Number 5 Investigation Group, interrogation room.
Philomena's hands were cuffed to the interrogation table, with Luo An and Reesi sitting opposite her.
After sorting through the documents briefly, Luo An handed over a portion that could be shown to others to Philomena, saying:
"If you could get the Wall Street Journal of tomorrow today, then you would definitely not lose money."
After summarizing the case, Luo An finally asked in a deep voice:
"Tell us, who is the real mastermind behind this case?"
Upon hearing Luo An's words, Philomena was extremely shocked, her gaze filled with disbelief towards Luo An.
She had never expected that the FBI would uncover the truth behind Brent Hughes' death so quickly.
Lifting her head, Philomena took a deep look at the handsome-faced FBI agent in front of her. After taking a deep breath, she still shook her head and said:
"I won't say anything until you find my sister."
Luo An frowned upon hearing this, pulling Reesi to the side and spoke softly:
"I have already assigned the best agent of our Number 5 Investigation Group to search for your sister based on the information you provided.
But, the information you provide must be true."
Philomena, visibly agitated, slammed the table:
"The information I gave is certainly true! I didn't lie to you!"
Luo An didn't dwell on this point, but continued:
"Philomena, I'm not lying to you either; my colleague is indeed searching for your sister in the federal database.
We now have a basis for cooperation, so can you tell us about what happened in this case?"
Hearing Luo An's words, Philomena bowed her head in silence for a while, then in a bitter voice she murmured:
"I really didn't kill Brent Hughes, I swear.
I was just doing what someone else asked."
Reesi asked puzzledly:
After taking a deep breath, and giving Luo An a serious look, Philomena said:
"When I was 18, I was a country girl. A photographer from our country told me that I could make a lot of money modeling in New York.
Then they helped me get a visa, bought me a plane ticket, and sent me to New York.
But it was all a lie."
Luo An frowned and tilted his head towards Reesi, who also grimaced and tilted her head towards him.
They could already guess what came next.
Indeed, with eyes red, Philomena continued:
"He told me that if I didn't do as he said, he would kill me first, then my family back in our country.
Then he hit me, and raped me."
Luo An sighed, Reesi's brows were tightly knitted, her expression was grim, but she asked softly:
"He is the one who ordered me to get close to Brent Hughes, and he is also the one who ordered Brent Hughes to be killed."
Philomena shook her head, indicating once again that until her sister was found, she would not reveal that person's name.
For Philomena, this was her only bargaining chip.
Luo An and Reesi also realized this, so they did not insist.
Continuing with tears in her eyes, Philomena spoke in a low voice:
"Later, because I had a good appearance, he sent me to the 'Dancer' modeling company, to train under Yuna Ramirez.
After a while, he started to take me to places on Wall Street where those people hang out.
While introducing me and helping me build a reputation, he also sent me to sleep with certain individuals..."
Several minutes later, Philomena finished her narrative, and Luo An and Reesi exchanged glances before both rose to leave the interrogation room.
As soon as he stepped out of the interrogation room, Reesi spat with disgust and then turned to Luo An:
"Is this why you left Wall Street?"
Luo An was momentarily taken aback before nodding.
Reesi, with an "I knew it" expression, patted Luo An's shoulder forcefully and said in a deep voice:
"I always knew Wall Street was dirty, but I didn't realize it was this filthy."
You haven't even seen the worst of it.
Watching Reesi walk towards the office area, Luo An silently shook his head.
Treachery, double-dealing, untrustworthiness, kicking someone when they're down, honeyed words but a sword in the belly...
The people on Wall Street would stop at nothing to make money; any dark, ugly deed you can imagine has probably happened there.
"How about it, Mona?"
Upon reaching the Investigation Unit 5 office area, Luo An plopped down into his chair, stretched, and turning his head towards Mona, asked with a smile:
"Did you find any news regarding the sister Philomena mentioned?"
"Of course! I am Mona, after all!"
Hearing Luo An's question, Mona tossed him a pair of wipes and then, pointing at the computer data, said:
"The information Philomena mentioned was actually about her sister in Europe; it's normal that NYPD couldn't find anything.
I just used the FBI's internal network to access the Customs and Immigration Authority's internal network, and I successfully found a girl that matches the external appearance and information described by Philomena."
Laughing, Luo An poured a cup of coffee for Mona and looked at her computer screen, only to discover that it contained a case record.
Luo An's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily asked:
"A serial murder case discovered by the NYPD the night before last."
Mona took the coffee Luo An had poured for her, drank it in one gulp, and then angrily said:
"At 10:40 p.m. the night before last, NYPD received a report from workers doing emergency road repairs who, at the southern beach of Long Island, found a girl covered in blood, barely alive.
After taking the girl to the hospital, NYPD followed the blood drops she had left on the ground and at a secluded corner by the beach, found a deep pit that was being filled with seawater.
After draining the water from the pit, NYPD discovered 22 female bodies at the bottom."
Reesi's pupils dilated instantly, and she hurried over:
Excited, Reesi's voice was almost distorted.
Mona, equally angry, pointed at the data on her computer, her eyes filled with rage:
"And the forensic doctor determined that these 22 women were all under the age of 25, the youngest was just 17 years old, not even an adult yet."
Hearing Mona's words, Reesi fiercely slammed her hand down on the desk and then burst out cursing:
"Fu-k! Damn murderer, son of a bitch…"
Luo An's expression also darkened, but he didn't forget their primary mission, and hurriedly asked:
"What about Philomena's sister?"
"If the girl I found is indeed Philomena's sister."
Mona tapped her fingers on the keyboard, and a photograph of a person appeared before them:
"Then she is the girl with the identification number 021."
Hearing this, Reesi immediately raised her hands to cover her eyes, and Luo An let out a long, heavy sigh.
The air grew quiet for a long while; Reesi and Mona looked at each other, and both eventually turned their gaze back to the case file, quietly asking the silent Luo An:
"What do we do next?"