Chapter 372 Contradiction
It was approaching noon, and Luke took a break from his busy schedule to have a meal.
At the same time, the police also collected information on the deceased through other channels.
Hashimoto Yoshimi belongs to the first generation of immigrants. Her parents are both in Japan, and she has no immediate relatives in Los Angeles.
In addition, Hashimoto Yoshimi called the police a month ago, claiming that his office had been burglarized. Because there were not enough clues, the police never caught the suspect.
Luke has a lot of doubts about Hashimoto Yoshimi. Since her family is not there, she can only find out through other channels.
In the afternoon, Luke and Jackson rushed to the Armenian Architect Design Company.
This company is located in a three-story office building with a special architectural style. The building is green in color and mostly made of glass, which looks very novel.
Luke and Jackson went to the lobby on the first floor and explained their intentions to the front desk receptionist.
Not long after, a white woman in her thirties came over, wearing a black professional dress, exchanged a few words with the front desk, looked at Luke and said, "Sir, are you here to find Vice President Hashimoto?"
"Yes." Jackson took the initiative to introduce, "I am Detective Jackson from the Robbery and Murder Division, and this is our Captain Li."
"Hello police officers, I am Melanie Hickman, assistant to President Hashimoto, you can call me Melanie.
What happened to President Hashimoto? "
Jackson asked, "Why do you ask that?"
"President Hashimoto always comes to work on time, but today she didn't come, nor did she ask for leave. I couldn't reach her on her cell phone, which is very abnormal."
Luke said, "Yoshime Hashimoto is dead."
Melanie Hickman showed a surprised look, "God, is what you said true?"
"That's why we're here."
Melanie Hickman asked, "How did President Hashimoto die?"
Luke glanced around, and people passed by from time to time, "Who knows her better in the company?"
"I am her assistant and have more contact with her."
"Then let's talk in a quieter place."
Melanie Hickman nodded, "Okay, two police officers, please follow me."
Afterwards, Melanie Hickman took Luke and the two to the lounge, and poured two cups of coffee for Luke and the two, "Captain Li, is President Hashimoto really dead? She was fine yesterday ,I can not believe it."
"If you don't believe me, you can follow us to the police station to identify the body."
Hashimoto Yoshimi has no immediate family members in Los Angeles, and Luke still hopes to find someone familiar to confirm her identity.
Melanie Hickman looked embarrassed, "Recognize the dead body?
Uh...I'm afraid I can't...
Feel sorry…"
Luke made the next best thing, "If you want, we can let you look at the body of the deceased to confirm whether it is her?"
Melanie Hickman hesitated for a while, her hands intertwined, still looking a little nervous.
Jackson encouraged, "Don't be afraid, with us by your side, there is nothing to worry about."
Melanie Hickman took a deep breath before saying, "OK, I can identify it from the photo."
Jackson took out the photo and put it in front of the other party.
Melanie Hickman stretched out her hand, then retracted it, fixed her eyes on the photo on the table, and quickly turned her head aside, "It's President Hashimoto.
Who killed her? "
Luke said, "This is what we want to know too.
Since you are her assistant, you should have a better understanding of her situation. Has she encountered any trouble recently? "
"I don't know much about this.
Although I am her assistant, she seldom talks about personal affairs, but only helps her with work matters. "
"Does she have someone close to her?"
Melanie Hickman said, "President Hashimoto was originally a member of the Japanese branch, and was later transferred to the Los Angeles company.
She doesn't seem to have many relatives and friends here. "
"What car does she usually drive to work?"
“Usually a red Lexus, and occasionally a red Ferrari.
Usually put it in the parking lot below, I even sat in it once, and that Ferrari is very beautiful. "
"Aside from serving as the vice president of this company, does Yoshimi Hashimoto have any other part-time jobs?"
"part time?
This is unlikely.
President Hashimoto works very hard. He works more than ten hours a day, sometimes even until eight or nine in the evening. He has no time for other part-time jobs. "
"Does she have a boyfriend?"
"Probably not, at least I haven't seen it."
Luke wrote down in his notebook that according to assistant Melanie Hickman, Hashimoto Yoshimi should be a normal company executive, so why is she a part-time street girl?
"Why doesn't she have a boyfriend?"
"I asked too, and she said she was too busy to have time."
Don’t have time to have a boyfriend, but have time to be a street girl?
Could it be that he has a special hobby?
Luke pressed, "Is there anything unusual about her?"
Melanie Hickman thought for a moment, "No."
Luke flipped through his notebook, "Has anything happened to her before?"
"Not as far as I know."
"According to the police system records, she reported to the police some time ago, do you know?"
"Know.
Her office was stolen, but there was nothing valuable in the office, so it was nothing. "
"Is her office stolen? Or is the whole company stolen?"
"I remember her only office was stolen."
Luke said, "This is interesting.
The company is so big, why did the thief only steal her office? "
Melanie Hickman shook her head, "I don't know either."
"Then what was missing, you should know."
"That is, some files are missing."
"Document about what?"
"A lot of documents were lost, and the police also came to investigate, but in the end they didn't find out the reason, nor did they find the suspect."
"I think your company seems to have installed surveillance. Now that the police are here, haven't you checked the surveillance?"
"I checked, but President Hashimoto's office happens to be in a dead corner of monitoring, so I can't see it."
Luke walked outside the lounge door and glanced at the surveillance cameras on the roof. There were four surveillance cameras installed in the large office outside. "Where is President Hashimoto's office?"
Melanie Hickman pointed not far away, "It's over there."
Luke looked towards the office, then looked at the monitor, "This angle should be able to capture it."
Melanie Hickman pointed in the direction of the southeast corner, "There was only one camera in the office area before, but three more cameras were installed because of the theft."
Luke looked towards the southeast corner, and it seemed that he couldn't get a picture of the vice president's office.
Only stole office documents, but also skillfully avoided the camera. From Luke's experience, it should be done by someone inside the company.
"How long has Hashimoto Yoshimi been in your company?"
"About three years."
"Did Yoshimi Hashimoto encounter anything before and after the theft?"
"At that time, President Hashimoto had just been promoted to vice president, because he had just taken over the job, and there were some unfamiliar places, and he was busy until late every day.
She cherishes this chance of promotion. "
"How does Yoshimi Hashimoto treat you?"
"fine."
"She is dead now, or a tragic death.
Do you want to catch her killer? "
"Of course."
Luke said earnestly, "Melanie, I also hope that the murderer who killed Hashimoto Yoshimi can be caught as soon as possible.
But we still have few clues, and there are many doubts about her case.
Hope you can assist us. "
"How to help?"
Luke went through the contents of the transcript in his head. Just after being promoted to vice president a month ago, her office was robbed and killed a month later. Is there any connection between the three?
"Since you are her assistant, you should have a better understanding of her situation in the company. Does she have any enemies in the company?"
Melanie Hickman hesitates, "Uh...we're all colleagues...
Even if there is an occasional dispute, it is for work. I don’t think it should be an enemy. "
"You're right, does Yoshimi Hashimoto have competitors in the company? Or people who have conflicts at work?"
"I guess there is."
"What's your name? What's your position?"
"Director of Operations Franco Hood."
"What conflicts do they have?"
“Before, when the position of vice president was vacant, there were rumors that Director Franco Hood would be promoted to vice president.
But then it was Hashimoto Yoshime who was promoted to vice president, and the two often had some different opinions at work. "
"During the last theft, what trouble did Hashimoto Yoshime cause?"
"A very important plan was stolen. Fortunately, we worked overtime to reorganize a plan, otherwise a large order might be lost."
"What will happen if the new planning plan is not sorted out in time?"
"At that time, President Hashimoto had just been promoted to acting vice president, and she was also in charge of the planning plan. If it really went wrong, it might not be possible to become a regular in a short time, which would be troublesome."
Luke said, "Now that Yoshimi Hashimoto is dead, who do you think will take over as the vice president?"
Melanie Hickman's face was a bit ugly, "It should... maybe Director Franco Hood."
"Is he in the company now?"
"Yes."
…
Director Office.
"Boom..."
There was a knock on the door outside. A middle-aged Caucasian man was reading a document without looking up, "Come in."
The assistant pushed open the door, "Director, there are two police officers looking for you outside."
Franco Hood looked up, "What did the officer want me for?"
Without waiting for the assistant to answer, Luke and Jackson walked in.
Jackson introduced, "I am Detective Jackson from the Robbery and Murder Division, and this is our Captain Li.
We want to tell you a little bit about Yoshime Hashimoto. "
"Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"She died."
Franco Hood froze for a moment, then smiled, "Is this an April Fool's Day joke? It's not funny at all."
Luke flashed his police badge, "We don't have time for jokes."
Franco Hood stood up, with a look of confusion on his face, "Hashimoto Yoshime is really dead?"
Luke took out the photo of Hashimoto Yoshimi's corpse, "Look for yourself, is it her?"
Franco Hood took a look and stepped back in fright, "How did she die?"
"It's not clear yet. We came to the company to investigate the cause of her death."
"It was so sudden."
"Director Hood, I heard that Yoshimi Hashimoto was very familiar with you before his death. We want to know something about her."
"Sorry, I'm afraid I've disappointed you. Although we have some contacts at work, we can't really say we're familiar with each other."
"Since we have contacts at work, we should meet frequently. Is there anything unusual about her recently?"
"Did not see it."
"Has she had conflicts with anyone at work?"
Franco Hood looked at Luke and said with a smile, "Captain Li, you don't doubt me, do you?
Should I call a lawyer? "
"No need, just talking. Did you have a conflict?"
Franco Hood sighed, "Whoa, how can I say that?
The higher you go, the fewer ways to advance.
I did have some disagreements with her at work, but I had no reason to kill her, nor was it necessary. "
"Hashimoto Yoshimi is dead, who will your company take over as the vice president?"
Franco Hood picked up the phone, "I'd better bring in the lawyer first."
Luke said seriously, "You can hire a lawyer, this is your freedom.
But if you do this, it will only arouse the suspicion of the police.
Don't you think you're overreacting?
If you have a clear conscience, why don't you explain it clearly? "
"I have nothing to explain because I never did it. I don't want to talk about it anymore."
Luke changed the subject, "OK, let's talk about something else.
According to our investigation, Hashimoto Yoshimi was just promoted to vice president a month ago, and her office was burglarized. Do you know about this? "
Franco Hood snorted softly, "I know too well, after her office was stolen, she ran over to question me immediately.
I ignored her.
As a result, she called the police, and the police officers came to question me as soon as they entered the company. Everyone in the company knew about it, which made me very embarrassed.
You don’t think I’m a thief too, do you?
Do I look like it? "
Luke said, "Of course not, I just want to hear your opinion."
Franco Hood said, "This incident made me depressed for a long time, and I even investigated it privately.
Really found out some clues. "
"What clue?"
"I think someone is trying to frame me." Franco Hood snorted, "There are two possibilities for the so-called office theft.
The first possibility is that Yoshimi Hashimoto directed and acted on her own. There is no so-called theft case at all, but she didn’t handle things well and wanted to frame me.
The second possibility is that Hashimoto Yoshimi's assistant stole it. "
Luke frowned slightly, "Melanie Hickman?"
"That's right, it's her."
"Why would Melanie do this?"
"Then you have to check it yourself, I don't know."
Luke recalled the conversation with Melanie Hickman before, and felt that she was hiding something. After questioning, she revealed the contradiction between Franco Hood and the deceased.
Luke thought that she would not dare to offend Franco Hood, the director, so she would hide something.
Now it seems that she is probably using Franco Hood as a shield.
(end of this chapter)