American Zombie Detective

Chapter 137 Backlash (Six chapters, please subscribe)

The night flowed by in an eerie calm, without any cold wind, ghosts, or those unsettling creatures.

Qin Jin stayed on the hospital rooftop until dawn, while Alessa stayed in the ward watching over the unconscious Matthew, who had been given a sedative. Only Yuanxiao was fast asleep on the sofa, occasionally smacking his lips, adding a little sound to the excessive silence.

As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the blinds, Justice Warling's wife appeared in the ward carrying a food box, her face filled with deep gratitude.

"Detective Qin, sweet Alessa, thank you for your hard work."

She opened the lunchbox on the coffee table outside; inside was a typical American breakfast.

The aroma of crispy, caramelized bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, roasted potato chunks, and a few slices of whole-wheat toast spread with butter, accompanied by a pot of hot coffee, is irresistible.

"You must be tired and hungry. Thank you so much! Please have something to eat!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Mrs. Worling. We appreciate it, but we—well, we're not used to eating at this time of day."

Qin Jin politely declined, and Alessa didn't even lift her eyelids. Only Yuanxiao, still asleep, started sniffing, as if she had smelled something—

The old woman didn't press the matter, but instead inquired about more professional matters: "Matthew's condition is much more stable. The doctor says he should rest more." Mrs. Worling looked at Matthew gently, her voice lowered: "Detective Qin, what do you think? Should he stay in the hospital or—take him back?"

In Qin Jin's view, it didn't really matter where she stayed; there was no difference. However, from a professional perspective, he still gave her a deliberate suggestion: "Stay in the hospital! Don't go home—" Qin Jin's gaze was mysterious, and his expression solemn as he made the decision for her: "Until the case is closed, this is the safest place!"

The old lady nodded almost without hesitation: "Okay, okay! We'll do as you say! We'll follow your advice completely!" The trust in her eyes was almost blind.

Qin Jin understood. It seemed that the high-ranking and powerful Justice Waring had used his channels to learn about his experiences in Los Angeles in detail, and this trust was based on that.

Qin Jin and Alessa were only able to leave after the professional bodyguards sent by the Wolin family and the plainclothes officers dispatched by the police took over the guarding of the ward.

Before leaving, the old lady expressed her gratitude again and again.

It was nearly 10 a.m. when we returned to the Sacramento Police Department's Special Investigations Office.

The day's work was simple; the case had been roughly sorted out, so Qin Jin wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he began to have Detective Carter send people to refine the details:

Annie Chen now lives in the Walnut Forest community, half a block away from the Rand Park community. She lives alone in a detached house and employs a part-time housekeeper and a Chinese live-in nanny.

According to her neighbors' testimonies, she had been taking care of her health for a long time, consulting various prescriptions and visiting many hospitals.

The Lin family's medical records were thoroughly investigated, and the results were remarkable.

Records show that after Lin Hao, both Lin Guofu and his wife Chen Zhenni went to the hospital multiple times for fertility-related examinations and treatments, including artificial insemination.

But the result was the same: the children were miscarried in the second trimester, and the unborn children were successfully delivered, but the examinations did not find any problems.

The background of the secondhand shop owner, Zhang Da, was also investigated, and the information from the police and the information obtained by the thugs corroborated each other.

He had a good relationship with Lin Guofu when he was young. They looked for jobs together and were bullied. Later, he somehow made some money and started his own fortune-telling and feng shui business. Later, he opened a second-hand store and expanded his business to include looking at ancestral graves, changing fate, and bringing good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

It is worth noting that Lin Guofu's rise to prominence occurred several years after Zhang Dagua opened his shop.

The close relationship between the two in their early years and their later falling out form a thought-provoking footnote.

Qin Jin and Deputy Director John sat at their desks, while Detective Carter and David continued to annotate the information on the whiteboard. Now all the information had been sorted out, and the only missing key was the origin of the ghost.

In the afternoon, Qin Jin called a meeting with everyone. The main participants were Deputy Chief John, Detective Carter, Hansen, and Alessa, who was just sitting there doing nothing.

"Everyone, the situation is basically clear now."

Qin Jin got straight to the point, his voice calm and even, yet carrying an undeniable authority: "The key to solving this case lies in a specific medium. This thing must have been hidden by Lin Guofu and his group. It could be a stone, a piece of wood, an inscription, a pottery jar, or something else—its form is uncertain, but it definitely exists, and it might even be being worshipped. That's the key."

He looked around at everyone: "Now, we need to find it!"

Deputy Director John frowned. Regarding Qin Jin's request, he immediately offered his opinion: "Logically, a direct search would be the simplest, but that's where the problem lies—" He raised a crucial point: "According to California law, a search warrant requires solid evidence to be approved; mere guesswork won't suffice. And more importantly, we're not even sure if this thing is in Lin Guofu's house! Nobody can guarantee that!"

Detective Carter, being rather impatient, said, "So what do we do? Are we just going to wait around? Or—how about we find a way to sneak in and check? Make sure the stuff is there, then we can figure out the proper procedures?"

Deputy Chief John immediately shook his head, his tone stern: "Carter! Absolutely not! Unauthorized trespassing on a private residence is a serious violation! Even if you find something, it will be inadmissible evidence in court, and the defense lawyer might even turn the tables and accuse us of framing you! The whole case will be ruined!"

Inspector Hansen stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming, and offered a more practical idea: "How about 'creating a little accident'? For example—triggering their smoke alarm? Or causing a small fire? Once they're running out in a panic, we can go in under the guise of a security check or rescue, and take advantage of the situation—"

Deputy Director John gave a wry smile and interrupted Hansen: "Your idea is clever, Hansen. But it's essentially circumventing procedure. Even if we find something, the legality of its origin will still be questioned in court. And if the other side turns around and accuses us of sabotage or framing, the trouble will be even greater."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room; the atmosphere became somewhat tense, a stalemate arising between procedural justice and the urgent need to resolve the issue.

Just then, Qin Jin, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the somewhat anxious air: "Deputy Chief John, both detectives, I think you may have misunderstood the key point of the matter—"

He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping over the three officers: "For paranormal cases, the important thing is to solve the problem, not to enforce the law!"

"If we follow law enforcement standards, I'm sorry, but in supernatural cases, we can't even find the culprit. How can we enforce the law then?" Qin Jin spread his hands. "So, our requirement in Los Angeles is to solve the problem. Whether we can bring them to court or even close the case is unimportant—otherwise, victims will keep appearing! I believe finding the evidence is the most important thing; everything else can be ignored!"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, waking up the few people whose thinking had been bound by the program.

Deputy Director John's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his eyes revealed a decision made after a struggle. Carter and Hansen exchanged a glance, both seeing in each other's eyes a sense of "it should have been done long ago."

Yes, they were facing an opponent that couldn't be confined by conventional legal provisions!

"Qin Tan is right!" Carter was the first to respond, "Damn it, why bother with procedures with that thing! Taking it down is the priority!"

"Yes, flexibility!" Hansen nodded, "As long as the purpose is legitimate—"

Deputy Director John took a deep breath, just about to speak and discuss how to compromise—whether to create an accident to lure the enemy out or to find a way to divert their attention and sneak in for the search—when the office door was suddenly kicked open!

David stood in the doorway, his face unusually grave, even showing a hint of disbelief and shock: "Chief! Detective Qin, Carter! Something's happened! A branch office just received a report—"

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts, then said clearly, "Lin Guofu is dead! Right there in his house! His wife, Ms. Chen Zhenni, just reported it to the police station!"

"What?!" Detective Carter jumped to his feet, the chair legs scraping against the floor with a screeching sound. The others exchanged bewildered glances.

What happened to Lin Guofu?

David spoke rapidly: "Chen Zhenni said she stayed at a friend's house last night and only returned this afternoon. As soon as she entered, she found him lying in the study—she's at the police station now, and she's very agitated!"

Everyone's face was filled with astonishment. They had thought Lin Guofu was the mastermind behind it all, but the tables had turned.

Qin Jin's face remained expressionless; in fact, a cold, knowing sneer flashed across his eyes.

A short, sharp laugh broke the stunned silence in the room.

Qin Jin slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the astonished and uncertain crowd: "Look, the opportunity has come knocking on our door! I think now is the best time to find Chen Zhenni. She'll definitely tell us some secrets—see you at the branch office, everyone."

"7

As Qin Jin spoke, he began to walk outside. Alessa immediately followed behind him, followed by Yuanxiao, who swayed her hips as she caught up. Deputy Chief John and the two detectives then hurriedly followed.