Wouldn’t it be proof of the local department’s incompetence under Polk’s lead if he had to ask for reinforcements when he couldn’t solve the case? Shouldn’t he just retire?
Thinking that, Polk nodded and said, “Let’s do that. I’ll call Headmaster Sibury and tell him that you’re my niece and nephew who just moved here, and have him show you around the school. How does that sound?”
Luke and Selina both agreed to the plan and thanked him again.
It wasn’t unusual for people new to a place to check out the school environment first before deciding whether or not to study there.
They didn’t even have to change their names. After all, it was normal for cousins to have different last names.
While Polk made the call, Selina chuckled at Luke. “You should call me sister now.”
Luke said, “Okay, elder sister!”
Selina glared at him angrily. “Don’t stress the elder part, alright?”
“You got it, elder sister! That’s not a problem, elder sister!” Luke continued trying to get himself killed.
Selina was just about to lunge at Luke, when Polk turned around and said, “Alright. Luke, Selina, you can go straight to Headmaster Sibury. He’ll make the arrangements for you.”
Selina could only stop mid-attack. They thanked Polk and left.
They would drop by Polk’s place that night to read the case files and learn relevant information in order to reinforce their cover stories.
They successfully entered the school as Polk’s niece and nephew.
Several news vans were at the school too, with reporters talking and pointing excitedly. Luke could only shake his head.
This case was really blowing up.
When they found Headmaster Sibury, it was clear that the murder case was giving the man a headache too, since both the victims and the suspect were students from his school.
It was a nightmare.
If Polk hadn’t personally asked him to take care of his niece and nephew, Sibury wouldn’t have met them at all.
After hearing what they wanted to do, Sibury didn’t hesitate and agreed to their request.
They were only here to check out the environment for now, so temporary ID cards would be enough for the both of them.
Sibury summoned his secretary and had Luke and Selina go with her.
They left the secretary half an hour later, ID cards in hand. Hanging the cards around their necks, they began to wander around the school.
They weren’t designated any class in particular.
Selina didn’t have to teach; all she had to do was observe the other teachers.
It was the same for Luke. He was free to attend any of the twelfth grade classes,
es
Nobody cared that they were roaming the school, as long as they showed their temporary ID cards.
Selina was very satisfied. “Wow, darling, you’re really smart. These identities truly are a convenient way of looking around without raising suspicion.”
Luke said, “What do you want?” Usually, Selina only called him darling when she wanted something.
Selina said, “Isn’t it time for lunch?”
Luke realized that it was indeed noon.
As it happened, the bell suddenly rang, and students started to flood out of the teaching building. Gradually, the crowd petered out into groups of three to five and then lone individuals.
Looking at the teaching building, Luke suddenly nodded. “Let’s go. We’ll eat there.”
They fetched a box from their car, which contained plenty of delicious food.
When Luke and Selina left Los Angeles, they made a pit stop at home and packed up the leftovers from last night for lunch.
They sat down near a fountain right across from the teaching building and enjoyed the food.
The fountain was twenty meters away from the building, and the sunlight at noon was quite warm.
Around the fountain were green trees and early blossoms as well as chirping birds, which added to the peaceful atmosphere.
Luke and Selina took off their coats. They didn’t look very much different from the students around them.
Not everybody went home for lunch.
Many students, as well as some lazy teachers and their family members, were having lunch and chatting in various spots around the school.
A dozen people or so sat down near the fountain.
The fountain was quite huge, and four students – two guys and two girls – were talking on Luke’s left.
Three of them seemed relaxed, but one girl didn’t look very happy.
Selina noticed their conversation as well. She gave Luke a questioning look, but he shook his head slightly.
There was no need to go over and ask them questions; they could learn a lot through eavesdropping.
These four seemed to be close friends, since they talked about everything.
A moment later, Selina glanced at Luke again, clearly asking how he knew that they would discuss the case here.
Luke shrugged, hinting that it didn’t matter.
The gloomy girl was none other than Sandra Prescott, who had survived a crisis and gotten her boyfriend Billy arrested by the police.
Also, it was her testimony a year ago that sent Cotton, the other suspect, to jail, and the victim then was her mother.
That girl was the center of the incident this time.
As for the dead victims, even though Cathy was Deputy Director Condra’s niece, it appeared that they were just the prelude to the slaughter.
Luke didn’t go to question Cathy’s parents, because the local police would’ve already done so in their search for leads.
His investigation relied primarily not on words, but on more concrete things like smell.
For Luke, the last thing he was afraid of was a serial killer on a murder spree, since they couldn’t hide their smell from his Sharp Nose.
When his Strength reached 40, his physical traits were significantly enhanced too, along with his Sharp Nose, which was far more sensitive and accurate than before.
There was no way that the serial killer would be able to hide from him.