The man adjusted his glasses with his finger: “Captain Bennett, I specifically came to report the progress of the case to you. If you say that, I’ll just leave.”

“Come back, I was just joking with you.”

The man nicknamed “Glasses” was called Steven Grant, a technician in the trace evidence lab, and one of the few people at the police station who was nearsighted.

“There wasn’t much evidence left at the scene by the suspect. We only collected some white genetic material and two hairs. The sample from which we extracted the genetic material has been sent to the DNA database for comparison.”

Brian Hall flicked his cigarette ash: “How was the suspect knocked out?”

“Ether.”

Paul Bennett frowned: “Ether is a controlled substance. Where did he get it?”

“That’s your job to find out.” Steven Grant shrugged.

He put on a look that said it had nothing to do with him.

“Did you collect any usable fingerprints from the suspect?” Brian Hall asked.

“No.”

“I asked the victim. She felt the suspect was wearing gloves when she was knocked out. As for what happened after, she doesn’t know.” Lily Turner said.

Paul Bennett handed Steven Grant a cigarette: “How long will it take to get the DNA comparison results?”

“That’s hard to say, depends on luck. It’s also possible the comparison won’t succeed.” Steven Grant declined the cigarette: “Thanks, I’ve quit.”

“If there’s any news, notify me immediately,” said Paul Bennett.

“Okay.” Steven Grant replied and left the office of Team Two.

Paul Bennett stubbed out his cigarette: “Everyone is now aware of the case progress and clues. If you have any ideas, speak up.”

“Ether is a prohibited substance, you can’t buy it at a regular pharmacy. We can use the source of the ether as a direction for investigation.” Lily Turner suggested.

James Reed continued, “We can keep checking surveillance footage. Anyone who appeared during the time of the crime and fits the conditions for committing the crime is a suspect.”

“Interview people who exercise at night and see if there are any witnesses or new leads.” David Thompson added.

Paul Bennett nodded: “Good summary. For now, let’s focus our investigation on these three points. If there are no other questions, let’s start assigning tasks.”

“Alright, you’re just waiting here for us.” David Thompson said with a wry smile.

“I’ll personally investigate the source of the ether.” Paul Bennett glanced at everyone. “The four of you check the surveillance during the day, and at night go to the central park to canvass and interview people.”

David Thompson frowned: “That’s a lot of work. How are we supposed to check?”

“The crime happened around 8:30 last night. After that time, any man leaving the park is a suspect and should be included in the screening.” Paul Bennett said.

“Captain Bennett, I’d like to talk to the victim and see if there are any other leads.” Brian Hall said.

“Go ahead.”

Paul Bennett reminded, “The victim is still emotionally unstable. Let Lily Turner accompany you.”

“Yes.”

……

Qindao Branch, reception room.

Creak… the door opened.

Lily Turner and Brian Hall entered the reception room.

On the sofa sat an intellectual-looking woman, dignified in appearance and with a well-proportioned figure, tear stains still on her face.

“Mr. Harris.”

Wendy Harris looked up at Lily Turner and Brian Hall and nodded slightly.

“Mr. Harris, this is Officer Hall from the criminal investigation team. He’d like to ask you a few questions.” Lily Turner introduced.

“What questions?”

Brian Hall sat down across from her: “Mr. Harris, do you often exercise in the central park?”

“Yes.”

“Do you usually go alone or with friends?”

“It depends.”

“Have you ever been followed or watched while jogging at night before?”

“No.”

Brian Hall pressed further: “Can you think of any other clues?”

“No, there are no other clues.” Wendy Harris shook her head.

According to microexpression analysis, stiffly repeating a question is a typical sign of lying.

Brian Hall frowned. If the victim is hiding clues, it’s very bad for the investigation.

“Mr. Harris, are you hiding any new clues from the police?”

“I’ve told the police everything I know.” Wendy Harris leaned back and crossed her arms.

This was a typical defensive and resistant posture. Brian Hall was even more certain that Wendy Harris was hiding something.

“I know this incident hurt you a lot, and maybe you don’t want to recall it. But if you hide clues, we won’t be able to catch the suspect, and he might hurt others.”

Wendy Harris closed her eyes, her expression changing several times: “He stole my underwear.”

Chapter 0006: True or False

8 p.m., back gate of the central park.

“Ugh, what a pervert!” David Thompson spat.

Brian Hall shrank his neck back: “Watch your spit.”

“Can you believe Wendy Harris actually hid such an important piece of evidence?” David Thompson was a bit exasperated.

“This incident hit her pretty hard. She might not have noticed at the time, and afterward it was hard to talk about.”

“People are coming into the park.”

Brian Hall and David Thompson, each holding a stack of photos, stood at the park entrance screening people.

After processing by the tech department, they had obtained some frontal photos of people to be screened. More images were still being processed, and it was estimated that some images would be hard to make out even after processing.