American homeless people, surviving in the city

A dozen minutes later, Lin Qi sat back in the driver's seat of his beat-up car.

Before I even started the engine, my phone rang again.

Chen Kelei's reply came very quickly:

"Brother Lin, I'm sorry, I drank a bit too much last night, and I'm a little out of it this morning."

"If you're ready to continue your investigation at the villa today, the most important and easiest clue to gather is naturally the books and photos in that secret room you mentioned."

"Based on my speculation, we should be able to roughly deduce the purpose of this suspected cult group and who their targets are from the books and photos."

"Besides the most crucial documents in the locked room, another key focus is the source and trajectory of the bloodstains in the room."

"I don't know if you cleaned up the bloodstains too thoroughly, but I went back and checked the case file last night, and I was surprised to find that there was absolutely no record of bloodstains, such a basic clue. This is probably because the investigation at the scene was too rushed... I hope that's all."

"In short, if we can determine where the bloodstains came from, it will be very helpful in deducing how the case is progressing."

Finally, I have a somewhat subjective guess.

"In my opinion, it's hard for a house with a secret room not to have security cameras. Because several security cameras placed in reasonable locations can protect information just as well as a hidden door. If I were the owner of the villa, I would definitely install some surveillance."

"But according to the records in the files and my impression of the scene, apart from the driveway and the area near the wall outside the villa, we did not find any surveillance cameras. During the brief search, we also did not find any surveillance video files on the only computer on the second floor of the villa."

"However, not finding it doesn't mean it's not there. If you have enough time, you can look carefully, in the corners, light fixtures, ceiling, and electrical outlets. If you find it, please contact me."

After explaining how to collect information related to the case, Chen Kelei changed the subject and started talking about another topic:

"As for what I told you last night about me going to sound out Kayla Grayson,"

"I messaged her last night, but she hasn't replied. I don't know if she's still asleep or if she's been busy."

"I can only say that my relationship with her is actually quite good in private, but her attitude on this matter is really hard for me to figure out. I need to continue to observe her for a while."

"If you can get in touch with her, don't talk about the case yet. Just wait for my news."

After reading Chen Kelei's reply, Lin Qi simply replied "Received" and silently put down his phone.

Chen Kelei's arrangements were already very detailed. Even a layman like Lin Qi would almost certainly be able to find some clues by following his instructions to investigate.

But this also proves how perfunctory the police were in investigating this case.

This doesn't even seem like a simple perfunctory response; it's more like a subjective disregard.

Lin Qi could also tell from Chen Kelei's reply that he was still confused about Kayla and the police's attitude.

The mysteries surrounding this case from beginning to end remain perplexing, inspiring an indescribable sense of fear and helplessness.

In addition, according to information I received from Lucas this morning, some cult members are accompanied by plainclothes police officers...

Does Chen Kelei know about this news?

Whether he knew it or not, it didn't seem to be good news for Lynch.

That vague sense of anxiety grew stronger and stronger, causing Lynch to experience some phantom pain in his abdomen.

He rolled down the car window, took a deep breath of Seattle's damp, cold air, and barely managed to calm himself down.

In any case, Chen Kelei at least quickly replied with detailed arrangements, but Lin Qi waited in the car for a while longer, but Officer Kayla's reply was still nowhere to be seen.

Was her silence merely an accident, or did it represent an attitude?

Lynch stopped thinking about it and didn't want to wait any longer. He got back into the driver's seat and started the engine.

The dilapidated car started with a shudder, its tires crunching over the bushes and weeds along the edge of the green belt, making a crisp, rustling sound.

Lynch stepped on the gas and sped off towards the lakeside area.

Speeding along the roads outside Seattle, the cold wind howled. Lynch kept the car window open, letting the cold wind rush into the car, trying to dispel the lingering sense of oppression in his heart.

It didn't rain in Seattle today, but the sky remained overcast, like a dirty rag.

Leaving aside trivial matters like refueling, nothing noteworthy happened along the way.

More than half an hour later, Lin Qi returned to the road corner leading to the lakeside area once again, and the iron gate sentry post should be not far ahead.

But as they approached the iron gate post, Lin Qi noticed something was amiss from afar.

Yesterday, there was only one security guard on duty at the post, but today there are two or three police cars parked nearby, with red and blue police lights flashing silently. Behind the post, on the grass near the roadside bushes, there is a long yellow and black police tape cordon.

Several uniformed police officers were walking around nearby, some were squatting by the woods taking pictures, and others were carefully examining the ground with equipment.

...Another incident?

The unease that was causing his stomach cramps intensified, so Lin Qi slowed down and drove forward cautiously.

Noticing an unfamiliar vehicle approaching, a young white police officer walked over, and Lynch stopped accordingly.

The young policeman bent down and knocked on the car window: "Sir, I'm sorry, this road is temporarily closed. As you can see, a case has occurred, so please take an alternate route."

"What happened?" Lin Qi stuck his head out of the car window and looked at the area surrounded by yellow and black police tape, but he couldn't see anything noteworthy from his perspective.

Seeing Lin Qi's curiosity, the young policeman quickly stopped him, his tone becoming more serious:

"Sir, the details of the case involve privacy and cannot be disclosed to the outside world. Please leave immediately."

As he spoke, he even slowly reached for his waist!

Seeing the other party suddenly change like this, Lin Qi quickly pulled his head back, afraid that because of his Asian face and driving a beat-up car, the young policeman would suddenly empty his magazine.

Then, he quickly pointed to the laminated card placed under the windshield:

"Don't be so nervous. Actually, we're on the same side. I'm a crime scene cleaner contracted by the police station. Today, I'm here to clean up a villa burglary and murder case. This crime scene might become my job in a couple of days, so I was just curious and peeked in. Don't mind it."

As he spoke, Lin Qi carefully observed the area around the sentry post, trying to find some clues.

Soon, he noticed something.

Although there were many more police officers near the checkpoint, the security guard he had seen yesterday was gone.

Moreover, it could even be said that there are absolutely no security personnel near the outpost that the lakeside area should have!

...There must be something wrong with the sentry post.

Just as Lin Qi was thinking nervously, the young policeman paused for a moment after seeing the laminated card, then nodded to Lin Qi, his expression no longer so serious.

"I knew it. Looking at your beat-up car, you didn't seem like a resident of the Lakeside area... I initially thought you were some kind of suspicious person."

The hand that had been touching his waist relaxed.

Lin Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.

He was just about to strike up a conversation with the young policeman and try to get some information about the case when he saw the young officer turn around and call out:

"Kayla! Your men are here!"