Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Little Black looked at the lock and shook his head, "My lock-opening skills were all learned when I was a kid, and back then these types of locks weren't so common."

Luke originally wanted to learn lock opening skills from Little Black, but now it seemed that he was only half-skilled.

After entering the living room, it was obvious that the cabinets had been rummaged through, and there was a pool of blood at the foot of the stairs.

The bedroom on the first floor was also in disarray, with clothes and objects from the wardrobe scattered all over the floor.

There were three rooms on the second floor, a study, and two bedrooms.

The study was in a complete mess, with several books fallen on the floor.

The other two rooms also showed signs of being searched, and the smaller one had many dolls and Barbie dolls, indicating that the room's occupant was a young girl of no considerable age.

The scene indeed looked like that of a robbery or burglary. However, typically in such cases, it's the homeowners who report to the police. There were signs that all three rooms were occupied, yet it was an outsider who called the police.

Where had the people living in the house gone?

Were they unaware that an incident had occurred at home, or had they also met with some misfortune?

Considering the bloodstains in the lobby on the first floor, Luke leaned more towards the latter.

Luke went downstairs, and the technicians arrived and began examining the scene.

The officer named Jackson Beach approached, "Deputy Chief Luke, I've brought the person who reported the incident."

"Thank you." Luke looked towards the reporter, a white guy in his early twenties, quite handsome in a blue uniform.

"Are you the reporter, Mark Castle?"

"Yes," said the young white man.

"I'm Luke, the deputy chief of the Robbery and Murder Department. I'd like to take your statement."

Mark pointed to Jackson next to him, "They've just taken my statement."

Luke explained, "We're from different departments; our questions will be different."

Mark nodded, "OK, ask away."

"When did you discover something had happened to this household?"

"Around nine o'clock."

"Why did you come here?"

"Uh, Mrs. Kenneth had scheduled a pipe service because their kitchen sink often had small flies, and she wanted me to help rectify the problem.

I came as arranged, but couldn't get in touch with her.

Seeing the front door was open, I went in to check and finding the place in disorder, I called the police," Mark said, clearly nervous.

Luke frowned slightly, "Did you see any suspicious people when you arrived?"

"No."

"Are you very familiar with Mrs. Kenneth?"

Mark nodded slightly, then quickly shook his head, "Not familiar."

Lies.

"What was your real purpose in coming to Mrs. Kenneth's house?"

"I've already told you, Mrs. Kenneth had scheduled a pipe service, and I came to repair the pipes."

Lies.

From the analysis of microexpressions, Mark's signs of lying were quite evident.

"Is your name Mark Castle?" Luke asked a simple question to switch gears.

"Yes, is there a problem?" Mark replied easily, his demeanor completely different from before.

Luke became more convinced that Mark had just lied.

"Mark, which company do you work for?"

"Victor Repair Company."

"How did Mrs. Kenneth schedule the service?"

"With her cell phone."

"You and Mrs. Kenneth must have a call record, right?"

"Yes." Mark became nervous again, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Luke offered him a tissue, "Can I see your phone?"

"No, I'm the one who reported this, not a suspect. You have no right to do this."

Luke nodded, "You're right, I indeed don't have the right to do this. But since Mrs. Kenneth is the victim, I am entitled to check her phone, and the effect is the same, isn't it?"

Mark retorted, "Why are you telling me all this?"

"I just want you to understand that lying to the police is a foolish act. Whoever lies becomes the primary suspect," Luke said.

"Oh my god, I knew it would turn out like this, fuck..." Mark started to get agitated, hastily defending himself, "It's really none of my business, I just wanted to help by reporting it."

"Then tell the truth, otherwise you're only hindering," Luke pressed.

"I admit that I've hidden some things, but that's my personal affair and has nothing to do with this case."

"If you really think it has nothing to do with this case, you don't have to say it; but if what you are hiding affects the investigation, once the police find out, the consequences will only be more severe. Moreover, we have no obligation to keep secrets for you."

After thinking for a moment, Mark took a deep breath, "If I tell you now, can you keep it secret?"

"Of course, I guarantee that aside from the police, no one will know the contents of the statement," Luke assured, his tone conveying a sense of trustworthiness.

"OK, I'll tell you." Mark couldn't take it anymore, looking around and whispering, "I... am Mrs. Kenneth's lover."

"So, you're not really a plumber?"

"No, I am a plumber.

Last year, their pipes broke, I came to repair them, and then we met.

She was an elegant, intellectual, and mature woman, and I hopelessly fell in love with her.

I could tell she liked me, too.

And then, we got together.

We met almost every week... being with her felt amazing."

"Wow..." Little Black showed a look of astonishment, "You really know how to play the field. Mrs. Kenneth is the woman in the pictures, right? She must be quite a bit older than you."