FBI Las Vegas Branch, a temporarily borrowed office.
"Have the four missing people been found?"
Holding the phone and stepping out of the conference room, Luo An stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office area, looking at the scenery outside, frowning slightly, and asking:
"Where were they found? Tell me the details."
"Somebody gave us a call, and then we found them."
Reesi's tone was quite peculiar as she explained:
"After Michelle, Winslow, and I arrived at the scene of the dinner party held on the night of the incident, we began investigating the hotel's surveillance, dinner guests, and the movement of people after the dinner ended.
Not a few minutes into our search, a front-desk worker suddenly came over and said someone had called for us.
Both Winslow and I were puzzled, but we still went to the front desk to answer the call.
On the other end was a strange woman's voice. After hearing Winslow and I reveal our identities, she gave us an address and then immediately hung up.
Michelle continued the investigation at the hotel, while Winslow and I immediately rushed to the address given by that woman. It was an abandoned building in the northern part of Las Vegas, and that's where we found the missing four people."
"How are the four of them?"
"All dead, each with a gunshot wound to the head."
Looking at the bodies in front of her, Reesi's face turned grim:
"Among them, Councilman Shemor and his sister President Lucille, show signs of being tortured."
Luo An narrowed his eyes and pondered for a few seconds before asking again:
"Are there any signs that the bodies were handled?"
Reesi was somewhat puzzled:
"What do you mean by handled?"
"Like embalming, or freezing, for instance."
Reesi shook her head and then immediately added:
"But Winslow and I are certain that this abandoned building is definitely not the primary crime scene.
Plus, considering that phone call, I highly suspect someone deliberately moved the bodies here for us to find!"
"And I have a rough idea who might have done this."
Without waiting for Reesi to ask further, Luo An instructed her and Winslow to call the forensics team to take the bodies back to the FBI branch for processing, then he hung up the phone.
Looking at the bustling scenery outside the window, Luo An's lips quirked up slightly as he turned and pushed the door to re-enter the conference room.
Inside the conference room, Chenier and Rekasha O'Dell sat opposite each other, both expressionless. As Luo An entered the room, he said with a smile:
"Ladies, I have good news, the four missing individuals have been found."
"Then congratulations to you, Group Leader Luo An.
Finding such an important clue on your second day in Las Vegas."
Rekasha O'Dell picked up the coffee on the table and smiled at Luo An before asking:
"So, can I leave now?"
"I'm sorry, but you cannot."
Luo An took a seat back in his previous spot, smiling ambiguously at Rekasha O'Dell as he briefly recounted the matter of the call that Reesi spoke of.
After hearing the details, Chenier's expression changed slightly. She looked up and stared intently at Rekasha O'Dell, whose smile remained. Rekasha O'Dell responded with a question:
"Group Leader Luo An, do you suspect it was me?"
"Definitely not the person making the call."
Luo An shook his head and said:
"But the person behind the caller, I find you highly suspicious."
Rekasha O'Dell smiled, shook her head ready to deny it, but before she could speak, Luo An preemptively said:
"Miss Rekasha, it's better for us to have an honest conversation about some things.
In this world, if it's been done, it leaves traces, and what I excel at is finding them.
Denying it now and having me watch you from here on out doesn't seem like a very good choice, does it?"
After he spoke, the air in the conference room suddenly became incredibly still. Luo An and Rekasha O'Dell looked into each other's eyes without expressions, both silent.
Time ticked by, second by second, until Rekasha O'Dell suddenly smiled charmingly:
"You're truly Group Leader Luo An, your investigative methods are indeed impressive."
"So, you admit to the matter with the bodies?"
"That's right, I had the bodies sent there."
Rekasha O'Dell didn't beat around the bush, directly admitting to having ordered her subordinates to reveal the bodies to Luo An's team members at a designated time before her visit.
Rekasha O'Dell then added:
"But it wasn't me who killed them; it was my people who found their bodies before anyone else did."
"Do you think that statement is highly credible?"
Rekasha O'Dell laughed mirthlessly, disdainfully glanced at Chenier, and ignored her.
Having his "emotional perception" ability activated, Luo An could confirm that Rekasha O'Dell's latter statement was true—the one who ordered the killings of the four was indeed not her.
But there were still some doubts he had not cleared up, so Luo An asked:
"Why would you do that?"
Rekasha O'Dell fell silent for a moment before responding:
"There are two reasons.
First, the news that Councilman Shemor and his sister President Lucille had been killed can't be revealed too soon.
Because that news would cause the stock prices of the Christa Family Group to plummet."
Rekasha O'Dell wanted to take control of the Christa family's group, and this would be very detrimental to her.
Chenier frowned slightly and queried with confusion:
"If the stock prices plummet, wouldn't you be able to buy the shares faster and take control of the Christa Family Group more quickly?"
"No, a stock price plunge is not a good thing because it would attract more people to enter the market and buy, and it might even attract malicious big sharks."
Luo An smiled and looked at Rekasha O'Dell, saying:
"Stock prices can fall, but there must be preparation.
Having the bodies of the four missing people and releasing some information from time to time, using some means to reasonably control the stock's fall and bottom fishing is the most cost-effective. Dead people can sometimes be more useful than living ones."
Rekasha O'Dell applauded gently, looking at Luo An with approval and proposed:
"Group Leader Luo An, honestly, don't you find it boring in the FBI?
How about joining my company? I can offer you a very good position."
Luo An sipped his coffee and did not respond; Chenier scoffed and pressed on with the question:
"What's the second reason?"
"The second reason, naturally, involves Group Leader Luo An."
Rekasha O'Dell chuckled, her arms crossed over her chest, and with a hint of admiration in her eyes, she looked at Luo An:
"A hundred percent clearance rate, that's an unimaginable number!
When I heard that it was Group Leader Luo An who was involved in the investigation of this case, I had already decided to hand over the bodies to you.
Rather than waiting for Group Leader Luo An to find them on me, it is a better choice to be proactive, isn't it?"
Chenier's eyes faintly brightened as she glanced at Luo An, who remained expressionless and asked:
"Where did you find those four missing individuals?"
"When I first heard the news that those four had gone missing, to prevent anyone from framing me, I sent people to look for them immediately.
Fortunately, my people are very capable and found those four before anyone else."
Rekasha O'Dell finished her coffee in one go and said:
"I will have someone send you the information on the first crime scene, the missing persons' route, and other details later on. I guarantee all the information will be true."
After a few more exchanges, Rekasha O'Dell left the conference room and the building. Chenier watched her leave with a furrowed brow:
"Luo An, do you think what Rekasha O'Dell said was true or false?"
"Most of it is true, but some things were only half-said."
"The reasons she gave us the bodies."
Luo An picked up the information Chenier had recorded and commented:
"Besides those two points she mentioned, there must be a third reason.
It's that Rekasha O'Dell has probably already completed her anticipated control over the Christa Family Group and no longer needs to use those four bodies.
With the bodies being useless, instead of holding onto them as they rot, it's better to hand them over to us."
Chenier swore softly, feeling particularly irritated by the figure in the distance, who was only 19 this year.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the negative emotions, Chenier then asked:
"What do we do next?"
"Call over that third son; we need to have a chat with him."
Chenier nodded, and just before leaving, she suddenly thought of something and asked in a low voice:
"Luo An, do you think this Rister Krista knows that his brother and sister's bodies have been in Rekasha O'Dell's hands these days, and even that she's used them to manipulate his family's group's stock?"
A gleam flashed in Luo An's eyes as he whispered with a slight laugh:
"I have a feeling that this 'fiance' gentleman might also be a very interesting person."