Chapter 6

"Found it!"

Ryen held up a meat cleaver, caked with dirt, in the backyard and shouted excitedly. Sarah looked at Zhen Fan in surprise.

"Send this knife for examination. If there's the victim's blood and George's fingerprints, arrest him immediately and take that bastard to the station!"

Sarah looked at George, who was standing not far away, looking nervous and glancing around.

"Also, investigate the police officers on patrol around here at around 1 a.m. and any nearby security cameras. If it's true as Zhen said, we'll have direct evidence to send this guy to prison!"

"Got it, boss!"

Ryen saluted Sarah with a grin and walked over to George.

"You're under arrest, scumbag! Turn around and put your hands behind your back; I'm going to handcuff you!"

Sarah turned her head and looked at Zhen Fan seriously.

"How did you do it?"

"If I say Wendy told me, would you believe it?" Zhen Fan smiled, carefree.

"Are you trying to fool me or is this revenge for what you did to me today?" Sarah's face was not pleasant. "Tell me the truth, just that much!"

"If I tell you the truth, you won't believe it. But I can tell you a secret!" Zhen Fan raised a finger and placed it on his lips. "Shh, keep it down. I'm a medium, and I just spoke with Wendy's spirit. She told me everything! Really!"

When Zhen Fan said this, he was so serious that Sarah just wanted to punch him in the nose.

"Alright, Mr. Zhen, if you don't mind, there's nothing left for you to do here. The murderer is caught, and we're done!"

Sarah said this with a hint of frustration and watched Zhen Fan walk past her with a grin.

"Medium, if you can tell me what I'm going to do next, I'll buy you a coffee or a Chinese meal, no problem!"

This was said with a bit of mockery, clearly teasing, though the voice was low. Sarah's eyebrows twitched, and she twisted her lips, wanting to see Zhen Fan's embarrassment.

"Even though I don't know what you're going to do next, I know I'm going to sleep next. Being a medium is very draining!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't leave yet. My next move is to take you to the station for questioning. Do you want me to invite you into the car?"

Sarah smiled slyly, looking triumphant.

"Alright, I'll go with you, but remember, you owe me a meal. Where's the best Chinese restaurant? You should know! Now, I know your next move, and this is the price!"

Zhen Fan pointed behind Sarah.

"Which car? I like the Chevrolet SUV!" Zhen Fan walked over to the car and even turned back to make a shooting gesture at Sarah.

Sarah relaxed her shoulders, feeling helpless. This guy is a bit of a scoundrel!

The car sped down the street.

"Aren't you worried about speeding? Or do you have special privileges? I mean, your special investigation bureau, what's it called? CBI? Is that an acronym? My English isn't that good!"

"Shut up, buddy!"

Ryen, driving in front, couldn't help but interject. Now he had a better impression of Zhen Fan. At least he guessed the knife correctly, and the bureau had received new information confirming that a man with a build similar to George was seen on 12th Street at night. They would arrange for officers to identify him, and if the fingerprints and blood on the knife match, they could formally charge the bastard.

"Zhen!" Sarah, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to Zhen Fan, who was sitting diagonally behind her. "Smooth talker, two-faced, arrogant, self-satisfied, cunning, irresponsible, etc. If we're talking psychology, congratulations, Zhen—"

"What?"

"Your behavior can be diagnosed as clinical psychopathy."

Zhen Fan was speechless.

"Ha!" Sarah laughed triumphantly. "But you don't need to be forcibly sent to Covelas yet."

"What's Covelas? Why would I go there?"

"Hehe, buddy, it's a specialized psychiatric hospital that cooperates with our investigation bureau. It has top-notch facilities. I hope you'll try it out!"

Ryen burst out laughing, slapping the steering wheel.

The car made several turns and entered a building. This was the California Bureau of Investigation, and the special investigation team was on the fifth floor in a large office.

"Have you seen 'California Detective'? They seem to be from the California Bureau of Investigation. Are you guys part of the same team? Or did a screenwriter go undercover here?"

Zhen Fan looked around the spacious office, sat comfortably in a chair, and stretched.

"Hey, you guys, I didn't expect so many people in your office. I thought there were only four or five. 1, 2, 3... thirteen. Thirteen isn't a lucky number in the West, right?"

"Shut up. If you don't want to be taken to the interrogation room, tell us how you figured it out, and then you can go home." Sarah sat across from Zhen Fan and glared at him.

"I can go home even if I don't say anything!"

Zhen Fan shrugged indifferently.

"You know so much about the murder, I suspect you were involved, maybe even planned it!" Ryen chimed in.

"Looks like I need to call my lawyer!"

Zhen Fan pulled out his phone and started searching.

"Wilson?... No, what's the name? Right, Charles, Charles Carter. You might know him; he's an expert at dealing with the police!"

"Please, don't call. I'm asking you, okay?"

Sarah felt uncomfortable and quickly reached out. Honestly, she still felt grateful to Zhen Fan, but she was just upset that he had extorted a Chinese meal from her.

"Alright, I'll repeat my theory!"

Zhen Fan winked at Sarah, looking smug.

"Don't talk about being a medium."

"Okay, but except for that, I think everything I say is a lie."

"Then tell us a lie, we'll listen!"

Sarah felt like she wanted to beat this guy up.

"Cough, cough, it's like this..." Zhen Fan cleared his throat. "In this murder case, we didn't hear any gunshots at night. What does that mean?"

"Do you have to use a knife? You can kill with a rope, or strangle her, or choke her to death!" Ryen laughed. "This is something even a moron could guess!"

Zhen Fan glanced at Ryen and nodded seriously. "I believe your last statement!"

"Ha!" Sarah couldn't hold back. "Go do your work, I can handle this!"

Ryen, who was feeling triumphant, realized he was in trouble, glared at Zhen Fan, and quickly left.

"The victim's wounds were wider and deeper than a typical dagger, and a meat cleaver was missing from the wall."

"How did you know the knife was buried under the gardenia bushes?"

The earlier parts were easy to guess, but the location of the knife was the key.

Zhen Fan looked at Sarah, surprised.

"Did you talk to the suspect? Even a brief conversation would reveal a faint scent of gardenia on him. This scent doesn't easily disappear. I noticed it when I passed by him."

Sarah nodded, acknowledging her oversight.

"If I smelled this scent, my first reaction was to find its source. I saw the gardenia bushes in the backyard, and the soil there was disturbed."

Sarah nodded helplessly.

"You're right! How did you know he came in at midnight and ate the victim's dinner, and then killed her while she was washing dishes?"

"Really, where do you police use your observational skills?" Zhen Fan suddenly turned to Ryen, raising his voice. "Are they all used to look at my neighbor's low-cut tops? Honestly, Ryen, I envy you for looking directly. I only sneak a peek when Annie turns away. Of course, I also glance at her butt! Can you say you didn't look down when you passed by her?"

Ryen had circled around and was now sitting at his desk. He hadn't expected to escape this fate.

The office burst into laughter.

"The results of the meat cleaver should be out. I'll go to the forensics lab!"

Ryen quickly fled.

"Can you be serious?"

Sarah expressed her dissatisfaction.

"I know you're a clean woman. You wash your clothes right after a shower, even your underwear by hand, not in the washing machine. You wash your dishes and pots immediately after eating. You can't tolerate leftovers in front of you, and you clean the toilet every time you use it!"

"Enough, stop it!"

Sarah's face turned red, her eyebrows raised. But this clinical psychopath was right. How did he know?

"If you look closely at the leftovers on the table, you'll see that after six hours, the pasta sauce will solidify but not harden. It will take another four hours to completely harden."

Zhen Fan stood up. "So I can deduce that he must have eaten pasta at 1 a.m. George is definitely not a good cook, but I tasted the sauce with my finger, and it was good."

"This psychopath!" Sarah muttered under her breath.

"I think I can go now?"

Zhen Fan straightened his clothes, which was just pulling down his T-shirt, and looked at Sarah with a smug smile.

"Go!"

"Goodbye, beautiful detective!"

Zhen Fan extended his hand, grabbed Sarah's without her consent, and waved to the others in the office. "Guys, work hard, and if you do well, Sarah will give you a raise and promotion!"

Watching him leave the office with a casual stride, Sarah sighed in relief and was about to call Ryen back when a head appeared at the office door.

"Um, Sarah, if you don't mind, could you give me a ride home? Honestly, I'm not familiar with the roads here!" He raised his hand to check his watch. "It's almost noon. Maybe we can go to a nearby Chinese restaurant for a hearty meal!"

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