LVPD, Office Group 5.
"These things aren't made up right now, are they?" A group of handsome men in suits in the fifth group led by Karl looked at each other in disbelief at the files, recordings, and photos.
Dean shook his head,
"If you don't believe me, you should also believe Holden Ford's credibility."
"If you have any questions, you can contact the Santa Monica Police Department for verification at any time." Holden helped,
"How is this possible?" Carl looked at the photos of Kelly Scott's murder and touched his shiny bald head in distress, "Santa Monica, Las Vegas, hundreds of miles apart, two months apart, Two cases of the same type occurred, and the two murderers did not know each other, but the evidence was conclusive."
"Amazing coincidence."
"Stop classifying incomprehensible things as coincidences. It's the 'serial killer' behind the scenes who connects them both." After Dean and Holden looked at each other, they put their scars in severe pain - hypnosis —The murderer’s theory of committing the crime is explained in depth.
Several police officers couldn't help but sneer.
"Shut up, everyone!"
Karl knocked on the table, lost in thought.
"This file, photos, and recordings are not enough?" Holden asked, "Or do you mean you have a case to be busy with next?"
"I'm free for the time being. District Attorney Hines has already mastered sufficient evidence and has also selected members of the jury who are jealous of each other." Kruger, with thick black hair, interjected, "Once the trial begins, Abby and her barrister Lu Kerver is doomed to failure and will be sentenced to at least twenty years."
"That's it, let's listen to our arrangements and plans. Are there any losses?" Dean clasped his fingers and looked at everyone sincerely, "Jack, Abby's parents, Bucky Fran's family, the three of them Five or six people are enough to keep track. If the real culprit is caught, your team will avoid a major mistake!"
"You think so too?" Karl looked at Holden carefully,
"At first I thought this guy's hypothesis was purely a fantasy, but with his strong persistence, we discovered this criminal file that was almost impossible to exist."
"If he chooses the right thing once, he will make the right choice a second time."
Holden's eyes calmly glanced at a group of detectives from the crime team, and his tone was solemn,
"I believe in him."
After hearing this, Karl rubbed the thick black stubble on his chin and fell into deep thought.
Dean held his breath waiting for the answer. If he couldn't convince even a few police officers, how could he deal with the real murderer!
"Holden, the FBI is usually 'annoying', but you are an exception. In the past six months, you have assisted the brothers in the bureau to solve many cases, and you have never let anyone down. Since you vouch for Dean, OK , I believe you this time." Karl quickly made arrangements,
"Kruger, keep an eye on Jack, the bar owner...be sure to pay attention to whether there are any suspicious characters around him."
"Carol and Ann go to the South Side to protect Abby Clark's parents..."
"Moll and Chad are responsible for Bucky Fran's parents."
"Cheer up and don't expose yourself and embarrass yourself."
"Don't worry, boss."
The team members who received the assignment left quietly and orderly.
Dean gave Holden a grateful look, and things began to develop in the direction he expected, with three lines of surveillance on the real murderer.
But this is a purely defensive strategy. Next, it’s best to figure out which line the murderer will attack first!
"By the way, you two," Karl put away the file and suddenly mentioned, "The preliminary test results of that white sportswear came out. It was covered with Abby's various biological samples, alcohol, and moldy food residues. ,as well as…"
Karl paused, with a trace of doubt on his face.
"And what?" Dean asked impatiently,
"A very small amount, an unknown liquid. It doesn't belong to humans..." Carl mused, "Nor does it belong to most animals."
Dean's eyes lit up when he heard it, and an idea suddenly came to his mind, but he thought it was impossible.
"But it may be some kind of complex chemical component mixed in the trash. It needs further testing. It seems to have little impact on the case at the moment." Karl shook his head and smiled, "Dean, we have made a major breakthrough this time. I'll give you half a day off. Go comfort your classmates, they are all going crazy with worry."
"We are keeping an eye on this case."
…
In the evening, dusk weaves a flaming red sunset in the sky.
In the bedroom of Gretchen's house on Old Street in the South District, Dean and a group of friends reunited again.
"Why don't you take me with you when you go out? Do you think women are troublesome?" Gretchen, whose braids were styled into a shawl, sat cross-legged on the floor, her tight-fitting stretch pants and sports vest showing off her undulating curves.
But her eyes were not kind, and Rust, Baker, Brittney, and Jenny hid far away without breathing, for fear of suffering disaster.
"Take a beautiful woman to San Quentin Prison?" Dean sniffed the faint fragrance of the hair of the girl next to him, looked at her sapphire eyes, and shook his head solemnly, "I can guarantee that those people who haven't seen each other in decades Prisoners who are hungry for the opposite sex will tear down the iron bars and rush out to eat you alive!"
Gretchen pursed her lips, but the sharpness in her eyes softened slightly.
Baker quietly gave Dean a thumbs up, changed into a suit, became more handsome, and his mouth became sweeter.
"Have you visited Abby?" Dean asked,
Gretchen gritted her teeth and rubbed the golden hair that was sleeping soundly at her feet, "The condition is very bad, she lost ten pounds... Several tattooed female prisoners stared at her with scary eyes all day long, threatening to remove her body." Bones, making it hard for her to sleep well.”
"When Abby first entered the detention center, the prison guards stripped her naked and checked her inside and out." Britney's fair cheeks turned red with anger, "It was simply deliberately insulting."
"Those are the rules." Dean learns and sells them now, "to prevent prisoners from attacking others or committing suicide."
"Okay, everyone, stop complaining and get back to the topic. What did you find in San Quentin Prison?" Rust looked at Dean calmly.
"Abby's case is not an isolated case. The process is a bit metaphysical. Are you sure you want to listen?"
"Don't underestimate people. In terms of professionalism, we are not as good as COP, but we are young and quick-thinking. We can brainstorm ideas together," Gretchen pulled Dean's arm. "Maybe we can help you find your oversights!"
Dean pondered, glancing at the expectant eyes, and told the abridged version of the case, and sternly warned everyone not to leak it.
"Sorry, this is too weird..." Rust shook his head, "I have to sort it out."
"My mind is a mess." Baker suppressed the laughter in his heart and his expression became distorted, "But Charlotte Holmes will be confused again when she is reincarnated."
Dean looked at Gretchen and Britney with confusion in his eyes.
"The story is as complicated as the Bible. My brain hurts when I hear it." Jenny shook her dreadlocks on the back of her head and tapped Dean's chest twice. "I only remember three points. Serial killer, Specializing in children, hypnosis…but I had some inspiration.”
Dean made a gesture of listening, and the others also came back to their senses and pricked up their ears.
"Before middle school, whenever I was disobedient and didn't sleep well, my grandmother would threaten me like this..." Jenny clasped her hands into claws and put them on both sides of her chin to pose like a Tyrannosaurus rex, with her mouth squeezed into an O shape and thick. She said in a hoarse voice, "The black witch will abduct unruly children into the forest, crush them, boil them into ointment and smear them all over their bodies to keep them young forever."
Rust nodded with lingering fear, "Grace once scared me like this, but it wasn't the black witch, she was talking about the Gray Fairy."
"My dad said the Tooth Fairy." Baker interjected.
A group of people discussed their childhood shadows animatedly, leaving Abby behind.
Dean's face darkened.
Folklore stories span too much, so how can they be connected to serial killers?
But then he thought about it.
The murderer is definitely not a god, but he may not be a human being, but an evil being.
It operates covertly and commits crimes under cover of circumstances.
It is cunning, may have been in the world for a long time, and has committed crimes beyond measure.
Even if these crimes are framed on innocent people, paper cannot cover the fire. In the long history, there will always be clues of its crimes, forming obscure legends.
For example, the Black Witch, the Gray Fairy, the Tooth Fairy...
When it comes to supernatural cases, you should let your imagination run wild and not miss any possibilities!
"Jenny, besides the black witch who scares children, does your grandmother know any other folklore stories?"
"You have asked the right person." Jenny said proudly, "Tribeca likes to collect various folklore stories... and record them. For more than 40 years, she has memorized several thick books. Big books and hundreds of stories about America, Europe, and Cuba are all her treasures."
Dean smiled slightly,
"Is your grandma free now? I want to visit her and ask her something."
…
Jenny's home is located on the outskirts of Vegas, in a rough, shabby neighborhood with a harsh environment.
Under the dim street lights.
Dirty water and domestic garbage can be seen everywhere on the street. Young gangsters wearing turbans, dreadlocks, or tattoos are squatting in the corners, looking around with evil eyes.
"Everyone, we've arrived."
The group entered a low and old wooden house on the roadside. Time has left mottled traces on the walls, ceilings, creaking stairs, warped or dented wooden floors, and old furniture.
"Old guy, I'm back!" Jenny threw her schoolbag onto the sofa and shouted,
"So early today?" An old woman wearing a green knitted sweater came out of the kitchen on the first floor and pushed up her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose. She looked to be in her sixties, with a slightly out-of-shape figure, gray hair, but a beautiful face. There are not many wrinkles on her upper face, and her back is not hunched either. Her fair skin and facial features can vaguely reveal her youthful beauty.
"Haha, my classmate is here as a guest!" Jenny rushed over, hugged the old man and kissed him hard on the face. Then she turned around and said, "Have you met my boyfriend Beck? This is Gretchen, Rust, Britney, Dee. install."
"Good evening, Grandma Tribeca..." everyone greeted warmly,
"Haha, children, have you all had dinner?" The old man greeted warmly with a loving smile, "I just cooked a pot of beans, pork and rice, do you want to try it?"
"We have all had dinner." Dean declined with a smile and asked instead, "I heard that you know a lot of folklore stories, and I would like to ask you about this."
The old man nodded in surprise,
"As long as you don't mind my long-winded old guy, you're welcome."
"That's it! Dean accompanies Tribeca, well, wish yourself well, her corny stories make my ears tingle. The others follow me upstairs to look at the clothes I recently bought." Jenny couldn't help but grabbed Gretchen's arm and went upstairs.
"You little daredevil, you are still so frizzy at the age of eighteen." The old man shook his head and sighed, slowly arranged the backpack on the sofa, and then without any explanation brought Dean a bowl of oily rice and a bowl of floating rice. Asciaco soup with half corn.
The rice is fragrant and meaty, with distinct grains. The green beans, red pork and carrots, and yellow corn are all beautifully embellished. It reminds Dean of his favorite braised glutinous rice with bacon in his previous life.
Apparently, he had already eaten five beef burgers for dinner. Now that the delicious food was available, the glutton in Dean's stomach started to get ready again, so he stopped politely chewing.
The old man sat opposite, his eyes gentle and loving, as if he were looking at his own grandson.
"By the way, this is a gift for you."
"You have a heart."
The old man put the box in front of his nose, smelled it, took one out, and lit it. A hazy smoke filled the air under the light, and the shallow wrinkles on his face seemed to tell a story of vicissitudes of life.
"Dean, generally those who are interested in folklore are much older. How can you pay attention to this information at such a young age?"
Dean took a sip of the vegetable soup, looked at the other party's deep eyes containing wisdom, thought for a moment, and said calmly,
"I was a volunteer at the LVPD, and I encountered a case. The circumstances of the case were really bizarre. So, I wanted to see if I could find inspiration for solving the case from folklore."
"Bold ideas, only young people are so creative." The old man had a hint of appreciation on his face, and poured another spoonful of rice into Dean's half-empty bowl.
"I have to ask you a question first, do you believe there are evil supernatural beings in the world?"
"Of course... I firmly believe that there are evil creatures in this world that cannot be explained by common sense and scientific knowledge," Dean said without thinking, "such as devils and a few ghosts."
"You evil few ghosts, your tone is exactly the same as that of an old friend of mine named Marlene."
"Marlene Daley?" Dean thought of the psychic expert he and Alvin visited before they dealt with the medium-level ghost Alexander Raphael. Unfortunately, when he visited again later, the psychic expert had already traveled far away.
"Do you know her?" Tribeca said with surprise in her eyes.
“She is a true professional and has helped me tremendously with my mediumship.”
"Have you ever seen that kind of unscientific thing?" the old man asked,
Dean lowered his voice, "I won't hide it from you, I have seen it."
"Since you have seen the dark side of this world, I will no longer hide it." Tribeca raised her head slightly and asked a strange question, "Do you think there is only one devil, or are there many?"
"There are many, there is endless evil in the world." Dean said thoughtfully.
"That's beautifully said. Then how do I know that you are not one of them, deliberately coming here to take away the life of me, an expert." Tribeca put out her cigarette, put her hands on the table, and looked dignified.
Dean put down the spoon in surprise, but noticed the smile on the corner of the old woman's mouth. His heart moved, and he made a gesture of reaching for his pocket, "Do you want to check my driver's license?"
"Haha," Tribeca laughed happily, "Devils don't have humor, you passed the test. Now tell me what the case is, and I'll see if I can get something useful out of this dim mind. information."
Dean described the two cases of Abby Clark and David Lee in detail, including the details of the almost extermination of the victim and the murderer's family in David's case.
After hearing this, Tribeca frowned and stared at the dining table in deep thought for a long time. Under the dim light, the wrinkles on her face gradually relaxed.
"The two cases you just talked about reminded me of a terrifying existence. Well, when you were a child, if you didn't be obedient and sleep well, your parents would tell you who would come to find you?"
"Grandma Wolf...Big Bad Wolf...Human Trafficker..."
A trace of pity flashed in Tribeca's eyes, and she served him another spoonful of rice.
Dean's arm shook like a cramp to block the spoon brought by the old man, "No, I really can't eat any more!"
The old lady reluctantly put the spoonful of rice back on the plate and continued,
"When I was a kid, I heard from my grandma that the Sleeping Fairy, El Cuco, would come and take away children who didn't obey. And when my grandma was a kid, she heard her grandma tell that too."
"Legends and stories are passed down from generation to generation."
Sleeping Fairy? Dean ran the word over in his mind, but had no impression.
The old man raised his head slightly and spoke in a cadence like he was reciting poetry.
"Sleep, child, and sleep now, or the sleeping fairy will come and eat you."
"But in fact, all ancient civilizations always have a bad habit -"
"Use fairy tales and legends to cover up the cruel historical truth and hide the traces of evil creatures that cannot be explained by science!"
Dean's face straightened, he knew the important point was coming,
"In Cuba, when we warn children with the story of the Sleeping Fairy, we say, 'Go to sleep, and if you don't behave, El Cuco will snatch you away and eat you.'"
"But we should warn the children more like this -" deep fear and disgust appeared in the old man's wise eyes, "'It doesn't matter whether you obey or not, because the Sleeping Fairy can catch whoever he wants!'"
Arrest whoever you want!
call--
The curtains shook.
A gust of night wind blew in from the kitchen window, and Dean felt a chill on his back. How could a good fairy tale turn into a horror story?
"You specifically mentioned the Sleeping Fairy. Do you think it was this legendary monster that committed these two crimes?"
"Listen to me, the Sleeping Fairy is more than just a legend."
Tribeca glanced at the second floor, blew out a smoke ring, and continued in a low voice,
"No child chosen by the Sleeping Fairy can escape its claws, as it can shape-shift into anyone it wants to be, marking it with a crescent scar and putting the chosen one into a comatose state before and after committing the crime."
"The Sleeping Fairy hunts, frames blame, and hides by mimicking the real thing with its shape-shifting ability."
Marked, lethargic, transformed?
Dean was shocked as if he was struck by lightning——
Sleeping fairies shapeshift and hunt children?
It's not hypnosis?
Transformation was the first possibility he eliminated. He subconsciously believed that transformation would not cause DNA and blood to change as well!
Tribeca's expression was so serious that two nasolabial folds appeared on her face, and she explained his doubts, "This kind of transformation is not just about putting on a layer of skin, growing taller or shorter, but from the inside out. A change in the nature of life.”
"A change in the essence of life?" Dean asked cautiously, "You mean, the sleeping fairy's transformation, appearance and DNA changed at the same time?"
"Is DNA the modern scientific explanation of the nature of life?" Tribeca nodded, "Then I think so. Its deformation cannot be distinguished by scientific means."
Dean's throat squirmed and he swallowed.
"Wait a moment, I need to sort things out."
Tribeca smiled thoughtfully,
"Think about it slowly. I can understand your mood. Today, many people do not accept things they cannot understand and classify them as coincidences or superstitions. If you do not accept the existence of the Sleeping Fairy, treat it as a Boring horror story.”
"No, I believe it! I have seen similar existences, but I have to think about it. Sleeping Fairy can transform and even deceive DNA."
Dean stared at the rose-colored chandelier on the ceiling in ecstasy, breathing rapidly. A large amount of vague information in his mind was entangled and mixed, and then quickly became organized, arranged into a timeline, a logical chain!
Finally the explanation makes sense!
His original conclusion about hypnotizing Abby to commit the crime was wrong, so the system progress changed very little.
Crescent-shaped scars are not used to hypnotize murderers and make them commit crimes!
It is used by the Sleeping Fairy to mark the chosen ones.
After being marked, the Sleeping Fairy will transform into the chosen one from the inside out at a certain time in the future. Using this new identity, he will personally hunt and eat a child.
In Santa Monica, David Lee was marked by a scar and unfortunately became the Chosen One.
On July 22, Sleeping Fairy killed Kelly Scott despite his identity and appearance, and re-tagged Abby Clark that night.
On September 20, Sleeping Fairy put on the special three-stripe Adidas bought in Santa Monica, came to Las Vegas, transformed into Abby, killed Bucky Fran, and re-tagged the bar owner that night. Jack.
With this analysis, one of Dean's previous doubts about sportswear has been answered - why did the murderer deliberately rush from Santa Monica to Las Vegas to have Abby put on white sportswear and commit another crime? This step is redundant and pointless.
Now Dean understands that this dress was worn by the Sleeping Fairy from beginning to end. It was the one who bought the clothes in Santa Monica and it was also the one who committed the crime!
Not long ago, Karl revealed that a very small amount of unknown liquid on his sports coat does not belong to humans, nor does it belong to most animals——
It must be the bodily fluids that monsters like the Sleeping Fairy accidentally got on before they transformed!
This ancient existence didn't know how sophisticated modern detection methods were, so it left a flaw.
Two cases.
It carries other people's skin, unscrupulously leaving a large amount of DNA, tooth marks, and blood at the crime scene, and deliberately wandering under the surveillance camera.
All to frame the blame on the chosen ones, David and Abby, and create ironclad evidence of guilt!
When the chosen person is punished by law and sent to prison for punishment, the case is officially over.
The Sleeping Fairy, this clever predator and real murderer, can change into a human form and continue to cause harm to other areas!
The progress jumped to eighty percent.
…
"The legend of the Sleeping Fairy matches the details of the crime surprisingly well!"
"I misjudged the transformation as hypnosis, but fortunately the general direction of the investigation was correct!"
Dean's inner balance immediately tipped towards this more reasonable conclusion.
As for the symptoms of fever, lethargy and scar pain that David and Abby have, it now seems that it may be a supernatural method used by the Sleeping Fairy to prevent the chosen ones from causing trouble.
breathe…
Dean clenched his fists, took a deep breath, straightened his eyebrows, and looked at Tribeca opposite,
"If the Sleeping Fairy is committing the crime, are the deaths of the victim Kelly Scott's family and the murderer David Lee's family related to the Sleeping Fairy?"
"Did they die before Kelly was killed or after she was killed?" the old man asked.
"Within weeks of being killed."
"You guessed it right, their deaths were not a coincidence." Tribeca stood up, walked around the kitchen, with a solemn expression, and said word by word, "Sleeping Fairy, El Cuco, also known as the Death Eater and the Tear Drinker By."
"After it eats the child with its own mouth, it will stay near that area for a period of time, quietly affecting the two miserable families of the chosen one and the victim, pushing them to their doom."
"Devouring sorrow, devouring sorrow, it is eager to swallow the extreme grief, despair, and all kinds of negative emotions of the 'two victims' relatives."
"Hold on."
Tribeca paused, grabbed the handrail and walked up the stairs. After a while, she hugged down a large book.
Put it on the dining table, opened a certain page and put it in front of Dean,
Dean saw a terrifying portrait on the page - a humanoid creature with its entire head replaced by a scarlet abyss mouth. Its mouth was filled with sharp and long fangs that were as sharp as steel needles and shone with cold light. It made a silent and unclean sound. The earth howls, spreading sorrow and pain!
Then, Tribeca said those words to the stunned Dean that he would never forget,
"If children are the main course of the Death Eater, then the pain and sorrow of loved ones are its dessert."
"This evil creature strives to kill all of them every time it hunts, so that it can enjoy a perfect feast."
"Victims and chosen ones, both families, are its prey and sacrifices, and will be devoured by it!"
Dean wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with trembling fingers.
He glanced at the system.
Investigation progress 80/100→90/100.
no doubt.
The murderer is none other than this monster from folklore—the Death Eater!
"Fortunately, I have convinced the LVPD to send people to monitor and protect the two families in advance!"
"Are you thinking about how to catch it, kid?" The old man saw the tension and confusion on his face and asked,
"Yeah." Dean said the three routes he analyzed, "Who do you think the Death Eater will attack first?"
"You have to remember that the Death Eater feeds on the grief of the victim's family. So the more sad the emotion, the greater the temptation. When will this grief reach its peak?"
the old man asked.
Dean thought, his eyes lit up,
"That must be the day Bucky Fran's parents hold a funeral for him and bury him! The Death Eater will enter the funeral scene if they want to enjoy the 'dessert'!"
The old man nodded heavily, "I think that's the best chance to seize it!"
"I hope Bucky hasn't been buried yet!" Dean cracked his knuckles.
A sense of achievement and a sense of crisis are mixed.
He turned to the old man,
"Have you seen the Death Eater with your own eyes?"
The old man shook his head, a trace of distant pain flashed across his face, "I have only seen the results of its troubles. When I was in my twenties, when I was still in Cuba, my uncle's child was framed by the Sleeping Fairy and sentenced to death. The process was as follows. The two cases you mentioned were exactly the same, and then two families died."
"I tried looking for it but had no clues."
"Then do you know what its weaknesses are?"
"Weakness? Sorry," the woman's gray hair shook, "I am an ordinary folklore researcher, not a combat expert. But I think it is not too powerful, otherwise there would be no need to commit crimes so secretly and sneakily."
The old man looked at his resolute face for a long time, as if he were looking at an old man, his face full of nostalgia.
"But it has a long lifespan and is very cunning. Not only can it deform, it can also easily trigger negative emotions deep in people's hearts, causing people to uncontrollably harm themselves or even hurt others."
"I remember the deformation and emotional impact," Dean thought about the countermeasures and said gratefully, "Your words helped me a lot."
"I also hope that the devil goes to hell, and I even hope that young people like you are safe and sound."
"One more piece of advice for you. If you don't want to be regarded as a lunatic, don't reveal tonight's topic." Tribeca raised her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose and looked at the second floor lovingly, "Don't tell Jenny and those people Children, they are different from you, they belong to the ordinary and bright world."
"I will keep it secret." Dean solemnly promised.
Jenny's lively noise suddenly came from upstairs.
Dean said hesitantly,
"Tribeca, if I succeed this time, can I come and chat with you in the future and hear more legends?"
The old man laughed happily to tears,
"Then you have to save your appetite and eat more when the time comes."
…
"Did Grandma Tribeca's legendary story not provide you with inspiration?" Rust held his chin in disappointment and looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, "This is reasonable."
"Everyone, it's almost time to go home." Baker hugged Jenny's arm tightly and kissed her forehead, "See you tomorrow."
"What about Abby?" Britney said worriedly, "She has three days to go to court."
"Don't worry, I will find another way to rescue Abby. That's it for today." Dean slowly glanced at all his friends.
"If there is any new news, I must notify everyone, understand?" Gretchen grabbed the collar of Dean's suit, pulled him toward her, looked directly into his eyes, waved her fist, and her clear voice warned with a hint of pleading. , "I'll hide it from everyone again, I want you to look good!"
"I will." Dean said apologetically.
You should live peacefully in the world of ordinary people.
(End of chapter)
