After chatting for a while longer, Jack got up to leave. Just then, Frank's secretary, Baker, knocked on the door and entered, struggling to carry five or six thick binders that resembled oversized dictionaries.
"These are the materials you requested, Commissioner."
Jack, ever the gentleman, stepped forward to help, taking the binders and placing them on the desk.
"Thank you," Baker said softly, then remained standing by the desk, speaking respectfully. "These are memorandums from the Appropriations Committee under the Public Safety Committee."
"Politicians love to talk, but we prefer action. When someone accuses us of neglecting old-fashioned police methods, perhaps we should take their advice," Frank said with a slight smile to Jack. He gestured toward the sofa and said to Baker, "Take a seat. We've got a lot to do today."
"Should I notify Ms. Moser?" Jack's lips twitched slightly, barely restraining a laugh. Whoever said revenge is best served cold didn't know Frank Reagan—he couldn't wait even half a day to strike back.
"If necessary, I'll contact her personally. Thank you, Jack," Frank replied as he put on his reading glasses and sat across from his secretary. He opened one of the thick memorandums and began to read.
Leaving NYPD headquarters, Jack headed straight back to his office, where he requested Dick Reed's full case file. He spent the rest of the evening reviewing it and sketching out a rough psychological profile.
The next morning, Jack's Dodge Hellcat pulled up on Bowery Street near Chinatown in southern Manhattan. Rolling down the window, he waved to Danny, who was shivering on the sidewalk.
Nearby, a crowd of people had gathered, including reporters and regular citizens. Despite the biting winter wind, their excitement remained unabated, their expressions showing eager anticipation as if they were waiting for something significant.
"Thank God you showed up! You've saved me again," Danny said, climbing into the passenger seat and rolling up the window. The warm air from the car's heater and the steaming coffee inside helped him thaw out. "My car's heater broke again."
"I busted my ass to get that scumbag Dick Reed into prison, and now he's being released because of some procedural mess? I'll never understand how this system works."
Jack could only respond with a smile to Danny's complaints. "You should be grateful, though. At least it was just a swab contamination issue. If the testing equipment itself had been faulty, even more criminals would be walking free."
"So it's my fault now?" Danny looked exasperated. "Do I get blamed just for being pessimistic?"
Jack chuckled and handed him a thick stack of papers. "Here's the psychological profile I wrote up last night. Want to take a look?"
Danny took one look at the densely written pages, which resembled an academic thesis, and immediately recoiled. "Just give me the conclusion."
The self-proclaimed academic underachiever leaned away from the papers as if they might bite.
"This is actually just a draft of a paper for my, uh… professor," Jack said, almost slipping up. It had been a while since he'd seen Maureen or Zoey. Maybe he could visit them in D.C. soon—it wasn't that far from New York.
"The conclusion is simple: as soon as this psycho gets out, he'll be desperate to start committing crimes again. He's been bottled up for too long."
Danny couldn't help but glance sideways at Jack with a sarcastic smirk. "That's it? I could've told you that without wasting paper. You're lucky Greta Thunberg doesn't come after you yelling, 'How dare you!'"
Jack just rolled his eyes and looked out the window. "The prison bus is here."
Danny followed his gaze and spotted a blue-and-white bus with barred windows slowly turning the corner. "Here comes the misery wagon," he muttered. He opened the car door, downed the rest of his coffee, and tossed the crumpled paper cup into a nearby trash can.
Jack got out as well. In Manhattan, four prisoners were being released due to the evidence contamination scandal. Apart from a few tabloid reporters and family members of the prisoners, most of the crowd was there to see the serial rapist and murderer, Dick Reed.
As usual, in this hellish world, serial killers had their own fans and admirers. These people created websites dedicated to the killers, sent them letters and gifts in prison, and now gathered here to welcome their idol's release.
"It's crazy how these sickos and psychos seem to attract each other," Danny muttered under his breath, tossing out a few choice curses. He turned back to Jack. "Aren't you coming?"
"Why would I? To throw out a few harsh words? Unless you need me to stand beside you to stop you from losing your temper and getting fired, I'll stay back and observe."
Jack firmly declined. While the crowd wasn't huge, the serial killer's "fans" numbered about a dozen, and their enthusiasm was palpable. They were chanting slogans of support.
"I support you, Dick!"
"Those sluts had it coming!"
"This is God's will!"
As the bus doors opened and a somewhat handsome young man stepped out like a celebrity, waving to the crowd, the atmosphere hit a fever pitch.
The scene reminded Jack of crazed fans screaming and crying over celebrities in his previous life. The absurdity of it made his stomach churn. He wished he could strap these delusional groupies to one of Elon Musk's rockets and launch them into space.
"Look at these lunatic fans. What's wrong with this world?" Danny muttered, shaking his head as he watched two men—both clear losers judging by their appearance and demeanor—pose for photos with Dick Reed.
"Not going to say a few words to him?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No thanks. I just showered this morning," Danny replied, waving off the idea. He gestured to an unmarked police car that pulled up nearby. Inside were two detectives, both younger than Danny but just as balding.
"Hey, tail that son of a bitch. I don't care where he goes—don't lose him, got it?"
"No problem," one of the detectives in the passenger seat said with a nod. He made a phone gesture to indicate he'd provide updates, then the unmarked car started up and followed the taxi Dick Reed had just gotten into.
"Well, I'm off. Your dad gave me another task," Jack said as he returned to his car. He had only come to get a good look at Dick Reed in person to ensure there were no discrepancies with the photos. Now that Danny had things under control, Jack could focus on his assigned role as a bodyguard.
"Drop me back at the precinct," Danny said, shamelessly hopping into the passenger seat of Jack's Hellcat again.
"…What about your car?" Jack asked, exasperated.
"I'll have someone tow it later. I'm not freezing to death in there," Danny said, rubbing his hands in front of the warm air blowing from the car's vents.
Jack could only shrug. It was barely freezing outside, and New York winters weren't particularly humid or bone-chilling. Still, the New Yorkers, spoiled by constant indoor heating, seemed to think it was the Arctic.
After dropping Danny off at the precinct, Jack parked and made a call to Hannah, hoping to find out when she'd wrap up her current case so he could focus on protecting Eileen for a few days.
In Jack's opinion, keeping an eye on Eileen wasn't as important as shadowing Dick Reed to prevent him from resuming his crimes. Any serial killer worthy of a detailed psychological profile wasn't someone to underestimate.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter][+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]