Chapter 67 Reward

The excavation site was bustling with activity.

With Raymond keeping an eye on Dave, Luke felt reassured and joined in to watch the excitement.

The site was too far from the city for an excavator to be used, so officers took turns digging with shovels.

Even the little black horse, Marcus, went down to dig for a while.

When they reached a depth of half a meter, Marcus threw the shovel aside and climbed out, "I'm exhausted. I'm really not good at this. What do you think Tony buried down there?"

The deputy team leader didn't hesitate, "A body. Tony came here every year, probably to confess or mourn, or maybe to avoid the body being exposed, filling the soil regularly."

Luke chuckled, "Or it could be some treasures."

Marcus became interested, "Isn't that Impressionist master's painting still missing? Could it be that Tony hid it, and it's buried down there?"

The deputy team leader was a bit speechless, "Marcus, think before you speak. Can an oil painting be buried underground for preservation? Only a fool would do that."

"Ordinary soil wouldn't work, but this is the Gobi Desert, dry enough. If it's in a sealed box, it might be well-preserved," Marcus argued.

"Come on, that's a lot of ifs. Tony didn't live well. If he had that painting, he would have sold it long ago. I suspect the painting is still in Lorne's hands."

The two argued for a while, neither convincing the other.

"Clang, clang." The sound of metal striking metal was heard.

A digging officer shouted, "We've hit something. There's something down here."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn.

To avoid damaging the object, the digging slowed down.

There was a hard object below, quite large, with a flat surface. As they dug out the surrounding soil, the outline of the object gradually became clear.

It was a decayed old car. From the mottled rust, they could faintly make out that it was a red car.

The license plate was too corroded to read the number.

Marcus was full of questions, "What the hell! We dug up an old car?"

The car body was decayed, making the excavation progress slow, but they could roughly make out the car's overall shape.

The deputy team leader, touching his chin, said, "This model... should be the first-generation Ford Focus."

Susan, who had lived through that era, didn't know much about cars, "What year is this car?"

"I can't remember the exact year it was launched, but it's at least twenty years old."

Luke searched on his phone and found information on the first-generation Ford Focus, "It was launched in 1998, matching the style of this car."

Marcus muttered, "A car from 24 years ago, not much older than me."

The on-site investigation team had taken over the scene. Mary, wearing protective gear, went down into the pit and peered through the car's windows, "Get the forensic pathologist Sheila over here. There are two skeletons in the car."

The deputy team leader stared at the red Ford Focus, lost in thought. This case...

He had a sense of déjà vu.

After over an hour of work, the car was finally pulled out of the pit. Luke approached to examine it. The interior was badly decayed, with a large and a small skeleton in the back seat, indicating they had been dead for many years.

The car, along with the skeletons, was taken back to the police station for examination.

…

Back at the station, the deputy team leader and Matthew were huddled together, studying something.

Luke and the others were also preparing to investigate the new case.

First, they once again took Dave's statement, asking if he knew anything more about the red car and the skeletons.

Around two in the afternoon, the deputy team leader called out, "Hey, everyone, stop for a moment and come to the conference room. I have something to say."

Though they didn't know what the old man was up to, he had some authority, so everyone followed him in.

Susan asked, "Deputy, did you find any clues?"

The deputy team leader seemed a bit excited, "We might be on the verge of solving a twenty-year-old cold case!"

Marcus said, "Even if this car was launched in '98, it doesn't mean it was buried twenty years ago. It could have been buried more recently."

"Kid, don't interrupt me." The deputy was a bit annoyed, continuing,

"I always felt this case was familiar. Later, I had Matthew help me check the records, and we basically confirmed that this is related to the 'Talson Manor Disappearance Case' from twenty years ago.

In the city of Haim, a mother and her two children disappeared without a trace overnight from their manor.

Initially, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department handled the investigation, but for various reasons, they didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a runaway case, missing the best time to investigate.

Later, the victims' husband made a big deal out of it, drawing attention to the case.

The FBI took over. Their investigation suggested the victims might have gone to Los Angeles City after leaving the manor.

The LAPD also got involved.

But it was too late; they couldn't find more clues or the victims' bodies, becoming a cold case.

The skeletons we dug up today are very likely to be the mother and one of the children."

Susan asked, "Are there other similarities between the two cases?"

"Of course, many." The deputy team leader took a sip of coffee to moisten his throat,

"First, the Talson Manor victims also had a red Ford Focus, which disappeared along with them.

The Talson Manor case had a suspect, Cole Davis.

The deputy produced a sketch and a photo, "This sketch was drawn by Tim, depicting the person who killed Tony, Cole Beck.

And this photo is of the Talson Manor suspect, Cole Davis, from twenty years ago.

Ignoring the effects of time, don't you think this sketch looks a lot like the person in the photo?"

Marcus compared the photo and the sketch carefully, "Yeah, they do look alike, both quite ugly."

The deputy ignored Marcus's comment and continued, "Additionally, the most critical point is that the Talson Manor case not only involved the disappearance of the family but also a large amount of property, cash, jewelry, and an Impressionist master's painting, 'Snow Night' by Schilleder Hansen.

Tony's murder and Lorne's assault were also linked to a painting by Schilleder Hansen."

After the deputy team leader finished, the conference room fell silent, everyone lost in thought.

Luke connected Tony, Lorne, Cole, and the excavated car in his mind.

Following the deputy's hypothesis, he continued to analyze.

Tony, Lorne, and Cole were likely the suspects in the 'Talson Manor Disappearance Case' from twenty years ago.

They robbed the Talson Manor, killed the mother and her two children, and took the manor's property.

Lorne used the money to get rich.

Tony, feeling guilty, often visited the burial site to pay respects.

Cole, being a suspect, didn't get the precious painting, feeling it was an unfair share, and turned to revenge against Tony and Lorne, wanting to seize the million-dollar painting.

The deputy team leader smiled, "Although the test results aren't out yet, from all these clues, Tony, Cole, and Lorne are definitely connected to the 'Talson Manor Disappearance Case.'

Also, there's something else to tell you all.

The reward for finding that painting is $200,000. If the police find it, we can also claim that reward.

Everyone, let's work hard!"