Duan’s Investigator Team

This thread follows the colleagues whose distinct skills turn Duan’s concern into a coordinated investigation.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Firm of Former Detectives

A Shared Professional Life Origins in Policing Duan and several colleagues met through Atlanta law enforcement. Their later partnership allows them to pursue cases with greater flexibility than a single investigator could manage. Complementary Skills Landon specializes in locating missing people, Chevis in interrogation, Brett in technical work, and Antron in undercover operations. Their specialties become crucial when the old Villarosas cases reopen.

A Call from Chicago

The Team Mobilizes Landon’s Old Frustration Duan calls Landon, who remembers Edward as a suspect he could not charge. The old failure gives the new inquiry emotional urgency for the investigator who first worked Sandra’s case. Division of Labor The colleagues agree to review files, contact the Atlanta police, and search for witnesses. Their initial plan is methodical because suspicion alone has not solved the cases.

Technology Finds Green

A Face Becomes a Lead Image Analysis Brett uses technical systems to identify the man in old club photographs. The lead points to Stein Green, who is already imprisoned in Florida. A New Route The identification gives Chevis a reason to seek an interview. The team still does not know whether Green was a lover, a witness, or someone hired to harm Mandy.

Parallel Checks

Corroboration in Progress Historical Records Antron checks phone and financial records while Landon visits Edward’s former girlfriend. The team looks for independent support for Green’s possible account. An Old Temper The former girlfriend recalls Edward’s jealous threats from decades earlier. Her story suggests a disposition, but it cannot establish the fate of his wives or prove the alleged contract killings.

Work After the Arrest

Investigation Becomes Accountability Reports and Testimony The investigators organize their findings for the police and for the families of the missing women. Their work shifts from finding a lead to preserving a reliable account of what happened. Professional Purpose Duan’s team has not merely solved a puzzle: it has helped authorities act before Wynona’s planned marriage. The collaboration demonstrates how specialized skills and patience can turn suspicion into consequential evidence.

Before the novel’s central investigation

Immediately after Duan hears Edward’s name

During the first week of the Shreveport investigation

During the days before Green’s prison interview

The hours after Edward is arrested in Las Vegas