North America Gunman Detective

Kevin: "The network over here in New York is complex. You don't necessarily need a lot of power to manage the media; you just need to deal with the people at key nodes, like a few editors-in-chief and supervisors. As long as these missing person reports aren't made widely known, it's still easy to control the media. It's not as difficult as you think."

Jimmy: "Alright, I don't usually pay much attention to such news. I'll go back first, and I'll come find you once I've confirmed the information tomorrow."

Kevin nodded, Jimmy got up and left the study, said goodbye to Nia, and returned to his apartment to rest.

Father Rodney is a very kind-looking middle-aged man, about 50 years old, with short brown hair that's slightly curly, streaked with some white hair, though not overly much.

Jimmy followed Father Rodney into a small meeting room, where Father Rodney took a few photos from some prepared materials nearby and handed them to Jimmy. "Bishop Anderson should have told you about the Rochester case, we lost a family member. These were taken by those handling the scene a few days ago."

Jimmy glanced at the photos, which depicted several bodies piled together, some partly decayed, but it was evident there were quite a few people. "What's going on? Why are their bodies all stacked together? How many people?"

Father Rodney: "Seven. Initially, we received an alert from the diocese, as a family member of a parishioner was suspected of being possessed by a demon. The local priest wasn't trained in exorcism and was frightened too. Two members of the family died, and the possessed woman disappeared."

The archdiocese dispatched an exorcist priest to the scene to investigate and track the demon's whereabouts, but he also went missing. Following that, an exorcism team went to the scene, and this is what was found in the Demon Cave."

Jimmy: "Was it resolved?"

Father Rodney nodded, "The exorcism purification has been completed, but due to the bloodiness of the scene, we buried them after praying for the corpses."

Jimmy returned the photos to Father Rodney, thought for a moment, and said, "Did you report this information to the local police? If I need to perform an autopsy on these buried bodies to confirm their identities, will it have any impact on you?"

Father Rodney shook his head, "It's impossible to report such matters. If you really dig them up, it might end up as a cold case."

Jimmy: "So, it does have an impact on you, right? You haven't done any fingerprint or trace cleaning?"

Father Rodney nodded; they hadn't considered this before, and this was their usual handling strategy. As long as it's not widely known, they largely handle things internally without involving police or other agencies. In fact, aside from their people, no one knows where the bodies are buried. In a sparsely populated place like the United States, burying them in a random secluded spot might remain undiscovered for three to five years.

Jimmy understood that this matter ends here; it couldn't be investigated further. Since the church did things this way, if he breaks the silence, it might implicate them, and his relationship with them might end completely, or he might even become an adversary in the future.

Jimmy: "I understand, thank you, Father Rodney."

Father Rodney: "It's okay, as long as you know. Since Bishop Anderson arranged for you to assist the investigation, there are some things we need to communicate more about to prevent any surprises."

Jimmy: "I understand, and if there's any other clue from a case, I'll let you know immediately."

Father Rodney stood up, "Then, our conversation ends here for today. I need to handle some church affairs."

Jimmy also stood up, "Goodbye, Father Rodney."

Jimmy left the church, checked the time, and drove directly to the police station, knocking on Kevin's office door.

Jimmy: "Kevin, I figured it out."

Kevin: "Sit down and let's talk."

Jimmy: "No need; I'll just briefly explain, then I'll return to the office. Some not-so-good things happened over there, something supernatural. There are several victims, but it's impossible to confirm identities right now. This matter can't be further investigated."

Kevin drew a cross: "It's related to them?"

Jimmy nodded, and Kevin was silent for a dozen seconds before nodding: "I understand; this matter ends here."

Jimmy: "Then I'll head back. Goodbye, Kevin."

From entering to exiting, it was settled in a minute. Jimmy shook his head while going down the stairs; some things he truly couldn't pursue further. According to the unspoken rules, matters of the supernatural shouldn't be made public. The missing case of the four college students might very well be among those bodies, but... hopefully, their families can soon overcome the sadness of their child's disappearance.

Before he walked out of the police station building, Jimmy's phone rang suddenly. He glanced at it; it was another Amber Alert message—a 10-year-old child missing near the school, suspected to be abducted. The suspect's vehicle was a black sedan, and the license plate information was published.

Jimmy sighed and shook his head, putting away his phone. An Amber Alert is issued when a child abduction case is confirmed, providing descriptions of the abducted and suspect to the public through an emergency alert system, hoping to get public attention and assistance in providing relevant clues for the police investigation.

Since the Amber Alert system went live, hundreds of alerts have been issued annually. Because Amber Alert information must be synchronized with the FBI, as an FBI agent, Jimmy can receive all kinds of messages, even if they're not from New York State; they still get notified.

Such kidnapping cases have specific teams responsible, so he doesn't need to concern himself with it; he just needs to review and record the information.

Back at the FBI office, Jimmy had just sat down when the red alert light on the office door lit up—something happened.

Jimmy immediately got up and went to the supervisor's office, where Peter and Ruiz were already inside.

Jimmy: "What happened?"

Peter looked at Ruiz, who nodded and turned to Jimmy: "Did you see the Amber Alert information just now?"

Jimmy: "I saw it; why?"

Ruiz: "A patrol officer found the target vehicle, reported to dispatch, and followed it, but an accident occurred. Someone in the suspect's car shot at the patrol car, causing them to crash, and the suspect vehicle has disappeared. Now the NYPD is conducting a wide search, and we also need to assist."

Jimmy frowned, "Isn't kidnapping handled by Kimberly Rice and her team?"

Ruiz: "Rice is dealing with another case and is currently not in New York."

Jimmy: "Okay, what do I need to do?"

Ruiz: "Tune the radio to the NYPD command system, participate in their investigation, and ensure the child's safety."

Jimmy: "No problem, where's the child's file?"

Ruiz took a printout from Peter's desk and handed it to Jimmy. Jimmy took it and left the office, going straight downstairs. As he waited in the elevator, he glanced at the file, finally understanding why this matter needed their urgent handling.

The missing child's name was Elliot Green; his father was Alex Green, a real estate developer, philanthropist, and mayoral advisor. Indeed, that last title was the most troublesome. As a mayor's advisor, he was undoubtedly a crucial figure often dealing with high-ranking political officials, and his network was certainly extensive.

The Green Family is well-known in New York City, enjoying a high reputation in both politics and charity fields. Alex Green's family had produced several politicians and senior officials, laying the foundation for Alex's involvement in political affairs.

A kidnapping of a child from such a political family is undoubtedly a big deal, though it's unclear what exactly the kidnappers are after.