Chapter 27: 24 Hours
"Looking at the current situation, if the serial killer case isn't cracked within 24 hours, Vireness's loss will definitely be very serious."
Luo An stood at the door of the team leader's office, seeing Augustus on the phone with a grave expression, nodding frequently, and he contemplated to himself:
"Being dismissed outright is unlikely, but the first to fifth investigative teams that I'm in charge of may very well be transferred to Broson, who just took office..."
That was Broson's motive.
Luo An had already guessed the ins and outs of the situation, but there were some details he hadn't figured out.
For example, after working for the first investigative team for so many years, Broson must have built up quite a network of contacts; it would be impossible for him to be sidelined with a nominal position after his promotion to team supervisor, and he would definitely have investigative teams allotted under his command.
Given this, why was Broson so eager to make a move against Virene?
...To retaliate for the kick he received when Luo An booted his nephew out?
The moment this thought came to Luo An's mind, he tossed it into the garbage bin.
Impossible.
It was just a nephew, not that precious. In casual conversation, Reesi had once said to Luo An that she felt Broson was more like a politician than an investigative team leader.
In the eyes of America's politicians, everything is negotiable.
Then what other reasons could there be? Luo An stroked his chin and thought carefully.
Could it be that Broson and Virene had some old grudge?
At this thought, Luo An's eyes lit up; that must be it.
Otherwise, why would Broson target only Virene and not other team supervisors?
"A serial killer case has turned into a high-level power play."
Luo An was somewhat speechless, but on second thought, could he benefit from this situation?
"Virene is the team supervisor; she wouldn't personally take to the field to solve the case."
Luo An lowered his head to think, his eyes getting brighter the more he considered the situation, seeing the great potential in this case.
To solve the case, Virene would have to choose one team out of the five investigative units.
The second, third, and fourth investigative teams usually had mediocre case-solving rates. To expect them to solve a serial killer case, an event of high difficulty, within the given time would be asking too much.
The first investigative team was Broson's old stomping ground; certainly, Virene wouldn't hand the case over to them, that would be like willingly offering one's neck to a thug with a knife.
That left only the fifth investigative team.
Moreover, the case itself was brought up by the fifth investigative team itself; it wouldn't be proper to throw the "hot potato" to others.
And within the fifth investigative team... Luo An was the only person who could solve and would be able to solve the case.
"Luo An, come in."
Just as he was deep in thought about what to do next, the door of the team supervisor's office suddenly opened, and Augustus called him in.
Seated in the chair, Augustus had a very serious expression, with forehead wrinkles that looked like they could kill a fly.
Before he could speak, Virene's voice immediately came through the phone:
"Luo An, I'm calling a press conference in thirty minutes, and I need you to tell me right now whether this serial killer case can be cracked within 24 hours and if the real culprit can be caught?"
If you have to ask like that, then it's certainly not possible.
Luo An raised an eyebrow, about to speak and find an excuse, when Virene's voice came through the phone again:
"If the case is solved successfully, I will contact the higher-ups to secure a year of special funds for your team."
Meaning that for the next year, every member of the fifth investigative team would receive a hefty performance bonus each month.
The office was somewhat quiet, Luo An didn't answer but looked towards Augustus.
The heavyset African American was expressionless.
Augustus felt helpless at the moment; he genuinely wanted to toss the case aside, but aside from Broson, the head of the first investigation team, he had a good relationship with the leaders of the second, third, and fourth investigation teams. He didn't want to sour future relations over this case.
And about solving the case, the fifth investigation team had only been established recently, and he was well aware of the capabilities of everyone in the team; the only person he could count on to solve the case was Luo An alone.
But to crack a serial murder case within 24 hours... Augustus had already begun to consider, in the event of the case's failure, how to mitigate the punishment for himself, Luo An, Reesi, and others.
Augustus did not realize that Luo An had no idea about his thoughts, but when Luo An saw the other's expressionless dark face, he assumed Augustus was dissatisfied with Virene's arrangement. After pondering for a moment and about to speak, Virene's voice came through the phone again:
"In thirty minutes, during the press conference, I will issue a warrant for the serial murderer with a reward of 100,000 US Dollars."
100,000 US Dollars?
Thinking about some clues in his head, Luo An's eyes lit up with determination, and he promised with a face full of justice:
"Chief, rest assured, I will catch the true perpetrator within the stipulated time!"
Augustus: "..."
---
On the other hand, on the road back to New York from Washington, a black sedan was quickly moving under the bright streetlights.
After going through the documents in his hands, Broson, dressed in a black suit, slightly curved the corners of his mouth and looked up at the driver with a smile:
"Matthews, you've done a good job with this. By the way, how did you handle that Joseph?"
Driver Matthews was the leader of the first investigation squad within the first investigation team and had followed Broson for a full ten years.
This also showed how sparse the fifth investigation team was with personnel; the first investigation team had several investigation squads inside...
Now that Broson had been promoted to group supervisor, Matthews would naturally become the head of the first investigation group if nothing surprising happened.
Hearing Broson's words, Matthews replied with a smile:
"Joseph is a street reporter, often beaten up for sneaking shots for news, so I promised to grant him a temporary agent status for a year after this matter is concluded."
Just a temporary agent, if something went wrong, he would no longer be an agent, and it wouldn't be related to the FBI.
And because of the nature of the work, it was fairly common to go missing sometimes.
"Good."
Broson nodded in satisfaction; he had great confidence in Matthews' work, so he continued:
"How are things going with the fifth investigation group? Any progress on the serial murder case?"
"Not yet, Chief."
Mentioning the fifth investigation group, a look of disdain appeared on Matthews' face, and he then explained:
"I learned from the trace examination department that except for half a fingerprint, no other information related to the killer has been found at the scenes where the two victims were dismembered."
Broson nodded upon hearing this. In such a scenario, the difficulty of solving the case had skyrocketed by several levels, especially since it was a serial murder case.
After a bit of thought, Broson instructed:
"Have your people keep a constant watch on the movements of the fifth investigation group, especially that Luo An Greenwood."
Aside from Luo An, Broson did not believe anyone else in the fifth investigation group had the capacity to solve the case.
"I've already sent someone, Chief. If there's any movement on their part, I'll know immediately."
Showing confidence that everything was under control, Matthews said:
"As long as I'm here, this case definitely won't be solved within 24 hours!"
"Excellent!"
Broson revealed a pleased expression, turned his head to look out the car window, and began to speculate what expression Virene would wear on her face 24 hours later, when the serial murder case remained unsolved and he seized the opportunity to take over the five investigation teams from her.
"Definitely fascinating..."
A cold glint flashed in Broson's eyes as he muttered to himself.