In the interrogation room lit by two lamps, the once spirited Darren had disappeared, and now his face was filled with anxiety.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Darren."
Luo An and Reesi pushed the door of the interrogation room open and sat down opposite the handcuffed Darren. Before either of them could speak, Darren hurriedly said:
"Agents, no, there is also a lady agent, believe me, Sabina's disappearance really has nothing to do with me, I really don't know anything!"
Luo An raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged, and continued to ask:
"What about this frail Mr. Kunniel? Your wife has disappeared, and you refuse our protection, telling us you only want to pay the ransom, but then you meet with Mr. Kunniel. Could it be that he kidnapped your wife?"
"No! No! No! He couldn't possibly do that!"
Darren shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this. Luo An continued to ask:
"You previously mentioned that at the time of the incident you were on a business trip in Los Angeles, staying overnight at the Hilton Hotel, but we didn't find any record of you staying at the Hilton Hotel. Where exactly did you go then? Did you return to New York to kidnap your own wife?"
"I..."
Darren's face grew increasingly troubled, and seeing Luo An and his partner just quietly staring at him, he finally sighed and said in a low voice:
"Last night, I was indeed not in Los Angeles, but went to Las Vegas. Kunniel works in a casino, and after he finished work I went to his house and played with him for the whole night... in a room, in the way you're thinking."
Luo An:"..."
I didn't think, I don't know, I don't understand, stop talking nonsense.
After a moment of silence, Luo An cleared his throat and asked sternly:
"Darren, do you know what lying to us means?"
"I know, it's a federal felony."
Hearing Darren's reply, Luo An nodded expressionlessly. But he had actually just learned this from Reesi—that lying to an FBI agent was a serious crime!
Who knew which person created such a law.
Luo An secretly rejoiced, thinking there would be much to handle in the future.
Seeing Luo An's stern expression, Darren's anxiety deepened, and he hurriedly explained:
"But I was compelled, my affair with Kunniel is not exactly honorable..."
"It's not your relationship with Kunniel that's dishonorable."
Hearing Darren's words, the lesbian Reesi got upset. She slammed her hand on the table and said:
"What's dishonorable is that you already have a wife, Sabina, This is called cheating, called betrayal, you understand?"
"I love Sabina!"
Hearing Reeisi accusing him of infidelity and betrayal, Darren grew agitated as well, slamming the table as he yelled back at Reesi:
"Whether you believe it or not, I love Sabina! I very, very much love her! I even wish the person kidnapped was me!"
Luo An felt the conversation was straying and quickly pulled Reesi aside, bringing the topic back:
"So what were you doing looking for Kunniel today? Did you suspect he had kidnapped your wife?"
"No, I just wanted to clear things up."
Darren buried his head in his hands, speaking somewhat helplessly:
"Kunniel has his own boyfriend, we were just having fun. Today, I wanted to talk things through with him and cut ties.
I think Sabina being kidnapped is God's punishment for me, after all she loves me so much, and I love her that much too, we celebrate a honeymoon anniversary every year..."
Luo An:"..."
This feels all too familiar.
But on second thought, such situations aren't uncommon in America, aren't there even more outrageous 'open marriages.'
Glancing at Reesi, he didn't quite understand the nature of these same-sex relationships and was met with a glare from Reesi. Luo An quickly turned back and asked Darren one last question:
"OK, Mr. Darren, is there anything else you haven't disclosed? If we find out you are still hiding something after leaving this interrogation room, then..."
"No more, agent sir."
Darren wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, his expression serious as he pleaded with Luo An:
"I don't know if you believe me, but I truly love Sabina, I really love my wife, please you must find her! I... I can offer you a million dollar reward afterwards!"
Luo An's eyes lit up instantly, he stood up and grabbed Darren's hands, his face full of righteousness as he promised:
"Don't worry, Mr. Darren, I believe in your love, I will do my utmost to find your wife!"
Reesi: "..."
A few minutes later, in another interrogation room.
Kunniel, who was skinny and about 1.7 meters tall, but with deep facial features, disdainfully said upon hearing Luo An's questions:
"Stop joking, agent sir, I have no idea who Darren's wife is, let alone kidnap her."
"Why wouldn't you kidnap her?"
Luo An, with a serious face, said: "Darren's wife, Sabina, is a wealthy woman, we checked your financial status, it's just average. If you kidnap Sabina and demand a ransom, you could be set for life."
"Oh come on, although I don't have much savings, there are plenty of men willing to spend money on me."
Kunniel waved her hand, crossed her legs, and laughed:
"I'm well-known in Las Vegas, many thrill-seeking men contact me, and my skills are so good, one time is enough to make them completely unforgettable. I know dozens of wealthy men like Darren, do you think I'd lack money?"
"..."
Luo An was silent, opened his mouth but not knowing what to say, it was Reesi who continued asking:
"Darren mentioned you have a boyfriend, could he be jealous of Darren because of you, and went on to kidnap Darren's wife?"
"My boyfriend?"
Kunniel blinked, almost laughing until she couldn't breathe, and while laughing explained:
"Darren must be mistaken, the 'boyfriend' he mentioned is actually just my last client. As I said just now, one time is enough for a man to remember me forever!"
Luo An: "..."
Upon leaving the interrogation room, Luo An sat in a chair in the conference room and closed his eyes to rest.
The customs and culture of America were too overwhelming, he needed a moment to breathe.
"I've checked already."
Mona approached Luo An and Reesi with her laptop, smiling as she said:
"The surveillance outside Kunniel's house shows that Darren and Kunniel didn't leave at all last night. As for the boyfriend Darren mentioned, he is a minor actor who was shooting at sea during the crime, everyone on set could vouch for his alibi, he had no time to commit the crime."
"Fair enough."
Luo An scratched his head, the leads on Darren's side were temporarily at a dead end, so he had to shift his focus to the missing person herself.
"Could it be the work of a competitor of Sabina's company?"
Reesi pulled Mona to her side, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and tilting her head as she asked Luo An:
"Should we check Sabina's company's business operations to see if they have angered someone recently?"
Mona: "..."
Speak normally, why are you holding me?
"It's not out of the realm of possibility."
Luo An nodded and turned to Mona:
"Go check Sabina and Darren's companies, just take a simple look at their business operations."
Reesi raised her hand: "What about us?"
"We'll go through Sabina's villa; maybe there's something in that villa that we haven't discovered yet."
Luo An stood up from the chair, stretched lazily: "The good news is, we haven't wasted our efforts, Darren has been temporarily ruled out as a suspect for now."