Gou learns witchcraft in another world

Chapter 43 Horses and Riding Boots

"According to our current information, the hotel is called 'Horses and Boots,' located at the east end of the main street, near the highway. It's a two-story brick and wood structure. There are four suspects, staying on the second floor, in rooms 205 and 206, which are next to each other."

At his desk, Harris began to carefully explain the case information.

"In addition, after we received the report this morning, detectives began monitoring their movements. This afternoon, one of them made a phone call from a public phone booth, and then went to Old John's shop in town to buy eight loaves of bread and a jar of jam. They should all be in their hotel rooms now."

"By the way, here are their photos, but time was tight, and my agents only managed to get pictures of three people."

Harris pushed three black-and-white photographs toward him. The photos weren't very clear; the lens was too far away, but some details were still discernible.

The first photo was taken from the side. The man in the photo is walking down the street, and his destination appears to be a phone booth not far away.

Luo Qiu noticed that the other person always walked with their head down, and their shoulders didn't appear level. They were wearing a jacket and a dark, flat cap. These features were typical of a dockworker; uneven shoulders were a sign of someone who had long relied on one shoulder to carry heavy loads.

However, the facial details in this photo are not very clear; you can only roughly tell that the person has a beard and slightly darker skin, and should be in their thirties.

Turning to the second and third photos, the features of the two men become even more distinct.

He has a short jacket, a bald head, a thick neck, and a full beard—a typical image of a manual laborer, and may even have a history of prison incarceration.

In the federal government, there are many tough guys who choose to pull off a heist out of necessity.

Of course, Luo Qiu would not conclude that the other party had committed kidnapping based on these characteristics alone.

"Do you have photos of the car they were driving?"

Yes, here.

Upon hearing the request, Harris quickly found two photos.

The photo shows two old, nearly scrapped vintage cars, with a market value of around 500 kronor.

However, Luo Qiu frowned upon seeing the two cars.

The trunks of these two cars are not large.

As is well known, the size of a car's trunk is a strict requirement for kidnappers. In the kidnapping cases Luo Qiu had previously handled, the kidnappers mostly used cars with large trunks, the kind that could squeeze two people in if they were to squeeze in.

The trunk of these two cars is barely big enough to fit an average person weighing around 150 pounds.

Of course, this might be because the other party is not familiar with the business.

"Detective Harris, what makes you think there are four of them?" Luo Qiu continued to ask.

"Uh, it's the hotel registration. I asked the hotel owner at noon today, and he said that after those two cars stopped the night before last, four people got out of the cars and checked in."

"Huh? Are you sure that's what the boss said? Four people got out of the car. If there were hostages inside, there would have been a lot of people watching. So, if these people really did carry out a kidnapping, there wouldn't have been just four people; there would have been at least five. Including the hostages, that makes at least six people."

"Also, where are the hostages now? They're most likely not in the car, which means they've moved them to a hotel. Although it might have been a late-night move, the hotel is just a mud-brick structure with poor soundproofing; wouldn't the owner have heard the commotion?"

"I heard that, they said... to move luggage."

When asked about the details, Harris was at a loss for words and could only give a vague response.

Seeing this, Luo Qiu stopped asking about the number of people.

The detective in the small town is experienced in handling general situations, so it's normal that he might not be able to handle the details well when dealing with such a big case.

Luo Qiu was actually relieved that Harris's investigation hadn't alerted the kidnappers.

Well, Luo Qiu is now basically certain that this is a kidnapping case.

It is known that three of these people are over thirty years old, have two cars, have come to another place to stay in a hotel, and have brought "luggage".

Packing luggage implies a long trip; someone in their thirties, not dressed like an adventurer, would only be going on a long trip for work, and it must have been pre-arranged. Therefore, staying in a hotel is a paradox.

If a group of men in their thirties stay in a hotel, they're probably sneaking out of their homes to relax, and they certainly won't be bringing any luggage.

In short, it doesn't make logical sense; there must be something wrong. Luo Qiu is inclined to believe that the other party's "luggage" is not simple.

With this assessment, the rest becomes much easier.

"Detective Harris, I can now conclude that there's an 80% chance these people are involved. To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, we should take action tonight."

"tonight?"

When Luo Qiu changed the subject, Harris was caught off guard again. After hearing what was said, he looked even more surprised.

He was completely unprepared to act that very night.

However, after instinctively gripping the butt of his gun at his waist, Harris didn't refuse.

"Okay, is there anything I need to prepare?"

"Let me ask you a few questions first. How many rooms does that hotel have? Where are rooms 205 and 206 located? Are they near the stairs or is there anything special about them?"

"There were 10 rooms, from 201 to 210... 205 and 206 were on the west side, I remember it very clearly, their rooms had windows that also faced west. They weren't near the stairs, the stairs were in the middle."

"Where did they park their car? On the west side of the hotel?"

"No, it's parked on the east side. All the cars coming and going are parked on the east side."

"...How much does it cost per night at that hotel? Are there many guests checking in each night? Are there any rooms available now?"

"20 kroner a night. Not many guests, there aren't many outsiders coming to our town each day... Detective Luo Qiu, what are you planning?"

"Wait a minute, the four of us will pretend to be outsiders who have come here, and go stay there first to scout out the situation. Of course, it would be even better if we could stay next to them, so that we won't accidentally hurt them when we take action."

"After 10 p.m., Detective Harris, you will take three men and follow us into the fray. The kidnappers are splitting into two groups; one should be holding the hostages, and the other should be hiding firearms. Just keep following me."

"Also, send two more people to keep an eye on their car..."

After a few minutes, Luo Qiu finally revealed his entire plan.

The plan was rudimentary, even somewhat rough, much like the town itself.

Among them, it was unexpected and quite daring of the others that Luo Qiu and a few others went to the hotel first to familiarize themselves with the environment.

But no one expressed opposition to the plan.

The town's agents aren't particularly intelligent; they can't understand overly complex plans, and might not be able to execute them. Besides, they don't like them.

As for Smith, just thinking about the case and the fact that there might be five kidnappers made his blood boil.

He stopped recording and reached into his pocket.

That was where his sidearm was kept. Before this trip, the magazine was already full, and he even brought an extra magazine.

……