The two got up early in the hotel. At five o'clock in the morning, it was still dark. Holden drove the Bronco through the quiet residential area. Dean rested in the passenger seat and looked at the skill progress in the system.
Fighting lv1(143/200→144/200)
Shooting lv1(89/200→90/200)
Shadow of the Past lv1(24→25/200)
Balance Meditation lv1(75→76/200)
Yesterday, Holden called to close the relationship, and he found an indoor shooting range in Santa Monica to practice shooting hard. He fought and tempered his spirit at night, and finally improved his proficiency in several skills.
Although the progress is extremely slow, before the final murderer emerges, his strength can be improved a little bit.
…
"How much do you know about San Quentin?" Dean asked, looking out the window at the rapidly reversing Olympic road sign. The car was heading toward the San Francisco Bay, the outlet of the lower reaches of the Sacramento River in northern California.
"This prison is located on an isolated peninsula and houses a variety of extremely vicious felons. It is the most heavily guarded, oldest and largest prison in California. It is also the only prison that can impose the death penalty on male prisoners. .”
Holden turned the steering wheel and the car drove onto I-10E.
"A few years ago, I went there with my old partner to interview Charles Manson, 'America's most dangerous serial killer', and record his journey of leading a criminal organization that killed dozens of people."
"Have you been sentenced to death?" Dean asked.
"No, life imprisonment. Today's laws are becoming more cautious about the death penalty, and the methods are becoming more gentle and humane, from beheading, hanging, shooting, electric chair, poison gas, to pharmaceutical injection... Even if the prisoner is sentenced to death, he will have to die. Get in line." Holden grinned with a sarcastic smile, "But most death row inmates don't get to line up for the day of execution, so they die in prison."
Dean was also eye-opening, "Why should the law be so kind to serious criminals?"
Holden explained,
"I have been working for more than ten years, and I have become more and more aware of this phenomenon - a considerable number of people in the United States like moral kidnapping and double standards. They lack empathy for the families of the victims, and instead give the murderers mother-like mercy."
"With the efforts of a large number of enthusiastic prison volunteers, San Quentin's inmates can participate in reform activities such as tennis, basketball, and drama. In the near future, they may even be able to attend San Quentin Prison University and live a better life than without a family. Homeless homeless people are much more comfortable.”
"Isn't this just sending felons to enjoy their lives?" Dean commented briefly, "This is a waste of taxpayers' money!"
"Who says it's not?" Holden said with emotion, "I used to think that people who committed crimes were forced by bad circumstances, but in the process of communicating with these serious criminals, I slowly understood that some serious crimes are indeed The prisoner’s humanity still exists.”
"But the other part is born as a devil. If you stay with them for a long time, you will be affected."
…
A six-hour journey with several twists and turns.
Holden kept talking to Dean Cop about the various systems of San Quentin Prison, and also complained about some of the laws in the United States.
Around 12 noon.
They passed through the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge above the strait, and finally arrived at San Quentin, the "prison paradise" covering an area of 432 acres.
Surrounded by green water and luxuriant trees, the natural environment is unparalleled.
At first glance, Dean thought he had arrived at a sanatorium or resort on a beautiful island.
However, it is heavily guarded. There are several posts per step, patrols can be seen everywhere, and the high walls are covered with wires and electric grids.
The two parked the car and entered the prison. After checking in, the heavily armed prison guards gave them a body search that was comparable to a full-body massage. Even their hair and mouth were not spared.
The process was really a bit uncomfortable for Dean, but Holden looked calm.
After confirming that they did not carry any sharp, pointed or dangerous items, the guards led them through several iron gates and a group of inmates with tattoos all over them.
Entered a quiet and bright cubicle.
"What's the point of checking hair and mouth?" Dean sat down on the chair and looked around casually. This place looked like a small canteen.
"Don't underestimate the intelligence of prisoners. The hairpins on their heads and the braces in their mouths can be transformed into weapons and tools for killing, committing suicide and escaping from prison."
Holden explained casually, then gave a stern look.
An Asian man wearing a light blue prison uniform was escorted into the cubicle by the guards and sat across from the two men in handcuffs.
The two of them observed carefully and confirmed that it was the David Lee they had seen in the files. However, after only two months of transformation, his demeanor changed drastically. His body was so thin that a gust of wind could blow him over, and his originally plump forehead shriveled up. , his face was unhealthy and pale, his cheekbones were protruding, his expression was sluggish, his eyes were evasive when he looked at people, and the confident sunshine in the previous photos had become submissive.
The prisoner who killed the children was at the bottom of the prison, and he was a good-looking Asian.
God knows what he has been through in the past two months.
David looked at the two gentle and smiling men opposite him, reflexively shrank his shoulders and moved his buttocks, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, as if he had recalled some painful memory.
"Relax buddy, we're not going to hurt you, we're investigating a local child murder that's surprisingly similar to yours," Holden said bluntly, "Can we talk?"
"I'd like a coffee and a hot dog," David said hesitantly.
"Wait a minute." Holden went out and found the guard. After paying twenty dollars, he brought the steaming food to David. There were not only hot dogs but also precious soaked instant noodles and butter bread.
Dean is not surprised by this. To a certain extent, prisoners are also a financial source of the prison.
David grabbed the hot dog and wolfed it down. His mouth was full of residue, making an unpleasant slurping sound. He was eating like crazy, as if he was competing with someone.
After finishing a hot dog quickly, he took a sip of the scalding coffee and breathed a sigh of relief. There was a trace of blood on his face, and he began to slowly enjoy instant noodles.
"David, do you remember Kelly Scott?" Dean spoke at the right time, and Holden next to him turned on the recording equipment.
"That girl I've never known, seen, or touched in my life?" David's hand shook, and half of the instant noodles in his mouth accidentally fell onto the dining table. He immediately picked it up and ate it, " I swear to God, if I were to hurt a child, I would kill myself."
"And I have never had any criminal record since I was a child. I have never harmed a small animal, let alone a human being! I shouldn't have to endure these inhuman tortures!"
Dean nodded quietly. It was only normal that David didn't know Kelly. After all, Abby didn't know Bucky Fran either.
"David, although the evidence is conclusive and the court found you guilty, I believe you are an innocent person. I need your help to catch the real murderer!"
Hearing this for the first time in more than two months, David was so moved that he almost burst into tears.
"do you know her?"
Dean placed a picture of Abby Clark on the table.
David picked up the photo and looked at it a few times, then shook his head.
"Sorry, I have no impression of her. Is she a student at Santa Monica University?"
Dean shook his head,
"More than two months ago, on July 22, the surveillance video captured you appearing at Santa Monica Beach. She was also there at the time. Have you never seen her?"
"July 22, the day Kelly was killed?" David sighed, "You may not believe it. Starting around July 19, I had fever all over my body and my brain was burned to a pulp. I asked the school to I took a vacation and rested at home to recuperate. On July 22, the fever was the worst. I almost fainted when I was alone at home. I couldn’t remember anything in my mind. How could I go to the park and kill a child? Go to the beach and enjoy the sea breeze!”
hiss--
Holden glanced at Dean in surprise. This guy asked Abby the same question at first, and everyone including the district attorney was confused.
Now he asked David this again, and David's answer was exactly the same as Abby's.
A prophet?
The corners of Dean's mouth curved slightly, and his eyes flashed with excitement.
"Great, David, can you let me see your wrist?"
A trace of confusion flashed across David's face, but he still pulled up his sleeves and showed his two bare forearms in front of the two of them.
No!
Dean's pupils condensed and he asked again,
"Before you went to prison, had you been injured in recent months, leaving a scar anywhere on your body?"
The man frowned and recalled for a moment, then reached out and touched the back of his neck.
"How do you know? I had an injury on the back of my neck in May."
"Let me see!"
Dean stood up, walked around the table, and looked behind the man to take a look——
A half-finger-long crescent-shaped scar has healed, but the mark is very obvious, like a ferocious centipede under the skin.
Dean reached out and touched it, and took a few pictures of the scar from Holden's camera, becoming more and more certain that it was exactly the same as Abby's.
"Do you still remember that on July 22, apart from having a fever, did this scar feel strange?"
"It's true when you say that." The man said with lingering fear, "The scar was re-inflamed at that time, and it hurt like hell. It was like there was some foreign body drilling into my bones. I was in so much pain that I lost consciousness."
Right!
Scars are left - scars are painful, hot - mysterious forces begin to operate - crimes are committed.
Dean quickly formed a clear logical chain in his mind, pacing slowly in the cubicle, muttering to himself,
"On the day when the scar is most painful, the mysterious power reaches its peak, and the framed person commits the crime."
"David Lee, Abby Clark."
Dean's eyes were hot,
"The two cases have the same process, which cannot be explained by coincidence. Therefore, the cases are full of supernatural power, driving David and Abby to commit murders! This is how the real murderer committed the crime!"
Holden grinned and rubbed his temples.
But David was confused, as if he had heard a book from heaven,
"Is this scar related to my case?"
Dean ignored it and continued to fall into confusion.
"Ignore him." Holden shook his head and smiled, but did not explain, "His thinking is a little different from ordinary people, and he occasionally falls into hysteria."
David nodded, "Who is Abby Clark, the girl in the photo?"
"Yes, she killed a boy in Las Vegas. There is DNA evidence, video, and witnesses."
"Isn't this just another me?" David opened his mouth, feeling sympathy for her, "I don't know her, but I believe she is also an innocent person. If she has not been convicted, please help her, don't let it happen again. The law wronged a good man, and I have experienced this inhuman pain!"
"David, you have helped me a lot. The real culprit is about to be revealed." Dean, who came back to his senses, looked into the man's eyes, "But do you still remember how the scar on the back of your neck came from?"
"May 10th...somewhere in Santa Monica, someone touched me." David looked at Dean with a strange expression and hesitated to speak - this guy was asking all kinds of inexplicable questions. .
"Are you sure this is Santa Monica and not somewhere else?"
"Well, I didn't leave the school area for half a year before I was sent to prison."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Do you still remember what you were wearing, clothes, pants and shoes in the surveillance video on the day of the incident? Is it a completely unfamiliar outfit?"
"In the surveillance video, I was wearing a popular shirt, casual pants, and leather shoes..." David said seriously, "To be honest, I'm dressed like that."
Dean pursed his lips.
In Las Vegas, he deduced from the origin of Abby's three-striped sportswear when she committed the murder and the origin of Abby's wrist scars that the murderer's last crime location was Santa Monica.
But now, David actually got a scar in Santa Monica, and his clothes were nothing special, so Dean couldn't use the old method to deduce the location of the last crime.
He cannot pursue past cases.
…
How to proceed with the investigation?
Dis thought, his eyes lit up after a moment.
Past cases are hard to trace, but what about the future? The murderer also carelessly left a clue in the future——
The night Abby committed the crime, she left a crescent-shaped scar on the wrist of the bar owner Jack!
The scar was passed from David to Abby, and from Abby to Jack.
If nothing else goes wrong, the mysterious power has been passed on to Jack. One day in the future, Jack will be like his two predecessors, falling into a fever and coma, and committing horrific murders involuntarily.
As long as you monitor him quietly, the murderer will reveal himself.
The system progress jumped to 60%.
"Holden!" Dean suddenly turned to his companions and said eagerly, "Now that sufficient evidence is in front of us, we must go and stare at the owner of the Black Jack Bar. Abby passed the scar to him!"
Holden looked embarrassed,
"Scar hypnosis leads to crime? This is impossible to convince our colleagues. I have to think of a reasonable excuse."
"Hurry up." Dean turned around and looked at the skinny and pitiful man, recalling yesterday's visit to his old home in his mind, "David, did your parents die in an accident?"
"Accident?" David put down the bucket of instant noodles, clenched his fists, his eyes were red, "It was not an accident! When I was being held in the detention center, Kelly Scott's father broke into my house angrily and shot him to death. My loved ones, and then shot themselves to death."
"He avenged his daughter, but he found the wrong person from the beginning to the end!" David sobbed heartbreakingly, "I am innocent! My poor parents do not deserve this kind of fate!"
Dean's breath hitched.
The victim's family shot the murderer's family, and the murderer was wrongly accused.
This is truly a human tragedy.
"My condolences, David, you are not the only one who is pitiful." Thoughts flashed in Holden's eyes, "Kelly's family could not escape the tragic fate. They were cursed and died one after another, first Kelly, and then It was her grandmother, her mother, and finally her insane father. All gone."
"All dead? I'm the only one left in the two families?" David was shocked. The sadness and anger on his face disappeared, leaving only deep despair and confusion——
It was as if an invisible hand was playing tricks on these two families, pushing their fate into the bottomless abyss.
All three of them had heavy hearts and responded in silence.
The entire cubicle fell into an uncomfortable silence, and the air was so thick it was difficult to breathe.
"Sorry, it aroused your sadness. That's it for today." After a moment, Holden turned off and put away the recording equipment, looked at Dean, who nodded, and saw the scars on the murderer's body, the time when he committed the crime. The special status has been verified, and this visit should end.
"When we catch the culprit behind this, or there is progress in the case, we will come visit you again and we will try our best to rescue you."
"Life here is not for human beings. All criminals can bully, beat and scold me at will, and insult 'child killers' like me. But the matter has come to this, and it is difficult to recover." David wiped away his tears and swallowed the bread with big mouthfuls, "Well ...I don't expect you two to rescue me. If I can change to a better environment and stay away from those perverted criminals, I will thank God. By the way, wait a little longer...well...wait for me to finish eating, otherwise it will happen later. It doesn’t belong to me anymore.”
Dean nodded silently, and then watched David being escorted back to the iron fence.
The two men left the jail and returned to their car.
"Holden, now do you think it's possible...that the real murderer was behind all the deaths of Kelly Scott and the two families?"
"The murderer is not a god," Holden said in an erratic tone. "Logically speaking, he cannot control two families. You can't make him too deified."
Not God?
But maybe it's not a human, but some kind of supernatural monster?
Dean nodded.
When dealing with a being whose race is uncertain, no matter how cautious you are!
"We cannot ignore any possibility. In Santa Monica, the families of the victims and the murderers died one after another. It is definitely not a coincidence. In order to avoid the recurrence of tragedy," Dean flashed the heartbroken parents in the LVPD again. "We must send people to monitor and protect the parents of the victim Bucky Fran in Las Vegas day and night, as well as the parents of the suspect Abby, to prevent them from committing suicide or making big mistakes in the heat of the moment!"
"Well, Abby is being held in the detention center, so don't worry about it for the time being."
"Then add in the scarred bar owner Jack," Dean kept clicking like a machine gun. "The LVPD must divide its forces into three groups and carefully and covertly monitor and protect these three targets!"
All the risk groups Dean can think of are under surveillance. If the real murderer dares to come next, how can he escape from their grasp?
The progress jumped to 70%!
Holden helplessly held his forehead and drove out of the prison parking lot.
"When did you become the chief of the LVPD? When you give orders, the police officers have to run to carry out the orders obediently? Come on, your inferences involve supernatural factors and cannot be explained scientifically. There is no way the LVPD guys will believe this. Apply theory and take action!”
Dean checked the skyrocketing investigation progress in the system, and the dawn of victory was right in front of him.
"Have you forgotten? We just got the case files, audio recordings, and photos of Kelly Scott and David Lee, handed them to Karl, and asked them to compare them with the Abby case. As long as their brains are not wet, they will definitely Will believe us.”
Dean's eyes flashed with madness;
"When the time comes, we will ambush all the murderer's movement routes in advance!"
"Wait for it to jump into the trap on its own!"
boom!
Dean punched the car window glass.
"Let it have no way out! Plea guilty and be punished!"
"You're really crazy!" Holden stared at Dean for two seconds, and suddenly smiled, revealing the long-lost morbidity and madness in his smile, "But I also want to see who the murderer is, and you also want to see who the murderer is this time. If you don’t let me down, I will support you to the end!”
(End of chapter)
