America: The Gear-Up Detective

Just as the two were about to leave, Hank arrived at the office.

So Rod and Hank went down that path, leaving Evan in the office to continue sorting through the current clues.

The main concern is that he's getting old, and if they start chasing suspects, Evan probably won't be able to run more than a few steps.

......

ten o'clock.

On the southwest side of UCLA, there is a secluded alleyway.

This is a T-junction. A straight road connects UCLA to a highway not far away, and in the middle of this road, at the vertical stroke of the "T", this narrow path leads crookedly to a shop in Osaka not far from the back door.

Rod drove along the narrow road, where weeds grew rampant on both sides, and every now and then he could see some simple tents where homeless people lived.

Rod looked around and saw that the tire tracks on the ground were messy and the footprints were also haphazard. Most importantly, there was only one street lamp every few dozen meters along this stretch of road, and there wasn't a single surveillance camera.

Hank, sitting in the passenger seat, complained, "Seriously, the Los Angeles city government and LAPD should consider installing surveillance cameras in these remote places. These high-risk areas are prone to crime, but we just can't see anything."

I've heard that there's surveillance everywhere in China, across the ocean. The criminal police there must have it easy.

Rhodes glanced at it and thought to himself, there aren't as many bizarre crimes there as in America.

In fact, there is a lot of surveillance in the United States, but it is mainly concentrated in public areas such as shopping malls, industrial areas and mixed-use areas. These places have a large flow of people and frequent economic activities, but most of them are private security installations. Apart from that, there are some wealthy residential areas.

For example, Beverly Hills in western Los Angeles County is a world-renowned luxury destination and one of the most densely monitored areas in the United States, with approximately 2400 cameras, drones, and automatic license plate recognition systems forming a very dense surveillance network.

According to a 2021 Harvard University study (based on street view images), the density of surveillance cameras per kilometer of road in Los Angeles is estimated at approximately 0.2. This number may seem low, but it precisely illustrates the extremely uneven distribution of cameras, which are highly concentrated in specific areas.

So don't assume that Americans really dislike surveillance or feel it violates their privacy. When it comes to their own safety, let alone surveillance, wealthy people would love to have a bodyguard sleeping in their bed at night.

Rod parked the car at the fork in the road and looked up at the streetlights.

The glass cover above the streetlight had long been shattered, but according to Willow, the streetlight would still work normally at night, emitting a slightly dim light.

If Evelyn happened to pass by here, or stopped here briefly, someone should have seen her.

Rod's eyes lit up when he saw a group of homeless people sitting together on the lawn not far away. He then walked over.

This group of homeless people, living in makeshift tents, reside at the fork in the road at the "T" intersection, where they have a view in all three directions. If anything unusual happens, they should be able to see it.

As soon as he got close, a strange odor hit Rhodes in the face. It was a mixture of sweat, body odor, and the smell of some kind of fermented garbage. Rhodes held his breath slightly.

The Wolf Soul Sense also issued a faint warning, indicating that these people harbored some kind of malice towards Rhode. However, this malice did not seem to be directed only at Rhode, but rather at everything that approached them. Therefore, the Wolf Soul Sense's reaction was not very strong.

Even so, Rhodes stopped a few meters away. Besides the strong smell, it was also to maintain a safe distance. With his excellent dynamic vision and level 3 shooting skills, Rhodes was confident that he could empty the magazine before any danger came.

"Yo, guys." With that, Rod raised the badge hanging around his neck, and Hank stood not far behind him, watching.

Then, sensing the increased wariness of the group of homeless people, Rod said in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, I won't drive you away. I'm a detective in the Murder and Robbery Division, and I only handle criminal cases such as murder and missing persons."

I just wanted to get some information from you.

Their vigilance lessened slightly, but still no one spoke.

Seeing this, Rod shook his head, then pulled out a ten-dollar bill from his wallet, waved it in his hand, and said, "How about this, ten dollars per question, a few simple questions, anyone want to participate?"

"Ten dollars is a lot of money. Just think of those fragrant hot dogs and ice-cold Cokes. If you answer a few more questions, you can even buy a cheeseburger. How long has it been since you had one?"

Several homeless men in tattered clothes stepped out from the crowd. After hesitating for a moment, the others also stood up and approached Rod.

Rhodes raised his hand, indicating, "Just stand there. A few simple questions."

"Are there many people passing by here, especially at night?"

A short homeless man spoke first, "There aren't many people during the day, but there are more at night."

Hearing the homeless man's slightly immature voice, Rod recalled Daniel, the little boy with the red backpack he had helped before. (Chapter 35)

After saying that, Rod crumpled the ten-dollar bill into a ball and threw it over. The homeless man who looked like a child reached out and caught it, then hid behind a taller homeless man.

Then Rhodes asked, "Was there anything unusual here last weekend? Like shootings, fights, conflicts, heated arguments, or even a kidnapping?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then a white homeless man standing on the far right said, "There are hardly any conflicts at this intersection; everyone is in the deeper alleys."

Rod nodded, then tossed out another ten dollars.

After taking it, the white homeless man added, "But a week ago on the weekend, there was a very pretty girl standing under the streetlight, as if she was waiting for someone. She stood there for about ten minutes."

Rod's eyes lit up. This beautiful girl was very likely Evelyn. He quickly asked, "And then? Where did she go? Did someone come to pick her up?"

The white homeless man remained silent. Frustrated, Rod threw out another ten dollars. "Now you can talk, right?"

The homeless man shook his head: "This is the price we just added..."

At that moment, another white homeless man wearing a hat, standing in the center, raised his hand and quickly exclaimed, "Me! Detective, I saw it too!"

Rhodes glanced at it, nodded, and said, "Good!"

Then he took out a photo, a screenshot from the school's surveillance footage, showing Evelyn's appearance that day, wearing a white off-the-shoulder short-sleeved top and super short denim shorts. Rod pointed at the photo, "Is that her?"

The homeless man wearing a hat shook his head. "The streetlights were too dim, so I couldn't see her face clearly, but I think she only had this one set of clothes. I remember her legs were very white..."

Rod was somewhat speechless. This was a clue, so he threw out another ten dollars.

The homeless man glared at the homeless man wearing the hat before retreating.

Rod then asked, "And then?"

The homeless man wearing the hat blurted out everything he knew.

Before leaving, Rod handed him another twenty dollars.

Once the two were in the car, Hank excitedly exclaimed, "Now the case finally has a breakthrough!"

Rhodes smiled and nodded, "Yes...did you remember what happened just now?"

"Of course! I remember it perfectly."

"That's good. When I ask Captain Connor for reimbursement, remember to be my witness."

"?"