America: The Gear-Up Detective

Fortunately, the coffee shop manager immediately stepped in and temporarily calmed the emotions of the nearby customers.

"Tessa, how are you feeling? The ambulance is almost here, hang in there!"

The woman standing on the outside of the sofa dialed 911 for emergency medical assistance and then kept calling out Tessa's name.

The other friend who had shaken Tessa earlier was sitting in the other corner of the sofa, with her eyes closed, muttering to herself, and making the sign of the cross with her hands in front of her chest.

But soon, less than three minutes after Tessa collapsed, Rhodes clearly saw her breathing become rapid, and five or six seconds later, Tessa began to convulse.

Rod didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was some kind of asthma or epilepsy, but looking at the symptoms and the timing that followed, he felt something was wrong.

Under Liu Qingxi's surprised gaze, Rod stood up and walked to the semi-circular sofa, took out his police badge, and said, "I am Detective Rod Lee, specializing in murder and robbery cases. I can provide first aid to this young lady."

First aid is a mandatory course in police officer training, and the system skill display shows that his first aid level has reached lv2, which means he has mastered the skill.

Seeing this, the woman in red standing to the side grabbed Rod's hand and said urgently, "Officer, please save her, we are very good friends..."

Ignoring her next words, Rod went straight to Tessa, had her lie flat on the sofa with her head slightly tilted back, and pressed her hands firmly against the center of her chest, maintaining a frequency of 100-120 times per minute.

The manager had already dialed 911 when Tessa fainted, and after Rod performed CPR for two minutes, paramedics arrived at the scene.

They took over Rhodes's emergency care and put Tessa on an oxygen mask.

As Rod stood up in front of the table where Tessa and the others were eating, he suddenly felt as if he could smell a faint, strange odor.

Waving his hand to signal Liu Qingxi to stay put, Rod pulled out a pair of rubber gloves from his lower back and carefully picked up the iced coffee that Tessa had only taken a sip of.

Hold the coffee to your nose, gently wave your left hand, and a distinct bitter almond aroma enters your nasal cavity.

Rhodes covered his nose, recalling Tessa's symptoms, and immediately realized what was happening.

"This is cyanide poisoning!"

Cyanide is deadly to humans; just a few grams can kill an adult.

Tessa, on the other hand, experienced only about three or four minutes from fainting to developing shortness of breath and convulsions.

If it was indeed caused by cyanide poisoning, then the concentration of cyanide in this cup of coffee must have been very high.

Low to medium concentrations of cyanide will only produce the corresponding reaction within ten to thirty minutes.

Paramedics were still trying to save her, getting her onto a stretcher, before leaving amidst the wailing of an ambulance siren.

Rod took out his badge again, showed it to the manager, and said in a deep voice, "I suspect that the coffee she drank was laced with a highly toxic substance."

Rod characterized Tessa's behavior as poisoning, rather than as a result of her own illness, which the coffee shop manager naturally disagreed with.

Logically speaking, only the store's employees should be able to handle coffee before and after it is made. So, in the manager's ears, Rod's words meant that he was accusing his employees of poisoning customers.

The manager walked up to Rod, his tone somewhat agitated. "This is impossible! You're saying this is cyanide? Where's the proof? We never keep anything like that in our store!"

Hearing Rod's words, the woman in red walked up and pointed at the manager, "It was you! You must have put something in the coffee!"

She then turned to look at Rod: "Officer, when the three of us were having a get-together just now, Tessa simply picked up her cup, took a sip, and said that she felt the coffee tasted a little off."

We were suggesting she rinse her mouth with water, but after a while, she started to feel dizzy.

Then he collapsed!

Hearing this, her friend, who was silently reciting the Bible and gesturing a cross with her hand, opened her eyes, looked at Rod, and confirmed the woman in red's words.

But the manager got a little anxious and grabbed the coffee cup on the table. "Impossible, there can't be anything wrong with this coffee."

He made a gesture as if to drink it, but hesitated at the last moment before taking a small sip.

She moved quickly, and before Rod could stop her, the manager took a sip.

At that moment, almost everyone in the restaurant was watching the manager, wanting to see how she would react.

A few seconds later, the manager's face turned red and he became unsteady on his feet.

Upon seeing this, Rod immediately dialed 911.

"This is Detective Sir Rod, badge number 95270825, specializing in murder and robbery cases."

A poisoning incident has occurred at a coffee shop in the Westwood neighborhood, near UCLA. Please arrange for police assistance as soon as possible.

There is another victim of poisoning; please arrange for emergency medical assistance as soon as possible!

Seeing the manager run to the flower bed to vomit, Rod felt somewhat helpless, but at least her actions proved that there was something wrong with the coffee.

To avoid interference with the evidence, Rod placed the coffee in front of him and put a lid on it so that the forensic team could take it for testing later.

Rod waved to Liu Qingxi, who had been watching from a distance, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, you might have made a wasted trip today. There's a case here, so I probably won't be able to go to the library today."

Liu Qingxi, however, looked excited. "Is this what life is like for you detectives? You even run into a poisoning case while out for a meal. How thrilling!"

Rod's lips twitched, wondering what was wrong with her thinking, and he explained, "It doesn't happen every time we eat..."

UCLA is located near Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Beach, which is an affluent area. As a result, security is tight in this area, making it a key area for daily police patrols.

Less than a minute later, police sirens could be heard outside the coffee shop.

The person who came was an old acquaintance of Rod's from when he was a patrolman at the Wilshire Police Department.

"Hey, Tim!"

Rhodes greeted the old acquaintance with some surprise.

The patrol officer who walked in from outside the store had short brown hair, brown eyes with a deep gaze, a serious expression, and wore a dark blue patrol officer's standard short-sleeved uniform. He looked capable yet sunny and tough.

Behind Tim Bradford was an Asian woman in a dark blue long-sleeved uniform, who was looking around the store with a hint of curiosity.

"Yo, Rod, long time no see."

Did you call the police?

Tim walked over to Rhodes, and upon seeing a familiar face, a slight smile appeared on his serious expression.

"Long time no see, I was the one who called the police."

Someone has poisoned the area; two people have already been poisoned, one of whom is in serious condition and has been sent to the emergency room.

There's one more.

As he spoke, Rod pointed to the manager who was lying on the sofa.

"Why weren't they taken to the emergency room together?"

Before Tim could reply, the Asian policewoman behind him eagerly asked.

After explaining with a smile, Rod looked at Tim and asked, "Is this your new partner?"

The young policewoman standing nearby was about to admit it with a delighted expression.

But Tim was the first to reply irritably, "No, this is my new rookie, Lucy Chen."

He then pointed to Rod and introduced him to Lucy, "This is Rod Lee, my former partner."