America: The Gear-Up Detective

Tim is a third-level patrol officer, while Rod is a first-level detective. They are equal in rank, only their positions differ.

Therefore, Rhodes cannot command Tim.

But Tim was an experienced patrolman, and without Roddo saying a word, he and his rookie set up a cordon around the dining table.

Tim then collected all the coffee and drinks on the table as evidence.

Rhodes also handed the iced coffee Tessa had been drinking to Tim, which was then sealed in a professional evidence bag.

After that, another police car arrived, carrying another patrol officer who was patrolling nearby.

The three registered the contact information of all the customers present.

In theory, everyone present is a suspect, and this was done as a precaution.

Of course, the main suspects are the coffee shop staff and manager, as well as Tessa's two best friends who were with her.

Rod first saw Liu Qingxi off, and then took statements from several employees of the coffee shop.

The focus was on the two employees who made and delivered the coffee to Tessa.

However, both of them seemed to be wronged.

"We have no grudge against her, we've never even met her, why would we poison her?"

Fortunately, there are two surveillance cameras in the coffee shop, one of which is directly pointed at the bar where the coffee is made.

Perhaps because this place is located near an affluent area, and most of the people who come here carry valuables, the store's surveillance cameras are of very high quality and the images are very clear.

In the surveillance footage, Rod could clearly see that the barista made Tessa's coffee quickly and efficiently without any pause, and the whole process was very clean.

This means that the entire production process is carried out entirely by muscle memory, leaving no room for poisoning.

The employee who served the coffee was monitored throughout their entire movement.

At this point, we can preliminarily rule out the suspicion of store employees.

At that moment, backup from the detective agency arrived.

Because it was Rod who called the police, all the people who came were colleagues from Team Six.

Hank got out of the car, his bright bald head particularly dazzling in the midday weather.

Jackson also went into the coffee shop.

"Yo, bro. What's going on?"

Rod briefly explained the current situation to the two of them.

"Fortunately, both victims have been taken to the hospital for emergency treatment."

Jackson went to copy the store's surveillance footage.

Rod and Hank were responsible for questioning Tessa's two companions.

The woman, wearing a red top and with brown hair, is of Indian descent. She stood there, appearing anxious.

"Madam, may I ask your name?"

"Emily...Emily Reese"

Emily bit her lip, her hands now in her jeans pockets, looking completely lost. "She'll be alright, officer?"

Rhodes ignored him and continued, "Did you come together?"

"No, I arranged a time and came here first to wait for them."

"What is your relationship?"

"We are very good friends and classmates."

We're all UCLA students, and we were taking advantage of some free time to come back and visit, but we never expected this to happen!

Just then, Rhodes' phone rang. "Hello, this is Rhodes..."

Okay, I understand.

Rod relayed the news from the phone call to Hank and Jackson.

Tessa died on the way to the hospital.

This also means that the case has changed from a poisoning case to a murder case.

Under California law, poisoning resulting in death is considered "first-degree murder".

This means that as long as the prosecution can prove that the murderer intentionally used poison to cause death, there is no need to prove that the murderer had "premeditation." The law directly regards the act of poisoning itself as equally serious as "premeditated murder."

Regardless of whether the murderer's intent was accidental or deliberate, at this moment, he will face charges of first-degree murder.

Things have become serious.

The next moment, a screen of light appeared in front of Rhodes.

[Mission Update: Illness Outbreak? Malicious Poisoning? Beneath the seemingly normal surface of this case lies a lurking, appalling emotion.]

A reward will be given for solving this case.

Completion Rewards: Hidden

[Note: The hidden quest reward is for...]

Rhodes wasn't surprised by the mission update; in fact, he felt it was a bit late. Was it because he had only just confirmed Tessa's death?

This is not a suitable environment for formal interrogation.

Rod and Hank take Emily and another companion, Luna, back to the police station to prepare for a more in-depth investigation.

After saying goodbye to Tim and Lucy, Rod returned to the detective station.

……

Murder and Robbery Division, meeting room.

The members of Team Six gathered together again.

Jose presented the information he had researched about Tessa on the projector.

Tessa Ryan is of Indian descent.

She is a fashion designer at a design company in Los Angeles, and her family is involved in the clothing trade.

It is worth noting that her husband, Nicholas Herman, is also of Indian descent, but works in the chemical processing industry.

There is a possibility of exposure to cyanide.

The test results regarding the highly toxic substance in the coffee are in.

It was cyanide, and at a concentration as high as 0.09 grams per milliliter!

The lethal dose of cyanide that can be directly ingested is generally between 50 and 250 milligrams.

0.09 grams per milliliter. Assuming the iced coffee contains 500 milliliters, that means the killer put at least 45 grams of cyanide in the coffee!

45 grams, even at the minimum lethal dose of 50 milligrams, is enough to kill nine hundred people.

Jackson complained to the crowd, "What kind of deep hatred would drive someone to release so much cyanide to harm someone?"

Hank also remarked, "In all my years as a police officer, this is the first time I've ever seen such a dose of highly toxic substance."

Rod clicked his tongue in surprise, "No wonder I smelled a strange odor as soon as I got close."

But then Rod thought, "If I can smell it, wouldn't Tessa, who's drinking coffee, be able to smell it?"

If you can smell it, why drink it?

Or did she simply not smell it?

Rod expressed his doubts, which also provided a clue to solving the case.

He Sai continued, "One of the two people traveling with me is named Emily Rees, who is also of Indian descent."

It is worth noting that her family members also work in the chemical industry.

However, she herself works at a pharmacy.

"Another white woman, Luna Nolan, was Tessa's classmate."

Emily met them through a school club.

According to the information we have gathered, the three of them are indeed very close.

Rod looked at the documents in front of him, tapping his fingers on the table as he pondered, "Emily works at a pharmacy?"

She should know basic first aid, but at that time…”

Rod recalled that Emily was standing on one side of the sofa, constantly questioning the clerk about what was added to the coffee, showing no intention of helping her friend.

"At present, Emily is the most suspicious person."

Connor asked, "Where is Emily now?"

"Because there is insufficient evidence to confirm this, they are currently staying in the reception room."

After all, we are only inferring that these two people are suspects based on common sense, and there is no concrete evidence pointing to them, so we cannot rashly take them directly to the interrogation room.

Connor thought for a moment and said, "Rhodes and Hank, you two contact Tessa's parents and husband and inform them of Tessa's death and the follow-up autopsy."

Jackson and Evan focused on taking Emily's statement.

Jose and Anna continue to investigate their interpersonal relationships, especially Tessa's husband and Emily's family.

"Everyone, let's get started!"