"Emily, where exactly was your sister playing with the dog?"Rian's tone was calm but direct.
If Ava had truly been kidnapped, the window to recover her was already narrowing. Every second counted.
In an ideal world, the police would've been called immediately—but Emily had spent precious minutes searching the park herself. Enough time for a kidnapper to escape with their victim.
Still, Rian didn't scold her.
Emily pointed toward an open stretch of grass.
The three of them walked over.
It was a large lawn bordered on the east and south by an artificial lake, bustling with people to the west. Only the north side backed into a line of dense shrubbery.
Perfect for cover.
With his Lv.3 Forensics and the enhanced vision granted by Eagle Eye, Rian scanned the area carefully.
Within seconds, he spotted several strands of black fur on the ground.
"What color is your dog?" he asked.
"She's a black German Shepherd," Emily replied instantly.
Rian nodded. That checked out.
The fur likely belonged to Jerry, who had been playing with Ava just before she vanished.
"Rian, what are you seeing?" Henry asked, watching Rian crouch.
Rian didn't look up. "Black fur. Traces of the dog."
Henry blinked, confused. He glanced at the lawn. All he saw was grass.
"I don't see anything…" he muttered, scratching his head.
Emily looked just as baffled—though her eyes held something else, too. Awe.
Rian walked steadily northward.
East and south were water—any fall would've been noticed. West was crowded—no way a kidnapper would act there.
That left the north.
As Rian moved toward the shrubs, he spotted more black fur. Still following the trail.
Henry and Emily followed behind in silence.
Once they reached the bush line, Rian's keen senses locked onto something immediately: bent branches, broken twigs, and fur caught in the bramble.
Without hesitation, he pulled the brush aside—
—and there she was.
Jerry.
Lying motionless in the underbrush.
"JERRY!" Emily cried out behind him.
She started to rush forward, but Rian held out a hand, stopping her.
"Don't disturb the scene."
He stepped into the brush alone, scanning the ground meticulously.
"Henry, call for backup," Rian said grimly. "This is officially a kidnapping."
Emily collapsed onto the grass, overwhelmed.
Henry keyed the radio, then turned to Rian, stunned."How can you be sure?"
Rian pointed down."First, the dog. It's dead from cyanide poisoning—I caught the bitter almond scent."
Henry's face blanched.
"Second, look here: a size 10.5 shoe print—but no tread. That means shoe covers. Someone came prepared."
"Third, there are small child-sized footprints heading in, but none leaving. Ava didn't walk out of here. Someone carried her."
"This was premeditated. Professional."
Henry blinked. "But why use cyanide?"
"Exactly," Rian said. "Snapping a dog's neck is easier and leaves no trace—but cyanide is silent. Instant. No noise. My guess? Poison dart."
Henry stared at the corpse in disbelief.
"Jesus, Rian… you're a damn detective."
"I was standing right next to you, and I saw nothing."
Henry had been a cop for over a decade. These days, he just wanted to cruise his way to retirement.
But this?
This was next-level.
"You're gonna be the LAPD's next great detective, no question."
Rian only offered a small smile.
For him, this was routine.
Once the call went in, reinforcements arrived quickly—including a team from Robbery-Homicide Division.
RHD had five squads, but the strongest were Team One and Team Three.
Team One had the legendary Detective David.
Team Three had someone just as formidable—
Captain Eric Davis.
Not only a detective with LAPD, Eric was a special consultant with the FBI, drawing a dual paycheck for good reason.
When Eric arrived, he swept his pale blue eyes over the scene—then zeroed in on Rian.
He walked over, face lit with interest.
"Officer Rian, I know who you are," he said.
Unlike David, whose every stare felt like a probe into your soul, Eric was casual—even excited.
"You're the famous 'Battle God' of the Hollywood Division."
"But I never expected you to be a detective too."
Finding the corpse, deducing cyanide, and identifying a professional abduction?
That wasn't patrol work. That was elite-tier investigation.
Most of his own squad wouldn't have picked up the deeper signs.
Rian raised an eyebrow. He didn't recognize the man.
Eric offered a hand.
"Captain Eric Davis, Robbery-Homicide Division, Team Three."
"Ever think about joining my team?"
He came to steal talent.On the spot. No hesitation.