Chapter 32: It’s Impossible to Find the Culprit So Quickly!

On the other side, as the SUV pulled away from the FBI New York Division parking lot, a young white man in a suit and glasses emerged from behind a car.

"Chief, it's me, Jock."

He took out his phone and dialed a series of numbers. A few seconds later, the call connected, and he hurriedly said, "Roan, whom I'm monitoring, has left headquarters with Agent Lacey and Mr. Darren. What should I do next?"

On the other end of the line was Matthews. At that moment, he was attending a small cocktail party hosted by Broson. Hearing Jock's report, Matthews set down his drink, glanced at Broson as he was giving a speech, and calmly replied, "Follow Roan immediately."

"Understood, Chief," Jock nodded, but suddenly remembered something. After a brief hesitation, he asked, "What about the reporters from the previous plan, Chief? Should we notify them?"

Not long ago, Broson had instructed Matthews to discreetly share details of the serial murders with Joseph, who would then pass them on to the TV station. Matthews felt it was too risky to simply wait for Verinis to fail to solve the case within twenty-four hours. So, Matthews contacted several reporters, planning to have them follow Group Five and broadcast their doomed investigation live to viewers.

Matthews hadn't told Broson about this, intending to surprise him. Hearing his subordinate's question, Matthews immediately responded, "Notify them! Why wouldn't you? Do you really think Roan and his team will find the killer?"

"Of course not, Chief," Jock replied, climbing into the driver’s seat and laughing. "This is a serial murder case, less than an hour since the press conference ended. Roan and his team don’t have divine intervention—how could they possibly find the killer so quickly?"

"Exactly," Matthews nodded, draining his glass. "That’s all for now. Report to me if anything happens."

Once the call ended, Jock dialed another number, contacting the reporters he had arranged earlier, briefly explaining the situation. Then, he turned the wheel and drove off in the direction Roan had just left.

He had previously installed a tracking device under Roan's SUV.

Meanwhile, at the cocktail party, Broson—speech finished—held a glass of wine and chatted with an elderly white man whose hair was silver.

After expressing his gratitude for the man's attendance, Broson turned toward another guest and beckoned Matthews over.

"What's the matter, Chief?"

Seeing Broson's gesture, Matthews hurriedly excused himself to the beautiful woman he had been speaking with and walked over, lowering his voice to ask, "Any instructions?"

Broson smiled and patted Matthews on the shoulder. "Don’t be nervous. I just noticed you were making a call—something happen?"

Matthews relaxed at this, smiling. "Nothing major. My subordinate just informed me that Roan Greenwood from Group Five has gone out to look for clues. He’s planning to follow him."

"I’ll leave this matter to you," Broson said, showing a look of realization but not taking it to heart. The reason was simple—the press conference had just ended. He didn’t believe Roan could find the killer so quickly; this outing was likely just to investigate a lead.

He patted Matthews on the shoulder, indicating he had full authority, and then, to Matthews’ surprise, led him toward an elderly white man in a suit, with a stern face and a shaved head.

"Senator Mattai, good evening. Thank you for attending my party tonight. This is Matthews, my trusted subordinate..."

"Good evening, Senator," Matthews said, delighted. Senator Mattai was a strong contender for Governor of New York; Matthews never expected him to appear at Broson’s party, let alone be introduced.

Upon hearing the introduction, Senator Mattai tilted his head at Broson. Seeing the slight curve of Broson’s lips, the senator’s mouth lifted in a subtle smile, a strange gleam flickering in his eyes. He extended his hand to Matthews, his tone friendly: "Nice to meet you, Matthews."

...

Elsewhere, after the press conference ended, Verinis lingered in the office of the Special Agent Supervisor (the group leader's superior) for quite some time before finally heading toward Group Five’s workspace.

She pushed open the door to find the agents of Group Five bustling about. Verinis nodded very slightly. Whether the case could be solved was uncertain, but their attitude was at least commendable.

"Chief," Augustus, who was sitting at Roan's desk analyzing files, quickly stood up to greet her. Verinis immediately asked, "How is the case progressing?"

Though she asked, Verinis had little hope Augustus or the others would provide any useful leads—after all, the press conference had just ended; finding the killer now was... unrealistic.

"Roan has already gone to arrest the killer, Chief."

“???”

Verinis almost lost her carefully maintained cold expression at Augustus’s words. After a few deep breaths, her mood cooled completely, and she asked sharply, "Are you joking with me?"

"No, Chief," Augustus replied, his dark face serious, leaving Verinis at a loss. Before she could ask further, Augustus picked up a file from Roan’s desk and began to explain, "Here’s what happened—the killer..."

After Augustus finished his explanation, Verinis was a bit stunned. After a long silence, she tilted her head and asked, "Do you all trust Roan Greenwood’s judgment so completely?"

Augustus shrugged—what choice did he have? Group Five was full of talented people, but when it came to solving cases, Roan was the only one with the brains and ability. If he didn’t trust Roan, who could he trust?

"And it’s not as if we’re just waiting for Roan’s news without conducting any investigation," Augustus said, motioning for a colleague to bring Verinis a chair. Pointing to Mona and others, he continued, "They’re tracking the victims’ movements and surveillance footage before their disappearance, and cross-checking their relationships; Ryder is interviewing their families."

All the key investigative directions were covered. After a moment of silence, Verinis walked toward Augustus’s office. "Any news from Roan, inform me at once."

"OK."

Once inside, Verinis locked the door, pulled out her phone, and prepared to make several calls.

Broson was clearly prepared this time, but Verinis had worked tirelessly for years to reach her position as a group supervisor—a rare achievement for a woman in the FBI. She could not let Broson defeat her.

"Good evening, this is Verinis..."

...

On another street, seeing the intersection ahead blocked solid by a pile of cars while the SUV continued to accelerate recklessly, Lacey and Darren both turned pale.

"Shit! We’re going to crash!"

"Are you insane, Roan? Hit the brakes! Move your leg, now!"