Chapter 133: The Press Conference Explosion Case

Inside the hospital room, Corbett lay in bed, wrapped in bandages. He looked at Roan and Augustus with a grave expression.

"How is Verinise?"

"She is out of danger."

Augustus explained that while Verinise’s injuries looked alarming, the doctors said her constitution and luck were both excellent. Her blood loss was not critical, and she had already been successfully moved out of surgery.

Hearing this, Roan raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

"Good." Corbett let out a sigh of relief. The person who had called him earlier was none other than the secretary to Mr. Clement in Washington.

"Augustus, Roan." After a brief silence, Corbett stared intently at the two men standing before his bed and said solemnly, "I am handing this case over to Surveillance Group 5. You must do everything in your power to uncover the truth and capture the killer!"

A bomb had gone off inside FBI territory, wounding several FBI officials and reporters, and killing one of the strongest candidates for the Governor of New York. Corbett could already imagine the look on the face of the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office, as well as the headlines that would dominate every major New York newspaper the following morning.

"Yes, sir." Augustus accepted the order with a somber expression. He thought back to the bombing at the District Attorney's office, where the mastermind had actually been the CIA, yet their group had managed to catch the killer before the agency could. A flicker of emotion stirred within him.

Standing beside Augustus, Roan’s expression did not change upon hearing that Corbett had assigned the case to Group 5. When the young white man had called him and Augustus to the hospital, Roan had already guessed this would be the case. He had no objection to taking on the investigation—not for the sake of Councilman Mata, but for Verinise.

***

At the offices of Surveillance Group 5:

"Listen up, agents!" Augustus stood at the front, his belly protruding, holding a black notebook. He commanded with a stern face, "As you are all aware, a serious bombing occurred during the press conference earlier today! Councilman Mata was killed instantly, and our team supervisor, Verinise, is currently lying in a hospital bed. I was at the scene when it happened, so let me give you a brief overview of the situation."

After repeating the account he had given Roan at the hospital to the agents of Group 5, Augustus continued loudly:

"Based on the situation at the scene, let’s start with the assumption that the killer’s target was Councilman Mata! William, give everyone a rundown of the councilman’s background."

"Yes, sir." William picked up a blue folder from his desk and read aloud, "Zem Mata, 66 years old, a Democratic councilman from New York. He was preparing to run for Governor of New York with the slogan 'Lowering New York’s Crime Rate.' His polling support was roughly 57%."

"Good." Augustus nodded, signaling for William to sit down before continuing. "This bombing could be related to Councilman Mata’s past or his personal life. Of course, it could also be a political hit."

Lacey spoke up, her expression grim. "The councilman’s main opponent is the current Governor of New York. If this really is a political hit, then..."

The agents of Group 5 exchanged uneasy glances. Augustus fell silent for a few seconds, then turned his gaze toward Roan, who was sitting at his desk poring over documents. "Roan, what do you think?"

"I think I’ll keep sitting while I think!" Roan looked up, his face devoid of emotion, and raised the papers in his hand. "We don’t need to worry about whether this is a political hit right now. The first priority is to find out who brought the bomb into the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building! We need to review the surveillance footage from before the incident to see who approached the podium, where the podium came from, and who moved it into place."

The Javits Federal Building housed not only the FBI’s New York Field Office but also the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Security Administration, and a host of other government agencies. For security reasons, the first floor had always maintained comprehensive screening systems. How, then, had the killer managed to smuggle a bomb into the building?

"Yeah." Augustus nodded in satisfaction, clapped his hands, and shouted, "Agents, get to work!"

The surveillance facilities within the Javits building were extensive. Following Roan’s suggestion and Augustus’s instructions, the office was soon filled with the frantic clacking of keyboards.

Roan sat in his chair, thinking for a moment, then tilted his head toward William. "What’s the word from the Forensics Division?"

"They haven't finished their full examination yet." William shook his head. After clicking through a few pages on his mouse, he showed his screen to Roan. "The fragments from the scene show traces of Semtex, batteries, and advanced circuitry, but aside from that, there are no further leads. Agent Nael from Forensics says this was definitely the work of a professional."

Roan raised an eyebrow. "What about the model of the bomb?"

"It’s too soon, Forensics isn't certain yet." William spread his hands. "The only thing they are sure of is that the bomb was detonated via a radio frequency signal."

"Radio frequency?" Roan’s expression darkened. This meant the bomb inside the podium was a remote-controlled device.

After a moment of silence, Roan patted William on the shoulder. "As soon as Forensics finishes their report, make sure the files are brought to me immediately."

"No problem!" William agreed with a smile.

Just as Roan returned to his desk, Mona suddenly exclaimed, "Roan, I’ve found a shooting!"

On Mona’s computer screen, a surveillance video was playing. The time recorded was about ten minutes after the explosion at the press conference, and the location was an alleyway two blocks west of the Javits Federal Building.

In the footage, a middle-aged white woman was pacing anxiously at the mouth of the alley, holding a phone. A moment later, her phone rang. She held it to her ear, the anxiety on her face vanished, replaced by a smile. A car pulled up from a distance, and the woman waved to it. Just as the car reached her and she reached for the door handle, the passenger-side window rolled down, and a gun barrel extended from within.

A second later, the woman was shot in the forehead and collapsed to the ground. The car sped away instantly. The final frames of the video showed several passersby frantically grabbing their phones to call the police.

Roan frowned, looking toward Mona. Mona didn't keep him waiting; her fingers danced across the keyboard, and she quickly pulled up the identity of the woman in the video.