Seven of Spades2: Trick Roller

When they left the Anderson house, it was still dark, and the summer evening glow reflected the sky, and the twilight was getting thicker.The anti-bone girl lay panting between Dominic and Levi, exhausted but happy.Levi sat on the seat, closed his eyes, leaned his head against the back of the chair, and touched her ears casually.

As Dominic drove west through Henderson, he glanced at Levi from time to time.He was very happy to bring Levy today, he likes to introduce him to everyone, to put it bluntly, to show him off to others.Levi was right, he was blunt and quiet, not everyone liked him - but even if they didn't, people respected him.More than once Dominique had overheard Levi being praised for his intelligence, his dedication to his work, and of course his sharp cheekbones.

Maybe it's time to invite Levi to a family dinner at his house.

Levi's phone rang, startling them both.Dominic turned off the radio so Levy could answer the phone.

"Hello?" Levi frowned. "Ms. Costas? Wait, take your time. I don't understand what you're saying."

Dominic gave him a questioning look, and Levi switched on the speakerphone.

"Sorry," a woman's voice sounded out of breath from the microphone, "I'm terrified. Detective, I think you caught the wrong guy in the Hensley case."

"How?"

"While I was at the police station yesterday, I thought I saw it... but I wasn't sure at the time, and I didn't want to say anything until I was sure. There were enough false allegations in this case."

"Ms. Costas—"

"But I'm sure now," she said, "I remember it clearly. Dr. Hensley's wife didn't kill him. It wasn't her I saw that night."

Levi sat up straight. "What?!"

"I--"

There was a loud bang on the other end of the phone, which was obviously the sound of glass breaking. Costas screamed, his voice was full of surprise and fear.Dominic squeezed the steering wheel tightly.

"What's going on?" Levi asked anxiously. "what happened?"

"My God," she was already terrified at this moment, "how can you——no, get out! Don't come near me! No! Help, help, help me!"

Her voice was gradually becoming inaudible, as if the phone had dropped from her hand, but they could clearly hear the intense fighting—the ear-shattering sounds of thumping and pounding, accompanied by her screams of panic. .Suddenly, the call was cut off.

Dominic and Levy looked at each other.Levi's face was bloodless.

"Where does she live?" Dominique asked.

Levi looked at the nearest traffic sign and said, "It's only a few blocks away."

Dominic stepped on the accelerator, followed Levi's directions, and drove all the way on the streets of Henderson, violating all the traffic rules that could be violated.

"Dominique, I don't have a gun," Levy said as he waited for 911 to connect.

"Mine are in the glove box."

A minute later, they turned into the driveway in front of a cute little house.Before the car was even parked, Levi jumped out of the car, clutching Dominique's Glock in both hands.Dominique and Anti-Bone Girl followed closely behind.

A quick tour around the house shows what happened: The intruder threw a rock at the window next to the back door to smash it, reached in and unlocked the door.The door was ajar, and Dominic didn't hear anything inside, but he still held Levy with his arm to keep him from going in.

"Wait," he said, "Rebellious girl, it's dangerous!"

She had noticed it long ago—her body was tense and alert, but at Dominique's instruction, she crouched low and crept into the room.The rebellious girl swayed her ears back and forth, looked up at Dominic, and then rushed into the depths of the room.

If she senses an imminent threat, she will bark.Dominic turned his head and signaled Levi to go ahead of him.

They followed the rebellious girl through the kitchen and into the living room, where the furniture was overturned, the lamp was broken, broken potted pottery and soil were scattered everywhere, a tall black-haired woman unconsciously Lying in the meantime, the throat is swollen and red.

Levy went to check the room to make sure there was no one else, and Dominic knelt down beside her regardless of being pierced into his jeans by a sharp piece of pottery.He pressed two fingers on her wrist, bent down again, and put his ear close to her face.

"She has a pulse, but she's not breathing," he said, lifting her head, then lifting her chin to open her airway. "Someone strangled her, but ran away before she died."

The Anti-Bone Girl let out a short, sharp bark and sprinted down the corridor to the other side of the house.Levi ran after her.

"Why—" Dominic just spoke.

"She has a son!" Levi shouted back and disappeared into the corner.

Depend on!Dominique continued to focus on rescuing Costas. He pinched her nose and slowly gave her two artificial respirations to ensure that her chest could expand normally.He checked her pulse again.

Pulse stopped.

"Damn it!" He knelt up straight, placed his hands in the center of her chest, pressed down with the weight of his upper body, and counted the number of chest compressions in his heart.It's been a long time since he last gave CPR to someone, but he still remembers the basics.

As he counted, he heard an ominous breaking sound—one of her ribs was broken under the force.He wrinkled his face and immediately moved his hands away.

Kostas lay stiff, pale, lips turning purple.A few feet away was a photo frame that looked as if someone had trampled on it; under the shattered glass, Kostas was holding a cute baby and smiling brightly at the camera.

"Come on," Dominic said heavily, putting his hand back again, "girl, come on, I know you don't want to go yet."

He gave her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when Levi came running back across the living room with a little curly-haired boy under his arm.The little boy was crying at the top of his lungs, and Levi covered his eyes with one hand so he couldn't see his mother lying on the floor.Levy took the child out through the front door, followed closely by the rebellious girl.

Dominique performed another round of chest compressions and heard another "creak" in Costas' ribs.He gritted his teeth and continued.He didn't believe in God, he didn't have Levi's beliefs, but he found himself praying now.She was too young to die like this.It's not fair—

She coughed, followed by a feeble breath that faltered.Dominique grabbed her wrist, her pulse was weak, but it continued to pulse with the sound of breathing that gradually became even.

"Fuck." He relaxed from the bone, almost collapsed.

At this moment, ambulancemen rushed into the house.He quickly stood up, and after a few brief descriptions, he went to the side to let them do their jobs.After 1 minute, Levy and Fan Gumei also came to him.

"Mason was watched by a local police officer," Levy said.He watched Costas being carried on a stretcher and asked with concern, "Is she still alive?"

"Alive," Dominique said, "but you can't tell how long she was suffocated just now, and there may be permanent damage. And... and..." A wave of uncontrollable hysteria rose from his heart, " Levi, I broke her ribs, I heard the cracking—"

"Hey." Levi put his hands on Dominic's face. "Ribs can come back, but life can't. I can tell you right now that she would rather have all the bones in her body broken than die."

Dominic nodded, taking a trembling breath.The paramedics pushed Costa out the front door, so it was just him, Levi, and Rebel in the messy living room.

"Before she was attacked, she said she knew who killed your victim," Dominique said.

Levi's gray eyes were sharp and hard, and he said, "I know that too."

***

Levi was waiting in the parking lot outside the emergency department of San Rosado Dominga Hospital, and he didn't have to wait long.Although it was early Sunday morning, there were still a lot of cars parked here, but fortunately, there were not many people coming and going.

Except for one.Levi saw his quarry hurrying down a row of cars, huddled in a white coat.Levi came out from behind the off-road vehicle he was hiding in, and said, "Is there no future trouble?"

Craig Warner turned quickly.

"Police officer," he stammered, his bespectacled eyes wide open, "you're here—I mean, hello. I'm just, uh, a colleague I met at a seminar and I'm here to discuss A look at hospice."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure you came here to try and kill Diana Costas again," Levi said.

Warner shook his head frantically, opening and closing his mouth.

"After all, in the past ten hours, it took me a lot of effort to get the news media in the entire Las Vegas Valley to focus on the news that she was hospitalized here after surviving the attack. I can't let you just leave Here, after you have checked out of the hotel room, we have no other reliable way to track you." Levi smiled slightly. "Of course, Ms. Costas doesn't live in this hospital at all."

Warner's jaw dropped.At this moment, Martin emerged from a nearby car with a gun in his hand, causing him to fly in fright.With the sound of doors opening, a team of police officers also jumped out of the unmarked police car and set up a cordon around the parking lot to keep civilians out.

Warner quickly looked around in horror, reached into the coat under the white coat, took out a small pistol that he had prepared, and pointed it at Levi tremblingly.

"Warner, are you serious?" Levi said and took a few steps forward. "Poison, assassinate, strangle, and now add a gun to kill—what, do you want to collect a set of murder cards?"

"I didn't kill anyone," Warner said.

Martin laughed and said, "Yeah, you who pointed a gun at the policeman really believed what you said."

Levy tilted his head and studied Warner's body language: nervous, anxious.He didn't think Warner in this state would shoot him in the head—the man seemed to prefer to surprise his victims—but he didn't know for sure.As he spoke, he continued to walk forward slowly.

"I couldn't figure it out until Ms. Costas called me last night. See, the only reason we suspected Dr. Northridge was when you told us you saw her on Monday. So we had to I know she was in Las Vegas at the time of the murder, so your statement is confirmed. But when she told us about her... She was very smart and very careful. If she killed Hensley, There's no way she'll let you see her even once. So how do you know she's been here? I'm guessing Alan Walsh told you that if you 'accidentally' revealed it to me, let me put Suspicions were directed at her."

The blood on Warner's face has been fading, and now it is ashen.He licked his lips, but said nothing.

"Do you want me to continue?" Levi asked, and he took Warner's dead silence as agreement. “When you presented on Friday, there was a bulletin board that said you were one of the researchers—but I read the first edition of the conference proceedings, and the papers at that time were not signed by you, nor Arrange for you to speak. Actually, I read a lot of background information for this case, and I rarely see your name. Because this is Hensley's trick, right? You were part of this research project, he Eliminate you, take your achievements as your own, insult you with words, and say that it is not an exaggeration to ruin your life. So you can't bear it anymore, and you don't need to bear it anymore. "

"No." Warner whispered.

"You know that Hensley will be looking for a compensated date on the first night in Vegas, you must have read the article about fairy dancing. This plan seems to be perfect. Your room is not far from his, so you just need to pay attention to it." People who come and go, wait for the escort lady he called to leave. As soon as she leaves, you immediately enter his room, win his trust so that he can drink with you, and ensure that he drinks a dose of Luo Lemian through champagne that is enough to kill. Then you steal his valuables, and it's a smooth finish."

Warner closed his eyes and opened them again.

Levi was already getting close to him. "The thing is, Alan Walsh saw you sneaking through Mirage's staff exit with these belongings the next morning. He took a picture of you, and when he realized the significance of this evidence, he came Blackmail you. So you must kill him too."

"You have no evidence for any of this." Warner said with nasal cavity bulging.

"I can prove all of this," Levi said, counting on his fingers. "First of all, everyone who was with you that night proved that you were unconscious, even your girlfriend said so. But drunk There's no way someone with a good job could pull off this scheme. So you pay the bartender to serve you non-alcoholic drinks all night, and then you pretend to be drunk. She's a temporary worker, and it's up to you to find out who That's kind of hard, but after finding out you tried to strangle an innocent woman, she was willing to tell us the details."

"This is ridiculous. She—she lied—"

"Secondly, on Tuesday night, you ordered a steak for dinner through room service, and that same night, Walsh was murdered with a steak knife of a design that was exclusive to the Mirage Hotel."

Warner opened his mouth, but Levi held up a hand.

"I admit that this is circumstantial evidence at best," he said, "but there are also less circumstantial ones, such as telephone records, several calls to you from some disposable mobile phone, and Dr. Northridge confirmed that That number is Walsh's. Also, you're a doctor, and I'm sure you know that DNA can be extracted from vomit, let alone some idiot's leftover vomit that wasn't cleaned up at a crime scene gone."

Warner's face paled.

Levi released his nirvana and said: "The photos I mentioned earlier are the ones where you left Mirage with Hensley's things. That is not my guess, but what I saw with my own eyes. Walsh hid in The backup hard drive in the bedroom was encrypted and our tech analyst cracked it a few hours ago.

"No, you—you got it all wrong. I can explain—"

"The strongest incriminating evidence," Levy interrupted him directly, "is that when Diana recovers—that's for sure—she'll identify you, not only as the attacker last night, but also the night Dr. Hensley was killed. , the man she saw coming into his room. That's why she called me, and that's why you wanted to kill her. You were so eager to kill Hensley that you didn't wait for her to fully walk out of the hotel. You two were in the hallway at the same time, and she saw you. It's just that she didn't realize what that scene meant, and she didn't know your relationship with Hensley until she saw you again at the precinct on Friday."

The morning sun rose from the mountains in the east, and the parking lot was bathed in pink light.There was silence all around, and the three of them remained motionless as if they were acting in a theater—Martin pointed his gun steadily at Warner, and Warner pointed his gun tremblingly at Levi, who was only a foot away from him. .The police officers stayed near the cordon, all with their guns drawn, but did not intervene.

"She was in the elevator," Warner said, his voice hoarse, and Levi swallowed hard to hold back a cry of triumph. "She saw me knocking before the elevator doors closed. But she was too far away from me to know which one I knocked on or who I was. It shouldn't have been a problem."

"It's not as easy as you think to get away with killing people, is it?" Levy said.

"I don't want to hurt her and Walsh! No one deserves to die except Hensley." He looked at Levi beggingly. "He deserves it, you know he deserves it. He's ruined so many lives, and killing him is what everyone wants."

"Yes, you deserve an award for this humanitarian act," Martin said in disgust. "Put the gun on the ground, get down on your knees, and put your head in your hands."

Warner gritted his teeth, and a look of urgency flashed in his eyes.He held his gun just inches from Levi's chest and said, "On the contrary. Put your gun down or your partner will be bleeding."

Martin snickered. "Hey, you unlucky boy. It won't be him who saw the blood."

Levi raised his arms in a sideways flash, grasping the muzzle of the gun with his left hand and the handle of the gun with his right.He kicked Warner hard in the testicles as he jerked the gun out of his hand before stepping back from the fight.He aimed his gun at Warner, but it was unnecessary—Warner bent over in pain, howling in pain.

"How, Ms. Rush?" Levy said loudly.

Lila Rush stepped out from behind the other car, arms akimbo, scrutinizing Warner.Warner blinked up at her, eyes clouded with pain and shock. "It's okay. I like this kind of solid confession. Makes my job a lot easier."

"Dr. Warner, this is Laila Rushder, Deputy District Attorney, the prosecutor in your case. Or, in your current situation, you may prefer to have a plea bargain with her,"

"What?" Warner said, trying to straighten up, his face scrunched up in pain, "No! You saw what he did, he—he blackmailed me, set me up—"

"He threatened you to confess when you pointed a gun at him?" There was disdain in her cold voice. "It takes a lot of work to get people to believe your rhetoric."

Levi kept pointing the aforementioned gun at Warner, and nodded to Martin.Martin holstered his own gun and went forward to arrest Warner.Seeing her escorting him into an unmarked police car, Levi felt relieved.

"I've got to put this in the evidence bag," he said to Rush as he popped the magazine, emptying it.

She accompanies him to his car, and although Levi is not happy, he doesn't know how to stop her.He took out the evidence tags and bags from the trunk and began to fill them out.

"You must have the shortest suspension in the history of the Vegas Police Department," she said, leaning sideways on the trunk.

"Sheriff Wynne wasn't the boss, but Diana Costas called me and made him no choice. Also, Martin fought it out for me. We're going to have to work together to make this case go away." Only when the cracking process is flawless can the trap be set." He put the tagged gun into the bag and sealed it. "But don't worry - it's clear to everyone what the reason for my suspension was in the first place. I'm still the paranoid paranoid and no one believes me."

Rush shrugged. "I believe you."

He lost his grip all of a sudden, the bag fell, and he narrowly caught it. "You what?"

"Keith Chapman can't be 'Seven of Spades,'" she said calmly, as if discussing what she had for dinner last night. "The real killer who framed him for his crime is still at large. I've always believed that."

It took him a few seconds to digest the shock, and then the anger burst out. "If you really think so, why make me suffer? Why don't you ever speak out publicly yourself?"

"More people believe in you than you think. We just don't want to ruin our careers."

"Defending what you believe in is more important than keeping your job," he huffed.

"So you're trying to hide your little investigation behind your back?" she said with a smile.Before he could answer, he said, "Also, it's not a big deal if I don't express my opinion, because the grievances you have suffered will soon come to light. Killers like 'Seven of Spades' who pursue drama and especially want attention, I can't hold my breath for a long time. Even if I use other means to kill someone during this period of time, that guy still wants to be recognized. This desire is almost unbearable. This person will come out of the mountain one day, At that time, everyone will know that you are right."

"You know that means someone is going to be killed," he said, staring at her.

She wrinkled her nose. "A rapist and a wife beater and a corrupt civil servant? It's a shame they're dead."

"It's not unreasonable for you to say that." He murmured.

She straightened up and left his driveway: "We'll wait and see. At the same time, you have to make sure that every stroke of Warner's case is correct. Don't take shortcuts and don't make mistakes. According to the evidence you collected, there is still him A guilty plea in front of two detectives and a D.A. that any competent defense attorney would recommend accepting a plea bargain I offer. We save the taxpayers money for a trial."

He nodded. "I leave it to you, Ms. Rush."

"Call me Laila," she said, throwing her long black hair over one shoulder, and turned away.That athletic ease and grace, as Levy had noticed when the two first met.

After Lila left, he put Warner's gun in the trunk and took a moment to appreciate the situation—the case was well solved, the killer would have little chance of escaping justice.

In the old days, a successful case closure would be celebrated, and there would be a great sense of accomplishment in the heart.Since the debut of "Seven of Spades," however, Levy's other cases have gradually become less important.He still has power over them, but it doesn't feel the same anymore.

All other victories are not counted as victories until the "Seven of Spades" is caught.