"Here is the victim's information. It was a family of three: parents and a child who should have been eight years old this year. They were suddenly murdered."
Peter looked at the victims' photos and the partial information narrated by Mary Jane. It was a very ordinary Irish immigrant family. Based on their jobs and residence, they seemed to have no connection to criminal activity.
Frowning as he looked over the details, Peter first stated his conclusion after seeing the explosion site: "The explosion didn't shatter any of the glass, so we can conclude that the explosion originated from inside the restaurant."
"And then..."
"That restaurant did not require reservations. In other words, the killer couldn't have known where they would be seated in advance."
Mary Jane listened thoughtfully: "So, the killer couldn't have installed the bomb ahead of time. The bomb must have been planted immediately, meaning the killer was most likely present at the scene when the bombing occurred?"
"Yes, a very simple conclusion. The police definitely know this too. There's an ATM booth with surveillance cameras across the street from the restaurant. In fact, by retrieving the footage from there, they could roughly deduce who the suspects are."
Americans, or rather these Westerners, are very reluctant to install surveillance cameras, to the extent that cases that should be easily solved often lack sufficient evidence. This is partly because ordinary people are unwilling to sacrifice their personal liberty for safety. But on the other hand, the American government is also untrustworthy. No one believes that these cameras are solely for crime prevention and to aid police operations.
It must be the evil White House and the Pentagon monitoring the daily lives of ordinary citizens again!
In reality, they don't trust the American government and police at all, nor do they have any goodwill towards the American Avengers organized by the Pentagon. Instead, they prefer to trust superheroes like the Avengers, who have no official background. At least they are clean and won't randomly interfere with people's lives.
Hmm, they would certainly think this way before seeing that list.
"So, the police are highly likely to be able to narrow down the range and find the suspects. They just need to look at the camera footage for anyone who slipped away from the restaurant after the explosion."
Hearing this news, Mary Jane felt somewhat dejected: "How could they be like this? Three people died there. The owner said—the owner said their bodies were charred, and yet the police are just letting it go?"
"This is also useful information."
Mary Jane was stunned again.
"If the perpetrator was an erratic maniac, the police certainly wouldn't be unwilling to help. If the killer just wanted to murder a few people for fun, there would be no need to use such a novel, never-before-seen type of bomb. This can only mean one thing: the killer had a specific purpose, intentionally targeting this family, and this new bomb was the most effective means to deal with them."
Thinking one step further, if the perpetrator is also a 'Ghost,' then the motive is obvious: to eliminate anyone who knew, or might know, their identity, thereby protecting their true self. This Ghost is extremely cunning. Both Ned as a scapegoat and this bombing were meant to cover their tracks.
It can also be inferred that this active Ghost likely does not have a strong mob background, cannot hire underworld figures to solve problems, but can operate through legitimate channels... Of course, this could also be part of the deception, deliberately making people think they lack a mob background, but generally, people wouldn't go through such extra effort.
"Is it possible that the victims had any connections with socialites, high-ranking government officials, or corporate executives?"
Mary Jane seemed to grasp the implication and quickly nodded. After asking, Peter added a final instruction: "Once you finish investigating, hand these materials over to the reporter at the Daily Bugle who's covering this. He will definitely publish it."
"I can't quite guarantee that. Although he might not be as quick-witted as you, Mr. Leeds is a veteran Bugle reporter and has many contacts in the police department. It's unlikely he couldn't deduce this: an influential person without a mob background, who had social interaction with the victims, and was at that restaurant that day."
Mary Jane finished writing down the notes and put down her pen: "But he chose not to investigate further. Why? He must have known something and is sending me to investigate so he can shed responsibility. I definitely won't let him get away with it. I'll give the materials to Mr. Ben Urich, or if necessary, to J. Jonah Jameson. They will certainly report it."
Undoubtedly, the old J. Jonah, though not particularly likable, certainly had the guts. However, the conclusion Mary Jane and Peter had reached so far was only that "the killer is likely an influential person the victims knew, who lacks a mob background." That's all. This is not a confirmed verdict, only speculation. At most, they could publish a report questioning the NYPD and urging them on.
It might even tip off the killer.
However, Peter had already gathered sufficient intelligence.
Mary Jane mentioned "Mr. Leeds," which must refer to Ned Leeds, the Daily Bugle reporter covering the case. This links him to the incident. The real killer will likely use this point to frame Ned as the murderer. Given Ned's decision not to report further, it's highly probable that Ned has already been brainwashed into believing he truly is the Ghost.
Next, as long as Ned nervously tries to conceal the truth, or if others at the Daily Bugle uncover it, the mastermind can smoothly pin everything on Ned, resulting in a veteran reporter actively taking on the story to cover up the truth, and then concealing the truth.
Of course, he needed to prod a bit more to see if Mary Jane had any more information.
"You don't have evidence to prove he's deliberately downplaying the story, Mary Jane. Perhaps he's trying hard to investigate but is facing resistance?"
"Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Mary Jane shook her head, stating the reason. She took out some plastic fragments from her pocket: "There were a few more of these at the crime scene, but this is what was left. He definitely had a reason for taking these things back."
The outer shell of the pumpkin bomb is likely the same as the fragments left at Ned's home.
Peter nodded but still warned her: "No matter what, be careful, Mary Jane. Don't jump to conclusions easily."
As for Ned, well, sorry, he might be going to jail tonight.