New Gods of North America

Other people's accidental mishaps can sometimes be quite amusing to hear about.

Wayne quickly had Doug make a note of this incident, planning to create an "Accident Compilation" as a negative example for internal use within the detective agency.

Unfortunately, even when professionals mess up, they still manage to be more 'slippery' than amateurs.

The address that Ineisha ultimately obtained, although within the 'activity area' that the detective agency had previously designated for the murderer's accomplice, turned out to be a restaurant, rather than an office or residential building that would be more indicative of a specific person.

However, knowing the drop-off point made it relatively easier to find the person suspected of being the murderer's accomplice.

Considering that he knew the trackers were just low-level thugs and that the carriage driver was genuinely a random passerby, even if he habitually concealed his tracks afterward, he shouldn't have taken overly complex counter-tracking measures.

Therefore, statistically speaking, his actual base was most likely in the vicinity of the drop-off point, within a one-hour walking distance—this was a conservative estimate to widen the scope. Normally, half an hour would have been sufficient.

If there was nothing within this range, it would indicate that the person had likely taken another carriage, but as the saying goes, 'Don't add entities unless necessary'.

Whether there's a date or not, it's always good to cast a line first.

...

The next day, the detective agency began searching from the restaurant. Since the appearance and name of the person suspected of being the murderer's accomplice were unknown, and this location might be close to their daily activity range, there was a possibility that they had acquaintances who might secretly tip them off.

Therefore, Wayne used the excuse of 'returning a wallet' to find the person, saying that he had brushed past them, picked up their wallet, and only vaguely saw their back before losing them in the crowd.

He then described the figure and clothing of the windbreaker-wearing man he had previously investigated, attempting to locate the target. This would slightly increase the probability of the person being truthful, even if the person being questioned knew the target.

They asked all the way from one end of the street to the other, and finally, a shoeshine boy who roamed the streets provided a clue, saying that the person Wayne was looking for might be a Mr. 'Steve'.

However, he didn't seem to live on this street, but rather had to go through the alley and walk towards another block. As for more specific clues, the shoeshine boy didn't know, but he could help inquire.

Although it wasn't a direct hit, it was more consistent with the 'personality profile' that the detective agency had created for the person, so Wayne happily gave him a silver coin, saying that there would be corresponding rewards if he could provide more clues in the future.

I wonder if you have ever had the experience of walking through a commercial district in the city center. In a commercial area of a city, it is often only a few interconnected streets that are bustling with activity. Sometimes, just crossing a not-too-long alley can cause the level of activity to drop sharply, but if you continue to walk forward, it may become bustling again.

The bustling areas are usually the 'outer' areas facing the street, while the areas surrounded by prosperous streets are often neglected and deserted.

Just as the area under the lamplight can be darker than the area slightly further away, the neighborhoods behind the prosperous streets are not particularly suitable for living. Even without considering the 'mixed bag' of people and security risks that the flow of people may represent, the average rent and house size here do not offer much value for money.

In this era where transportation is not particularly convenient, this may often be a choice that many people are forced to make.

However, if we assume that the person has a secret identity, then such a location, 'hiding in plain sight', is quite 'offensive and defensive'.

So when Conner told Wayne that he had encountered a familiar face here, Wayne was not too surprised and greeted him, "Hi, what a coincidence."

The other person didn't seem to recognize Wayne, "You are?"

To facilitate extracting information, Wayne continued to maintain his familiar enthusiasm:

"Our detective agency has a temporary office on Jefferson Street in Sixth Avenue. There are two surveillance points set up by you there. Mr. Walter even visited two days ago. One of our agents saw you go there afterward, seemingly more than once, and remembers you. Do you have surveillance points here too?"

This suddenly left the other person a little confused.

Perhaps because the detective agency had discovered his tracks, and Wayne had met his superior, possibly even Mr. Walter, the 'superior's superior', the other person quickly put away his overly hostile vigilance, but still seemed a little hesitant:

"The specific details of the operation, as well as the detailed locations of the surveillance points, are secrets to us. I'm afraid I can't disclose them."

So there are some, huh.

Looking at you, you seem more like a work liaison between different surveillance points, probably the kind who regularly follows up on the situation at different surveillance points and then goes back to summarize.

Wayne didn't expose him and then asked about the question he was more concerned about, "Have you seen someone like this here? Supposedly, his name is Steve, he seems to usually wear a windbreaker and has a habit of covering his face. His body features are roughly..."

After listening, the other person's eyes rolled slightly a few times, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then shook his head: "I haven't heard of such a person."

"Is that so... that's a bit of a pity."

Wayne continued to observe the other person's micro-expressions while verbally expressing his regret.

When you were recalling just now, your eyes glanced to the left, and now they are glancing to the right again. According to the detective agency's current internal teaching materials, this is called 'signs of lying'.

Not honest, huh.

I feel like even if that guy isn't your target, you should know that such a person exists.

However, every organization has its own internal rules. After initially drawing a conclusion in his mind, Wayne didn't make things difficult for the other person. He then exchanged a few more pleasantries and said goodbye to the other person.

By the way, Wayne felt that this guy looked more like 'internal affairs' than 'field operations', and probably wasn't that professional, so he had Conner secretly follow him to see what office locations Walter's postal workers usually have in Richmond, in case they might be useful in the future.

Then the detective agency had a rough idea. If the local intelligence organization also placed surveillance points here, then the probability of the target living near here would greatly increase.

Therefore, 'asking passersby' became 'focused investigation'. One group continued to follow the established plan, while Wayne led two people to find real estate agents in the area, using the excuse of planning to rent a house to inquire about the situation of the residents in the area.

However, halfway there, Wayne suddenly thought about it and realized that something seemed wrong.

If Walter's people already knew who the murderer's accomplice was and had placed surveillance points, then wouldn't there already be clues to Tom Hagen's assassination case?

Or were they just targeting this guy because of his identity, but didn't know that this person was connected to the murderer in the assassination case?

Happy New Year!