Chapter 1090: The Killer's Identity (Patreon)

The company where the incident occurred was located on the third floor of a newly constructed office building. As Jack stepped into the elevator, he noticed that the space where a security camera should have been was just a hole with exposed wiring.

“So you weren’t able to retrieve any surveillance footage?” he asked.

“This building was only finished two weeks ago. ‘Senalock’ was the first company to move in—lots of equipment hasn’t been installed yet,” the sheriff replied, tucking his cowboy hat under one arm as he quickly stepped out of the elevator.

“This company had only nine employees including the CEO. What happened to the one who’s missing?” JJ asked, flipping through the two-page report she’d just been handed.

“He’s a software engineer. Officers went to his home right after the incident, but neighbors say they haven’t seen him in the last two days,” the sheriff said as he led the team down the hallway. As he’d mentioned, not only were there no cameras, but even the company logo hadn’t been put up yet.

The layout of the office was simple: an open workspace with cubicles in the center, a few meeting rooms on either side, and at the back, a larger conference room and a private office.

“Looks like a decently run but relatively small-scale business. What exactly did they do?” Aubrey asked, stepping around a pool of blood near the entrance.

It had already been five or six hours since the murders. The bodies had been removed, the forensic work nearly done, and a few techs were collecting yellow evidence markers.

“Something internet-related, according to the file. But right now… we’re still contacting the victims’ families,” the sheriff said, looking somewhat helpless.

With eight out of nine employees either dead or missing, it was difficult to get a clear picture of what this company actually did.

He then pointed to the CEO’s office at the back. “Adam Weiner was the CEO. His office was turned completely upside down. Maybe you’ll find some useful clues there.”

“JJ, Hannah, check it out,” Jubal said, handing his tablet to Jack. “Alice just sent the crime scene photos. See if you can reconstruct it.”

The sheriff gestured to the large bloodstain under Clay’s feet. “That’s where we found the first body—Nathan Munz. He fell facing the door, looked like he almost made it out. Probably the last one to die.”

Clay crouched beside the stain, flipping through the photos on the tablet.

“Here’s Jane Bernie and Vinnie Davis,” Jack said, indicating two more markers. “Jane tried to run—her throat was cut from behind. Vinnie… she hid under a desk, but the killer found her anyway.”

He paused, exchanging a glance with Clay.

The sheriff, unaware of the silent cue between them, continued, “Three victims were killed with a knife. The others were shot. So we think there might’ve been two perpetrators. But we didn’t find a second set of bloody footprints. Whoever it was, they were very careful.”

Clay shook his head, his expression grim. “There was only one killer. He emptied a handgun magazine and didn’t bother reloading. He switched to a knife to finish the rest.”

His voice faltered slightly. “This guy’s physical ability is way beyond normal. Trained. Lethal. Military background is very likely.”

They’d noticed something strange the moment they entered. Despite the overwhelming amount of blood and chaos, the scene lacked the usual signs of a shooting—no shattered glass, no stray bullet holes. Nothing was disturbed except for what had been knocked over in the victims’ panic: spilled cups, laptops dragged by power cords.

Even if the killer took them by surprise, to dispatch eight unarmed people so quickly and efficiently… in this room, probably only Jack and Clay could’ve pulled that off.

Aubrey frowned. “That doesn’t add up. If it was premeditated, he’d have brought extra magazines. The fact he didn’t means something went wrong. Maybe he wasn’t planning on killing everyone—just one target. The rest were collateral.”

Jack nodded toward the CEO’s office. The floor near the door still held blood spattered with brain matter.

Photos showed that the man who died there—Adam Weiner, the CEO—had two shots to the chest and one to the head. A kill pattern familiar to both Jack and Clay.

“He was the primary target,” Jack concluded. “And the first to die.”

At that moment, the glass door opened and JJ stepped out, holding an open gun case with gloved hands.

“Jack, Clay—look familiar?” she asked.

Inside the case was a MK24 handgun with a gold anchor logo. Jack had a nearly identical one—it had been a commemorative gift from SEAL Team B.

—

“Looks like we know why NCIS handed this case over to the fugitive task force,” Jubal muttered as he stared at a framed photo on the office wall.

It was Adam Weiner, wearing a white Navy officer’s dress uniform. Below the photo hung a plaque showing he had been awarded the Navy Cross in 2019.

“Do you know him?” Jack asked Clay.

Among Navy SEALs—both regular and DEVGRU (Team Six)—identities were kept tightly sealed, even post-retirement. Their military records were often redacted or left vague, even in FBI databases.

Clay shook his head. “You’d probably have better luck asking Jason. I trained with Blue Team before I transferred to Bravo.”

“Wait… you think Adam Weiner was a SEAL?” Aubrey asked, stunned.

“That doesn’t make sense,” he continued. “The killer walked straight in without alarming anyone. If Weiner had been military, he’d have gone for his gun the moment he sensed danger. But he didn’t. That means… he didn’t feel threatened.”

“Which suggests they knew him,” JJ said. “Maybe the killer was that missing employee.”

She pointed toward a stack of documents in the office. “Another thing: these are all contracts. Why would the killer be interested in company paperwork?”