Chapter 207 Suspect
On June 28th, during the robbery murder case on Kabool Mountain, according to the victim Shirley's description, a black sedan drove past by the roadside during the incident.
Afterward, her son Terry also claimed that he had hired four hoodlums with $1,000 to cause trouble at the scene of the incident, and the vehicle driven by the four hoodlums was precisely a black Tesla sedan.
The same vehicle appeared at two different crime scenes, and the similar modus operandi of the two cases indicated that the same perpetrator was likely involved, naturally raising suspicions about the vehicle.
Moreover, even if the owner of the vehicle was not the suspect, they were likely a witness.
Luke enlarged a section of the dashcam video to clearly see the license plate number of the Tesla sedan and identified the owner of the vehicle based on the license plate.
Name: Brian Martinez
Gender: Male
Age: 44 years old
Phone number: 626 876 583*
License plate number: 3lLb85*
Address: 104 Nakka Community
...
Subsequently, Luke led the team to the owner's house.
Upon exiting the vehicle, they observed the surroundings; to the left of the owner's yard was a lawn, and to the right was a garage. There was an Audi parked in front of the garage, and the black Tesla sedan was not found.
Although the Tesla sedan appeared at two different crime scenes, the owner was somewhat suspicious.
Yet there was no direct evidence as of now to prove that he was the suspect.
Therefore, they still had to treat the owner as a witness.
Of course, this attitude was merely superficial; in reality, they had to prepare for the worst.
Luke and Boel were responsible for knocking on the door.
Jenny and Jackson stayed on alert around the perimeter, ready to provide support at any moment.
All set, Boel walked up to the door and pressed the doorbell.
Before long, the door opened from inside and a Caucasian middle-aged man stood at the doorway, looked at Boel, then turned towards Luke, "Can I help you? Who are you looking for?"
Boel showed his badge, "LAPD, I'm Detective Marcus, and this is Deputy Team Leader Luke."
The Caucasian man appeared surprised and spread his hands, "You must be mistaken; I haven't reported anything to the police."
Luke asked, "Sir, what is your name?"
"Brian Martinez."
"Mr. Martinez, do you own a black Tesla sedan, license plate 3lLb85*?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"Is that car being used by you?"
"No, my son is using it; what trouble has he gotten into now? Did he speed again, or did he fail to pay his fine on time?
When this kid comes back, I will definitely teach him a lesson."
Boel pouted slightly, "Hey, that's not within our jurisdiction. We are from the Robbery and Murder Department, and we are investigating a criminal case in which that black Tesla sedan appeared at the scene.
We are here to gather information from a witness."
Brian Martinez furrowed his brows, "That must be a coincidence."
Luke concurred, "Of course, we're just here to ask if the owner noticed anything unusual while passing by the crime scene, like some characteristics of the suspect or other clues, which are important for the investigation."
Brian breathed a sigh of relief, "I see.
It might need to wait until my son comes back then; he has been using that car recently.
I'll give him a call."
Luke said, "Could you give me your son's contact details so I can speak directly with him? That might clarify things a bit more."
Brian hesitated, "Sorry, my son is still underage; it's better if I handle this.
Don't worry, I'll make sure he comes back as soon as possible, without taking up too much of your time."
Brian stepped aside, "Deputy Team Leader Luke, please come in and wait for a moment."
"Thank you."
Luke and Boel entered the living room, while Brian went into the dining room to make a phone call.
The living room was decorated simply and was very clean, displaying numerous oil paintings on the walls, mostly realistic oil paintings.
One in particular, depicting a nude woman emerging from a bath, caught Boel's eye, "Luke, what do you think?"
Luke nodded, speaking seriously, "It suits your style very well."
Brian emerged from the dining room and said to Boel, "You have a good eye, this painting was done by a renowned artist, a realist oil painter from last century, and it's the most expensive one among all the paintings."
Boel chuckled awkwardly, having no real knowledge about it.
Luke inquired, "Mr. Martinez, when can we expect your son to return?"
"He's nearby and should be back soon," Brian replied, showing a concerned expression, "I'd like to know what case you are investigating."
Normally, Luke wouldn't disclose details of a case to outsiders lightly.
But Brian's situation was different; since his son was underage, obtaining his statement couldn't be bypassed without involving him.
"We are investigating a vehicular robbery and murder case," Luke briefly explained.
"Targeting vehicles specifically?"
"Yes."
"Oh my god, that's terrifying. Almost everyone has a car these days, anyone could be a target for the murderer."
"You're right, which is why we must catch the murderer as soon as possible. And your son's statement is very important to us."
Brian nodded, "What would you officers like to drink? Coffee or tea?"
"Thank you, we just had coffee in the car, we don't need anything for now."
Luke rarely eats or drinks at the homes of those involved in cases.
Once or twice might be safe, but if the person was a covert murderer, what would they do if something happened?