"That means the important thing was what was hidden in Muriel Baldini's home safe."

Luke shrugged, "That simplifies things. Just talk to Muriel Baldini directly, she must know what's inside her safe, and then we'll know the real purpose of the robbers."

The deputy shook his head, "It's not as simple as you think. This item is definitely very important to the Baldini Fund Investment Management Company.

If it's beneficial for Muriel Baldini, she might speak up.

If it has a negative impact on her, she will not tell the truth to the police.

These big companies are involved in loads of messy affairs, either from business competition between companies or internal power struggles within the company, all in the pursuit of profit.

We might as well conduct our own investigation first, grasp some situations, and then talk to them."

Luke thought it over and tended to agree with the deputy's comments, instructing, "Raymond and Jenny, you two go look into the disappearance case of Jacob Johnston.

Deputy, you take charge of contacting the family connected to the disappearance case.

I and Jackson will go speak to the robbers, perhaps we can get some clues from them."

...

Luke first interrogated the suspect, Andres Towns.

Andres Towns, handcuffed, sat properly opposite the table, "Captain Lee, what do you need me for?"

Luke asked, "Who was the mastermind behind the North Hollywood Bank robbery?"

"Soster."

Luke took out a photo of Soster Victor, "Is this him?"

"Yes."

"What was his purpose in robbing the bank?"

"To rob the cash and safety deposit boxes in the vault."

Luke pulled out a photo of Jacob Johnston, "Do you recognize him?"

Andres Towns looked closely at the photo, "No, I don't recognize him."

"Have you heard of the Baldini Fund Investment Management Company?"

"No."

"Do you think Soster Victor had another purpose in robbing the bank?"

"I don't understand what you mean."

"For example, he wasn't interested in the cash, but in something inside a safety deposit box."

Andres Towns thought for a while, "Captain Lee, now that you mention it, I do recall something.

After robbing the North Hollywood Bank, divvying up the loot was quite straightforward, the cash was split equally among everyone.

However, the items in the safety deposit boxes varied greatly and weren't easily appraisable, so we put everything together and tried to distribute it equally, no secrets allowed.

Among the various gold and silver jewelry, we found a paper bag which, when opened, contained many documents.

To me, they were meaningless, so I complained, 'Who brought this worthless bag back?'

Soster waved his hand, and simply took that paper bag containing the documents.

There was nothing valuable inside, so we didn't mind. Thinking about it now, it truly is suspicious."

Luke pressed further, "What was written on the documents?"

"Something about 'investments' and 'funds' probably; I didn't pay any attention, as it was worthless to me. With a table full of gold and diamonds, who would care about a paper document?"

The words of Andres Towns corroborated some of Luke's suspicions, but Luke did not wholly believe him, so he later interrogated another suspect, Jerrang Kazafei.

Jerrang Kazafei's account was the same as that of Andres Towns, confirming Soster indeed took a document.

This further solidified the notion that Soster had another motive for robbing the bank.

In the end, everything came full circle.

Luke once again interrogated the main suspect, Soster Victor.

Before Luke could speak, Soster Victor eagerly inquired, "Captain Luke, how has your review been? Is my plea deal written yet?"

"You seem quite confident."

"It benefits everyone, so why not?"

"If you want a plea deal, answer a few questions first."

Soster spread his hands, "OK, ask away."

"Why did you rob the North Hollywood Bank?"

"Heh, of course, it was for the money," what else could it be? What else does a bank have besides money?"

"According to your accomplice, you took a document from the bank's storage locker. Where is it now?"

"Uh... I burned it, it was meaningless."

"Robbing a bank for a document and you're saying you simply burned it? I don't believe you would do that lightly."

"No, I robbed the bank for the money."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Luke took out a photo of the missing person Jacob Johnston, "Do you recognize him?"

Seeing the photo, Soster Victor's mouth twitched, and he closed his eyes, giving no response.

Jackson slammed the table, "Have you gone mute? Speak."

Soster glared fiercely at Jackson, "No, I don't know this guy."

Luke pointed at the picture, "His name is Jacob Johnston, an employee of the Balldini Fund Investment Management. The document you robbed was stored by him in the bank locker.

Shall I continue?"

"So what? I randomly shoved it into my backpack during the robbery. Later, I looked at the contents, found them worthless, and burned them. I don't care about whose locker it was."

"Right, what you care about is his company, and then you kidnapped the CEO of the Balldini Fund Investment Management. Don't tell me that's a coincidence."

"You are right, it is a coincidence."

Luke, seeing the signs of lying in his expression, asked, "Why do this? What relation do you have with this company? What do you want from them?"

Soster Victor shook his head, "You're mistaken, I don't know what you're talking about?

I suggest you check with a psychiatrist; you might have some kind of delusional disorder.

A friendly reminder."

Luke, staring at his expression, suddenly asked, "Are there others behind these two cases?"

Soster Victor shook his head firmly, "No."

Lying.

"Who is the mastermind then?"

"Hey, I agreed to cooperate with the police, but I don't feel the sincerity from your side, only feeling targeted by you.

I now refuse to answer any more questions." Soster Victor made a zipping motion across his lips.

Luke wasn't bothered by his poor attitude, just by his silence.

"Soster, you should know that running away won't solve the problem.

If you want the police to believe you, answer my questions."

"I want to see my lawyer."

"If I remember correctly, you've already seen your lawyer today."

"I'm feeling unwell, I want to stop the interrogation."

The two exchanged looks for a moment, Luke stood up, "OK, rest well, we'll talk again tomorrow."

Jackson picked up the documents on the table and followed Luke out, shutting the interrogation room door heavily, "Captain, how did you know there is someone behind Soster?"

"Someone like Soster, a desperate criminal, has no reasonable connection to robbing a company document from the Balldini Fund Investment Management. This suggests there should be a link between Soster and the company, likely the mastermind behind this," Luke initially only speculated, but Soster's reaction confirmed his guess.

"With Soster using his ill health as an excuse not to face police questioning, how should we investigate the mastermind behind this?"

Luke counter-asked, "What do you think?"

"How about we interrogate Andres Towns and Jerrang Kazafei again to see if they have any clues about the mastermind?"

"We can question Andres Towns and Jerrang Kazafei, but it's highly unlikely they know.

As long as the guise of robbing the bank is maintained, there's no need to inform them.

Andres Towns and Jerrang Kazafei are not interested in that document at all.

That way, even if the police catch Andres Towns and Jerrang Kazafei, they still won't know their true motive, keeping the mastermind safe."

Jackson sighed, "So, you mean the only person who knows the identity of the mastermind is Soster, and he is completely unwilling to cooperate with the police; do we really need to hand him over to the FBI?"

Luke said, "Even the smartest people can make mistakes when they lose control of their emotions. Soster got somewhat panicky when I mentioned the mastermind earlier.

He made a mistake, specifically, he mentioned someone he shouldn't have."

Jackson recalled, "The lawyer?"

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