Constantine's Arrest

The California afternoon sun was just right, dispelling the gloom of the morning at school.

Qin Jin took Alessa to the flea market. When they found the old woman, she was diligently repairing an old candy machine. Upon seeing Alessa and Qin Jin, her cloudy eyes immediately lit up, and her wrinkles blossomed into a smile.

"Oh, my little lady is here! Look, her dress is all mended."

She carefully took out the repaired dress and laid it flat on the counter. It must be said that the old woman's craftsmanship was indeed superb; there was no trace of damage at all. Alessa reached out and gently touched the edge of the dress.

"Are you satisfied, little angel?" the old woman asked with a smile.

Aresa didn't speak, but simply nodded. Then she folded the dress neatly and held it in her arms as if it were a precious treasure.

Qin Jin paid the wages and gave the old woman an extra tip to thank her for her kindness.

The old woman happily accepted the gift and warmly invited them to continue their shopping.

Whether it was the joy of retrieving the dress or the continuation of the fun they had in the morning, Alessa spent a considerable amount of time with Qin Jin at the flea market, buying some interesting and pleasing items for the two of them.

As they left the flea market, the setting sun had already painted the sky a golden-red. The two went to the cinema and chose a recently released splatter movie. Watching the carnage on the ground, both Alessa and Qin Jin felt refreshed and invigorated.

As the movie ended and I walked out of the theater, the city's neon lights were already on.

When I got home, the clock had already struck nine o'clock at night.

Just then, the phone rang; it was Frank calling.

Qin Jin pressed the answer button: "Manager Frank?"

On the other end of the phone, Frank's voice was very serious and urgent: "Qin! Sherry just called and said that Jack was arrested at home by the Western Precinct."

"Jack was arrested?" Qin Jin was extremely puzzled. "What happened?"

"It's related to murder!" Frank spoke quickly:

"I just received the news myself. Jack is your team member after all. Go over and find out what happened. If there's any misunderstanding, we'll resolve it as soon as possible. If he really did it... see if there's anything hidden! He's one of our people; we can't let him be taken care of without any explanation!"

"I understand!" Qin Jin made a decision immediately, his tone resolute. "I'll go right now!"

"Okay! I'll wait for your news!" Frank hung up the phone.

Putting down his phone, Qin Jin's gaze fell on Alessa. She had put on her shoes, was holding her stuffed animal, and stood at the door, her purpose very clear—

She wants to participate in this!

Thinking of the vampire's revenge that morning, Qin Jin did not hesitate and took Alessa out the door, heading straight for the Western Branch. Half an hour later, they stopped in front of the Western Branch's office building.

Qin Jin flashed his police badge, identified himself, and requested to see the person in charge of the case.

Qin Jin's status as an intern detective was quite ordinary, but the fact that he was personally appointed by Chief Edward to form a team made him a different story. Almost everyone in the Los Angeles police system knew about him. After all, no one could guarantee that they wouldn't encounter supernatural forces. If Qin Jin didn't help, wouldn't there be another incident like the Second Team incident?

Soon, he was received by the head of the Western Precinct's homicide unit, an officer named Sean.

Supervisor Sean was in his forties, tall and handsome, with the weariness of staying up all night. He was not surprised by Qin Jin's arrival and was very polite, giving him the green light within reasonable limits.

"Detective Qin, hello." Sean gestured for Qin Jin to sit down and got straight to the point:

"Jack's case is very complicated..." He pushed a file in front of Qin Jin: "This is the preliminary report and photos of the scene. You can take a look first."

Qin Jin quickly flipped through the case files; the cold text and bloody photographs outlined the general contours of the case:

The deceased was Kate Morris, a 41-year-old female elementary school teacher.

Time of death: Preliminary assessment suggests it was between 6 and 7 p.m.

Discovery details: Around 7:30 p.m., a resident of the same apartment building was walking his dog when he smelled a strong odor of blood. The dog was barking wildly at the door, so he notified the apartment manager.

When the building manager opened the door, he found Kate dead on her bed in the bedroom.

The manner of death: extremely gruesome! The victim's skin was completely peeled off, and the sheets were soaked with blood.

Key eyewitness testimony: The apartment manager witnessed Ms. Kate and a strange man entering the apartment building around 2 p.m., and leaving in a panic around 6 p.m., looking pale.

Based on CCTV footage from the main entrance, the Western Police Department identified the visitor as Jack, a newly recruited officer from the Canyon Division, and immediately proceeded to the Pan-American Loft to make the arrest.

Corroborating evidence: First, when the police arrested Jack, they found the key to Kate's house in his pocket;

Second, a waiter at the restaurant across from the school confirmed that Jack sat outside the elementary school for half the morning until Ms. Kate appeared, at which point he immediately went up to her and started talking to her.

Third, prior to this, none of Kate's friends or colleagues knew she had a boyfriend, so it can be concluded that Jack had just met her...

A profound sense of absurdity welled up in Qin Jin's heart! He never expected that simply sending Jack to seduce an older woman would lead to such a mess!

And the timing was incredibly coincidental! It looked exactly like a sinister crime!

However, based on Qin Jin's understanding of Jack, this matter definitely has nothing to do with him. What needs to be done now is to talk to him and find out what really happened!

"Can I see him?" Qin Jin closed the file.

Supervisor Sean nodded:

"Sure. He's in the detention room. I'll have someone take you there. But Detective Qin, according to regulations, at least two of us must accompany you during your visit, and it must be recorded."

Qin Jin nodded. This was a police regulation, and there was no need to violate it.

In the detention room, Qin Jin met Constantine.

The guy's face was a little pale, but his eyes were filled with more anxiety and resentment. When he saw Qin Jin come in, he immediately grabbed at him like a lifeline, lowered his voice, and spoke with great resentment:

"Qin! This is all your fault!"

"Shut up! Get to the point!" Qin Jin said dismissively.

"Are you really that short of two hundred yuan? Who told you to go to her house? Or did you book a hotel room?... That's not the point. Tell me, what exactly happened!"

Now, the fact that Constantine was pursuing Kate can no longer be kept secret. Such harmless matters are actually quite common among Americans, as long as you can embellish your story.

Qin Jin believed that with his own reminders, Constanze would not speak recklessly.

Constantin paused slightly, clearly understanding his meaning, and then quickly explained, partly describing the case and partly corroborating certain circumstances with Qin and Jin, which is commonly known as collusion:

"After you told me about Teacher Alessa, I decided to get to know her. Since we're on holiday these days, I went to wait outside the school, hoping to bump into her."

"At lunchtime, I ran into Ms. Kate at the restaurant, and then... well, we started chatting quite well, it was love at first sight, and then I went to her apartment... well... we had a rather in-depth conversation."

At this point, Constanze's voice suddenly rose, and he became somewhat inexplicably excited:

"But how was I supposed to know that Ms. Kate would be like this... Oh my god! You know, from 2 to 6, I came six times, and she still wanted to continue... Qin, and Supervisor Sean, you're both men, you should know how I feel, right?"

Qin Jin and Sean exchanged a glance, both grinning with lingering fear, a silent sign of agreement.

"Tell me, what can I do in this situation? I can only run away!" Constantine gestured.

"If I hadn't escaped, I would have been the one dying in this apartment today. So, I left around six o'clock, but—" He made a gesture:

"I swear! When I left, she was still alive and kicking, and even told me to come back tomorrow, and she gave me the keys!"

Qin Jin stared into Constantine's eyes, his intuition telling him that the other man was not lying, and everything made perfect sense, except for the fact that Constantine went to pick up women himself and was sent by Qin Jin to pick up women.

"I understand. You stay here, I'll find the evidence as soon as possible." Qin Jin gave a brief instruction and turned to leave the detention room.

Back in Supervisor Sean's office, Qin Jin said directly:

"Manager Sean, in my opinion, Jack is telling the truth about this matter. The killing of Skinner should have nothing to do with him."

"Perhaps not, but..." Supervisor Sean changed the subject:

"The victim's death was too gruesome! After discovering the body, the building manager, in a state of extreme panic, not only called the police but also, inexplicably, notified several tabloids with whom he had a good relationship! Now the news can no longer be covered up!"

"Therefore," Supervisor Sean concluded, "if you don't have crucial evidence, I can't let Jack go. Otherwise, people will definitely say that we police officers are protecting each other. Detective Qin, please understand."

"I understand!" Qin Jin felt a slight pressure. "I'll go to the scene of the death right now! Stay in touch."