Chasing Murder

Chapter 7

Benjamin bowed his head in silence for a moment before looking up and asking, "Think hard, where could your access card have dropped?"

"I wish I knew. I distinctly remember my access card was in my pocket when you called me here this morning. After that, apart from going to Luna's and Scarlett's crime scenes, I only visited the hospital and the station. If it's missing, it must be in one of those places."

"Check the surveillance footage, Noah. I know you're eager, but hold on. You couldn't have possibly done this, but rules are rules. At ten fifty, you were already at the station, yet your access card records show that you opened the internal door of the station at that time. I'm sorry, but you can't continue participating in this investigation," Benjamin said regretfully.

I nodded in understanding and replied, "I understand the rules. If that's the case, I'll head back to the hospital."

"After we're done, you'll need to make a statement before leaving. Let me know if Auntie has any updates," Benjamin said, then turned and left with Oliver to return to the scene of the crime. Meanwhile, Evelyn escorted me to the hospital. Along the way, she kept asking me about clues related to the case, and I naturally told her everything I knew.

As for the perpetrator's profile, he's approximately 1.8 meters tall, left-handed, calm, cautious, and possesses anti-surveillance awareness. He may be a native Californian, familiar with the roads in California. He might also be quite good-looking.

"Is that all?" Evelyn asked softly after finishing recording the information.

I nodded, telling her that's all I had for now. Evelyn thought for a moment, then looked up at me and asked, "Besides being left-handed, isn't this profile description a bit like you?"

"Are you suspecting me too?" I looked at her, feeling a surge of anger, but I quickly calmed down. Indeed, someone had used my access card to enter the station, and even I couldn't explain it away. It's no wonder Evelyn would suspect me.

"Suspecting? I don't think anyone would use their own characteristics as a criminal profile. But more than you being falsely accused, I'm curious why someone who loves solving cases like you didn't choose to go to the police academy? Instead, you went to the University of San Diego. Of course, I know it's a prestigious school, but I think, given your passion, your first choice would have been..."

"You investigated me?" I looked at Evelyn and asked softly.
"It's not an investigation; I want to understand you. You're barely in your twenties, yet you're already a consultant for the Criminal Investigation Division. When I checked, I found out that you cracked the serial killing case and reservoir murder case in California three years ago. That made me even more curious about you, so I went to the archives to look up your records. But to my surprise, you're not even a student at the police academy?"

I sighed helplessly. "It's because of my heart condition. My mom passed her heart condition down to me, so I can't engage in any strenuous activities, let alone run around on the playground like other police academy students. And I can't serve as a frontline detective for the country either. Do you understand now?"

I smiled at Evelyn and then opened the car door and got out. In fact, I never thought about becoming a cop when I grew up because I knew from a young age that with my condition, becoming a cop was almost impossible.

As I reached the hospital entrance, my phone suddenly rang.

"Is this Noah? Your mother is critically ill. Can you come to the hospital right away?"

The voice on the other end was that of a sweet-natured nurse, but when she said those words, I couldn't care less about her tone. I hung up and sprinted to the elevator.