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Chapter 2 Reporting to the Detective Units

William, notebook in hand, glanced at Henry's earlier guess about the time of death and was floored, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"It's exactly the same as Mr. Phillips' deduction, Ms. Smith, you're amazing!" William blurted out.

'That's impressive?' Henry thought, rolling his eyes. Olivia shot Henry a surprised look.

Ethan gave Olivia a nod of approval and said with a grin, "We'll need an autopsy to nail down the exact cause of death. Once we're back at the station, I'll get that report done ASAP!"

Olivia followed William to tape off the repair shop, sealing off the whole backyard. Then she headed back to the station with the rest of the crew.

In Benjamin's office, he greeted Olivia warmly and handed her a cup of coffee.

"Olivia, you must be freezing. Have some coffee!" Benjamin said with a smile.

Olivia grinned back and said, "Mr. White, you're not being fair. I was supposed to be assigned to the Silverlight City police department, but I heard you specifically requested my transfer. Do you really like me that much and just had to have me in Emerald City?"

"Olivia, stop joking around. I brought you here for work. Besides, with your talents, being a regular officer in Silverlight City would be a waste!" Benjamin replied, chuckling.

Olivia rolled her eyes. She knew Benjamin too well, having grown up under his watch. Even his son had been on the receiving end of her punches since they were kids.

"Mr. White, you promised me that I would join the Detective Unit!" Olivia reminded him.

"Of course, here are your assignment papers. Go ahead!" Benjamin handed her the papers.

With the papers in hand, Olivia first went to logistics to get her uniform. Benjamin had also arranged a private dorm for her. Emerald City had already turned on the heating; outside the wind howled fiercely, but inside it was as warm as spring.

After taking half an hour to freshen up and change, she headed to the Detective Unit to report in before lunch.

"Come in!" Henry's deep voice called out, and Olivia felt a twinge of unease. She opened the door and saw his intense face staring back at her. It was destiny!

"Good morning, Mr. Phillips. I'm Olivia, just transferred from Silverlight City to the Emerald City Detective Unit!" Olivia said formally.

Henry placed his hands on the table, scrutinizing Olivia in her police uniform. Without makeup, her clean face was much more pleasing, but her features were still too striking. Even the uniform couldn't hide her beauty.

It wasn't that Henry was biased against female officers, but a woman this striking stood out too much, which wasn't ideal for a detective. Detectives sometimes had to go undercover, and someone this noticeable could be a liability.

"You're not suited to be a detective. Report to another department," Henry directly refused.

However, Olivia wasn't one to back down. "Mr. Phillips, this is an order from higher-ups. You don't have the authority to refuse!"

With that, she politely bowed.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go check if the autopsy results are out." Olivia turned and left, leaving Henry so angry that he threw his pen.

Ethan saw Olivia coming and directly took her to the morgue, giving her a lab coat and a mask. Olivia wasn't scared at all and helped Ethan deduce the victim's approximate age and physical features.

Two hours later, in the meeting room, Olivia presented the autopsy results from Ethan.

"The victim was a male, approximately 35 years old, standing around 5'9" and weighing about 140 pounds. The cause of death was a heavy blow to the back of the head, followed by dismemberment. The rough cuts on the arms and legs suggest the use of a blunt tool, possibly a hatchet. Cleaner cuts on other parts of the body indicate a switch to a sharper tool," Olivia reported.

"I bet the murder weapon's in the repair shop! Either there are two weapons, or different people did it!" Olivia speculated, handing the autopsy report to Henry.

After skimming through it, Henry asked, "Has the DNA been entered into the system?"

"It's in there, but no hits yet. Given the victim's age, unless he's a fugitive, it's tough to find a match," Olivia explained.

Henry nodded and passed the autopsy report around. Once everyone had read it, he gave orders. "Alright, everyone, start looking into all missing persons in Amber District over the past six months. William and I will search the crime scene for the murder weapon."

"I'll go too!" Olivia chimed in.

Henry glanced at her but didn't object. Searching for a weapon wasn't exactly dangerous, so he let her tag along.

Back at the dismemberment site, William interviewed nearby residents and businesses. The repair shop had a residential area nearby, and William went door to door gathering information.

Olivia went to the well and conducted a thorough search within a 1500-foot radius but came up empty.

"Ethan took soil samples around the well and found traces of blood in some samples, right here!" Olivia said, pointing to a spot about seven or eight feet from the well.

"Ethan also said this isn't the primary crime scene. If the victim was killed here, there should be a lot of blood, but the samples don't show that amount. If this is just a dumping site, the best way for the killer to dispose of the weapon would be to throw it in the well, bury it nearby, or hide it in an inconspicuous place," Olivia analyzed.

Henry nodded, agreeing with Olivia's theory. They searched again and eventually discovered a hidden sewer grate in the bushes. Olivia took out her gloves, ready to reach in, but Henry stopped her and took over. He put on the gloves, rummaged through the muck, and found the murder weapon—a hatchet.

"This doesn't seem like an ordinary hatchet. The head and handle are reinforced with metal, probably for extra durability," Olivia concluded after examining the hatchet.

"I'll take it to Ethan to check for blood," Olivia said, and Henry nodded. He didn't follow her but went to see the repair shop's manager.

"Mr. Phillips, you're asking if any employees have gone missing or resigned in the past six months?" the manager asked, and Henry nodded.

The manager thought for a moment and said, "We'll need to check with HR for specifics. A few employees have resigned in the past few months. I can get you the list from HR."

With the list from the repair shop, Henry went to find William.

"Did you find anything?" Henry asked.

William scratched his head, having only gathered trivial information.

When they got back to the station, Ethan's report was ready.

"The murder weapon has traces of blood and tissue, matching the victim's," Ethan confirmed.

Now that they had the weapon, finding the killer would be much harder.

"Have the colleagues found any missing persons in the past six months?" Olivia asked.

Aiden White nodded. "We've done a sweep. Amber District has five missing persons, two women and three men. None of them match the victim's description."

"If necessary, expand the search to the entire city!" Olivia ordered.

Throughout the entire process, Olivia was the one giving orders, leaving Henry feeling like a mere spectator. He looked at Olivia and, for the sake of the case, decided to let it slide.

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