novelraw Chapter 1393 - 753: Clues Must Be Found by Oneself
Chapter 1393 - 753: Clues Must Be Found by Oneself
The investigation at the Miami harbor arranged for an agent to find and verify workers appearing on the surveillance footage. Jimmy did not notice anything suspicious from the tapes, so there was no point wasting the supervisors' time for a first-hand observation. However, they had to personally investigate Harriton's island, as it was the most probable place where the yacht had been rigged with a bomb.
The stay at the Puerto Rico Port wasn't long, but the time spent on the island was significant. Installing something at specific locations on the vessel would require time, and the island also allowed them to confirm whether their target had boarded the yacht. The only question was why they waited until they were offshore from Miami to detonate it, which seemed somewhat irrational.
Jimmy had some conjectures, but it was necessary to see the site first; everything was purely speculative for now.
Travel from Miami to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands was convenient, as they were popular tourist destinations and part of the United States, with many commercial flights available. Arrangements were made to fly to Puerto Rico using the FBI's name. Once there, they could quickly hire a boat to head to the island, which had no commercial airport, only a helicopter landing pad at most.
Harriton's island had a small dock primarily for docking their yacht and a few small boats, not suitable for large freighters. The island's supplies were transported by small boats.
The Puerto Rico Port had been contacted in advance. Providing a specific timeline led the port authority to agree to quickly organize and provide the surveillance footage. Hence, Jimmy and the others just took a quick glance at the port before boarding a small boat to Harriton's island.
Jimmy, Mark, and Wright reached the island. As this was the preliminary phase of the investigation, others had not been notified yet. However, since prior arrangements were made, a well-dressed middle-aged butler awaited them at the dock's end upon their arrival.
After showing credentials, Jimmy requested the butler to provide a current list of personnel on the island and surveillance information. Since this involved the case of the employer's death, the butler did not refuse outright and quickly complied after consulting Harriton's wife.
Harriton's death had a significant impact. Just before the incident, a gathering had occurred on the island with guests, who had recently left. Being a private island, no records of visitors existed, apart from Harriton and those he dealt with; no one knew exactly who visited the island.
The island's security staff and servants had recorded information, including the boat owners transporting goods. Once Jimmy and the team obtained this information, they handed it to Agents Mark and Wright for verification, conveniently done on portable laptops.
The surveillance video was under processing and required conversion to be provided to the FBI. This would take some time. Unless Jimmy obtained a search warrant demanding original copies, private belongings and data could justifiably be withheld. Providing a transcript was the best possible solution under the circumstances.
Instead of verifying information, Jimmy requested an immediate investigation at the dock to see if it aligned with his assumptions.
Standing by the dock, Jimmy surveyed the area and asked the butler beside him, "Are there surveillance cameras along this coast, aside from those at the dock here?"
The butler did not underestimate Jimmy's youth, understanding the main lead among the three. "Currently, no. The island has limited suitable spots for dock construction; besides here, only three other locations have cameras, but they do not cover the entire island."
Jimmy: "So, if someone scouted the island's terrain in advance, it's possible to land unnoticed in areas without surveillance, correct?"
Butler: "Yes, but no such incidents have occurred before."
Jimmy: "Is there 24-hour coverage at this dock?"
Butler: "No, we only station personnel when boats arrive, otherwise relying on monitoring from the villa's control room. We lack the manpower to station security across the island."
Jimmy nodded, continuing to focus on the dock's surroundings.
This situation matched Jimmy's suspicions. The topography indicated possible landing areas around the island. It meant if someone approached by small boat from another direction to deliver explosives, it would go unnoticed. As for installing it on the yacht, that wasn't difficult.
Due to the seabed's height, the dock was deliberately elevated. From Jimmy's identified surveillance positions, if someone approached from the side of the coast and concealed themselves beside or beneath the raised dock passageway, it wouldn't be captured on video.
It's not difficult to crawl under the dock to the yacht side, or even board it. It depends on whether the surveillance captured any traces. If it did, it indicates even professionals slip in minor details. If it didn't capture anything, then there's more to investigate, suggesting maybe it's not where the explosives were installed.