Jack's words left Jubal's expression somewhat bitter. "You're quite right, but I thought as a psychologist, you'd be more tactful."
"Because you don't need a therapist, and I don't charge by the hour, I even treated you to a meal as a friend."
Jack won't receive his master's degree until next year, which will barely fill his last gap.
Incidentally, a master's degree is the minimum qualification required to become a licensed clinical psychologist in the US. The requirements are perhaps even more stringent than a doctorate, requiring at least 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience, along with a number of very specific requirements.
It's foreseeable that Jack will continue his studies. He hasn't yet decided whether to pursue a PhD or a PsyD, but he's definitely going to pursue one.
A PhD stands for "Doctor of Philosophy." It doesn't mean one actually studies philosophy; it's just a type of doctorate, more accurately called an academic doctorate.
Just as there are academic types, there are also professional types. This type can also be called a "taught doctorate," which focuses more on practical application. For example, a doctorate in psychology is called a PsyD (Doctor of Psychology).
The issue of academic qualifications seems to be universal. If ability and interpersonal relationships are the driving forces for advancement, then academic qualifications are the ladder, or even the ceiling.
Jubal certainly doesn't need counseling or advice; he simply needs the support of a friend.
"I can't promise anything, but since you've brought up that old case, you've opened a wound yourself. From now on, the reins are neither yours nor mine."
Jack spent most of the day today focusing on Jubal's old case, not only to identify any suspicious points, but also to determine if he made any mistakes in his original investigation process.
While everyone knew that the Most Wanted team was a task force created by Dana Moger to keep someone, Jubal was the nominal leader.
Jack didn't want to lose his lead agent before his team was officially established, but he also didn't want his future partner to be someone who would resort to any means necessary to solve a case.
Ultimately, it was because he and Jubal hadn't spent enough time together, or perhaps their friendship wasn't close enough to fully understand each other.
On the other hand, this wasn't entirely a bad thing. He was now almost certain Jubal hadn't made any mistakes in this case, at least procedurally, excluding the incident of secretly drinking during the interrogation.
With that in mind, the problem wasn't too serious. Even if it was later confirmed to be a miscarriage of justice, the repercussions wouldn't be too severe.
Jubal's honesty with Jack was naturally a plea for help, but Jack couldn't promise anything right away, even with two powerful men standing behind him. Some things could be decided with just a word.
Whether it was for money or favors, casually guaranteeing someone was extremely immature and even irrational, but he didn't intend to stand idly by.
"My advice remains the same as before. Forget about McMee for now and focus on the case at hand. Of course, to prevent any recurrence of the past, you'd better come back to the new office with me for the next few nights. I'll keep anything containing alcohol,"
Jack reluctantly suggested. He had originally intended to bring a girl back to the dorm, but ended up bringing an older man instead. He felt he had done his best for his friend.
Jubal was overthinking and feeling off. To avoid some clichéd plot twists, Jack had no choice but to resort to this temporary measure, which also served as a form of implicit promise.
The next morning, upon arriving at the Federal Building, Jubal went to Dana Moger's office and emerged in a noticeably better mood.
But everyone's mood soon soured because another body had turned up, this time not in Central Park, which was now filled with workers and construction machinery, and half of the area was cordoned off.
New York State Troopers found the body of a woman in her twenties, bound with wires and naked, in a wooded area near a lake in northern Westchester.
Jack immediately took Hannah, Jiejie, and Aubrey to the scene. When they arrived, the state police had already cordoned off the woods surrounding the crime scene.
An old sheriff with a beer belly greeted the four FBI agents, stroking his well-groomed beard while explaining the situation.
"The deceased's identity appears to match a missing person reported last night, but further confirmation is pending with the family. The cause of death appears to be strangulation. I noticed the FBI advisory, so I contacted you immediately."
The men trudged through the thick leaf litter and humus of the woods. Although it was approaching the height of summer, the warmth and humidity gave them goosebumps.
"Are there any snakes here?" Aubrey walked cautiously, even a little nervously.
"Of course, but most are non-venomous, mainly garter snakes." The old sheriff smiled broadly, observing him with the eye of a city dweller.
Garter snakes, scientifically known as garter snakes, have several distinct stripes on their bodies, which at first glance might suggest they are highly venomous. They prefer wetlands and are very common north of New York City, with an even wider distribution in Canada.
Horror movie fans might be familiar with the sounds of this snake. Every year, as temperatures rise and the mating season begins, these snakes begin to chirp. The sound is similar to the clattering of stones, and when nervous, it can easily be mistaken for footsteps.
Following the old sheriff through the woods for nearly 20 minutes, they finally found the body in a stream about a kilometer from the road.
The stream was narrow and deep, perhaps due to the lack of recent rain, more like a nearly dry ditch. The body lay naked at the bottom, with the water flowing beneath and around it.
Jack couldn't help but feel a pang of fear. The deceased had clearly been assaulted. Unlike underwater conditions, the time of death was very short, possibly less than 12 hours, meaning her DNA was likely well preserved.
He squatted by the stream and carefully examined the body. It had been bound with 14-gauge wire, the same method used in the three bodies found in Central Park, the only difference being that the killer hadn't tied any weights to the body's feet.
"We also found clear drag marks nearby, extending all the way here." The old detective pointed to a trail of mud beside the creek.
"I speculate the killer dragged her from a car parked by the road. Perhaps he originally intended to dump her in the lake, but for some reason, he ended up leaving her here. Perhaps he was startled by something, or simply too tired to drag her."
"Thank you, your findings are very helpful to us." Jack thanked the experienced detective and began to test his teammates.
"Then use your imagination and share your ideas."
Hannah was the first to offer her idea. "Uh, let's check the surveillance cameras at the surrounding intersections. There's only one highway nearby, and the crime happened at night, so there won't be many vehicles to screen. Comparing them with vehicles that have previously entered and exited Central Park will save a lot of time."
"Good idea, any other ideas?" Jack nodded in agreement.
Jiejie squatted by the stream, shining a flashlight at the body. After carefully examining it for a long time, she asked uncertainly, "If the body was indeed dragged all this way, there should be serious abrasions, but at least we can't see any on the upper parts."
"So the killer must have used some kind of wrapping, plastic sheeting or something, and carefully removed it afterward," Aubrey answered quickly.
"So what does this mean?" Jack continued.
Aubrey hesitated, glancing at Jiejie. After all, this was her discovery, and any further discussion would seem like stealing the show.
Jiejie smiled and spread her hands, indicating that she really hadn't figured it out yet, but it didn't matter.
"This means that even if we don't find a DNA sample inside the body, we might be able to find fragments of the wrapping in the drag marks along the way. Plastic is one of the best carriers of DNA traces, so the killer could have left something there," Aubrey analyzed excitedly.
"Good idea! I have a feeling this killer is so careful, there might not be enough DNA evidence on the body. Your idea might be the key to solving the case," Jack said, then pulled out his phone and called CSI's Mike Taylor.
Sorry this chapter is a little late. Today's two chapters combined are nearly 6K. I want to take concrete action to dispel the "rumor" that I'm slow to update.
(End of this chapter)