Chapter 155: Good Food Is Worth the Wait

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Fifth Investigation Team, Team Leader’s Office.

As the two men sat down, Augustus handed a folder to Rowan with a broad grin and exclaimed,
“Rowan! You handled the Brent Hughes case brilliantly!”

With a faint smile that hinted at hidden pride, Rowan lowered his gaze and opened the folder in his hands.

Inside, the contents were not what Rowan had expected—a new bonus issuance certificate.

Instead, it was a notice transferring the “Seaside Pit Serial Murders” case to their Fifth Investigation Team.

Rowan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Augustus, who was sitting across from him sipping coffee.

Although Augustus had successfully secured the case for them, putting him in a good mood, Rowan found the situation unusual.

Typically, after a case was solved, a bonus certificate would be issued the very next day. In fact, Rowan had received several doubled bonuses before.

What was going on this time?

“That Salvatore Cristo fellow is quite a handful,” Augustus said, reading Rowan’s expression plainly. Setting down his coffee cup on the desk, he smiled and explained,
“Besides Philomena, he has several women under his control who are in contact with people on Wall Street. Yesterday, after you and Ryder arrested Salvatore, the head of a unit from the Financial Crimes Investigation Division reached out to me...”

The head of a Financial Crimes Investigation unit requested Augustus to hold off on prosecuting Salvatore for the time being.

They, too, had numerous cases involving Salvatore and Wall Street but lacked sufficient evidence until now.

With the Fifth Investigation Team having caught Salvatore and holding the witness Philomena, the Financial Crimes Division intended to use this opportunity to ensure Salvatore spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Augustus’s gaze grew increasingly satisfied as he spoke.

Most cases handled by the Financial Crimes Division are tied to Wall Street, and every resolved case nets them a significant payoff.

As a result, they often looked down on teams like the Criminal Investigation Division or Organized Crime Unit, which require frequent fieldwork and offer lower pay and smaller bonuses.

Furthermore, the Fifth Investigation Team was newly established, and Augustus himself was a new team leader transferred from another department.

Normally, while those Financial Crimes unit leaders wouldn’t openly mock Augustus, their attitude toward him was indifferent at best.

But now, because Rowan solved the “Park River Male Corpse Case” and captured the mastermind Salvatore Cristo, the Financial Crimes Division leader had no choice but to seek cooperation from Augustus.

Thinking of the expression on that leader’s face, Augustus couldn’t help but grin widely.

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Rubbing his stomach and reminiscing that Rowan reminded him of himself in his youth, Augustus raised an eyebrow and said,
“Once the Salvatore case is fully resolved, the Financial Crimes Division will extend their gratitude to our Fifth Investigation Team.”

Upon hearing this, Rowan immediately understood and smiled broadly.
“I see. Thank you, sir.”

Good things come to those who wait; a bit of bonus wasn’t urgent for him.

Moreover, judging by Augustus’s demeanor, the Financial Crimes Division’s gratitude would likely be more than just a bonus.

Augustus waved it off, insisting that since Rowan cracked the case, the credit was his alone—there was no need to thank him.

They sat back, briefly discussing some details of the “Park River Male Corpse Case,” before finally leaving the team leader’s office together.

“Good morning, agents—ladies and gentlemen!”

Arriving at the forefront of the investigation team’s workspace, Augustus glanced around to make sure everyone was present, then announced loudly that the follow-up on the “Park River Male Corpse Case” could be set aside for now.

Shaking the folder in his hand, Augustus continued,
“Our next task is to handle a serial murder case targeting young girls!”

Upon learning that the Fifth Investigation Team had indeed taken on the “Seaside Pit Serial Murders” case, Lucy and Mona immediately exchanged grateful looks at Rowan.

Rowan smiled widely and gestured for them to listen carefully as William described the case details.

William’s account matched exactly what Mona had uncovered earlier:

The night before last, a worker doing overtime on Long Island discovered a girl covered in blood.

Based on the blood trails, the NYPD located a deep pit where the killer had disposed of bodies and found 22 female corpses inside.

“Thank you, William,” Augustus said after hearing the case summary, motioning for William to sit down. Then he addressed everyone,
“Clearly, we’re dealing with a cold-blooded, ruthless psychopath this time.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience in tracking down such a monster?”

“I checked the location where the bodies were found,” Mona replied from her workstation, tapping on her keyboard a few times and displaying photos for the team while speaking seriously.

“That spot is in a very remote part of southern Long Island.

If not for the government building roads to develop the area, and the survivor’s fortunate escape, that pit might have gone unnoticed for decades.”

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The photos on the computer showed the pit situated right by the sea, and because of seawater flooding, the entire pit was filled with murky ocean water.

Any ordinary person seeing that pit would immediately turn and avoid it.

Only children or a few men passing by might pick up stones and toss them in to test its depth.

“Okay,” Augustus said, frowning deeply with a grave tone after hearing Mona’s report.
“To choose such a secluded location, the killer must know the area like the back of their hand.”

“Yeah,” the agents nodded in unison. Since the killer had disposed of 22 bodies there, they must be very familiar with the region.

“There are no surveillance cameras in that area yet,” Augustus added after glancing at the map data on Mona’s computer. Stroking his chin, he finally looked toward Rowan.
“Rowan, what’s your take?”

“The surviving girl’s injuries are severe, so the surgeries have to be done in stages. She’s still undergoing treatment today,” Rowan said without hesitation, pointing to the data on the screen.

“On the other hand, because of the large number of bodies, the NYPD hasn’t yet issued a complete autopsy report.

The girl’s condition isn’t urgent, so I plan to examine those 22 bodies first. Maybe we’ll find clues related to the killer.”

“Good,” Augustus nodded approvingly. After giving a brief instruction, he handed over the lead on this case to Rowan.

Thanks to Rowan’s work on the explosion case, new funding from Covert arrived this morning. Augustus needed to rush and secure it immediately.

This money was critical for the Fifth Investigation Team’s future—a new coffee machine, new chairs, and new computers—so there could be no mistakes.

“By the way, Mona,” Rowan suddenly remembered as he was about to leave with Lucy. He tilted his head and asked,
“Do you recall Philomena mentioning that her sister once used a client’s phone to call for help?”

(End of chapter)