America: The Gear-Up Detective

Daisy Ford smiled, then shook her head. "No, he came to see me around nine o'clock. He even gave me a photo from the prom."

I really like that photo.

Hank raised an eyebrow. At least Daisy was telling the truth, which was good news.

"Have you never contacted each other again since then?"

Daisy thought for a moment and replied, "We haven't been in contact."

At this moment, Rod interjected, "Could we see that photo you mentioned earlier?"

She then explained, "Because there was a survivor who had contact with the killer, she might still remember what the killer looked like. If the killer really was Kerry, using a photo of him when he was young would be the most appropriate way to identify him."

Daisy nodded slightly, then got up and took out a photograph, which was tightly protected by a brown frame, from a drawer under the TV cabinet not far away.

This is a black and white photograph. Judging from the background, it should be a dance party.

In the photo, a young girl in a gorgeous dress is smiling broadly as she links arms with a young man in a suit on her right. The man is none other than Kerry Emerson.

Kerry tilted his head, looked at the camera, and grinned, though the wide gap between his two front teeth looked a bit out of place.

Daisy looked at the photo and explained, "It was our high school prom. Kerry took the opportunity to drink some alcohol and seemed much more cheerful than usual."

Someone told a joke, and he laughed, which was unusual for him. Kerry's friend seized the opportunity to take a picture, and that's how this photo came about.

After a pause, Daisy continued, "Back then, the photos were all black and white film, and it took a long time to develop them into a single image."

This is very precious, so I've kept it very well and never opened it.

Holding the photo, Rhodes subconsciously activated his [Scan] skill.

Ever since acquiring the "Glasses of Love," Rhode has activated the "Scan" skill whenever he arrives at a crime scene or obtains important evidence.

Because in addition to having a photographic memory, the [scan] function also has a seemingly insignificant but very useful feature.

[Scan]: After activating the skill, you will have an unforgettable memory, and while the skill is active, you will be able to observe subtle details that are invisible to ordinary people.

The key point is in the second half, "observing subtle details that are invisible to ordinary people." In a game, this would be similar to a skill like "Insight."

This equipment is such a great deal; now scanning has become a habit.

Rhodes only glanced at it subconsciously, not expecting to find anything wrong.

As a result, the skill's excellent effect made Rhode discover some clues.

"Um?"

Rod looked at the square photo in the frame. In the lower left corner of the photo, there was a slight bulge.

Normal people cannot feel this small bump unless they touch it with their hands.

"Did this photo come with a frame when I gave it to you?"

Rhodes looked at Daisy without turning off the [Scan] skill, carefully observing her changes in expression, trying to discern some clues.

Daisy shook her head and said, "I haven't touched it. I've preserved it quite well. The frame isn't broken, and I've just used it all this time. I haven't even taken the photos out of it."

Unfortunately, Rhodes hadn't learned any advanced techniques like micro-expression analysis, so he couldn't detect any clues.

Rod nodded, handed the photo frame to Hank, and pulled a pair of rubber gloves from his lower back.

Then he walked to the table and carefully disassembled the photo frame.

Hank watched Rod's actions, not understanding what he was doing, but he didn't say anything to disturb him. Ever since Rod solved the case of Renee's husband's accidental death in the hotel, Hank knew that Rod had some talent in this area.

A sudden intuition is the most important part of this talent.

After removing the stand from the back of the photo frame, Rod gently took out the photo. After all, it was a photo taken fifty years ago, and Rod was afraid of damaging the photo and affecting Linda's identification of it later.

As Rod took out the photo, a scene that surprised Hank and Daisy unfolded.

Below the photo was a small, square, brownish-yellow receipt.

Judging from the text above, this should be a train ticket from Union Station in Los Angeles fifty years ago.

Rod didn't pick up the ticket; instead, he took out his phone, turned off the flash, took a picture, and then carefully picked up the ticket to examine it closely.

Turning their gaze to the back of the photo, they saw something even more delightful for Rod and Hank: in the lower right corner of the back of the photo, there was a passage written in cursive English:

"Love You, Johnny" (Chapter 39)

Behind him, Hank looked at the train ticket and message that appeared before him. As an experienced detective, he realized what was going on. His head turned red and the veins on his forehead bulged.

Hank looked at Rhodes, who had turned around, gripped his arm tightly, suppressed his excitement, and said in a deep voice, "We won! Rhodes, you're amazing!"

How did you know there was something hidden under this photo?!

Rod smiled at the excited Hank, snapped his fingers, and said, "Intuition!"

Then, looking at Daisy, who was also covering her mouth and looking surprised, a thought flashed through my mind: 'I must learn micro-expression analysis!'

He then said in a deep voice, "Ms. Daisy, please carefully recall everything Kerry said and did when he came to you that night."

Skill [Bewitchment], activated!

......

At 11 a.m., having just left Daisy Ford's house, Rod and Hank rushed back to the detective station without even having lunch.

Police Department, meeting room.

Everyone had already received Rhodes' message, and Connor had applied for arrest warrants and search warrants, which would probably be signed soon.

Jackson looked at the photo in Rod's hand, at what Carey looked like when he was young, and subconsciously compared it with Linda's description of the suspect in the case file from fifty years ago, muttering to himself:

"Blonde hair, tall and slender, with a very noticeable gap between her two front teeth."

Then, his eyes widened, and pointing at Kerry's teeth in the photo, he said, "Such an obvious feature, doesn't it all match up!"

The photos Jose collected during his previous investigation were all of Kerry after he joined the army. He must have had orthodontic treatment at some point, which is why it wasn't noticed before.

But why didn't the detectives fifty years ago discover this? Or did they discover it, but for some reason, such as the alibi, they ruled him out as a suspect?

Only they probably know what they were thinking at the time.

Rod nodded and then said, "I've checked, and the ticket checking systems at all the stations in Los Angeles were very outdated fifty years ago."

Therefore, each time a ticket inspector checks a ticket, they punch a small hole in it as a mark.

Then Rod pointed to the intact ticket and said, "There are no marks on this ticket, which means that Kerry did not board the train."

Do you remember what he said in his statement? He said he got on the bus, then forgot his things and got off just before departure.

This is enough to prove that his testimony back then was false!

Now, Rhodes and his team have ample evidence to prove that Kerry's alibi was false and that he has not been ruled out as a suspect.