Maltz was filled with emotion, but he did not hesitate. He called out to the patrol officers in the street-
"You two! One of you come seal off the scene. The other, go get help."
The Patrick Bookshop stood in a side alley branching off West Merck Avenue. Although it was not as busy as the avenue itself, it was still within the patrol officers' beat.
And Maltz's position gave him more than enough authority to command them.
"Yes, Chief!"
Both patrol officers answered at once.
Maltz turned his gaze back to the corpse inside the bookshop.
An ambush from behind. One stroke across the throat!
Clean and decisive, without hesitation...
A seasoned killer!
Maltz frowned at the neat cut across the corpse's neck and the unbroken trails of blood sprayed across the floor and walls.
Compared with a novice, an experienced killer was undoubtedly more trouble.
Having killed before, they were no longer terrified and were far more meticulous. They rarely left clues; some left none at all. For a long time, solving cases in the Shire District, or even throughout South Los, had required a great deal of luck-you might think you had caught a thief, only to discover he was a murderer, or happen to question a swindler who gave you a lead on a killer.
But everything had changed with Arthur's arrival.
Although Arthur always seemed to be "favored by the Grim Reaper," no case that reached him ever went unsolved.
Almost instinctively, Maltz wanted to seek Arthur out.
But then he remembered that Arthur had only just returned to South Los. Exhausted from the journey, he surely needed rest. Maltz immediately shook his head. I can't rely on Arthur for everything. I can do this too!
That was what the old chief told himself.
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