Jimmy thought for a moment and said, "First, it's known that Tom currently has three mobile numbers. The CIA said Tom died on a mission, and Tom's family couldn't reach him either, so we can only believe what the CIA says, since being an agent is indeed a dangerous job.
If Tom indeed died on a normal mission, but it happened so suddenly that he left no will, the CIA would surely handle his belongings, at least his phones used for external communication.
Why weren't these other two phones handled? If these two phones were secret, and no one else knew about them, it implies that Tom stored these phones somewhere safe before he left. If we could locate these two phones, we might find something Tom left behind."
Besides, normally, even when Tom was on a mission, he would have made arrangements like a will prepared in advance. So, could there be other messages still undiscovered?
The ultimate goal here is to confirm the last known locations of the mobile phones. James, can you contact someone to track and locate these numbers? The phones are off now, so we need to find out the last locations of the cell towers they connected to, and then consider which areas the phones could be in."
James thought for a while, nodded, and said, "I should be able to find someone to check. I'll have to contact them."
Jimmy continued, "Alright, that's the first issue sorted. Let's look at the second issue—Tom's belongings. The CIA provided belongings didn't include any electronic devices, which should be normal, given the nature of their work that involves many secrets that can't be revealed.
But is it a problem that only clothes were included? At the very least, Tom should also have had personal items like photos and musical instruments; one cannot possibly live every day in an empty room. Even living alone, I have some daily necessities and a few guns."
The box he willed to you was clearly prepared at home in advance, and not something he used daily."
James nodded, "Exactly, he wasn't usually at his house in Kentucky, but in Virginia or New Mexico. He told me he mainly dealt with matters in Mexico, Americas. Theoretically, his belongings couldn't just consist of clothes."
Jimmy said, "That matches up. The CIA's statement that he died at sea and involved the lengthy coasts of Mexico, where coastal missions are normal. But that's not a doubt, we don't know the rules of the CIA; maybe that's how they handle things? Keeping all potentially revealing items and only providing clothes, the non-secretive stuff."
Seeing James nod, Jimmy continued, "Third, about the black SUV with Virginia plates seen at Tom's cemetery, if Tom died on a normal mission, it would be normal for close colleagues to come and mourn.
But if his death wasn't normal or, taking it a step further, if Tom hadn't died at all, then sending someone to monitor also makes sense. This should be the biggest breakthrough so far."
James nodded, and Jimmy continued, "James, can you try to get the road surveillance footage from there? We need to confirm the vehicle's movements and the people in it. After the funeral, we need to know where that car went and who was in it."
James shook his head, "I don't have contacts in Kentucky, especially those who can access surveillance footage; this might be a bit difficult."
Jimmy nodded, "At least we have identified three issues to follow up on: first, to confirm with his family who notified them of his death, second, to find someone to locate his last connected cell sites for the two numbers, and third, to try to get information on the black SUV and its occupants."
"Do you see anything we might have missed?"
James shook his head and said, "No, that's it. You're doing better than I expected." James picked up his drink, clinked glasses with Jimmy, and they both drank.
James continued, "Jimmy, you don't seem like the brute I remember. It seems a waste just to have you as support staff."
Jimmy, smiling, said, "We don't have any cases to break; besides these routine matters, we hand over any significant cases to others."
James said, "Okay, we'll talk about your stuff later. Let's focus on the current issues. I'll contact people tomorrow to confirm the first two issues, and if we don't find anything from them, we'll consider how to get the surveillance footage from Kentucky."
Jimmy replied, "Alright, I'll wait for your update."
James and Jimmy stopped discussing this topic and casually talked about the police department for a while before Jimmy stood up to leave.
As Jimmy left the study, James didn't just sit; he stood up to see Jimmy off, showing that Jimmy's status had indeed changed from before.
Jimmy had had quite a bit to drink and was somewhat intoxicated. He started his car and left the neighborhood, but had to stop at the neighborhood entrance, unable to drive any further.
Jimmy called a contact at the LRPD, asking them to come and help him. At the LRPD, officers patrol in pairs, so one could drive his car back for him.
This was possible because he was also familiar with the LRPD; otherwise, calling the county police headquarters would be troublesome as they patrol solo, and he would have to ride back in a police car, leaving his car parked somewhere.
James's community is upscale, with a higher police patrol frequency than other places. Jimmy didn't wait long before LRPD personnel arrived, and he got home safely and quickly went to rest.
That night, Jimmy had really pushed his memory to the limits, imagining scenes from movies he had watched to come up with what he had told James. If he were just a patrol officer who went about daily patrols, he wouldn't know all these complexities.
Still, despite the hints from those movies, he could only think of these few points in response to James's questions. This showed his lack of experience; Jimmy really didn't use his brain much normally, and even calling him a brute might be a compliment.
The next day, Jimmy arrived at the police department, and James was already there. Seeing James on the phone, Jimmy didn't enter but instead changed into his gear and sat at his desk waiting for updates.
However, Jimmy was disappointed because, by lunchtime, he hadn't received any update from James. Jimmy bought some fast food, ate, and then drove the police car to the SWAT training grounds. He had been practicing shooting lately and thought it was a good time to stretch as well.