North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1507 809: Suspicious Walter (2)

The shooting incident involving Tyrus has been clarified, so Miguel can return to duty, but he needs to go through a round of psychological intervention, which isn't a big deal.

Equipped with gear, and having had his license plates changed by the vehicle management department, Jimmy drove once again near the laundry factory. Though it's on the outskirts, it's not an uninhabited area, so Jimmy parked in front of a house that appeared unoccupied and started taking photos of the entrance and exit of the laundry factory.

It wasn't until afternoon that Jimmy, nearly ready to crash in the car, spotted a familiar figure.

"WTF!" Jimmy adjusted the seat, starting the car to follow another vehicle, dialing his phone as he drove, "Hank, what did you say your brother-in-law Walter does again?"

Hank: "Oh, now? He just bought a car wash, used to be a high school chemistry teacher. Why?"

Jimmy: "Let me think, I'll get back to you later."

Jimmy followed Walter's car away from the laundry factory to a car wash in the south of the city. He parked next to the car wash, stretched his legs and back, opened the car trunk, and moved some canned sodas onto a small cart. Walter pushed the cart through a side door into the car wash.

Jimmy finally felt relieved; it seemed Walter was indeed working at the car wash, probably just there to drop off some work clothes for washing.

Chuckling to himself, Jimmy pulled out his phone but stopped before dialing Hank.

Something felt off; Walter emerged from the laundry factory, but Jimmy had been watching the main entrance, with no recollection of that car. Walter should have been inside for a long time.

Jimmy drove closer to the car wash, now able to see inside.

Sitting in the car, Jimmy observed within. Although he could only see outlines, Walter's distinctive bald and slender figure was easily recognizable as he moved things around inside.

The phone rang, Hank's voice came through: "What's up with Walter?"

Jimmy: "Nothing much, I just saw Walter at a car wash moving some stuff, thought I may have mistaken him for someone else."

Hank: "Oh, that's good. Maybe the place is just busy, and he had to move things himself. OK, if you have any new leads, let me know."

Jimmy: "Will do. Get some rest."

Jimmy didn't dare share his suspicions with Hank, as earlier he hadn't gotten close enough to observe the underground space in the laundry factory, but it seemed like a lab. The purification equipment Hank discovered earlier was likely used in a lab, perhaps one set up by the deceased Gale, making it plausible for someone with Walter's advanced chemistry skills to work there.

While synthesizing methamphetamines isn't hard, achieving high purity is challenging. Walter isn't just anyone; Hank once praised him as a chemistry genius. If he used Gale's chemistry lab apparatus, making similar products shouldn't be an issue.

Piecing these clues together, perhaps Walter wasn't just delivering dirty laundry but actually working inside, potentially explaining why Jimmy hadn't seen him enter the factory; he might have been inside before Jimmy arrived.

Jimmy's expression turned a bit grim. If his suspicions were true, then Hank, a senior DEA agent, had a drug-dealing relative, and one involved in the blue meth network Hank was investigating. Regardless of explanations, the suspicion wouldn't dissipate.

Additionally, recalling Hank's earlier assault by the Salamanca family's assassins before receiving a warning call, could that have been Walter?

After all, they are relatives and the families are very close. If Walter knew the Salamanca assassins were coming for Hank, warning him wasn't impossible, though he probably wasn't the boss of the drug network, fitting Jimmy's earlier suspicions well.

If Walter indeed warned Hank, it would suggest he was at odds with the drug group leader, not necessarily over power struggles, perhaps just because of his lung cancer and limited time left?

Jimmy's head was about to explode. Integrating everything into his current theory, chaotic clues suddenly formed a coherent thread. Many things became explainable, yet the outcome was something Jimmy was reluctant to accept.

"Miguel, I need you to return to the office and copy the blue meth-related materials gathered earlier and bring them to me... Yes, I'm on stakeout, just have time for a review... Thanks, contact me when you're ready, and I'll give you my location."

Jimmy called Miguel, then continued to monitor Walter. Suddenly, he felt other clues no longer mattered, keeping an eye on Walter might yield more revelations.

The car wash closed early; it wasn't completely dark yet and had no more customers, so Walter and Skye closed up for the day.

Jimmy watched them drive away, promptly following. They had no idea he was trailing them, leading him back to their home.

Parking in front of another unoccupied house nearby, where fallen leaves suggested no recent maintenance, was better than parking curbside.

Walter's household consisted of four, but currently only had Walter and Skye—no sign of their children—an oddity.

Jimmy, frowning, surveyed the surroundings, stepping out towards Walter's house, observing as he went, confirming no children inside, especially not his daughter, only a few months old. How could she not be home?

As the woman inside approached the door, Jimmy pivoted back towards his car. Shortly, engine noise came from behind; Skye was driving away.

Miguel wasn't quick. The materials weren't his responsibility, piled in a meeting room, requiring considerable time to locate and copy. By the time he contacted Jimmy, it was late; Jimmy instructing him to deliver the materials and head back while Jimmy stayed overnight in the car.

To avoid detection, Jimmy dared not illuminate to examine the materials; he had to wait until morning daylight. Fortunately, he could directly observe Walter's family's activities inside. Yesterday, Skye fetched their daughter and son back; they appeared to have stayed elsewhere temporarily, possibly with Hank. Given their kinship, having Mary temporarily watch them was reasonable.

As morning arrived, juggling materials and peering at Walter's family, once they'd left, Jimmy trailed Walter to Hank's home.

From a distance, he saw Skye drop off the kids to Mary's care, followed by Skye and Walter driving away.

Returning to the car wash, Jimmy resumed his earlier surveillance position, waiting for the business to open before Walter drove straightforwardly to the laundry factory.

Jimmy tailed closely, watching Walter enter and vanish from the laundry. Passing by the front again, no one occupied the underground lab space; only a few workers moved about upstairs in the factory, hinting at sporadic lab activity. Perhaps Walter awaited others before resuming his subterranean tasks.

Returning to his previous stakeout point, Jimmy logged the current time in a notebook, resuming watch over the entrance, anticipating further arrivals.