America: The Gear-Up Detective

In the last few pages of her diary, Gabriella Payne wrote down her action plan.

She meticulously documented how to approach Evelyn again, how to make Evelyn disappear, and planned to use the stolen documents to completely erase her past and start a new life as Evelyn.

It's as if this will transform me from a 'reptile' in the shadows into a pure angel.

After reading Gabriella's diary, Rod felt a chill run down his spine.

Jackson kept shaking his head, but couldn't say a word.

Ultimately, although Rod had gained considerable experience in solving cases after transmigrating and even killed a murderer using American-style iaido, he was still, at heart, a workaholic who lived a monotonous life.

I have never seen such a "perverted" case before.

Unlike the well-informed Hank, who was also somewhat surprised, but whose more than 20 years of experience in solving cases had likely witnessed far more of the darker side of human nature, he had no shock as much as Rod and Jackson, except for some reflections.

A brief silence fell over the room, broken only by the soft rustling of Hank picking up the documents.

A moment later, Jackson asked softly, "What's this?"

Without turning his head, Hank replied, "That's evidence, irrefutable evidence."

"I mean, does Gabriella really think she can replace a living person with just some forged birth certificates and some clumsy imitations? Is that reasonable?"

Rod, having regained his senses, heard Jackson's question and replied irritably, "You're trying to reason with a mentally ill person?"

Then, Rod realized something and looked at Hank, asking, "Gabriella's mental state is worrying. If Evelyn really... will the jury and judges not try her because of this?"

So far, Rhodes has not found any trace of Evelyn, but based on the descriptions in the diary, she has most likely met with misfortune.

Hank turned to look at Rhodes and said in a deep voice, "That's not something we need to worry about. All we detectives can do is gather more and more detailed evidence, nothing more."

After another moment of silence, the group began to organize the evidence at the scene, as well as electronic devices such as cell phones.

Further, more detailed investigations were handed over to patrol officers and technical investigators to see if any hidden traces could be found, such as Evelyn's hair or blood.

The three of them returned to the police station, and it was almost six o'clock by then.

Police Department, second-floor conference room.

During this time, Jose was not idle either. Before going to the hospital to take care of Gabriella Payne, he and Jackson had already investigated Gabriella's whereabouts over the past few days.

In fact, her movements during this period were quite simple.

Gabriella Payne works at a chain supermarket in Los Angeles. According to Jose's investigation, a week ago, the day after Evelyn disappeared, Gabriella appeared at her workstation as usual.

However, according to her colleagues, she was in an unusual state at the time. Her face was pale, and she looked like she had just recovered from a serious illness. She didn't say a word. Although she didn't talk much on weekdays, her colleagues felt that something was wrong that day.

After get off work, a kind colleague, concerned about Gabriella's health, drove her back to her apartment.

After that, Gabriella took a long leave of absence citing illness, and no one saw her again. She hid in her apartment until Rod and Hank came to her door.

"And what about Evelyn? We still haven't found her." Rhodes sat in the conference room, listening to José's account of Gabriella's investigation, then looked at Connor and said, "How long will it take the technical department to analyze the contents of the cell phones we brought back?"

"It's the weekend, Rhodes, the earliest it will be is tomorrow," Connor replied somewhat helplessly.

"..."

Hank continued, "As for Gabriella, the doctor said she might not wake up until tomorrow."

"So, it seems we'll call it a day?" Jackson shrugged and said to the group.

Police station, parking lot.

Rod had just sent a message to Jose and learned that Gabriella Payne was receiving treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, located at the intersection of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood in Los Angeles, is one of the largest non-profit general hospitals in the Los Angeles area and an important teaching hospital.

Many LAPD officers who are injured are sent here for treatment. Rod's mother, Laura, also works here as an attending physician.

Rhodes drove to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s main campus consists of a group of buildings of varying heights and functions, which can be mainly divided into the North Tower, the South Tower, and the Saperstein Critical Care Tower.

The Saperstein Tower is a highly centralized intensive care center primarily for the treatment of critically ill patients. It has 150 beds and houses several high-difficulty intensive care units, including one of the largest neuroscience critical care units in the United States, as well as advanced cardiac and surgical intensive care units.

The North Tower and South Tower are primarily used for academic research and laboratory spaces, as well as some general hospital wards.

The South Tower and North Tower stand opposite each other, connected by a sky bridge. The exterior walls are mainly made of glass curtain walls, making it look like a modern high-rise hospital building.

This reminded Rhodes of a building that is no longer found in America.

The fourth floor of the South Tower is the General Medicine Ward.

As soon as Rod stepped out of the elevator, he saw Anna sitting on a chair in the lounge area.

"Hey, Anna."

Anna was a little surprised to see Rhodes arrive. "Rhodes, what brings you here?"

"I've come to check on Gabriella Payne, and Dalton, who's here too, so I'll see how he is."

What about José?

"José is resting outside Gabriella's ward," Anna said, pointing in a direction. "Right there."

Rhodes nodded, not in a hurry to check on Gabriella's condition, but instead inquired at the information desk about Dalton's ward.

According to Laura, Dalton is out of danger and has been transferred out of the ICU. He is now under observation in a regular ward.

When the nurse at the front desk saw Rod approaching, her eyes lit up. When Rod asked about Dalton's room, she insisted on leading Rod there herself.

On the fifth floor, the nurse led Rod to a gray-green ward door, smiling at him, "This is it."

He then extended his hand, wanting to shake hands with Rod.

When Rod reached out his hand, he only felt his fingertips brush past his palm, and a piece of paper remained in his hand.

The nurse in the white coat swayed away, blowing a kiss to Rhodes before she left.

Rod smiled slightly, secretly marveling at his own charm.

He then crumpled the note into a ball and threw it into a nearby trash can.

It wasn't that Rod was being coy; on the one hand, Rod's aesthetic sense was more inclined towards normal Asian aesthetics.

Of course, there are also many in Europe and America who appeal to Rhodes's aesthetic sense, which brings up another aspect. The nurse may not be very old in reality, but judging from her skin condition and facial features, she still looks a bit older.