Parking the car at Jodie Foster's cottage's doorstep, Kate suddenly found herself resembling Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Detective."
"Well, at least I'm prettier than him. And I can wear high heels"
Miss Detective was struggling to maintain her enthusiasm.
Jodie Foster's villa, while not overly spacious, still held its charm amid the grand mansions nearby. Nevertheless, it was a villa in Beverly Hills, and Kate knew her FBI salary wouldn't even cover a fraction of the price.
"That darn wealth"
Muttering to herself, Kate proceeded to enter the crime scene.
Yes, Jodie Foster's home was indeed the crime scene, news that would surely send nearby paparazzi into a frenzy. Their only regret was that no one had been killed.
"Following Hinkley, Foster has another obsessive fan"
Jeff, a seasoned reporter who had followed Jodie Foster's career for years, thought to himself.
Jeff wasn't a paparazzo; he worked for the Chicago Tribune and maintained a professional demeanor. Since Foster's rise to Oscar fame, Jeff had been responsible for covering her. While he didn't shy away from important stories, he maintained a gentlemanly attitude toward less significant events.
This approach had earned him favor with Foster and occasional interview opportunities. And in return, Jeff had chosen to keep certain peculiarities in the Shadow Queen's life under wraps until someone else discovered them.
Now, his primary concern was Jodie Foster's safety.
Earlier that morning, while the reporters guarding the cottage were half asleep, a scream suddenly pierced the air. They were jolted awake as Jodie Foster and her assistant dashed out, barefoot and clad in pajamas, seeking help, and the reporters realized a major scoop was unfolding.
"Please, help us!"
Miss Shadow Queen's plea was straightforward, but the male reporters, who were normally eager to thrust their microphones in her face, hesitated. After all, it was challenging for them to focus on their work when following a beautiful woman like Jodie Foster.
Especially at this moment, with the actress still in her pajamas, appearing visibly frightened and vulnerable, their restraint was tested.
"No wonder Hinckley tried to assassinate the president after watching her in 'Taxi Driver'"
Such thoughts ran through many minds.
"Jodie, what happened?"
A group led by Jeff and reporters who had a good rapport with Foster gathered around, this time not being very gentle when snapping photos.
But Jodie Foster remained silent, looking lost and fearful, as if unsure what to say.
"In the house..."
Her assistant Anna began but struggled to find the words.
"There's..."
She, too, seemed overwhelmed by fear.
"Let's go see for ourselves"
A few younger reporters, whom Jeff saw as paparazzi, eagerly volunteered to investigate. Whether it was chivalry, a desire to impress the beautiful women, or merely a bid for headlines, Jeff couldn't say for certain.
Of course, it could be a mix of all those motivations.
With that in mind, Jeff followed.
From both a reporter's and a friend's perspective, he was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Jodie Foster's villa, while not extravagant in its interior, exuded warmth. The main hall was adorned with movie posters from Jodie Foster's illustrious career.
Well, that warmth might have been slightly overshadowed by the posters from movies like "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Taxi Driver." After all, those posters weren't the coziest of decorations.
And now, these ominous posters had been splattered with blood-red paint.
"L-O-V-E?"
Jeff pronounced the smeared letters, "Love? Looks like another dangerous stalker!?"
The moment his gaze fell upon the long table in the living room's corner, his pupils contracted sharply. There lay a pool of dark red blood that hadn't yet congealed, with what appeared to be a sizable chunk resembling a cow's heart at the center.
"Innards! Human?"
For a seasoned social news reporter like Jeff, this possibility crossed his mind for the first time.
"Ah ah ah ah ah"
It seemed even reporters specializing in sensational news had their limits.
Recalling the scene at the time of the incident, Jeff furrowed his brows. "Jodie won't be too shaken by this, right?"
Though she'd been slightly disturbed during the Hinckley incident, this time it seemed more direct and violent.
This was undoubtedly another sinister incident.
Jeff had already relayed the news to the Chicago Tribune headquarters as soon as it happened and was now on the scene to interview the FBI agents who had completed their investigation.
Of course, these Hoover agents were never very media-friendly, but Jeff still hoped they could apprehend the perpetrator swiftly.
Not just as a reporter, but as a friend of Jodie Foster. That's what he truly hoped for.
***********
Kate was unaware of the diligent reporter who was covering the crime scene.
Upon arrival, she promptly directed the forensics and medical examiners to look for clues, but their findings left her at a loss.
"This is indeed a human heart. Based on initial assessment, it hasn't been severed long ago, and"
The black forensic doctor before Kate spoke and then swallowed hard.
"Judging by the condition of the incision, it's possible the heart was cut while the person was still alive."
"This..."
Even though Kate, as an FBI agent, had encountered numerous heinous criminals, this revelation still took her aback.
The forensic doctor continued, "Preliminary assessment suggests the incision doesn't appear typical of an ordinary knife. Further analysis is needed for the specific murder weapon."
It was a perplexing but somewhat revealing discovery. The forensic department's search results were a letdown.
"Did you find any new fingerprints or footprints aside from the ones belonging to the original occupants?"
Wearing gloves could prevent leaving fingerprints, but this stalker—or, rather, murderer—was exceptionally cautious.
Kate felt frustrated, but there was little she could do.
"If this continues, it might become another unsolved case, right?"
The series of cases in Vinales Valley remained unresolved.
Even if not for the FBI, for the sake of her career, Kate needed to come up with a plan.
"Since the heart was taken from a living person, there must be a corresponding body. Let's begin with finding the corpse."
Kate pondered, "However, we need to eliminate another possibility first."
In the luxurious suite of a nearby hotel, Kate questioned the victim, Jodie Foster,
"Miss Foster, have you been recently followed by any fanatic fans?"
"When such incidents occurred, it was impossible for Jodie to remain in her house. Under her agent's arrangement, she and her assistant Anna relocated to a nearby high-end hotel with sponsorship. Accompanying them were four newly hired tall bodyguards.
"If that stalker dares to reappear, we'll handle him without the police" declared Anderson, the leader of the bodyguards. His words would have sounded convincing if he hadn't simultaneously asked Jodie to sign a still from 'Taxi Driver'.
'Well, because an unknown fanatic has threatened me, I've had to employ another fanatic to protect me...' Jodie couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.
However, she maintained a composed response in the presence of the FBI agent before her. "While I do have some genuinely enthusiastic fans, I don't believe they'd resort to such actions."
"Is it merely enthusiasm?" Kate raised an eyebrow and mimed quotation marks with her fingers. "Could you provide me with the fan list?"
Jodie hesitated for a moment and sighed, "Anna"
"Coming" Anna quickly handed a bundle of assorted fan letters to Kate. "These are various unusual fan letters Jodie has received over the past year."
"So many?" Kate was surprised but took the letters nonetheless. "In any case, we'll investigate them thoroughly."
The good news was that the FBI had multiple investigative leads from the letters. The bad news was that the volume of letters made finding relevant clues a challenging task.
Kate's inquiries continued. "Jodie, why did you and Anna stay at your house last night?"
"Generally speaking, shouldn't someone of your stature have bodyguards accompanying you at all times?" Kate pondered this question, and Anna answered for Jodie.
"Jodie's regular bodyguard, Michelle, took a few days off due to a family matter two days ago. I've been with Jodie during this time."
"I see," Kate nodded non-committally and pressed further. "Where is this Mr. Langton now? There are questions about Jodie's security, and I believe he may have clearer answers."
"We haven't been able to contact him yet," Jodie interjected, her voice laden with exhaustion.
Kate realized that Jodie had likely not rested well since she began receiving threats, and it was understandable that she was in her current state. "You haven't contacted me either."
"We can discuss that later. Can you tell us who discovered the heart first?"
"Heart?" Anna's face turned pale. "Wait, you mean it's a human heart?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Kate confirmed. Anna's reaction surprised her, and she rushed to assist Jodie in helping Anna, who had fainted, onto the bed.
"Now, even without me saying it, you probably guessed who found the heart first," Jodie winked at Kate.
Kate was somewhat stunned by the situation. "Anna seems overly timid, doesn't she? Her reaction is what you'd expect from an average person when faced with a human heart. Is it normal, or is it the reaction of someone accustomed to such scenes?"
"Like Wonder Woman?"
Kate's inner frustration simmered, but she couldn't decide whether to blame herself or someone else.
"Then you left the house as soon as you discovered the heart?" Kate continued her questioning in desperation.
"Yes," Jodie nodded.
"In that case, being with more people should make you safer, right?"
"A wise decision" Kate praised Jodie's quick thinking. But deep down, she couldn't help but wonder if this could be a case of self-inflicted harm.
This was the first thing the police needed to rule out when investigating cases like this, unlike the detective novels that relied on pure reasoning. In reality, the police, with their limited resources, often resorted to exclusionary methods.
Naturally, the first to be cleared of suspicion was the person who reported the incident.
Especially in a situation like a locked room mystery, Kate had already confirmed that no one else had entered or exited Jodie Foster's house last night, according to information from the reporters who had been following the filming. Furthermore, forensic officers found no recent footprints or fingerprints indicating the presence of others in Jodie's home.
As a result, the possibility of the reporter inside the house committing the crime and trying to divert suspicion through a performance had significantly increased. Therefore, Kate needed to eliminate the possibility of self-infliction and acting before assuming the murderer had a high level of caution and counter-surveillance capabilities.
This was a realistic police principle, though perhaps not a popular one. It was efficient in terms of resource allocation: easier cases first, and tackle the tougher ones later.
However, Jodie and Anna's responses to Kate's questions revealed no inconsistencies. Could it be self-inflicted harm?
Pondering, Kate decided to ask one more question.
"So, Jodie, can you tell me what you were doing before you discovered the heart last night?"
"Sorry," Jodie's expression suddenly shifted. "I need to wait for my lawyer to arrive before answering any further questions."
Kate realized she had made a blunder.
Jodie Foster was not an oblivious celebrity regarding the FBI's investigative process. She had been extensively questioned by the FBI and the President's Secret Service after the Hinckley incident and was familiar with law enforcement procedures. Moreover, in "The Silent Lambs," she played an FBI agent and had likely studied how the FBI handled cases.
Due to the Hinckley incident, Jodie had a deep psychological distrust of the FBI, and upon detecting a hint of suspicion in Kate's questions, she invoked the need for legal counsel. How could she cooperate when she felt like a suspect?
Kate berated herself for her carelessness.
"Agent Kate, could you please leave? I haven't had a proper rest since it happened..."
While the words weren't explicitly accusatory, the message was clear: Kate was no longer welcome.
With no concrete evidence, the FBI couldn't employ coercive tactics, especially not against a high-profile celebrity with ample resources to secure a formidable lawyer. Their presence was rendered ineffective in the face of these crafty individuals' right to remain silent.
Frustrated, Kate had to bid farewell.
Outside Jodie's luxurious suite, Kate encountered a couple in the hotel lobby. The man's face was oddly familiar to her.
Christian Booth.
The sudden appearance of a person she had suspected in the Vinales Valley cases left Kate bewildered.
What is he doing here?