The Guaranteed Case-Solving Method

A.22 pistol with its handle wrapped in duct tape, serial number scraped off, and Baby Pacifier used as Silencer.

A bouquet of flowers was scattered around Fiona.

"Baby Pacifier Silencer cheap, but effective." Sheriff Harvey Bullock picked up the broken pacifier from the ground. He was a close confidant of Mayor Hamilton and had been specifically called upon by the mayor to investigate the case.

"Same characteristics as previous cases," said Harvey's deputy, Officer George. "The killer timed it perfectly; there were no customers at the time, the owner was baking bread in the Kitchen, and no one saw him."

"But it's almost certain that this was done by the 'Holiday Killer'," Harvey Bullock nodded. "The strange thing is, he usually targets the Mafia, so why would he kill Fiona?"

"Boss, were you very familiar with the deceased?"

"Of course, I used to follow the mayor with Fiona. To be honest, she was quite pretty, but she always ignored me..." Harvey Bullock shrugged, "But now that she's dead, I feel quite sorry for her."

"I never knew you had such a past," George remarked.

"There's nothing to talk about anymore; it's all in the past."

"Getting back to the main point... this case is tough to solve. The Holiday Killer has been at large for so long; catching him won't be easy."

"Who says otherwise..." Harvey Bullock also felt a headache coming on. "Catching the Holiday Killer is incredibly difficult, but if we don't, we won't be able to explain it to Mayor Hamilton."

"Then let's proceed according to the normal procedure. If we can't find the culprit, so be it. There are so many unsolved cases in the department. Mayor Hamilton isn't going to cause you trouble just because we can't catch one culprit, is he?"

"That's hard to say, after all, it was his secretary who died." Harvey Bullock shook his head, took out a cigarette and lit it. "Knowing Mayor Hamilton as I do, if this case isn't solved, I reckon I'll be sent to the countryside to retire."

"What should we do then?" George was a little flustered. He was Harvey's right-hand man, and if Harvey was dealt with, he wouldn't fare well either.

"There's only one way now," Harvey Bullock slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke. "This case was committed by a Copycat Killer; he imitated the Holiday Killer and killed Miss Fiona."

"Uh... so where do we find this Copycat Killer?"

"Then we'll have to use some unconventional methods." Harvey Bullock sighed. If all else failed, they'd have to find a scapegoat. "There are some drug addicts in the East End; when they're hooked, they'll confess to anything..."

"Impressive, no wonder your case-solving rate is so high. I understand. Leave this to me." George nodded. "I'll make this case airtight."

"Look at you, always in such a rush." Harvey Bullock waved his hand. "Let's find eyewitnesses first, then investigate the scene carefully. Maybe we can find some other clues? If we really manage to identify the Holiday Killer, wouldn't we be doing a great job? If not, we can use my method in a few days."

"That makes sense. I'll go find the eyewitnesses right away."

"Hmm... The bookstore across from the Coffee shop has security cameras. I'll go check them; maybe they've caught the killer." Harvey Bullock threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it. "When you question the witnesses, ask them about everything they saw; don't miss a single detail."

"Yes!"

Harvey Bullock walked across the street to the bookstore and spoke with the owner.

"This is our store's security camera footage, but it's just across the street. Do you really think our cameras will capture any clues?"

The bookstore owner pushed the computer monitor in front of Harvey Bullock and started playing the surveillance video.

"Who knows? I'm just trying my luck."

There was nothing particularly noteworthy in the video. After leaving it for a while, the bookstore owner asked, "Is there anything wrong with it?"

"Um... I'd like to see the surveillance video from yesterday until now. Could you give me a copy to take back to the Police Station?"

"Of course." The bookstore owner nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you just take the tapes from the last two days? Who knows how long it will take to copy them?"

"Okay, thanks." Harvey Bullock nodded, put the surveillance video tape in his bag, bought the latest issue of "The Attic" from the bookstore owner, and then drove back to the police station.

Back in his Office, Harvey Bullock played the videotape at four times the speed, and after an hour and a half, he finally found something out of place.

He put in two drops of Eye Drops, rewound the video two minutes earlier, and played it in slow motion at 0.5x speed. Harvey Bullock felt a chill run down his spine. "How could it be... her?"

After sitting in front of the computer for a few minutes, Harvey Bullock took out a cigarette, took a deep drag, and a pungent Nicotine flavor filled his lungs, bringing him back to his senses.

"This is troublesome..." Harvey Bullock thought for a moment, then dialed a number. "Hello, Harvey, this is Harvey."

"... What are you saying?" Harvey Dent was momentarily stunned when he received the call.

"I am Harvey Bullock."

"Officer Bullock, what do you need me for?"

"Well, I took on a case today... The day before the incident, I saw Gilda walk into that Coffee. Of course, I'm not saying she's a suspect, but it's a bit of a hassle to investigate... Right, if she hadn't gone there today, then..."

After speaking with Harvey Dent, Bullock boiled a kettle of water, opened a cup of Instant Noodles, poured the boiling water into the noodle cup, then placed the entire cup of noodles on his computer, and finally stomped on the videotape to pieces.

"Damn it..." Bullock calmed himself down and ran to the Logistics Department.

"Officer Bullock, what's the matter?"

"Here's the thing, I accidentally scalded myself with boiling water while making Instant Noodles, and then I accidentally knocked over the Instant Noodles cup, which ruined my computer... I still have a case to handle right now, could you get me a new computer?"

"... Okay." The logistics staff member, speechless, replied to Harvey Bullock's words, "Please be more careful next time; according to regulations, this is something you have to pay for."

"It was an accident, it won't happen again." Harvey Bullock handed a cigarette to the logistics staff. "Thanks."

"No need, we're all brothers."

Just then, Harvey's phone rang; it was Mayor Hamilton calling.

Mayor Hamilton sounded very downcast. "Harvey, how's the investigation into Fiona's murder going?"

"We've made a breakthrough. I've found crucial evidence, and I believe we'll soon be able to bring the murderer to justice and give Fiona some closure."

"Okay, go and get it done."

"Yes!"