On a highway on the outskirts of Greenwich.
Sitting in the SUV, Luo An looked at the documents in his hands, his eyebrows tightly furrowed.
According to the emergency response team's report at the crime scene where the bodies were found, the three female victims were all weighted down and submerged at the bottom of the lake.
There were no items related to the victims' identities found at the scene, and it was only through checking the local missing persons records that the identities of the four victims were confirmed.
Additionally, the autopsy report indicated that all four victims had been strangled with a rope, showed signs of being bound at the wrists and ankles, had bruising on their upper bodies, and had tearing injuries on their lower bodies, suggesting that all four victims had been tortured by the perpetrator for a long period of time.
However, because the bodies had been soaked in lake water for too long, the forensic doctor could not find any white genetic material from the perpetrator, nor skin fragments, hair, etc., making it impossible to test the perpetrator's DNA.
"What a headache."
After finishing the documents, Luo An shut his eyes tightly and massaged his temples.
In America, with its vast territory and extraordinary people, not only are there numerous cults, but also a plethora of serial killers, bank robbers, flour dealers, extremists and other high-end talents constantly challenging the police in a battle of wits.
"You've worked hard, Luo An."
Seeing Luo An sitting in the car with a troubled expression, Reesi hurriedly took out some still-hot bags of burgers and chicken nuggets from the trunk and handed them to Luo An, saying with a flattering smile:
"Have something to eat if you can't think clearly."
"Better not."
Luo An's mouth twitched as he declined the suggestion that might increase the likelihood of him going bald, then packed up the documents and said to Reesi:
"The perpetrator of this serial murder case is shortening the hunting intervals. To catch the real culprit, we must find a connection between the four female victims.
I can't leave here, so go back to the office now, find a technical agent, and visit the families of the four victims to ask when they last contacted them before they disappeared, and also check the criminal records of the victims' parents, relatives, friends, and husbands."
"What?"
Hearing about the daunting tasks, Reesi's head spun, and he instinctively stuffed a burger into Luo An's hand:
"Can I get a different job? Or let someone else do this kind of work? How about Mona?"
Luo An decisively shook his head in refusal:
"No, Mona still has to help me investigate this disappearance case."
"…Alright."
Seeing Luo An wouldn't budge, and recalling that the investigation team leader Augustus had emphasized repeatedly before his departure that he must follow Luo An's arrangements, Reesi begrudgingly walked back to the car, preparing to head back to headquarters to gather people for the investigation.
Back in his own SUV, as Luo An watched Reesi drive away, he thought it somewhat endearing that Reesi, a bear-like man, could also show such softness.
Just as he was contemplating the clues of the serial murder case, Luo An's phone next to him suddenly rang. Picking up, he found that it was Darren on the other end.
"Luo An, Darren has started to make a move."
"Hmm?"
Luo An perked up and asked urgently: "What car is he driving? What's the license plate number?"
"He didn't take the Cadillac from the garage, but drove the latest BMW model, the license plate number is ***"
On the other end of the phone, Reesi spoke in a light tone:
"Don't worry, I'm following the target, his counter-tracking skills are like those of a child in kindergarten, I won't lose him even with my eyes closed."
"..."
Luo An paused for two seconds and asked in confusion: "My car is on the outskirts of Greenwich, where did you get a car to follow Darren?"
"Uh, I borrowed it from Darren's neighbor's garage."
"You didn't tell the neighbor, right?"
"Of course."
Luo An hung up the phone, and he finally understood why Reesi said Augustus was just a scapegoat.
"The feeling of someone covering for you from above really hits differently."
Luo An smiled and called Mona to give her the license plate number of Darren's BMW, asking her to track the location, then accelerated away with a push on the gas pedal.
Ten minutes later, in a parking lot along a coastline in East New York, the SUV driven by Luo An came to a stop.
Diagonally behind the SUV was a Jaguar borrowed from a neighbor of the villa where Reesi stayed, and diagonally behind the Jaguar was Darren's new BMW.
Listening to the sound of the ocean waves nearby and looking at the nearly empty parking lot, Luo An said to Reesi on the phone:
"This place is perfect for paying ransom, and also perfect for escaping by car if something feels off."
Reesi, looking at a restless Darren in the BMW through the rear-view mirror, asked on the phone:
"What do we do if they try to run away?"
"No worries, I have a stun grenade."
Luo An took a stun grenade from his waist and tossed it up and down in his hand, laughing:
"My aim has always been good."
Thinking of the scene where the windows of many cars in the parking lot would shatter from the explosion of the stun grenade, Reesi shuddered.
She hadn't expected Luo An to be even harsher than herself; how much would Augustus have to pay if all the car windows in the parking lot were shattered?
Ding ding—
Just as Reesi was about to persuade Luo An to try not to use the stun grenade, an ordinary-looking Buick sedan drove in and slowly parked next to Darren's BMW.
Immediately afterward, Darren stepped out of the BMW, opened the passenger side of the Buick, and sat down inside.
"Move!"
Luo An shouted, and Reesi, driving the Jaguar in reverse, quickly blocked the front of the BMW and the Buick while Luo An drove the SUV to block their escape behind.
Both got out of their cars, hiding behind the vehicles, and drew their pistols pointing at the Buick while Luo An yelled:
"FBI! Everyone in the car, come out now! Or I'll start shooting!"
After a two-second silence, Darren, with his hands raised, slowly got out of the passenger side, and the door of the driver's seat slowly opened; a very thin Caucasian youth walked out with his hands up.
Luo An and Reesi, holding their pistols, approached slowly, handcuffed the two men, and found no ransom as they expected inside either vehicle.
——
Investigation Group 5, Interrogation Room.
Unlike local police departments, the FBI has its own interrogation rooms, whether it's the Homeland Security Department, Intelligence Department, Crime-Network-Response and Service Department, or even the Science and Technology Department, and Information and Technology Processing Department.
The Criminal Investigation Department under the Crime-Network-Response and Service Department is no exception, with thirteen investigation teams under it, each equipped with two interrogation rooms.
The interrogation rooms here are unlike any at local police departments where cameras must be on at all times recording everything clearly, allowing detainees to remain silent or even call a lawyer to speak on their behalf.
The FBI's interrogation rooms also have recording devices, but these devices are often severely outdated and damaged, frequently shutting off automatically, often when detainees refuse to answer agents' questions.
Some detainees claim they cannot respond without their lawyer present, only to be found guilty on the spot of serious criminal offenses like tax evasion or shooting a federal agent, and are immediately denied the right to see a lawyer.
Some detainees even dream that they were brutally beaten.
When such detainees' lawyers arrive, of course, there are no visible injuries, as the technology has matured through continual development.
Want to see the interrogation records? Sorry, the equipment was damaged and nothing was recorded.
Is there anyone to oversee these FBI agents?
Of course, there is, but would those who oversee the FBI be summoned to the FBI's interrogation rooms?
Would criminals capable of hiring top-tier lawyers that even the FBI fears be caught by the FBI?
The most important point to note, the current year is 2005, and those assorted organizations of future years are not yet in existence.