America: The Gear-Up Detective

Rod first transcribed the contents of the conversation and handed it to José.

He and Anna will organize these clues into a detailed mind map to facilitate future searches.

Next, Rod went to the logistics department on the first floor and registered his spare Glock 19 in the police station's system.

Afterwards, Rod got into the car and set off with Hank to Ida Emerson's place.

San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles

Van Nuys, located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, is nicknamed "The Heart of the Valley." It's a relatively affordable area within Los Angeles. This large community, with a population of approximately 13.6, is the most populous in the San Fernando Valley. The residents are predominantly Latino, followed by white and Asian groups.

While the prices are relatively affordable, there are naturally downsides. The problem of homelessness is quite prominent in the area, and vehicle-related property crimes (such as theft of car parts) occur frequently in the community.

Ida Emerson lives here.

In front of a two-story wooden house.

Hank slowly brought the vehicle to a stop. The two did not get out of the car immediately, but instead discussed the questions they would ask later while observing the surrounding area.

Two-story wooden houses lined both sides of the street, with Ida's house blending in unnoticed.

This is an old-fashioned two-story wooden villa in gray and white, with a large lawn in front that is neatly trimmed. To the right is the garage access road, and the whole environment looks clean and tidy.

A white Toyota sedan was parked outside the garage.

This at least shows that Ida is someone who pays attention to her image and influence.

"Knock knock knock!"

Rod stood on the right side of the door frame and raised his hand to knock.

A moment later, a noise came from behind the door, and the light from the peephole on the wooden door flashed. Upon seeing this, Rod took out his police badge.

"Hey, Ms. Ada. This is Detective Rhodes from the Murder and Heist Division. We're speaking by phone."

We've called you here to get more detailed information.

The door was opened.

A woman with a full head of white hair, who looked to be in her fifties or sixties, stood in the doorway, looked at Rhodes, and asked softly, "Detective Rhodes? You really came!"

Rod put away his badge, nodded, and pointed to Hank beside him, saying, "It's me, and this is my partner, Detective Hank. We're here to handle the case you reported."

Is it convenient for us to go in and talk?

Ada turned and made way for the doorway. "Of course, please come in."

Ida's room was spacious, but the furniture and facilities in the house were very simple.

In the spacious living room, there is a two-seater sofa; near the open kitchen on the inside, there is a dining table of moderate size; and a television is mounted on the wall.

As Rod and Hank entered the living room, a gray-haired woman of similar age to Ada emerged from the bedroom on the left.

Ada explained to the two, "This is my sister Hannah. She's here as a guest today, and there are some things... you can ask her about."

Rod nodded slightly to Hannah, while Hank asked from the side, "Ms. Hannah, how is your relationship with your brother, Kerry Emerson?"

When Hannah heard Hank's question, she turned to look at Ida sitting on the sofa. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "We...we are just half-siblings."

Hank nodded slightly; the answer was quite clear: the relationship wasn't very good.

Then you can ask the following questions directly.

Hannah found chairs for the two of them, and the four of them sat in the living room.

"Sorry, we don't have many guests at home."

Rhodes waved his hand and asked, "Ms. Ida, what do you do for a living?"

"I am a high school teacher."

The group chatted for a while.

Then, Hank nudged Rod's kidney with his elbow. Rod's expression remained unchanged, but he quickly returned to the main topic:

"Ms. Ada, how is your relationship with your brother Kerry?"

Ada paused, seemingly surprised by the quick change of topic. "When we were kids, we got along okay. Until one time we had an argument, and he got really angry. He came out with a knife and threatened me, saying he would make me disappear completely."

Rhodes nodded, while Hannah beside him looked somewhat surprised.

"Ida! When did this happen? Why didn't you tell Mom?"

Ida shook her head and didn't say anything.

At this moment, Rod noticed that Hannah's expression was a little off, so he tried to ask, "Hannah, is there something you want to say?"

Hannah hesitated, her lips trembling slightly, but she ultimately shook her head.

Rhodes thought for a moment, then secretly activated the skill [Bewitchment], and then tried to ask:

"Hannah, we're here because of your brother's alleged involvement in the kidnapping and murder of a minor girl. If you have any leads or anything about Kerry, please let us know."

Hannah's expression relaxed, a hint of struggle flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by relief.

She began, "When I was twelve or thirteen, he... he tricked me into taking some private photos."

I didn't really understand at the time, and I thought it was no big deal to just take pictures.

When I later realized what he had done, I confronted him, but he always denied it. Eventually, he left home, and the matter was dropped.

After hearing this, Ada looked at Hannah in shock, stood up and hugged her, "OMG, Hannah!"

The two girls hugged each other and cried. It was clear that Kerry had left a significant psychological scar on the two younger sisters.

Rod and Hank did not disturb the two's emotional outpouring.

After crying for a while, Ada wiped away her tears and then said in a deep voice, "Officer Rhodes, is there anything else you want to ask? We will not hold anything back."

Please ensure this evil person receives the punishment they deserve.

......

Shortly after, Rod and Hank emerged from the wooden villa.

Hank turned his head to look at the two people hugging on the sofa, sighed, and said in a low voice, "What I hate more than murder cases are cases committed by psychopaths."

This usually challenges my moral bottom line.

Then, he reached out and patted Rhodes on the shoulder, saying earnestly, "Rhodes, I hope this case won't affect you."

At that moment, Rhode deactivated the skills [Scan] and [Virtual Imaging]. Feeling the hand on his shoulder, he came to his senses and asked, "What did you just say?"

Hank's lips twitched, he clapped his hands, and was about to return to the car.

Just then, Rod's phone rang again.

The caller ID reads: Jose.

"Jose, any discoveries?"

The two had almost no contact in private, so almost every phone call José made was related to the case.

As expected, Jose's deep voice came through the receiver, "The captain asked me to inform you that Evan and Jackson have contacted the family of the victim, Sofia Grant."

They were very cooperative when they learned that we were reopening the investigation, and even agreed to let us exhume Sofia's remains for trace analysis.

After a pause, José continued, "We also contacted Linda, the little girl who survived the incident, and she is willing to cooperate with us in reinvestigating."