Bloody Seven of Spades 1: Life and Death

On Monday morning, Sergeant Wen sat behind his desk and said to Levy: "Is there any word you don't understand about the words 'this case is closed'?"

Levy took a deep breath and held back his temper. "Sir—"

"Keith Chapman possessed the murder weapon used in the 'Seven of Spades' crime, and the ketamine he was carrying was also verified to be the same batch of stolen goods from one of the thefts. The one hidden in the hotel chain where he stayed The key was used to open a private mailbox where stolen ketamine was delivered. His clothes were found in a dumpster near the hotel with blood from a recent victim. And he was in the presence of multiple witnesses. Mian personally admits that he has amnesia and fragmentation, and even he himself cannot deny that he is the murderer. What more do you want?"

The physical evidence pointing to Keith is overwhelming, but Levy is more skeptical today than he was yesterday. "You saw his toxicology report. He had five or six drugs acting in his system at the same time, and they were all mutually exclusive."

"Yes, the drugs, combined with the stress of his suspension and subsequent firing, caused him to become delirious and eventually break down."

"'Seven of Spades' may be a lunatic, but he doesn't appear to be out of control at all." Levi said unwillingly.Why didn't anyone see this except him? "I have repeatedly confirmed that neither Keith nor his close relatives have a history of mental illness. Why did he suddenly have those extremely serious paranoid delusions after he was suspended? After that, he received treatment, but why did his condition get worse? Has it gotten worse? No, I don't think Keith is sick at all; While making him think he is the 'Seven of Spades', at the same time, weaving evidence to frame him."

Sheriff Wen glared at him angrily. "Do you know how outrageous this set of rhetoric is?"

Levi sighed and looked away.

"Assuming Keith was drugged, it will be discovered sooner or later, and the illusion will be destroyed. What's the point of messing around?"

"'Seven of Spades' doesn't need Keith to take the blame - it's just a way to divert our attention so this guy can get away with it. The real killer probably didn't expect Keith to kill himself. I don't think that's in 'Seven of Spades' ' in the original plan."

"Fuck me." Sergeant Wen pinched the bridge of his nose. "No conspiracy theory, Abrams. No villainous criminal mastermind playing Chapman like a marionette behind the scenes. It's just a very sick man who, after chaos got out of hand, committed the unthinkable. crime."

"But--"

"Enough!" Sergeant Wen reprimanded fiercely. "I won't allow one of my best detectives to disgrace himself and my force with such unfounded suspicions. It's not going to look good if you stick to it. Understand my words Yet?"

Levy clenched his fists on his knees, wondering whether he should fight for the case he was responsible for.He had a hunch that Keith was a puppet—but he didn't have the slightest bit of real evidence to stand up to logical scrutiny.He understands that those who haven't seen Keith's behavior find his words ridiculous.

Then again, Sergeant Wen is not usually such a recalcitrant and ruthless person.There must have been intense pressure from the top to force him to close the case hastily.

"Yes, sir." Levi said angrily.

"Very good. You still haven't completed the required police counseling sessions. Don't think I didn't pay attention to this. If you can't finish it before the end of the month, you can wait to be suspended."

Levi nodded slightly with his neck stuck, barely nodding in agreement.

"You can go." Sheriff Wen said.Then, the stern look on that face faded a little. "And, Abrams? Take a day off. I think you've had a hard time with this case."

Levy made no objection and left Sheriff Wen's office.Rejecting the conclusion that Keith Chapman is the Seven of Spades, and clinging to it without proof, would be career-wrecking.Of course, this does not mean that he will just shut up and let go.However, keeping one's beliefs - and the ensuing investigation - in secret, and keeping quiet for a while, is the best policy.

He didn't go back directly to the big office, but instead came to Natasha's office door instead.He needs to make an appointment for the remaining two consultations, and see if she is well.

Her office door was closed, and as soon as Levi knocked on the door, the inside responded: "Please come in!" After Levi entered, he found that she was hastily touching the corners of her eyes with a tissue, her face was red and her nose was swollen from crying.

"I'm sorry," he said, stopping at the door, "I didn't want to—"

"It's okay, Levi, please come in." Natasha blew her nose, threw the tissue into the trash basket, then left the desk and came to him, and sat with him in the very warmly arranged reception area .She ran her fingertips over her eyes and smiled at him tearfully. "Crying in the office — that's not what a professional is supposed to do."

He should have expected that Keith's death would hit her so hard. "Natasha, you are not responsible for any of this."

"Can you say I don't have it?" She hugged herself as if she was catching a cold. "I knew Keith was in big trouble, but I didn't think he'd be able to do those things - I should have seen that. Maybe I could have saved him, I could have stopped him. But he didn't tell me he had Memory fragments." She swallowed abruptly, and continued: "I guess he doesn't trust me enough."

Levi didn't know what to say.Even when he wanted to, he'd never been good at reassuring; he didn't know what to say.

Natasha stroked her long auburn hair. "I've told Dr. Chen a thousand times that Keith's adverse drug reactions are severe," she complained, "but she ignored my concern. I'm not a doctor, so I know shit, right?"

"It's not just adverse effects. Keith was on a number of different medications, both prescription and contraband, before his death."

She didn't seem surprised by this. "Probably want to numb the pain. Or just want to escape the reality of what happened to me."

"I don't think Keith is the 'seven of spades,'" Levy said, even though not five minutes ago he had made up his mind to be careful.He couldn't bear to see Natasha blame herself for this.Besides, if she hadn't heard his objection, gossip from the police station would reach her soon enough.His voice against the decision to close the case last night was neither restrained nor calm.

"You..." She wiped away the tears on her face, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes. "Really? Why not?"

"I'm the only one who's had a direct conversation with both Keith and 'Seven of Spades'. They're not the same person at all. You see: 'Seven of Spades' has proven himself to be thoughtful, organized, and extremely Patient man. Do you think Keith is like that, even when he's not suspended?"

She bit her lower lip. "It's really not like it."

"I can't prove it right now," he said, "but I know Keith was framed."

She was silent for a moment, lost in thought.Then she said, "God, I'm selfish for thinking that, but I hope you're right. It means there's a serial killer in this city who's still on the loose, but... I'd rather accept that conclusion than Made me believe that Keith killed someone and I never saw it." She slumped in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. "so terrible."

"No." Levi leaned over and put a hand on her arm. "I'll find out. I swear."

She smiled less forcedly this time, squeezed his hand and straightened her back. "I guess you're here to make an appointment for the next consultation?"

"True, but we don't have to—"

"Must." Natasha cheered up, stood up and took out the schedule from the table. "I am in a state today, and it is definitely not good for people to consult, but what do you think at two o'clock on Wednesday?"

"I'll be there," Levy said.

***

A few minutes later, he returned to the main office to collect his belongings and say goodbye to Martin.The car was still unusable, so he could only take a taxi back to the hotel - oh my god, it's really depressing to think about it.Maybe he should take advantage of today's rest to find an apartment.

On the way to the work station, he suddenly caught a glimpse of Kelly Malin being led towards the back of the police station by Freeman from the internal affairs department. Freeman still clasped her elbow tightly with one hand.The girl's face turned pale, and her lips were pursed tightly.Everyone in the office looked at them and whispered to each other.

"What's wrong with her?" Levi asked in front of the two.

Freeman shook his head at Kelly. "Officer Marin was one of the people who tipped off the 'Seven of Spades' to the Las Vegas Review-Journal."

Levi's eyes widened.He asked Kelly with his eyes, and although the other party was anxious, she still accepted his gaze calmly.

"Why?" he said,

"Because the 'Seven of Spades' promised not to kill people within five days, the others seemed to think it was worthless." Kelly raised her head. "But I think it makes sense. People have a right to the truth. I don't regret what I did."

Freeman snorted in disgust and tugged at her arm. "Get out of the way, Abrams."

Levi stepped aside, unable to recover.He liked Kelly very much, she was the best of the new police officers who joined this year.He once thought that she had a promising future, but he didn't expect her to be behind the police...

Conversations in the office returned to normal volume.When Levi returned to his desk, Martin looked at him sympathetically and said, "She'll be fine. She'll be demoted to do crap for a while and work her way back up. Her career It's not over yet."

"Yeah, probably." He turned off the computer and unplugged the phone's charger. "Sheriff Wen asked me to go home."

"It's good. I still have some work to finish here, and then I can go back and surprise my two girls who are taking a lunch break at home."

When she spoke, she kept staring at the computer instead of him, and her tone was a little too cheerful.

"You don't believe me either." He didn't want to feel betrayed at first, knowing that it would be unfair to her, but it was difficult to do so.

"I..." She sighed heavily, turned her eyes away from the computer, clasped her hands on the table, and focused on him. "I trust you 100 percent, Levi. I trust your instincts like I trust my own. You know, I've always had your back. But this is not an ordinary case—this time, you position is not objective.”

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to hear me tell the truth?"

"When did I stop thinking?" Levy said.

"'Seven of Spades' is very specific to you. He singles out you, has a special interest in you, and lets others contact you without looking. But you don't know why, if Keith is 'Seven of Spades,' and you never know. You never get the truth unless the killer is still at large. So you don't want him to be the killer."

Levi was so surprised that he was speechless, and only responded with a choked throat.No matter how much he hated to admit it, Martin was on point.

She leaned over her clenched hands and said in a low voice, "Think about it carefully, what are you trying to convince people of: a serial killer with a super-high IQ is running freely in this city, manipulating people's hearts And framing a police officer to take the blame for the crime he committed? No evidence left behind, watertight? No one will believe it. They just want to make it all over as soon as possible, and then what to do. You The idea of ​​it was—a nightmare."

Of course, this is part of the problem.Everyone in the department is deeply ashamed of having a serial killer among their colleagues.Now that the case is settled, they just want to press things down as if this never happened.As for the fact that the matter will be more serious than it seems now, no one wants to imagine this possibility.

"The murderer is not him." Levi said weakly.

"Who is that?"

Her words tested him.The truth is, the murderer could be anyone.Anyone in the Vegas Police Department or DA knew that Keith would be the perfect scapegoat, and they had access to all the information "Seven of Spades" used.The murderer could be sitting in this very office.

Levi's gaze scanned the corridor leading to Sheriff Wen's office, Jonah Gibbs and Carmen Rivera who were joking at the table, and Freeman and Kelly who were walking towards the depths of the office. figure.How much does he really know about the people who work with him?

"I really want to believe you, I really want to." Martin sat up straight. "If you could give me even the tiniest bit of physical evidence, I would support you no matter what. I can't take that risk unless you have proof. And I don't think you should either. risk."

"I know," he muttered, "I didn't mean to make myself a laughingstock, or drag you into trouble. I'll be careful."

He picked up his phone and stood up to leave.Martin took his arm as he went around the table.

"Levy," she said sadly, "I'm really sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he said, feeling the same from the bottom of his heart.Martin has a husband and two daughters, and she cannot allow their work and professional reputation to be compromised.

Levi had only himself.

***

Dominique was chatting with the administrative assistant at the front desk in the precinct lobby when Levy showed up.Seeing him concentrating on his phone, Dominic was elated, said "see you" to his assistant, and left the table. "Levy?"

Levi didn't look surprised, but the moment he looked up, there was a flash of surprise in his eyes. "Dominique. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to report all the information I have to the human resources department so that I can receive my consulting fee."

"Do you have to come and do it yourself?"

"No need." Dominic said frankly, he is not the kind of person who is too shy to take the initiative. "I think I might meet you, so I'll find an excuse to meet you."

At this moment, things are most likely not going the way you want.Levi might turn him down, saying he's lost interest.His demeanor could become stiff, cold, and awkward, as he had before with Dominic.He might feel that Dominic is like an idiot, let him go as far as he can.

However, Levi's face was flushed, and he said very softly: "You don't need to find a reason to come to see me."

"I'm relieved when you say that." Dominique felt warm in his heart. "Are you going out? Is it a little early for lunch?"

"Actually, I was just sent home to rest for a day. The sheriff thinks I'm running out of energy to investigate the case." Levi shook his phone up and down. "I haven't changed the battery of the car yet, I was just about to call a taxi."

"I can drive you to the hotel. I mean, if you want."

Levi bit his lower lip, and Dominic tried to restrain himself, but was still aroused.Then Levi said, "Okay, thanks."

As they drove downtown, they chatted lightly, avoiding yesterday's events.Levy looked preoccupied, but it was understandable; after all, he watched a colleague shoot himself in front of his eyes.When he separated from Dominic last night, he was still in shock.

Even so, Dominic still feels that Levi's depression at the moment is not that simple.He parked the pickup truck in the circular driveway of the hotel where Levi was staying and asked him, "Is there anything on your mind? I mean, except for that."

Levi waved off the attendant who came to park the car. "Keith wasn't 'Seven of Spades,'" he said, "but no one believed me."

"I believe it," Dominique said.

Levi shot him a sharp look. "You say this, don't say it because of us...don't say such things just to please me."

"I didn't." Dominique turned off the engine, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned to face Levi. "Look, I didn't say it last night because I didn't have any proof, but... you know I suspected Chapman at first because he looked like the guy who bought the gift basket 'Seven of Spades' gave me man."

Levi nodded.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure that's not him now. I watched Chapman walk yesterday and he has a completely different gait. The guy in the surveillance video has a wide stride and a graceful posture. Chapman's gait is smaller Much more, and it's a slow walk. Nothing like that."

"You can change the way you walk in order to camouflage," Levy said, but Dominic could tell he was already thinking about it.

"True, but what's the point? If Chapman was trying to deflect suspicion, he wouldn't just change his walking habits. He could have found someone who wasn't at all like him—different height and weight, different race, even a woman. The man resembled Chapman in every way, except for one thing, and the only reasonable explanation for that was—"

"The real murderer is framing him." Levi continued his words.

Dominic shrugged. "That's the only explanation. I trust you, Levi."

"You are the only one who believes in me." Levi's tone was melancholy.

"It won't always be like this. A man like Seven of Spades -- this man doesn't kill in a moment of emotion, and he doesn't kill for profit. It's a longing, a constant desire, not just the killing itself, There is also the sense of ritual and identity that accompany killing. 'Seven of Spades' has already tasted the taste and enjoyed it. Do you really think this person can handle it?"

"If you stop, the result is that a serial killer finds an innocent person to take the blame after killing five people," Levi said gloomily. "If you don't stop, more people will die. You think I should hope What kind of result do you see?"

The two were silent.After a few seconds, Dominic takes Levi's hand.

Seeing that Levy didn't withdraw, he said, "I know we agreed to take our time. I think this is really good. But, can we have dinner together? I know this weekend may not be good for you. It fits perfectly, but—"

"what?"

"Passover starts this Friday, right?" he double-checked.

Levi stared at him for a moment.Suddenly, he went over the gear lever, took Dominique's face in his hands, and gave him an irresistible kiss.

Dominique gasped in surprise, but quickly adapted, reaching into Levy's short curly hair, and fully committed to cooperating with the other party.They kissed hungrily for a full minute before Levi backed away, both panting.Dominique glanced out the window to see the parking attendant staring at them with his mouth open.

"Sorry," Levi wiped his lips with a finger, "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for that," Dominique said, still dazed.

“We can have dinner on a Saturday — my schedule for the day is local. There are some things I can’t eat, but I can find them at most restaurants.”

"Yeah. Awesome." Dominique cleared his throat. "But it's just a meal." Although he wished to put Levi on the pickup seat immediately, the situation of the two of them was still there.Levy had just broken up with his long-time boyfriend.Acting too hastily will only foreshadow the future discord between the two.

"Just eating. Of course." Levi reached for the door and stopped halfway. "It's not really my concern, but I was wondering—have you ever considered becoming a private eye?"

Dominique was a little dumbfounded to hear this, his mind was focused on his aching balls. "What?"

"I'm not saying bounty hunters are bad—"

"It's a bail agent." Dominique grinned.

Levi rolled his eyes. "Yes, bail agent. This job is very important, and it has its bright spots. But with your ability, if you just track and arrest fugitives in this life, it can be said to be overqualified, Dominique. You are very smart and charming. There are a lot of creative ideas...there's just so much you can do."

"I..." Dominic was very surprised. I don't know if it was because of the idea of ​​being a private detective, or because of Levi's enthusiastic praise.

"Applying for a license requires a lot of experience, but with your experience as a bounty hunter and ranger, I think you'd be very welcome to join the licensing board. Anyway, think about it."

"Okay, I'll think about it," Dominique said.He never thought he'd be a private eye, but if this past week had taught him anything, it was that he had to think hard about his future.

Levi leaned in again, but this time just kissed Dominic on the cheek. "Call me and tell me about Saturday's plans."

"I will."

Levi got out of the pickup truck and entered the hotel, walking past the stunned parking attendant calmly, as if they hadn't kissed like a pair of high school students with sperm and brains in front of this person just now.Dominique drove off, a smile on his face the whole time.

***

Happy to be happy, but Levi didn't dare to relax his vigilance when he opened the door of the guest room.In the past few weeks, he has been overwhelmed by one terrible event after another-he shot and killed a high-profile criminal, met a lawless serial killer, broke up with Stanton, experienced Keith's suicide and the ensuing crisis. as a result of.But this episode with Dominique, and the thought that this new and fragile relationship could turn into a colorful relationship, revived his hope of making it through this dreadful month.

He went into the guest room and reached for the light switch.There was a "click" sound from the right foot—stepping on something.

He froze.In this way, he stood motionless for a long time, and an unprecedented sense of ominousness made him dare not move.

He raised his foot in slow motion and looked down at the playing card he had just stepped on.

The card was face up, and the supposedly harmless and innocent Seven of Spades symbol made him sick to his stomach.He knelt down to pick up the cards, and the moment he turned them over, every hair on the back of his neck stood up.On the back of the card was handwritten in capital letters the following sentence:

better luck next time

[1] Passover, an important Jewish festival, generally falls between April and May according to the Jewish calendar, and lasts seven or eight days depending on the denomination. During this period, there are many taboos, such as not eating any fermented food.

About the author

The American author Cordelia Kingsbridge is a powerful newcomer who has quickly become popular. The "Seven Bloods in Spades" series is her second work officially published. With her skilled writing skills and vivid characterization, this work has become a popular topic in the detective genre in recent years. The best of the best in fiction. Ms. Kingsbridge was born in sociology, and the details of her works reflect the multicultural phenomenon of contemporary American society.