Chapter 200 The moon is dark and the wind is high
Arrived at the police station.
Luke directly brought Shirley Art into the lounge.
Actually, from the silence along the way, Luke could see that Shirley Alter must have something to do with last night's case.
It's just not clear what role she plays in it.
A few minutes later, Luke and Xiao Hei walked into the lounge.
Luke drank a cup by himself and handed Shirley Art a cup of coffee.
"Thank you." Shirley Art took the coffee and took a symbolic sip.
"Ms. Shirley Alter, thank you for your willingness to assist us in the investigation of the Robbery and Murder Division. If there is no problem, we will start taking notes."
"Okay." Shirley Art held the cup with both hands.
"Do you know Mr. Barron Smith?"
"Barron Smith?"
"Yes."
"Yes, what happened to him?"
"How did you know each other?"
“We are colleagues, we are both realtors, and we see each other occasionally.”
"When was the last time you saw him?"
"It's been a while, uh... One of his clients happened to be interested in my client's house, but unfortunately it didn't close in the end."
"Did you see Barron Smith last night?"
"No."
Luke stared at the other person's expression, "Where were you between nine o'clock and twelve o'clock last night?"
"Uh...at home." Shirley Art showed a nervous look, "What do you want me for?"
"Can anyone prove that you are at home?" Luke saw that the other party was lying through micro-expression analysis.
Shirley Art pursed her lips, "I feel offended when you ask me that. Do I need to call a lawyer?"
Luke asked rhetorically, "Do I need to apply for a search and arrest warrant?
Or ask your husband for some information? Maybe he can prove that you were home last night? "
"nonono, don't do this!"
Shirley Arte clutched her forehead, "Damn it, why is this happening? I didn't expect this to happen, it's terrible."
Luke took advantage of the situation and asked, "What happened last night?"
Shirley Arte's eyes were red, sobbing softly, "I don't know what to say?"
"Then let me ask, did you see Barron Smith between nine o'clock and twelve o'clock last night?"
Shirley nodded.
"Affirmative answer."
"I have seen."
"Why did you meet?"
"The two of us are colleagues. He wants to cooperate with me and develop his career together, so I agree."
"When did you meet and when did you leave?"
"The two of us met at nine o'clock and separated at ten o'clock."
"Tell me about how the two of you met. What happened?"
Xue Li didn't answer immediately, but shook her head, "I really don't know what to say?"
Luke went straight to the point, "Did you kill Barron Smith?"
"No, how could I kill him?
I have no enmity with him. I didn't kill him. After finishing speaking, Shirley seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
"Who killed that?"
"I don't know..." Shirley closed her eyes and recalled, "We were in the car at the time, when I heard someone knocking outside, I turned around and saw a man wearing a mask standing outside the car with a holding a gun.
I was terrified, and Barron Smith was terrified. "
"What kind of mask?"
"A black mask with a weird shape, covering the entire face, very scary."
"Can you draw it?"
"No, I can't remember."
"What kind of gun?"
"A revolver with a black wooden handle."
Luke recorded, "How did you get held hostage so easily, and you didn't hear him when he approached the car?"
Shirley shook her head, "Not at all."
Xiao Hei showed a curious look, "What were you doing at that time? Why didn't you notice it?"
"Well…"
Sulli showed embarrassment, "We were in... the car shock, and we were very involved.
I knew it wasn't right, but he hugged me...it just happened. "
Luke asked, "Were you in the front or the back?"
"Back row."
"I see that the back row is covered with glass film, so you shouldn't be able to see clearly what's going on inside. From which direction did the murderer point the gun at you?"
"It was a bit hot last night, it was a bit stuffy in the car, we had the windows half open.
I was a little embarrassed at first, and asked him to close the windows and turn on the air conditioner, but he refused to listen.
He thinks this is more exciting..."
"Wow..." Xiao Hei whispered, "Suddenly I don't regret breaking up with Julian."
Xiao Hei always thought he was very good at playing, but the recent case made him... learn.
After breaking up with Julian, he had the first idea of picking up girls.
Luke continued to ask, "Describe the characteristics of the murderer?"
Shirley recalled for a while, "Sorry, I can't say.
I only took a quick look, and the murderer told us to close our eyes, and would kill us if we dared to open them.
I know I'm useless, but...
At that time, I was really scared and helpless. "
Luke continued to ask, "Where are the clothes?"
"Looks like a black long-sleeved dress."
"Where's the murderer's voice?"
"The voice is very hoarse, a bit robotic."
Luke made a note in his notebook that the suspect might have used a voice changer.
"What happened after that? What happened?"
"He threw in three plastic handcuffs and asked me to tie up Baron Smith's hands and feet, gag his mouth with my silk stockings, and let Baron Smith tie up my hands," he said. Then, Shirley showed Luke and Xiao Hei the traces of the wrist binding.
Luke probed, "What clothes was Barron Smith wearing at the time?"
"He...wasn't wearing it."
"Where are the socks?"
"Looks like there are socks."
"What happened next?"
"The murderer asked me to get out of the car and put my hands on the front of the car... from the back..." Shirley covered her eyes and began to cry softly.
Xiao Hei took out a tissue and handed it to her, "It's all over, it's not your fault, you shouldn't punish yourself."
"I really regret that I went to the appointment that night. If I hadn't gone, this incident would not have happened, and Barron Smith would not have died."
"How did Barron Smith die?"
Shirley wiped her eyes, "After the end, the murderer asked me to sit back in the car.
I was terrified that he would kill us, but I didn't dare to disobey.
I walked over and opened the car door.
At this moment, a car drove over from the east.
Barron Smith knew that this might be his only chance of being rescued, so he stuck his head out for help...
The murderer shot directly.
I was terrified.
Didn't get into the car, but ran directly into the woods, I don't know what happened next. "
"How many shots did the murderer fire?"
"It seemed to be six or seven shots. I was too scared at the time to remember."
Luke directly wrote a six in the notebook, and the revolver only has six bullets in total, which is also the disadvantage of the gun.
Too few bullets.
It is not easy to hit the target at night.
A person with average marksmanship may not be able to hit the fleeing person even after firing six bullets.
This explains why Shirley didn't die.
"Describe that car?"
“It was dark at the time, so I took a look, and the gun went off, and I ran away without seeing clearly.”
"color?"
"Looks like a dark color, gray or black."
"Model?"
"It may be a car. I was only concerned about escaping and didn't look carefully."
"Did the person in that car stop?"
"No."
"After I ran into the woods, although I couldn't see the car, I could see the headlights, so I left without stopping."
Luke made a note of the key points, there are likely to be witnesses.
"After you escaped, did the murderer chase you, and how did you get rescued?"
"I don't know if he chased me or not.
I kept running, and then there was no movement. I broke the plastic handcuffs on the sharp stone, and ran down the mountain to find my car. Put on a spare piece of clothing and drive home. "
Luke looked through the report of the on-site investigation team, but found no lady's clothes at the scene, "What clothes were you wearing when you ran away?"
"Skirt and corset."
"Are there any clothes left at the scene?"
"Yes, a shirt and underwear."
"Why didn't we find it at the scene?"
"I am not sure as well."
In fact, not only these were not found, but also the plastic handcuffs on the deceased and the stockings in his mouth were gone.
Except for the victim's belongings, almost no other people's belongings were found at the scene.
In other words, someone cleaned up the scene.
Luke stared at her expression, "Have you ever returned to the scene?"
"No, that's my nightmare, I never want to go there again."
"Did any of you get followed or saw anyone suspicious?"
"should not."
"Have you offended anyone recently?"
"No."
"Did you and Baron Smith carry any valuables?"
"I only have a few hundred dollars in cash and lost my mobile phone. I don't know the status of Baron Smith's belongings."
"How long have you and Barron Smith maintained this relationship?"
"Last night, our first time..."
Xiao Hei "..."
I believe you ghost.
Xiao Hei compared his eyes with his fingers, "Hey, don't try to deceive the police, no one can escape my eyes."
"It's really the first time, I promise like God." Shirley said in a trembling voice with a begging look, "Deputy Luke, Detective Marcus, please don't tell my husband and son about this .
Please.
I know I was wrong, sorry for them.
But I don't want to hurt them. If there is anything, you can come to me directly, but please don't tell them. "
Luke said, "The premise is that you didn't lie.
If you lie, according to the investigation procedure, we need to find them to verify. "
"I swear, what I just said is true."
"Last night, did your husband know about your going out?"
Shirley sighed softly, "Yes, I told him."
"How do you say that?"
"I told him that I showed a couple a house and they invited me to dinner as a way of saying thank you.
Maybe going home later.
My husband has been out of town for the past few days and just came back this morning...
He didn't ask much. "
Xiao Hei sighed, "Your husband trusts you very much."
Shirley lowered her head, "Yes, I failed his trust, I was wrong."
Xiao Hei spread his hands, "Although I am also a scumbag and love to play, you are different. You are married and should be responsible for the family."
"You're right, I'll make them up later."
While Xiao Hei was talking to Shirley.
Luke looked back at the notes. If Shirley hadn't lied, she had participated in the case almost all the way, and she was also a victim.
But what is the murderer's purpose?
Robbery?
Jie S?
Love killing?
Vendetta?
Then think of the murderer wearing a mask and a voice changer.
There are many murderers with masks, but not many murderers with voice changers.
Luke had a feeling that this was probably committed by an acquaintance.
"You just said that Mr. Arte went to another place. Where did he go?"
"Bonas City."
Bonas City also belongs to Los Angeles County, not far from Los Angeles City, and it only takes about two hours to drive.
Shirley Arte's husband must have a motive for committing the crime. The question now is whether he knew about his wife's cheating?
If he knew, then he would be very suspicious.
(end of this chapter)