Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

The woman looked up and asked, "Who killed my husband?"

"Mrs. Ramos, I'm very sorry for what happened to your husband. The case is still under investigation, and I would like to ask you a few questions related to the case," Luke gestured for her to enter the lounge for a talk.

Soon, Mrs. Ramos was brought into the lounge, where Luke and Jackson were responsible for taking her statement.

"Mrs. Ramos, when was the last time you saw your husband?"

"It was early this morning; he left the house early to meet Casdi Torres for a research trip to Long Beach."

"Research on what?"

"My husband wanted to expand the car dealership and open a branch in Long Beach."

"What is your husband's relationship with Casdi Torres?"

"They were partners in running the Salibo Car Dealership."

"How was their relationship?"

"From a work perspective, they were the best partners, but their personalities were different; they were only colleagues, not friends." Mrs. Ramos hesitated slightly and said,

"Moreover, recently, they were somewhat unhappy with each other over the car dealership's branch expansion."

"What was their disagreement about?"

"My husband wanted to scale up the car dealership, using the Salibo Car Dealership as a blueprint to open more branches. He had already secured the investment and had plans and schemes ready; all that was needed was for Casdi Torres to agree. However, Casdi Torres was a bit stubborn, wanting only to maintain the one Salibo Car Dealership.

Casdi Torres felt that this one dealership could bring enough income for the family and saw no need to risk opening branches.

But he didn't understand business. In business, if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind.

If we didn't expand the dealership, sooner or later we would be swallowed up by other car dealerships in the existing automobile market. My husband was always trying to persuade him."

Luke asked, "If Casdi Torres disagreed with opening more branches, why would he follow your husband to Long Beach for research?"

Mrs. Ramos sighed, "Casdi Torres was originally just a mechanic; aside from his skills, he knows nothing about business. The dealership's current size and income entirely depended on my husband's management.

So, it was my husband who had the final say in the car dealership."

"What would happen to the car dealership if your husband passed away?"

"I don't know... I'm a housewife and totally clueless about running a car dealership. I might sell off my shares in the dealership."

"To whom?"

"According to the contract, the partners have the right of first refusal. If Casdi Torres wants to buy it, I would probably sell it to him."

Luke took notes, concluding that there was indeed a significant conflict of interest between Casdi Torres and Balte Ramos from what was available.

However, whether this conflict of interest could escalate to a motive for murder was still unknown.

"Mrs. Ramos, has your husband experienced anything unusual during this period?"

"No, I haven't felt it. He was very energetic, full of confidence, looking forward to the business prospects after expanding the car dealership. We even had plans to travel to Europe for Christmas...

Everything was perfect, but I never expected...

Oh God, why did you take my husband away...

Why?"

"Has your husband encountered any danger or threats before?"

Mrs. Ramos thought for a moment, "I... I'm not sure whether that incident is related.

A few days ago, our pet dog was killed. Its name was Porto, a 3-year-old Husky that was very adorable. My family and I loved it very much; we considered it part of the family."

"How did it die?"

"It was shot dead with a crossbow arrow."

"Please give the specific time."

"It seemed to be November 12th when I went to the supermarket for groceries," she said, her voice wavering with the strain of the memory. "By the time I came back, I found the dog dead in the yard, with a crossbow arrow in its neck, blood everywhere."

By the time I picked it up, its body had already gone cold.

"That morning it had barked at me, and I even hesitated about whether to take it to the supermarket with me. I should have taken it along; then it wouldn't have died."

"Do you think the dog's killing is related to your husband's murder?"

"Yes, our dog was very well-behaved, and everyone in the community loved it. No one would have hurt it unless it was out of revenge.

Oh God, if we'd been alert enough at the time, my husband might not have died."

"Did you report the dog's death to the police?"

"Yes, but the police didn't find anything, no, they didn't seriously look into it at all, they didn't care about my dog's life or death.

They were responsible for my husband's death. If they had caught that person earlier, he wouldn't have been able to kill my husband."

"Besides using a crossbow, are there any other clues to the suspect who killed the dog?"

"A neighbor passing by saw a Latino man wearing a gray baseball hat lingering around my yard. Although he didn't see him shoot the dog, that person was very suspicious."

"What time did he see this man?"

"Around 10:30 a.m. on November 12th."

Luke noted down the time and confirmed, "The neighbor is sure that the person was a Latino man?"

"Yes."

"Did that person have any other distinguishing features?"

Mrs. Ramos thought for a moment, then shook her head, "The neighbor didn't pay too much attention at the time."

Jack and Port, having met with the female eyewitness, asked her about the shooter's appearance. According to the eyewitness, Anise Snow, the shooter was indeed a Latino man.

But if the goal was to kill Balte Ramos, why use a crossbow to kill the dog?

Was it a warning?

Or was there some other motive?

"Mrs. Ramos, do you remember the badge number of the officer who investigated the dog killing case?"

"Yes, I do." Mrs. Ramos took out her cell phone and recited an officer's badge number.

Jackson left the break room with the badge number and had Jenny contact the officer to obtain the files for the dog killing case.

Luke asked a few more questions, but Mrs. Ramos, being just a housewife, had limited knowledge of Balte Ramos's work affairs and was unclear whether Balte had any enemies.

Afterward, Luke escorted her out of the office.

With a printed document in hand, Jenny said, "Captain, I contacted the patrol officer who handled the dog killing case. They had investigated the incident after the alert and, by interviewing the surrounding neighbors, suspected that it might be a Latino man in a gray baseball hat.

The weapon was a crossbow, and the dog's time of death was around 10:30 a.m. on November 12th.

They checked the community's surveillance and spotted a black Chevrolet sedan. The driver, wearing a gray baseball hat, entered the community at 10 a.m. and left around 10:50 a.m., which coincides with the time the dog was killed."

Jackson asked, "They found a suspect vehicle; why wasn't the case closed?"

Jenny handed the information to Luke, "The license plate was fake, and that's where the trail went cold.

The victim was just a dog; they couldn't justify using too many police resources."

Jackson inquired, "Captain, today is the 15th, only three days after the killing. The surveillance footage along the way should still be available. Should we continue to look into the surveillance?"

"That's too slow."

Luke thought for a moment, "Jackson, Jenny, head over to Melton Street, get the records of recent vehicle purchases and sales from both Sally Porto's dealership and Collins's dealership. See if there are any cars of the same model and color as the suspect vehicle."

"Yes, sir."