"In the [Lake Serial Murders], the family addresses, social environments, and life experiences of the four victims seemed to have no connection, their only common trait being their own personal circumstances.
For example, they were all married women who had good relationships with their husbands.
Even the youngest, Natalie Carrel, who was only twenty-five, had been married for two years.
"I remember New Jersey allows boys to get married at 14 and girls at 12."
Thinking of this, Luo An shook his head continuously. America is frenziedly promoting the protection of the rights of minors, yet at the same time, it allows child marriages and child labor....
Luo An remembered that in his past life, a former President of America was sued because of a lawsuit involving an adult female star, and online, some questioned why the opposition party's higher-ups insisted on suing him using the adult female star's reason?
Below, someone answered: because all the minors were involved with the high-ups of the opposing party...
Shaking his head, he threw the messy thoughts aside and continued to look through the information in the folder when he suddenly discovered a problem in the photos:
Since all four victims were married, why were there no wedding rings on the victims in the autopsy report photos and the crime scene investigation photos?
"What does the killer's taking the victims' rings signify?"
Luo An squinted his eyes and analyzed: "Trophies? Or a kind of alternative possessiveness?"
Like someone stealing a toy from another person's hand, the thief always wants to erase the marks belonging to the original owner on the toy.
"Perhaps it's related to the victims' husbands."
Thinking this, Luo An sent a text to Reed, instructing him to focus on the personal relationships, work lives, etc., of the four victims' husbands, and then returned to his seat.
Half an hour later, husband Darren arrived at the Investigation Team 5, and Luo An and Reesi led him into the conference room.
Sitting in the chair, Darren looked at the video snapshot on the laptop, his eyebrows tightly knit:
"I shouldn't know this person... at least I have no impression."
"Are you sure, Mr. Darren?"
Luo An placed his hands on the table, his expression serious:
"This man is most likely the true culprit who kidnapped your wife; I hope you think carefully."
"OK, OK."
Upon hearing Luo An's words, Darren immediately bowed his head to check the snapshot again, but after looking left and right, still having no impression, he could only shake his head helplessly:
"I'm really sorry, Agent, I truly have no impression. I've probably never seen this person in my life."
"Alright."
Taking the laptop, Luo An felt somewhat disappointed, but then thought that it's just the way investigations go; clues can't possibly be found so effortlessly, so after thanking Darren, he was about to stand up and leave the office.
"Wait a moment, Agent Luo An."
Seeing Luo An about to go, Darren quickly stood up and called out to him, asking:
"Where did you find the person in the photo? Can you tell me? Maybe I can ask around."
"Uh."
Hearing Darren's words, Luo An instinctively fell silent, and Reesi's gaze towards Darren also started to look a bit strange.
"What's the matter?"
Darren, slightly perplexed and then seemingly realizing something, his complexion suddenly became very panicked:
"This wouldn't happen to be the crime scene of some serial kidnapping case, would it?! My wife is alright, isn't she? Is she still alive? Answer me!"
"Cough cough."
Seeing Darren so agitated as if about to leap at him, Luo An quickly took a step back indicating for the other to sit down first and tilted his head signaling Reesi to bring a business card, then comforted Darren saying:
"It's like this, Mr. Darren, this isn't some medical center... well, it also counts as a medical center."
Seeing the confusion on Darren's face, Luo An sighed.
He placed the pink membership card on the conference room table, briefly introduced the gaming center below the café, as well as Sabina's position there, and what the black man Craig had said in its entirety, then proceeded to pull up the video clip of the person in black from the computer, saying:
"That's the situation. The person in the video is the one who broke into your wife's apartment. He is most likely the kidnapper of your wife, and I hope you can carefully identify the person. This would be very helpful for us to find and save your wife."
Having said that, Luo An glanced at Darren whose face had turned red, and walked out of the conference room with Reesi. Just as the door was closing, Darren's somewhat raspy voice came through:
"Please make me a cup of coffee in a little while, thank you."
"OK."
Ten minutes later, Luo An pushed open the door to the conference room holding a cup of coffee, and his eyes immediately landed on the broken laptop.
"Thank you."
Taking the coffee from Luo An, Darren, whose face had returned to normal, thanked him and said in an even tone:
"I really didn't recognize the man in black, but I've sent his photo to the others at the company. Maybe they'll recognize him."
"OK."
Luo An nodded, recognizing Darren as a tough character.
"I'll compensate you for the broken laptop, with ten."
After taking a sip of coffee, Darren got up and straightened his suit, saying solemnly:
"But I hope to stay with you tonight until my wife is found."
"Alright..."
Luo An nodded, agreeing to the request on the account of the ten laptops.
Walking out of the conference room with Darren, Luo An signaled Reesi to take Darren to a distant seat to rest. Luo An then walked over to Mona and began to massage her shoulders as he asked:
"Been tough, Mona. Have you found the identity of the man in black?"
"Not yet."
Looking exhausted from the search for any clues, Mona pointed at the image on the bulky computer screen:
"There are no cameras at the entrance of Sabina's apartment building, nor across the street. Only the cameras from the bakeries at the far east and west ends of the street are connected to the network, but their footage didn't capture the man in black."
"Didn't capture?"
Luo An raised his eyebrows in question:
"Did the man in black just not show up, or..."
"He just didn't show up."
Mona clicked the keyboard, and the video footage from both bakery cameras began to play on the screen:
"I checked the people who appeared in the surveillance footage half an hour before and after the man in black showed up. I ruled out women, children, and the elderly with white hair, leaving only six men.
But none of these six men were dressed in black with a black hat, nor carrying a bag, and I compared their footwear as well – none matched the man in black."
After listening to Mona, Reesi instinctively wrapped her arm around Mona's slender waist and said thoughtfully:
"Could it be that the perpetrator is in one of the apartments on that street?"
"Possibly."
Luo An nodded, considering that the length of the street didn't offer many hiding places besides the apartments.
Seeing Luo An agree with her theory, Reesi decisively took out her phone:
"Then I'll contact the New York Police Department right now, and have them send a few patrol officers to go door-to-door along that street to ask if anyone has seen Sabina. We should also check if there's any unconnected old surveillance footage on that street – if there is, bring the footage back."
"Wait a second"
Luo An furrowed his brows. They were FBI, not in the same chain of command as the New York Police Department. Was it really okay to ask them directly like this?
"It's no problem."
Reesi, perceiving Luo An's concern, gave a slight smile:
"I have contacts within the New York Police Department; a small matter like this is very simple."
"Alright then."
Since she had someone on the inside, Luo An decided not to make any further comment.