"Good question," the deputy explained,

"I've also thought about this question, and there are two possibilities.

The first possibility is that the driver, Badman Pole, did not deliver the ransom alone but brought others with him, and they were all killed together.

Their fingers were cut off together and vengefully placed in the mouths of the deceased.

The second possibility is that the killer had accomplices and Badman Pole withheld a portion of the ransom.

This led to the killer and his accomplices disputing over the uneven split of the loot, resulting in the killer murdering his accomplices and Badman Pole together and taking all the ransom,"

Reid nodded, seeming to agree with the deputy's analysis.

With confidence, the deputy surveyed the crowd, "Does anyone else have any questions?"

Raymond, resting his cheek on his right hand, asked, "Is there a possibility that Badman Pole is not dead?"

"Wow, good question," the deputy was somewhat surprised, not by the question itself but by the person who asked it.

"You're right, we only found Badman Pole's severed fingers, which doesn't mean he's dead.

If he's not dead, then this case takes on a whole different scenario,"

Raymond pressed, "What scenario?"

The deputy thought for a moment, "From my experience, he should be dead, otherwise, what followed would not have occurred."

Luke glanced at Raymond, knowing he might be obsessed with this issue.

Following Raymond's train of thought, assuming Badman Pole really isn't dead, does the case still hold up?

After a while, Luke proposed his idea, "Is it possible that this whole thing was orchestrated by himself?"

Luke's words captivated everyone.

He continued, "Previously, the shooting at the victim Layli Harry's house was staged by Layli Harry herself.

Badman Pole, as the victim's driver who was also involved, might have learned this trick.

The real mastermind behind the extortion could be Badman Pole.

He involved himself in the event, even making himself one of the victims.

This way, no one would suspect him.

But Layli Harry, being no ordinary person and highly shrewd, saw through his ruse.

Badman Pole, fearing retaliation, could have then killed Layli Harry.

And a large part of the ransom might indeed have ended up in Badman Pole's hands,"

"Nicely analyzed," Reid expressed his admiration, "The other two severed fingers could very well be those of Badman Pole's accomplices, whom he killed to ensure no information was leaked."

Luke nodded, "It's also possible that after Layli Harry sensed something amiss, she sent someone to deal with Badman Pole, but instead, they were killed by Badman Pole."

Susan summarized, "Everyone, your analyses are sound, but the evidence we currently have is still insufficient to support your deductions."

Raymond suggested, "Should we talk to Badman Pole's wife Laura? She might know something or even provide some clues."

David shook his head, "That possibility is slim."

"Why?"

David sighed, "Think about it,

Regardless of the motive, whether Badman Pole is the victim or the real culprit,

The fact that Badman Pole and the deceased had an affair is true. Do you think he would tell his wife about it?

Come on, he's not a fool."

"Ding dong."

"Buzz."

"You've got a text message."

Just then, the phones of everyone present began to ring successively.

"Wow... finally got paid." Looking at the text message showing the amount, Raymond laughed heartlessly, "I'm rich."

It wasn't just Raymond; everyone present showed delighted expressions.

Susan said, "Let's take a break.

Jenny, go to the technical department and hurry up the forensics report."

"Yes, captain."

Luke opened the bank message, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.

This payment was not just for salaries. The prize money for the painting was also dispatched.

The prize money for the painting, combined with the salary, amounted to $110,000 (after taxes).

About the distribution of the painting prize money, Reid had specifically discussed it with Luke.

After discussion, a reasonably fair distribution scheme for the painting's prize money was reached.

The scene investigation team and the forensic department each received a $10,000 prize bonus.

The murder squad received a reward of $280,000, of which Susan, the deputy squad leader, David, Raymond, Jenny, Marcus, and Matthew each received $20,000 US Dollars.

Luke had made significant contributions in the 'Telson Mansion Disappearance Case' and received a reward of $140,000 US Dollars.

The tax rates in the United States are very high, which is not friendly for the middle class, and the deductions made Luke feel quite heartbroken.

Luke's total assets now amounted to $167,000 US Dollars.

"Fuck! I'm finally above the poverty line."

Recently, Luke had been looking at cars, and he had his eyes on a BMW 730, which would cost around eighty thousand US Dollars.

Luke could afford to pay in full without any pressure.

As for buying a house, he had thought about it too.

But $167,000 US Dollars couldn't buy the house he desired.

He also wasn't planning on taking out a mortgage to buy a house anytime soon; having lived once already, he didn't want to put too much pressure on himself.

The biggest pressure of buying a house on a mortgage isn't the down payment, but the monthly mortgage payments.

In his past life, he had been a slave to his mortgage, and to relive that in Los Angeles, what for?

The rental situation in Los Angeles is different from back home.

Back home, the laws almost had no constraints on landlords, and the tenant's interests were not protected, many felt insecure, feeling they could be evicted by the landlord at any time, always facing the hassle of moving.

This is one of the reasons why many people buy homes.

Los Angeles is different, the laws here protect the tenant's interests, landlords can't just raise the rent or evict tenants arbitrarily.

Many investors from China who invested in properties here have experienced losses because of this: they bought homes and rented them to Chinese students, accustomed to the dodgy dealings back home, only to end up being sued by the students.

They couldn't evict the tenants and also had to pay compensation.

Twenty minutes later, Jenny returned to the office with the forensic report in her hands.

Susan carefully examined the forensic report and then projected it, "The forensic doctor did his best to reconstruct the facial features of the deceased Mexican, and after comparison, he closely resembles a missing person."

[Missing person's name, Santos Mending

Gender, Male

Phone number, 626 871 5672.

Address, 122 Oli Street

Social Security Number, 623-53-7243

Missing since, March 29

Family situation, Wife

Reporter, Carus Boel]

The deputy squad leader asked, "Carus Boel doesn't sound like a woman's name,"

Susan replied, "The reporter isn't the deceased's wife; he is the boss of the deceased's company. The officer handling the case tried to contact the wife but couldn't reach her."

The deputy squad leader spread his hands, "OK, you all probably know what I'm about to say."

"Don't interrupt me, please." Susan was slightly displeased and continued, "According to the forensic identification, the corpse and the fingerprints on the cut marks matched, and the DNA identification is also a complete match.

The finger mentioned by Layli Harry is indeed that of the deceased Mexican, Santos Mending."

No mobile phone or identity documents were found around the body, and the clothing matched the description of the missing person.

The body was buried underground and had started to decompose, which would affect the estimation of the time of death.

According to the forensic estimate, the death likely occurred between the morning of March 30 and the early morning of April 1.

The deceased had suffered abuse and beatings before his death.

The fatal wound was a gunshot to the chest, but no bullet was found, which likely had been removed by the perpetrator."

Little Black pursed his lips, "Wow... what a brutal guy."

Luke asked, "What did the deceased Mexican do for a living? Was he connected to Layli Harry and the driver Badman Pole?"

"Santos Mending worked at an auto repair shop, but his relationship with the other two is still unclear," Susan added,

"This is a legitimate repair shop."

"Santos Mending was an auto mechanic, and he likely removed the GPS device from the Mercedes. Therefore, he might have been an accomplice of the killer, or he might have been coerced," the deputy squad leader analyzed and then assigned tasks,

"Jenny, get in touch with Santos Mending's wife.

Luke, David, investigate the repair shop."

Susan's expression was subtle, "Good."

Leaving that word, she directly left the meeting room.

Raymond kindly advised, "Deputy squad leader, if you keep this up, deputy squad leader will always be just a deputy squad leader."

"Otherwise, what do you think? You think the department would promote a seventy-year-old man to squad leader?

Come on, I don't care."