North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1414 763: Prisoner's Dilemma (Part 2)

After inquiring about the situation, Jimmy left. He was doing a thorough job, having obtained the results he wanted. The next step was the intimidation operation.

The so-called intimidation operation involved finding all those who had recorded information again, communicating with them, and reminding them that a new death had occurred among those who attended the banquet. Although the cause of death remained uncertain, the news undeniably caused significant shock. Most people cooperated with providing additional information upon Jimmy's second inquiry, especially regarding whether they had been close with the deceased Harriton or attended multiple gatherings hosted by Harriton. After all, no one could be sure of their safety in light of the latest information provided by the FBI.

Observing the expressions and reactions of these frightened people up close was actually quite interesting. However, Jimmy obviously couldn't gather more information as Mr. Harriton wasn't hired by these people to be killed. Thus, after finishing his business, Jimmy left. Of course, while on the way, he didn't forget to call Mrs. Harriton. She had already arranged personal bodyguards, and without raising the stakes, it would be quite a waste, especially since the deceased was a key figure who attended her husband's last banquet.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Harriton was still in the so-called secret hospital. If he could speak with her face to face, her reaction might have been more fascinating than others. After all, the previous car accident was suspect and indicated foul play. She had arranged personal bodyguards for herself, clearly valuing her life.

To some extent, these people had all been lured into a trap by Jimmy, facing circumstances similar to a prisoner's dilemma — the kind that police use to interrogate multiple suspects. The usual suspects have to worry about being betrayed by others or making deals for lesser sentences by revealing more drastic truths, while these people need to consider that Harriton and many others on the yacht have already died, and now another person has died. Would other banquet attendees or Harriton's competitors face the same fate?

They were actually in a worse position because suspects in a prisoner's dilemma usually understand what they need to confess or deny. Yet, these people, unsure who eliminated Harriton, are currently suspicious of those they usually feud with.

As time gradually passes, their fear will slowly grow. Perhaps they could resist their inner fear for a while, but not finding the person they suspect in their heart over time would naturally broaden their scope of targets, perhaps leading them to do unspeakable things on their own.

Jimmy also had no choice. Originally, he was just messing around, but then Dave showed up. Though he couldn't speak openly, Jimmy knew that someone behind Dave was meddling. Completely refusing wasn't practical since Dave was his biggest support in the New York office.

However, Jimmy wasn't willing to completely follow their plan. So, adding some moves within the legal framework to unsettle everyone was Jimmy's greatest joy right now.

In fact, Jimmy's scheme to cause trouble progressed smoothly, perhaps too smoothly. Just two days later, someone else went missing—an investor in the Harriton Foundation; also listed on the roster Mrs. Harriton provided to Jimmy.

Interestingly, this person also died of non-murder causes, similar to what Jimmy had done to that old man. However, this time he was electrocuted in the bathtub. It was amusing, knowing that safety breakers are standard at home now. If a death is immediately ruled as electrocution, it indicates there was no safety cut-off. Someone must've tampered with the circuit protection in his room, and restored the normal breaker after his death.

Of course, these were just Jimmy's speculations. He didn't examine the site, it was just logical deduction. Nonetheless, he strongly suspected Mrs. Harriton played a significant role since she, facing evident life-threatening danger recently, might have acted.

However, when Jimmy called Mrs. Harriton to arrange a meeting, she said she was still in the hospital and couldn't meet. Was she orchestrating this remotely? It's likely. Even if she wasn't in the hospital, she'd have someone else handle it anyway.

Jimmy's activities were not completely conducted in secrecy. In fact, Dave called during this period, inquiring about Jimmy's progress, although Jimmy deflected it temporarily. Absolutely no one knew Jimmy was the actual mastermind.

However, knowing another person had died, Jimmy couldn't remain silent. Thus, at night, he called Dave, mentioning the unseen hand hadn't stopped, continuing to clean house on certain characters; two have died now, although both appeared as natural deaths.

Dave was clearly startled. People die every day in any city; it's usually nothing critical. But consecutive deaths of individuals linked to a case certainly aren't reasonable, even if the deaths seemed normal.

Dave pondered for a long time; Jimmy suspected the line had dropped. Fortunately, Dave resumed the conversation, instructing Jimmy to be cautious, avoid major moves, and soon hung up the phone.

Clearly, Dave believed the yacht explosion case wasn't over; those behind the events intervened too soon. It was beyond his expectations. Originally, when the explosion's investigation reached a dead end, he intended to shelve it hence he concurred with others to leverage the case.

Now, the deaths of two people were wholly unexpected, for they were not on the roster provided to Jimmy by Dave. From this angle, the yacht explosion's perpetrator may have completed their task. However, those behind the scenes weren't satisfied with just eliminating Harriton and those on the yacht. Others related to Harriton were also being targeted.

Deaths that appeared normal in succession could only be orchestrated by professionals. If it were a common assassin, they'd opt for a gun or another tool, dispensing with such elaborate setups.

Hiring professional assassins to deal with Harriton's associates consecutively at the very least indicates that the other party has substantial financial resources and a sufficient network to investigate related information, which complicates matters.

Jimmy hung up the phone, chuckled, and tossed it onto the bed, opening his laptop to slowly compile his investigation report. This investigation consumed considerable time and required significant effort to analyze the related data and parties. Compiling the report wasn't easy, and Jimmy despised writing reports the most.

While Jimmy took pleasure in others' misfortune, those he visited these past few days weren't nearly as jolly. After Jimmy's repeated pestering and questioning, these people naturally gathered information, not just about Jimmy but also concerning Harriton's known associates and banquet attendees. They quickly learned specific details about the second person's electrocution, differentiating between gunshots and electrocution as death concepts. Summarizing the information yielded a conclusion similar to Dave's: the mastermind didn't cease operations due to Harriton's death.

Those caught in the prisoner's dilemma became increasingly suspicious of others, far ahead of Jimmy's schedule, posing greater problems. No one knew whether they'd be the next target, leading to a sudden surge in orders for security companies. Ordinary drivers and guards were no longer enough to ease their worries; professional security seemed essential for safety.