Chapter 173: Secret Investigation

Agent Lily glanced at Sades. After Sades nodded, Lily said, "These are scanned copies of private letters Benjamin Franklin sent to the editor of the New England Courant in 1722, written under the pseudonym Silence Dogood."

Agent Lily searched on the computer for a moment and said, "I found it. These letters were secretly written by Benjamin Franklin to his brother when he was fifteen, using the pseudonym Silence Dogood."

Director Sades put on his glasses and looked at the scanned copies in his hand. After a while, he asked the people around him, "What's the significance of these letters? Why would Ben Gates keep these letters here?"

Everyone thought for a moment but shook their heads, finding no clues linking these letters to the Declaration of Independence. Sades looked at his subordinates and Chapel, seeing their confused expressions, and finally turned to William.

William shook his head and said, "Sorry, I'm not an expert in archaeology or history, but can I take a look, Director Sades? Maybe I can find something."

Without much thought, Sades nodded and reached out to hand the letters to William, but Chapel immediately stopped him.

"No, you can't let him see them. Sades, William has an excellent memory. Once he sees something, he remembers it. I don't know the significance of these letters, but I do know we can't let William see them. It seems the Templar treasure might be real, or Ben Gates wouldn't go to such lengths to steal the Declaration of Independence. Sades, don't forget the treasure is hidden in the USA. Even if we don't know where it is now, we can take our time to find it. Right, Sades? Don't forget, William is an Englishman."

Sades himself was a member of the Freemasons and had always heard the legends of the treasure, though there had never been any clues or written records. No one knew where the treasure was hidden, so the big shots didn't care about the legendary treasure. 

But Ben Gates's reckless actions this time made him question whether the treasure really existed. As Chapel said, it didn't matter if they couldn't find it now; as long as the treasure was in the USA, they could search for it slowly. So, Sades nodded, "You're right, Chapel." Then he asked William, "William, you're so curious about these letters. You must know something. Can you tell us what you know?"

William rolled his eyes at Chapel and said, "Of course, I know, but what do I get for telling you?"

Seeing William's displeasure, Sades instinctively thought William was bluffing and said to his subordinates, "Have we found Ben Gates's relatives yet? Find his parents' residence first. Ben Gates might go to them."

"We found it, sir. Ben Gates's parents have been divorced for many years. His father lives in Pittsburgh, and his mother, Victoria, lives in New York."

Sades said happily, "Good job. We're going to Pittsburgh. Chapel, call the special agents in New York and have them find Ben Gates's mother."

Chapel nodded. "No problem."

"Okay, guys, let's move. I have a feeling Ben Gates will go to his father. Let's get to Pittsburgh. We're already an hour behind him. He might be at his father's house by now," Sades clapped his hands and shouted, "Move it, guys!"

William muttered to Chapel, "How shameless," to which Chapel replied, "Thanks, you too." They both laughed, and William asked, "Why not call the special agents in Pittsburgh or the FBI for help? It took you an hour to find out where Ben Gates's parents are. The FBI is more efficient within the USA. Wouldn't it be faster to have them handle it?"

Chapel looked around and then said quietly, "No one knows the Declaration of Independence was stolen yet. The higher-ups don't want it known. Otherwise, tomorrow's newspapers will be full of attacks on the current Chief Steward. If the Chief Steward is in trouble, our bosses won't be doing well either. They won't let that happen. We have to investigate quietly. As for the FBI, if you've followed the news, you'd know some relationships aren't great."

"Okay, no need to say more. I don't care about that. I'm just worried that by the time we get to Ben Gates's father's house, he might already be gone," William said, expressing concern but secretly happy that the delay worked in his favor.

The group drove to Pittsburgh in more than a dozen cars, taking nearly an hour and a half to reach Ben Gates's father's house, which was indeed a bit inefficient.

An hour earlier, Riley had parked the car in front of an ordinary two-story wooden house, cautiously checking the surroundings. "It seems fine, Ben. The special agents haven't traced here yet."

Ben Gates nodded, "Riley, park the car by the side wall of the house. I'll get out first and check the situation."

Ben Gates didn't notice the black van parked a few hundred meters away around the corner, where sharp eyes were watching them. The van's occupant wore an earpiece, listening to every move Ben Gates and Riley made, seeing and hearing everything clearly.

After ensuring there was no ambush, Ben Gates felt greatly relieved and walked to his father's house, pressing the doorbell.

Soon after, the door opened, and John Wick heard an elderly voice through his earpiece, "Hey, Ben."

"Good evening, father."

Pat Gates, seeing his son's smiling face, asked grumpily, "Why do you have time to see this old man, Ben? You're not here about the treasure again, are you? If so, you might as well leave. I've told you everything I know. Don't bother me about the treasure anymore."

Ben Gates quickly stopped his father, Pat Gates, from closing the door, pleading, "Wait, father, I found Charlotte. I know what Charlotte is. It's a ship. I dug it up myself."

"What? You found what?" Pat Gates's voice trembled with excitement upon hearing that Ben had found Charlotte. "Ben, did you find the treasure?"

"Uh," seeing his father so excited, Ben quickly said, "Calm down, father. Let's go inside first."

"Okay, come in quickly," Pat Gates stepped aside to let Ben and Riley into the house.

From a distance, John Wick, having received William's text, was waiting for a chance to snatch the cylinder from Ben Gates. Seeing the three enter the house, John Wick checked his M1911 under his arm, then stealthily drove to a small deserted street by Pat Gates's house.

Listening to Ben Gates's voice through his earpiece and confirming there were only three people in the house, John Wick put on a mask and gloves, then walked toward Pat Gates's house under the cover of night.

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