Chapter 553 The Traitor

After Red leaves, Luke tells the team about taking over the arson case.

At first, they didn't have much reaction. When they learned that there was a high reward for the arson case, their enthusiasm for investigating the case was aroused and they became very motivated.

The deputy team continued to track Walda Baker.

Luke takes someone to take over the arson case.

He first went to the fire station to understand the situation.

According to professional inspections by the fire department, the source of the fire was the new antihypertensive drug laboratory on the sixth floor. They found a large amount of accelerants at the scene, which is why the fire spread so quickly.

The fire department also checked the surveillance before the fire and found that there was a power outage in the Kalman Pharmaceuticals building before the fire. Kalman Pharmaceuticals has a backup power supply, but this backup power supply is mainly for powering the laboratory and does not include camera surveillance. , the scene before the fire was not photographed.

The fire department also sent personnel to investigate the cause of the power outage and found traces of man-made damage.

The Fire Department's final investigation concluded that someone deliberately cut off the power and used an accelerant to set the fire at Cullman Pharmaceuticals.

It was precisely based on this conclusion that Kalman Pharmaceuticals asked Luke to take over the case investigation.

Luke carefully studied the information obtained from the fire station. Kalman Pharmaceutical Company has security and the power supply room is relatively remote. It is difficult for outsiders to destroy the power supply facilities while avoiding the security guards.

Luke guessed that there should be an insider within the company.

The mole led the way, Walda Baker provided the accelerant, and the two set fire to the new antihypertensive drug laboratory one mile away.

After coming out of the fire station, Luke did not return to the police station, but went to Kalman Pharmaceuticals to investigate.

This time, the person responsible for receiving Luke and others was still the director of the R&D Department, Fred Kramer.

Luke came to Kalman Pharmaceutical Company for two reasons. The first reason was that Kalman Pharmaceutical Company paid a lot of money to hire the Robbery and Murder Division to investigate the arson case. Since Luke had taken over the case, he had to show up.

The second reason is that Fred Kramer is the head of research on new antihypertensive drugs, and Luke wants to get some clues about the insider.

After greeting each other, Luke asked directly, "Director Cramer, has your company ever had a power outage before?"

"Yes, it happened twice before."

"Have you sent anyone to investigate?"

Fred Kramer thought for a while, "The first trip was also at night. The security guards discovered it at that time. It just tripped and they closed it.

The second power outage was also due to tripping. We hired professional maintenance workers and they replaced some equipment to make the circuit more stable. "

Luke asked, "When were the last two power outages?"

"One was in early May, and the other was around June 10th."

"Do you think these two power outages were man-made or accidental?"

"Our company has a lot of experimental equipment, and we have to work at night, which consumes a lot of power. I originally thought it was excessive power consumption...

But now it seems that it is probably human-made. "

"Do you think it was done by someone inside the company or an outsider?"

Fred Kramer shrugged, "I don't know."

Luke said, “Based on the existing clues and evidence, I suspect that Kalman Pharmaceuticals may have an insider.

Do you have any suspicions? Or someone who feels suspicious. "

Fred Kramer was silent for a while and shook his head, "Listen, it's hard to answer this question from where I am now.

Because of this arson incident, the company lost a large amount of research data, and the atmosphere was very tense.

We must unite and unite people. If I doubt my colleagues for no reason, the company will have bigger problems..."

"OK, let me change the question.

What do you think was the cause of this arson? "

"Obviously someone wants to sabotage the research and development of new antihypertensive drugs. Our company has spent a lot of money, manpower and time on this. If the drug research and development fails, there will be a series of chain reactions within the company, and it may even go bankrupt."

“Who would benefit most if research on new antihypertensive drugs failed?”

"What if?"

"Yes, only the two of us know."

"Gelson Pharmaceuticals.

The Nebivolol antihypertensive drug developed by their company has a high market share. Once our company's new antihypertensive drug is developed, it will definitely have a certain impact on the Nebivolol antihypertensive drug.

This is a huge blow to Gelson Pharmaceuticals. "

Two days ago, Luke had just been to Gelson Pharmaceutical Company and met their company's vice president Royce Woodman. Luke asked about the murder of the deceased Rohel Horn, but the other party did not clear.

Luke didn't see any obvious signs of lying on the other side.

Moreover, the reason why Luke found out about Kalman Company was because of the clue provided by the vice president of Jerson Company.

It stands to reason that if Gelson Company was the mastermind behind the arson case, he would have no reason to tell the police the clues about Kalman Pharmaceuticals so that the police could investigate the arson case in a timely manner. This would indirectly increase the risk of Gelson Company being exposed. .

Luke suppressed his speculations and took out a photo of the suspect Walda Baker, "Do you know him?"

Fred Kramer picked up the photo and looked at it, shaking his head, "I don't know him. Does he have anything to do with the arson case?"

"He is probably one of the suspects in the arson case?"

Fred Kramer was a little surprised, "You found it so quickly."

Luke nodded without comment and asked, "Is Kem Smith, the head of the drug testing department, in the company?"

"Yes, he has been contacting the drug testers these two days, asking about their physical conditions and reminding them of some precautions to avoid the tragedy of Rochel Horn from happening again."

"OK, I want to talk to him again."

Soon, Luke met Kem Smith in the conference room.

This is not the first time Luke and Kem Smith have met. The last time they met, Luke asked him about the situation of the deceased Rochel Horn, and also asked about the situation on the night of the arson. Luke always felt that the other party was hiding something, which was one of the reasons why he talked to him today.

Kem Smith looked a little tired and took a big sip of coffee. "Captain Li, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I heard from Fred Kramer that you have been contacting the testers these two days. How are they doing?"

"They are all fine. No particularly obvious adverse reactions have been found so far.

When do you think the drug will be available on the market?"

Fred Kramer sighed, "It's hard to say. All the experimental data of the new antihypertensive drug have been burned. Many things need to be redone, and a lot of money and manpower will have to be invested.

In addition, Rochelle Horn's death is also related to the new antihypertensive drug...

It may be difficult to be available on the market in a short time."

Luke took out a photo of Walda Baker, "Have you seen him?"

Kem Smith pursed his lips, picked up the photo and looked at it, frowning slightly, "I don't know him."

Luke repeated the question, "Have you seen him?"

"No, I haven't." Kem Smith returned the photo to Luke.

"Are you sure?"

"Are you sure."

Luke saw signs of lying on the other person's face.

This is interesting. This is the second time he has lied about the arson case.

He should have seen Walda Baker, but they should not be familiar with each other.

So, when Luke asked him for the first time whether he had seen Walda Baker, he answered that he did not know her, but he should have seen her.

Luke pushed the photo over again, "I suggest you look carefully again?"

"Why?"

"Because he has seen you."

Kem Smith shrugged, "Maybe, I am a little face-blind, even if I have seen someone on the street, I may not remember it."

Luke said, "The person in the photo is not a certain person, but one of the suspects in the arson case.

So, I suggest you recall it carefully.

Did you see him on the night of the arson? Or anyone else?

Don't lie."

Kem Smith stared at Luke, "Can I call a lawyer?"

Luke smiled, "Of course, I have heard that you The lawyers of pharmaceutical companies are very powerful.

I also want to know whether they value the interests of the company or the interests of the employees more. "

"I have my own lawyer."

"You are welcome." Luke stood up and made a gesture to leave. "It seems that I should talk to Fred Cramer.

Help him reintroduce you as a diligent employee.

Maybe he will give you a promotion, who knows?"

"Captain Li, please don't leave.

I don't want a lawyer anymore, we can have a good talk."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Can our conversation be kept confidential?"

"Of course." Luke sat down again.

"I... did see two suspicious people on the night of July 11, one of them was the person in your photo, and the other was a researcher in our company..." Cam Smith took a deep breath and hesitated.

"What's the researcher's name?"

"Lydia Cooney."

"Describe the situation?"

"I couldn't sleep that night, so I took a walk in the yard. When I walked to the west side of the building, I saw the side door on the west side of the building open and two people walked out. One of them was the person in the photo, and the other was Lydia Cooney.

Because it was dark at the time, they probably didn't see me.

I was a little surprised at the time, why did Lydia Cooney come out of the building in the middle of the night, and then I saw a fire in the building, and I realized that the building might be on fire."

"Where did they escape from, and what kind of transportation did they take?"

"I don't know. When I saw the building on fire, I was so focused on putting out the fire that I didn't bother to look for Lydia Cooney."

"What time was it?"

"A little after eleven."

"Specifically Time?"

"About 11:20."

Luke noted the time, "Since you have seen Lydia Cooney, why didn't you tell me last time we talked?"

"She is a very good woman. She has made a lot of efforts to develop new drugs. I have seen it. The new antihypertensive drug is also her hard work.

Although I saw her coming out of the building...

But I always feel that she would not do such a thing.

I originally planned to verify it with her in person, but I couldn't contact her. "

"You have a good relationship with Lydia Cooney. Do you know her well?"

"Yes, we used to date and broke up about three months ago. It is precisely because I know her that I think she would not do such a thing. There may be some misunderstanding.

If I told you at that time, it would have a bad impact on Lydia Cooney.

I originally wanted to verify it clearly before saying it, but I couldn't contact her...

In fact, even if you don't come today, I might take the initiative to explain the situation.

I have been very confused about this matter..."

"Why did you break up?"

"Her daughter doesn't like me..." Cam Smith shrugged and said helplessly, "Obviously, her daughter is more important to her than me."

"Has Lydia Cooney been at work these two days?"

"No, because the building is on fire and we can't continue working, many employees are on temporary leave."

"You said you tried to contact Lydia Cooney. How?"

"I called her number but couldn't get through to her."

"Do you know where her home is?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you go find her at home?"

"I...I don't dare. I'm also worried that she is really related to the arson case and will do something irrational."

"Fred Kramer would be disappointed if he heard that," Luke said.

“Please, don’t tell Professor Fred Kramer and the company about this, I know there is something wrong with what I did, but Lydia Cooney and the company are important to me.

I am a human being and I have feelings...that's why I hesitate.

Feel sorry. "

Luke didn't feel that this guy had anything to do to apologize to him. He had just taken over the case. If Cam Smith had confessed before, the local police must have intervened in the investigation and even captured Lydia Cooney.

Then, Fred Kramer would not go to the Detective Bureau and ask the Robbery and Murder Division to take over the case investigation, and the high reward would have nothing to do with the First Squadron.

"Where is Lydia Cooney's house?"

…

Mauldin Community.

This is a white community, only a twenty-minute drive from Kalman Pharmaceutical Company. There are neat two-story villas built on both sides of the road, the lawns are neatly maintained, and the environment is good.

Xiao Hei looked out the window with envy, "I quite like this community, and I'm also considering changing to a house with a better environment."

Luke said, "Then investigate the case carefully. As long as the suspect of the arson case can be caught, everyone can get a good share of the one million dollar reward."

Xiao Hei looked excited, "You are right, I have saved some money recently. If I can get this reward, I can consider changing my house."

When the reward was mentioned, Xiao Hei became more motivated. After the car stopped on the side of the road, he was the first to get out of the car.

In the car, Luke had already arranged the task. Raymond and Jenny went to guard the back door, while he and Xiao Hei called the door from the front.

Xiao Hei walked to the door and pressed the doorbell, "Ding dong..."

no respond.

Luke listened, but heard nothing.

"Ding dong..." Xiao Hei pressed the doorbell again.

Still no one responded.

Luke walked around the house. All the windows were closed and the curtains were drawn, so he couldn't see what was going on inside.

The more this happens, the more Luke feels there is something wrong with this house.

Luke said on the intercom, "Raymon, no one responded in the house. We are going to enter the house and search it."

"Copy that, stay safe."

Luke asked Xiao Hei beside him, "Can you unlock the door?"

"You can try." Xiao Hei took out a lockpicking tool from his pocket and tried to open the door lock.

Xiao Hei tinkered for two minutes.

"Click..."

The door lock unlocked.

Xiao Hei grinned, showing some big white teeth, as if you were about to praise me.

Luke raised his thumb, gestured towards the house, opened the door, and entered the house one after another.

The two cooperated with each other and first searched the living room on the first floor, then opened the back door, and Raymond and Jenny also entered the room.

The four people divided the work and cooperated, and the search speed was accelerated a lot.

While searching, Luke paid attention to the environment in the room. The house was very clean.

There are four rooms and two toilets in the entire villa. Two of the rooms are obviously occupied by people. Judging from the clothes and belongings, the master bedroom should be occupied by an adult woman.

The person sleeping on the side should be a girl, not very old. There are many stuffed toys and Barbie dolls on the bed and table.

Soon, the four of them searched the room.

Jenny put away the pistol, "Captain, no one was found in the house."

Xiao Hei shrugged, "So are we, maybe that guy has run away."

Luke did not answer. Searching for suspicious persons in the house was only the first step. The next step was to carefully survey the scene.

There was a cup of coffee on the coffee table, and Luke touched the cup with his hand.

hot.