North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1394 - 753: Clues Must Be Found by Oneself (Part 2)

Jimmy: "I need to take a walk along the coast. If you have anything to deal with, feel free to go ahead."

The butler smiled and said, "Of course, I'll accompany you. I think with my introduction, you'll find it easier to understand the situation here."

Jimmy nodded, "Let's go together then. By the way, how often do you bring supplies here?"

As Jimmy chatted with the butler, asking about the island's situation, he observed the surrounding environment along the coastline.

The island isn't very large, and it would take Jimmy and the butler a considerable amount of time to walk around it, which is why the butler reminded Jimmy during their conversation that by the time they covered only half the distance, it would already be dark, so after a while, they returned to the villa complex located near the center of the island.

It's certain they won't return today. The butler, after a phone request, prepared guest rooms for Jimmy and his two companions, which was a very considerate arrangement. This is a private island in the Caribbean Sea, without hotels for tourists. If they couldn't stay on the island temporarily, Jimmy and his party would have to consider commuting from Puerto Rico early and late.

The villa complex itself was not within the scope of Jimmy's investigation, as all previous inquiries had focused on the dock, since it was the yacht that exploded, with explosives on the yacht, and there was no reason to target the villa complex.

The crimes occurring on this island were hidden beneath its surface of wealth and tranquility, known well to the butler, yet he was completely unaware that someone could discover many secrets beneath the buildings just by walking around the outside of the villa complex.

Initially, Jimmy, Mark, and Wright were only checking documents in a security room some distance from the villa complex, without access permission to the villas. Now that they could stay here temporarily for one night, they naturally came to the villa complex.

The most luxurious building, with an unusual design, was the main building, and nearby were three houses prepared as guest rooms, furnished extremely lavishly. Each of them was given a room, and from the outside, there seemed to be over a dozen similar rooms, but currently, all of them were empty.

After getting permission from the butler, Jimmy took a walk around the perimeter and discovered several basement-like rooms beneath a two-story extension of the main building. There were some people inside, but it was unclear if they were staff or others, and he naturally wouldn't ask. He already had the staff list and planned to check the count later.

When Jimmy returned to his room, the surveillance footage transcribed by the technical team was also delivered. The three gathered in Jimmy's room, opened their laptops, and simultaneously started investigating the video. Meanwhile, Jimmy obtained the information on staff and security personnel from Agent Wright and began verifying the data.

Looking at the personnel information in hand, Jimmy frowned; the numbers didn't match. There were 16 security personnel, 5 full-time cleaners, 8 servants, and 1 butler, but just in the few basements Jimmy discovered, there were more than 20 people, and he had already seen many guards and servants working normally upon entering the villa, indicating the total count far exceeded the current list.

He looked up at Mark and Wright, both examining the surveillance on their laptops. After thinking it over, he decided to set this clue aside. He had no reason to demand the butler open the basement for inspection and deemed it unnecessary to inform them of this situation.

The yacht had stayed on the island for four days, and continuously reviewing four days' worth of surveillance was truly exhausting. Mark and Wright didn't persist until late and went to rest, whereas Jimmy took the opportunity while everyone was resting to observe from the window. Apart from three security personnel patrolling outside, the surroundings were deserted.

Nonetheless, the lights outside the buildings remained on. Even if not fully lit, silhouettes were easily observable, foiling Jimmy's plan for covert observation. He had no choice but to rest and continue the investigation the following morning.

Due to Jimmy and his party's requests, all security and service staff on the island were required to remain on the island for these two days, suspending personnel movement. Therefore, besides the pre-informed supply ship docking the next day, no other vessels approached, essentially ensuring that the people Jimmy identified wouldn't vanish without a trace. Time was still in their favor.

The next morning, after enjoying breakfast provided there, Agents Mark and Wright resumed their surveillance recognition tasks. Meanwhile, Jimmy, citing the same reason as yesterday, requested another investigation of the island's coastline. This time, however, rather than being accompanied by the butler, a security personnel followed Jimmy around the island.

Perhaps given special instructions, the security person hardly spoke a word throughout, merely following Jimmy's instructions as they moved along the coastline. Quickly, Jimmy noticed an unusual spot.

On the northeast corner of the island, there was a low cliff, where Jimmy discovered some scratches when he arrived. "Have you been quarrying here?"

Jimmy turned to the guard. The guard frowned, shook his head, and squatted closer to examine the scratches, discovering small dents at the top of the scratches that weren't easily noticeable upon casual inspection.

Jimmy stood on the edge of the cliff, looking downward. "These seem to be the marks from grappling hooks. I need to check below. Can we go around to get down there?"

The guard stood up. "No, we've never gone down. Please wait; I need to notify the others."

Jimmy: "No rush. Let's investigate a bit first. Where's the nearest surveillance around here?"

The guard shook his head. "There's no surveillance nearby." After saying this, he picked up his radio to contact their captain, then told Jimmy, "Agent, please wait. My captain will be here soon."

The security captain, an older white man whose hair had mostly turned gray, examined the scratches beside the cliff and told the guard, "Inform the others to bring ropes and anchors. I need to go down and take a look."

Finishing his arrangements, he addressed Jimmy, "Thank you, Agent. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have realized this spot had become a weak point in our defenses."

Jimmy: "You're welcome, but you can't go down first. I need to check initially to prevent the site from being disturbed. I hope you understand."

The security captain nodded, "No problem."

Indeed, it's easier communicating with understanding people. Jimmy called Mark and Wright to inform them of the discovery and advised them to continue investigating the surveillance footage. The possibility that this location on the island could be where explosives were installed had increased, making the surveillance they're reviewing even more crucial.

Quickly, the security staff brought ropes and anchors, a hammer, and expansion screws. After ensuring the setup was secure near the scratch marks, a guard tested it before climbing back up and signaling Jimmy to descend along the rope.

It was indeed here. Jimmy found no marks on the rocks below the cliff, but he did find some scattered stones different in color from the surrounding rocks just beneath the scratch marks on the cliff. Looking up, a spot about four meters up showed signs of rock dislodging.

Jimmy smiled. Now there was ample reason to extend the investigation here.

Jimmy quickly climbed back up using the rope and informed Mark and Wright of his discovery below. He then requested the security captain to apply for access to more surveillance footage from other locations, as he aimed to continue searching for this intruder, hoping other surveillance might reveal something.