novelraw Chapter 1499 - 805: Gus's Suspicions (Part 2)
Chapter 1499 - 805: Gus's Suspicions (Part 2)
Hank: "No, I suspect he was Heisenberg's partner because even after his death, the blue meth is still being distributed, and the quality hasn't dropped. Evidently, he wasn't the only one who knew how to make the blue meth. Even if he really was Heisenberg, that would imply Heisenberg had already taught others the method prior to that."
Hank showed another photo: "This was found at Gale's place, a napkin from the Fried Chicken Brothers. This series of codes has been traced to a component of an industrial air filtration system, and the whole setup is very expensive. It's typically used in pharmaceutical factories or other high-precision factories, or, the largest meth lab in Albuquerque..."
Hank's investigative skills are really strong, Jimmy couldn't believe that in just a few days, he managed to trace so much information from just a series of codes.
Not finished, Hank continued: "This industrial air filtration system comes from a multinational corporation, Germany's Mukge Appliance. I contacted them and they checked; this filtration system was shipped to a warehouse in Albuquerque, signed for by Gale. When I asked who paid, the other party first couldn't find any information, then a corporate lawyer contacted me, refusing to provide any more clues."
"Mukge Appliance's business is quite extensive, covering industrial equipment, transportation, construction, and... a part of the US fast-food industry, including the Fried Chicken Brothers."
Hawke was dumbfounded, flipping through the materials Hank had organized, frowning silently. Hank also knew that Hawke had a good relationship with Gus, after all, Gus would annually provide some funding to the DEA. Although not a major sponsor, it's still a relationship worth maintaining.
Hank didn't wait long and continued: "Back to Gale, he's dead, with no lab location, no sponsor clues, yet he was a vegetarian, why would he visit the Fried Chicken Brothers' store? Maybe he went to meet someone, perhaps... this person."
Hank pointed to a photo of Gus, "This law enforcement friend, how much do you know about him? An enemy trying to get close will disguise himself as a friend. Gus sponsored the DEA, maybe because he's the mastermind behind it all, he's the one we're looking for."
This analysis made Hawke's face change dramatically. He had dined with Gus several times, even invited him to his house for a banquet. If what Hank said was true, he'd be in big trouble.
Hank shrugged: "These are Gus's fingerprints I got from a soda cup, and these were found at Gale's place, they match."
Hank was very clever. In fact, until now, Gus hadn't realized that Hank had obtained his fingerprints and matched them with those collected at the murdered chemist Gale's house.
Since meeting Gus that day, Jimmy always felt something was off about him, and the information Hank extracted clearly supported his suspicions. It's just that Jimmy still wasn't clear on how deep Gus's involvement with others went, but he saw Hawke's change of expression earlier, which at least confirmed that Hawke had some relation to Gus.
Hawke didn't persist. The evidence Hank provided was sufficient to conduct an investigation on Gus. If he really wanted to order a stop and something happened afterward, he'd be implicated. Moreover, there was also an FBI Supervisory Special Agent present; Jimmy's background he'd already looked into before, hoping he wouldn't favor him was hard.
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Gus's side was all in order, except for Jesse being followed, which caught his people off guard. They could only arrange for him to leave his home as soon as possible, but no other unexpected events occurred.
The fact that Jesse was being followed was something he anticipated. After all, Hank had incidentally beat Jesse up before getting attacked, leading to his suspension. Some things, once you connect the dots, can easily lead to such conclusions. Now, what's needed is ensuring Jesse's safety while avoiding contact with others that could lead to exposure.
These tasks had all been entrusted to Mike for handling, and Gus had immense trust in old Mike. With his rich experience, meticulous thinking, and the ability to conduct affairs properly, having someone like him as a subordinate had been a great relief for Gus over these years.
In the restaurant, after receiving a call from the police station, Gus frowned in thought, then headed there alone.
At the police station, Gus sat on a bench waiting for Detective Tim, turning his head to glance at the bulletin board. There a drawn wanted poster was pinned, a sketch of none other than his subordinate Victor. This guy happened to appear at the scene of Gale's murder and was witnessed doing so. Although not the one who committed the murder, being noticed by the police remained a big problem, hence Victor had completely disappeared a few days ago.
Gus wasn't an ordinary person, so Tim didn't meet him directly in an interrogation room but rather in an adjacent large conference room. Also present were Hank and Hawke, while Jimmy was not onsite since the discussion was about the Gale murder case. The joint investigation by the police and DEA made their presence normal, yet Jimmy wasn't responsible for this case, avoiding the possibility of giving himself away.
Gus's mind was quick, and when Hank and others mentioned his fingerprints appearing at Gale's place, he rapidly concocted a perfect explanation.
Gale was a chemistry genius, who had once received a scholarship set up at the university with Gus's investment, completing his studies with Gus's support. After Gale graduated, Gus hadn't seen him until shortly before, when Gale met Gus again. Besides reminiscing about old times, Gale hoped to borrow some money to invest in his business. Gus wasn't particularly close to Gale, but given their past relationship, he agreed to visit his house as a guest, though refusing to invest in Gale's business proposal.
This was why Gus appeared at Gale's house, and naturally, his fingerprints remained there. Moreover, Gale was shot at his door, and Gus wasn't the suspect.
After explaining his relationship with Gale, Gus specifically inquired what happened to Gale. Hank and the others exchanged glances, taking out photocopies of some pages from Gale's notebook, saying: "Gale wasn't just any chemist, he was a drug-cooking genius."
Gus showed surprise, then said his business with Gale had no connection whatsoever.
Tim confirmed with Gus where he was during the incident. Gus took out his notebook, cross-referenced the time with Tim, ultimately confirming that he was attending an Elder Council fundraising event at that time, a public event that the police could verify with the Elder Council people.
Eventually, Detective Tim could only let him go, retaining only a recording of their conversation.
Expressionless, Gus left the police station, walking to the parking lot in the back. After getting in the car, he left. A black sedan followed, which was his protection team.
Though Jimmy didn't participate in the interrogation, he didn't give up on tailing Gus. Watching from the parking lot as they left, he promptly started his car to follow.
If he'd immediately pursued Gus earlier, the car trailing him would certainly have noticed. Now, waiting until after Gus left and following the trailing car was much easier.
Hank had kept his phone line open, allowing Jimmy to hear Gus's remarks throughout. Having had no other interactions with Gus, Jimmy considered himself to remain quite neutral. Just from the context of their conversation, Gus's story seemed impeccable. You'd have to remember that he'd established the scholarship over ten years ago, and Gale, the award recipient, had left school for 8-9 years. It's normal they'd lost touch over such a long period.
If Gale truly was a major drug lord, setting up a high-end drug lab would certainly require considerable expense. Gale wanting to solicit some sponsorship from Gus was entirely understandable given their connections, and Gus was famous as a rich philanthropist.
However, with his preconceived notions, believing Gus was totally no ordinary person, in this context, he'd only think Gus was lying—that Gale likely was the drug chemist working under him.