North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1237 679: Warning (2)

Julia: "Let me check again."

Mark and Julia returned to the car. Julia opened her laptop to look up some information, while Mark stared blankly at the two houses in front of them.

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Jimmy didn't completely let the two handle it on their own. He wasn't familiar with the OPR side, and had only met the OPR Director, David Martin, a few times, mostly due to routine business. Going directly to him would be inappropriate, so he needed to find the right person to help him inquire.

This candidate couldn't be Ruiz, and couldn't be too different in rank. After considering for a while, Jimmy thought of Tim Dunn from the administrative department. People in administration know everyone, and his rank wasn't bad; it should be no problem for him to help gather some info.

Tim Dunn and Jimmy had dealt with each other quite a bit. Jimmy opened the drawer, took a look, and decided to bring a box of black tea with him. People never mind a little courtesy.

When Tim saw Jimmy coming, he got up with a smile to greet him. After chatting for a while, Jimmy expressed his thoughts, hoping Tim could help inquire about the complaint against Mark on the OPR side.

Tim shook his head helplessly; Jimmy really wouldn't come without needing help. Every time he came by, he brought some kind of problem for Tim.

Luckily, this time it was for one of his subordinates. It wasn't some major violation.

Tim: "No problem, I'll find the time to have a look."

Jimmy: "Thanks, I don't know many people over there, and it's hard to inquire about some things. Is that it, then? I'll be leaving."

Tim: "Off you go, every time you come here it's never good news."

Jimmy left with a laugh, and Tim was just saying it. Over the years, Tim had been very dedicated to the logistics department, definitely a qualified manager. Key point: he was easy to talk to, but for someone like Jimmy, that is. As for others, well, that's another matter. Jimmy didn't know anyway.

It turned out Tim was indeed helpful. At noon, Tim called Jimmy, and they had a simple meal outside. Tim then explained the current issue.

Simply put, Mark was unlucky and got caught up in an internal event that the OPR was just launching. Because there had been no action on the OPR side for quite a long time, Director David Martin felt something was off. He gathered a few senior agents for an internal meeting, telling them to work a bit harder, at least to show they weren't just for show.

But since OPR is an internal watchdog agency, it's definitely not like other departments doing things grandiosely, so they've always been low-key and outsiders don't know much.

The first thing in monitoring agents is obviously to get the department's complaint contents and start with that. These complaints, unless completely anonymous or purely made to fool others, generally imply that the people being complained about have some issues. They're not after major offenders now, just showing that they're still doing their jobs.

Mark's complaint hit the right time. Within a day of receiving the complaint, personnel were arranged to investigate and query Mark. The internal process went smoothly. However, since he was in the Homicide Team, under Jimmy, the OPR wasn't too hard line, first arranging someone to give Jimmy a heads-up, then let Mark go himself.

When Jimmy heard the reason, he really thought Mark needed to confess extensively in a church confessional. He must have done something wrong to have such bad luck—if it had been one or two days earlier, there probably wouldn't be this mess, and even if there was a complaint, no one would look at it.

Jimmy: "So, what about this time? Do they have a conclusion yet?"

Tim: "Not yet, but I'd suggest you talk with David Martin. Maybe you'll gain something."

Jimmy: "I don't have much relationship with Martin."

Tim: "It's okay. Just ask in the afternoon. Actually, Martin doesn't have it easy either. Do you remember that runaway senior OPR agent Garrett Fuller? He used to work under Martin, and Fuller's still not captured."

Jimmy: "I have a vague memory, but I haven't seen him since, nor inquired about this matter. I truly don't know why he ran off. He's an FBI agent, after all!"

Tim: "It's related to Peter, but it's been a long time. Don't worry about it. I reckon they don't want to officially pursue him, just quietly looking."

Jimmy: "Okay, I'll find Martin in the afternoon. Ah, Mark and his team are still too inexperienced, acting too impulsively."

Tim was speechless. Wasn't Jimmy the most impulsive in the bureau?

After the meal, the two returned to the office, each holding a cup of coffee. Jimmy looked at the time and used the internal line to call David Martin, arranging a time.

David Martin was accommodating to Jimmy and didn't make him wait long. Jimmy timed it just right, arrived outside Martin's office, and knocked on the door. "Agent Martin, good afternoon."

Agent Martin stood up smiling and shook hands with Jimmy. They sat on the sofa in the meeting area; they didn't chat over the desk.

Martin: "You're here for Mark's matter, right?"

Jimmy: "You know me well, Martin. What's going on exactly?"

Martin: "You know what happened. We're conducting an investigation based on the standard complaint procedure, but this time the complaint came with surveillance video, so we had to go through the procedure."

Jimmy: "But Martin, Mark had reasonable justification."

Martin: "Oh? When he came for questioning, he didn't provide such reasons. Tell me more."

Jimmy: "I'm not targeting you guys, just stating the situation as I know it. Mark and Julia are investigating a murder case. An IRS clerk was murdered nearby. They were conducting inquiries and investigations with nearby residents. As for climbing over the backyard, it was primarily to confirm if there were any irregularities over there. The suspect in the murder case hasn't been caught. All possible places need to be investigated. Just a minor flaw appeared in the investigation process."

Martin nodded as he listened: "Hmm, it sounds reasonable. We've worked on cases before, and such situations happen inevitably sometimes. I understand."

Martin smiled at Jimmy and said, "See, it would've been better if he explained sooner. But because the homeowner has surveillance footage as evidence, we still have to investigate. It'd be best if he could persuade the complainant to withdraw."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow and understood: "Ah, right. I'll get back to Mark and tell him to revise the report and seek the other party's understanding. I believe people are reasonable and can understand our predicament."

Martin: "Yes, exactly."

Jimmy stood up, buttoned up his suit jacket, and shook hands with Martin. "I'll head back now. Thank you, Agent Martin."

Martin: "You're welcome. Drop by anytime for a chat. Goodbye."

As Jimmy left the OPR office, his smile gradually disappeared.

Although Martin didn't say much, Jimmy caught a few points. It was indeed a warning. It seemed that the previous issues that affected them were not just about Fuller's escape. However, Martin was decent enough; at least he provided a perfect solution. With the solution, it's much easier to find a way to fix Mark's mistake.

Back in his office, Jimmy first called Mark and the team to check on their progress, and then scheduled a meeting for the next morning to ensure they didn't head straight out investigating again without returning.

Being a good leader isn't easy. Jimmy really tried his best to cover for his subordinates.

However, the next day, Mark and Julia surprised Jimmy: "Yang, we found the problem. The people in those two houses with abnormal electricity usage are connected. The surveillance team has identified their encounters, and next, it's about confirming evidence."

Jimmy: "Hmm, good. It's great there's progress. Any updates on the murder case investigation?"

Mark: "Not yet. The deceased's family has been notified and came over, but they have no idea who their daughter's boyfriend is. Her colleagues also don't know. Currently, we have no leads at all."

Jimmy: "Keep following up. If we still can't find anything, we may have to shelve it. By the way, Mark, Martin reminded us that if we gain the complainant's understanding, they can end the investigation. Can you handle it?"

Mark: "No problem, and this way, I also have a reason to approach him."

Jimmy: "OK, get to work and do it well. Don't let anyone catch any mistakes."

Mark and Julia returned to their computers, first sorting through the information, then heading out together once more.