CHAPTER 409: CHAPTER 409: THE BROKER WHO BUYS ANTI-TANK MISSILES

This was Luo An’s second interrogation of Kelly Hunter.

Unlike the previous interrogation, this time before the interrogation, under the watch of Chenier, Michelle, and Luo An, Leona met with Kelly Hunter in the detention room for a brief moment.

Seeing Leona, Kelly Hunter’s eyes lit up instantly, he hurried to the front of the detention room’s iron bars ready to say something, but Leona reached through the bars and slapped him hard across the face, then turned around and left with a cold huff.

Special Investigation Team, interrogation room.

With a slapped face, Kelly Hunter was breathing rapidly and his complexion looked terribly pale. Luo An, sitting opposite him, glanced at Michelle who was prepared and said softly:

"I have bad news for you, Kelly Hunter, your good brother Alex and several others, were all killed."

Upon hearing this, Kelly Hunter suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock, but the shock disappeared quickly, replaced by deep distrust, suspecting that the FBI was deceiving him.

Seeing this, Luo An did not waste words and directly picked up the photos of the crime scene where four people died, taken by Reesi and Winslow, and slowly pushed them towards Kelly Hunter.

"..."

Seeing the scene in the photos, Kelly Hunter’s eyes went dark, and he painfully raised his hand to cover his eyes.

"You should thank us for capturing you, Kelly."

Luo An leaned back tactically and crossed his legs, and said:

"If it wasn’t for us capturing you last night, the person who killed Alex and the others might have come after you and your sister too. I believe he would be ten times more ruthless than us, what do you think?"

Kelly Hunter remained silent for a long time, finally he gritted his teeth and cursed:

"...son of a bitch!"

Luo An hadn’t expected Kelly Hunter to start by cursing, but he didn’t mind that, being able to speak was a good thing, and Luo An continued:

"There is some good news for you now, the three anti-tank missiles are still missing.

I believe you must know who killed Alex and the others, right?"

Kelly Hunter was silent for a few seconds, his eyes reddened as he coldly said to Luo An:

"I want an immunity agreement."

"You know that’s not possible."

Kelly hasn’t personally shot anyone in this case, but he participated in the entire process of kidnapping and robbing the military warehouse, so Luo An said:

"However, if you are willing to disclose useful information related to this case, I can help you apply for a plea agreement."

The Federation is a free democratic country, and the plea agreement holds an important place in federal law. It is a deal reached with the prosecutor facing criminal charges, where the defendant accepts the wrongdoing to receive a series of benefits such as reduced sentences, suspended sentences, exceptions from prosecution, or reduced criminal responsibilities.

"OK."

After much thought, Kelly Hunter agreed and began narrating what he knew, saying:

"The guy who bought these anti-tank missiles calls himself Tom."

Luo An, taking back the photograph, said:

"Sounds like a fake name."

"Exactly, we think so too."

Kelly Hunter mentioned that among their people, someone named "Jin" was the leader and also one of the four deceased in the photo.

Under Jin’s leadership, their small organization always dealt with familiar faces, and Tom was a new client introduced by an acquaintance.

Being cautious, Jin checked on this "Tom," but what exactly was discovered Kelly and the others did not know, as Jin did not elaborate, merely assured them that Tom’s identity was clear, and the deal could proceed.

Over the years, the trust they nurtured made Kelly Hunter and others believe in Jin’s words. But now Kelly thought, perhaps enticed by a high price, Jin selectively overlooked the risks, ultimately costing himself and others, including Alex, their lives.

After hearing Kelly Hunter’s words, Luo An asked:

"Where did you deal with Tom regarding the anti-tank missiles? How did the transaction go?"

"I don’t know."

Kelly Hunter shrugged his shoulders, indicating that most of the time he was responsible for driving and being an aide, and the dealings were always handled by Kim and Alex; he never asked about the details.

Luo An’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to ask:

"You’ve seen Tom, haven’t you? Can you describe his appearance?"

"I can."

Kelly Hunter nodded to indicate it was not a problem, then proceeded to provide information about the location of their organization’s weapon storage warehouse.

More than two hours later, a sketch artist, based on Kelly Hunter’s description, created a portrait of "Tom." Luo An took the portrait and immediately had Michelle input it into the computer to cross-reference with the FBI’s internal database.

Soon, Michelle and Mona identified the man:

"Tom Torres, 40 years old, formerly a member of the Federation Army team, returned to Federation after military service, incarcerated multiple times for harming people due to post-war syndrome and PTSD.

After getting out of prison, Tom Torres became a fixer and middleman straddling the criminal and legal worlds, living off commissions."

Chenier looked somewhat surprised:

"It’s actually Tom?"

"Tom Torres is a fixer; he probably wasn’t the mastermind behind the purchase of anti-tank missiles."

Luo An rubbed his temples, feeling like the case was like Russian nesting dolls, one leading deeper into another, with the real mastermind being very cautious.

Chenier followed Luo An’s thoughts and analyzed further:

"For a fixer, the goal is to make money; murder is detrimental to them... unless they are forced to."

"Like being threatened or coerced."

Luo An then turned to Michelle and Mona, asking:

"Can you find out Tom Torres’s recent activities?"

"Sorry, can’t find anything."

Seeing Michelle shake her head, Luo An turned his gaze to Mona. Mona quickly typed on the keyboard then suddenly stopped, saying:

"The DEA has a record showing that the second-in-command of a large drug cartel in South America, named Beibetto Holge Vita, sneaked into the Federation a few days ago.

Tom Torres had a meeting with this second-in-command a few days ago, then he vanished until he appeared yesterday in the case at Alex’s house."

Beibetto Holge Vita, a man of mixed heritage with numerous tattoos, is known in DEA records for his tendency to exploit others’ vulnerabilities, threatening them to work for him.

If the job is done well, Vita is known to honor his word, not only releasing people but also providing them with a financial reward.

However, if the task is not successful, Vita is even more honorable, never allowing them to live another day.

"The second-in-command of a drug cartel... fits the profile of the mastermind, but it’s unclear why he threatened Tom Torres to help him acquire anti-tank missiles."

While displaying the characteristics of this heavily tattooed, mixed-race man on Mona’s computer, Luo An asked:

"Has anyone from this drug cartel been captured by the DEA or other law enforcement agencies?"

A cartel leader like Beibetto Holge Vita wouldn’t typically risk being captured by entering the Federation.

Unless there was a compelling reason, such as eliminating a traitor.

Mona shook her head:

"Didn’t find anyone from this drug cartel being captured, but I found something else."