of the Mass.

“It’s like this.” Eric glanced around to make sure the believers couldn’t hear him, then lowered his voice and confessed directly.

"We are investigating a case and need to confirm some information."

Ms. Marian's son, Burroughs Thorne, may hold important clues and is a suspect, but for the sake of our investigation, we cannot contact him directly.

Father Donnie paused for a moment, looking at Eric with a puzzled expression.

Eric explained, "I was recently promoted; I'm now a detective."

This change in identity caused Father Donnie and Helen to exchange a glance. Father Donnie's expression turned serious: "That boy, Burroughs... I've met him a few times, and he's always very polite."

What happened to him?

Under their gazes, Eric carefully chose his words, downplaying the main point and summarizing it simply in quite concise terms.

"So we are now facing some procedural difficulties. We need to obtain a biological sample from his mother, Ms. Marian, for DNA comparison, but we also cannot directly contact her, so as not to alert her."

Helen listened quietly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the tassels of her shawl.

Father Donnie's brows were furrowed.

Eric pursed his lips, analyzing the micro-expressions, and felt that the probability was not high. After all, for Father Donnie, it was essentially using the believers' trust in him to conduct purposeful spying, and the psychological burden was too great.

Helen, who seemed lost in thought, did have a chance.

"Therefore, I implore you, Father, could you visit Ms. Marian in the name of caring for the faithful? We do not need you to do anything beyond your duties."

During normal visits, simply observe whether she uses any items that may be discarded and contain biological samples.

This is currently the only legal way for us to obtain comparison samples without alerting the suspect.

“You want me to visit you under the guise of a visit?” Father Donnie twisted the cross on his chest with his fingers, a struggle on his face.

For a moment, silence fell over the room.

“Father!” Eric, not wanting to waste any more time here, continued to apply pressure.

“If the murderer is indeed this Burroughs, then every day of delay gives him one more chance to escape justice and one more day to find the next victim.”

Father Donnie's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat as he looked at the cross on the altar, his lips trembling slightly.

Eric felt helpless; this guy was indeed a good priest, but that didn't stop him from continuing to apply pressure.

“We need to clear him of suspicion as soon as possible, and you, Father, are the only one who can help us follow procedures without alerting our target,” Eric said softly.
“A simple visit and a few caring words can avert a potential tragedy. The choice is now in your hands.”

Father Donnie finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "I need time to think."

The expected answer made Eric instinctively glance at Helen.

Just as he expected, Helen was placing her hand on Father Donnie's arm.

"Let me go."

The touch was very light, but it made Father Donnie tremble slightly. He stared blankly at Helen, his eyes first filled with disbelief, then with a complex mix of shame.

"Helen? You?"

“Father, you don’t need to bear the moral burden of this. I know Mrs. Marianne,” Helen said with a smile.

“As a fellow believer, it is only natural for someone who is also ill to care for another sister who is suffering from illness.”

As she spoke, she looked at Eric and asked, "Is this alright?"

Eric breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay!"

------

An inconspicuous dark-colored sedan was parked under the shade of a tree on the opposite street corner.

Inside the car, Eric sat in the driver's seat, and Joyna was in the passenger seat. On the dashboard between them, a high-powered telescope sat quietly.

"She's going in," Joyna whispered.

Eric nodded, watching Helen Wick stand in front of the opened main door, holding a beautifully wrapped bouquet of white freesias, and being welcomed inside by an elderly woman who looked both surprised and delighted.

Before Helen went inside, they secretly checked the trash cans in the public area outside the old woman's house, but unfortunately found nothing.

"Can she really do it?" Joyna asked hesitantly. After she updated the team on the latest developments, they immediately agreed to the plan.

Costa is now back with the bureau and is waiting for their message before he personally applies for a search warrant.

As for White, he was responsible for keeping watch.

Eric said, "Don't overthink it. She was just visiting. The only difference is that she'll tell us what happened inside after she comes out."

Time ticked by in silent waiting.

"How long has she been inside?" Joyna couldn't help but ask again in a low voice, her eyes never leaving the door.

"Sixteen minutes." Eric glanced at the clock on the dashboard.

He understood Joyna's impatience; such social visits are usually short, after all, for an elderly woman who is not feeling well, every second is torture if it goes on for too long.

At that moment, the tightly closed door was suddenly opened from the inside.

"She's out!" Joyna breathed a sigh of relief.

Helen appeared in the doorway with a smile on her face. She turned around, said a few words to Marianne Thorne inside, and then reached out and gently patted the old woman's wrinkled hand.

The old woman stood inside the door, her face filled with gratitude and reluctance, nodding repeatedly.

The two then parted ways.

The old woman watched them go, occasionally covering her mouth and coughing softly, before finally going inside.

Shortly after Helen disappeared around the street corner, Eric's phone screen lit up with a short message from her.

"She has a cold and has been using a lot of tissues. There are many used tissues in the open wastebasket in her living room. Hope this helps."

"How is it?" Joyna leaned closer and asked.

Eric let out a soft breath and showed the information to Joyna.

"Good!"

Joyna, unusually excited, immediately picked up her phone and dialed Costa, who was waiting at the station.

"Boss, we've got crucial intelligence! In the open wastebasket next to the bedside table in the master bedroom of the target residence, there was a large amount of tissues that Marian Thorne herself had used when she had a cold."

"Well done!" Costa said.
"You all stay put and wait for me!"

--------------

Fourth Squadron Office.

Costa hung up the phone, grabbed the prepared report on the Burroughs Thorne case from the table, and carefully checked it.

"It worked?" Peña, standing to the side, had already read the answer from Costa's eyes and movements.

"Okay!" Costa confirmed, then strode towards the office door.

"I'll go report to the boss. You confirm the supporting materials and prepare to connect with the prosecutor's office."

Peña: "Understood."

Costa walked out of his office, through the slightly noisy open-plan office area, and headed straight for an office at the end of the corridor.

The sign on the door tells you that the office belongs to Inspector Matteo Iverson, the commander of the Robbery-Murder Division.

The door was half open, and Costa knocked on the doorframe.

In the office, Matteo Iverson was facing his computer screen. Hearing the sound, he looked up, saw Costa, and gestured for him to come in.

"Costa, what's wrong?" Matteo put down his pen, noticing something amiss in Costa's expression.

"Is there any new development in the Cherry Lane mother and son case?"

As the commander of the Robbery-Murder Division, he naturally knew about the Cherry Lane mother and child case and was even paying attention to its development.

There was no way around it; his boss's words always bothered him, so he couldn't help but pay attention. "Yes, sir." Costa walked to the desk, didn't sit down, and gave a concise report of the situation.

"So we are preparing to apply for a very narrow search warrant, only targeting that wastebasket."

Matteo leaned forward slightly, his fingers interlaced on the table; he understood what Costa meant.

"Source of intelligence?"

“Completely legal, observation during a normal social visit by non-law enforcement personnel,” Costa stated earnestly.

"The evidence is discarded waste, privacy expectations are extremely low, and the scope of the search is strictly limited, which complies with the principle of least intrusion. The judge will see our restraint."

Penia is preparing complete legal grounds and building plans to ensure the application is successful.

Matteo narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "That's a good starting point, Costa."

Upon hearing this, Costa breathed a sigh of relief. With the boss's side approved, everything would be smooth sailing from now on. Now, the only question was whether the suspect's mother's DNA could be matched.

Matteo leaned back, picked up the internal phone on his desk, quickly dialed a few numbers, and pressed the speakerphone button so that Costa could hear as well.

The phone rang twice before being connected.

“Assistant District Attorney Annie Carlisle.” A crisp, clear female voice came through.

“Annie, I’m Mateo from RHD.”

"Detective, what could possibly warrant you calling me online?" Annie's voice was as usual, but unlike her voice in front of Eric, it carried a coldness.

“There’s an urgent and sensitive search warrant that I need your approval,” Matteo said succinctly.

"It's the Cherry Lane mother and son case."

at the same time.

Annie, who was sitting in her office chair, paused for a moment, then looked at the folder on her desk.

The folders related to the Cherry Lane mother and son case were just delivered to her today.

This case has attracted considerable attention from the outside world because of its nature, involving a mother and child.

There's new progress so quickly? You know, from the time it happened until now, it's only been a day at most.

She had just finished reviewing the case files; that was incredibly fast!
"Get to the point!" Annie instantly got to work.

Inside the office, Matteo looked at Costa, gesturing for him to get straight to the point.

Costa understood and leaned closer to the phone, saying, "Prosecutor Carlisle, this is Captain Costa of the Fourth Squadron."

One of us.
Therefore, we are preparing to apply for a targeted search warrant, strictly limited to the seizure of that specific wastebasket and all its contents.

There was a two- or three-second silence on the other end of the phone, clearly someone was quickly processing the information.

But what the two of them didn't expect was that the prosecutor they were talking about, Carlisle, reacted extremely strongly when he heard Eric's name, his heart skipped a beat, and his hand holding the pen unconsciously tightened.

Annie forced down her surging emotions and asked a few more questions about the legality of the intelligence source and the evidence.

Costa also gave a corresponding answer.

"very good."

Annie's voice was completely calm: "Captain Costa, send me the draft of the affidavit and related supporting materials. I will review them simultaneously."

You can go directly to the courthouse and queue up now. I will communicate with the court clerk in advance.

The phone hangs up.

Annie put down the microphone, leaned back in her chair, reached out and picked up the file on the table about the Cherry Lane mother and son case, her fingertips lightly tracing the cover.

His expression was thoughtful.

--------------

after an hour.

Eric and Joyna got out of the car and walked towards two unmarked police cars that were slowly parked on the side of the road.

Costa got out of the first car, holding a thin blue folder containing a newly issued search warrant.

"Boss!"

"team leader!"

Eric and Joyna nodded in greeting.

Eric's gaze fell on the blue folder. Although he knew it would most likely be approved, he would only feel at ease after seeing it with his own eyes.

“This is the pass.” Costa noticed Eric’s gaze, patted the folder in his hand, and said succinctly.

"The scope is limited to the open wastebasket in the living room and its contents; we cannot touch anything else."

“Understood,” Eric and Joyna nodded.

"Is the old lady home?" Costa asked, his gaze sweeping over the quiet house.

Joyna: "Yes, Eric and I have been keeping an eye on it."

Costa looked at Eric: "Eric, come inside with me. Joyna, you stay outside and provide backup."

“Yes, sir!” Joyna nodded to Eric and went over to direct the officers who got out of the car.

“Let’s go,” Costa said, leading the way toward the house.

Eric followed closely behind.

The two walked all the way to the door.

Costa took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

The crisp sound of a bell echoed inside the room, and a few seconds later, slow and hesitant footsteps came from inside the door.

The door was pulled open a crack, and a wrinkled, sickly face peeked out. It was Marianne Thorne, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of unease at being disturbed.

"Good afternoon, may I ask who you are?" Looking at Costa and Eric outside the door, Marianne subconsciously pulled the thin sweater draped over her shoulders tighter, her voice carrying the weakness and wariness of an elderly person.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Thorne. I am Costa from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery and Homicide Division, and this is Detective Stevens.”

Costa pulled out his police badge and identification and showed them to the old woman. Then he gestured to Eric and unfolded the blue folder, showing the old woman the pages with the court seal and the judge's signature as clearly as possible.

"We possess a search warrant issued by the court."

Marianne stared blankly at the document, then at Costa and Eric, her wrinkles furrowing with tension.

"Search warrant? Why...why? Is there something wrong with me? I'm just a sick old woman..."

“Mrs. Thorne,” Costa said.

“This search warrant is related to a serious criminal investigation we are currently investigating, in which your son, Burroughs Thorne, is a prime suspect.”

“Borres?” Marian gasped sharply, her face turning deathly pale, her body swaying violently as if she were about to fall backward.

Eric swiftly stepped forward and firmly supported her arm.

The old woman's reaction was too much. Could she possibly know that her son committed murder? But that's impossible.

Eric frowned slightly.

“No, this can’t be! My God!” Marian exclaimed, gripping Eric’s arm tightly.

“My Burroughs is a good boy! He works at church! He serves God! He can’t be... You’ve got it wrong! You must have gotten it wrong!”

“Madam, please calm down.” Eric helped her to her feet.

"This is currently only in the investigation stage. We are conducting this search in accordance with the law in order to find out the truth and rule out certain possibilities."

Our objective is very clear: to search only the items specified in the search warrant, and we will not cause any unnecessary disturbance to your residence.

However, Marianne's emotions were still fluctuating. She continued to shake her head in disbelief, her eyes vacant, muttering, "Impossible."

Costa gave Eric a wink.

Eric nodded and continued to comfort the old woman. Seeing this, Joyna, who was behind them, also came over to comfort Marianne, who was in a somewhat emotional state.

Costa didn't delay and went straight to the living room.

In the living room, the open wicker wastebasket was placed next to the sofa, quite conspicuous, and inside were several crumpled, obviously used white tissues.

Costa put on latex gloves, carefully picked up the entire wastebasket, and put it into the evidence bag he had brought.

After completing this step, he left without lingering.

"What are you doing with all that used paper?" Mrs. Marian asked, leaning against the doorframe, supported by Joyna.

“This is standard procedure, Mrs. Thorne. We need to conduct the necessary scientific tests to clarify the facts,” Costa explained businesslike, handing the sealed evidence to Eric and gesturing for him to leave immediately for the forensic department.

After Eric left, Costa showed the copy of the search warrant to the disoriented Mrs. Marianne again and told her she could contact a lawyer.
--------------

Forensic Science Department.

"Hope!"

Eric hurriedly swiped his card to enter the lab and called out to Hope, who was bent over in front of the microscope.

"Eric? You're quick." Hope looked up at the sound, straightened up, took off her disposable gloves, and came to greet him.

"Costa just called me and said you guys successfully got the big shipment."

Eric placed the evidence bag on the lab table next to him.

"The suspect's mother's discarded tissues; she happened to have a severe cold."

Hope leaned closer to examine the rattan wastebasket and the wads of tissues inside the evidence bag, and her eyes lit up slightly.

"Nasal secretions? An ideal sample, with far fewer confounding factors than those extracted from everyday objects."

As Hope spoke, she called out to Helmod, a student who was also in the lab.

Helmod pulled over a small cart filled with various tools and pushed it over.

“Let’s get started.” Hope explained to Eric as she expertly opened the evidence bag, while putting on a new pair of latex gloves.

“I will take samples from the inner layer of these wads of tissues, where the epithelial cells are most concentrated, to avoid external contamination as much as possible.”

Eric stood quietly to the side, his eyes following Hope as he carefully used tweezers to remove a small piece of tissue paper and place it into a prepared mini centrifuge tube.

“The first step is to lyse the cells and release the DNA.” Hope added a specific solution and then placed the centrifuge tube into a small shaker.

"This process takes a long time, but today we're going straight to the most potent reagents and parameters."

"How long will it take to complete the comparison?" Eric asked.

"In theory, we can get the STR typing map in 8 hours and compare it. As long as the kinship is established, calculating the parentage index is just a matter of minutes."

Eric pondered for a moment, then felt relieved; the suspect, Burroughs Thorne, was already being watched by White and his men.

If this guy tries to escape, White will immediately place him in temporary detention to buy enough time to wait for the DNA results.

This is all just a routine.

"Go for it, Hope!" Eric encouraged.

"Show me your true skills!"

"rest assured!"

Hope shrugged and said, "I won't keep you waiting until tomorrow morning. It's 3 p.m. now. I'll give you a definite answer before 11 p.m. tonight."

(End of this chapter)