North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1311 - 713: Accident

The reservation laws here are somewhat different from other places. Federal and state laws can be implemented here, but their autonomy is much greater than other cities and counties within the state. So, it's not uncommon to find casinos and other entertainment venues in the reservations. Many states that don't allow public casinos have them within the reservations, attracting people from surrounding areas to come and play.

New Mexico doesn't prohibit casinos, but the public ones are mostly in border towns and reservations, rarely found in major cities. Thus, the hotel owner naturally recommended the casino on the edge of the reservation to Jimmy and Hope, who came alone.

Jimmy confirmed the casino location, finished his beer with the owner, and returned to the room. He called Hope over and, from memory, drew several entertainment places recommended by the owner on a piece of paper.

Jimmy: "The direction we were considering earlier might be somewhat lacking. There are several casinos here, and their locations aren't together. Where there are casinos, there's bound to be alcohol and sex. Do you think it's possible that the buyer is here?"

Hope nodded: "Of course. But being able to open a casino here involves people and forces..."

Jimmy understood Hope's meaning. Those who can open casinos locally have considerable influence. Although this is a small reservation, given the laws and native advantages, directly acting here is quite troublesome for Jimmy and his team. Besides, they're investigating the kidnapped girl and the buyer, not the gangs here, and it's impossible to investigate all gangs.

After a brief chat, Jimmy asked Hope if he was interested in checking out the casinos. Hope shook his head; their identity wasn't a problem at the casinos, as they have legitimate reasons, but it's best to keep that left until other leads are cleared, otherwise the report would be difficult to handle.

Cano's efficiency far surpassed Jimmy's expectations. That day, he contacted others to confirm information and, in the evening, spoke with several gang leaders about the matter. However, they didn't get good results. These people may need to deal well with police, but no need for detailed reports, so a busy night didn't yield any concrete leads.

These contacts couldn't be made over the phone, so Cano and team busily ran around for hours that night. The next morning when Jimmy and Hope reached the police station, Cano wasn't there; he was called by others after being phoned. Jimmy saw Cano looking very tired upon arrival, with no spirit at all.

Jimmy: "Hey, Cano, what happened? You look exhausted."

Cano: "Nothing much. Why are you here so early?"

Jimmy: "Oh, we didn't return to Albuquerque. There are hotels in town, it's more convenient here."

Cano: "Okay, I thought you'd go home to rest, so came a bit late. Hold on, I still have some things to do."

Jimmy nodded with a smile, sitting next to Hope. The two were sitting in the waiting area by the main entrance, so it wasn't much trouble.

Watching Cano leave, Jimmy whispered quietly to Hope: "Did you smell it? The mix of tobacco and leaves."

Hope's eyes were also scanning around the police station, lightly whispering: "I smelled it. The scent wasn't strong, and he didn't have it yesterday. The uniform is still the same, no change, and I saw the light stain on his sleeve."

Jimmy: "Either he smoked himself, or spent considerable time at some mixed venue."

Hope: "Yesterday, we didn't spot this. It's unlikely he smokes that much of varied tobacco and leaves."

Jimmy: "Keep an eye on him; we might have unexpected gains."

Hope slightly nodded; after a while, Cano called Jimmy and Hope to the conference room to discuss the information gathered yesterday. But essentially, it could be seen as fruitless. This town wasn't isolated; while outsiders rarely visit for tourism, many pass through by car, making it hard for others to remember those who passed a month ago.

The options were limited; Jimmy and Hope discussed and decided to start investigating people with criminal records in the police station, as Cano was sure this alternating blue and yellow house was unique here, at least the people hadn't heard of it elsewhere.

Cano couldn't be with Jimmy and Hope the whole time; the police station organized some materials for Hope to review, after which they needed to investigate on their own.

Jimmy and Hope left the police station and searched the town for targets. Just then, Jimmy's phone rang. He glanced at it and answered, "Anything? Ruiz."

Ruiz: "Where are you now?"

Jimmy: "Near Albuquerque, New Mexico. What's going on?"

Ruiz: "Find a phone and dial this number."

Ruiz reported a number, Jimmy glanced at Hope, "Got it, I'll contact you later."

After hanging up, Jimmy told Hope: "Turn around, I remember passing a phone booth earlier."

Hope looked at Jimmy but didn't stop: "I recall one ahead too."

Soon, they exited the town, parked at a public phone booth in the suburbs, letting Jimmy off, while Hope drove forward to turn back. Jimmy was already inside the booth.

He inserted coins and dialed the number Ruiz gave, quickly connected: "Something happened to Seventeen. We had a meeting today, but he skipped it. I went to his place; he's not home, and the phone's off."

Jimmy: "What happened?"

Ruiz: "He mentioned someone introduced a big client last night. We arranged to meet today and chat, but he didn't show. I suspect something happened to him."

Jimmy: "Big client? Or a middleman?"

Ruiz: "Not clear yet, I just left his address."

Jimmy looked outside the booth; Hope was still thirty or forty meters away, definitely out of hearing range: "Returning now will take time; you investigate first. I'm with headquarters folks; leaving directly needs a valid reason. I'll think about it."

Ruiz: "Alright, wait for my call. I'll first probe the info Seventeen provided."

Jimmy: "That's it, I'll leave a number when I'm ready."

Ruiz's previous fishing scheme seems to have run smoothly; Seventeen's business should be fine and earned some trust, but the bait was too enticing. A big fish swallowed it; the hook slipped out, bringing headache to Ruiz and team.

Seventeen is a bona fide FBI undercover agent, also a friend of Ruiz's; his disappearance isn't just an undercover agent gone missing but a precursor to the plan set by Ruiz and team behind failing.

Ruiz calling Jimmy directly likely meant hoping to leverage Jimmy's abilities to investigate Seventeen's whereabouts and the people behind. It's not that Manhattan office lacked people to investigate, but prior to this plan's execution, Jimmy was aware of the submarine dock affair. At the plan's interception, Jimmy even toured the soon-to-be-completed underground dock. Given Seventeen's case, Jimmy is the most suitable to investigate.