novelraw Chapter 1310 - 713: Accident
Chapter 1310 - 713: Accident
The intricate details of the case definitely couldn't be discussed with Cano on the street; they could only return to the police station together.
The two police officers from earlier were still there. This is a reservation, and although the law and order aren't great, it's at least not as chaotic as the cities, so they don't need to patrol outside all the time, just staying on the main roads for a while at most.
In fact, for a reservation, this police station already has a relatively high ratio of residents to officers, as many reservation police forces only have a single-digit number of officers.
Facing these officers, Jimmy didn't hide much. He briefly mentioned the case they had been investigating, with a focus on the traffickers coming here to exchange the kidnapped girls with buyers. However, since they had no specific characteristics or personal information about the girl, all they could say was their current information indicates the exchange happened near a building painted alternating in blue and yellow.
For the natives, a missing girl from elsewhere wasn't a concern; what they cared about was if Jimmy and his team had evidence proving the exchange happened outside their community center building. After all, for the FBI to chase someone across half of the United States, there theoretically shouldn't be a mistake.
However, being identified as the exchange location was troublesome for them. Human trafficking isn't like other crimes; buyers of this nature are definitely a significant security factor, far more severe than ordinary criminals, due to insufficient local law enforcement. Many people go missing on reservations each year, including underage girls.
If the buyer was indeed from their reservation, they needed to keep the situation under control, especially since the FBI had come all this way, implying they had substantial leads. Their people might find the person first.
Cano looked at Jimmy solemnly and asked, "Agent Yang, I need more detailed information. Do you have any suspects?"
Jimmy said, "Before we came, we were investigating people in Albuquerque with a history of sex crimes; they often have a higher probability of suspicion. But I suppose you don't have such records here, do you?"
Cano nodded; the reservation has its laws, largely independent from the State Police, other county police, and city police, and the data isn't fully synchronized.
Jimmy said, "I now hope we can temporarily dismiss all suspects. We need to think carefully about whether anyone has come here recently, as you mentioned no events have been held here for a while, so there shouldn't be many outsiders."
Cano shook his head, "There are still many non-native residents here. If they have friends or others coming over, we're not aware of all of them."
Jimmy said, "Please help by asking around; we must catch these criminals soon and save the poor girl."
Cano glanced at the two officers beside him, and the three nodded to each other. Cano looked at Jimmy, "I'll get in touch with others and do my best."
Jimmy and Hope waited at the police station for a while and got the news from Cano that they could return to Albuquerque and come back tomorrow. The information hadn't yet been compiled. Jimmy, however, didn't want to go back, having spotted a motel earlier that didn't look like much but was close by, just in case they got any leads to start out at night.
He was worried about one thing; although the officers could be trusted in principle, the inquiry could lead to leaks. If the suspects or related people were here, they might be tipped off and flee. Being nearby might allow them to intercept, perhaps.
Jimmy discussed with Hope outside, and Hope readily agreed, accustomed to following Jimmy's arrangements over these days. The two settled down in the small town.
Considering the state of affairs, Jimmy went downstairs to get a map from the owner and, based on his suggestion, bought a cup of local tea. The taste was hard to describe kindly, forcing Jimmy, used to black tea, to praise the owner's skill with restraint.
Over tea, Jimmy chatted with the owner quite a bit about the reservation's history and local conditions. Perhaps due to the facial similarity between Chinese people and the local natives, the owner didn't refuse Jimmy's chats and instead shared many so-called tribal secrets, though Jimmy wasn't highly interested in them.
He did find one issue from the conversation: Reservation residents aren't concentrated in one area; many live solitary or in small group communities outside town, although they usually come into town for purchases and events. So strictly speaking, their previous assumption may be off-target—that the buyer was likely not living in town but scattered outside, reducing the effectiveness of Cano and his team gathering helpful information here.
True to form, these unexpected bits of information were more interesting. Jimmy checked the time and grabbed two cans of beer from the side to clink glasses with the owner, chatting some more, and inquiring about places to spend leisure time if he chose to go out at night.
Jimmy paid, and the owner, naturally, didn't hesitate. After a sip of beer, he opened up. There are places at the edge of the reservation for fun, including bars and even casinos. For a single man like Jimmy, there were plenty of options for relaxation.