Volume 1: First Arrival Chapter 052: Jigsaw Pieces
If it was a hotel employee, can the guest be ruled out as a suspect?
It seems... that doesn't work either.
However, even if it were possible, it would require an unimaginable amount of work to check each of the 188 employees one by one.
Callum frowned, "So, we still need to continue checking the luggage so that the murderer cannot move the body . At the same time, we need to conduct an internal investigation..."
"No!"
Before Callum could continue, Paul exploded like an exploding pufferfish.
"No, no, no, no."
"We have just agreed that if there is no body here, then we will lift the blockade and restore the hotel to its original state. I mean, completely restore the hotel to its original state, without any blockade or investigation. I want the hotel to return to order."
"We had an agreement."
Paul stared at Kirk and spoke word by word.
Kirk did not avoid it, but met Paul's gaze, slowly and even had time to carefully examine Paul's expression. That look really made Paul very uncomfortable.
Just as Paul was about to explode for the second time, Kirk shook his head and finally spoke.
"No, we didn't make a deal."
Paul: …
"You just made the request, but I didn't respond."
"I'm a private investigator. I don't have the power to enforce the law. I can't fulfill any promises. You should ask the Westwood police officer next to you about the relevant matters."
"Of course, if you refuse to cooperate, that's fine too. Officer Westwood will then ask the judge for a search warrant and conduct a thorough search of the entire hotel, inside and out."
"Then the scene might be a little ugly."
Callum was stunned, but he cooperated with Kirk's words and held his head high and posed.
Paul: Can he swear?
It can be seen that Paul was also struggling with his conscience and was unsure of what decision to make.
But for Kirk, Paul's silence is already the best answer. He should know that the best strategy is to continue to cooperate, keep a low profile and keep the losses within a controllable range.
However, he was a little embarrassed and the anxiety brought about by the midlife crisis was pulling him, so he was trying to convince himself.
The rest is just a matter of time.
Kirk did not continue to argue with Paul, and turned to look at the game room in front of him——
The clues and details were broken up into a mess and scattered before his eyes, just like a puzzle. In the absence of any reference, all he needed was a key, a core, and a framework, and then he could piece together the entire puzzle in the correct context.
So, he needs to think, he needs inspiration.
Buzz buzz buzz...
At this moment, there was a small commotion at the door of the game hall. Looking in the direction of the sound, you can see three children who look about thirteen or fourteen years old peeking around.
Noticing the gazes from Kirk and the others, the three children did not dodge, but hesitated a little.
Later, they saw Henry and Bean Sprout, and one of the boys raised his voice and asked.
"Excuse me, is the cleaning done? Can we go in and play games now?"
Paul waved his hand perfunctorily, "No, no, we're busy here."
"Oh..." The three children sighed in disappointment.
However--
With a flash of inspiration, Kirk grasped a key point. The fog in his mind gradually dissipated, and all the clues were being pieced together.
Kirk quickly asked, "Is this place being cleaned just now?"
The older child nodded. "Yes. In fact, they cleaned it twice in twenty minutes. They said the game room needed a major cleanup."
In twenty minutes.
This is the key word, which means that "things" all happened after Callum and his friends arrived at the Plaza Hotel, and these movements are related to their investigation.
Kirk found the most important piece of the puzzle.
Cleaner.
It turns out! From beginning to end, one anomaly that bothered Kirk was that Room 411 was spotless.
The room cleaning in top hotels is indeed excellent, and at least from a visual perspective, their service can provide guests with a high-end experience.
However, Kirk remembers very clearly that in 2017, a piece of news about the substandard hygiene and cleanliness of a five-star hotel swept the Internet:
Including but not limited to wiping all toilets and cups with the same dirty rag, not changing bed sheets, wiping quilts with dirty bath towels, etc.
Moreover, the news became more and more intense and continued to ferment in the United States across the Pacific Ocean. CNN reporters stayed in different five-star hotels in their personal capacity and left invisible potions on the sheets to check whether the hotels would change the sheets. The data they later obtained was also very horrifying.
Here, Kirk is not going to discuss the hard work of the hotel industry, nor is he going to accurately condemn the hotel cleaning work. The point is that hotel cleaning is indeed a tiring and complicated job, especially during the busy holidays, when cleaners are often overloaded with work.
An Australian survey report shows that in order to meet five-star standards, cleaners must spend 45 minutes cleaning a room; but during peak holiday seasons, hotel managers require cleaners to finish their work within 15 minutes.
The result is predictable.
but!
Room 411 was not like that. It was clean, tidy, and uncluttered, even a little too clean.
Of course, Kirk did not use professional instruments to check Room 411, so he could not confirm whether the cleaner changed the bed sheets; but he could confirm that the room was completed with professional disinfectant, and although the content was not high, there was still some residue in the air, which was neutralized and diluted by the fragrance.
Before this, Kirk was not alarmed because it was "the smell of the hotel" and nothing to be alarmed about.
But it’s different now.
The spotless room 411, the clean interior of the game console, the strangeness of not finding a body or any traces of crime at all, the internal crime committed by employees, etc.
The clues all connect together.
Moreover, the body was able to be transferred to two locations in such a short period of time without being noticed by anyone, which was definitely a difficult task that challenged one's physical fitness.
Therefore, there must be more than one murderer.
In my mind, a group of figures immediately emerged——
The cleaning ladies.
Amy, who was cleaning the door of Room 412 but was actually doing surveillance, Mrs. Martinez, who led the female cleaners to fight for their rights, and Ana, who resigned and disappeared.
But why?
No motive, no evidence, no body, and they are still standing still.
However, Kirk already had an idea.
"Henry, could you please go to the hotel lobby and find Alex and ask him to send a security guard here?"
"Callum, you stay here and guard this game console. This is a crime scene. We'll need the Crime Scene Division to collect potential evidence. When security arrives, come find me in the cleaners ' locker room."
In just a few words, Kirk had assigned the tasks and then turned to look at Paul.
Paul had a bad feeling.
Then, Paul saw Kirk's smile slightly raised. "Mr. Manager, how about it? Are you willing to come with me? Maybe in ten minutes... no, in five minutes, we will be able to find the truth."
Paul: What's going on?
Kirk ignored Paul, hugged Little Bean Sprout, patted him on the back gently, left Little Bean Sprout to Callum, and then started walking.
When they arrived at the entrance of the game room, Kirk looked at the three older children and said, "Shh, we are carrying out a confidential mission. Are you willing to cooperate?"
Just these few words immediately brightened the three children's eyes.
