They did not go directly to the crime scene of Shady Avenue. There were no bullet casings or blood stains left there, and there were people coming and going during the day, so it was not suitable for direct divination.
Leonard is quite experienced in handling cases. He brought the two novices to the junction of Shady Avenue and Field Street, where Police Station, who has jurisdiction over several nearby blocks, is located.
Several people showed Inspector Badge and explained their purpose. The police officers on duty took them to a small room next to the evidence room. After waiting for a while, another police officer about 30 years old with two V-shaped epaulettes came in holding a small cardboard box.
Seeing that the three people in the room were all wearing Inspector Badge, the police officer quickly put down the carton and saluted with a little surprise and uneasiness on his face.
"Hello, I am Inspector Leonard Mitchell. These are Miss Granger and Mr. Moretti. We are here to collect evidence from the Shady Avenue suicide case on July 21 and to listen to the on-site testimony of the police officer handling the case."
"Sir!" The police officer saluted first and then continued to answer, "I was the police officer who rushed to the scene first. You can call me Dean. I have brought the evidence with me."
After Dean finished speaking, he picked up the paper box and handed it to Leonard.
"Very good. Could you please repeat the circumstances of the incident in more detail."
Leonard took the carton, opened it and placed the items inside on the table. The cardboard box was not big, and there were only three pieces of evidence: a brand-new brass revolver, three small-caliber bullet casings, and a paper roll that seemed to have something written on it.
While he was flipping through the pages, he asked Dean to continue talking.
"Okay."
Dean swallowed a mouthful of saliva, took a few seconds to organize his words, and began to describe the situation at that time.
"On the morning of July 21, Saturday, it was actually almost noon. At that time, I was patrolling Field Street. When I walked to the intersection with Shady Avenue, I first heard a gunshot, and then a woman screamed, in the direction of Shady Avenue..."
Dean was attracted by the shout, thinking that a vicious robbery had occurred on the street, and immediately ran towards Shady Avenue. After walking about 200 meters, he saw the body of the dead Lawrence surrounded by Passerby.
He was lying on the ground, with a big hole in the back of his head, red and yellow stains all over the floor, and a brand new revolver in his hand.
There were panicked women, men pretending to be calm, and children being led away from the scene by their parents covering their eyes. Everyone looked panicked and innocent.
"You knew his name was Lawrence at that time. Do you know him?" Leonard asked curiously. He was listening and looking through the evidence while wearing gloves.
"No, I didn't recognize who the deceased was, but Passerby recognized him and introduced him to me. The deceased was the founder of Tingen Second Steel Factory. This steel factory went bankrupt last month due to poor management and heavy debts."
"The boss of a bankrupt company... I understand, you continue."
Leonard nodded and handed the revolver to Angel who was standing aside. The latter also put on the cloth gloves provided in the evidence room and took the revolver for inspection.
Small caliber, single-action, the lubricating oil in the bolt is still very clean, and the rifling is not worn. It looks like it was purchased new... There is a little blood on the muzzle, because it was fired against the upper jaw... The magazine can hold six rounds, but there are only three shells. One was used in suicide, and the rest was used for practice with the new gun?
Angel carefully inspected the revolver used by Lawrence to commit suicide. Seeing Leonard, Dean stopped asking questions and continued to introduce the case.
"According to the description of the crowd at the scene, before Lawrence died, he shouted loudly, attracting Passerby, displayed the banner he carried with him, and denounced the mayor... Former mayor Dennis did not abide by the agreement with him, which resulted in him still owing huge debts after bankruptcy. Then he took out the revolver in his pocket, put it into his mouth without hesitation, and shot himself to death."
Klein opened the banner in the evidence on the table. It was a paper banner about 1.5 meters long, with the words "liar" and "die with the fraudsters" written in large blood-red characters. In the middle was the name of former mayor Dennis, with a big cross drawn on it.
"Based on the situation at the time, do you think Lawrence is sane? Did you smell alcohol or drugs?"
Klein rolled up the banner and asked casually.
"I didn't smell these smells near the body. According to people who knew Lawrence, he was very conscious except for being a little excited. He also recognized his acquaintances and asked him to take the child and leave quickly."
"Would a man who committed suicide in despair after going bankrupt still care about this?" Klein murmured, "What about his family? Where are the children? Are there any clues?"
"Lawrence sent his wife and daughter back to the countryside of Winter County one week before he committed suicide. Their house in Tingen was also taken away by the bank. Winter County is conducting further investigation, but no results have been reported yet."
"Does the police have any information about his interactions with the former mayor, or grudges?"
After checking the pistol, Angel also joined the conversation and asked Dean.
The police officer shook his head, but he didn't deny it. "I don't know this either. The higher-ups said they would investigate, but they have been..."
Several Nighthawks looked at each other.
"Okay, we understand. Now please go out and wait at the door for a moment. We need to discuss the case. If necessary, we will ask you to come in."
Leonard saw that the other two people had no other questions to ask, so he issued an eviction order to Dean. After the other party saluted and left, he immediately locked the door.
"What do you think?"
He returned to the table, glanced at several exhibits one by one, and asked in a low voice.
"The pistol is very new and was purchased recently. There was only one shot fired at the scene, but there were three bullet casings. Lawrence should have tried it before he died and understood the power of the weapon." Angel answered first, "I checked it with Spirit Vision. It is an ordinary revolver, but you can consider starting the investigation from the place where the gun was purchased."
"He asked the children at the scene to leave before committing suicide. Maybe he didn't want to scare the children. This shows that Lawrence was still rational at the time and was not impulsive. He did not want to retaliate against society. He just wanted to commit suicide and give the former mayor some publicity blow. We can start from the source of hatred and investigate whether the bankruptcy of the steel plant is related to the former mayor."
Klein took over the conversation and stroked his chin. Unfortunately, he didn't have a beard, so this behavior seemed a bit artificial.
"You guys really think of yourself as Detective..." Leonard said with a bitter smile, "I'm asking if there are any supernatural factors that influence me. I asked you to come here and I didn't just follow the clues to investigate the mayor's corruption case."
"Unless someone Beyonder can remotely control him to do these things, how can a person commit suicide in the street with a clear mind, and even arrange for his wife and daughter in advance?" Klein asked, not sure whether he was asking other people or himself.
But he didn't hesitate and took out a copper penny from his pocket.
"It seems we can only ask the magical George III."
This Seer silently recited "Lawrence's death was influenced by extraordinary factors", half-closed his eyes, and threw the coin upwards.