North American Gunslinger Detective

Chapter 684 Arrest
As Mark and Julia head off to investigate the murder, they discuss in the car what to do next about that pesky complaint.

Although Jimmy didn't say how he did it, what he said just now has already determined the next process, so Jimmy can't let Jimmy come up with the rest.

If the two of them have no opinions at all, then there is no way they can be independent. You must know that Jimmy is only two or three years older than the two of them, and he only has a few more years of experience. The gap is really visible to the naked eye.

Whether it's the cases they followed Jimmy or the cases he handled in the past, the gap is so big that it makes people feel the insurmountable gap between geniuses and ordinary people. How many people in the entire Manhattan office can handle cases like Jimmy?At least they haven't heard it.

They are now going to the IRS office to investigate colleagues related to the deceased, asking about some of the deceased's previous affairs, in order to ensure that they have not missed any clues, otherwise the murder case will really be hung up. If there are no clues at the scene, they can only go through the relationship between the deceased. and movement trajectories to infer whether there is a possible perpetrator.

This method relies entirely on manpower and brain power, and there is no possibility of cheating. The most you can do is to find someone to do a profile of the murderer, but that is usually for major cases, otherwise there is no way to mobilize Quantico. After all, there are only five BAU groups in total, and supporting the whole country is not enough.

After questioning the deceased's colleagues, they did not get any new clues. The main reason was that the deceased did not usually talk too much about his personal affairs to others. In this case, he was really blind.

After looking at the time, Mark and the others returned to the monitoring team. Seeing that the monitoring team did not get much information from the outside, Mark gritted his teeth and said, "Give me a set of monitoring equipment, and I will come and apologize."

Julia looked at Mark: "Are we going to expose that we are watching him now?"

Mark: "It's not that I was exposed. I apologized after receiving the complaint and hoped that he would withdraw the complaint. The reason should be fine, and he should not find us."

Julia bit her lip and thought for a moment, then nodded: "I'll go with you, so it's more formal."

Mark nodded: "Then we need two. Each of us will carry one to make sure the recording is clearer."

There were many such monitors in the surveillance team's car, so they did not refuse. They installed one each for Mark and Julia, put on the headphones and tested them to make sure there was no problem. After comparing them, the two left the surveillance vehicle. , drove his car directly to the target door.

Mark stepped forward and knocked on the door. Julia stood beside him by the door, "FBI, is Mr. Cole Westwood here?"

Soon a man inside opened the door, "I am, are you?"

Mark showed his ID and said with a smile: "Mr. Westwood, I am FBI Special Agent Mark Anderson, and this is my colleague Julia Lee. We are here for your previous complaint. .”

Cole narrowed his eyes, "What are you doing here?"

Mark: "I specifically apologize to you for my reckless behavior before. Can we go in?"

Cole: "No need, you can handle it internally, that's it."

Cole was about to close the door after saying that. Mark reached out to block it. The smile on his face was still there, but it didn't look so sincere. "Please don't be so angry. I came here to apologize sincerely. I'm sorry. We can go in and talk." What?"

Mark's strength was not small. Cole closed the door twice but it still didn't close. He stared at Mark's face for a few seconds, then relaxed his hand to close the door and let them in.

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Mark apologized to Cole again and explained the reason why he did what he did. Cole's face was very ugly. When Mark finished speaking, he immediately said, "OK, I understand now. I forgive you. You can go." After saying that, Cole stood up and prepared to send them away.

Mark also stood up, "Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Westwood. I also have a request. Can you provide us with a copy of your surveillance video? The murder occurred not far away. I I hope I can try it from the surveillance to see if there are any clues.”

Mark is also a candy. He needs to attract Cole's attention and give Julia a little gap to observe the situation in the room. However, Cole is obviously unwilling to agree and directly refuses and asks them to leave. He will call the FBI. Cancel the complaint.

Mark and Julia said something more and needed Cole to cooperate in getting the surveillance video. Cole exploded and threatened to call the police if they didn't leave. Then the two left the house, and Cole closed the door behind them. Didn't come out to observe them at all.

The two walked towards the delivery car, and Mark asked in a low voice: "Do you smell it?"

Julia snorted and said, "Get in the car and talk."

The two got in the car, Mark started the car and left. He turned the corner in front and stopped immediately. Mark looked at Julia: "The smell is very similar to the pungent smell of marijuana. It's very light. I didn't find any high-power appliances in his living room. I suspect he may be growing marijuana in his room or basement, and it may have just reached the flowering stage, otherwise the smell would be very strong.”

Julia: "It's also possible that he was smoking marijuana in a certain room, and the smell of smoke came out a little bit."

Mark: "No, he also has a smell on his body, and it's very light. It shouldn't be from him."

Julia thought for a while: "Do you think it's necessary to notify the DEA?"

Mark: "That's not necessary. We also have jurisdiction. It's just that the current clues are not sufficient. We just suspect that he is growing marijuana. Will it be a problem to apply for a search warrant?"

Julia: "Probably not. If you think about what Yang said when he arranged for me to adjust the power situation, he must have already made a guess."

Mark nodded, first called the surveillance team, told them his guess, and asked them to keep an eye on the two connected houses, then started the car and returned to the office.
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Jimmy listened to Mark's story and nodded: "Yes, although it is a guess, there is a report on power usage, which is enough. You can go and write an application."

Mark looked at Jimmy in surprise: "Are these reasons enough?"

Jimmy nodded: "It is enough with the power report. There is an abnormal smell and the abnormal power usage, we have reason to suspect that he is growing marijuana. This situation is just in line with our authority, and we have the right to investigate and arrest him."

Mark smiled: "Thank you, Yang."

Jimmy: "When you go to arrest people, remember to bring more people with you to make the noise louder."

Mark nodded, and Julia also went to cooperate with him in writing the application report. Jimmy was finally relieved that they had succeeded, otherwise I don't know what reason would have been given for him to go.

His initial plan was to talk to the complainant to see if he could ease the situation. This idea disappeared when he discovered the plants in the basement. He was not interested in talking to this kind of person. In order to avoid accidents, he also deliberately A surveillance team was arranged to go over.

The monitoring records of the monitoring team can be used as evidence, which means that as long as they record the illegal behavior of the people in the house, they can directly arrange for arrests.

He told Kevin about this because he had thought that the person who was arrested would definitely be implicated in his brother-in-law. If the connection continued, the New York District Attorney would also be passive. As a local snake, Kevin would have a lot of room for maneuver.He really didn't think about letting Mark contact the other party directly before. This kind of grassroots person is most likely to be difficult to deal with. If something unexpected happens, it will not be good for anyone. In the end, Martin gave Jimmy a reason, and it was a very reasonable reason. , so that their visit is basically not considered unknown. It is best to find clues, and they can't just continue to wait for the monitoring team.

Fortunately, their noses are relatively easy to use and can distinguish the smell of marijuana. This is enough, as long as there are no special circumstances, such as the house suddenly catching on fire and burning everything to a shame, wait until they come next time. At that time, everyone should be able to gain both the stolen goods and the stolen goods.

The search warrant was filed quickly, and the next day, Mark and Julia set out for the target house with a three-man support team and two members of the forensics unit.

"FBI, open the door, we have a search warrant!"

This time, they came to the door openly. The surveillance team confirmed that the person was still in the room and had not gone out. Now was the time.

Inside, Cole was originally in the room. When he heard the FBI banging on the door, he immediately ran to the back door. The agent by the window of the front door happened to look inside. When he saw someone trying to run, he immediately shouted: "He's trying to run. He's at the back door."

Mark: "Break the door."

"Bang" and "bang" two door-breaking bullets were fired, and another kick made the door tilt to one side. Mark and the others rushed in and ran towards the back door.

The result was of course no surprise. Cole was caught up by Mark before he could run very far. One thing is that Mark's physical fitness did not give up training just because he retired. He ran much faster than other agents.

Cole was thrown to the ground by Mark, grabbed his head with a gun and took him back to the house.Mark asked Julia to look at the back door and stare at the people next door, and asked another detective to stare at the front door of the house next door, while he led the search.

The people from the forensics department at the back saw that everyone was back, so they came in through the door and inspected the room with the supporting agents. Soon they found a frame for growing marijuana in a room and in the basement. It had two floors, with There are fluorescent lamps, and just as Mark guessed, the flowering period has just arrived. If we wait for a while, these rooms may not be able to contain this pungent smell.

Mark put Cole in the car and called Jimmy to report the situation. As he was talking, Julia, who was observing at the back door, shouted: "Stop! Don't run! I need backup."

The detectives in the room immediately put down their things and ran out to support Julia. This time it was a little slower than before, but they also succeeded in catching Cole's neighbor.

The people from the forensics department confirmed according to the direction of the wires. One of the wires was directly connected from the next door. This means that the power consumption in the basement and small room here is actually shared between the two families. This also avoids excessive power consumption. It is still within the generally understandable range. After all, no one knows whether high-power appliances such as swimming pool heating are used at home.

They had good minds and knew how to let others share the burden to avoid exposing themselves. However, they never expected that as a shield for them, the New York District Attorney could not stop these unhappy FBI agents.

A senior assistant district attorney is not a low figure. If he is from other departments in New York, he might really need to be given some face.

Jimmy received Mark's notice and immediately called Kevin, "Our people have already carried out the arrest. If you have a plan, you can start."

Kevin: "Recruited?"

Jimmy: "I haven't brought it back yet, but I should be able to dig it up."

Kevin: "Okay."

They don't have any clues about the murder case at the moment, so it would be good to make a temporary drug case. At least Mark and the others can feel better and be more interested in working in the future.

It’s not that Jimmy doesn’t want to participate in the murder case, it’s mainly because there are no clues at all now. There are many such murder cases that have not been solved. Not every case Jimmy can find clues when he takes action. Now it’s enough for them to follow him. There is a new case. Just hang up and seal it first.

Cole's surveillance was indeed taken back. While Mark and the others were interrogating Cole, they asked the technical department to retrieve the surveillance for technical repair. Because the murder occurred at night, what they wanted to see was whether there were any unusual people passing by at night. The field of view and resolution of this kind of monitoring are very poor, and it is completely unclear when viewed normally.

Jimmy watched the interrogation. The facts were all there, and silence was ineffective. For Jimmy and the others, having a confession only saved the federal prosecutor's work pressure, and basically had no significant impact on the judge's decision.

However, after the first interrogation, Jimmy asked Mark and Julia to take people to invite Westwood Assistant Prosecutor and his wife. Because they were the landlord and were related to Cole, they asked them to assist. There is no problem at all with the investigation.

Westwood still knows the law very well. When Mark and the others came to visit, he notified the lawyer for his wife. To be an assistant prosecutor, you must have a lawyer's qualification certificate, so he is a lawyer himself. He will not do it for the time being. Another person needs to be called over.

But it is undeniable that the news that a district attorney was taken away by the FBI spread quickly. Before they returned to the office, Jimmy received a call from Kevin. The main purpose was to remind Jimmy not to go too far. After all, he The identities are different.

Jimmy was present when he was talking to the Westwoods, but it was Mark who asked, but they both said they knew nothing about Cole's grass planting and only gave him the house because he was his wife's brother. Just live.

After the first inquiry and no final result was obtained, Jimmy did not intend to detain them directly, so after taking notes, he only informed them not to leave New York for a short period of time and waited for the FBI investigation, and then let them go back temporarily.

This is sometimes the case. Different people enjoy different treatments. They didn't even spend the night in the FBI building. They signed and left within a few hours. But Cole was different. He was thrown directly into the jail and waited. After waiting for the outcome from the Westwoods' side, An Xin stayed in jail waiting for the federal prosecutor to arrange the prosecution process.

His neighbor didn't run away either. They started the grass-growing business together. The forensic department collected the neighbor's fingerprints in the basement, indicating that they were together.
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Remarks:

The legalization of medical marijuana in the United States is still very early. California passed the Medical Marijuana Act (Proposition 1996) in 215, allowing patients with specific diseases to use medical marijuana.

The earliest legalization of recreational marijuana was in Colorado in 2012 and in New York in 2021. The cultivation of industrial hemp, medical marijuana, and later recreational marijuana requires a license from the government and must be arranged by the state government. Supervision by relevant departments.

As of 2021, California, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Maine, and Missouri allow adults to grow no more than 6 marijuana plants at home, and some states allow up to 12 plants per household. strains, can be regarded as the limit of private cultivation of marijuana allowed in various states in the United States.

However, marijuana is still an illegal drug under U.S. federal law, and personal cultivation of marijuana is still illegal under federal law.

This involves the issue of state rights and federal power. Generally speaking, the legal use of marijuana in states where marijuana is legalized will not be pursued by federal law. However, if it involves the use of marijuana in federal places or within federal jurisdiction, it will You will face prosecution under federal laws, such as federal buildings, federal agency offices, federal courts, etc. in each state, and federal laws apply.

In addition, if there are illegal activities such as interstate transportation of marijuana, large-scale trafficking, tax evasion, money laundering, etc., they are also covered by federal law and will still be pursued.

Finally, the subscription data for November came out, and it has been declining in the past three months. I am considering whether to prepare for the final plot and write a second synopsis...

(End of this chapter)