Bloody Seven of Spades 1: Life and Death

Dominique stood in the parking lot of the hotel chain, leaning against the side of the pickup truck, and saw Levi coming out of the hotel with a mobile phone in his hand.When the other party saw him, he put his phone back in his pocket and strode towards him.Dominic straightened up, ready to argue with Levi.

"I was going to call you," Levy said.

"Call me out, right?" Dominique folded his arms. "Because I didn't feel like I—"

"Actually," said Levy, "I was going to ask you for help."

This was unexpected for Dominic.He stood there in a daze, with his mouth wide open, wondering if he had heard it wrong.

"Martin and I have too many aspects to take care of. If our energies are divided too much, innocent people will be harmed."

Dominic couldn't figure it out until Levy explained to him the challenge that "Seven of Spades" had launched this morning.Under the premise that there are many clues available and time is limited, any wrong choice may lead to disastrous consequences.

"Martin was in charge of protecting the potential targets, and I was focused on getting Keith," Levy concluded. "He seems to have disappeared-no one has seen him in or out of the hotel all day today. Haven't spoken to him. That's what's worrying, because there's no reason for him to disappear without saying hello, unless..."

"Unless he knows we're looking for him."

"It's possible. Maybe because of his illness and bad mood, he needs to be alone. Even if he is 'Seven of Spades', he can't possibly think that you have found out his identity through your means. In any case, he could be anywhere now and a public manhunt would startle him and cause panic."

"You want me to find him quietly with you."

"I have the right to hire you as a personal advisor at my own discretion. If there's one thing you're good about, it's finding people out of hiding. Besides, you're just like Martin—a nice guy, a nice guy. It's been smooth sailing. I..." Levi shrugged sheepishly, "I piss people off sometimes."

"W--yes!" Dominic drew out teasingly, pretending not to believe it.

Levi puffs out his nostrils and raises an eyebrow.

"So you need me to be Martin's substitute. You will be a serious policeman, and I will be a good-talking policeman."

"You're not a cop. Well, that's what it means."

"Okay." Dominic tilted his head to signal Levy to get in the car.

Before coming to the hotel, he had sent the rebellious girl to Carlos to take care of, and Levi and Martin came in a car, so they took the pickup together to their first stop——Chapman's Home.Despite Chapman's wife's repeated assertions that she didn't know where her husband was, she could either be lying, or she knew useful information but thought it didn't matter.

On the road, Dominic considers the best course of action.Chapman hadn't swiped his credit card in days, and according to Levy, he left his phone in the hotel.To find him means to search along his personal connections, starting from his wife and extending further.

Levy was right—it's out of the police's hands.Across the United States, [-] to [-] percent of defendants never appear in court, depending on the jurisdiction.The police do not have the resources and manpower to chase these people to the end, which is why the profession of bail enforcement is so popular.Although Levi had solved a dozen cases and occasionally participated in pursuit operations, he was not familiar with the operation of obsessively pursuing a single target, and Dominic depended on it for a living.

Dominique was determined not to let him down.

Chapman lived in Henderson until his wife Tina kicked him out of the house.Levi hadn't told Tina they were coming, so she looked surprised when she opened the door.

"Ms. Chapman, this is Detective Levi Abrams. We spoke on the phone earlier."

"Yes, yes," she said while shaking his hand, "I think we've met once or twice before." She looked at Dominic silently, with a curious expression on her face.

"Who is this--"

"Dominic Russo," Dominic interjected, offering his hand, "I'm Keith's friend and I'm very worried about him. Can you let us in if it's convenient for you?"

"Well, of course you can."

Tina invited them into the living room, and then went to settle her two children - although the children were playing elsewhere, they could still hear the adults talking.The two sat side by side on the sofa, and Levi glanced at Dominic strangely, but said nothing.Tina came back and sat in an armchair opposite and offered to bring them coffee again, which they declined, but Dominique could see that it was difficult for Levi to refuse coffee.

"Why do you want to find Keith so much?" Tina asked. "Did something bad happen to him?"

"I hope he doesn't," Dominique said before Levi opened his mouth, "but I can't reach him, and the last time I spoke to him, he was in a really bad state. I was worried that he might hurt himself, so I Please Sergeant Abrams find it for me. I hope you don't think I'm too busy."

The suspicion of the other party dissipated now, which was exactly the effect he wanted. "No, you are very thoughtful," she said, with much less defensiveness in her tone, "Are you a police officer too?"

"From the Evidence Laboratory."

Levi twisted and coughed. "The last time you saw Keith was on Wednesday, right?"

"Yes. It was the day the Vegas Police Department announced that he would be fired." She looked down at her clenched hands. "He's been looking off for weeks but he was in worse shape that day than I've ever seen him - yelling and swearing, completely uncontrollable. I didn't let him in the house and haven't heard from him since. gone."

"When he is sad, who will he usually go to? Is there anyone willing to help him?"

"Could be his sister? She's helped a lot, cheering him up, since—since things got out of hand. His parents live in Palm Springs, and I don't think he's going to go that far."

"Where are your friends?" Dominique asked.

Tina didn't answer, but suddenly argued, "Listen, I didn't want to kick him out. But I have to put the children first. Keith seems to have changed since he hit that guy." Alone—suspicious, cloudy, moody ups and downs. Sometimes he can't be found for hours or days, and he's dead when he gets home, and won't tell me where he's gone. I'm afraid He will hurt people, and there is no intention of betraying him."

"Is this how his friends treat him?" Dominic said calmly.

"Can't blame them. They tried to help him at first, really. But..." She made a helpless gesture, "He has lost his mind. He didn't want to help. Everyone is doing their best He just let it go. Even his friends who grew up with him left one by one."

Levy sat up and said, "Where did Keith live when he was a kid? I can't remember if he mentioned it."

"City of Boulder[1]."

Dominique and Levi exchanged quick glances: it was only thirty miles away.

They chatted with Tina a little longer, made sure she had nothing more to tell, and left.Before leaving, Dominique asked, "Does Keith have any high school classmates?"

"Classmates?" she repeated. "Yes. Why?"

"If we find him and his condition is not very good, the classmate record may help him remember the good times in the past. Let him gain some spiritual strength from the pleasant memories."

Although she didn't know why, she still accepted this set of arguments, and within a few minutes, she found and handed over Chapman's high school classmates.After the two of them came out and stood on the driveway, Levy asked Dominic: "Do you think he might have gone to find an old friend, and you can speculate on the possible partner based on this classmate book?"

"It's one, and some emotional support from his past, some place where he can find a sense of security. When a person is in trouble, they always find a comfortable and familiar place to hide." Domi Nick tosses Levi the car keys. "Can you drive? My shoulder hurts like hell."

On the drive to Chapman's sister's house, he flipped through his schoolbook.Chapman was very popular at that time, he was featured in many photos, and many friends and acquaintances signed his classmates.He appears to be the star player on the baseball team.

Unlike Tina, Chapman's older sister, Michelle, doesn't take Dominique's charm or his sympathy card.In less than 5 minutes, she issued an order to evict the guest and said a few harsh words, obviously not believing that their concern for Chapman was genuinely for him.

"I'll bet you ten bucks she's going to call Keith as soon as she turns around and tell him we're looking for him," the two murmured as they walked along the front door path.

Dominic froze for a moment, thinking about whether to say something, but Levi had already put his hand on his mouth, and turned his head to look at him with panicked eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything else, I just forgot—"

"Hey, Levi, it's okay." Dominic patted him on the back. "It's just a habitual expression."

"I won't do it again."

"Thank you." Dominique said with a smile.Seeing that Levi was really sad, he was really moved.In his past experience, people only found it annoying to be careful when speaking in front of him.

They get back in the pickup, and Levi calls Martin, who confirms that Michelle has indeed called Chapman's cell phone -- which Martin still has. "He didn't answer, Michelle is really in a hurry right now," Levi said after hanging up the phone. "Whoever she calls next may be the key to finding Chapman. Suppose we can find out Out of this person—"

"Why suppose?"

"I can't just go through anyone's phone records whenever I think of it. I need a search warrant, which means I need a reasonable motive—"

"Do you know what I need?" Dominic stared into his eyes. "Coffee. I think now would be a perfect time for you to go get us some coffee. I'll wait here in the car."

Levy seemed hesitant, and Dominique could understand.On the one hand, Levi was a man sworn to uphold the law, and the mere thought of Dominique trying to obtain information illegally made him panic.On the other hand, that's Levy's main reason for recruiting Dominique to get involved -- though he doesn't say so.

They drove to a nearby coffee shop, and Levi parked the car beside the curb and entered the shop alone.Dominic reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the receiver - he'd already bugged Michelle's flat in Michelle's apartment, slipping it into a nondescript and useless electrical socket when she wasn't looking. of.That equipment was expensive, and he'd have to figure out a way to find time to get it back if he had the chance.

The apartment is quiet at the moment, but the bug has a voice-activated self-starting recording function.He rewound the data he had collected until he and Levi had just left.The first thing she heard was that she called Chapman impatiently.

"Where did you die?" she said. "What are you doing again? The police are looking for you, you idiot. Call me back!"

Well, at least they had proof that she really didn't know where Chapman had gone.

In less than 20 seconds, she made a second call. "Marty? Hi, I'm Michelle Chapman. I wonder if you have heard from Keith these days?" She paused. "He's really gone off the rails this time. I think he's done something stupid, but I don't know what. Let me know if you get in touch with him, okay?"

She then called a guy named "Jim" and said almost exactly the same thing.Then she ran out of the room where the bug was installed, and the recording was cut off.

Dominique put the receiver back in his pocket, picked up the schoolbook and his cell phone.The names of those two people just now sounded familiar...

Levy returns to the car with two cups of coffee and hands Dominique one of them—foamy and topped with a layer of cream.

"Hazelnut flavor." Dominic couldn't help but surprise after taking a sip.The coffee is sweet and milky, which is his favorite method. "Thanks."

"I don't know how you manage to drink it," Levi flinched. "Did you get anything useful?"

"Yes. Michelle didn't call Chapman, and then she called two people named Marty and Jim. I'm pretty sure they were Martin Tate and James Bowman." The photos of these two people on the "Senior Four" group page in the record were shown to Levy, and then turned to the back page to show that both of them had signed the classmate record. "They were best friends in Chapman's high school, and all three were on the baseball team."

"You think Keith went to one of them?"

"No." Dominic tapped his phone. "Tate lives in Michigan now, and Bowman in Texas. But in their messages, they all mentioned hanging out at a place they called 'Warren' - a place that's been in a lot of other places. It has also been mentioned repeatedly in people's comments, and it has also appeared in some people's graduation mottos. "Remember the good times in Warren", "drinking under Warren's stands". I checked, Warren is the community ballpark in Boulder."

"Baseball field?" Levi said suspiciously, and started the car.

"If Keith knows we're looking for him, or even if you're right, he's just sick, he's probably hiding somewhere where he used to feel safe and happy. I think we should start there. , Ask around to see who has seen him in that area. I have found people with fewer clues than this before."

"I trust your judgment," said Levy, "then we'll go to Boulder."

***

On such a Sunday afternoon in April, the Warren Ballpark was unsurprisingly packed.It was the fourth inning of a mixed-sex softball game, and the stands were full of sunbathers.There was cheering and shouting one after another, coupled with the cheers of the children as they ran around.The aroma of freshly made popcorn rippling with the breeze.

Levy and Dominic split up and started searching.Dominique went straight to the food stand and bought three hot dogs, so that he could blend into the crowd without being noticed and also cushion his stomach.But it wasn't until it was time to pay that he thought of asking, "Is this beef or pork?" He knew that Levi was not particularly particular about religion, because he never observed the Sabbath and often went to work on Saturdays[2].But he might be taboo, and Dominique hadn't noticed that yet.

"Beef." The cashier who looked only in his teens said. "Two years ago, we were selling cheap stuff that fed a bunch of people. Now we're only selling premium stuff."

There should be no problem with the all-beef hot dogs. Dominique boxed two of them and picked up the other to eat. During this period, he asked the employees of the food stand about Chapman's news.Most people couldn't tell, but a woman recognized his photo.

"Yeah, that's the weirdo," she said. "I've seen him wandering around here a few times this week. He always looks like he's having a convulsion—sweating all over and moving around." .It's creepy."

Dominique thanked her, left the food stand, and walked around the court scanning the crowd, gobbling down hot dogs.He showed Chapman's photo to several people, but found nothing.

Over the second hot dog, he and Levi hook up. "Keith has definitely been here," Levy said. "I met a few people who recognized him and talked to them. But they weren't sure if he was here today."

"It's the same with me," Dominique said, handing him the remaining hot dog in the plastic box. "Hungry? It's not pork—I'm not sure if you value that."

"I value it." Levi seemed a little surprised, he took the plastic box and opened the lid. "Thank you."

"I don't know what seasoning you like, so I added tomato sauce."

Levi looked up at him with lowered eyelids, the sharp facial features softened a little, coupled with the unusual warmth in those gray eyes, Dominic captured a sense of vulnerability.Dominique couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of coming here with him on a different premise.What if they're just here to pass the time, eat junk food, and cheer on the local softball team?What if he could wrap his arms around Levi's waist, kiss him on the cheek, rub the tense muscles in his neck for him, and help him relax?

Someone ran past, brushed against Dominique and hit him on the injured shoulder, and the pain brought him back to reality.He hissed in pain, and just as Levi was about to express his concern, he quickly raised his hand to dismiss the other party's question.

"I'm fine. Let's sit down and figure out what to do next."

They found seats and discussed plans over lunch.Concerned that Chapman might visit stores in the area, Levy wanted to take a closer look at the nearby neighborhoods.Dominic agrees.

"Anyway, I also think that it is unlikely that he will stay here with so many people." Dominic put away their leftover packaging and threw it into the nearby trash can. "Maybe somewhere quieter, somewhere more secluded—"

He cuts off, flashing back the scrawled notes of secret high school date spots, memories of underage drinking, smoking, and trysts.

"I haven't checked under the bleachers yet," he said. "Have you?"

Levi froze. "No."

The two jumped up and went straight to the other side of the field.The area under the bleachers is much deeper than Dominique expected, because it is adjacent to the annex of the venue, where the light is particularly dark, forming a space as large and deep as a cave.Cigarette butts, broken bottles and condom wrappers are strewn all over the ground. It seems that middle school students still favor this place as usual these days.

A man stands alone in the shadows.

Dominique listened to Levy and the food stand employees describe Chapman's situation, but always felt that they were exaggerating.It's not an exaggeration until he sees it with his own eyes.Chapman was trembling all over, his shoulders shrugged convulsively, and his head was tilted from side to side.When the sunlight shone through the gap of the seat onto his face, the revealed face was not pale but gray, and a pair of eye sockets were completely sunken, as if he had been beaten several times.He paced back and forth, muttering to himself, with his hands deep in the pockets of his coat—it was too thick for such a warm day.

Levy dragged Dominic back to the corner before being discovered by Chapman, avoiding the other party's sight. "I've got to call the Boulder Police Department before it's too late," he said, lifting the phone to his ear. "I don't want to piss him off."

Despite the grim situation, Dominic couldn't help teasing: "Are you afraid of offending others?"

Levi punched his uninjured shoulder.

After he had requested support from the local police department, Levy said, "I don't know if we should just wait for them to come. Keith knows me, maybe I can reassure him."

"Be careful. I'm your queen."

They walked back into the shadows behind their seats. "Keith," Levi called softly.

Chapman reacted as if he had been electrocuted, and turned around in a jump, shaking his head violently from side to side, looking for the source of the sound.

"It's me." Levi stepped forward and raised his hands, but Dominique couldn't tell whether his gesture was friendly or defensive.Most of them have.

"Levi?" said Chapman. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for you. What are you doing here?"

Levi approached Chapman slowly from the side, while Dominique stayed where he was.To prevent accidents, he kept pressing the stun gun with his hand.

"I..." Although Dominic couldn't see the expression of Chapman under the shadow, the voice revealed a sense of confusion. "I don't know. I don't know how I got here."

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"My phone is ringing." Chapman's already short of breath became even more breathless. "Every time the phone rings, something bad happens."

There was a feeling of uneasiness in Dominic's heart. One of the key elements in the "Seven of Spades" murder was that the person entered and exited the crime scene without attracting anyone's attention, and it is likely that even the victim was brought down without suspicion.Taking a step back, this person can at least strictly control the situation when negotiating with the victim, and refrain from physical contact with the victim before launching a fatal blow.

Nobody with a modicum of common sense and normal human instinct would let their guard down when facing Keith Chapman.It is absolutely impossible for such a trembling, sweaty, babbling man to approach anyone without disturbing the other party.Unless all of this is acting, just to make Dominic have the above doubts?

"Keith, can you please get your hands out of your pockets?" Levy asked.He was only two steps away from the opponent.

Chapman looked down at himself in surprise, as if unaware that his hands were in his pockets.He withdrew his hand from the baggy coat.

Dominic opened his mouth to yell a warning, but it was unnecessary.Levy's movement was so fast that Dominic could hardly see how it moved. He stretched out his hand and slapped Chapman's hand away from a deflection angle, and quickly retracted it, keeping himself away from the opponent's counterattack range.The knife in Chapman's hand flew out and landed in the mound ten paces away.

Chapman yelled out in pain, but he didn't move, he didn't attack or defend.Levy retracted his legs and was about to kick out, but stopped halfway.Dominic was about to run towards them when Levi shook his head and waved him to stay behind.

"My God, what's that?" Chapman said, staring at the weapon.It was a deadly straight hunting knife, long and sharp, with a small ray of sunlight reflecting light on the blade. "In the end what happened?"

Dominique only saw one of the victims killed by the "Seven of Spades", but this knife is likely to be the one that slit Matthew Goodwin's throat.

"Keith, how do you have that knife?" Levi said.

Chapman became more irritable, shouting, "I don't know! It's all in a daze, you understand? I don't know where I've been." He grabbed his hair with both hands. "My head hurts all the time and I can't concentrate. It gets worse every day!"

"I want to check your other pocket, okay?"

Chapman was unmoved.He just stood there, his chest heaving violently, but he didn't resist when Levi walked over to search him.

Dominique watched all this nervously, as long as Chapman showed the slightest aggression, he would immediately rush forward.Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, he turned around sharply and quickly grabbed the handle of the gun.

Seeing that it was two local police officers, he relaxed.The two also withdrew their guns and looked at him warily.

"Officer Abrams?" one of them asked.

"No," he pointed at Levi and Chapman, "the tall one on the right is."

As the two policemen stepped forward, Levy moved away from Chapman, holding two items in his hands—a small electronic device and a vial of clear liquid.

"It's ketamine," Levi said, looking at the label on the bottle.His tone was agitated with nervousness and disbelief. "Where did you get this?"

Chapman said: "When I can't sit still, it makes me feel better when I drink it."

Levi turned aside as if being pushed, looked down at the device, and turned it over in his hand.

Dominique squinted his eyes, trying to see clearly in the dim light.It looked like a receiver for a GPS tracker; he had two similar in his tool bag.

Levi fiddled with the device. "219 Arrowhead Road," he said, with a sudden breath, "for God's sake, that's the home address of Dr. Latherway. Benjamin Ross's psychiatrist—"

Chapman's face was startled, then contorted into a hideous, hateful expression, furious. "Doctors," he spat, "are all on the same team. Say you're sick and then make you sicker—then they're happy. They're the sick ones."

He lunges at Levi to snatch the device.Levi dodged it after a while, but he didn't do anything, instead the two policemen rushed over to subdue Chapman.

Everyone stood in silence for several seconds like posing—Chapman gasped and muttered, the police were at a loss, and Levi looked tired and betrayed.Dominic wanted to reach out and touch him, to comfort him, but the time and place were inappropriate.Even if the time and place were right, he wasn't sure Levi would accept his comfort.

Levy was the first to move, flashing his badge at the two policemen. "Officers, can you please arrest this man? He is wanted by the Vegas Police Department for his involvement in multiple murders."

Two officers handcuffed Chapman, bagged the evidence, and the group left the field below into blinding sunlight.Dominique walked unhurriedly last, and walked with them towards the police car on standby under the curious eyes of the crowd.

Just a few hours ago, he had been convinced that Keith Chapman was the Seven of Spades.The evidence against him is now stronger than before, and he is in the police net.But why Dominic still feels dissatisfied?

He followed Chapman, watching him walk and sending a chill down his spine.Seeing Chapman in person, he could tell that he resembled the man in the surveillance video.The strange thing is not here.

Same height, same build.Same skin tone and hair color.Same hairstyle.

different gait.

[1]BoulderCity, belonging to Clark County, not far from Las Vegas.

[2] Sabbath (Sabbath), which is every Saturday, is the "seventh day" of the Jews. Devout believers must strictly abide by the teachings and do not do any work on this day.