Chapter 411 Suspicious
Luke straightened out his train of thought, now there are 4 questions.
First question, is Albus Stone the buyer of the ten robbed oil paintings?
The second question, did Albus Stone die a natural death, or was he murdered?
If it was a homicide, is it related to the ten oil paintings that were robbed of the wall?
The third question, if Albus Stone died of natural causes and was terminally ill, then why is he still messing around with oil paintings?
The fourth question, where is the oil painting?
If Albus Stone is still alive, Luke just asks.
Now that Albus Stone is dead, Luke needs to investigate on his own, which is exponentially more difficult.
These doubts forced Luke to leave Albus Stone's house.
He needs more evidence and clues to prove his judgment or overthrow his assumption.
Albus Stone had just died, and Luke couldn't rush to search the mourning hall without sufficient evidence.
This kind of thing is a taboo, and it is easy to cause dissatisfaction among family members.
…
After learning from detective Michelle Harold that Albus Stone was the client, Luke had a reason to investigate Albus Stone.
Before he went to Albus Stone's house, he had assigned tasks to the team members and asked them to investigate separately.
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the team members returned to the police station one after another, and Luke called everyone to a meeting.
Luke cut to the chase, "Guys, I went to Albus Stone's house. He's dead. There's a wake at the house."
The deputy said, "Dead? Are you sure it's Albus Stone himself?"
"His body is placed in the freezer, and it looks like Albus Stone himself." Luke's tone was not too sure, after all, he just met Albus Stone in a hurry at the door of the ward.
The deputy team stroked his hair with the fingers of his right hand, "Is it too coincidental? Is it a natural death?"
"According to Mrs. Stone, the husband's condition is very serious, there is no hope of cure, and he is just dragging on.
Mr. Stone figured it out two days ago, and asked to remove the medical equipment, and the doctors and nurses also left.
Mr. Stone passed away at 11:30 last night. He passed away peacefully. Mrs. Stone was the first to find out. "
The deputy team snorted, "Mrs. Stone, Mrs. Stone, all the words are said by Mrs. Stone.
If she wanted to kill her husband, it couldn't be easier.
The dead will not stand up and refute. "
Jenny was a little speechless, "Deputy team, not all couples have conflicts, but also rely on each other and love each other."
The deputy team said, "They are not ordinary couples. This Mr. Stone is called California's 'Buffett'. Similar to this kind of rich family family relationship is like a piece of paper, which can be pierced with one finger."
Jenny shook her head, "You are too extreme."
"I know that Mr. Stone is old and has a high chance of dying of natural causes.
But old men also have human rights, and the possibility of homicide cannot be subjectively ruled out just because of their age.
Moreover, for a rich man, the age of eighty is not very old, and it is far from the average life expectancy of the rich. "The deputy team has its own set of ideas about the relationship between husband and wife. This set of ideas is obtained after decades of personal practice, and it is difficult to shake.
Jenny said, "If according to you, Mr. Stone's death is related to his wife, but Mr. Stone has been in poor health and will not live for long.
What reason does Mrs. Stone have to kill him? "
"If the motive for the murder is so obvious that you can guess it in a few words, then everyone will know who the murderer is, so why do you need the robbery and murder department?" The possibility of homicide should be ruled out first."
The deputy team's words reminded Luke that he and Jackson went to Stone's house that day, and Albus Stone fell ill. At that time, only with equipment monitoring and timely rescue by medical staff, Albus Stone recovered his life.
In fact, there is no need for anyone to deliberately harm him. As long as the monitoring equipment and medical staff are removed, Albus Stone will not live for a few days.
Therefore, the evidence of homicide is difficult to determine.
If, as Mrs. Stone said, her husband stopped torturing, didn’t want to suffer any more, wanted to leave comfortably, and took the initiative to remove the medical equipment, it would be a natural death.
If it was Mrs. Stone who asked for the removal of medical equipment and medical care, then the issue would be complicated, but it would also be difficult to judge.
Since the deputy team is more concerned about this kind of thing, Luke simply handed it over to him.
The deputy team agreed very happily, "I will have a good talk with Mr. Stone's doctor."
Luke asked, "How is the investigation of Mr. Stone's immediate family members?"
Matthew replied, "Mr. Stone has a wife, a son and a daughter. The son works in Mr. Stone's company and is now the general manager and executive director of the company; the daughter has lived in New York for a long time and bought a flight to Los Angeles early this morning. Air tickets."
Luke said, "What about the economic situation?"
Raymond said, "We went to the banking system to investigate, and Mr. Stone's financial situation is good.
Ten million dollars in cash were withdrawn from the account two months ago. "
Jackson said, "Could the ten million dollars be used to buy the ten oil paintings that were robbed?"
Xiao Hei said, "The purchase price of the stolen goods is usually between 5% and 20%. The market price of the ten oil paintings is 20 million U.S. dollars. If they were bought on the black market, they would only cost 1 million to 4 million U.S. dollars. In between, it doesn't take that much money at all.
This amount does not match the stolen money. "
The deputy team said, "Nothing in this world is static and full of surprises.
I have interrogated many prisoners. Their crime plans are very careful, but accidents happen every time they commit a crime. There is no perfect case in this world.
The same is true for this oil painting robbery. The deputy team seemed to feel a little hot, took off their coats, and continued, "The suspect originally planned to steal from the Getty Museum, but he was more proactive and would definitely pick some precious oil paintings."
Even the price of one oil painting can exceed the total price of these ten oil paintings.
But because the Getty Museum's security measures are too tight, they chose to rob the transported oil paintings.
In this case, the autonomy will be much worse. The museum has the final say on how many oil paintings to transport and which oil paintings to transport.
Therefore, the cash that Albus Stone prepared to buy the oil painting is not equal to the value of the oil painting, which is completely understandable. "
Xiao Hei said, "If Albus Stone is really the buyer, he is almost dead, why buy the robbed oil painting?"
Jackson said, "Is it possible that Albus Stone was just pushed ahead and the real buyer was someone else.
After all, he is just an old man who can't take care of himself, which is not difficult. "
The deputy team said, "That's what I want to say too.
Albus Stone was used by someone, and when the use was over, the clues of the oil painting would be cut off.
And what we are facing now is this kind of situation. "
Xiao Hei suggested, "According to the time speculation, Albus Stone's body should have been transferred to the church for the memorial ceremony, then we have no scruples.
Can you directly apply for a search warrant to search his villa. "
Without waiting for Luke to answer, the deputy team said, "It is difficult to apply for a search warrant with the existing evidence.
Although we've found out that Albus Stone hired detectives to investigate the painting heist, it's not illegal.
As for the two detectives pretending to be police detectives, it has nothing to do with him.
There is no clear evidence to prove that he is related to the oil painting robbery, let alone that he is the buyer.
Conjecture is speculation and cannot be used as evidence. "
Xiao Hei frowned and said, "Albus Stone is dead now, we cannot investigate him directly.
And now we don't have enough evidence to apply for a search warrant, and we can't find more evidence without a search.
It is difficult to make progress in the case if this continues. "
The deputy team shrugged, "Although what you said makes sense, it is the truth."
Actually, with the relationship between Luke and Judge Walker, it is not difficult to apply for a search warrant.
It's just that, unless there are special circumstances or full confidence, Luke doesn't want to use his personal relationship.
If no valuable clues or evidence are found, Walker's trust in him will be overdrawn.
The police searched rashly without knowing the location of the oil painting, and it is likely to be missed, and he, the captain, will have to bear the responsibility at that time.
After figuring it out, Luke said to everyone, "I will find a way about the search warrant, but before that, I need to meet the other family members of Albus Stone."
…
When Luke arrived at the church, the memorial ceremony had already ended, and Albus Stone's body had been transported to the cemetery, where the funeral would be held tomorrow morning.
Luke drove to Walter's cemetery.
Walter Cemetery is located on the hillside with beautiful scenery. The cemetery has a large area. There is a separate mortuary room in the cemetery, and there is also a rest area for family members. It can be buried or cremated. It has complete facilities and one-stop service. Those who are buried here are either rich or noble.
Luke is used to seeing life and death, so it is inevitable that he will be a little bit embarrassed. When he is alive, he will be classified into three or six grades, and if he is dead, he will be ranked high or low.
Ms. Stone is getting old, because of excessive sadness and fatigue, she is not feeling well, and has returned to the villa.
It is Albus Stone's son Tom Stone who is now in charge of the funeral.
When Luke found him, he was digging a grave with people.
Luke cut to the chase, "Are you Mr. Tom Stone, the son of Mr. Albus Stone?"
"It's me." Tom Stone looked less than fifty years old, and he looked like Albus Stone, with a big beard, similar height to Luke, thin, with high cheekbones , I don't feel like an easy person to get along with.
"I am Luke Li, Captain of the First Squadron of the Robbery and Murder Division.
Mr. Tom Stone, if it is convenient, I would like to talk to you. "
"My father just passed away, and I don't have the time to talk about other things until I finish dealing with his funeral." Tom Stone refused very simply.
"Actually, the purpose of my coming here today is for your father."
"My father is dead, are you coming too late?"
"Your father is involved in a major criminal case, no matter sooner or later, we must investigate."
"Are you scaring me?"
"I am telling the truth."
"My father has been seriously ill for a long time, how could he be involved in any criminal case?"
"We also hope that we made a mistake, so we came to visit you, explain the matter clearly, and return your father's innocence."
Tom Stone shook his head, "My father is innocent, so you don't need to prove anything, just leave."
"It's better to talk now than to come tomorrow with a search warrant."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm just doing business."
"Go to your official business, I won't accept your tricks." Tom Stone pointed at Luke with his finger, and his voice was a little dissatisfied.
"do you know?
I know a deputy police chief.
When I have time, I will ask him if this is business. "
"do you know?
I know the President of the United States.
He personally awarded me the medal.
I said yes.
that is. "
Luke smiled and patted him on the shoulder,
"See you tomorrow."
"Wait." Tom Stone pinched his forehead and sighed, "Tomorrow morning is my father's funeral.
I don’t want to be affected by…”
"I don't want to do that either, so we need to talk about it, don't you think?"
"OK, let's talk."
"very good."
"Let's go over there to talk." Tom Stone took Luke to a farther place, "If you have any questions, just ask."
"I heard that your father's company has been handed over to you."
"Yes, he has been seriously ill in the past few years and has no energy to manage the company, and he is worried about handing over the company to professional managers, so I can only work harder."
"It can be seen that he trusts you."
“He only has two kids, not many options.”
"Some time ago, your father withdrew $10 million in cash from the bank. Do you know about it?"
Tom Stone thought for a while, "No, that's his money, so you don't need to report it to me."
"Did you know he recently hired a private eye?"
"Don't know. Why hire a private eye?
Could it be to investigate me or my sister? "
Luke asked back, "Why is he investigating you?"
"Many family leaders will 'get to know' their heirs before they die. This is normal."
"Unfortunately, your father is not interested in your siblings. He asked a private detective to investigate a robbery case."
Tom Stone frowned slightly, "What robbery?"
“Some time ago, there was an oil painting robbery at the Getty Museum, and ten oil paintings were taken away by gangsters.
Your father also hired detectives to investigate the case.
As the saying goes, knowing a father is like a son, why do you think he would do this? "
"I..." Tom Stone hesitated for a moment, "I don't know either."
Luke took out a few sketch portraits, including the professor's criminal investigation sketch portrait, "Is there anyone you know here?"
Tom Stone looked at it, shook his head, "No."
"Look carefully."
"Yes."
"Has your father bought a new painting recently?"
"No." Tom Stone answered very simply.
"are you sure?"
"Yes, I like oil painting too.
If he buys an oil painting, I will definitely appreciate it. "
Tom. Stone vowed.
Luke felt that he was a little nervous, as if he was suspected of lying.
He should know something.
Could it be...
He is the buyer behind the scenes?
Depressed, almost finished writing, accidentally touched the mouse to close the webpage, and lost half of the manuscript.
I don’t know if I didn’t save it, or the webpage got stuck.
I have to rewrite it.
This is the second time that the writer's assistant has lost a manuscript.
(end of this chapter)