The following morning.

At the Detective Bureau.

Deputy Director's Office.

Reid sat beside his desk, his head lowered as he examined the documents at hand, his expression somewhat stern.

"Knock, knock..."

A knock echoed from outside.

Reid removed his glasses, "Come in."

Luke pushed open the door, "Chief, you wanted to see me."

"Have a seat," Reid nodded toward the chair opposite him, "How is the investigation of the decapitated woman's case going, any progress?"

"Petrov has been uncooperative, so we've had to investigate from other angles. Through examining the communication records of the decapitated woman, we found her last contact before death. However, the person refuses to cooperate. I'm preparing to apply for a search warrant."

Reid pinched the bridge of his nose, "What's that person's name?"

"Eddie Ross, a wealthy individual. According to his account, he attended a party on the night of the incident which was attended by council members and judges."

"But he doesn't have an alibi," Luke pointed out meaningfully.

"You want to apply for a search warrant against him?"

"Yes, he denies owning the SIM card in question and claims to have found it just yesterday. He is also uncooperative with the investigations and unwilling to hand over the SIM card."

Reid nodded, "You don't need to apply for a search warrant anymore."

"Why not?" Luke was somewhat surprised. Was Eddie Ross so influential that he had managed to reach Reid so quickly?

Is this guy's influence that substantial?

"His house is currently a crime scene; you don't need a search warrant anymore."

"What happened to him?"

"He was attacked, detained, and tortured at his home, and has been taken to Marshall Hospital for treatment."

"Is his life in danger?"

"No, but the injuries are said to be quite severe." Reid sighed softly, "Three days since the incident, the suspect has committed three crimes consecutively, and we haven't yet discerned the motive.

He might still carry out more crimes. The situation is very serious.

Luke, you need to hurry!"

"I understand. I will solve the case as quickly as possible." Luke felt the pressure for the first time.

In the past, there had been cases that took a long time to solve, but back then, Susan was handling the higher-level responsibilities, and Luke was only in charge of the investigation, so the pressure wasn't as intense.

But now, Luke was the primary person responsible for this case, and the responsibility fell squarely on his shoulders.

...

Returning to the office, Luke called a meeting with his team, and shared the news about Eddie Ross being attacked at home.

Jenny said, "We located him through phone tracking yesterday, but he was unwilling to assist in the investigation and even verbally threatened us.

We had no choice but to return to the station to investigate his background. By the time we confirmed his identity, it was too late to apply for a search warrant.

Now we can only wait till today to apply for one."

Kanate said, "This isn't your fault. It's his lack of cooperation that got him into this mess. If he had cooperated with the police investigation from the start, he might have avoided being attacked.

Just like Petrov, no one could have anticipated this happening."

The deputy team leader spoke up, "Captain, how about I go to the hospital and take a new statement from him?"

Luke thought for a moment, "Deputy, you take some people to investigate his house. I'll go meet him."

"OK, captain."

After the meeting, the team split into two groups for their respective tasks.

Luke and Kanate hastily made their way to Marshall Hospital.

Luke sat in the passenger seat, deep in contemplation; this was his first case since being promoted to team leader, and it was proving to be a thorny issue.

Three days, three victims.

Moreover, the two new victims were both involved in the case, having had previous encounters with the police.

This made Luke feel passive and reflective—was there something wrong with their approach to the investigation?

Uncharacteristically, Kanate remained silent throughout the drive, giving Luke a moment of peace.

Half an hour later, they arrived at Marshall Hospital and parked the car in the parking lot.

Luke first met Eddie Ross's primary physician, a woman in her forties.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Kanate, Eddie Ross's primary physician."

"Dr. Kanate, hello.

I am Detective Marcus from the Robbery and Murder Department, and this is Captain Lee."

Kanate extended her hand, "Captain Lee, we've corresponded over the phone. I didn't expect you to be so young."

Luke shook her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Kanate.

How is Eddie Ross now?"

"Well... we have treated him, and what remains is for him to recover on his own."

"Are his injuries severe?"

"How to put this... I think it's more about psychological trauma.

The injuries were to a rather sensitive area."

Kanate quickly asked, with a keen sense of certain matters, "Is it his genitalia?"

Dr. Kanate preferred, "I prefer to call it the perineum."

"Oh my god! This suspect is really twisted. Can it be reattached?"

Dr. Kanate shrugged, "It was too late when he was brought here."

Kanate lamented, "Poor guy."

Luke inquired, "We'd like to take his statement. Is he in a condition to do so?"

"Physically, yes, but he might be too mentally distressed right now. He's very sensitive to external stimuli and might not want to see you."

"Could you please tell him, if he refuses to meet us, he might miss the best chance to catch the suspect?"

"OK, I'll pass on the message," Dr. Kanate turned and left.

Kanate leaned in and whispered, "This suspect is getting more twisted by the minute. Just thinking about what happened to Eddie Ross sends shivers down my spine.

Eddie Ross must be in utter despair right now."

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