America: The Gear-Up Detective

"In America, it's hard for people with criminal records to find jobs, and it's also hard for your police to trust me, so of course I'm nervous."

Rhodes expressed his understanding, stating that criminal records in the United States are not protected by the constitutional right to privacy. The vast majority of law enforcement records and court judgments are public records, accessible to anyone (including employers, landlords, and the media) through public channels.

Job hunting, housing, and even immigration and certain license applications will all be affected.

Many people fall into depravity after committing a single offense.

It's not that you want to continue down this path, but society doesn't give you a chance to turn back.

It's not easy for Gerald, with his criminal record, to find a stable job as a repairman, which explains his nervousness.

After the questioning, Rod reviewed the surveillance footage and, with the hotel manager vouching for him, initially ruled out Gerald as a suspect.

However, it wasn't entirely fruitless.

According to Gerald's testimony, Nathan showed no abnormalities before he left at 8:30.

In other words, he was murdered after 8:30 PM.

Hank picked up the conversation, "So, what's the point?"

Rhodes countered, "Do you remember what I told you before?"

Nathan is someone who hates the heat, so the air conditioner was turned off after the power went out.

When the repairman arrives to fix the air conditioner, the room will still be cool and the temperature won't be too high, so Nathan might forget to turn it on.

Given the temperature at the time, Nathan would definitely feel uncomfortable and turn on the air conditioner within an hour at most.

Hank also looked thoughtful, touching his chin with his right hand as he looked at Rod.

Rhodes then speculated, "Nathan was most likely murdered shortly after the power was turned on!"

As Rhodes spoke, he suddenly remembered the records in the case file. A flash of inspiration shot through his brain, and Rhodes excitedly patted Hank's arm. "I might know who the killer is!"

......

At 1 p.m., the Murder and Robbery Division.

Inside the office of Team Six.

Rhodes returned to his seat, picked up the dossier on the table, and walked over to Evan.

"Evan, I've made some new discoveries, but before that, I need to confirm a few things with you."

Evan looked surprised. How long had it been?

I handed the case file to Rhodes because I saw that he was interested in the case and I really hoped to get some new perspectives to provide a breakthrough.

But you went out for a few hours and then claimed to have new leads? That's just too outrageous!

Suppressing his doubts, Evan looked at Rhodes, who had calmed down, and then at Hank behind him, who was still somewhat excited, and said in a deep voice:

"A new discovery? What is it about?"

"Before that, I'd like to ask about this part of the case files."

In room 349, next to room 348, you recorded the statements of three people.

"That's right."

"The case file clearly states that the three of them were completely unaware of what happened next door, right?"

"Yes, according to them, they were drinking at the bar downstairs all night. We have ruled them out as suspects based on the bartenders' statements and the testimonies of other customers."

"Then when?" Rod asked in return.

"When?" Evan asked, puzzled.

When do they go to the bar?

And there's another thing, they said that when they went upstairs in the early hours of the morning, they heard a slight cough coming from room 348, right?

Before Evan could ask any questions, Rhodes continued to tell Evan his speculations.

Nathan is someone who hates the heat, so it's impossible for him to go a whole night without the air conditioning on.

The three men heard coughing when they went upstairs in the early morning, assuming Nathan had not yet been murdered at that time.

So from 8:30 a.m. when the power was turned on until the early morning, there were at least four or five hours in between, during which the temperature would have already risen, and Nathan couldn't possibly not turn on the air conditioning.

This means that the three people in room 349 are very likely lying!

In a murder case, who would lie to the police?

Either this person saw or heard something they shouldn't have known, and they wanted to avoid getting into trouble.

Either he was involved in the entire process of murdering Nathan.

One is a favorable witness, and the other is at least an accomplice in the murder.

Regardless of the circumstances, the three residents of number 349 are highly suspicious.

After listening to Rhodes' analysis, Evan was astonished; this was a detail he had never noticed before.

Not far behind him, Connor stood with his hands in his pockets, listening quietly to Rhodes's analysis.

After Rhodes finished speaking, he stepped forward and said, "Rhodes' analysis is correct. You are the key player in this case."

If we successfully find the murderer, I can report this to my superiors and expedite your promotion process to Level 2 Detective.

After saying that, Connor patted Rhodes on the shoulder, then looked at Evan and Hank standing to the side, "Let's get started, everyone."

To become a detective or sergeant from a police officer, one must take a detective exam; passing it results in automatic promotion.

The changes from Level 1 to Level 2 detectives are mostly adjustments to responsibilities and salary levels within the same rank, and are mainly completed through internal selection procedures within the department.

This means that with Connor's words, if Rhodes can really catch the murderer, then his promotion to second-level detective will be much less troublesome.

After Connor left, Rhodes and the other two began to discuss their next steps.

Jackson, who was watching in stunned silence, looked at Rod and said sourly, "You can apply for a level two detective so quickly?"

It hasn't been that long!

It took me more than three years to get my application approved!

Rod looked at the troublesome Jackson, stretched out his right index finger, and waved it back and forth in front of Jackson. "No, no, no, we Chinese have an old saying: If you can't do something, don't blame the road you've traveled."

"What do you mean?"

"It means, I'm just better than you."

Jackson was going crazy, but he had to admit that Rod seemed to be better than him.

The final arrest operation in the last case was a stroke of genius; two vicious criminals were captured without firing a single shot.

Therefore, the discovery and deduction of this clue are enough to prove Rhodes' talent in this area.

Okay, but it's only slightly better.

Well, she might be a bit more attractive.

After clarifying their thoughts through discussion, the group gathered everyone to begin making final work arrangements.

......

Inside the meeting room.

Rhodes chaired the meeting.

There are three problems now.

The first question is, why did the three people in 349 lie? Did they really mishear, or were they hiding something?

The second question is, what was the motive? According to the on-site investigation, there was $2,000 left by Nathan in the room, but it was untouched. So why did the murderer want to kill Nathan?

The third question: How exactly did Nathan die? Was it murder? But where's the murder weapon? There were no traces in the room. Not even a drop of blood!

Once these doubts are resolved, solving the case will be a natural outcome.