Chapter 73: Connection

"Eight years ago, before his marriage, when Sean was thirty-three," William scrolled through the data on his computer, reading from the screen with utmost seriousness, "Sean worked as a sales agent at a real estate company. Coincidentally, our fourth victim, Tamara Terry, was twenty-two at the time and interning at that very company."

"That's not all." As soon as William finished speaking, Mona twirled her pen and pointed at the undercover log displayed on the computer screen. "After his wife went missing, Sean searched for her everywhere. Agent Marlon discovered him during this time. After observing him for a while, Marlon concluded that Sean was 'smart, adaptable, deeply emotional, and articulate.' So Marlon contacted Sean and informed him that his wife had been abducted by the 'White Horse Gang.' If Sean wanted to save her, the best course was to cooperate with the DEA and go undercover within the gang."

"Marlon’s judgment was correct. Half a year after infiltrating the White Horse Gang, Sean managed to obtain evidence of the gang’s human trafficking operations and criminal activities of its leaders, leading to the complete takedown of the organization."

Everyone turned to Mona, their gazes intense. At the front of the conference room, Roan paused his writing, turned, and asked, "What happened to Sean's wife?"

"She died." Mona's expression was grim. "According to a minor leader in charge of 'transporting goods' for the White Horse Gang, Sean's wife suffocated inside the transport vehicle."

Roan pondered for a long moment before continuing, "While undercover, did Sean use heroin?"

"He did." Mona scrolled through the page, carefully reading the undercover log. "According to Agent Marlon’s records, in the first week of infiltrating the White Horse Gang, Sean was forced to use heroin. After the gang was destroyed, Marlon sent Sean to a detox facility. Seven months later, Sean successfully left the institution."

Roan nodded and wrote "has used heroin" on the whiteboard, then asked again, "Is there any record in the undercover log about the rape-murder case from a year and a half ago?"

Mona looked through the logs carefully and shook her head. "No."

Suddenly, Mona turned to William and asked, "William, what month did that rape-murder case occur?"

William typed quickly and looked up after a few seconds, replying, "April 5th, a year and a half ago."

"OK." Mona stopped twirling her pen and pointed at the computer screen, addressing Roan, "On April 29th, a year and a half ago, Sean began a new undercover assignment, this time with the Hyena Gang."

Roan, still writing on the whiteboard, cursed under his breath.

"Not only that," Mona opened Marlon’s contact log with Sean during his undercover work and studied it for a moment, her brows furrowed. "While undercover with the Hyena Gang, Sean and Marlon agreed to meet once a month at Little St. Phil's Church. And each meeting coincided precisely with the wedding dates of the three previous victims!"

"Damn!"

"Son of a bitch!"

Hearing Mona’s words, the agents of Investigation Group Five erupted in curses.

Roan finished writing, turned around, and cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention, pointing solemnly at the whiteboard. "Based on the information we've gathered, we can summarize the following clues:

First: Sean lives in the Harwood area, which lies within the circle centered on Little St. Phil's Church.

Second: Both Sean’s wedding venue and his meeting point with Marlon while undercover in the Hyena Gang were at Little St. Phil's Church.

Third: Sean’s wife disappeared three months after their wedding, which matches the timeline of the previous three victims' disappearances. Moreover, the times when Sean met Marlon at Little St. Phil's Church coincided with the victims’ wedding dates, suggesting Sean likely obtained their personal information during those meetings and kidnapped them three months later.

Fourth: The fourth victim, Tamara Terry, married eight years ago, when Sean was working at the same real estate company, so he likely attended her wedding.

Fifth: One month after the rape-murder case, Sean went undercover again—possibly a condition Marlon set in exchange for faking evidence for him."

After Roan finished, all the agents nodded in agreement. The data was accurate, and Roan’s reasoning seemed sound.

One coincidence is chance, two are luck, three are random—but four or five all matching...

Looking at the whiteboard, everyone present was now convinced that Sean was the true perpetrator behind the serial murders.

However, these clues alone were insufficient to make an arrest, as they were merely indirect evidence.

The next step was to find direct evidence.

Roan walked over to Mona’s desk and began reviewing her undercover materials.

"The autopsy report isn’t out yet, so we don't know if Sean’s DNA is at the crime scene," Mona said, standing and glancing at the whiteboard before tilting her head and asking, "I remember the crime scene had the perpetrator’s footprints. Could those prints be traced to Sean?"

William picked up the crime scene photos from the investigation report, his eyes lit up, and he quickly typed at the keyboard before slapping his palm on the desk. "Sean’s credit card records show he bought a pair of shoes three months ago, and the tread matches the footprints found at the scene exactly!"

"Good!"

Mona’s eyes brightened at the news, and she immediately turned her gaze to Roan. "Let’s apply for a search warrant right now! If we find those shoes and analyze the soil on them, we can prove he was at the scene!"

The gray sedan was also an important piece of evidence, but since there was no record of Sean buying such a car—and given the Hyena Gang’s involvement in handling stolen vehicles—Mona suspected the gray sedan would likely never be found.

"No." Roan, still reviewing Mona’s undercover files, shook his head slowly. "We need to report this first."

Applying for a search warrant was no problem, but Sean was currently a DEA undercover agent, actively working within the Hyena Gang. Arresting him or searching his home would be straightforward, but if the DEA was planning an operation relying on Sean, and their plans failed because of his arrest...

Roan didn’t care for the DEA, but the aftermath would surely require intervention from their superiors, so this had to be reported to August first.

Additionally, the FBI’s Organized Crime Division was also monitoring the Hyena Gang alongside the DEA. Roan could disregard the DEA, but not another FBI division.

—

"So, the killer this time is an undercover agent?" After Roan finished his account, August rubbed his temples, pondering in silence before asking, "An undercover agent’s daily life is already tense—why would he take time to commit murder?"

August had never been an undercover agent, but one of his colleagues had spent some time in that role. When the colleague came back alive, he didn’t leave the psychologist’s office for a year, which convinced August the job was absolutely not for him.

"Maybe it’s precisely because of the daily tension—his mind constantly taut, but he can’t show it in his expression or words," Roan replied, sitting across from August and sipping his coffee as he offered his hypothesis. "Sean’s first undercover mission was for his wife; he had emotional support. But after his wife's death and his own descent into addiction, those nightmares shaped a man who had just been a real estate salesman—he’d never want to go through that again."

"The rape-murder case in the alley—Sean sought Marlon’s help. Marlon agreed to forge evidence for him, but on the condition that Sean go undercover again. So..."

"So this time, Sean went undercover to avoid prison, with no emotional support to sustain him."

Thinking of the DEA, who sometimes not only neglected their undercover agents' mental health but also pressured them into certain tasks, August grimaced.

Roan nodded. "I just checked Marlon’s records. On the mornings the four victims disappeared, Marlon met with Sean. So likely, during their meetings, Marlon brought up topics that upset Sean. Coupled with overwhelming psychological stress, Sean chose to vent by kidnapping a woman he’d remembered three months prior—someone who married at Little St. Phil’s Church."

Without hesitation, August pulled out his phone after hearing Roan’s theory. "I’ll contact Organized Crime Division right away."