Chapter 116: Details of the Car Accident and Mixed News

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Upon hearing Veronice's inquiry, Mr. Clement, far away in Washington, leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed deeply.

"I'm not familiar with this matter, Veronice."

"But the order for the case came directly from Washington."

In the team leader's office, Veronice held the phone with a skeptical look.

"And it just so happens that it landed with my Fifth Investigation Unit."

Clement rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. After pondering for a long moment, he spoke in a low voice:

"I'll try to get you the detailed information on that operation later. Meanwhile, once this case wraps up, I'll see what I can do to get some compensation from the CIA for your team."

After all, this case was stirred up by the CIA. Clement himself wouldn't let such a golden opportunity slip by without leveraging something from them.

"Thank you, sir."

Hearing the answer she wanted, a faint smile curved Veronice's lips. After exchanging a few brief words, she ended the call.

—

At the same time, in the Fifth Investigation Unit’s workspace.

Mona, returning to her desk at last, was about to leave when Rowan turned around with a smile.

"Mona, where did you go just now?"

"Some personal matters."

Mona smiled but said no more, changing the topic instead:

"How far along is the car accident case?"

Seeing Mona’s reluctance to elaborate, Rowan didn’t press further. He shrugged in response to her question.

"The case is still at square one. But we have some additional findings — for instance, we now know who killed Evander."

After summarizing the meeting details for Mona, Rowan continued:

"Mrs. Heloise will be sending some materials to our Fifth Unit shortly. You and William should review them thoroughly. Hopefully, we'll find useful information that leads us to Jacquel's whereabouts."

Mona nodded solemnly after hearing this, then looked up to ask:

"And what about you?"

Rowan, tidying up as he prepared to head to the equipment room, explained:

"I'm still puzzled about how Jacquel managed to ensure Evander’s car broke down precisely in the woods and crashed into that tree. We didn’t get to ask the reporting party about this earlier because we were busy chasing suspects. I plan to go back with Reid to their house to see if we can find any useful clues."

"Okay."

Mona nodded, a look of realization crossing her face, and gave a thumbs-up.

Rowan smiled lightly in response and strode toward the equipment room.

"Mona."

Just then, the team leader’s office door opened. Augustus, with a slight paunch, stepped out and beckoned.

"Come to my office."

"Understood, sir."

Mona's expression shifted slightly, but after a deep breath, she quickened her pace toward the office.

"Sit down."

Inside, Augustus wasted no time. After motioning for Mona to sit, he spoke gravely:

"Mona, Rowan should have briefed you on the meeting just now, so I won’t repeat it. Because your father may be involved in this case, I have only one requirement for you during this period: no fieldwork, okay?"

Mona exhaled deeply and nodded immediately.

"No problem, sir."

"Good."

Augustus nodded with satisfaction.

According to FBI protocol, an agent must be recused only if the subject of the case is a relative. When the relative is merely connected to the case background, agents usually continue working as normal.

—

At the home of the Chens, the couple who reported the car accident.

"Please come in, Agent Rowan."

Seeing Rowan again, the Chens were visibly moved.

Mrs. Chen hurriedly invited Rowan and Reid inside to sit, while Mr. Chen grasped Rowan’s hand tightly.

"Thank you so much, Agent Rowan. You saved our lives. If it weren't for you..."

Reid looked on with surprise—not at Rowan’s heroism, but at the Chens’ heartfelt gratitude, rare to see in America.

"You're welcome, Mr. Chen."

Rowan grimaced slightly, withdrawing his hand firmly.

"I’m here mainly to ask some questions."

"No problem!"

Mr. Chen nodded repeatedly. His wife placed two cups of coffee before Rowan and Reid, then smiled.

"Is this about the car accident?"

"Yes."

Rowan nodded and pulled out a notebook.

"When you called in the accident last night, you said you were following that car closely. So you witnessed the entire crash. Could you describe it to me in detail?"

There were no dashcams yet, or Rowan wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.

"Sure, no problem!"

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Upon hearing Rowan’s question, Mr. Chen nodded and recalled:

"It was around 10:30 p.m. My wife and I had just left a concert and were driving home. The car that crashed was ahead of us, moving at a moderate speed.

I considered overtaking, but that area was a small woodland with many curves. For safety, I decided against it.

As we entered the middle section of the woods, the car ahead suddenly swayed for some reason, then sharply veered left and crashed heavily into a roadside tree..."

Reid took a quiet sip of coffee, then glanced at Rowan. He didn’t detect anything suspicious.

"Okay."

Rowan jotted down a brief note of Mr. Chen’s account, paused, then looked up.

"Did you call 911 immediately after the accident?"

"Yes!"

The Chens nodded in unison.

"We saw the car crash and called 911 right away. The ambulance came quickly and took the person away shortly after..."

Rowan frowned and continued:

"How many cars stopped at the scene after the accident? Was it just your car?"

"No, probably two or three."

Mr. Chen frowned, thought for a few seconds, then said:

"There were cars passing by constantly. Some stopped to check on the situation. After the ambulance arrived, my wife and I left. There were likely more cars behind us."

"By the way, Agent Rowan, I just remembered something!"

Just as Rowan was about to continue questioning, Mrs. Chen suddenly clapped her hands, eyes shining with excitement.

"A family happened to pass by that night. I noticed the child had a handheld camera. They stayed until the ambulance left before they left. If you want to review what happened that night, that kid’s footage might help you!"

Rowan paused mid-note, his eyebrows raising instantly.

—

Back at the Fifth Investigation Unit’s workspace.

Mona’s fingers danced rapidly across the keyboard as she imported the handheld camera footage into the computer.

A minute later, she froze, cocked her head, and looked at Rowan with a peculiar tone:

"I’ve got one good news and one bad news, Rowan. Which do you want to hear first?"

(End of chapter)

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