Legendary FBI Detective-Chapter 370: Promoted to Team Leader, Case Analysis, Clues, Discovery

Wednesday, 9 o'clock in the morning, Special Investigation Team office area.

Team Leader Potante Byrne was quick; by yesterday afternoon, Luo An had given him the list, and by this morning, he had all the personnel sent to the Special Investigation Team.

At the very front of the office area, Luo An briefly introduced the identities of the five suit and leather-clad men and women to Mona, Reesi, and Michelle:

Cooper, 26, from the Homeland Security Department, wearing the standard federal grin, sporting a very handsome haircut.

Channie, 30, from the International Business Department, expressionless with her suit unbuttoned, looking extremely trim and competent.

Winslow, 32, from the Hostage Rescue Team, kept a buzz cut, towering a head taller than Luo An, his muscles not as exaggerated as Layde's but still visually striking.

Patricia, 29, from the Victim Services Department, her face a bit freckled, giving a very friendly impression.

Anwar, 30, from the Counterterrorism Division, also with a buzz cut, a long scar on his neck, and though smiling, gives off the first impression that he's not someone to be trifled with.

The five people chosen by Luo An are all capable in shooting, combat, and tactical judgement; the only difference lies in their personalities, thought patterns, and professional judgments.

Then Luo An quickly introduced Mona, Reesi, and Michelle to the five, and finally pulled out the folder that Team Leader Potante Byrne had given him yesterday.

The folder contained a notice issued by the Washington Headquarters, indicating that the Deputy Group Leader of the FBI's Los Angeles Branch Special Investigation Team, Luo An Greenwood, was officially promoted and confirmed as the Group Leader of the Special Investigation Team!

Not only that, last night Luo An also learned from Vireness that Essen Patel, head of the Chicago Branch, and two other unfortunate... two lucky ones, their investigation teams were promoted to be in charge of difficult and miscellaneous cases for an entire state.

"Fantastic!"

"I knew it!"

Clap clap clap—

On hearing the news of Luo An's confirmation, Mona and Reesi immediately cheered, Michelle's face flushed with excitement as she clapped vigorously, and the five new agents showed various expressions but also smiled and clapped enthusiastically.

"Everyone, let's not dwell on pleasantries. Let's get down to business and focus on the case at hand."

Luo An didn't linger on the matter, waving his hand to indicate for the five new agents to take their seats. He pulled over a whiteboard and began to introduce the current clues and information they had on hand.

"Victim One, Hisman William, 55 years old this year, Los Angeles City Council Chairman, the death scene was physically split into two parts.

Victim Two, James Hunter, a naval officer, 40 years old this year, the death scene involved his head being separated from his body.

Victim Three, James Smith, a church priest, 49 years old this year, beaten to death with a club.

Victim Four, Bartles Johnson, a tannery worker, 39 years old this year, the death scene showed he had been skinned."

After briefly recounting this basic information, Luo An turned his gaze towards Michelle and asked:

"What does the Forensics Division say?"

"All four victims have completed their autopsies."

Michelle stood up from her chair, holding a folder in her hand, and announced loudly:

"First, the similarities: all four victims had needle marks on their bodies, and a substance that stimulates the central nervous system, called nicotinamide, was detected inside them as well.

This indicates that the murderer is indeed the same person, and that they injected the victims while they were still alive before starting to torture and kill them.

Next, the differences: the four victims died at different times.

The autopsy reports show that the earliest death was of the tannery worker Bartles Johnson, approximately 19 days ago.

The second was the naval officer James Hunter, roughly 7 days ago.

The third was the Council Chairman Hisman William, sometime the morning before yesterday.

The fourth was the Church Priest James Smith, around early morning yesterday."

"Good, well done."

He nodded for Michelle to sit down and saw that aside from Channie, who had her suit unbuttoned, the other four new agents were all heads down taking notes seriously. Luo An blinked and turned his gaze towards Mona:

"What clues have you found?"

"On the economic aspect, there are no clues."

Mona didn't stand up; she sat in her chair, looking at the computer in front of her and narrated:

"The Council Chairman, the navy officer, and the church priest all had substantial savings publicly, and they had some private funds as well.

Most sources of these funds have been cleared, with no direct links.

As for surveillance, I'm sorry, but the perpetrator destroyed the cameras using physical means, not through the network, so I couldn't find any useful clues."

"No, that is a useful clue."

Luo An, with his chin resting on his hand, analyzed:

"The surveillance cameras in those three communities are quite abundant, and some are located in very concealed places.

If the person used physical means to destroy them, it indicates that the person either carefully observed the area or had records of the camera installation layouts in their possession."

"Moreover, the forensics department has determined that all four victims opened the door for the murderer voluntarily."

Hearing Luo An's words, Mona and Michelle frowned in thought, while Reesi raised her hand and spoke loudly:

"That means the murderer definitely has an identity that easily lowers people's guard, or rather, the murderer pretended to be someone, convincing others to open the door for him!"

"You are absolutely right."

Luo An strongly agreed with Reesi's idea and then asked:

"Reesi, did you find any clues yesterday?"

"Of course!"

Reesi chuckled, pulling out an inquiry record from her desk, and said:

"From the colleague of leather factory worker Bartles Johnson, I learned Bartles was incapacitated due to an accident.

But earlier, I heard from Bartles's neighbor that he often took home street daughters. These two clues obviously contradict each other.

So I went to the streets and found those daughters, and from one of them, I learned indeed they did not provide conventional services to Bartles. Instead, they complied with Bartles's request to use other objects to whip and torture him."

"..."

After Reesi finished, the office fell quiet for a few seconds, with Luo An's expression unchanged:

"What do you mean?"

"Leather factory worker Bartles lacks male potency, the church priest has been living alone for many years, the navy officer doesn't have a girlfriend, and you've met the Council Chairman's female friends, but there was never any relationship between them, purportedly a platonic love."

Reesi shrugged and tossed the inquiry record back onto the table:

"Don't you all think these are quite coincidences?"

Everyone in the office understood the implication in Reesi's words, and Michelle frowned and said:

"Are you suggesting that all four victims had sexual orientation issues?"

"Not necessarily."

Reesi shook her head and said:

"They might not all be of that orientation, but it's possible that they all frequented certain places that the LGBT community might visit."

"Take note of this clue, we'll investigate it later."

Luo An signaled to Michelle to jot down Reesi's thoughts, then asked:

"Any other clues?"

Mona, Reesi, and Michelle shook their heads, then Luo An turned his gaze to the four new agents:

"What are your thoughts on this case?"

Channie from the International Business Department, with his suit open, immediately raised his hand, drawing the attention of everyone in the office to him.