"Name?"
"Landon Kerr."
"Age?"
"67."
"What do you do for work?"
"What work? I'm retired, can't do much these days."
"Alright, sir, you're good to go. Next!"
...
Ethan's earlier suggestion was clearly taken up by Lucas.
After thinking it over for a few seconds, the seasoned Lucas agreed with Ethan's deduction.
The suspect who could have tampered with the victim's body a second time was likely a resident around Newtown Creek. From any angle, it was the most probable scenario.
Plus, despite the large crowd outside the police tape, after ruling out those too old or disabled, there were only about ten possible suspects left.
So, Lucas decided to set up an impromptu questioning station.
Miles conducted the brief interviews, while he and Ethan stood back, observing the interviewees' facial expressions and demeanor.
Given the crude way the body was handled, the suspect wasn't likely a crime pro. By watching their micro-expressions and body language, they could probably spot the guilty party.
As the questioning progressed, only one middle-aged man remained a likely suspect. This guy had tried to blend into the crowd when Lucas announced the impromptu interviews, seemingly looking for a chance to slip away.
He was also intentionally questioned last.
It seemed like he wanted to hear the questions first, to better prepare his answers.
These two points definitely caught Ethan's attention.
...
Now.
As this middle-aged man in an old sweatshirt, casual pants, and worn sandals stepped forward, clearly not well-off,
Ethan pressed down on Miles's shoulder, signaling him to stay quiet, then asked, "Name?"
The same question as before.
The man, slightly relieved but still nervous, replied, "Charlie, I'm Charlie Underwood."
"How old are you?"
"45."
The second question was the same too.
Charlie relaxed a bit more, already preparing his answer for the next question in his mind.
"What did you use to cut off the victim's fingers?"
"I haven't worked in a long time, just a drifter, collecting scrap, doing odd jobs at construction sites..."
His automatic response suddenly stopped. Charlie froze, his hands trembling slightly as he forced himself to calm down, "Officer, what... what did you just ask?"
"Cut off? How could I possibly cut off her fingers? I've never seen her before, only saw her today!!!"
"Are you sure you've got the right person?"
Seeing Charlie's obvious panic, Ethan smirked slightly and shrugged, "Oh? Wrong person, you think?"
"You can swim, right? And pretty well, enough to drag someone in the water, right?"
"Have you ever worked in jobs like butchering, firefighting, medical, or salvage work, anything to do with bodies?"
With that question,
Charlie's eyes shifted, avoiding Ethan's gaze, his forehead now covered in sweat.
"No, never did any of that."
"I used to work construction, then got laid off by the boss, so I..."
Before Charlie could finish his explanation, a lady from the crowd who hadn't dispersed yet, shouted back, "Charlie, why are you lying to these young cops? Didn't you work at the crematorium a few years back?"
"And you got fired because you were hiding dead people's jewelry that their families reported missing. That's why you've been bumming around ever since."
"You never worked construction! Oh, I get it now!"
"Damn, you didn't kill someone, did you?!"
Her voice was loud and clear.
Instantly, the other onlookers started murmuring among themselves, and more clues began to surface.
"Did Charlie really kill someone?"
"Why not? He's got a record, stealing from the dead at the crematorium!"
"It's not just theft, I heard he's in gambling debt, owes tens of thousands of dollars. Killing wouldn't be a stretch!"
"Right, I just remembered, Charlie went home late last night and then left again. What if he was out committing murder?"
"We need to arrest him now, having someone like that living near us, who knows what could happen next? We might be his next victims!!!"
...
The chatter from the crowd poured into the ears of Ethan and his team.
Charlie's gambling debts, his previous employment at the crematorium, his criminal record of stealing from the dead, and his suspicious activity last night were all points that caught the attention of the detectives, corroborating through various clues and intelligence.
It was becoming clear...
After the victim was murdered, Charlie committed secondary crimes!
Not only did he mutilate the body and steal crucial evidence, but he also tied the body with construction debris, likely helping to conceal the murderer's tracks!
Ethan's unconventional questioning had rendered all of Charlie's prepared answers useless, and the collective accusation from many neighbors was overwhelming.
At this moment, Lucas, the seasoned detective standing in the background, knew they had their prime suspect right in front of them.
He no longer held back, his gaze icy as he threatened, "Charlie, I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over what you stole last night and tell us everything you know about this case."
"You might still have a chance for a lighter sentence."
"Otherwise."
"Even if you're not the murderer, just for hiding the body and destroying evidence, you could be charged with accessory after the fact, which could land you in prison for up to ten years!"
"I'm going to count to three."
"If you don't start talking, we'll just take it from here and head straight to the station. We'll have your place searched too!"
"Three!"
"Two!!"
"One!!!"
As Lucas finished counting,
Charlie finally cracked under the pressure, yelling in despair, "I'll talk, I'll tell everything!"
"I didn't kill anyone, I swear I didn't kill her! I just saw her floating in the river, figured she was dead anyway, and those jewels were of no use to her anymore, so I took them!"
"I didn't do anything else, even if I weighed her down with stones in the water, she still got fished out with a fishing rod, didn't she?"
"I didn't kill her, I really didn't!"
As his shouts echoed,
Lucas exhaled deeply, pulled out his handcuffs, and swiftly cuffed Charlie's hands, securing him completely, "Let's go! Take us to your place now, I need to see everything you stole from the victim!!!"