American forensics, but the gourmet system

"Name."

"Il Isaac..."

"age?"

"Thirty-four years old..."

What did you do on the nights of December 3rd, 4th, and 5th?

A tall, thin white man with brown hair sat in the interrogation room, looking around anxiously. An hour earlier, several burly men had stormed into his company and dragged him from his workstation to the interrogation room at the Brooklyn Criminal Investigation Center.

Isaac's forehead began to sweat, a sign that, to anyone, was a clear indication of his guilty conscience.

"I...I didn't do anything..." Isaac swallowed hard. "I just finish work, go home, eat something, have some fun, sleep...it's like this every day..."

"Just for fun? How about some fun?"

Jesse sat opposite Isaac, his dark face giving him a rather imposing air.

This was Russell's first time participating in an interrogation. He sat in a chair by the door, watching Jesse, Marty, and Diaz stare fiercely at Isaac.

Under their gazes, this guy, who didn't seem to have a strong mentality, was almost trembling.

"I...I just had a few drinks...and then...and went out to chat with some friends..."

Isaac stammered, sweat beading on his forehead.

"I'm not going to waste my time with you, Isaac," Jesse said in a deep voice, slamming a photograph down in front of Isaac. "Do you know this girl? What's your relationship with her?"

Russell noticed that Isaac's expression clearly froze for a moment when he saw the photo.

“Of course I know Vera…Are you planning to convict Vera?” Isaac asked tentatively. “Listen, officers, I don’t believe my relationship with Vera was a transaction of money and sex. She gave herself to me for art, and I paid her for art…I don’t think that can be considered a transaction…”

Jesse and Russell exchanged a glance.

"Art?!" Jesse demanded sternly. "Does the art you're talking about include using a silicone doll to announce your criminal plans to the police? Does it include severing Vera's artery with a scalpel, causing her to bleed to death?"

"Huh? What?! Vera is dead? When? And what's a silicone doll?"

Isaac asked in shock.

"You'd better tell us everything about the last time you saw Vera, Isaac," Marty said sternly. "Vera was murdered, and your semen was found on her... You're the prime suspect."

For some reason, Isaac actually breathed a sigh of relief, and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow:

  

"Okay, I thought you were going to punish me for soliciting prostitutes... I'll tell you everything I know about Vera, but you can't punish me for soliciting prostitutes. Um... and you can't tell my wife about this either, okay?"

Jesse slammed his fist on the table:

"You have no right to make demands—"

"Alright, Jesse," Marty said, reaching out to restrain the angry Jesse. "Okay, Mr. Isaac. As long as you tell me the truth, I promise I won't reveal your secrets to anyone, including your wife..."

……

"...While I was resting in bed, Vera went to the bathroom to wash her face and then left the hotel. That's it." Isaac shrugged. "There are security cameras in the hotel lobby and elevators; you can investigate and see if I'm telling the truth. I could never kill Vera; I haven't had enough of her body yet..."

Russell figured he wouldn't get anything useful out of the man, so he stood up and walked out of the interrogation room.

Captain Hansen stood outside the interrogation room, staring thoughtfully at the vibrant snake plant.

Seeing Russell walk out of the interrogation room, he looked up and asked:

"What was the result?"

"It's alright... Judging from the time of death, Vera was murdered a few hours after sleeping with Isaac." Russell's face was expressionless, his fingers fiddling with the buttons on his cuff. "We might be able to use the hotel's surveillance footage to find out who picked Vera up, or use the license plate to determine where Vera went in the last few hours of her life..."

Captain Hansen nodded slightly:

"Good, a new clue... Is Isaac still a suspect?"

“We can rule him out for now,” Russell shrugged. “He has no medical background. And the trace evidence report shows that Vera’s stomach contents contained flunitrazepam residue, a controlled substance her killer used to subdue her. Isaac obviously wouldn’t have access to that level of drug… Perhaps the person we’re looking for is someone who works at a hospital. Are there any such people among Vera’s loyal viewers and clients?”

At that moment, the interrogation room door opened again, and Isaac walked out, followed by Jesse, Marty, and Diaz.

"Goodbye, officers." Isaac, his earlier panicked demeanor gone, smiled and waved goodbye. "Don't forget our promise..."

He turned and left with a flourish.

Marty muttered under his breath:

"I initially thought he was panicking because he had killed someone, but it turns out it was because he was afraid his wife would find out he was soliciting prostitutes... Damn it."

Captain Hansen patted Marty on the shoulder:

"Alright, Marty. You and Diaz go to that hotel Isaac mentioned, pull up the security footage, and find out where Vera went after leaving the hotel."

"Yes, boss."

Marty nodded and left with Diaz.

"Jesse, will you come with me...Jesse?"

Jesse seemed not to hear what Captain Hansen was saying, as he was focused on typing on his phone screen. Captain Hansen called Jesse again, and only then did he look up.

"Sorry. I sent an anonymous text message to Isaac's wife so she wouldn't be kept in the dark by her husband who's a client. Anyway, Marty promised not to tell anyone, it wasn't me... Go on, Captain."

Captain Hansen glared at Jesse, a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"You'll come with me to investigate Vera's audience and clientele. Russell believes the killer of Vera might work at a hospital, or at least have access to controlled substances... Is that right, Russell?"

"Yes." Russell nodded.

"You can come with us too," Captain Hansen said, turning to Russell. "If you don't have anything else to do for the time being..."

"I want to go back to the forensic center," Russell said, shaking his head. "There are still some pieces of evidence in the forensic biology lab that haven't been compared yet. I'll call you as soon as I have any new leads, Captain."

"Alright," Captain Hansen nodded and said, "Let's arrange it this way, Jesse, let's go!"

The two walked away quickly, their figures disappearing into the elevator lobby.