Luo An's words sent a chill down the spines of the agents sitting on both sides of the conference table. Chenier was the first to react and said:
"Are you suggesting that Anthony Soling might have killed others during this period?"
"Like this 'Mr. Bodybuilding' Elliot."
Luo An slightly pursed his lips and nodded slightly, after a short contemplation, he said:
"Winslow, Chenier, you two lead the team to the residence of Elliot, which Mona just checked.
But this time, bring the forensic science agents directly, just in case."
"Understood."
Winslow and Chenier nodded, quickly gathered their belongings, and stood up to leave. Luo An then turned to Mona and Michelle, saying:
"Mona, Michelle, check out the pharmaceutical company that supplies drugs to the hospital where the incident occurred, or who the drug suppliers are, check the recent situations of these companies."
Reesi and Michelle paused for a moment; Mona's mind quickly raced and she asked:
"Luo An, do you think Anthony Soling poisoned the drugs at the pharmaceutical company?"
Reesi also came to her senses and slapped her hand, saying:
"It's not necessarily the pharmaceutical company, Anthony Soling could have tampered with the drugs during transportation!"
"Exactly."
Luo An nodded, he had previously talked to those doctors and nurses, none of them had lied, none had tampered with those injectables.
The hospital's surveillance video investigation team also meticulously checked, and similarly found no one had tampered with those drugs.
Under such circumstances, the only possibility left was that the drugs themselves were problematic, and they were tampered with before being used by doctors and nurses.
"That's right, it must be this scenario!"
Michelle exclaimed with a sudden realization and nodded repeatedly:
"That would explain the deaths of other patients in their wards during that period.
Because that period was exactly when the nurses were changing their medications! Moreover, the drugs these people had contained injectables for nutritional supplementation after surgery!"
Without wasting words, Mona immediately opened her computer and started typing swiftly, stating firmly:
"Mona and Michelle are investigating these pharmaceutical companies now."
"Good."
Luo An picked up his folder and looked at Reesi, saying:
"Reesi, come with me, let's take a trip to that hospital and talk to those doctors and nurses about the drug supply."
Reesi swallowed the candy in her mouth and gave a thumbs up:
"No problem!"
————
The special investigation team divided into three groups: Winslow and Chenier headed to Elliot's residence; Mona and Michelle stayed at the hotel to investigate the hospital's drug suppliers online; Luo An and Reesi drove to the hospital for an on-site investigation.
Luo An and Reesi were not yet at the hospital when a sudden ringtone from the phone in the car caught Luo An's attention; it was Chenier calling.
"How is it going?"
Pressing the answer button, Luo An asked:
"I hope you can tell me some good news."
"Unfortunately, I'm going to disappoint you."
Chenier sighed over the phone, looking at the male corpse in the room and said reluctantly:
"Luo An, your previous guess was right, Anthony Soling indeed wasn't idle during those twenty hours, Elliot is also dead."
Luo An remained expressionless, the driving Reesi quickly asked:
"What was the cause of death? Was it cyanide poisoning again?"
"No, this time the cause of death was a broken neck."
Chenier replied solemnly:
"The murderer's technique was skillful, precise, and lethal in one blow."
"Damn it."
Reesi muttered a few curses under her breath, Luo An then asked:
"Did the forensic science team find anything?"
"There are no signs of struggle at the scene, and no damage to the door."
The voice on the phone turned into Winslow, who elaborated:
"The forensics concluded that the murderer was an acquaintance of Elliot, and that Elliot had willingly opened the door and invited the murderer into his home.
Then, while Elliot had his back turned, the murderer took decisive action and easily killed him."
"I see."
Luo An didn't ask further, saying:
"Next, carefully investigate the surveillance cameras near Elliot's residence to try and find some useful clues."
"Understood."
After a brief conversation, Luo An hung up the phone, and just as the car arrived at the hospital where the crime occurred, he and Reesi stepped out of the car.
In the hospital director's office, Luo An sat face-to-face with an elderly white man wearing thick glasses, while Reesi sat on a sofa to the side, carefully reviewing the information provided by the director.
"Does Group Leader Greenwood think that the drug tampering might have occurred during the transportation process?!"
Upon hearing Luo An's analysis, the director's face turned very grim, and he quickly added:
"After the incident, our hospital immediately replaced all the medicines used in the high-security ward.
The medicines that were replaced are currently in the storage on the lower floor, and Group Leader Greenwood can take them all for inspection."
The director's swift action was not entirely out of medical benevolence; rather, it was because the patients in the high-security ward were either rich or powerful, and with nine already dead, no more could be allowed to die.
"OK."
Luo An nodded, he had already been aware of the medicine replacement during his first visit to this hospital and had them tested by the forensics.
However, because the types and quantities of the medicines were so vast, the results from forensics were still pending.
Without further discussion on this matter, Luo An briefly inquired about the pharmaceutical companies supplying this hospital.
At this moment, Reesi suddenly stood up from the sofa, with a folder in her hand, and whispered to Luo An:
"Group Leader, I found the information for the latest batch of medicine suppliers for the ICU."
Luo An raised an eyebrow:
"Which company?"
Just as Reesi was about to speak, Luo An's phone suddenly rang, and pressing the answer button, Mona's urgent voice reached his ear:
"Luo An! I found a pharmaceutical supply company! This company had recently provided medicines to the hospital.
But more importantly, the manager in charge of their drug transportation business had taken leave yesterday, and is now unreachable!"
Luo An snatched the folder from Reesi's hand and asked:
"What's the name of that pharmaceutical company?"
"Hailain Pharmaceutical Company!"
The name matched the name on the folder. Without hesitation, Luo An immediately got up and walked outside, asking while he walked:
"Can you find out where the missing manager lives?"
"I found it."
The sound of rapid keyboard typing came through the phone, and Mona quickly said:
"I've sent the location through a text message to your phone, it's not too far from where you are!"
"Good."
Hanging up the call, Luo An and Reesi walked to the parking lot and drove their SUV into the traffic, Reesi sitting beside him and fastening her seatbelt correctly, looking quite uneasy:
"Luo An, I have a feeling that this manager might not be very lucky."
"Highly likely."
Luo An did not contradict Reesi, feeling the same way.
"Son of a- damn!"
Reesi counted on her fingers and frowned:
"How many people has Anthony Soling killed now?"
"Nine people in the hospital, three silenced, that we know of is eleven, not excluding others we don't know about."
Luo An casually replied, then suddenly his expression changed and he hit the brakes, frowning:
"I think I might know where Anthony Soling is now."