Chapter 211: Hell's Paradise - Low-End Version
Unit 5 Investigation Team, office area.
The surveillance footage on the computer continued, and William's technical agents also gathered around.
The moment they saw the angry short-haired woman, the man was clearly flustered. Angelique had her back to the camera, so Luo An and the others could not see the expression on her face.
However, as Angelique spoke, the anger on the short-haired woman's face intensified, and her right hand moved toward her lower back.
Not finding anything, the short-haired woman paused for a moment, then raised her hand to slap Angelique's face, but the man hastily stopped her.
The short-haired woman became even angrier, harshly slapped the man across the face, kicked him between the legs, spat on him, and then turned and left.
"..."
After viewing the footage on the surveillance video, the entire Unit 5 fell silent.
Reesi scratched her head, trying to find excuses to explain Angelique's behavior, who had been posing as a dancer.
But the behavior of Angelique and the man clearly went beyond mere play-acting. Had the short-haired woman not intervened, Angelique might have actually engaged in a game with the man on the street corner.
"Cough cough."
After a long silence, Luo An coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention, and said:
"Angelique has worked for the FBI for more than ten years and is a respected member of our bureau. Her reputation is our reputation.
Therefore, all of the intelligence we have recently acquired must absolutely not be leaked."
"Understood!"
"We know that!"
Reisman and William, along with others, nodded in agreement.
"Good."
Luo An was pleased and then stated:
"So, the next objective for everyone here is to ascertain the identities and current addresses of the man and woman in the video!"
"No problem!"
The agents all responded resoundingly to his words.
Moments later, Angelique's husband Tom, holding several folders, knocked on the door of the office area of Unit 5.
Seeing this, Reesi looked somewhat perplexed, while Luo An, with a stiff upper lip, picked up a cup of coffee and welcomed Tom into the lounge.
"Hello, Deputy Group Leader Greenwood."
Tom handed the folders to Luo An, then eagerly asked:
"How's it going, have you made any breakthroughs?"
"We have indeed found some clues."
"What clues? Is it the murderer who killed Angelique?"
Tom asked urgently, and seeing Luo An shake his head silently, Tom quickly explained:
"Sorry, my mind is a mess right now, I only want one answer... I want to help, in any way I can, just tell me what you need."
"Sorry, Tom."
Passing the coffee on the table to him, to help calm his emotions, Luo An said:
"You are with the Criminal Justice Department, and you know the regulations of our procedure; you can't get involved in this investigation."
"OK, OK..."
Upon hearing this, Tom sighed deeply, then grasped Luo An's hand again, his face full of an emotional plea for Luo An to definitely catch the murderer who killed his wife.
"Angelique was one of us, I will definitely catch the person who killed her."
Luo An nodded and promised, chatted a bit more, then sent Tom out of the Unit 5, advising him to stay home and wait for news, reassuring him that he would be notified immediately of any developments.
Watching Tom take the elevator to leave the place, Luo An turned back to Unit 5 and ordered two technical agents to continue investigating Tom, and then inquired:
"How's it going, have you found any information?"
"Of course."
William nodded affirmatively and said:
"Angelique had a supplementary bank card with records of several hotel stays on it.
According to the surveillance video from that hotel, we found the man, named Tino, a second-tier boxer.
His girlfriend is named Aria, a former shooter. After comparing photos, we confirmed she is the short-haired woman in the surveillance."
"A former shooter?"
Luo An was a bit puzzled:
"What do you mean? She retired?"
"No."
Mona beside him shook her head, typing on the keyboard and pulling up some documents:
"Aria was involved in a conflict with another competitor during her younger days in competitions, and ended up attacking the competitor with a weapon, which landed her in prison.
Later, because she lost her athlete status, her financial situation was so poor that soon after, Aria went back to prison for theft, drug trafficking, illegal weapon possession, and other charges.
She just got out of prison five months ago."
After describing the information on the computer, Mona clucked her tongue:
"Adultery is the most common motive for murder."
Reesi nodded in agreement:
"Moreover, the wounds on Angelique show that she had a close encounter with the murderer before her death."
Luo An didn't bother with pleasantries, quickly grabbing Reesi and heading to the equipment room, saying at the same time:
"Lede, go and bring that boxer back right now.
Mona, where is Aria now?"
————
In a large gun store parts warehouse in Queens.
When Luo An and Reesi arrived by car, Aria was talking and laughing with two men who were unloading large gun crates next to a vehicle.
Luo An and Reesi stepped out of the car, and before they could speak, Aria, noticing the word "FBI" on their clothes, her pupils constricted, and with a kick she knocked down one of the men and the large crate, then turned to run.
"Fu-k!"
Seeing this, Reesi stood up to give chase, while Luo An quickly surveyed the terrain and, after jumping over the man lying on the ground, shouted while running:
"You take left, I'll take right!"
"OK!"
After knocking down the crate, Aria quickly turned and ran into the gun store's parts warehouse, pulling the door open and rushing in.
Following Luo An's order, Reesi quickly headed to another exit of the warehouse, while Luo An followed Aria's silhouette, also pulling open the warehouse door and barging in.
The warehouse was huge, with flickering lights, filled with large wooden crates containing gun parts.
Aria, relying on her past work experience in this place, swiftly weaved through the paths between crates, while Luo An, using agile moves and sharp reflexes, quickly closed in on Aria through the gaps between crates.
"Shit!"
Catching a glimpse of Luo An fast approaching with a smile out of the corner of her eye, Aria's pupils shrank and she broke out in a cold sweat. As she reached toward her back waist, suddenly another exit appeared before her, and she quickly pulled open the door and ran out.
As Aria disappeared and the door had not yet closed, Luo An also ran out through the door, only to see Aria holding a handgun, trying to pull a driver out of a passing car to take it and flee.
"Get out fast!"
Aria pulled open the car door and eagerly grabbed the screaming female driver.
At that moment, Reesi also arrived, seeing the scene unfold and quickly raising her handgun to block the car's path while shouting:
"Aria! Don't move! Drop the weapon in your hand!"
"Fu-k!"
Hearing this, and seeing the weapon in Reesi's hand, Aria's face grew even uglier. In desperation, she grabbed the female driver, preparing to take her hostage.
Before she could pull the woman out of the driver's seat, Aria suddenly felt her left hand grabbed.
As she was about to turn around, a terrifying force suddenly came from that grip, followed by a man's mild voice asking:
"Have you heard of the budget version of Hell's Paradise?"
"?"
Aria was slightly startled, not quite understanding what the other person meant, when she suddenly felt her feet leave the ground.