Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 002 The Storm is Coming
Serial killer cases are a challenge, but not impossible.
If they launch an investigation, they'll need the NYPD to be mobilized.
On the one hand, the evidence is fragmentary and voluminous.
Kirk has limited energy relying on himself, so he needs to make full use of official resources; then screen clues based on the NYPD's investigation.
On the other hand, the murderer was arrested and tried through legal means.
The evidence of a private investigator cannot be used in a criminal court trial, so Kirk not only needs to conduct his own investigation, but also needs to guide the NYPD investigation.
It's difficult, but the rewards are great.
So Kirk took over.
In the first step, Kirk asked Richard Curtis to appeal to the media himself, saying that his case was not taken seriously, and to use his connections to promote the news as much as possible. They needed the support of public opinion and put pressure on the NYPD. The ultimate goal was to continue the investigation of the case.
However, it didn't work.
The news was reported, but it was just an insignificant piece of tofu, without any splash.
For the media, they need explosive points, gimmicks, blood and drama. Otherwise, in 2012, serial killers seem to lack some topicality and are quickly drowned in the frenzy of the ocean of online information. What's more, Richard cannot handle it alone.
Originally, Kirk was going to contact other victims' families as the second step, to jointly voice their opinions and form a force, but he gave up in the end.
Not to mention whether it is possible to contact the families of other homeless people, even if they are all willing, their influence is weak and the media sharks may not care.
Since the media craves drama, Kirk gives them drama—
Black people. Serial killers.
And most importantly, the NYPD’s dereliction of duty was not just an ordinary dereliction of duty. Its words and deeds reflected this year’s election and it was a premeditated dereliction of duty.
Although this is a local case, the serial murder case did not alert the FBI, but was suppressed tightly. This shows that the conflicts of interest behind the scenes should not be that simple. Kirk only needs a little hint, and I believe that the reporter from the New York Times should be able to dig out more.
Everything is leading towards the general election.
In fact, in an election year, this is a double-edged sword.
Precisely because the NYPD knew that the case could cause a huge stir, they chose to block the news and cover it up before it could develop.
But if the news leaks out and can no longer be concealed, and such a sensitive and difficult case occurs this year, an explanation must be given, otherwise the people will not let it go.
It may even attract further attention from higher-level officials, such as the mayor or even the governor.
Once there is attention and heat, then everything will no longer be a problem. The NYPD can no longer continue to be an ostrich and must invest a lot of resources.
Seven victims, all homeless.
It is hard to imagine how huge and complex the personal belongings of these victims are, and they may contain a lot of garbage. Just sifting through these clues requires countless efforts.
But now, Kirk doesn't need to do it himself, he has the help of the people's servants, and things immediately become much easier.
Next, we just need to wait quietly for the storm of public opinion to brew and explode.
Take off disposable gloves, disinfect the receiver with alcohol wipes, and wipe off all traces around the public telephone booth.
Then, he turned up his collar again, turned around and took a step forward, and the figure disappeared into the night.
Across the street, in the shadows, a drunk was lying directly on the road, half of his body hanging out, like an acrobat who had failed in a tightrope walk, mumbling incomprehensible words.
The sound of an engine was heard in the distance. The streetwalkers who were hiding in the sheltered corner at the corner came out one after another and looked towards the source of the sound. However, the vehicle whizzed past without stopping. They shrank back into the shadows in disappointment.
No one noticed the figure walking in the darkness.
The night is deep and the world is slowly becoming quiet.
A storm is brewing.
…
Beep, beep beep beep.
He was just smoking, but the horn sounded.
Adrian-Guzman had an irritable look on his face. He took another long, deep puff of his cigarette. The smoke that had been accumulating in his chest could no longer be suppressed. He exhaled in one breath, and his entire face was wrapped in a cloud of smoke. His ginger-headed head looked like it was on fire.
His vision was already blurry, but he was still staring at the New York Times in his hand, unable to look away.
Front page headlines.
"New York Times".
Front page headlines.
"There is no black serial killer case——
Chris Adams, Dennis Curtis..."
The concise and clear title goes straight to the point. There is no superfluous wording in the subtitle, which simply lists the seven names one by one, like an obituary, but the weight is revealed in the black lead type.
As expected of the New York Times, it can grab attention without sensationalism.
I subconsciously glanced at the author's signature in the lower right corner: Jeff Minghella.
Buzz!
There was a roar in my head, as if a jet was flying low over my eardrums, leaving behind a series of mighty tail sounds.
What's up with the New York Times, where does it get its news?
All the victims' names and information are accurate, including information that was only learned from the police's internal investigation report. This must have been leaked by an insider.
Up there, I guess I'm going crazy.
In fact, the last victim was just a few days ago, and it was not Adrian who took over the case, but he felt it was a bit strange and was about to ask the detective in charge of the case, but the case was shelved with the conclusion that it was suspected robbery and manslaughter, but the suspect could not be found for the time being.
Anyway, he's just a homeless man, no one will pursue the matter further.
The problem is that this is not the first or second incident. As far as Adrian knows, this is at least the third incident in three weeks.
Is this normal?
Adrian used his time to look through the files and asked the people in charge of the different cases. He vaguely noticed something unusual.
Every case manager is experiencing a similar situation. They have more important and troublesome cases on hand, and their superiors are urging them to deal with them, so the "not so important" homeless case is temporarily put on hold.
coincide?
However, before Adrian could continue his investigation, the New York Times detonated a bomb -
serial killer?
If it really is a serial killer, and the police departments have all shelved their investigations at the same time, it's not that no one noticed the connection, and it's not a coincidence at all, so what does this mean?
What if the police suspected him of being the source of the leak because of his previous snooping?
For a moment, Adrian didn't know what he should worry about. The mess of thoughts in his mind were like a balloon that kept expanding.
Not only him, the entire Special Investigation Department was filled with a low pressure. The restless atmosphere was slowly spreading, and a storm was about to come.
Adrian wanted to swear very, very much, but he swallowed the words down to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
at this time--
"Be careful with the cigarette holder, it's hot."
A voice with a faint smile came to his ears. Adrian didn't have time to turn his head to distinguish it carefully. He pulled his thoughts back and finally noticed the cigarette that was about to burn his hand, and the long ash was shaking.
Damn it!
Adrian hastily put down the cigarette, but because of his nervousness, the ash broke and spilled on his crotch, and he couldn't help swearing.
"Grass!"
Adrian jumped up and flicked the ash away quickly, worried about his fingers and his pants, and was in a panic.
After finally regaining some sanity, Adrian felt a little awkward and embarrassed, but he still turned his head to look over. Only then did he have time to look at the person in front of him. It turned out to be a stranger, but...
Wait, this seems familiar.
"Are you... Megan's date?"
