...

Luke and another person, following the address from the system, found the home of the suspect, Michael Arthur.

It was an apartment located in the southern part of Los Angeles; the building was quite old, lacking an elevator, so they had to climb the stairs.

Michael Arthur lived on the fourth floor. Luke knocked on the door symbolically, and when no one responded, he let a professional locksmith open the door to enter the apartment.

The apartment wasn't large, consisting of a single bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. Everything was cleaned and tidied, and a three-meter-wide bookshelf filled with numerous books stood in the living room.

Beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary was visible in the room.

Luke and Raymond examined everything carefully but still didn't find any items of interest.

Back at the police station, the deputy chief and Jenny had also returned. They hadn't come across any valuable clues either. All the suspect's colleagues thought he was ordinary, kind, and easy to get along with—almost no one had a bad word to say about him.

Matthew had examined the suspect's phone; the one he used was a non-smartphone capable of nothing but calling, and there wasn't much in the call log, mostly contacts with a few close colleagues.

With no valuable leads discovered, Luke felt pretty helpless.

He surmised that the suspect either completely reformed or was hiding very well, possibly having an alternative hideout.

If it was the former, the investigation would have little meaning.

If the latter, the difficulty of the investigation was huge, and Luke didn't have the time, energy, or personnel.

Thus, he opted for a direct approach, proceeding to the interrogation.

It was a move out of desperation.

...

The next morning.

The Robbery and Murder Department's first interrogation room.

Luke and Little Black entered the interrogation room.

Little Black looked across the interrogation table at the Black man sitting there, his face revealing a complex mix of emotions.

There was resentment, relief, and even a trace of gratitude.

He clearly understood that at that time, the man could have easily killed him, maybe even more easily than knocking him out, but he hadn't done so.

Luke also scrutinized the Black suspect across from him and asked, "Name?"

"Michael Arthur."

Luke probed, "I mean your real name?"

The Black man was relaxed, "That is my real name."

"You're facing serious charges for three break-and-enter assaults and could possibly be sentenced to death. Aren't you worried at all?"

Michael Arthur spread his hands, "What use is worrying?"

"Why did you harm Said McKin?"

"Like I said before, he's a pervert. People like that should be punished."

"What perverted things has he done? Let's hear them. If they've broken the law, I might consider prosecuting him."

"It's no use, the person he harmed is already dead."

"Are you referring to Novina Jones?"

Michael Arthur sighed softly, "Yes, she was a poor girl…"

"Did you harm Said McKin because of her?"

"Yes."

"What was your relationship with Novina Jones?"

"Friends."

"You mean boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"Just friends."

"How did you meet her?"

"Once on the street, I saw a thief trying to steal her backpack. I helped her retrieve it, and out of gratitude, she invited me for coffee. That's how we met.

The coffee shop was very quiet; I really liked the ambiance there.

Later, after getting off work in the evening, I'd often go back there.

She would also have a cup of coffee before work.

Gradually, we got to know each other."

"Did you know she was a prostitute?"

"She never said explicitly, but I was indeed aware."

"Where were you between 10 pm and midnight on September 15th?"

Michael Arthur countered, "Do you think I killed Novina Jones?"

"No, I don't think so.

But in an investigation, we cannot rely solely on my personal beliefs.

As someone implicated, I need to perform routine questioning to rule out your suspicion."

Michael Arthur explained, "My house isn't far from the coffee shop. I usually stay there until 10:50 pm, then go home, arriving around 11 pm.

Twenty minutes to get ready for bed, and then I sleep."

"What's the name of the coffee shop?"

"Pamela's Café."

"How did you find out about Novina Jones's death?"

"That night, on the way home from the café, I found a bracelet on the roadside that looked a lot like Novina Jones's. I felt something was wrong.

At the time, I didn't know Novina Jones was murdered; I thought she just ran into a difficult customer…" Michael Arthur shook his head slightly with a hint of guilt.

Seizing the moment, Luke said, "So, the next day, you found Petrov and interrogated him severely to find out Novina Jones's whereabouts."

Michael Arthur didn't answer, instead questioning back, "Captain Li, you've been asking me, but it seems you haven't answered my question from before.

How did you figure out there was something wrong with me?

If you hadn't seen through my identity in time and let me out of sight, you would never catch me again."

Hearing this, Luke felt some luck; if he hadn't been leading the team that day, they probably would have let the suspect run again.

If facing an ordinary suspect, Luke could make up an offhand excuse, but lying to Michael Arthur could easily be seen through.

If Michael were to lie to Luke, it wouldn't bode well for the interrogation to come.

"I've studied some micro-expression analysis."

"I'm also somewhat familiar with micro-expressions, and as far as I know, it's not very accurate."

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