Chapter 420
The following morning.
Luke went to the supermarket and purchased some white paper, drawing board and charcoal pencils for sketching.
He was prepared to draw a criminal investigation sketch portrait of that Mr. Song who wanted to hire a private accountant through Li Zhaofeng’s description.
Luke set up the drawing board, laid out the white paper, and began to ask about that Mr. Song’s physical characteristics.
Li Zhaofeng frowned tightly, looking a little difficult, it had been more than three months, his memory was already blurred, but he didn’t want to disappoint his son’s good intentions.
Efforts were made to recall.
Under Luke’s guidance, Li Zhaofeng gradually recalled some of Mr. Song’s characteristics ……
Little Fatty sat on the sidelines and looked very seriously, his hands resting on his fat cheeks, or the first time he saw a criminal investigation sketch.
Although the little fat man does not say, but his brother is still very admiring, young to solve a few big cases, in the city of Los Angeles is very famous, but also in the White House to accept the President’s award, and Wei, fierce, and rich, such a brother who does not like.
Of course, this sense of admiration actually started from last year, it’s just that the good in front of him made Little Fatty ignore the previous robbery of the New Year’s money.
The corner of Little Fatty’s mouth hooked up a smile, he and his brother have the same genes, when he grows up so big he should be excellent too.
No, he himself should be even better.
Every time, father and son were together, time would pass very quickly.
After eleven o’clock in the morning, Luke finished the criminal investigation sketch portrait.
“Dad, do you see anything else that needs to be changed?”
The man on the drawing board was about thirty-something years old, had a moustache, was of Asian descent, and had a shallow scar on the lower side of his left cheek.
Li Zhaofeng stared at the sketched portrait, “It’s already very similar to the Mr. Song I remember.”
Little Fatty also praised from the sidelines, “Older brother, your drawing is really good, when did you learn how to sketch portraits, how come I don’t know?”
Luke put the charcoal pencil aside: “I still have to tell you specifically when I learned?”
Li Zhaofeng laughed: “Your brother learned to sketch when he was in third grade, it’s just that you were still small at that time.”
Little Fatty skimmed his lips, is that still small? I wasn’t even born yet na, okay.
“Ringing ……”
Luke’s cell phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and the number looked somewhat familiar.
“Hello.”
“This is Negan.”
“Supervisor Negan, what can I do for you?”
“I know a restaurant that serves a good steak, want to try it?”
“Sure, I’ve had too much Chinese food in the past two days and I’m looking for a change of pace.”
“I’ll send you the address.”
“See you in a bit.” Luke hung up his cell phone and said to Li Zhaofeng, “A friend from the FBI invited me to dinner.”
Li Zhaofeng was a little worried, “There won’t be anything wrong.”
“Nothing, I was just about to talk to him too.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Li Zhaofeng was a bit uneasy, this matter was related to him after all.
“No need.” As fellow law enforcement officers, the conversation between Luke and Negan would be more direct, and it would be inappropriate for Li Zhaofeng to be present instead.
Little Fatty gulped, “Older brother, what are you going to eat?”
Luke pinched his brother’s head, “Your focus …… is marvelous.”
Little Fatty shrugged, “I haven’t eaten western food for a few days either.”
“Stay home honestly, come back and bring you good food.”
“Don’t forget.”
“Got it.”
Luke drove away in the gray Volvo.
Li Zhaofeng stood at the door and watched the car disappear into the street entrance.
Little Fatty stood behind and asked, “Dad, what are we going to eat for lunch?”
Logan’s Steakhouse.
Luke drove to the neighborhood and parked his car in the parking lot not far away, this steakhouse had a typical western style, and there was a model of a longhorn cow at the entrance.
Luke walked into the restaurant, maybe it was midday the restaurant wasn’t very crowded, Negan was sitting at a table against the stairs.
Negan stood up, “I’m here.”
Luke walked over and looked around the restaurant, “Nice setting.”
“Tastes even better, I’ve been eating here for about ten years.” Negan waved his hand and led Luke up to the second floor, “There are fewer guests at noon, and the second floor is basically closed.”
Sure enough, the second floor tables were all empty, and the two found a seat by the window.
Not long after, a waiter came up and handed over two menus, “What would you like to eat?”
Negan made a please gesture and turned to Luke, “My treat.”
Luke flipped through the menus and ordered one of the signature dishes, the black pepper rib eye steak, he still found the beef fragrant with a little fat.
A side of fries, a strawberry salad, and a seafood risotto.
Luke finished his order and the waitress looked at Negan again.
Without looking at the menu, Negan simply said, “Same old rules, bring out that bottle of red wine I keep in the store.”
The waitress left.
Luke got right to the point and said, “Supervisor Negan, what can I do for you?”
Negan took out a folder and pulled a file out of it, “A homicide was discovered this morning, and I’d like to ask you, the criminal investigation consultant, for some counsel.”
Luke glanced at his watch, “Is the consultant stipend by the hour or is it billed on a case basis.”
He himself was only granted the status of consultant yesterday, and today he has a case, the FBI is really a man of the people and does not feed the idle.
Negan laughed, “Settled by case, but only if the case is solved.”
Luke opened the information to check.
The deceased, Ma Jiansheng.
Nationality, Chinese American.
Age, 43.
Occupation, accountant.
Company, Prosperity Accounting.
Social Security number, 050-53-7343.
Address, 109 Samarchi neighborhood, Manhattan.
Luke asked, “Just the deceased’s profile, no crime scene photos?”
“The FBI just found out about his murder as well, the scene investigators are still at the scene, the rest of the information will have to come later.”
“What’s so special about this dead man that he deserves so much attention?”
“He’s not important, it’s the other one we’re concerned about.” Negan took out another piece of information, “This is the person we’re really looking for.”
Name, Zhou Tiancheng.
Nationality, Malay-Chinese
Age, 40.
Company, Layo International Transportation Company
Prior convictions, intentional injury, smuggling, gathering people for gambling
Negan introduced, “Zhou Tiancheng was originally a stacked horseman of the Genting Group in the Malay country, but later obtained a license for online gambling in the Philippines and operated betting websites, and his betting websites are spread all over the Southeast Asian countries.
Although most of these countries in Southeast Asia have casinos, they usually prohibit their own residents from entering.
The Internet gambling operated by Zhou Tiancheng, on the other hand, live-streams the gambling activities of local casinos, attracts foreign and local residents to gamble illegally over the phone and online, and transfers the ill-gotten gains in a variety of ways, such as through underground money changers.
Since there are no physical objects such as chips or cash in hand, gamblers lack psychological pressure when placing bets and are more likely to become addicted.
There have been numerous cases of people getting into debt and losing all their money, with some losing $3 million in three years.
What is even more exaggerated is that gamblers can directly settle their bets in dollars. The platform has a specialized gambling settlement department, and the annual gambling money is up to billions of dollars.
Malay police have been investigating privately and decided to arrest him after getting enough evidence.
But this guy has deep connections in the Malay country and got the news in advance and escaped.
Some time ago, we got word that he might have run to New York.”
Luke asked, “What does this have to do with the FBI?”
“The Malay government wants the U.S. government to repatriate him and return home for trial.
The bottom line is that he’s hiding a lot of stolen money and property.
Malay and Southeast Asian countries want to recover these properties.
Since Zhou Tiancheng ran to the United States, is there any better than the FBI?”
During the conversation, the waiter came over with a bottle of red wine and poured it for the two.
The two clinked a glass.
The waiter began to serve the food and the two ate while they talked.
Luke asked, “What is the relationship between accountant Ma Jiansheng and Zhou Tiancheng?”
“Zhou Tiancheng has hidden a lot of industries around the world, the American industry is taken care of by a henchman named Song Jinbao, according to our investigation Zhou Tiancheng for his own investigation was prepared early, the assets are also anonymous or listed in other people’s names.
Many of these illegal operations require the participation of professionals, this accountant Ma Jiansheng should be responsible for this aspect.
According to our investigation Song Jinbao had contacted two accountants and Ma Jiansheng was one of them.”
Although Negan didn’t say it through, the meaning was already obvious, Li Zhaofeng should be the other accountant, which was also the reason why the FBI was tracking him.
“Do you have any information on Kimberly Sung?” Luke asked.
According to Lee Siu Fung, there was indeed a man named Song who wanted to hire him as a personal accountant in early October.
Negan took out another piece of information and handed it to Luke.
Luke had just sketched the portrait this morning, and although he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he did understand some of the man’s physical characteristics, which matched Song Jinbao’s photo very well.
“Last night, I talked to my father.
He also mentioned that a man surnamed Song wanted to hire him as a private accountant, however, that man surnamed Song claimed to be from Wo Sheng Tang, and my father, not wanting to deal with gangs, rejected the other party, and there has been no contact since then.”
Negan also confessed, “We went to Song Jinbao’s house to investigate and found Li Zhaofeng’s business card, that’s why we sent someone to investigate.
Now it seems that this Ma Jiansheng should be the accountant Zhou Tiancheng chose.”
Luke asked, “Why was accountant Ma Jiansheng killed?”
“It’s unclear for now.
Although we know that Zhou Tiancheng smuggled himself into New York, we have not been able to find out his exact whereabouts, and the same goes for Song Jinbao.
Things are more complicated than expected.
King of Gamblers Zhou Tiansheng’s fame is huge, he’s like a piece of fat meat now, every power wants to take a bite.
Including the gangs, the NYPD, and the CIA bastards.”
Negan put down his dinner knife and sighed, “Especially the CIA group of assholes, they are used to being ‘wild’ abroad and will do anything for profit.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they killed Ma Jiansheng.”
Luke asked, “What does the FBI want?”
Negan swept his gaze around, “Find Zhou Tiancheng.”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Zhou Tiancheng’s assets in the United States are divided into two parts, one part is the explicit assets that have been frozen.
However, he has hidden some anonymous assets, finding Zhou Tiancheng will lead to the hidden assets.
These assets are all stolen goods, some of which need to be auctioned.
And the auction of stolen goods will definitely be below the market price.” Negan had a you-know-what expression.
Luke tried, “Does it fit the program?”
“Of course, or the NYPD and CIA wouldn’t be so active.
It’s not easy for either department, and there’s always a need for some funding and benefits, don’t you think?”
“Totally agree.”
“So, are you interested in getting involved?”
“You want me to investigate the murder of Ma Jian Sheng?”
“Yes, I’ve checked your profile.
Anthony is very good at investigating major criminal cases, and although he occasionally messes up, his ability is unquestionable.
But it’s hard not to get people’s attention when you and he are jointly investigating cases that all overshadow him.”
Luke said, “You want to trace Zhou Tiancheng’s whereabouts through the case of Ma Jiansheng’s murder?”
“Ma Jiansheng is the only person we know to have contacted Zhou Tiancheng. His death must have something to do with Zhou Tiansheng.
New York is too big, if Zhou Tiansheng intends to hide, it will be difficult for us to find him in a short period of time.
This is a good breakthrough.”
Luke pursued, “The FBI has so many talents, why do you want me to join?”
“It’s true that the FBI has a lot of talent, but the experts in criminal investigation under me are no match for Anthony.
And Anthony recommended you to me.
It’s a big piece of cake, not much more than you.
And with all the major forces eyeing it, the FBI’s advantage is not obvious, and you’re now considered an FBI man, there’s no reason not to use a ready-made talent.”
Luke took a sip of red wine and curiously said, “How much bonus will I get for catching Zhou Tiancheng?”
Negan laughed, “I guarantee that if you can catch Zhou Tiancheng, you can just retire.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Luke wouldn’t mind the money.
On another note, he also wanted to know more about the case, with the other accountant killed, would Li Zhaofeng be in danger?
“Man, trust me, FBI benefits are far from LAPD.
Eat your fill and get to work with me.”
109 Samachie neighborhood.
This is a middle-class community, not far from where Li Zhaofeng lives is the community, the community also two-story townhouses.
The roadside was full of cars, there were NYPD cars, and FBI cars, and the villa entrance was also pulled up a cordon.
Luke could only park his car further away and followed Negan into the villa.
The FBI agents standing at the door all offered their greetings, and
“Hey, Boss.”
“Supervisor.”
Luke snickered, “They all like you.”
“That’s right, the ones that don’t like me are getting the hell out.
It’s damn charming.”
Luke laughed, “I’d like to have that charm.”
“Then you’ll have to work for it.”
As they spoke, the two of them went inside the villa, which was decorated in a minimalist manner, to be a bit more outdated than Li Zhaofeng’s house.
Several FBI agents were gathered in the living room.
A black mixed race man walked over, “Hey Boss, I was just about to report to you.”
“No rush, let me introduce you guys.” Negan pointed to Luke beside him, “Luke Lee, the Bureau’s newly hired criminal investigation consultant and the most famous criminal investigation expert in the western United States.”
The mixed black man laughed, “Isn’t Anthony the most famous criminal investigation expert in the western United States?”
Luke laughed, “He’s old.”
The mixed race black man laughed and introduced himself, “Michael Jeter, head of the FBI’s Criminal Investigation Division.”
Negan corrected, “Acting Team Leader.”
“Soon to be Team Leader. ” Michael Jeter chested.
Negan shrugged, “Now is not the time to look ahead, let’s just solve this case first.”
“OK, let me describe the scene.” Michael Jet walked over to the living room and pointed to a chair in the middle of the living room, “Colleagues from the Intelligence Department received a message that Ma Jiansheng had gone home.
In the early hours of this morning, colleagues from the Intelligence Department came to his home to check on him, but unfortunately they were too late and Ma Jiansheng was already dead.
Ma Jiansheng’s body was tied to this chair at that time, there were a large number of injuries on his body, and a lot of blood was left on the floor, so he should have been tortured before he was born.
The fatal wound was in the neck, cutting the throat and suffocating.”
Michael Jett took out a few photos and handed them to Negan, “These are photos of the scene, it’s a bit gruesome.”
Negan looked at the photos and handed them to Luke who stepped aside, “Any other leads?”
Michael Jett replied, “This should be the first scene, there are obvious traces of rummaging in the house, no cell phone of the deceased was found, and the results of further autopsy are not yet available.
We found several sets of shoe prints with blood around the chair, most likely left by the suspect.
The deceased died between ten and twelve last night.
I’ve sent out a search for witnesses and searched the surrounding surveillance.”
Luke asked, “Did the surrounding neighbors hear voices last night?”
Michael Jett shook his head, “No.”
Negan looked aside to Luke, “What do you think?”
Luke said, “I’d like to take a look around the scene.”
“OK,” Negan nodded.
Eyeing Luke up to the second floor, Michael Jett turned to Negan and asked, “Boss, where’s this guy from?”
“Los Angeles.”
“Anthony’s guy?”
“No, he’s LAPD.”
Michael Jeter wondered even more, “Why would a LAPD be a criminal investigation counselor in the FBI’s New York office?”
A white girl with curly brown hair replied, “I recognize him.
Luke Lee, who just last year received the Public Safety Officer’s highest medal of honor.
He’s the one who took out the Las Vegas shooter single-handedly, a tough guy.”
Negan said, “That’s right.
He happened to be in New York during this time, and I asked him to assist in the investigation of this case.”
Michael Jeter spread his hands, “So which one of us two is in charge?”
Negan said, “Both of you can report directly to me.
Don’t get into that mess, I want you two to work together, the case is what’s important.
Understand?”
“OK. I hope he gets used to New York soon.”
Luke’s mind was on the crime scene and had no extra thoughts.
He promised Negan to assist in the investigation of this case, on the one hand, because his father was involved in it, and may also have suffered a man-made car accident retaliation incident, this matter is not investigated clearly, Luke is not at ease.
And this case happens to be a good entry point.
Furthermore, this case involves the Southeast Asian gambling king, if he can catch him, Luke can also make a big fortune, why not.
The first and second floors of the villa had traces of being rummaged through, and the suspect looked like he was looking for something.
The townhouses are very close together, and the soundproofing is not as good as that of a villa with a separate courtyard. The fact that the victim was forced to make a confession before he died but no one heard the commotion indicates that the suspect is very professional, and it is unlikely that he left any fingerprints behind.
Another is the murderer’s purpose, according to Negan’s statement the deceased is an accountant, but also the only two and the gambling king Zhou Tiancheng had contact with the person, now many forces are looking for Zhou Tiancheng’s whereabouts, expect to get his hidden property.
Then, it is likely that the deceased was forced to confess because of this reason.
Find Zhou Tiancheng’s whereabouts and obtain his property.
Luke circled around the house and didn’t find too many valuable clues.
He returned to the living room on the first floor and landed his eyes on the floor of the living room, the set of bloody shoe prints to be exact.
Luke directly used a footprint identification card.
A set of data appeared in his brain.
[Shoes, turtle-soled leather boots
Gender, male
Height, 170-175CM
Weight, 55-65 kilograms
Age, between 33 and 38.
Disabled right leg.]
Michael Jet kept his eyes on Luke out of the corner of his eye, he had a vague sense of crisis, what exactly did Supervisor Negan mean?
Dissatisfied with his own ability?
Trying to find someone to irritate and make himself work harder.
Or was he overthinking it, he was simply valuing this case and finding himself a helper.
He was still the acting team leader, don’t be silly if it wasn’t the acting but the team leader that was removed at that time.
Regardless, he decided to try Luke’s pound of flesh.
LAPD, can that scatterbrained city of LA have as many homicides as New York?
Can it have as many perverts as New York?
Thinking of this, Michael Jett inexplicably gained a little more confidence.
“Counselor Lee, you’ve been staring at this set of footprints, have you found any clues?”
Negan and a few of the remaining agents looked over as well.
Luke stood up, he was new to the city and a different law enforcement agency, it would be hard to convince people if he didn’t show some skills, “Yes, I found some clues.
This set of shoe prints appeared at the crime scene, even if it is not left by the murderer, it is likely to be a witness.
From this set of shoe prints, we can also analyze some characteristics of the owner of the footprints.
For example, the owner of the footprints should be a male, with a height of about 170-175CM, a weight of about 55-65 kilograms, an age of between 33 and 38, and he should have suffered an injury or congenital disability to his right leg.”
Michael Jet stared at the shoe prints on the ground with wide eyes, “Just based on these few shoe prints alone, you can surmise the owner’s gender, age, weight, and physical disability, is there any basis for that?”
The white girl said, “Counselor Li, do you have other sources of information?”
Negan grunted, “Hey, this is New York, if he has other sources, I’ll be the first to fire you guys.”
Luke explained, “There is a Chinese forensic technique called footprint identification, which can infer the physical characteristics of the murderer based on the suspect’s shoe prints, and I happened to have learned some of it.
It can lock the suspect’s characteristics as soon as possible and narrow down the scope of the investigation.”
The white girl was also a bit surprised, “To be able to tell so much based on just one shoe print, this is too incredible.”
Negan nodded: “China does have this criminal investigation skill, many years ago I had the pleasure of seeing it, it’s very powerful, it’s hard to analyze it with just an instrument, it’s more of a subjective experience judgment.
So it can’t be used as a basis for finalizing a case, however, it can be borrowed or used as a clue in the investigation of a case.” Negan finished, the heart also more than a trace of doubt, he has read Luke’s information, should not have been to China, and where to learn the footprint identification?
Not only was Negan muttering in his heart, the other agents were also with a few doubts.
So cow?
Sounds quite bluffing, is it reliable?