"Alyssa! Alyssa..." Outside the break room, a series of shouts were heard.
The Whites rushed into the Robbery and Murder Department.
The family of three embraced and wept together.
The entire office was filled with crying, but Luke and the others didn't find it noisy.
On the contrary, everyone's faces showed relief and smiles.
Alyssa's rescue was the best reward for their hard work in investigating the case.
Luke watched silently, feeling some changes in his heart...
Since his rebirth, cultural differences had made him somewhat out of place; LAPD was just a job to him.
He did not care about so-called honor, duty, or obligation.
Staying in the Robbery and Murder Department was more because of the Detective System.
Now, seeing a family reunited, Luke felt a sense of achievement.
This feeling... wasn't too bad.
The White parents thanked every officer.
For them, nothing was more important than their daughter coming back alive.
After seeing off the Whites, it was already four in the morning, and the team members were all a bit tired.
Susan arranged for everyone to rest.
At nine in the morning, a case summary meeting was held in the conference room.
The team members gathered all the clues, preparing for the final interrogation of the author.
Susan's gaze swept over the people, settling on two, "Luke, Marcus, you two are responsible for interrogating Dave."
"What?" The deputy team leader spread his hands, showing a questioning look, "You're not joking, are you? This guy's IQ is at least 140, and you're actually sending two rookies."
"I know this guy is not easy to deal with, cunning, knows the law, familiar with the police interrogation methods, your experience may not be effective against him. I plan to use a surprise tactic."
Luke stroked his chin, "Surprise tactic? Is that a compliment?" He looked at Marcus beside him and sighed inwardly.
Dave was already handcuffed to the interrogation chair.
Seeing Luke and Marcus enter, Dave revealed a smirk, "Oh, Officer Luke, Officer Marcus, we meet again. It's very heartwarming to see familiar faces here."
"Luke, do you smell that faint scent of urine?" Marcus exaggeratedly wrinkled his nose, finally looking towards Dave on the interrogation chair, "Mr. Lawyer, you really can't change your old habits wherever you go."
Luke didn't join in, Dave's little trick with wetting his pants was to divert attention and make the police lower their guard against him.
In some ways, it was a disgrace to the police.
Luke spoke sternly, "Lawyer Dave, you know the law well, I never thought I'd see you here."
"I'm also surprised. Shouldn't you be chasing Steven? Why are you investigating me?"
"You're very confident."
"I believe my plan didn't have many loopholes, how did you find out?"
Luke didn't answer directly, but counter-asked, "What is your relationship with Tony Will?"
"A few years ago, I helped him with some small favors, he's a good old client I can chat with."
"Did you instruct him to buy the modified taser gun?"
"Dave, you should know the situation is not in your favor right now, if you want to get a lighter sentence, you need to cooperate with the police."
"I'm telling the truth. I borrowed the taser gun from him, but it wasn't me who instructed him to buy it. I also don't know why he would buy such a gun?"
Luke opened the evidence bag and took out a white plastic bag with a taser gun inside, "This one?"
"When did you get this gun?"
"Should be in the middle of February."
"Maybe the 15th or 16th, it's been almost a month, I don't remember clearly."
"What have you done with this gun?"
"Just like you saw, I used this gun to kidnap Alyssa."
Dave spread his hands, "I don't understand what you mean."
Luke asked, "Before Alyssa was kidnapped, two taser gun robberies occurred near the club. The two women's physical characteristics were similar to Alyssa, and both had their clothes stripped off. Was that you?"
Dave thought for a moment, "Oh, I've heard about those two cases, but they have nothing to do with me."
Luke smiled, "I'll give you another chance, do you admit it?"
Dave's arm pressed on the interrogation chair as he said indifferently, "If you want to prove I'm guilty, bring out the evidence."
"Dave, don't hold on to any hope for luck. The police have thoroughly investigated you and found some burnt items in your backyard.
They weren't completely incinerated; some items were still intact, like cell phone components, jewelry, clothing buttons, and these are precisely the items taken from the first two victims.
This evidence is enough to convict you."
Dave was silent for a while before he said, "I admit, I committed all three crimes."
Luke shifted to a more comfortable position, "What was the motive?"
"Don't you already know?"
"I want to hear you say it."
"Then you tell me first, how did you investigate me?"
"We followed the clue of the Taser to Tony Will and from there reached you," after finishing, Luke countered, "Your turn now, why did you do these three crimes."
Dave said, "Because of love."
Marcus couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter, "Do you really think you're some kind of lover?"
"I wish I were a lover; things wouldn't have gotten this far. What would you understand, you dark egg?" Dave looked at Luke on the side, "Why is this guy in the interrogation room? Is the Robbery and Murder Department out of people?"
Luke made a silencing gesture toward Marcus and said, "Dave, please continue."
"In my junior year, I fell in love with Alyssa, but she didn't choose me. Instead, she chose my good friend Steven.
I worked hard and became a lawyer, obtained wealth, gained status, but I lost the woman I loved the most.
I thought I would meet someone better and forget her, but I was wrong.
Every time I saw them together, it would hurt so much that I started to distance myself from them.
Once at a club, I saw Alyssa doing a striptease, and I couldn't believe my eyes. My goddess, the woman I regarded as my life, was actually doing such a thing.
It was the first time since becoming a lawyer that I lost my sanity..."
Dave let out a long sigh, "I wanted to help her, didn't want her to continue dancing in clubs, I confessed to her again, hoping she would leave Steven and be with me.
When I spoke those words, I felt a weight lifted off me.
Steven was my good friend, and I had always restrained my feelings for Alyssa.
But Steven wasn't fulfilling his duties as a husband, letting Alyssa dance in clubs. Since he couldn't take care of Alyssa, I would.
I didn't expect... Alyssa rejected me!"
"Hey, man, you've got it all wrong. Picking up women isn't like that, you're too impatient.
You saw an embarrassing moment of Alyssa's, her most vulnerable time, and as soon as you met her, you offered her money and asked her to leave her husband. She would think you're trying to keep her. Most women would resist that," Marcus said at leisure.
Dave retorted, "Then what should I do?"
"You should've asked her out for a drink first, have a good heart-to-heart, make her feel your sincerity, then you would have had a chance. Once the two of you sleep together, everything else will naturally follow; she won't resist you."
Dave did not respond; perhaps Marcus's method would have been more appropriate, but that was only suitable for hookups, for play.
When you truly meet the goddess of your dreams, everything becomes different.
In front of clients, Dave was always confident, eloquent in court, but when he saw Alyssa, he would get nervous, not daring to look her in the eye, his speech no longer coherent.
The more you care, the more you fear losing.
Composure means you're not in deep enough love.
After suppressing it for so many years, Dave's heart was in chaos at that moment.
Luke brought the topic back, asking, "Dave, did you take revenge on two women who looked similar to Alyssa because she rejected you?"
"That night on February 18, Alyssa was dancing at the club again... I really broke down and drank a lot.
I wanted to take Alyssa home, not let her dance in front of other men.
I waited for her near the club and attacked her from behind with a Taser... but I got the wrong person.
But I couldn't control myself, vented my dissatisfaction with Alyssa onto her, took off her clothes..."
Luke noted it down in his notebook and continued asking, "What about the second victim?"
"Later, Alyssa contacted me. I was quite happy when I went, thinking she was willing to accept me. But after we met, we had a big argument.
Someone sent photos of Alyssa dancing to her parents' house; she suspected it was me and was very angry, said a lot of harsh words, even mentioned she would pick any man from the club rather than choose me."
"That night I decided to act but didn't wait for her.
The thought of her dancing in front of so many men made my heart feel like it was exploding.
I picked another blonde woman to vent my fury; looking back now... I was simply crazy.
I wonder if I have a split personality."
"That's not a split personality, that's jealousy.
You have money, status, are better than Steven in every aspect, yet the woman you love chose Steven.
This caused you great pain. The longer it was suppressed, the more violent the outburst," Luke was not about to give him an excuse to escape legal punishment, moving on to another question,