Chapter 402 Bickering and Grat.i.tude
However, the two investigators were still unwilling to let it go, and they asked him about every detail again and again.
After an hour, the door of the room finally opened, and a colonel with four stripes walked in.
He waved his hand at the investigators. The three exchanged glances for a moment, before the two investigators got up and left the room with the colonel.
Closing the door, the colonel said calmly, “You can stop investigating Detective Luke Coulson.”
Both of the investigators frowned. The less talkative one asked, “Why? He’s a major suspect.”
After a brief silence, the colonel said, “Captain Adams and General Bates called and vouched for Sheerah and this Luke Coulson.”
“But this is an important case. How can they…” The other investigator couldn’t help but speak up. The colonel sneered. “First of all, Sheerah was personally invited by General Bates. Secondly, Corporal Laybecker, who saved Captain Adams, was set free from the freezer by Luke Coulson after the latter knocked out two criminals. The biggest mistake the criminals made was not killing Laybecker, who finished off their mastermind and prevented the dismantled missiles from being taken. This Luke Coulson might not be a simple person, but that’s his own affair and has nothing to do with this business.”
Both of the investigators were rendered speechless. They looked at each other, then nodded helplessly. “If you insist, that’s fine with us, but we’ll make a note of it in our report.”
The colonel sneered and said, “That’s fine. The navy will also investigate the bodies of the CIA special forces that we found on the battles.h.i.+p.”
The faces of the two investigators immediately darkened.
F*ck! The colonel was rubbing it in. If it wasn’t because they had been exposed, would they be so determined to investigate a small fry like Luke?
But a simple check of Luke’s background and the statements of all the parties involved was enough to determine that Luke had never planned to come on board until the last moment.
Furthermore, the young man had helped Corporal Laybecker out at a critical juncture by knocking out two armed criminals. If they had to investigate this person, he should be a low priority.
But there was a major problem on the CIA’s side.
Among the criminals that had been killed on the battles.h.i.+p, a number of them, including William, the mastermind, were found to be CIA agents. William himself was the captain of a certain secret CIA squad.
Barring anything else happening, it would be the CIA who was likely to take the blame for this defection.
The two CIA investigators actually knew that Luke most likely wasn’t a suspect.
But they had to try and turn him into one to muddy the waters; only then would they be able to quibble with the navy and s.h.i.+ft the blame.
That was the reason why they had been questioning Luke over and over.
Naturally, the navy wouldn’t stand by idly and let them.
Sheerah had been personally invited by General Bates. If the CIA claimed that Luke, Sheerah’s a.s.sistant, was a suspect, wouldn’t that mean that something was wrong with General Bates? Would the navy have to take the blame for this criminal incident?
General Bates was a powerful man, and would likely be promoted as Vice Admiral soon. Naturally, he wouldn’t just sit around.
At that point, the man next to the colonel said, “Alright, fellas, you can stop arguing. Now that you have the time, how about directing your efforts elsewhere?”
The two investigators frowned. “Agent Flegg, what’s the meaning of this? Is this the FBI’s att.i.tude?”
Flegg said expressionlessly, “I’m not in charge of this investigation, I’m just stating a fact.”
Looking at the two investigators, he added, “We have detailed files on Luke Coulson. A word of advice: Don’t waste your time on meaningless things.’
The two investigators frowned.
Flegg was obviously implying that the confidential files that the FBI had could prove that Luke had nothing to do with the criminals.
The two investigators looked at each other and helplessly left.
They walked off to find a secluded corner and make a call
In the end, their boss simply said, “Don’t bother that Luke. Go speak to NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) about the outcome of the investigation.”
The investigators were confused. “Huh? What should we follow up on?”
Their boss said, “We’ve learned that in William’s squad, Johnny Mullah and his brother Szoke Mullah were actually loyal. They concealed themselves well and killed many criminals at critical moments. Unfortunately, Johnny Mullah was killed, and Szoke Mullah is missing.”
Both of the two investigators felt that was bullsh*t.
Could anyone in William’s squad be loyal? They were just a bunch of fighters who specialized in cleaning up messes.
They weren’t convinced that the Mullah brothers were patriots who had risked their lives to stop William’s plan.
If they had planned to betray William, they wouldn’t have waited so long.
They could’ve leaked the plan sooner, and everybody in William’s squad would’ve been captured
As if he knew what they were thinking, their boss explained, “Apparently Mullah’s gun killed a lot of criminals, and the gun that killed Mullah was found in the hand of another criminal. Also, only Szoke Mullah had the time and motive to rescue the marines in the cabin.”
The two investigators immediately got it.
One of the Mullah brothers was dead, and the other had disappeared. Since they didn’t have families, it was unnecessary to even issue a death notice.
This was the breakthrough point for the CIA, and their boss wanted them to learn the situation ASAP so that the CIA could handle the bickering that would happen later.
If they concluded that the Mullah brothers betrayed William and were still loyal to the country, there would be less blame on the CIA, and the big shots would be safe.
Downplaying major events, and small fry taking the blame – this was how the world worked.
At that moment, Flegg said to the colonel, “Let me have a few words with him alone.”
The colonel frowned and didn’t immediately respond.
Flegg said, “Don’t worry. It’ll be two minutes at most.”The colonel slowly nodded.
Flegg pushed the door open and walked in.
After he entered, he turned off the camera and looked at Luke. “Now, can you tell me how many criminals you killed on the s.h.i.+p?”
Luke smiled. “Agent Flegg, I stand by my answer.”
Flegg stared at him for a moment, and finally smiled. “Okay, you’re good.”
Luke raised an eyebrow. This guy didn’t seem angry at all, but instead was even delighted? Flegg stood straight with his hands behind him. “I know what you’re concerned about, so you don’t have to answer this question. Now, you may leave.”
Luke nodded with a smile. “Thanks.”
Flegg turned around. When he reached the door and pressed his hand to it, he said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for this country.”