North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1419 - 766: Raising the Stakes

After Dave finished speaking, Jimmy just nodded, without continuing the conversation. He simply rolled down the car window, handed the cigarette box and lighter to Dave, and they both lit up a cigarette, smoking in the car.

"Let's go, let's eat first." Dave flicked the cigarette butt out the window directly, and Jimmy did the same. Without closing the window, they started the car and drove away.

In fact, Jimmy was a bit puzzled. He just hadn't decided whether to ask Dave about it or maybe it was better to ask Kevin later—after all, they were closer. But during lunch, Dave noticed that Jimmy seemed a bit preoccupied and directly asked, "What are you thinking about? Is it about this case?"

Jimmy nodded: "I just don't understand why they are targeting Harriton. First, they blew up Harriton, and now they're targeting Mrs. Harriton, even eliminated a minor shareholder of their foundation. This goes way beyond the realm of politics, right?"

Dave pointed at the plate: "Let's eat first."

Jimmy nodded. Since they weren't strangers, there was no need for formalities, so at noon, the two of them went straight to a small restaurant and settled with two steak and pasta set meals.

After Jimmy bought two cups of coffee from a nearby coffee shop, they went to sit in a nearby park. Once they confirmed there was no one else around, Dave began talking about the crucial points of the matter.

In California, there are several traditional Democratic leaders, and the Harriton Foundation is one of their proxies, being an important sponsor for their elections or other activities. Also, multiple companies under this foundation have personnel connections, making it an inconspicuous but very crucial enterprise.

As the manager of this enterprise, Harriton was not only expected to serve as a proxy but also to manage central contacts. His status was far higher than the lobbyists because, given his identity, he could contact people that politicians couldn't easily reach. Naturally, he occasionally did inconvenient tasks for them.

Thus, Harriton's death caused a massive tremor. At headquarters, some capable people acted behind the scenes to gather skilled individuals to oversee this case, which explained how Jimmy got involved.

Jimmy had left a deep impression on the people at headquarters. Apart from Agent Hope's report files and Peter's endorsement, along with his remarkable portfolio, he became the best candidate for headquarters.

In fact, no one had ever suspected Jimmy of having any personal interest in this affair, nor did anyone think he was the mastermind behind the events. Moreover, based on reports from the Miami office's agents, all informed senior officials understood how meticulously Jimmy was investigating the clues. They all agreed with his previous deductions— the culprit was exceptionally skilled, and with someone deliberately erasing traces, they currently lacked enough clues to identify the killer. Hence, it was completely understandable for Jimmy to come to Los Angeles to independently investigate Harriton's relationships and business adversaries. Not even his solo operation raised any objections, despite it somewhat breaching internal norms in certain aspects.

Jimmy now realized just how significant the two groups of people he dealt with were. Harriton would entertain others on his island, going as far as using little girls to satisfy their perverse desires. The underlying motive of pulling these people in was clear—he was, after all, at an essential node within a web of connections, and this was part of his job.

If it weren't for Jimmy, perhaps he could have continued his carefree lifestyle. Without this series of incidents, those behind Dave might have had other means to slow down these people's political donations, but such a perplexing situation as now would never have occurred.

Looking around, Jimmy took out a box of cigarettes. Both of them continued to smoke and chat. Jimmy surprisingly asked a question: "It never crossed my mind to consider political adversaries before. So, Dave, have you ever thought that it might be the people on the other side?"

Dave shook his head. "Harriton's identity is somewhat publicly known upstairs. He's been in this business for many years. The other side knows too, and they wouldn't do something like this."

Jimmy: "Not necessarily, maybe they're sticking their hands into the other side's bowl."

Dave took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled the smoke slowly, paused for a few seconds and shook his head: "I still think the possibility is slim, but it is indeed a direction worth investigating."

Jimmy: "My previous investigations focused on the Harriton Foundation and people who attended his final banquet. If it's really connected to politics, the other side should be investigated too. The fact that there's been no lead for so long may be because our investigation direction was wrong."

Dave said nothing, just smoked, his eyes staring into the distance. Jimmy knew he had successfully planted an idea in Dave's head—now you all get to play in this game as well!

Dave tossed the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot: "Give me another one."

Jimmy took out the cigarette box and handed one to Dave, who was obviously a bit frazzled. He'd never seen him smoke so continuously before, even cigars he just took a few puffs and put down. Jimmy put the cigarette box back in his pocket, daring not to show any smile.

Halfway through smoking, Dave finally spoke: "I think you have a point, clever boy. Wait for my news. I'm still unclear about the other side's situation. I need to have a chat with someone."