North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws
Chapter 121 - 106 She is Dangerous (Added - for the Helmsman Man Hall Drunk)

Chapter 121: Chapter 106 She is Dangerous (Added Chapter for the Helmsman Man Hall Drunk)

Mrs. Haas lived in the suburbs. There, she rented out quite a few apartments to provide temporary housing for lonely elderly residents. She organized activities to reduce their sense of isolation and regularly arranged for doctors to consult with them.

In fact, developed cities in the United States weren’t lacking in care facilities for the elderly. But some elderly people had long-standing bad habits, such as alcoholism or drug addiction, or they had no children or relatives. Most of them didn’t own fixed assets, and few people were willing to rent to them, so they often lacked a permanent residence. These individuals also disliked living in care facilities. Of course, care facilities didn’t welcome such people either.

Mrs. Haas’s apartments became an excellent option for them. Over the years, as elderly residents came and went, Mrs. Haas silently amassed an immeasurable amount of goodwill.

When Dean and his group arrived, it was noon. A group of sturdy middle-aged women were wheeling carts, delivering soft food to the apartments on each floor. This place was essentially a communal apartment complex for the elderly. It was similar to the type of rental Dean had when he first arrived in this world—deposits refunded upon departure—except here, they also provided meals and some recreational activities.

Harry ran over to take a look and returned, surprised. "Wow, potato and meat stew! It’s quite soft and thick. Some people even have small cups of alcohol. The food looks pretty good."

"The environment is nice too," Robert added, somewhat tempted. "It’s surrounded by lush, neatly trimmed plants, and the forest behind these apartments is very verdant. If there were a small lake, I’d want to retire here too when I get old. It’s rare to see such a vibrant scene in December."

"Often, the more beautiful a place is, the more bones lie beneath the soil," Dean remarked pointedly, then walked towards the house at the edge of the apartment complex where Mrs. Haas lived.

Based on current clues, Howard’s assailant was likely around 1.75 meters tall, wore old boots with five-centimeter thick soles, carried some sort of electronic device, and possessed enough strength to shatter a person’s skull with a single blow. Mrs. Haas was in her sixties; she lacked the physical capability to act herself and could only have hired someone. Dean and his team were here to find such a suspect, then complete the chain of evidence and apprehend them.

Before the three of them even neared the house, they heard hearty laughter from inside.

"That laugh sounds familiar," Robert said, his expression odd.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It’s the Deputy Chief. He skipped the Detective Bureau today; turns out he’s here. And he claimed he wasn’t interested in Mrs. Haas. That old lecher."

Dean also felt a headache coming on. With Old Hunter here, it’ll be inconvenient to use some of my methods.

Well then...

About five minutes later, the laughter inside abruptly ceased. Old Hunter emerged from the house looking embarrassed, repeatedly apologizing to a kind, white-haired old woman who saw him out. He then got into his car and sped off towards home.

Some bastard must have told my rather irritable wife that I was here at Mrs. Haas’s! If I don’t go back and put out that fire, I probably won’t have a home to go back to.

HAHAHA!

Hiding under some distant trees, the three men couldn’t help but roar with laughter at Old Hunter’s flustered appearance, as if he’d been caught in the act.

As the saying goes, to defeat an enemy, you strike their weakest point. Dean’s cunning maneuver had shown Harry and Robert what it truly meant to be sly.

Taking advantage of the moment Mrs. Haas saw Old Hunter off, the three of them got a clear look at her. Mrs. Haas had kind eyes and a gentle demeanor; she must have been quite beautiful when she was younger. No wonder Old Hunter was so smitten, even skipping work and disregarding her status as a suspect to come over to her place for a meal.

With the Old Hunter situation resolved, Dean waited a moment before stepping forward and ringing the doorbell.

The sound of shuffling footsteps approached from the living room. The wooden door opened a crack, and Mrs. Haas peered out, glancing at Dean and his companions. "May I help you?"

"Are you Mrs. Haas?" Dean replied with a smile. "We’re from the Los Angeles Fire Department. We’re here at the request of the Z authority to discuss some local fire safety issues and to take a statement."

In this parallel world, what do apartment owners fear most? Regardless of the country, organizations like the fire department are definitely high on that list, as they can revoke legal operating licenses.

Upon hearing "Fire Department," and particularly that they were "at the request of the Z authority," a flicker of displeasure crossed Mrs. Haas’s eyes. She slowly opened the door wider and picked up the reading glasses hanging on her chest. "Gentlemen, I’m happy to cooperate, but I’d like to see your identification first."

"Of course, no problem," Dean agreed readily. "However, Mrs. Haas, to gather sufficient data for our investigation, we’ll need you to ask all your employees to come down so we can speak with them individually. We’ll show our identification then."

Seeing Dean’s reasonable explanation and his presentable demeanor, Mrs. Haas hesitated for a moment before agreeing, mainly because she didn’t want to antagonize the Fire Department.

She walked to the landline, pressed a button, and when the call connected, said gently, "Mr. Arthur, some gentlemen from the Fire Department are here. If possible, please ask the staff to come to my place once they’ve finished their current tasks."

"Okay, Mrs. Haas," a raspy, elderly voice replied before the line disconnected.

After the call, Mrs. Haas gestured for the three men to sit and brought them three cups of hot water from the kitchen. Smiling, she said, "Gentlemen, I’m not sure if you’ve eaten yet. I was entertaining a guest today, but he had to leave early due to an urgent matter. Now I have so much leftover food, and I can’t possibly finish it all myself."

"That’s very kind, Mrs. Haas, but we’re fine," Dean replied politely. "We have quite a few places to visit and are short on time, so we ate on the way."

I can’t tell if she’s genuinely hospitable or just fishing for information, Dean thought, sticking to their pre-planned story.

Harry and Lawrence, having been briefed, sat upright on the sofa in silence, appearing like Dean’s subordinates.

"Alright then, please wait a moment. The staff are currently delivering lunch to the elderly, so it might take a little while," Mrs. Haas explained with a smile, visibly relieved to hear they had many places to inquire about.

Dean had to admit, his first impression of Mrs. Haas was very positive; she possessed the distinctive warmth characteristic of a kind elderly person. He decided to make small talk.

According to Mrs. Haas, she owned three five-story apartment buildings. To ensure the residents’ comfort, she had installed elevators in each one and equipped every room with a call bell. Furthermore, each building had staff on duty at night. At fixed times in the morning and evening, employees would check on each resident to ensure they were alright.

As for food, most of it was prepared by chefs Mrs. Haas hired, which was more economical. However, for items like alcoholic beverages and certain drugs, the elderly residents had to take the twice-weekly supermarket bus into the city to procure them themselves.

Overall, her setup sounded quite humane.

"Mrs. Haas, you’re a truly respectable person. Thanks to you, these elderly individuals have a place to call home," Dean said sincerely.

Mrs. Haas covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Actually, back when I was struggling, I worked as a caregiver in a nursing home. I left after some unpleasant incidents, but I deeply empathized with the elderly residents’ situations. It wasn’t until I’d saved up some money that I had the idea to open these apartments for the elderly."

As they were speaking, the wooden door was pushed open, and a somewhat burly middle-aged man poked his head in. "Mrs. Haas, the employees are all gathered in the common area."

"Alright, Mr. Arthur, thank you for your trouble," Mrs. Haas replied warmly. She then rose and turned to Dean and his team. "Gentlemen, you may begin."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mrs. Haas," Dean said, rising. He led Harry and Lawrence toward the door, then suddenly turned back. "By the way, Mrs. Haas, I noticed the plants here are exceptionally lush. What kind of fertilizer do you use?"

"Fertilizer?" Mrs. Haas looked surprised, then shook her head. "Mr. Arthur handles all of that. I’m getting on in years and don’t have the energy I once did. Aside from the monthly accounts, I rarely involve myself in those matters."

"Alright, I’ll ask Mr. Arthur later then. My mother is actually looking for a more effective fertilizer for her garden."

Once outside, Dean immediately turned to Harry and Robert, instructing them in a low voice, "Harry, call Holz. Tell him to bring a detector and portable soil testing equipment here. Also, call Hawk at the sub-station and tell him to bring plenty of backup! Robert, you stay in the house and watch Mrs. Haas. Be careful; she’s dangerous!"

Harry and Robert stared, utterly bewildered. They had been with Dean the entire time but were completely baffled as to what he had discovered to warrant such a dramatic escalation.