Harry felt he owed Dean the most. After all, this whole affair had dragged Dean, who should have been recuperating in the hospital, into the fray solely because of him.

If a sacrificial scapegoat was needed this time... How convenient. Dean was a detective captain too...

Harry's mind worked in simpler ways. He couldn't think too deeply; he just knew he had to do something to alleviate his guilt and anger.

Dean shrugged. "What's the use of getting angry about what's already happened? It's better to strike back directly at the person lurking in the shadows!"

"Strike back?" The question echoed from all three of them. They looked at Dean, not understanding what he meant.

Under the current climate, what could one person do? They'd probably become unfortunate targets for the provoked Black people, used to vent their emotions.

Dean pointed to the calendar in the office. "In five days, the new Los Angeles Z Administration cabinet will be sworn in. I don't know if Sarah is the mastermind or just a foolish pawn. But the Los Angeles Z Administration definitely wouldn't want mass strikes and protests by Black people happening during the transition, attracting national attention. The people behind Sarah wouldn't dare do that either. Their actions today are a form of pressure and a notification, laying the groundwork for what's to come."

"Dean, I'm a bit confused," Harry said.

"What things?" Robert asked.

"What groundwork?" Daisy added.

Three people, three questions.

"They want the Los Angeles Z Administration to help some pervert in Alabama overturn his case, allowing him to walk out of prison celebrated, a legend among criminals," Dean said calmly.

Robert shook his head. "Dean, those big shots care a lot about their reputations. They wouldn't ruin their relationship with another state's higher-ups over a petty murderer."

"Under normal circumstances, of course, such a thing wouldn't happen."

Dean stretched languidly. "It's actually a negotiation tactic. Let me give you an example. If a group of people are in a sealed room, and you think it's too dark and suggest making a window on the wall, everyone would surely disagree. But if you propose tearing off the roof, they might consider where to place the window instead."

Robert shook his head again. "No, I'd just pull out my gun and shoot him full of holes."

Dean was speechless.

You're such a contrarian! Why are you even a detective? Go be a high-paid blue-collar worker on a construction site!

Dean rolled his eyes at Robert and turned to Harry. "I called Holz several times while watching the news just now, but he didn't pick up. I suspect Sarah still has tricks up her sleeve. Go check on the Forensics Department now!"

If possible, he'd have Holz destroy the bloodstains found on Henry immediately! Since the people behind Sarah dared to use him as a pawn, Dean was ready to flip the whole board! Once the evidence was gone, the game would be over for everyone!

Harry nodded and left.

Dean turned his gaze to Daisy. "Daisy, have you gleaned any information from that precinct receptionist, Aishaliya?"

Aishaliya was the receptionist at the precinct who took Sarah's report. Right. According to Daisy, the woman was divorced, had a chaotic personal life, her Spirit wasn't entirely normal—possibly even masochistic—and had even considered transferring to a male prison to work as a guard.

Daisy shook her head. "I was planning to invite her for a meal, but Aishaliya said she resigned and is in the middle of her handover, so she doesn't have time."

"Resigned?"

Dean said decisively, "Time is short, Daisy. Please get me a detailed profile on Aishaliya as quickly as possible!"

"No problem!" Daisy nodded and bustled off to do it. She understood the gravity of the situation and wasn't foolish enough to try and extort Dean at a time like this.

Robert was still mulling over Dean's eye-roll, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

Dean clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Buddy, you briefly protected Sarah before. Did you see any female companions with her?"

"Seen them! Not only seen them, I secretly took photos!" Robert waggled his eyebrows at Dean, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "Honestly, I think it's a waste, them being together. She was a real knockout."

Saying this, he walked briskly to his desk, took out a palm-sized camcorder, and handed it to Dean.

Dean turned it on. The footage was from a skillfully concealed angle; the setup was quite professional. In the video, Sarah and a blonde woman were intimately embracing, curled up together and whispering softly. They ignored the crying child nearby, displaying none of the loving mother persona she showed in public.

Dean memorized the blonde's appearance, put down the camcorder, and praised, "Robert, I never knew you had the potential to be a paparazzo."

"Actually, before I enlisted, I used to take private photoshoots for girls. If my old man hadn't forced me into the army, I'd probably be a highly artistic photographer by now," Robert said proudly.

Just then, Daisy hurried over with two freshly printed sheets of paper and handed them to Dean. "This is Aishaliya's publicly available detailed information, including her schooling, work history, addresses, phone number..."

"Is there a photo?" Dean took the papers and asked casually.

Daisy pointed to her computer. "Look there. Speaking of which, she's quite attractive. That's why I've never understood her bizarre way of thinking."

Dean and Harry looked. The smiling blonde woman on the computer screen was unmistakably the same one passionately kissing Sarah in Robert's video footage.

Dean scratched his head. So, this was some tragic crime story about a female cop falling for a psycho, driven mad by love, using her beauty to seduce Sarah and orchestrate this whole mess? He just couldn't understand it. Chase your love, I don't care. But why drag me into it? Is my gun not persuasive enough? Or is my reputation in the LAPD too squeaky clean?

Dean twisted his neck and grinned.

You want to play open schemes? Fine. I'll show you what real ruthlessness looks like!

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