Bloody Seven of Spades 1: Life and Death

"Are you saying this, or am I?" Martin asked.

Levi looked at the corpse in front of the two and sighed.Philip Dreyer sits stiffly in his plush ergonomic office chair, with his arms resting on his massive mahogany desk, as if welcoming a client - spoiling the scene: his head is weak The ground was tilted back to one side, and there was a wide opening in the throat from left to right.Blood soaked his designer suit and pooled on the edge of his desk.

His eyes are still open.

"We're probably after a serial killer," Levy said.

So Martin was in charge of singing the opposite tune, and she immediately interjected: "Two corpses with similar murder methods cannot prove that there is a serial killer. What's more, the mode of crime has not yet been determined." She spoke pure Flatbush [1 ] accent, and only when excited, will there be some cadenced Haitian dialect.

Levi approached the desk.Although he had already put on nitrile gloves[2], he habitually put his hands in his pockets.

In the spacious office, various crews buzz around him: uniformed patrolmen standing in doorways talking; photographers snapping pictures from every angle; crime scene investigation trawling the room grid search.None of this is Levi's concern, his attention is completely focused on one detail.

A card protruded from Dreyer's coat breast pocket, still dripping with blood, but still recognizable as a playing card—the seven of spades.

Levi went around to the other side of the desk and saw a blood-stained square scarf; this ornament had been in Dreyer's breast pocket, but now it was discarded carelessly on the ground next to the deceased.He noted the location and returned to Martin. "Seven of spades, like Billy Campbell's case."

"It's scary enough," she said, "but let's not jump to conclusions."

"The vast majority of murderers do not leave their death cards[3]."

"In order to mislead the police, the murderer may also leave false evidence to conceal his motive."

He nodded. "Do you think someone has the motive to kill these two people at the same time?" He couldn't think of any connection between the two cases for a while.Aside from both being middle-aged white males — and the eerie murder scene — Dreyer and Campbell have nothing in common.Dreyer is a prosperous wealth management consultant, and his "Sky Financial Services" is a prestigious financial planning company; Campbell is a bum who hangs out in bars all day long, and has several domestic violence and drug possession charges. , but somehow he always gets away with it.The two lived in very different worlds.

"Maybe. Statistically, it's also more likely than a serial killer will be after them."

The playing cards found at the scene of the Campbell case are highly classified information.Unless someone inside the police station leaked the news, and a well-informed impersonator was added, the two must have died at the hands of the same murderer.Levi hoped that both murders were motivated by personal vendettas, which would greatly reduce the difficulty of catching the killer.

He stood directly behind Dreyer's body, looking down at the chair and table.The coroner hadn't arrived yet, but based on his experience observing crime scenes during his four years as a homicide detective, Levy deduced that the time of death was about two to three hours ago.The deceased had his throat cut from behind, and the cause of death was excessive blood loss...

Martin, who was standing opposite, frowned and leaned forward to size up the corpse.Little bouncy curls covered her eyelids, and she shook her head impatiently to shake them off. "No sign of struggle."

He also came to the same conclusion.Turning around slowly, he looked around the entire room.

This is a magnificent office, with a row of large floor-to-ceiling glass windows facing the door, separated by a height of 25 floors, presenting a colorful and graceful scene of the Strip[4] in Las Vegas below.Dreyer's desk is in the middle of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the office chair he sits in is only a few feet away from the glass behind him.The only point of entry into the office is the door facing the desk, which is slightly angled from the desk, and there is nothing else on the wide, smooth hardwood floor.

The takeaway: There wasn't much room behind Dreyer for the killer to stand on, and there was no way the victim wasn't alert when the killer approached him.Judging from the scene, however, Dreyer didn't even get up from his chair.Levi took a closer look later, when he was allowed to move the body, but he couldn't see any marks of self-defense on the dead man's arms and hands.

"The murderer took advantage of his unprepared hands?" Levi expressed doubts.

"In your case, how many people can you rest assured that they will stand behind you when you are sitting?"

It's so small that it can be counted on one hand, there is still more.He continued to investigate around the table.

Everything on the table was neatly arranged—Dreyer didn't hold onto anything, neither resisted in self-defense to grab anything, nor messed up in panic after his throat was slit.Of course, the murderer could rearrange the scene according to his own intentions after Dreyer's death, but in that case, the bloodstains should not be what they are now.

As it stands, Levy's assumption is that Dreyer just sat there, let someone slit his throat, and sat still until he bled to death.Why? !

A few inches to Dreyer's right, there is a crystal glass tumbler containing a small amount of amber liquid.Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Campbell was high before he died, right?" he asked Martin.

"Yes, I've taken everything I can. But I don't think it's strange if this person is not high."

"What exactly did you drink?"

She took out a small notebook from the inside pocket of her coat and flipped through it. "Ephedrine, measured doses of oxycodone and Adderall, some marijuana, and..." She mused thoughtfully, "Ketamine[5]. Quite a large dose."

She and Levi looked at each other, and then both of them turned their eyes to the glass on the table.

Ketamine is a dissociative drug, large doses can cause the user to be in a trance, and even induce temporary paralysis.Sufficient doses of ketamine can render a victim incapacitated when attacked, which is one reason it is sometimes used in date rape.

Campbell was a chronic addict, so the results of his toxicology report went unnoticed.But if ketamine is also detected in Dreyer, then there is a strong connection and a solid lead between the two cases.

Levi waved to a crime scene investigator, who dropped what he was doing and came quickly to him.

"What's the matter, Officer Abrams?"

"Please pay special attention to that cup when you deal with the desk later. I need a toxicology report for the liquid in the cup and a toxicology report for the residue in it. And fingerprints."

"No problem, sir." The technician girl jotted down a memo and went back to her colleagues.

"Then, here comes my question," Martin said when Levi returned to the desk, "Since we have decided to kill someone and tried our best to overdose the other party, why not just let the victim die of drug overdose? ?”

"The murderer wanted to slit his throat," he said quietly. "Killing with drugs is not the same thing as killing with a knife. Drugs don't have the primal satisfaction of doing it yourself. No blood, no passion."

"God." She was silent for a long time after she finished speaking, biting her lower lip as if thinking. "Okay. In other words, the murderer's purpose is to cut the throat, but first stun the victim with drugs, because... to keep the scene clean, don't want to make a big noise, don't want to risk giving the victim a chance to call for help or Make too much noise to attract attention. Or the murderer can't afford that risk, because if there is a chance to resist, the victim has a high chance of winning."

"The assailant may have been smaller than the deceased — smaller than the deceased."

"If it's a serial killer..."

Levi shook his head. "Let's not be preconceived. You are right. Two corpses alone are not enough to support this inference. We still have to investigate from the perspective of human relations first."

But regardless of reasoning and logic, a feeling of nausea and uneasiness weighed on Levi's heart, which he felt based on experience and intuition.Judging from the look on Martin's face, she felt similarly.

Although he already knew what the answer would be, he asked, "Do you want to stay here to supervise the crime scene, or go to the woman who found the body?" Commander's position, while Levy prefers to deal with people one-on-one.

"I'll stay," she answered, and then added, "I'm not going to the county jail at midnight."

What she added surprised Levy—how could a witness be sent to the Clark County Detention Facility? "What was she doing there?"

"Haven't you heard? She attacked the police officer in charge of the case."

Levi blinked. "what why?"

"She's from Eastern Europe - I'm told it's from Ukraine or something - and I guess she doesn't trust the police very much. I don't know where some head-slapping threat to call immigration if she doesn't cooperate. She ran, and the man chased after her, and she punched her on the jaw."

Levi rolled his eyes and said, "Which police officer is it?"

Martin smirked and said, "Guess."

"Gibbs," he said disgustedly.Jonah Gibbs is an impulsive young man who is also outspoken and brave. "Sooner or later, this guy will sue the police station."

"Well, maybe a big win will make him calm down for a while."

Levi looked at his watch, estimating how much time he'd have to spend in the lockup to sort out this shit before he could question witnesses.After finishing the calculation, he sighed.He worked ten hours a day, and was almost off work before he was called to the scene; he and Martin were working on the Campbell case, and a patrolman noticed the connection between the two cases, which was also reported. It was stuffed into their hands, although according to the schedule, it shouldn't be their responsibility.

"Can't believe I'm canceling my date with Stanton again. He won't be happy."

Martin waved his hand disapprovingly. "Since you are in love with the police, you have to have this awareness. It's been three years, right? He will get used to it."

Levi didn't answer.Lately, Stanton has been talking quite bluntly about Levina's long, irregular hours, about how he doesn't take his own safety seriously, and what it's going to do to the future of both of them. kind of impact.Stanton was particularly sensitive to this, since—

"Officer Valcourt, are you free now?" said Fred, the photographer in charge of filming the crime scene.This person has cooperated with them many times before, and he has long seen that Martin is the boss of the two, so there is no need to ask.

Levi took a chance to say goodbye, and then went out.He found the police officer in charge at the door, signed the crime scene registration form, took off his gloves and shoe covers, walked through the thickly carpeted corridor, came to the elevator in the center of the 25th floor, and pressed the button. down button.

While waiting for the elevator, he noticed that there was a surveillance camera in the corner, which provided panoramic surveillance outside the elevator, and could also take care of a long distance between the two corridors.He took out his cell phone and sent Martin a text message.

Maybe they can gain something.

***

Dominic rang the doorbell.This small American-style bungalow in Henderson[7] has stucco walls and a terracotta roof that blends in with the surrounding desert scenery.On such a night, it, like the other dozens of houses in this suburban neighborhood, has experienced the hustle and bustle of the day, and is slowly quieting down, and is about to fall asleep with the residents of the entire street.

While waiting for the door, he tugged at the brim of the big red baseball cap on his head, and stretched his shoulders. He wore a matching windbreaker jacket with the eye-catching logo of "Peter's Choice Pizza" printed on it.The manager of the local chain found it super-sensational to assist in the arrest of fugitives and was particularly proactive in cooperating with him.But even the largest employee uniforms that can be found in the store are barely squeezed into Dominique, a muscular burly man.

The shutters of the front windows flapped.Within seconds, Daniel Ruiz opened the door, his eyes fixed on the pizza box in Dominique's left hand.

Dominique suppressed the joy of victory spontaneously in his heart.This is what he has learned after learning many lessons. Before handing over the target to the police, he must not take it lightly-there are too many side effects in the process.

"Long enough, man." Ruiz held out one hand for the pizza, and with the other handed Dominique a handful of cash. "The guy on the phone said it would only take half an hour."

The man on the phone hadn't thought of counting the time it took the manager to notify Dominique of Ruiz's order, or the time it took Dominique to prepare.Dominique let Ruiz get the pizza but didn't take his money.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Ruiz," he said.

Ruiz froze, looking sharply at Dominique's face.He ordered the pizza in his cousin's name, and he's been hiding out at his cousin's house for the past two weeks.

"Daniel Ruiz, I am authorized by the Sin City Bail Company to arrest you and bring you to justice—"

Ruiz threw the pizza and money straight out the door and scurried back inside.Dominic gave a low growl and chased after him.

Although the room is not very spacious, it is also very warmly decorated. The floor is full of toys, and the walls and tables are dotted with pictures of two cute little dolls.Dominic ran all the way and didn't look carefully—the cousin took his wife and children to grandma's house for the weekend.Dominique had locked Ruiz's location a few days earlier, and it was this pre-arranged family outing that delayed the arrest for so long.

Ruiz made a turn around the sofa in the living room, and Dominique simply jumped over the sofa, shortening the distance between the two of them, and rushed into the kitchen after him.Ruiz opened the back door, stopped suddenly, and let out a horrified cry.

On the back steps was a large German Shepherd-Rottweiler mix that weighed about a hundred pounds.Anti-Bone Girl was sitting ready, ears pricked up, whole body ready for Ruiz's every move.However, she did not show the slightest aggression-she would not attack unless Dominic gave orders, because he would not send her into battle unless he had to.

Ruiz looks back at Dominique, who is blocking the kitchen door.Seeing Ruiz's head twisting back and forth, Dominic could tell from that expression how much he was struggling inside: whether to single out a muscular man twice his size, or to be able to do it in seconds? The big dog that tore his throat?

Of course there was no choice, and Ruiz was terrified.Dominique took off his baseball cap and tossed it aside, reaching back to smooth his hair.

"You overdue court, Mr. Ruiz. You knew I was coming for you."

"I'm not on it yet," Ruiz mused, "I really can't afford the money."

"I understand you," Dominique said, and every word was true.He can empathize with Ruiz's situation more than most of his peers. "But all those opportunities to help you deal with your debt, you ignore it, it's just a debt, it turns into a criminal offense; then your mother pays for your bail, and you run away. The longer you delay , the final outcome will only get worse."

In Nevada, non-repayment of gambling debts owed to casinos is equivalent to writing a bad check, which is equivalent to conscious financial fraud. If the amount reaches a certain amount, it will be treated as a felony and prosecuted.Ruiz threw himself into the pit of fire because he failed to respond in time to the casino's proposal to ask him to repay the debt, and the other party finally submitted the lawsuit to the District Attorney's Office.

Dominique took off a pair of handcuffs from his belt, opened his arms, and slowly approached each other. "I don't want to hurt you."

If necessary, he is not too helpless.He has a concealed carry license[8] and never forgets to holster his Glock under his left arm when on duty.So far, he has never fired at a target, but he has used stun guns and tear gas a lot.

Ruiz took a step back, and immediately retreated after hearing the warning sound of the anti-bone girl.He was shaking like he was sifting beans.

Dominique remained vigilant, guarding against the other party's sudden action, and slowly approached him like this.Although Ruiz looks like a guy who can only run and not fight, when cornered, people can do anything, and this is in the kitchen-potential weapons everywhere- — Violent disputes are most afraid of happening in such a place.

Ruiz tiptoed back and forth, breathing heavily, looking around for an exit he hadn't found before.

Dominique said softly, "Your mother put your house on the mortgage to bail you out. If you don't come with me, she will lose the house. Do you want to be that kind of brat?"

Ruiz closed his eyes, his shoulders slumped to show that he had surrendered. "Fuck!" he muttered, holding out his hands.

"Thank you." Dominique snapped the handcuffs on, and patted Ruiz all over for a weapon—unsurprisingly, he wasn't carrying one.He whistled at the anti-bone girl to call her in, and then closed and locked the back door.

As he walked out the front door, he stopped to pick up the scattered banknotes, folded them neatly, and placed them on the cabinet by the door.He passed the pizza instead, because you can imagine how the family would feel when they came home on Sunday to find a box full of cheese that had been stale for days.

Besides, who would want to waste such a good pizza?

[1] Flatbush, a historic neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.

[2] That is, the common white airtight gloves, commonly known as "latex gloves", the actual material is synthetic nitrile rubber.

[3] Callingcard, a term in modern criminology, refers to the evidence with personal characteristics left on the scene of a special murderer such as a serial killer after committing a crime, which is equivalent to the "signature" of the work.

[4] LasVegasStrip, the 6.8-kilometer-long Las Vegas main road, brings together many hotels and casinos, and the "Long Street" referred to later also refers to it.

[5] Mainly some narcotic, hallucinogenic or excitatory drugs, among which "Ketamine" (Ketamine) scientific name is ketamine, which is a powerful narcotic analgesic.

[6] Clark County Detention Center, referred to as CCDC, Las Vegas belongs to Clark County, and generally only detains prisoners and suspects.

[7] Henderson, the second largest city in Nevada, is only five miles from Las Vegas.

[8] A type of gun license in the United States, "concealed carry" means that the gun owner can carry the gun in public without revealing the weapon.It is generally issued to professionals such as law enforcement officers or private investigators.