America: The Gear-Up Detective

Sixty kilometers outside of Los Angeles, in the suburbs.

Circle X Ranch in the Malibu canyon area.

This is a nature reserve managed by the National Park Service of the United States, known for hiking, rock climbing and natural scenery, and home to Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains.

This place used to be a Boy Scout camp (Camp Circle X), but it was later transformed into a park and opened to the public.

Deep within this pasture, beside a stream with a water source, grows a dense oak forest.

A group of people in different uniforms stood together, and several patrol officers were vigorously swinging shovels under an oak tree.

According to Gabriella's confession, that night she first took Evelyn back to her apartment and then gave her a drink laced with a date rape drug.

She then murdered Evelyn and buried her there.

Rod looked at Gabriella sitting in a police car not far away, sighed, and then looked at Leila Cross standing next to him. As a member of the forensic science department, she had also come to the scene.

Lyra's blonde hair shone even brighter in the glaring midday sun of Los Angeles. This time, without the white coat to cover her, her casual outfit accentuated her even more graceful figure.

But Rhodes was in no mood to appreciate the moment, and asked in a low voice, "How long will it take for Evelyn's autopsy report?"

Leila pondered for a moment, then said, "It will probably take about two weeks to produce a full report. If you just want an autopsy to determine the cause of death, it can be done in a day or two..."

Rhodes nodded. Evelyn's parents had been informed of the discovery of her body and were on their way to the police station, where they were expected to arrive that afternoon to begin the autopsy.

A moment later, one of the patrol officers, who was digging, struck something with his shovel and exclaimed, "Found it!"

Then, the technical investigation team pulled out a black bag, inside which was Evelyn, who had been missing for many days.

The moment the bag was opened, another message appeared before Rod's eyes.

[System Task Update]

Mission Complete: A girl with a bright future, in the prime of her life, has gone missing? Ran away from home?

Behind this case lies the human nature of jealousy!

Completion Rewards: 500 Experience Points, 1 System Shop Refresh Opportunity, 0.1 Universal Attribute Points.

Settlement:

The killer's identity has been confirmed; 100% complete.

The chain of evidence is complete, 100% complete.

The capture/death of the perpetrator is 100% complete.

Rhodes looked at the mission rewards in front of him.

500 experience points are a valuable asset, useful for both upgrading skills and purchasing items from the system shop.

The second is the system shop refresh opportunity. Previously, the system shop only had three items: equipment slots, random equipment information, and experience points exchanged for cash.

Aside from the last exchange being rather useless, Rhodes has already bought an equipment slot to equip the [Wolf Fang Pendant]. The system shop refreshes automatically every week, and the next update will be at midnight tonight.

"It also has some general attributes, which is good."

Rhodes decisively added the 0.1 attribute point to his constitution.

[Constitution: 9.2→9.3]

Rhode felt no change in his physique this time, thinking to himself, "It seems there won't be any major changes until my physique breaks through 10+."

With the technical investigation team beginning to collect evidence and investigate the scene, Rhodes's work was considered complete.

After saying goodbye to Leila, Rod drove Gabriella Payne back to the police station.

......

Police Department, meeting room.

The group sat on either side of the long table, working together to organize the case files.

Jackson was very talkative, his mouth never stopping. Now he asked, "Why do you think these killers all have the habit of keeping diaries?"

Hank joked, "What other murderers have you seen who kept diaries?"

Connor, on the other hand, was quite serious. He pondered the question and then gave his answer: "Take Gabriella as an example. Because such people are repressed, their mental state is not very good, they don't have many friends, and they have nowhere to vent their emotions, so they can only vent by writing in their diaries."

Rod smiled; it seemed this case had also given Jackson a lot to think about.

Just as the group was talking, there was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

A detective on duty at the information desk came up, looked around, and said, "There's a couple downstairs; they say they're Evelyn's parents..."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

Connor got up and walked downstairs. Just as he reached the door, he turned back to Rhodes and said, "Rhodes, you know this case best. You should come too."

Rod felt a chill run down his spine; comforting the victim's family was a bigger headache than solving the case.

First floor, reception room.

Ronnie Brooks and his wife sat on the sofa in the reception room. Evelyn's mother, Rachel, leaned against Ronnie, and the sound of her crying could be heard.

Ronnie himself had red and swollen eyes, looked much more haggard, and his eyes were much dimmer.

Connor and Rod entered the reception room. Ronnie stood up, gave a stiff, awkward smile, and nodded.

Connor sighed silently, then said, "I'm sorry, please accept my condolences..."

Tears welled up in Ronnie's eyes, and he wiped them away. His voice trembled with emotion as he said, "The killer...it's Gabriella Payne, isn't it?"

Connor and Rod remained silent and did not answer.

Under California law, the identity of the murderer cannot be revealed to the victim's family before the formal trial begins. Many details of the investigation, such as the suspect's confession, key evidence, and witness information, are usually kept confidential.

If detectives disclose this information to the family, it could alert the suspects, affect the investigation, or complicate the subsequent trial.

California has a very strict Victims' Rights Act (also known as the "Masi Act"), which grants victims' families many rights, such as the right to know the progress of the case and to present their case in court. However, these rights do not include knowing the exact identity of the suspect before the trial. This restriction is due to considerations of the overall investigation and judicial process.

However, procedures are one thing, and the detective's attitude during execution is another.

Although they didn't admit it, Connor and Rod's silence said it all.

Rachel stood up and looked at Connor and Rhodes. Her dark hair was now dull and lifeless, and she looked haggard, as if she had aged several years out of nowhere.

At this moment, Rachel was extremely agitated, her expression contorted, and she asked fiercely, "Where is she? I need to see her! Why did she kill my daughter!"

Still, silence.

Rachel shouted to herself, venting her emotions, and soon calmed down.

He then slumped onto the sofa, pulled his wife into his arms, and looked at Connor, asking in a low voice, "Regardless of whether she's the killer or not... I just want to know, will the killer be punished?"

Connor replied, "Our evidence is complete, and we are well-prepared this time. We trust the prosecutor and the judge to make the appropriate judgment."

After explaining the subsequent procedures, the two got up and left.

As soon as he stepped out of the reception room, Rhodes asked the question that had been on his mind: "Given Gabriella Payne's mental state..."

Gabriella has serious mental health issues, which even Evelyn's parents know. If her defense lawyer keeps focusing on this, things could get complicated.

In the American legal system, there is a special legal procedure called "psychiatric defense," which is used to determine whether a defendant is exempt from criminal liability due to mental illness.

The "psychiatric defense" does not argue whether "the person was murdered," but rather seeks to determine whether the murderer "should be held responsible for the murder."