Jack shook his head, indicating he had no recollection. Attorney General Jackson shrugged and offered an introduction.
"A fairly well-known hedge fund manager. If you watch TV often, you might have seen him on a talk show. The one who used to blush and say the subprime mortgage crisis wasn't a big deal."
"Sounds like a big shot?" Jack agreed with a smile, since the other party spoke sarcastically. It was obvious that the Attorney General was a bit overwhelmed by this case, as his words were filled with complaints.
"The problem now is that his legal team wants to rule this a suicide. This way, please."
Attorney General Jackson led Jack through the entire hotel corridor to the door of a luxury suite at the end.
Unlike a typical crime scene, there was no cordoned off entrance. The door was also closed, and the two men in suits standing at the door didn't look like police officers.
"Open the door," Attorney General Jackson gestured slightly to the two men, then led Jack into the room.
"I've instructed my staff to preserve the integrity of the scene as much as possible. If you can disprove the lawyers' claims, perhaps that will buy us enough time."
The body had been removed from the room, and someone had drawn a chalk outline of a human figure where it had fallen, using the traditional method.
"You?" Jack put on gloves and scanned the cups and other items on the bar counter with a purple light.
"Yes, we," the prosecutor gestured to the two guards at the door, and waited until the door closed before continuing.
"Ms. Anderson is seeking a seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and there's a reason I wanted you to come alone. At least three state supreme court justices have asked me whether these cases will be heard.
This kind of thing is making some people nervous, and they prefer to suppress it. Therefore, until the evidence is solid, I want to keep a low profile. Do you understand that?"
Jack understood it perfectly: it was simply a political deal.
The Attorney General likely saw an opportunity in this and wanted to make a big deal, but he was worried about backlash from his own incompetent staff, so he wanted to seek professional advice first.
Jack also noticed Attorney General Jackson's use of the plural form to describe the case, but he didn't rush to question him. Instead, he gave him a reassurance.
Picking up an opened box of Tadalafil tablets from the bar counter, Jack smiled and asked the prosecutor, "Generally speaking, most men don't take erectile dysfunction medication before committing suicide. Was this Hoyt Asift married?"
"Yes, his wife and children were home at the time of the murder." Attorney General Jackson's eyes lit up, clearly pleased with Jack's pertinent question.
"Do you think it was a lover or a call girl?" A wealthy man died in a luxury hotel suite in the dead of night, with male-specific medication on the table. There was no other explanation.
Attorney General Jackson lowered his voice further, "Agent Tavolar, after we leave this room, I will not admit anything I say next, and it should not appear in any report.
According to my investigators, Hoyt Asift withdraws $20,000 in cash from his fund almost every Wednesday, and last night was the same."
"Twenty thousand dollars a night? High-end call girls?" Although Jack didn't show any expression on his face, he was secretly shocked in his heart. This guy is playing pretty high-end.
For a single person, an annual income of $60,000 to $70,000 is considered middle class in the US, yet this wealthy man's monthly spending on call girls alone exceeds that.
Attorney General Jackson sneered and curled his lips in disdain. "I personally questioned the hotel's doormen and waiters, but to no avail. No one noticed any suspicious women around here."
"That's not surprising. A luxury hotel like this needs to maintain its reputation and protect the privacy of its guests. They wouldn't easily admit to having prostitutes around. Besides, a woman who charges $20,000 a night wouldn't be easily identified as such."
As Jack spoke, he used tweezers to pick up a long, light-blond hair from the sofa and put it into the evidence bag.
"Did the toxicology test come out?" The smell near the sofa was unpleasant. Although he hadn't seen the body at the scene, he could tell that the deceased had suffered from urinary incontinence and other symptoms before death.
"Yes, the lab said 'TETS,'"
the prosecutor pointed to a stain on the carpet in front of the sofa. "There's a spilled wine glass there. I had someone run a test privately."
"Rat poison?" Jack suddenly realized that "TETS," short for tetramethylene disulfone tetramine, is an organic compound and a neurotoxin a hundred times more toxic than potassium cyanide.
"It's basically confirmed murder. The killer poisoned the victim's wine glass before having sex. The drug took effect during foreplay, causing immense pain in the period leading up to his death.
He convulsed, foamed at the mouth, and suffered a seizure-like episode. Then he lost consciousness completely, completely unable to resist or call for help."
Jack's description sent a chill through Attorney General Jackson, who subconsciously recalled the horrifying scene he'd experienced when he saw the victim's body at the scene last night.
"How many similar cases do you suspect are related to this one?"
the prosecutor blurted out, barely conscious. "One, maybe two, maybe more. I can't be sure.
These are all 'bigwigs,' you know. Even my investigators face numerous obstacles."
Contrary to popular belief, many cases in the United States aren't investigated by the police, but by investigators affiliated with the prosecutor's office.
These investigators are appointed by the prosecutor's office and are only responsible to the prosecutor or assistant prosecutors. This also means that prosecutors can completely ignore the constraints of the local police system and independently complete the investigation of the case.
Handing the evidence bag in his hand to the other party, Jack took off his rubber gloves and said, "Please send someone to send these and the suspicious hairs collected from the deceased's body and clothing to the CSI laboratory in New York as soon as possible.
I may gather one or two helpers, and I will also need all other case materials that you suspect are related to this case."
The prosecutor nodded and opened the door. "Then this case is handed over to you, but please be sure to keep a low profile."
The two left the crime scene and went to the first floor of the hotel. Jack took out his mobile phone and sent a message to Jiejie and Aubrey, asking them to come to Dallas as soon as possible to meet him.
(End of this chapter)