The more clues Larry found, the more he felt trapped in a spiral revolving around another killer—the one who had murdered and dismembered the prostitutes. He had never felt this way before, but he sensed that this killer wanted to blindfold him.
However, Larry, feeling excited, thought: "Just a little over two months on the job, and I'm already being tested? This is far more interesting than I expected."
Ángel, knowing that Larry wasn't paying attention to them, looked at Masuka, who was approaching, and asked, "Do we have the fingerprint analysis results?"
"Of course, who do you take me for?" Masuka smiled arrogantly and, glancing at the documents in his hands, said, "Through the victim's fingerprints, we found his information in our database."
"So he's not a foreigner."
"But the victim may have traveled frequently… His name is Ron Morrow, born in December 1985. He was 21 years old and lived in Alabama, where his parents reside. We are trying to contact his aunt—she's from Miami, so she'll be here soon."
"Is that all?" Ángel wanted to speed up the investigation.
"Ron Morrow was studying architecture, had good grades, and frequently traveled to the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Canada—all in recent years."
As they spoke, someone approached, followed by a couple in their fifties who couldn't stop trembling. They entered a separate room in the pathology and homicide division, but everyone discussing Ron could see them and immediately knew who they were.
Larry studied them the moment he saw them. These elderly people were naturally well-mannered and were making an effort to control their emotions.
"Ángel, record everything," Larry said as he left the room he was in.
Masuka, puzzled by Larry's behavior, looked at Ángel for some answers.
Ángel, in a hurry, simply said, "He's having a bad day. See you."
"Yeah, we all have bad days."
…
"Hello, my name is Tara Perlman. I'm Ron Morrow's aunt, and this is my husband, Ryan."
Larry stepped forward, attentively extended his hand toward some chairs, and said, "I'm Larry Luk. I'm in charge of the investigation into your nephew's case. My colleague here is Detective Batista, one of the department's veterans."
Ángel was surprised by Larry's introduction—only now did he recall what Larry had told him a few hours ago.
Do you want to know something crazy about the human mind?
Some people can selectively adopt traits like psychopathy, narcissism, sociopathy, or manipulative charm, using them as superpowers.
Unlike those with diagnosed conditions, they employ these traits temporarily as strategic and deliberate tools.
Right now, Larry was using those tools to study these elderly people, who at first glance appeared to be affected family members but could also include someone who might be the killer.
"Everything will be fine. Please, have a seat," Ángel said, following Larry's strategy and guiding the elderly couple to sit down.
"Don't be nervous. They should have told you over the phone that you were coming here to identify a deceased individual, right?" Larry asked while holding the hands of the elderly woman, who seemed on the verge of tears.
Tara nodded slightly, and the man beside her wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders, comforting her softly. "Stay strong, Tara. We'll get through this."
"Yes, I understand… I'll do my best to contain my emotions, so please, go on," Tara said, remaining firm, without shedding a tear.
Larry then handed Tara a photo of a tattoo on the victim's hand, thinking she, as Ron's aunt, would probably recognize it. "Do you recognize this tattoo?"
Tara looked at the photograph Larry handed her. After a few seconds, she passed it to her husband standing behind her and said, "No, I've never seen that tattoo before."
Ángel was quite confused. This was Miami—people wore little clothing most of the time—so not noticing a tattoo in such an exposed area was unusual.
Ángel's first thought was: "Maybe they aren't really Ron's aunt and uncle..."
As Tara was about to ask a question, Larry, who had imagined a few possibilities, asked, "Do you remember if Ron had surgery for a hernia when he was four or five years old?"
Tara thought for a moment before replying, "I do. When he was four and a half, he was playing with some kids in the park but later came home with severe stomach pain. They took him to the hospital, and it turned out to be an inguinal hernia."
Larry nodded slightly and thought: "That makes more sense. Back then, medical care wasn't as advanced as it is now. That would explain a lot of the unclear details in this case."
"Is that why they traveled abroad for the operation?"
Tara nodded repeatedly and said, "That same day, my sister took him to the United Kingdom. Since she had established a branch of her company there, the transfer was easy."
Larry pulled out a photograph of a hernia repair mesh.
"Look at this. What you're seeing is a piece of hernia repair mesh extracted from the deceased's right groin, with stitches according to its material and size. We've determined that the deceased underwent hernia repair surgery. Based on this material, only a few countries were using it when the victim was a young child."
"As for this tattoo, it was likely meant to conceal a scar."
Tara took out her phone, her hands trembling.
"I'll ask my son—he had the closest relationship with Ron."
Larry looked at Ángel, who had the same thought.
Immediately, Larry stopped Tara's action and told her, "Wait, there's no need to confirm this just yet!"
Tara was startled.
"Since Ron's fingerprints match those in our database, I believe you should notify his parents first!"
"Yes, that makes sense."
"By the way, what kind of vehicle does your son drive?"
Tara and her husband thought for a few seconds before giving an answer.