Peter returned to Federal Square with Jimmy. Since there was no danger in the office, Jimmy let loose and began to slack off. At this point, his task was to read through documents. With no cases to intervene in, everything depended on what Peter arranged.
As closing time approached, Jimmy's slacking off came to an end, as Jones and Diana returned from outside.
Jimmy, "Jones, any good news?"
Jones showed Jimmy the bag he was carrying, which contained four videotapes. "Yeah, I've got a few surveillance tapes here. I need to process them."
Most surveillance equipment on the market still uses VCR tapes to record video, quite a difference from storing on computer hard drives. Although more advanced storage on computer hard drives is available, the majority of surveillance systems have not yet been upgraded.
FBI surveillance vehicles use computer storage, which is convenient for both viewing and editing. These tape recordings are troublesome as they need to be transferred to a computer first before quick editing can be done.
Jimmy had no foundation for dealing with videotapes. During training at the FBI Academy, this type of course was for intelligence personnel; trainee agents like Jimmy weren't involved in these areas.
Looking at the time, Jimmy realized it was almost time to leave and guessed Jones would be working late again.
Peter, "Jones, do you have the results?" Peter, noticing Jones and others had returned, called out from his office.
Jones, "I've got the tapes. Let me work on them, and I'll probably have the results for you tomorrow."
Peter, "Okay, try to avoid working too late tonight; you need to be sharp for the investigation tomorrow."
Jones, "Understood, don't worry."
Peter returned to his office, and Jimmy, seeing the situation, knew there would be no results today. He dawdled until the end of the workday and then quickly left the office.
In Manhattan, one is never at a loss for places to spend the evening. However, Jimmy was not in the mood for fun right now. He just went to a gym to work out to exhaust some energy so he could get a good night's sleep at home. As for practicing shooting, conditions didn't allow for it at the moment; he could only pass the time practicing drawing and loading his gun and such.
The next day, when Jimmy returned to the office, Jones hadn't arrived yet, which suggested that he indeed had not worked too late.
It was past 10 AM when Jones finally entered the office. He apologized to everyone, "Sorry, I'm late. Let's go to the conference room; I've got everything organized."
Once in the conference room, Jones connected to the projector and displayed three photographs.
Jones, "We confirmed yesterday that three individuals had contact with the target. Here's information we extracted from the surveillance footage on those three."
Subject One, Jacob Hodgson, from Memphis, Tennessee, former Marine Corps member. After retiring, he took a security job in New York and then left the job two years ago with no employment records since.
He entered the hotel right after the target and according to elevator surveillance, stayed in the target's room for about 20 minutes before leaving, without carrying any bags or luggage.
Subject Two, Travis Norton, an Israeli citizen, entered the country last year, with no employment records. He stayed in the target's room for 12 minutes and left via the elevator, without carrying any bags or luggage.
Subject Three, Carlisle Gale, from Charlotte, North Carolina, no employment records. He was in the target's room for about 2 minutes; he brought a bag with him and left with it still in hand.
The hotel's exterior surveillance only captured them walking left and right, with no additional footage. I need to request the intersection camera footage to determine their movements; if they left by vehicle, there's nothing we can do unless we can obtain all nearby surveillance, which is impossible."
Peter, "Let's hear your thoughts."
Diana, "Jones and I discussed this while reviewing the footage yesterday, and we suggest focusing on Jacob Hodgson for two reasons. First, he has a service record with the Navy, and our murder victim, Nathan Bird, also served, and moreover, he ran a shooting club, so there's a good chance they had contact.
Second, the suspect in Nathan's murder is proficient in rope climbing and marksmanship, both of which require specialized training."
Peter nodded, "Jones, head over to dispatch and see if they passed the intersection at the relevant times; that's also a clue.
Diana, you come with me to canvass the nearby shops to see if we can view their surveillance footage.
Jimmy, you'll follow in the car and provide support."
Jimmy shook his head, "I'll go with you to investigate; let Diana provide support. It'll be easier to handle any emergencies that way."
Peter, "No, it's more convenient for Diana to come with me to communicate with them, follow my arrangement. Everyone, let's head out."
Fine, the gender advantage. Although Diana is a black woman, a pretty woman is an advantage, plus a 40-something, harmless-looking white guy like Peter seemed to pose a low risk.
Peter drove with Jimmy and Diana; this time, Jimmy didn't get the front passenger seat and had to sit in the back. With some free time, he reorganized the cartridges and bullets on his person to prevent any issues in case he needed to use them.
Near Central Park, there were numerous museums, as well as many stores and high-end hotels. Peter's FBI credentials might not necessarily work with these establishments; they had to rely on their conversational skills. If it were Jimmy, he would probably become so frustrated after two tries that he'd be tempted to draw his gun.