Chapter 26 - 9 Case Details_3

"That guy is definitely a professional. After committing the murder, he didn't flee immediately; he's got very strong psychological resilience. And he didn't use a gun to kill but used a kitchen knife and hand-to-hand combat. This is so unusual, so rare, only someone with immense confidence would do that." Director Matthew nodded, secretly shocked. Anyone who dares to use knives and hand-to-hand combat in a brawl is absolutely a master. Especially since Raul was armed and fired all his bullets before he died. To handle such pressure with steadiness and calmness is not something a street thug could achieve. A bar is already a complicated place, with people coming and going, fingerprints and skin flakes everywhere. Now, flooding the scene with water is a forensic nightmare. "I'm just thankful the killer didn't use gasoline to set the place on fire, otherwise we would lose all traces at the scene. But maybe the killer didn't do that on purpose, because arson would quickly attract the police and shorten his escape time. Water doesn't have that effect." Chief Inspector Karl put his hands on his hips, thinking the case was very challenging. Director Matthew looked at the mess in front of him and had little hope of extracting the killer's personal information. He turned to Chief Inspector Karl and tentatively asked, "Seems like we can only find clues from the surveillance." Chief Inspector Karl still shook his head, "The bar's surveillance was destroyed. The nearby street cameras are also incomplete. The killer probably knew the area well. Judging by the few footprints, he left through the alley behind the back door, where there's no surveillance." The 'Scorpion' bar is owned by a local gang. Gang members dislike surveillance and have damaged cameras on several nearby streets. Now the gang is in trouble, and the police can't use surveillance to track down the killer. "However, the killer might not be as hard to catch as we imagine." Chief Inspector Karl suddenly smiled, with a bit of ease and confidence. "You mean that lottery ticket?" Director Matthew's tone was slightly sarcastic, "A prize over twenty-two billion dollars is a curse; it would be abnormal not to have someone killed over it." Chief Inspector Karl nodded and continued, "According to the confessions of the arrested gang members, the first gunfight was over that lottery ticket. But the ticket never left the bar. The second murder, Toto was definitely killed trying to retrieve that ticket, and so was Raul. The killer must be someone who knows about the ticket. This significantly narrows the investigation scope. We might catch him within a day or two." Chief Inspector Karl seemed to already see the killer's shadow, "Besides, I've contacted the Florida lottery commission. They've promised to notify the FBI as soon as someone comes to claim the prize. We just need to lay in wait, and we'll surely catch him." Director Matthew agreed with this idea but raised a new issue, "What if... I mean, what if the killer goes to claim the ticket? Can we catch him?" This question froze Chief Inspector Karl's smile. He frowned, unconsciously rubbing his chin with his fingers, and after thinking for a few seconds, he said: "The killer would have to prove the ticket belongs to him, wouldn't he? We could easily find out who he is." "But..." Director Matthew's voice lowered, "What if the claimant says they found the ticket? Lottery redemption is based on the ticket, not the person. It's separate from the criminal case. If the FBI can prove the claimant is the killer, that's great. If not... we'll just have to watch him claim the prize." "Yes." Chief Inspector Karl also realized he had been too optimistic, "You're right. The lottery commission has to complete the prize redemption within ten to fourteen days, no delays. Moreover, the claimant can get a ninety-day confidentiality period for their identity. The authorities can't disclose their information, at least not actively. At most, we could ask the claimant to assist in the investigation or request a ban from the prosecutor, like prohibiting them from leaving the United States." Director Matthew also pointed out a critical detail, "Once the claimant gets over a billion US dollars, he can hire the best lawyers and easily drag the case with the FBI for years. If he insists the ticket was found, and we lack strong evidence, no one can convict him." The bar fell into a brief silence, and the case seemed unsolvable. Chief Inspector Karl stared at the floor, repeatedly pondering before sighing, "Even so, we can't give up either. The killer will definitely show up. Once he dares to claim the prize or gets someone else to claim it for him, we'll have a chance to catch him." Director Matthew smiled wryly, "I hope so. But the power of over twenty-two billion dollars is probably greater than we imagined." The case was handed over to the FBI, lifting a significant burden off Chief Constable Conges's shoulder. He unexpectedly got two days off, a rare chance to rest and stay away from this headache-inducing serial murder case. But he didn't go home right away. His partner also stayed behind in tacit understanding. The two sat silently in the police car, pondering deeply. They made a list, densely recording everyone who knew about the lottery ticket before the second murder last night. They scanned the list back and forth, scrutinizing each name, trying to extract the hidden truth. "The ones present at the time were two gang members, including the bartender and a waitress." Kongges began reviewing the case details. The partner picked up the conversation, "Maxim and Tochi died on the spot, and the waitress trying to take the ticket was also shot dead. But Toto seized the moment during our arrival and the shootout with the gang to take the ticket. However, he was ultimately unlucky." The chaotic nights flashed through Chief Constable Conges's mind, particularly the scene of the first gunfight. "Toto knew he couldn't escape under fire and that the police would search everyone arrested to disarm them. He didn't want others to know he took the ticket, so he didn't keep it on him but hid it inside the bar." The partner continued, "The next day, the escaping gang members gathered again at the bar, trying to find the ticket. But after we took them back to the station, Toto went to the bar to reclaim the ticket. So the killer must have been monitoring the bar. He likely saw us arrest Raul and the others but waited for Toto to appear before acting and also killed Raul who had just left the station and returned to the bar." Chief Constable Conges nodded, "We can profile the killer. First, they should have known about the lottery ticket after the first gunfight the night before. Second, they didn't know where the ticket was hidden but knew it was definitely inside the bar, and maybe even that Toto hid it. Third, they are quite cold-blooded. Whether killing Toto or Raul, they did it very efficiently, with excellent physical fitness and superb psychological resilience, skilled in close combat. Lastly, they are definitely not among the arrested, nor a wounded individual. They have considerable freedom and sufficient time to commit the crime." After listing these points, Conges and his partner realized that the killer was definitely not any of the people on their list. There must be another source of leaked information. Regardless of who he is, he is still outside the police's radar. "Do we really have to wait until the prize is claimed to know who he is?" "If he's smart and restrained enough not to claim the prize?" "Twenty-two billion dollars, I don't believe he won't claim it."