Chapter 172: Evil in the Refrigerator

The sudden noise and movement startled everyone, and Lacey almost spilled the coffee in her hand.

Roan dropped his half-eaten burger onto the table and strode quickly toward William.

"What did you find?"

"We found a car!"

William tapped the keyboard a few times, then turned the monitor toward Roan.

It displayed several screenshots from surveillance footage.

"Based on the transaction records you brought back, our tech team thoroughly checked the surveillance cameras near the transaction locations."

Taking a huge bite out of a large burger, William explained with a wide smile:

"Near one of the transaction sites, we spotted an orange pickup truck. Then we checked the area around the bakery where Carolina Belose was killed, as well as the area near the apartment where her sister lives. Around the time Carolina was murdered, and when that masked guy appeared near the apartment, this orange pickup truck showed up in the vicinity both times!"

Once is a coincidence, twice is an accident, but three times is definitely not a mere chance.

"Great job!"

Giving William a firm pat on the shoulder, Roan immediately pulled Ryder toward the armory while asking:

"Whose car is it?"

"The owner of the Henry Lumber Mill!"

---

At six-thirty in the afternoon, Roan and Ryder, fully armed, arrived at the lumber mill.

It was already past quitting time, and the factory was completely empty, with only the owner's office still lit up.

According to Mona's investigation, the lumber mill's financial situation was quite poor, and it looked like it would go bankrupt in a few months.

Knock, knock, knock—

"Come in!"

The bald lumber mill owner was staring at the financial statements before him, looking deeply troubled.

Hearing the knock, he didn't even raise his head as he told them to enter.

Then he saw Ryder fully geared up, pointing a Glock 18 straight at him.

Swish!

The bald owner's expression changed drastically; he immediately stood up from his chair and adopted a rigid military posture.

Moments later, upon learning the purpose of Roan and Ryder's visit, the bald owner collapsed back into his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

"That car is indeed mine."

With trembling hands, the bald owner flipped through the employee files nearby and explained:

"But for work purposes, that car has been driven by one of my employees recently."

Picking up the financial statement on the desk and glancing at it, Roan raised an eyebrow and asked:

"Who's driving it? What's his name?"

"Jorgen Landry."

---

Successfully locating a file, the bald owner handed it to Roan and said:

"A guy who always gets things done reliably."

Taking the file, Roan looked at the photograph and saw a rather handsome white man.

Motioning for Ryder to send the information to Mona, Roan asked:

"Reliable? How so?"

The bald owner explained that the factory's finances were handled jointly by Jorgen Landry and his own company's accounting, and that Jorgen had helped him save a substantial amount of money every month.

Glancing down at the details of the financial statements in his hand, and learning that the factory's accountant was actually the owner's biological daughter, Roan clicked his tongue silently.

Sabotaging one's own parents truly transcended nationalities and genders.

Without saying much more, and confirming that Ryder had forwarded all the information to Mona, Roan prepared to leave, but not before handing his contact information to the bald owner and adding:

"If Jorgen Landry contacts you or comes here, call me immediately. But at the same time, don't tell him we've been here, OK?"

"OK."

The bald owner nodded in agreement, and right before the office door closed, he called out loudly:

"I don't know what Jorgen did to attract the attention of you FBI agents, but trust me, he's a good guy!"

"..."

Roan paused in his steps, shook his head, and walked away briskly with Ryder.

Once they caught Jorgen Landry, he would contact this bald owner and advise him to hire an independent third-party auditor to review his factory's books.

---

"Jorgen Landry, thirty years old, born in Brooklyn, New York, never went to college."

The dark SUV sped swiftly down the road under the illumination of streetlights. Mona's voice came through the phone as she tapped rapidly on her keyboard, detailing Jorgen Landry's background:

"Right after turning eighteen, Jorgen Landry enlisted in the military, served four years as a Navy scout, and participated in several conflicts. After being honorably discharged, he studied hard and earned his accounting certification. Currently, he lives in Queens with a bedridden mother."

"Very well, sounds like a well-trained soldier who smoothly returned home from the battlefield after completing his mission."

Turning the steering wheel, Roan maneuvered the SUV smoothly through traffic, overtaking cars with ease as he continued:

"Yet we still don't know why he wanted to kill Carolina. Mona, have you found any connection between Jorgen and Carolina? Judging by the crime scene, Carolina doesn't look like someone randomly chosen, and Jorgen's lifestyle and mindset don't fit the profile of those who lash out at society."

Mona's expression on the other end of the line was rather grim. Frowning, she replied while flying her fingers across the keyboard:

"I don't know, I'm still checking."

Having had the orange pickup truck lead discovered by William and the tech team first, Mona was currently feeling a bit annoyed. However, Mona wasn't directing her frustration at William and the others, but at herself.

"OK, let me know when you find something."

Hanging up, Roan glanced over at Ryder in the passenger seat, who was quietly buckling his seatbelt tighter, and broke into a grin as he asked:

---

"So, Ryder, any thoughts?"

"No."

Ryder shook his head:

"Based on the files, Jorgen Landry has zero connection to this case. Did we look in the wrong place?"

"Maybe."

Overtaking another vehicle in the SUV, Roan suddenly remembered something, pulled out his phone again, and called Lacey.

A few seconds later, the call was answered:

"Lacey here."

Without any preamble, Roan stated directly:

"Lacey, take Jorgen Landry's photo right now, go to the hospital, and ask Edwin Miller if he is the one who bought the gun."

"OK!"

Hanging up, Lacey immediately stood up and left Major Crimes Unit Five.

Minutes later, Roan and Ryder successfully arrived at Jorgen Landry's house.

Parking the SUV diagonally across from the house, Roan and Ryder carefully checked their equipment to ensure everything was secure, then pushed open the doors and got out.

Knock, knock, knock—

Standing on either side of the front door, Ryder knocked and shouted loudly:

"FBI! Is anyone home?"

Complete silence; no one answered.

Roan tentatively jiggled the doorknob, and the front door easily swung open.

Exchanging a glance, the two men raised their Glock 18s simultaneously and stepped quickly into the house.

Relying on speed to clear every room, Roan soon found an elderly woman lying on a bed in a deep sleep in the furthest room on the second floor.

Recalling that Jorgen Landry's file mentioned a paralyzed mother, Roan stepped forward to check her breathing, confirming she was merely fast asleep and not dead.

At that moment, Ryder's loud shout echoed from downstairs:

"Roan! Get down here right now!"

Hearing this, Roan immediately rushed toward the source of the voice, running down into the basement as he asked:

"What is it?"

Ryder didn't answer, simply pointing toward the corner of the basement with a look of utter shock.

Following Ryder's finger, Roan saw a running refrigerator.

Inside the refrigerator rested a frozen human head.

If it were merely a head, it wouldn't have shocked Ryder so deeply, as he had seen such sights in previous cases.

The true reason for Ryder's profound shock was that the face of this severed head looked uncannily, horrifyingly similar to Jorgen Landry.