American Zombie Detective

Dodge drove quickly along the mountain road and finally found the car abandoned by the Painted Skin Ghost at the location Detective Willie had mentioned.

Beside the roadside, leaning against a tree, stood a tall policewoman in her twenties, wearing a standard patrol uniform. Her brown hair was neatly tied back, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of impatient blue eyes. Her appearance was comparable to that of a movie star.

At this moment, she stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Qin Jin and Constanze, who had gotten out of the car revealing their police badges, her tone carrying a hint of accusation:

"The Second Special Task Force of the Canyon Precinct?" Her gaze swept across the two faces.

"This is Katharine from the Hollywood Police Department. We received your request for assistance and have located this car. We're waiting for you to pick it up! You guys are really quick, it's been a whole night!"

Constantin's eyes lit up instantly. Before Qin Jin could speak, he leaned over with a broad smile and extended his hand:

"I'm sorry, it was a problem with our colleagues. We apologize on their behalf! I'm Jack, and this is our supervisor, Detective Qin Jin."

"Alright, no need for introductions," Catherine interrupted his attempt to get closer, clearly uninterested in such things. She deftly pulled out a notebook:

"Detective Qin, right? Please sign here, and I'll hand over the car to you. My job will be done."

Qin Jin didn't take the notebook and pen; instead, he slowly walked past her and headed straight for the police car.

"You can't leave yet, Officer Catherine. We need your cooperation!"

"You!" Catherine was clearly enraged by Qin Jin's dismissive expression, lazy tone, and uncompromising attitude. She shoved the notebook into her waist pocket, her tone harsh:

"You don't have to sign. My body camera is on, which proves you're here. Sirs, I'm sorry, we can't keep you company any longer."

With that, he turned and started to walk down the mountain.

As the policewoman was about to leave, Qin Jin's gaze finally shifted back, his tone still that smug, punchable manner:

"A body camera? Do you dare take it out? How will you explain your partner not being around then?"

Catherine's hand, which was opening the door, suddenly froze. Qin Jin's words hit the nail on the head—

Police require two officers to conduct law enforcement. In special circumstances, it is understandable for the two to separate, but when it comes to guarding physical evidence, if the partner is not around and the superior finds out, the consequences can range from a pay cut to a job transfer!

Catherine began to regret letting her partner hitch a ride to buy coffee...

Before Catherine could think of a reply, Qin Jin spoke again:

"By the way, the Hollywood Police Department is supposed to be under the West Precinct, right? Last night, Chief Sean of the Homicide and Major Crimes Unit said that if we needed manpower, we could just make a phone call, but..."

He looked at Catherine's somewhat embarrassed smile, and suddenly laughed:

"Officer Catherine, I don't think we need to go through with such a formality, like having the precinct notify us. Just a little help, it'll be quick! If we solve the case, I'll put a note on it, how about that?"

Faced with Qin Jin's combination of force and persuasion, Catherine was clearly struggling to cope. However, she was unwilling to surrender, so after hesitating for about five seconds, she suddenly pointed towards the main road leading uphill and downhill:

"There are surveillance cameras about 500 meters below in both directions, and there are also cameras at the patrol registration point about 300 meters above. If the person you're looking for goes in either of these directions, they'll definitely be found!"

After saying that, she added, "I've already checked, and there's nothing abnormal."

These words made Qin Jin and Constantine's eyes light up!

Catherine's deductions continued; she pointed westward:

"Look here, did you see that? The grass was just leveled and covered with soil, which is very loose. There's also some loose soil on the road that hasn't been cleaned up. If someone walked on the west side, they would leave footprints on both the grass and the path. I checked here too, and there aren't any."

She finally pointed east, where a narrow path led to higher ground:

"This path to the east leads to the back or side gates of those manors up in the mountains. The path is paved, so it won't leave any marks, and finding a place to hide would be easy—but who exactly are you looking for? Could she be hiding in an empty house?"

Her analysis was clear, logical, and well-organized, which surprised Qin Jin and Constanze. The female patrol officer's observation and reasoning abilities clearly exceeded those of an ordinary patrol officer.

"Female, blonde, under forty," Qin Jin told Kate with great interest, describing her physical characteristics.

"So, your conclusion is that she went east?"

Catherine shrugged. "She can only go east. If she went anywhere else, I would have found her by now."

Qin Jin and Constanze exchanged a glance and both nodded.

This judgment aligns with the environmental details they observed.

The soft, raised soil area to the west was particularly conspicuous in the sunlight, and the warning line was intact, so it certainly didn't look like anyone had set foot there.

"Thank you, Officer Catherine, your analysis is very insightful." Qin Jin expressed his approval.

"Then let's go and see from the east to see if that's the case."

Qin Jin began to walk along the path to the east, with Constanze and Catherine following behind. After the analysis they had just done, the three of them tacitly avoided mentioning Catherine's earlier statement about leaving.

The path is quite steep, with neatly trimmed shrubs and tall trees on both sides, concealing a series of mansions and estates of different styles and covering a vast area.

Qin Jin tried hard to sniff out the remaining scents in the air, but too much time had passed, and the air in the mountains, combined with the smell of the mansion itself, made it impossible for him to detect any useful information.

"If only Alessa were here..."

The thought flashed through Qin Jin's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

The time interval was too long, and the scent dissipated significantly, so Alessa might not be able to track her down. Besides, pulling her out of the school would cause too much of a commotion.

After walking for a while, a dozen or so detached mansions appeared ahead, scattered on the hillside. These mansions, whether modern and minimalist or classically luxurious, all demonstrated the wealth and status of their owners.

"How can we investigate so many companies?" Constantine frowned.

Qin Jin looked at Catherine, who was following behind, and asked:

"Officer Catherine, you should know this area very well, right? Which of these houses are inhabited?"

Catherine stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over the manors as if they were her most treasured possessions:

"There are fourteen buildings in total here. Some are for sale, some are not occupied, some have been seized, and two others have just been sold and the new owners haven't moved in yet... Only four houses, numbers 6, 8, 10, and 15, are actually inhabited. I think we should focus our attention on these vacant houses, since the security here is very tight and strangers can't get into occupied houses at all."

"Okay, let's go!" Qin Jin walked towards the nearest house and soon arrived at the door.

The house had been vacant for a long time; the garden was overgrown with weeds, moss covered the walls, and the iron gate was rusty. Qin Jin carefully examined the walls and floor, finding no footprints. However, he didn't intend to leave just like that. Instead, he pointed to a low wall:

"Jack, you turn it over."

Constantine approached the wall, looked around, and was about to climb over when Catherine seemed to finally understand what they were planning to do, and quickly called out to him:

"Hey everyone, what are you doing? Are you trying to barge in? That's against the rules!"

"Our special group doesn't have to follow the rules!" Constantine exclaimed boastfully, then, as if that wasn't enough, added:

"This was announced personally by the bureau chief, OK?!"

After saying that, he prepared to climb over the wall again.

Catherine was clearly taken aback by Constantin's words. Her big blue eyes watched as Constantin climbed over the wall, opened the door, and then silently followed Qin Jin inside to thoroughly search the entire mansion, inside and out.

Seeing Qin Jin and Constanze's unbridled behavior, she seemed to have some ideas, so—

Just as they left the first building and arrived at the second, preparing to climb overboard again, Catherine suddenly pulled a small clip from her pocket, her tone both excited and cautiously uncertain:

"I... I can unlock it... Or, let me do it?"