North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws

Seeing the woman was emotionally charged and on the verge of collapse, Dean looked at Harry. "Buddy, let me talk to her. As for the child, once this is over and you've both calmed down, you can deal with it properly."

Outside the door, a group of eavesdropping nurses sighed in relief. These unmarried and married female nurses were all quite envious of the young, handsome, and roguish Detective Dean; each harbored her own thoughts about him.

CREAK. The ward door opened.

Harry emerged, looking dejected, only to bump into the group of eavesdropping nurses. Before he could react, one of the nurses scoffed, "Pfft, jerk!" and gave him the finger before turning away. The others followed suit, each spitting and flipping him off, leaving Harry completely dumbfounded.

Only one, a robust Black nurse, looked Harry up and down. Then, smiling, she pulled out her phone and whispered, "Never mind them. I like a sturdy young man like you. How about a drink after work?"

Harry was speechless. Frightened, but too afraid to refuse directly!

「Inside the ward.」

Dean extended his hand. "Hello, I'm the one who contacted you by phone earlier. You can call me Dean, or Detective Dean; either is fine."

"My name is Sarah." The woman's emotions eased somewhat at Dean's gentle, rhythmic voice.

Sarah took a deep breath and pulled a brownish-yellow note from her daughter's pocket. "Detective Dean, I really don't know what to do. I need someone to help me."

"No problem." Dean pinched the little girl's cheek and smiled. "First, briefly tell me what happened."

Sarah nodded. Suppressing the helplessness in her heart, she organized her thoughts and then recounted the events to Dean in detail from beginning to end.

「The evening before last.」

Sarah had been awoken in the middle of the night by her distressed daughter. After comforting her, she went to the living room for a glass of water, only to find that a lot of food was missing from the refrigerator.

Thinking there was a burglar in the house, she grabbed her handgun, intending to wake her brother so they could search the house together.

But when she pushed open his door, she discovered that her brother, who should have been asleep in his room, had vanished. It was unclear where he had gone.

Her brother's backpack was gone too.

She suspected her brother might have taken the food and run away from home for some reason.

After all, because of her daughter, she had scarcely paid attention to her brother's behavior for the past two years, which had resulted in him hanging out with a group of bad kids in the community.

His phone was unreachable, and the community was very unsafe at night.

Sarah sent a text message, locked the door, and went back to sleep holding her daughter.

Since her brother went missing, there had been no news of him.

「Two days later.」

Sarah realized something was wrong and reported it to the police.

However, the local patrol officer simply registered her brother's information and said they would notify her if they had any news.

There was no news at all.

Anger contorted Sarah's face. "Those sons of bitches! They didn't care whether my brother was dead or alive. After taking down his information, I saw them at the convenience store, leisurely eating donuts!"

"That is indeed disappointing. But Sarah, based on the information you've provided so far, it's difficult to determine your brother's situation. Why did you tell Harry he'd been murdered?"

"Because of this!" Sarah handed Dean the note. "This is something I found on my brother's computer desk. The information on it made me suspect he's been targeted and lured away by some perverts!"

Dean took the note and examined it. It appeared to be part of a topographical map.

Along the torn edge, a very small line of print read: Burial Ground.

"This looks like one of those aged map replicas that come with storybooks, doesn't it?" Dean had seen similar items on his younger brother Thompson's bookshelf.

Some storybooks included bundled maps, character figures, or other trinkets as merchandise to increase reader immersion.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, my brother isn't very brave, but he loves those fantastical heroic stories. He often carried around the '300 Warriors' book, flipping through it. The note was from the map in that book. He cherished it, and he took the book with him when he left. He must have been in a rush to leave. The corner of the map probably got caught under the computer and tore off."

If Dean hadn't sensed Sarah's earnestness, he might have thought the woman was mentally unstable.

To conclude that her brother had been targeted for murder simply because of a map from a book... It did seem rather far-fetched.

Seemingly guessing Dean's thoughts, Sarah carefully laid her daughter, who had cried herself to sleep, to one side. Then, she took a stack of printouts from her bag.

"These are chat logs I found on my brother's computer afterward. There's a bastard in here who kept trying to lure my brother into going on 'adventures,' even claiming they had a complete Spartan Warrior costume at their home. Bolt disappeared, taking the '300 Warriors' book with him. And that online friend hasn't contacted my brother since..."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but cover her face, sobbing. "I took these chat logs to the police, hoping they'd investigate this online user. But those bastards were just dismissive! I had no idea what to do. Finally, I felt I had no choice but to find Harry."

Dean skimmed through the chat logs, a knot forming in his stomach.

That online user was definitely suspicious.

After a moment's thought, he handed her a couple of tissues. "Sarah, your daughter needs you. You need to stay calm right now. Harry and I will handle your brother's situation, okay?"

Sarah wiped away her tears and nodded.

Regardless, before this, her heart had been filled only with helplessness and confusion. Now, at least, she had some reassurance.

At least this man keeps mentioning Harry, she thought. Their relationship must be good. He probably won't dismiss my concerns like those other bastards.

After Sarah left, Dean held the chat logs and the ICQ number, intending to ask Daisy to look up the person's information.

Harry sidled into the ward, looking shifty. "Dean, how'd it go?"

Dean glanced with disdain at the large hickeys on Harry's neck. "Are you asking about Sarah or the case, Harry Casanova?"

This damn scumbag, Dean thought. He was acting all conflicted just a moment ago. But as soon as the woman and child arrived, he turned around and found someone to make out with. Pfft! This isn't just being a player; this is being a complete lowlife!

Noticing Dean's gaze, Harry subconsciously pulled his collar up to cover his neck, pleading plaintively, "Dean, it's not what you think! I was forced!"

The older nurse had seen he was upset and offered to take him to the smoking room to relax. Instead, she had taken him straight to the supply room... and locked the door.

"I'm not interested in your romantic escapades." Dean flicked the papers in his hand. "I just had a detailed chat with Sarah. Her brother is likely in serious trouble. I need you to gather all his information and have Daisy find this online user's information ASAP!"

The online world is a strange place. Behind its veil, you never truly know if the person you're chatting with is human or a monster.

Every year in the United States, quite a few people who meet strangers online end up as slaves in a basement, auction items on the dark web, or sources of organs for black market operations...

As for the perverts who lure and prey on young girls and boys, there are far too many of them.

Sarah's brother had clearly encountered such a situation.

He was lured into leaving home in the middle of the night with a large amount of food, indicating he was well-prepared, yet now his phone was unreachable.

Today was the third day since he went missing.

Dean suspected Sarah's brother was likely already dead.

Harry clearly thought of this too, his face paling. "Fuck! That stupid woman! She only showed me that damn piece of paper before and never mentioned the chat logs. I'm heading back to the precinct right away!"

With that, Harry hurriedly left.

But before he could even leave the ward, he bumped into Sarah, who was just returning.

She looked frantic, grabbing Harry desperately. "Someone has taken my daughter!" she cried, her voice filled with despair.