Chapter 30: The Usage of Toys

"Luo An, what are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing Augustus's voice, Luo An stopped his mental musings, looked up, and realized that Mona, Reesi, and others were looking at him. Without hesitation, he began to share his analysis:

"It's like this."

Luo An gestured for Reesi to take Mr. Darren into the conference room to rest, as the following discussion wasn't suitable for him to hear.

Laying the crime scene report and brief information about the two victims on the table, Luo An said:

"First of all, it's the perpetrator's habit to kidnap women and then torture them with toys for some time, which is evident from the condition of the toys at the crime scene."

Augustus and Mona picked up the crime scene report, which showed that all the toys had signs of use, and some were even broken, indicating they had been used for a long time.

Reesi returned to her seat, and Augustus and Mona nodded in agreement with Luo An's observation. Luo An continued:

"Based on this, we can deduce that Sabina wouldn't be in immediate danger after the kidnapping because, considering the usage of toys in previous cases, the victims were tortured for at least five days."

"Isn't that too presumptuous?"

Augustus frowned with doubt:

"The possibility was high before the news report, but after the news came out, might the perpetrator choose to silence the victim in a panic?"

As Luo An described the perpetrator's enjoyment of torturing victims with toys, Reesi and Mona both showed faces of disgust. Hearing what Augustus said, Reesi also questioned:

"That's right, the perp has already dismembered two victims; killing another person probably wouldn't be too difficult for him."

Luo An shook his head, "You're mistaken on one point; the perpetrator has likely dismembered more than two victims."

He pointed to several photos in the crime scene report and explained:

"If you look closely at the condition of the body parts, although there are severe signs of freezing, it's not difficult to discern that the perpetrator dismembered them by working through the joints rather than chopping through the bones directly. This suggests that the perpetrator has at least some rudimentary knowledge of human joints...

Or perhaps, he's done it so many times he's gained experience."

Mona covered her mouth, and Reesi's complexion also worsened, but she still continued Luo An's line of analysis:

"So, the perp is a doctor?"

"Not necessarily."

Luo An shook his head, "A veterinarian, butcher, forensic doctor, farmer, etc., could all be possibilities."

Seeing Mona's expression growing more troubled, Luo An took the photos back into his own hands and went on to say:

"The reason I'm suggesting it's unlikely for the perpetrator to choose to kill the victim immediately after seeing the news is my second point: because he doesn't care."

Augustus frowned, "What do you mean?"

"No hidden meaning, just that he simply doesn't care."

Luo An took out a pen, circled an area on the document, and tossed it to Augustus, explaining:

"Note that the perpetrator didn't thoroughly clean the kitchen where he dismembered the victims, and he even brazenly stored the body parts in the refrigerator instead of taking them away to dispose of them. All these suggest that the perpetrator actually wants people to discover his actions."

"FU-K!"

Mona cursed softly, "What a freak! What on earth is going on in this guy's mind?"

"Who knows?"

Reesi strongly agreed with Mona's assessment of the perpetrator, calling him a sick freak.

Augustus agreed with Reesi and Mona's opinions about the perpetrator and, following Luo An's analysis, continued:

"From this perspective, the perp is extremely arrogant; even if he sees the news, he wouldn't kill Sabina in the short term because he doesn't believe we can find him, right?"

Luo An nodded, giving Augustus a look of approval: "Exactly, your analysis is spot on."

Augustus puffed out his chest proudly, thinking that his brain wasn't slow after all, and that he had a real talent for solving cases.

Wait a minute, who exactly is the team leader here?

Before Augustus could get angry, Mona and Reesi exchanged a glance and then asked a question:

"But what's the use of analyzing these things? The fingerprint comparison failed, and we don't know who the perpetrator is, or where the perpetrator is hiding."

Upon hearing this, Augustus shifted his gaze back to Luo An, believing that Luo An must have some ideas.

Not disappointing Augustus's expectant gaze, Luo An, while flipping through the report in his hands, explained:

"You're not wrong, what I said just now was only to confirm that Sabina is not in immediate danger. The next analysis is related to the whereabouts of the perpetrator."

The implication of his words was simple: the real issue is yet to come.

Mona and Reesi immediately sat up straight upon hearing this, and Augustus also sharpened his attention.

"First point."

Luo An took out two credit card photos found at the crime scene and placed them beside Mona's computer, saying in a serious tone:

"The perpetrator always uses the victim's credit card to purchase toys. Just now, Mona also found that Sabina's credit card had been used. This is a habitual behavior of the perpetrator."

The three nodded in unison; the evidence was conclusive, and Luo An's analysis was correct.

"Second point."

Luo An took out the vehicle use records of the two victims and again placed them beside Mona's computer:

"After kidnapping the first victim, the perpetrator used the first victim's car to buy toys. After kidnapping the second victim, they again used the second victim's car to buy toys, and also drove the second victim's car when stealing toys and clothes from Sabina's apartment."

Hearing Luo An's analysis thus far, a spark flickered in Augustus's eyes, and he followed up with:

"But the second victim's car was parked in the garage, and the report showed that they didn't find any clues inside the car."

Mona, a bit confused, questioned:

"So what? What does this have to do with the perpetrator?"

Reesi, who understood Luo An's assessment, hugged Mona's slender waist excitedly and said:

"This means that the car used to kidnap Sabina is very likely Sabina's own car! As long as we find Sabina's car, we can find the perpetrator!"

"So that's what it is!"

Mona suddenly saw the light and recalled that the cars driven by Darren and Sabina were each more expensive than the last, her spirits immediately lifted:

"As long as Mr. Darren gives me the information about Sabina's vehicle, I can pin down their location in three minutes!"

Augustus was very excited; who would have thought they would find the perpetrator's trail so quickly?

Luo An: "..."

Seeing the others inexplicably excited, Luo An coughed twice to attract their attention and spread his hands, saying:

"Have you all forgotten something? We previously investigated the cars in Sabina's and Darren's villa, and none were missing."

The three: "..."

Mona, not giving up, asked:

"Is it possible, like with the credit card, that Sabina has a car Darren doesn't know about?"

Luo An was speechless, but it wasn't outside the realm of possibility; who knows what else Sabina had kept hidden from Darren.

"We can ask Mr. Darren later, but we shouldn't hold out too much hope for that car. Relying on surveillance video to track down the car is too time-consuming, we don't have much time to waste, and the perpetrator is very likely to ditch the car."

Not wanting to linger on this point, Luo An continued:

"The car is not important; what's important is this behavior—it's a habitual behavior."