Inside Infinity International Trade.
Joseph, a portly man with a greasy face and a beer belly, was furiously lecturing his subordinate. Due to some missteps in company decisions over the past few days, they had lost a significant amount of business.
This left him no time to visit Elizabeth and enjoy the company of a younger woman. Stuck at home with his wife, he found himself utterly disinterested. If it weren't for the fact that his father-in-law held the majority of the company's shares, he probably would have thrown the divorce papers in his wife's face by now.
After finishing his tirade, Joseph headed back to his office to video call Elizabeth, hoping for a flirtatious chat. Just then, six detectives in uniform walked into the company.
After showing their police IDs at the reception, they pushed through the doors straight into the chairman's office, catching Joseph off guard.
The lead detective placed a summons on the desk and promptly handcuffed Joseph, his tone icy as he said, "Joseph, right?"
"We're detectives from the East End Detective Bureau. You're a prime suspect in a murder case, and we need you to come to the station for questioning."
Joseph, about to loudly question the detectives, panicked when he heard he was linked to a murder. "No, no, officer," he stammered. "There must be some mistake. How could I be involved in a murder? I've been swamped here at work, I haven't had the time..."
Before Joseph could finish, the detective who had summoned him yanked him up by the handcuffs and said emotionlessly, "You know Elizabeth, right? The woman you've been keeping? She was found dead at Newtown Creek two days ago. We strongly suspect you're involved in her death!"
"You need to cooperate with our investigation, cut the chatter. Save it for the interrogation room!"
This news made Joseph's eyes widen in disbelief. "Dead? That can't be, she was fine just two days ago..."
Halfway through his sentence, Joseph suddenly remembered he was at his company, where he couldn't let his wife and father-in-law know about his affair. He quickly shut his mouth.
Without struggling, he let the detectives lead him away, saving his questions and statements for the interrogation room.
Rather than causing a scene at the office, it was better to go quietly with the detectives and clear up any misunderstandings to rid himself of suspicion.
Even though he reacted quickly, the news of the boss being taken away by the police spread rapidly throughout the company. The fact that his mistress had been murdered was discreetly conveyed to his wife and father-in-law.
...
Meanwhile, at the Quantum Net Cafe in the northern part of East End.
Ethan, Miles, and Lucas, dressed in plain clothes, entered the internet cafe through the front and back doors. With the help of the front desk manager, they quickly located Andrew in a corner of the cafe.
Today, Andrew was wearing a cheap, faded black leather jacket and washed-out long jeans, topped with greasy hair. From the messy state of his hair and the two empty instant noodle containers next to his computer, it was clear...
Andrew had been in the internet cafe for a long time, likely hiding out here since committing the crime. This behavior was typical in past cases.
Many suspects, overwhelmed by fear and paranoia after committing a crime, would try to numb themselves with alcohol or distract themselves with other activities.
Another option was...
Going on the run across the country!
Andrew clearly fell into the first category. Despite a history of jail time, he was still hiding out in the internet cafe, numbing himself with games and sleepless nights.
As Andrew tapped away at his keyboard, Ethan and the other detectives had quietly approached, ready to make their move. Lucas, with his wealth of experience, took the lead. He clapped Andrew on the shoulder and feigned annoyance, barking, "Andrew, what are you still doing online?"
"Didn't you get the boss's call to come into work? You wanna lose your job or what?"
Even though they had already confirmed the suspect's identity, Lucas still went through the motions of questioning to avoid any mistakes.
Already on edge, Andrew jumped when Lucas tapped his shoulder and turned around to yell, "Work? What work?"
"Don't you dare start with me..."
Before he could finish, Lucas, seeing that Andrew didn't reflexively deny his name, quickly pushed his head down onto the table.
"Bang!"
Andrew's head slammed against the computer desk. Just as he was about to resist with all his might, Ethan and Miles were already on him.
They pinned Andrew down firmly, pulling his hands behind his back and swiftly slapped on the handcuffs.
Once they were sure the suspect couldn't fight back, Ethan pulled out his badge and flashed it in front of Andrew, saying, "I'm a police officer."
"We suspect you're involved in a murder case and need you to come in for questioning."
"Elizabeth Walker, you should know her, right?"
When the name Elizabeth Walker was mentioned, Andrew's pupils noticeably shrank, and he responded in a hoarse, cold voice, "I don't know her."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You've got the wrong guy. I've been here at the Quantum Net Cafe playing games these past few days."
Ethan raised an eyebrow dismissively, shaking his head as he searched Andrew's person.
"It's funny, Andrew. You say you don't know Elizabeth, yet you make a point of explaining that you've been in this internet cafe. Seems like you're overreacting, doesn't it?"
"Alright, I've found the car keys. No need to explain any further. We can talk more at the station."
Ethan pulled the car keys from Andrew's pocket and turned to Lucas, who was holding Andrew by the shoulder, "Lucas, I'll go check Andrew's car. There should be DNA from the victim on it as evidence."
"And that piece of leather from the car seat torn by the victim's nails."
Lucas nodded, covering Andrew's head with a jacket, "Alright, let's do that."
"Ethan, you handle the evidence in the car. I'll take Andrew back now."
"We shouldn't stay too long in the cafe,too many people around might cause a stir."
After saying this, Lucas led Andrew out of the cafe, assisted by three or four other detectives to prevent the suspect from escaping.
...
As for Ethan, he didn't rush to the parking lot of the cafe. Instead, he and Miles first went to the front desk to copy the last five days of surveillance footage, just in case it was needed later.
Then, in the parking lot of the internet cafe, they used the remote to locate Andrew's not-so-expensive used car.
Inserting the key to open the passenger side door, Ethan immediately looked at the upper right side of the passenger seat headrest.
The damaged leather was found in the victim's right-hand nails, and during a strangulation, arms instinctively reach up to claw.
So, the point of damage on the leather would likely be around the headrest area.
Three seconds later, Ethan clearly saw a nail-sized tear at the upper right of the passenger headrest, his eyes flashing with confidence.
"Now... we have enough physical evidence!!!"