America: The Gear-Up Detective

Jose began to explain, "The responding patrol officers conducted a brief search of Evelyn Brooks' bedroom."

As a result, her backpack, some changes of clothes, and some of her savings were all taken. Even more coincidentally, the patrol officer also tried to call her boyfriend, Paul Davenport, but the phone was constantly unreachable.

That's why the conclusion was made that the child ran away from home.

"Paul Davenport, that name also appeared on that note, Paul."

Remembering the information on the note he found in the dorm, Rod pressed on, "So what happened? Did you get in touch with Paul?"

Jose sighed and said with a wry smile, "That's the crux of the matter. Paul's phone was just switched off at the time, and he called the patrol officer back the next day."

"Didn't he report it or go to the home of the person who reported it to confirm?" Connor questioned.

"No, that's why it's taken so long."

Hank then asked, "So how did we get this case?"

"This morning, Evelyn's parents, having received no news of their daughter, called the police again. This time, another senior patrol officer, Tim Bradford, responded. He quickly understood the situation and reported it directly."

Rod understood immediately; Tim was his partner from when he was a patrolman, and he was very experienced.

After Jose and Jackson finished discussing their leads, Rod brought up the note found in Evelyn's dorm room.

Currently, the only person who can connect these two clues is Evelyn's boyfriend, Paul.

Connor noticed this as well and immediately said, "Rhodes, you and Jackson go and investigate this Paul to see if he's a suspect."

Hank, you stay here for a moment.

Jose and Anna, you two continue communicating with Evelyn's parents to see if there are any further details.

Upon hearing this arrangement, Rhodes exchanged a glance with Hank, who shrugged, indicating that he didn't know why Captain Connor wanted him to stay behind.

After the meeting.

Rod and Jackson arrived at the parking lot together.

This time, Rhodes sat in the driver's seat and took charge of driving, while Jackson unleashed a torrent of words at Rhodes in his rhythmic and expressive tone:

"Yo, Rod, my bro!"

We haven't done anything together in a long time.

"What are your plans for this long-awaited operation? Hank always praises your quick reflexes during operations; let me see it for myself this time, bro!"

Rod smiled, lit the engine, released the handbrake, and continued, "Plan? Didn't Connor tell us to go find that Paul? The plan is to go find him."

......

Northeast Los Angeles.

Glassell Park community.

The unique hilly terrain here has led to many houses being built on the hillside, offering panoramic views of the city skyline. The community features a large number of historic Victorian, Artisan, and Spanish Colonial Revival residences.

Rod slowly brought the car to a stop in front of a reddish-brown vintage cottage.

According to the information provided by Jose, this is where Paul Davenport lives.

Rod and Jackson got out of the car and walked to the door, "knock knock knock~"

A short while later, a handsome but slightly tired Latino man opened the door and looked at the two of them with a hint of doubt.

Rod raised the badge hanging around his neck and said in a deep voice, "I am Detective Rod from the Murder and Heist Division, and this is my partner, Detective Jackson."

Jackson, standing behind him, also showed his police badge.

"Have you been in contact with Evelyn Brooks these past few days?"

Rod stood at the doorway, asking questions while glancing around the house to see if there were any strange noises or signs.

Paul's face showed a hint of sadness when he heard Rod's question, and he said anxiously, "Oh my god, Evelyn! Have you heard from her? I haven't been able to contact her for days!"

Is she trying to break up with me? Is she going to disappear like this?

Rod raised an eyebrow when he heard Paul's answer. Why would someone think of breaking up with their girlfriend as the first thing they would do if she went missing?

Shouldn't you be more worried about your girlfriend's personal safety than breaking up with her?

Rhodes pressed further, "When was the last time you saw her?"

Paul replied without hesitation, "Last weekend, we had lunch together in the afternoon, then we parted ways, and I haven't seen her since. She doesn't reply to my messages or answer my calls..."

Jackson, who was standing nearby, asked, "What happened between you two? Did she do anything unusual?"

Paul was speechless for a moment, then whispered:

"The atmosphere during our meal was pleasant; she seemed happy, and everything seemed normal."

Then she told me that she had her eye on a pair of custom-made ballet shoes, which cost around $355.

I told her that it was too expensive. Ballet shoes are consumables. $355 would mean they would be thrown away soon because they were badly damaged.

She told me, "Then let's buy a few more pairs."

At this point, Paul sat on the steps of the stairs by the door, curled up, looking like he was in pain.

"I still thought it was too expensive, so I asked her where she got so much money? Because I knew that her own dance part-time job and the living expenses given by her family were just enough to cover her monthly expenses."

Then she told me that she had found a new high-paying part-time job where she could earn three to four thousand US dollars in just a few nights.

So I began to suspect...

As he spoke, Paul covered his face, his voice filled with pain, "I thought she was going to do something bad, so I argued with her, and we parted on bad terms."

The next day I couldn't contact her and thought she was throwing a tantrum, so I turned off my phone. Two more days passed and I still hadn't heard from her. None of her classmates had seen her during those days either.

Then this morning I went to her parents' house and ran into the patrol officers who were there to investigate the case. That's when I learned that she had gone missing.

That patrolman must be Tim, who responded to the call for the second time.

As Rod listened and observed that Paul's sad and anxious reaction didn't seem fake, he roughly figured out that Paul probably wasn't a suspect.

But Rod still took out the note, placed it in front of Paul, and asked, "And this one? Do you know what it means?"

Paul looked at the note, thought for a moment, and said to Rhodes, "This should be Evelyn's 'diary'."

"journal?"

Paul nodded. "I've heard her mention it, and I've also seen some of her old diaries."

When Evelyn was a child, she had a playmate who was a little older than her. This playmate had a habit of keeping a diary, and Evelyn, influenced by him, also started writing in a diary from time to time. Later, because she became too lazy, she just jotted down a few words as her diary entry.

Rhodes nodded without offering his opinion. Everyone has their own habits, but we can't just listen to his side of the story. We still need to confirm the diary clue with Evelyn's parents.

Rod handed his business card to Paul and then said, "That concludes this inquiry. Do not leave Los Angeles for the next few days. Also, feel free to call me anytime if you have any leads."