CHAPTER 452: CHAPTER 274 FEMALE PROTAGONIST_3

The films might provide some clues. And the large vehicles entering and exiting the highway...

Just as Louise was thinking about how to follow these clues to track down the killer, Dean shattered her fantasy.

"Okay, we’ve seen the body; now let’s talk about the case itself," Dean said.

Dean clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention.

He first looked at Louise. "Detective Louise, what is the interval between the disappearances of each victim?"

The killer would certainly need time to dispose of one victim and find the next prey to be able to dump the bodies of five victims in such a short period.

It was then that Louise remembered the case had been transferred to the FBI.

Luckily, Dean seemed reliable.

So, somewhat unaccustomed, she said, "After the cases started occurring in succession, we paid particular attention to missing women cases in Las Vegas.

"The good news is that after we discover a female victim, it’s typically two or three days before a new disappearance occurs matching the killer’s M.O.

"The bad news is that the five victims had different professions and disappeared from various locations across Las Vegas, none of which had surveillance footage covering their disappearances. It’s also been two days since the most recent case. We’ve been finding bodies roughly every seven days.

"This means the killer has likely already selected a new target but hasn’t struck yet, or we simply haven’t received a report about a new victim."

This isn’t to say the police aren’t doing their job. But if a person goes missing without witnesses, there’s inevitably a delay before the police become aware of it. And beautiful blondes... In Las Vegas, this tourist gambling city, there are just too many. Aside from the flourishing tourism and gambling industry, certain other businesses here are also booming. Just ask yourself, as a foreigner coming here for fun, wouldn’t you crave a happy memory with a standard American blonde beauty? So the police are in a tough spot; even setting up a sting is difficult.

"This is what we’ll do," Dean announced. "Cheston En, examine the highway surveillance footage from before and after the bodies were discovered for vehicles matching our theory. Louise, you take me to the crime scenes for re-examination. As for Forensic Walter, please find the movie resource you mentioned earlier."

Having heard Louise’s account, Dean thought it over and made the arrangements.

Louise was somewhat reluctant. She tried to investigate the surveillance footage herself, offering her reasons: "Agent Dean, I can arrange for my team to take you to the scenes. As for the surveillance, it would be better if I reviewed it. I’ve already seen the footage, but I wasn’t considering that the killer might have processed the bodies in a vehicle, so my previous review was largely a wasted effort."

"Actually, dismembering bodies in a car isn’t that hard to guess. Do you know why you and your colleagues didn’t think of this when you investigated the crime scenes?" Dean countered.

Louise didn’t understand what Dean was trying to say and could only shake her head.

"It’s because of cognitive bias!" Dean pointed towards the morgue’s exterior window. "Your perspective looking at things from outside the morgue is different from your perspective now, so the information you derive is different. Just as before, you only considered that the killer might be using a car to travel between the crime scene and their residence. You didn’t consider that they might be processing the bodies in the car and then randomly choosing a location to create a false primary crime scene.

"So, let Cheston En handle the vehicle search. As for you, come with me. On the way, I want to learn some specifics about Las Vegas, and I plan to visit the areas where the female victims disappeared. You’re the local detective; your word carries more weight here than my badge!"

Not all local officers necessarily see eye to eye with FBI agents. So Dean really did need Louise, the local detective, with him to handle any unnecessary complications.

「On the way.」

Louise drove, occasionally glancing at Dean in the rearview mirror; he was staring out the window in a daze.

She was strong-willed and rarely acted so submissively in front of men. Dean was an exception. And he looks so young... Louise couldn’t help but feel a growing curiosity about him, a desire to understand him better.

The ride was boring.

Unable to resist, she spoke up, "Agent Dean, it seems you’re quite adept at psychological reasoning?"

"I’m alright at it," Dean replied casually, keeping an eye on the traffic. "Take this killer, for example. People obsessed with old movies and nostalgic for the past are typically either older individuals who can’t integrate into our fast-paced modern society, or they’re heavily influenced by their families.

"Although we’re currently unsure if the killer is male or female, or their age, they show a special tenderness towards each female victim."

"A special tenderness?" Louise’s eyes flashed with curiosity. Dean hadn’t mentioned this in the morgue.ŸŸŸ

"Has your boyfriend ever done your makeup for you?" Dean turned his gaze from the window to Louise, who was driving, and said earnestly, "The female victims maintained exquisite makeup, even after death. This means the killer must have deliberately avoided smudging it while handling the bodies to preserve it so well.

"This also suggests why the killer removed the victims’ internal organs via their lower bodies: to keep the surface of their bodies as intact as possible.

"To some extent, the killer is projecting his feelings about the character Marilyn Monroe played onto these victims. That’s why he became emotionally invested and used anesthesia to kill them."