Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth
Chapter 1245 - 550: Meritorious Service
After obtaining information on Rochelle Horn and surveillance videos during the drug testing period from Kerman Pharmaceutical Company, Luke led his team back to the detective bureau.
Luke instructed team members to investigate separately, then returned to the captain's office.
Inside the office, Luke laid out all the case clues and evidence regarding Rochelle Horn on the table and began to realign his thoughts.
Firstly, it's still undetermined whether Rochelle Horn's death was suicide or murder.
Luke personally leans towards murder.
Firstly, because the police didn't find a container with drugs at the crime scene; it was likely taken away by someone else, indicating that there might have been a second person present when Rochelle Horn died.
Secondly, from the current situation, Rochelle Horn was a responsible person, unlikely to leave his wife and young child by committing suicide; it defies logic.
The third point is that the fire at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company was too coincidental.
Rochelle Horn died on July 10, and on July 11, Kerman Pharmaceutical Company caught fire, possibly indicating a connection between the two events.
Luke examined the surveillance video from July 9 when Rochelle Horn went to Kerman Pharmaceutical Company for the drug testing. While Rochelle Horn appeared reserved, no obvious anomalies were found.
Luke also had someone investigate the conditions of the other drug testers, perhaps to find some clues.
"Knock, knock..."
A series of knocking sounds came from outside.
"Come in."
Black pushed the door open and walked in, "Captain, we discovered something."
Luke and Black left the captain's office together and went to Jackson's desk.
Jackson said, "Captain, as per your instructions, we compared the surveillance videos from around Kerman Pharmaceutical Company and the community where Rochelle Horn died.
We discovered a suspicious black Chevrolet sedan, license plate number 2Huy377."
Jackson paused and continued, "On July 10 at 3 PM, this car went to the community where Rochelle Horn died and left at 5 PM.
On July 11 at 9 PM, this car went near Kerman Pharmaceutical Company and left around midnight.
This completely matches the timeframes of the two cases; I think the car owner is highly suspect."
Luke replayed the videos, comparing the cars in each and asked, "Did we find the car owner's information?"
Owner: Ronnie Prada
Gender: Male
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 150 pounds
Date of Birth: March 16, 1984
License Plate Number: 2Huy377
Address: 405 Marbury Community.
Criminal Record: Suspected intimidation, violent debt collection, intentional injury.
Luke recalled his previous conversation with the homeless Martin. According to Martin, the deceased struggled to find suitable work and maintain family expenses, relying on gambling for a time. Initially, he made some money, but as gambling addiction often goes, he eventually lost and owed a significant amount in high-interest loans.
This Ronnie Prada is likely a member of a high-interest loan organization, and Rochelle Horn might have borrowed money from them.
But typically, high-interest loan organizations seldom kill debtors because, simply put, who repays the debt when they're dead?
On the night of the fire at Kerman Pharmaceutical Company, Ronnie Prada's car also appeared nearby, suggesting this matter might not be a simple debt collection issue.
Luke was also puzzled by the relationship between the three aspects.
Subsequently, the investigation shifted focus onto Ronnie Prada.
...
The Great Fortune Casino.
The casino spans nearly ten thousand square feet and offers a variety of entertainment options, including baccarat, blackjack, roulette, poker, slot machines, etc.
A Black man wearing sunglasses and a gold chain walked into the casino lobby. He waved his hands and shouted, "Hey, yeah yeah yeah...
Today is a happy day, I believe Lady Luck will be mine tonight."
His voice was loud, coupled with exaggerated expressions, quickly drawing attention from nearby gamblers.
Yet, the Black man didn't mind, swaggering his way to the roulette table, pulling out two $500 chips from his pocket, slamming them onto the table, "I'm betting on red."
'Bang!'
His force was so great that the table shook, eliciting dissatisfaction from other gamblers.
The Black man didn't care, glaring back with a fierce look.
This arrogant Black man was Black, here on a mission.
The police tracked a black Chevrolet that had been at both crime scenes during relevant times, the owner identified as Ronnie Prada, with a criminal history in high-interest loan collection.
Luke suspects the deceased likely lost money at the casino, turning to Ronnie Prada for high-interest loans, thus linking them.
Ronnie Prada probably has some connection to the deceased's death.
The police commenced the search for Ronnie Prada's whereabouts.
However, for a habitual offender like Ronnie Prada, most of the information left at the police station is unlikely to be genuine; official records simply can't be relied upon to locate him.
Therefore, Luke had to consider other options.
Luke had someone check the deceased's credit card records, discovering a period of frequent spending near this casino. Luke speculates the deceased probably gambled and lost money at this casino, possibly even borrowed high-interest loans nearby.
And hence, tonight's plan to lure him out.
At this moment, a roulette wheel began spinning.
A small yellow ball rolled within the wheel, stopping in the red 12 region under the gaze of the crowd.
Black pumped his fist and shouted loudly, "Yeah yeah yeah, I won, I won! Haha!"