Chapter 493
With Kelly Larks’ consent.
Luke filed a request to the police department to re-match Sophia’s DNA with the DNA of Kelly Larks’ husband’s corpse for identification.
Because it involves an open casket autopsy, Reed is a bit baffled at first, wondering why Luke would want to do this.
When he learns that there may be a mole in the FBI, and that this mole may have access to the case information database, Reed agrees.
In order to ensure the accuracy of the DNA identification, Luke was present throughout the digging process.
Kelly Larks also forced herself to endure the pain of attending the scene and cried her eyes out, adding to the stress of the officers present.
If not as a last resort, the police are not willing to open the coffin to examine the body, this behavior is liable, but also vulnerable to complaints from the family.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly, the DNA extracted from the bones was sent to the technical team of the Detective Bureau for expedited identification.
After this was done, Luke contacted Anthony.
The police had already opened the casket and Anthony didn’t wait any longer to tell Internal Affairs about the possible mole within the FBI, allowing Internal Affairs to lead the mole investigation.
Before the results of the new DNA identification came out, Luke was able to do not much, after a simple arrangement of tasks, called Ramon together to go to the police range to practice marksmanship.
Luke practiced with his pistol first, and after hitting a few targets, he started practicing with his rifle.
His current marksmanship was already very good, not looking for refinement, but he had to maintain a good condition.
In Ramon’s words, if you don’t know what to do, then coming to the range to practice your gun is definitely the best decision.
The next morning, with the DNA results still pending, Luke sent Blackie to Tech to keep an eye on things while the rest of the team had their usual morning meeting.
Yesterday Luke went target shooting, but the others were still working on the case.
The lieutenant said, “I looked into Kelly Larks and the nanny’s finances, and neither found any large amounts of money moving around.”
Luke nodded, and when he had communicated with Kelly Lax and the nanny, he hadn’t found any obvious signs of them lying either.
“What about Hugo Choudhury’s side of the story?”
Matthew said, “Hugo Choudhury has quite a few convictions for speeding, burglary, robbery, and assault with intent.
He had been living in San Francisco before and came to Los Angeles about a year ago.
I contacted the San Francisco police and asked for their help in investigating Hugo Choudhury.
But no valuable feedback has been received yet.”
Luke said, “According to the kidnapper John’s confession, Sophia was brought by Hugo Choudhury and the two of them have been in contact for a much longer time.
Knowing Hugo Choudhury’s past will be helpful in understanding Sophia’s identity.
I will contact the FBI and have them investigate Hugo Choudhury.”
Although there are more police officers, the regions are not well connected and the FBI is better suited to investigate across the region.
It was after ten in the morning when Blackie, who had gone to squat in the technical team, finally returned.
He had opened the door to his office, holding a piece of information in his hand, “Guys, exciting times are here.”
The vice squad rolled his eyes, “You kid don’t be staggering, we’re investigating a case now, hurry up and say the result.”
The others also turned their eyes to Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei gave a sarcastic smile, revealing a mouth full of large white teeth, “According to the DNA identification results, Sophia and Kelly Lax’s husband are not biologically related.
They are not father and daughter.”
The crowd looked different.
Luke had already thought of this possibility before and didn’t hesitate for too long, going straight to the next step of the arrangement.
“Lieutenant, contact Anthony and tell him about this.”
“Marcus, arraign Sophia.”
“YES, Sir.”
The investigative machine was up and running, and the men split up.
Robbery and Murder Division interrogation room.
Sophia was escorted into the interrogation room in handcuffs, her hands cuffed to the interrogation chair.
Luke re-examined the young woman in front of him, “What’s your name?”
“Sophia.”
“I asked for your real name?”
“I told you, I have amnesia, and my name has been Sophia ever since I can remember.”
“Stop pretending, we know you’re not Sophia, the victim of a kidnapping ten years ago, who the hell are you?”
Sophia froze, “I never said I was Sophia either. You guys were the ones who found two to identify with me, and I can’t believe now that I have a stepmother in this world.
I can feel that she doesn’t like me, and I don’t like her just the same.”
“Sophia, we didn’t suspect you because of Kelly Lax’s questioning.
From the first time we met, I sensed that you were lying and hiding something.
At that time, I thought that you were the victim of a kidnapping case ten years ago, and that you had done something wrong under the coercion of the kidnappers, and that you didn’t tell the truth out of a troubled conscience or fear of the law.
But now it seems that the real purpose of your lie was just to cover up the truth that you were impersonating Sophia.”
Sophia squirmed a bit, seeming to fidget a bit, still mouthy, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Luke stood up and walked over to her, flashing the DNA identification report, “We found the DNA of Kelly Lax’s husband and compared your DNA, and you are not related by blood.
It’s safe to assume that you’re not ‘Sophia’, who the hell are you? What’s your name?”
Sophia gritted her teeth and said in annoyance, “I never said I was the victim of a kidnapping ten years ago, it was always you guys who said that.
Now it’s turned around and I’m posing as a kidnap victim, do you guys have a problem?”
“You think we police are wrong?”
“Don’t we?”
“OK, I’ll apologize in advance.” Luke spread his hands in disbelief, “Now, let’s get to the other issues.
It’s true that you didn’t say that you were Sofia, but you had your accomplice replace Sofia’s DNA typing data in the FBI profile database, so that the police would mistakenly think that you were Sofia.
In this way, even if you were caught by the police, you could disguise yourself as the victim of a kidnapping ten years ago, and with this extra layer of protection, the jury would most likely acquit you out of sympathy or coercion to commit the crime.
But now that it is proven that you are not the victim of a kidnapping ten years ago, this protective color is gone and you will definitely be acquitted.
Kidnapping and tampering with an FBI database are both felonies, and you’ll spend the first half of your life in prison.
Even if you make it out of prison, you’ll probably be an old woman with gray hair, can you imagine yourself at that point?
Is that the life you want?”
Sophia’s body trembled and her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but she was unable to speak.
Luke continued to advise, “I know you have another accomplice, and I know he’s FBI, but he can’t help you right now, and he’s also being investigated by FBI Internal Affairs.
The only one who can help you now is me.
As long as you assist the police in their investigation, give a truthful account of the crimes you have committed, and are willing to identify your accomplices, I will help you get a favorable plea deal.”
Sophia’s eyes were red and with a trembling voice she asked, “Can I trust you?”
“Of course, it’s your only choice.” Luke’s tone was certain.
Sophia was silent for a long time, and her lips bit out blood marks, “My name is Irene Reagan, I don’t have amnesia ……
But my mind is so messed up, I don’t know what to say ……”
Luke said, “I inquire, you answer.”
Eirene Reagan nodded slowly.
“Where are you from?”
“San Francisco.”
“Do you still have family?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t been home in a long time.”
“Why don’t you go back?”
“My father died when I was very young, I don’t even remember him.
My mother ……
Changed boyfriends often, Uncle Logan, Uncle Delt, Uncle Colum ……
Every year a different boyfriend would spend Christmas with her ……
When I was fifteen, a guy named Urian made a pass at me and I tried to call the police, but my mom stopped me.
That night I set a fire and left that house.
The police didn’t look for me afterward, but I knew that I couldn’t go back to the place I called ‘home’.”
“Why did you come to L.A.?”
“Hugo brought me here.”
“How did you and Hugo meet?”
“After I left that home, I wandered the streets for a long time before I was taken into prostitution by a bunch of assholes, I tried to run away but every time I did, I was recaptured and then beaten up.
Later, I met Hugo, in this middle aged man, I experienced a …… sense of security.
I wanted to be with him and begged him to take me away.
Hugo agreed.
But the assholes who were controlling me disagreed, and Hugo left.
In the early hours of the next morning, Hugo came again, this time with a gun, and took out the assholes straight away and took me away.
And because of that incident, we had to leave San Francisco.”
Eirene Reagan’s tone was very flat, but what she described was arson and murder, although it was simple to say, but Luke knew that there must be an unknown inside story, Hugo was not a fool, how could he easily kill for a street girl.
Eirene Reagan must have played a key role in this matter.
But now that Hugo Choudhury had been killed, she could have pushed all the charges onto Hugo Choudhury.
Luke didn’t want to go deeper because once he did, Irene Reagan might not continue to cooperate with the investigation, and the basis of cooperation between the two sides would be gone.
The San Francisco case was better to let the San Francisco police have a headache, Luke only wanted to find out about this kidnapping case now.
Luke continued to ask: “After coming to Los Angeles, where did you live? Doing what?”
“We lived in the Sanghera neighborhood, number 108.
Then we ran out of money ……
That asshole Hugo put me on the street ……
That’s right, I went back to my old job.
That’s when I realized that nothing had changed in my life, except that standing on the street had changed from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and the pimp had changed to Hugo.
And what broke my heart the most was precisely Hugo’s betrayal, I didn’t think he would do that, I always thought he loved me ……
I was disappointed, extremely disappointed.
I even contemplated suicide.” Eirene Reagan’s eyes were red and tears were sliding down the corners of her eyes, it looked heartbreaking.
Black handed her a pack of tissues, “Forget that asshole, he’s dead.”
“I know, I just feel sad for myself.”
Luke looked flat and unaffected as he continued to ask, “What was the name of that mole in the FBI?”
“Cracky Hosking.”
Yep, right on. “How did you two meet?”
“He’s a middle-aged man in a bad marriage.
In his words, her wife gave all her patience to her patients, and when she came home she was all kinds of impatient and resentful of him.
Every time he tried to applaud for love with his wife, she was very perfunctory and all in one position.
At first, he suspected that his wife was cheating on him, and that’s why she was so perfunctory. He was very angry and stalked his wife for some time.
But it turned out that his wife had not cheated on him.
He was relieved at first, but then he was even more helpless.
Because he couldn’t change the status quo, and he didn’t want to live his life like that, he still wanted to experience passion and act like a real man.
So he became my guest too.”
Speaking of this, a smile appeared at the corner of Eirene Reagan’s mouth, “After getting along for a long time, I realized that he is a very charming man who can bring me a sense of security.
This sense of security is different from Hugo’s, Kreki is more wise and responsible.
Later, the two of us got together.
He gave me a sum of money every month so that I didn’t have to work as a stand-up girl anymore.
Four months ago, he even divorced his wife for me, I was really touched.”
Luke made a note in his book, from Irene Reagan’s description, it was likely because she lost her father at a young age, giving her a special feeling and attachment to the middle-aged man, “Since you have a new dependence, why don’t you talk about your life, and participate in the kidnapping case?”
Eirene Reagan wiped her tears and said helplessly, “Because the divorce caused Kreki to go bankrupt, he can’t afford to give me any more money, and that asshole Hugo will force me to stand in the street.
We need the money.
If there was money ……
I wouldn’t have so many tragedies in my life.”
“Cracky Hosking is FBI, with him out there, how dare Hugo Choudhury force you?” Something didn’t make sense to Luke.
“Hugo’s an outlaw, he won’t shy away from any threats. Besides, he knows about my past, and once he’s arrested, I could go to jail too.
Cracky was worried about me and said that this whole thing needed to be planned slowly.
He even went so far as to borrow money for me to give to Hugo in order to keep me from going to the stand.”
Luke guessed that the slow planning that was being done was to use the kidnapping to get rid of Hugo Choudhury and make him the fall guy.
“Who planned the kidnapping?”
“Kreki.”
Fruit of the Loom: “When did the planning start?”
“A month after Kreki’s divorce, about three months ago.”
“It was also his idea for you to disguise yourself as Sophia.”
“It was.
She looked into the case of Sofia’s kidnapping and knew that Sofia’s real parents were dead and had left her a large inheritance.
She asked me if I wanted to be a really rich girl.
How could I not want to?
In my wildest dreams.” Eirene Reagan exclaimed, “I want to be like Sophia and have a father who loves her.
I want to be born and clothed like Sophia.
I also want to live in a mansion and enjoy an aristocratic life ……”
Luke said, “Tell us about your detailed plans.”
Eirene Reagan sighed softly, “Kreki has divided the plan into three parts.
The first part was handled by Kreki, two months ago, he hacked the FBI’s profile information database and replaced Sophia’s DNA typing with mine and re-uploaded it to the database.
He’s really good at it, I don’t even understand how he did it, but he really did it, or else you guys wouldn’t be mistaking me for Sophia.”
Luke frowned slightly, vaguely sensing that something was wrong, and asked, “How long have you known Krejci Hoskin?”
“Eight months.”
“When did Craigie Hosking start giving you money?”
“A month after we met.”
Luke recounted, “You met eight months ago and then fell in love with each other.
Seven months ago Craigie Hosking started giving you a monthly payment so you could stop standing on the street.
Four months ago Craigie Hoskin divorced his wife for you, causing him to go bankrupt and unable to give you any more money.
Three months ago, Hugo Choudhury forced you to stand on the street again, and in desperation, you and Craigie Hosking planned the kidnapping.
Two months ago, Craigie Hosking hacked the FBI’s resource database and replaced Sophia’s DNA typing with yours.
Is there a problem with what I’ve recounted?”
Eirene Reagan thought for a moment, “Yes, it is.”
Luke knew what the problem was, time.
The FBI’s resource database had indeed been hacked, but not two months ago, but six.
That meant that not long after Kreki Hoskin and Irene Reagan had met, he had already planned, and begun to implement the first and most important step of the plan, replacing Sophia’s DNA typing.
At the time, Craigie Hoskin was not divorced.
The so-called divorce and bankruptcy that prevented him from continuing to make payments, and the kidnapping that he had to carry out in order to keep Irene Reagan from going back to being a streetwalker, could have been just an excuse for him to gain Irene Reagan’s trust.
Even the divorce and bankruptcy could have been part of the plan.
Luke guessed that Craigie Hosking had done this with the intention of cultivating a relationship and turning Irene Reagan into a long-term meal ticket.