Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Brown Kenneth's marital status was divorced.

Who was Mrs. Kenneth?

Luke recalled that there were photos of three people in the villa altogether.

One of the photos was presumably of a Caucasian male, likely Brown Kenneth himself.

A Eurasian little girl.

And an Asian woman.

That Asian woman was probably the 'Mrs. Kenneth' Mark had mentioned.

So, who exactly was this Mrs. Kenneth, and what was her relationship to the homeowner, Brown Kenneth?

An ex-wife who didn't leave the house after divorce? Then why would she lie about not being divorced?

The nanny taking care of the little girl? This was a possibility; considering the photos and female items, she seemed to live on the first floor.

Luke had just been to the room on the first floor, and all the clothes there were expensive, not something a nanny could afford.

The third possibility, Brown Kenneth's new girlfriend? Judging by the little girl's heritage, her mother must be Asian. Had Brown Kenneth divorced his ex-wife and found himself a new Asian girlfriend?

Then he sure had a thing for Asian women, so why break up in the first place?

Another suspicious point was that this woman interacted with the plumber, Mark, under the identity of 'Mrs. Kenneth'. They even started their relationship from last year, and he never noticed anything unusual?

Luke turned to Jackson Beach at the door and asked, "Your name is Jefferson?"

"Yes, Deputy Luke."

"Talk to the neighbors and ask about the domestic situation and family relations of the Kenneths."

"Got it." Jackson responded and left with John.

Susan asked, "Luke, did you find any problems?"

Luke briefly recounted Mark's statement.

The deputy chuckled, "A tale of an elegant lady and a plumber, a story many people find intriguing."

Jenny shrugged, "So who is this woman exactly?"

Raymond came over with his phone, "Captain, I've managed to contact Mr. Brown Kenneth."

"Maybe Mr. Kenneth can provide some answers." Susan took the phone and said, "Hello, I am Captain Susan from the Robbery and Murder Department."

"I'm Brown Kenneth. What do you need me for?"

Susan switched on the speakerphone and asked back, "Are you in a position to talk right now?"

"Yes, do you have any questions?"

"Are you in Los Angeles?"

"No, I'm out on a business trip. You said you're from the Robbery and Murder Department; I can't figure out why you'd be calling me?"

"Mr. Kenneth, do you own a property in the Calleia community?"

"Yes, that's where I live. What exactly do you want to say?"

With a preemptive note of caution, Susan said, "Mr. Kenneth, the matter I'm about to discuss might disturb you, and I hope you're mentally prepared."

"What happened? You're not scammers, are you?"

"We're not scammers; we're with the LAPD, currently in your house."

"Why are you at my place?"

"We received a call about a suspected burglary at your residence. Upon arrival, we found your home in disarray and a pool of blood at the foot of the staircase. Was it like that when you left?"

"Everything was fine when I left; what happened? And Betty, is Betty okay? Can I talk to her?"

"Who is Betty?"

"Betty is my daughter; she's twelve and attends Beverly Town Middle School. Haven't you found her?"

"Not yet; we've just received the report and are still gathering information. Is there anyone else at home besides Betty?"

"There's also Amy Ma, the nanny I hired.

She has been looking after Betty while I'm on this business trip. Isn't she at home?"

"Do you have a photo of Amy Ma?"

"No, but she lives in the bedroom on the first floor, and I remember there should be her photos in that room."

"I'll have someone video call you for identification shortly."

"Captain Susan, please find Betty. She's only twelve. I can't imagine what might have happened to her."

Susan countered, "Where are you now?"

"I'm in New York. I'll buy the next flight back immediately."

"Have you received any suspicious calls?"

"No."

"What's Amy Ma's mobile number?"

"626 376 2528."

"Can you tell me about Amy Ma?"

"Um, she's hardworking, likes to dress up, and gets along well with my daughter. She's been responsible while working as a nanny, which is why I entrusted my daughter to her.

Is this robbery connected to her in any way?"

"We're not sure at this moment. Can you contact Betty?"

"No, I didn't get her a phone even though she's asked for one. I figured she's too young to have her own phone."

"Can you contact her teacher?"

"Yes, I have the teacher's mobile number, 626 321 4522."

Kenneth worriedly said, "Could Betty be in danger?"

"We're not sure yet, but we'll confirm her safety as soon as possible. Also, I'd like to know about Betty's mother's whereabouts."

"Uh, I don't think that's necessary, Betty's mother and I are divorced, and Betty has been living with me. She doesn't have much contact with her mother.

Compared to Betty, her mother cares more about her career."

Susan spoke gravely, "Mr. Kenneth, I'm not asking for your permission, I need to know about Betty's mother.

Even if you don't tell me, the police will still investigate."

Kenneth said, somewhat helplessly, "Mei Lee."

"Her mobile number?"

"Even if you call her, she might not pick up."

"That's not for you to worry about."

"626 224 3525."

"If, and I'm saying if, you receive a ransom call, you must contact me immediately."

"Oh my god, are you saying Betty was kidnapped? Are you certain?"

"I'm just saying if... We will find Betty's whereabouts as soon as we can."

"How could this happen? When you find Betty, you have to tell me immediately, please!"

"I will."

Jenny frowned slightly, "Mei Lee, that name sounds familiar to me?"

Susan countered, "Do you know her?"

"I'm not sure, just feel like I've heard it somewhere?"

"Then it's up to you to find her."

Jenny nodded, "No problem."

The technician Mary approached, "Guys, we've completed the preliminary scene investigation.

The crime scene was chaotic, and we collected a considerable amount of biological evidence that still needs to be further identified.

"Based on the coagulation of the bloodstains found at the scene, the time of the incident should be between 9 PM and 12 AM, and we can confirm it's human blood,"

While speaking, Mary pulled out a set of photos. "Also, outside the bedroom on the first floor there's a lawn, which is somewhat muddy, perhaps watered yesterday. We found a set of footprints on the windowsill and the ground of the first-floor bedroom, which are likely left by the suspect," she said.

Luke took the photos for inspection and covertly used his identification card.

Information about the shoeprint appeared in his mind,

[Shoes, diamond pattern sole leather shoes

Gender, male

Height, 175-180CM

Weight, 70-80 kilograms

Age, between 30 to 35 years old.]

If the shoeprints were left by the suspect, then the suspect's physical characteristics should be within this data range.

Of course, Luke couldn't tell others about his identification card, so this set of data naturally couldn't be shared with anyone else either.

If, in the future, the learning cards also include skills related to footprint identification, maybe he could reveal such skills, but for now, that was not possible.

"Mary, you've worked hard. Let me know when the other identification results are out," he said.

"I will," said Mary before she went back to her tasks.

Susan instructed, "Vice-Captain Raymond, you're in charge of collecting the surrounding surveillance."

"Luke, Marcus, recheck the situation with the plumber, Mark, and see if the Mrs. Kenneth he was dating is indeed the nanny, Amy Ma."

"Yes, captain."

...

Luke contacted Matthew and investigated Amy Ma's information.

Name, Amy Ma

Gender, female

Date of Birth, March 23, 1977

Address, 16 Kailaya Community

Social Security Number, 623-52-7441

Together with this, a picture of Amy Ma's identification card was forwarded, and it was the same person in the photo from the bedroom on the first floor.

She was very likely the Mrs. Kenneth that Mark referred to.

Quickly,

Mark was called back again, "What do you need me for this time?"

Luke decided to verify first if he matched the suspect's characteristics. "Mark, how tall are you?"

"About 180cm," he replied.

This detail matched the suspect's characteristics.

"How much do you weigh?"

"Around 80 kilograms. What's this about?" Mark replied, puzzled.

Luke didn't respond and continued to inquire, "Age."

"25 years old."

Looking down, Luke noticed Mark wasn't wearing leather shoes but a common type of casual shoes. Besides, his age was significantly different from that of the suspect, which made it unlikely for him to be the owner of the shoes.

Luke took out a photo of Amy Ma, "Who is this?"

"Mrs. Kenneth."

Indeed, this Asian nanny was the one who had disguised herself as 'Mrs. Kenneth' and moreover, the age difference between the two wasn't merely a decade but a full twenty years.

It was a classic case of an older man dating a much younger woman.

Luke asked, "What do you know about Mrs. Kenneth?"

"How to put it? Sometimes I feel like I know her well, but at other times, she seems like a mysterious woman."

"Have you ever asked the neighbors about her in the community?"

"No, she warned me right from the start not to pry into her affairs, and if the neighbors noticed anything unusual, she would break off the relationship with me immediately.

Plus, I'm just a plumber, I don't know the neighbors around here. If I asked rashly... I'm also worried they would suspect something, and I don't want to lose Mrs. Kenneth.

It's not worth the risk, and I don't care about her past. Having her now is enough for me."

"Where were you between 9 PM and 12 AM last night?"

"Why are you asking this? Do you still suspect me?"

"Routine inquiry."

"I was at home, with my girlfriend," Mark said, albeit somewhat reluctantly, but he still provided his girlfriend's contact information and address.

Luke used micro-expression analysis but saw no sign that Mark was lying, yet Mark clearly had a motive for crime.

That was Amy Ma's true identity.

"Mark, how old is your girlfriend?"

"The same age as me."

"Is she pretty?"

"She's not bad."

"Your girlfriend is younger than Mrs. Kenneth and also looks alright, so why are you still with Mrs. Kenneth?"

"Uh, it's not about age. She has a special charm that excites me, gets me thrilled."

"Is it the charm, or because she's the wife of a college professor?"

"Maybe both."

"However, according to our investigation, Mr. Kenneth is currently divorced, single."

"What do you mean?" Mark looked surprised. "Have I been deceived?"

Watching his micro-expressions, Luke could tell that his astonishment did not seem feigned as if he was just finding out now.

"We'll stop here for today."

"No no no." Now it was Mark who was unsettled. "Explain to me, if she isn't Mrs. Kenneth, then who is she?

Could it be that she's already divorced from her husband?"

Luke said, "Whether she's divorced, I'm not sure, but her husband isn't Kenneth."

"Then who is she? Why is she in this house?"

Jack, who didn't like keeping things hidden, felt uncomfortable not speaking out, "She's the nanny of this house.

Oh God, you've been kept in the dark all along."

"Nanny!"

Mark's mouth gaped open as if struck by a huge blow, "She's just a nanny.

I've been having an affair with a nanny?

How could this be.

You're not tricking me, are you?"

Jack said in a grave tone, "You have indeed been conned, but not by us.

Buddy, actually, you haven't really lost out... after all, you've had some good, exciting memories."

"How could it be... a nanny?" Mark was still in shock, feeling as if he'd been played.

The so-called good memories now seemed entirely different.