North American Detective: I am Proficient in All Kinds of Gun Quick Draws-Chapter 604 - 339 Interrogation_1

"We don't need to worry about the media and the victim's family; the forensics department will handle that. Right now, we all have only one target: the HuaQing Gang!"

"The HuaQing Gang?"

Patrol officer Hawk touched his bald head. "Dean, are you talking about that Chinese gang?"

Dean nodded. "Buddy, send someone to the HuaQing Gang. Tell their boss that if he doesn't want to spend a lifetime in prison, he needs to come to the police station and see me!"

Although Hawk didn't understand the connection between this case and the HuaQing Gang, his trust in Dean from previous collaborations stopped him from questioning it. He took his partner and drove off. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Dean then turned to Lawrence.

"Lawrence, you handle the surveillance from the property management company. Have the team review the recent community surveillance footage. I need to know the last time that lawyer, Barnaby, entered the community. Also, send someone to investigate Barnaby's law firm. If there's anything about the case you don't understand, just ask Old Hunter."

If the rat-chewed corpse in the basement really was Barnaby, it meant he had been missing for days. It was impossible his law firm hadn't noticed something was wrong. To understand the murderer's M.O., even seemingly trivial information could be decisive. Dean couldn't be bothered to explain the case details to Lawrence, so he just let him handle these tasks.

Once the room was empty, Dean turned to the apple-faced female agent who had remained silent throughout.

Normally, when faced with an unclear situation, seeing others receive assignments while you—ostensibly one of the leaders—are kept in the dark would naturally cause frustration. It would be normal to interject with questions. But this female agent hadn't.

This tactful demeanor earned an inward nod from Dean. As long as she's sensible, there'll be no problem sharing the credit. Otherwise, dealing with her would just be a waste of time and energy.

The female agent met Dean's probing gaze with a smile.

Dean's serious expression softened. He took a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to her. "You seem a bit tense. Smoke while we talk."

The apple-faced female agent's characteristic smile stiffened for a moment. She silently accepted Dean's offer, deftly produced a lighter, and lit the cigarette. After a deep drag, she said slowly, "Your powers of observation are even more formidable than your file suggests."

"You know me?" Astonishment flickered in Dean's eyes.

Could this woman also be an undercover agent planted in the FBI by National Security? The FBI departments themselves were a mess of conflicting authority, and they all liked to plant their own people. They were never truly united, so such things weren't uncommon. There had even been plenty of mutual backstabbing. His guess might not be far off.

However, the apple-faced female agent shook her head. "Actually, I noticed you a long time ago. It was when you'd just been promoted to Detective and were treating your colleagues to dinner. Later, fueled by alcohol, you slept with a girl. That girl was my younger sister."

Dean was speechless.

His accursedly vivid memory, jogged by her words, instantly transported him back: he'd just been promoted and had treated his colleagues to dinner at a floating restaurant. Later, while planning to rest on the boat, he'd rescued a girl who was being chased and subsequently took her back to his place for the night... Booze and women were a dangerous mix. After that incident, Dean rarely drank to excess.

Dean had never imagined that after all this time, he'd run into the sister of a one-night stand! And from the agent's tone, she'd been aware of him ever since that night! But it wasn't as if the girl had been a virgin! Had he actually knocked her up with one shot?

Dean's mind, far sharper than average, raced through these possibilities in an instant.

After she finished speaking, the female agent observed Dean's expression. Seeing the flicker of realization and astonishment in his eyes, she nodded. "Good, you remember. While I have no respect for scumbags who take advantage of women in vulnerable situations, you did save my sister's life that time. That's why, even after I found out you'd taken advantage of my sister, I didn't come looking for you immediately. Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Leia, a psychological expert specializing in crime scene investigation and interrogation."

Dean breathed a sigh of relief. So he hadn't knocked her up. No matter what a scoundrel he was, if she'd actually been pregnant with his child, he would have taken responsibility. But that would have been unfair to Niel. This outcome was undoubtedly for the best.

Dean took Leia's offered hand, his smile now a touch more sincere. "I apologize for what happened with your sister. However, the case is our priority right now. Once it's solved, if you'd like, I can speak to your sister personally."

"Forget it." Leia pulled her hand back, her eyes scornful. "My sister, the fool, has been acting like she drank a witch's potion. After she woke up that morning, she couldn't stop thinking about you. She even begged me to help her find you. I couldn't refuse my sister's pleas, so I looked into your background. The results... Stud. Walking pile of hormones. Humanoid self-propelled cannon. If you had a sister, would you let her get involved with someone like that?"

Dean shrugged. "If he's as outstanding as I am, why not?"

Hearing such a shameless response, Leia clenched her fists. She took several deep breaths before saying through gritted teeth, "I don't want to waste any more time on this. Let's get back to the case, Detective Dean. You targeted the HuaQing Gang directly. Did you find something?"