Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

Luke felt the other party was avoiding the important details and asked, "What exactly did you find out?"

"Uh..." Franco Hood showed a hesitant expression, "The morning the office was burgled, someone saw Melanie Hickman sneaking into the company."

Luke pressed on, "When did she come to the company?"

"A little after six in the morning. We are required to be at work by nine, so she was a whole two hours early. There must be something wrong there."

"Did you tell the police?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I found out about it afterward, and by then, the police had already concluded their investigation. Plus, the person who saw Melanie Hickman was also a company employee and didn't want to get involved."

"Did the witness leave any evidence? For example, a photo or something else?"

"No, nobody expected such a thing, it's not like they could have taken a photo in advance. The person just happened to see her while out for their morning exercise.

Moreover, Melanie Hickman is the Vice President's assistant, and since it involved Hashimoto Yumi personally, they didn't want to stir up trouble."

"What about you? You're also a company executive, shouldn't you be unafraid of Hashimoto Yumi? Haven't you thought about doing something?"

Franco Hood sighed, "At first, I was indeed very angry, thinking that Hashimoto Yumi was deliberately messing with me, and I considered seeking an explanation.

But the witness is also a company employee. They didn't want to completely offend Franco Hood, and even if the witness came forward with what they saw, what could be done?

If this matter continued, it would only lead to both parties losing face.

Besides, after giving it some thought, I also feel that there might be more to this situation.

If it's not me, then someone else must be targeting Hashimoto Yumi. Might as well sit back and watch the struggle.

I just didn't expect things to turn serious for her so quickly."

Luke probed, "What do you think of Hashimoto Yumi as a person?"

"Not much. I don't really like her. She's the type who is fixated on climbing the ranks, and a lot of people in the company don't like her."

"How is her relationship with her assistant?"

"It seems fine on the surface.

As for how it actually is, I'm not sure. Even if they had conflicts, they wouldn't show it in front of us."

"Where were you between ten last night and two in the morning?"

"I was sleeping at home."

"Is there anyone who can confirm that?"

"My wife and my daughter."

"As far as you know, does Hashimoto Yumi have any other part-time jobs besides this one?"

Franco Hood looked confused, "What do you mean? Why would she need to find a part-time job?"

Luke asked further, "What about her relationships with men and women?"

"Sir, you're asking the wrong person.

I don't have a very good relationship with her. Other than occasional work contact, I know nothing about her personal affairs."

"Can you tell us the identity of that witness?"

"Sorry, I promised them I wouldn't tell the police.

Why don't you ask Melanie Hickman yourselves?"

Luke had a talk with the other party and did not detect any obvious signs of lying.

If what he said was true, then the so-called theft might involve some hidden truths.

...

Apart from the director's office, Jackson wondered, "Where shall we investigate now?"

Luke pondered for a moment, "Let's talk to Assistant Melanie Hickman again."

"We don't have any evidence. Even if she really is involved, it's unlikely she'll admit it."

Luke thought briefly. He felt the probability that Melanie Hickman was the murderer was low, considering the scene of the crime; it was more likely that a male had killed Hashimoto Yumi.

Previously, Luke had spoken to Melanie Hickman as a routine inquiry without targeted interrogation, which didn't reveal her attitude.

Luke prepared to ask some pointed questions to see whether Melanie Hickman had any connection to Hashimoto Yumi's death.

Then, Luke found Melanie Hickman again and said, "Miss Hickman, I have a few more questions for you."

Melanie Hickman was puzzled for a moment, "Alright, let's talk in the office."

The three of them went back to the break room again where Melanie Hickman closed the door and asked, "Captain Lee, how did your talk go with Franco Hood?"

"We talked about the burglary of Hashimoto Yumi's office, but he denies any involvement with the theft."

Melanie Hickman shrugged her shoulders, "If it were me, I wouldn't admit it either."

Luke said, "I'd like to learn more about what happened on the day of the theft."

"That theft happened a month ago, does it have something to do with President Hashimoto's death?"

"We won't know if it's related until we investigate. An inadvertent clue might help solve the case.

So, I'd like to ask you again about what happened on the day of the theft."

"OK."

Luke inquired, "What time did you get to the company that day?"

"Our company requires us to arrive before nine in the morning; I usually get there around 8:45."

"Who was the first to discover the office had been burgled?"

"Director Hashimoto."

"What time did she arrive?"

"She usually gets here at 8:30."

"She arrives earlier than you, her assistant?"

Melanie Hickman sighed, "To use her words, that is why she's the Vice President, and I'm just the assistant."

Luke stared at the other person and said, "We just learned something. Someone saw you come to the company after six o'clock that day. What were you doing at the company at that time?"

Melanie Hickman's face changed slightly, "Could it be a case of mistaken identity?"

"The eyewitness also took a photo. You can look at it, you'll be able to confirm that it's really you.

You said you didn't get to the company until 8:45. Why would you sneak into the company after six?" Luke reminded, "Miss Melanie, we are investigating a murder case here.

It's in your best interest to tell the truth. Lying could have serious consequences."

Melanie Hickman seemed a bit anxious, "Captain Li, you're not suspecting that I killed President Hashimoto, are you?"

"Was it you?"

"Of course, it wasn't me. You must be mistaken," she said.

"Then clear it up for us, dispel our misunderstandings."

"If I tell the truth about the office theft, what will you do?"

"I just want to know if there's any connection between the promotion, the office theft, and the murder of Hashimoto Yumi. Catching a thief is not something I'm interested in."

Melanie Hickman seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "I indeed came to the company earlier that day."

"What did you do at the company?"

"I had to finish a planning proposal, and originally I planned to work overtime at the company, but I hadn't slept well the night before. My head was a mess, and I simply couldn't work.

I didn't complete the task President Hashimoto had assigned me...

To avoid responsibility, I fabricated the appearance of an office theft and claimed that the planning proposal I had finished was also stolen."

Luke was somewhat skeptical of this story and felt it was improbable, "Are you playing games with me?"

"No, I'm telling the truth.

The proposal was very important; I had promised President Hashimoto I would finish it. I worked overtime until ten the night before, I was too tired to go on…

I just wanted to go home early and finish the proposal the next morning when I had more energy.

But I kept thinking about it that night, and I couldn't sleep.

Because of the lack of sleep, I had a severe headache in the morning.

Then, I came up with this way to evade responsibility."

Luke still didn't understand, "Why didn't you just tell Hashimoto Yumi that you hadn't finished the work?"

"I couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Why not?"

Melanie Hickman sighed deeply, "My job is very stressful. Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. There was an unspoken understanding between us, and we both felt I should be able to complete the work.

I couldn't tell her that I couldn't finish it.

I just couldn't bring myself to say it."

"Would she have blamed you?"

"It's not just about blame. I would also feel uneasy inside, with a deep sense of guilt.

I couldn't face her, and I couldn't face myself either."

"You value this job very much?"

"Yes."

"Is it because of the money?"

"It's not just the money; it's a complex feeling.

If I hadn't finished the work, I would've felt guilty."

Luke still couldn't grasp her perspective, "To rid yourself of this guilt, you claimed that the planning proposal was stolen, turning it into an accidental incident, so you're no longer responsible?"

"That's about right," she said.

"You never thought about having a serious talk with Hashimoto Yumi, admitting you were not capable enough? Maybe she would've understood."

"Some things may seem simple in theory, but people have cognitive traps that are hard to escape from."

Luke asked curiously, "If you had another chance, what would you do?"

Melanie Hickman thought for a while, "I would do the same thing."

Luke looked at her for a while and then changed the subject, "Regarding the death of Hashimoto Yumi, do you have any clues?"

"No, I only learned that President Hashimoto had been harmed when you came today."

"Where were you between ten last night and two in the morning?"

"I was at home."

"Can anyone verify that?"

"No, I live alone." Melanie Hickman swallowed nervously, "Are you going to arrest me for claiming the office was robbed?

I never expected that the vice president would call the police, nor did I expect the situation to escalate like this."

"We can let that slide, but you must cooperate with the police in the investigation of Hashimoto Yumi's murder." Luke handed her a business card, "If you think of any new leads, call me."

Melanie Hickman took a breath of relief, took the card, and said, "Okay, I'll remember."

...

As they left the office, Jackson asked, "Captain, do you believe her story?

I always feel like this woman is a bit mentally unstable."

This time, Luke hadn't explicitly noticed any signs of lying from the other party, but he agreed with Jackson's view that this woman indeed seemed a bit obsessed.

Seeing Luke didn't answer, Jackson continued, "If we take her at her word, working until ten at night without finishing, she's already showing serious commitment.

Since she still hasn't finished, it means the workload is excessive, or her ability is lacking. She should have just talked to her boss about it.

But instead of choosing this normal and simplest method, she chose to disguise it as an office theft, which led to a police investigation." Jackson tapped his head, "Hypothetically, if there's something wrong here, and it continues,

the next time she fails to complete her work but is too afraid to face it and dares not tell Hashimoto Yumi, to avoid Hashimoto Yumi from finding out, would she kill Hashimoto Yumi?"

Jackson's idea was intriguing. If Melanie Hickman's obsession became severe and she developed a mental issue, it wasn't impossible for her to do such a thing.

Earlier Luke had asked pointed questions without noticing any signs of lying. Assuming she was indeed the murderer, how had she managed to deceive him?