Although she had long been aware of the hypocrisy of the upper-class "bigwigs", what she saw and heard today, especially the last conversation between the judge and them before they parted, still made her a little difficult to accept.
Seeing that she looked uncomfortable in the passenger seat, Jack reached out and stroked her long blonde hair with a bit of amusement, "Are you still worried about the hints from Judge Arthur Hobbs?"
"Do you think his last words can be called a hint? He kept talking about how unfortunate the fate Howard Rourke would face if he was put in jail. He almost asked us to kill him directly."
Jie Jie had an indignant expression.
Jack couldn't help but laugh. "In a sense, isn't this a good thing? At least we don't have to worry about accidentally killing that guy and causing dissatisfaction among certain people in the system.
Howard Rourke's actions have caused him to lose his last bit of support. Even his former colleagues have completely abandoned him. They even wish he would disappear immediately to avoid further smearing the group."
"I just feel uncomfortable with his hypocritical attitude." Jiejie said, gently loosening the seat belt, leaning over to kiss Jack on the face while he was driving.
"Ma'am, please respect yourself during working hours." Jack imitated the behavior of a certain judge, with a stern face and a sanctimonious demeanor.
"This is Howard Rourke's seventh year as a criminal court judge. This means that after losing his chance to become an appellate judge, all hope for advancement is lost.
He faces reelection next year, and after becoming the ex-husband of one of the most powerful women in the state due to domestic violence, he might even lose his chance to continue serving on the bench.
Tsk, for this judge, whose ambitions far exceed his capabilities and whose attempts to please everyone are repeatedly frustrated, this is worse than a death sentence."
Jubal was stunned after hearing Jack and Jiejie's account. He had a good hand, but he played it so badly. Howard Rourke is truly a "talent."
Judges in the United States aren't all appointed for life. This is generally limited to the three levels of the federal court system, while state courts follow their own rules.
For example, while there's no age limit for county court judgeship, according to Arkansas law, Howard Rourke must be re-elected every eight years before resuming his position.
However, at the state level, appeals courts don't require such a hassle. Arkansas Court of Appeals judges are appointed directly by the governor, based on nominations from a nominating committee chaired by Arthur Hobbs.
Now, both the motives and the causes that led Howard Rourke to become a serial killer are clear, but Aubrey still remains puzzled.
"He killed Kathryn Sloan because she publicly humiliated him, and he killed Prosecutor Skip Hardy out of jealousy. What about the other two assistant prosecutors? Were they really just collateral damage?"
"That 'JNE' questionnaire? They must have taken that anonymous questionnaire." Hannah's eyes lit up, and she leaned over to Alice's computer screen.
Alice easily gained access and accessed the state court database. "You guessed it! Elf, Johnny Mo, and Pete Hill all took the 'JNE' and gave it a negative rating."
But then she frowned. "But this data is confidential. How did Rourke get access to it?"
"Of course, he hacked it like you did. Can you find the history of unauthorized access?" Jack was speechless.
Although Rourke was an incompetent judge, he did have connections, so hiring a hacker wasn't a big deal.
Alice continued to furrow her brow, her fingers tapping away at the keyboard. After a long pause, she shook her head slightly and said, "This might take some time."
Jubal checked the time and rubbed his stomach. "No rush, results by tomorrow morning are enough. Time for dinner."
The emphasis on dinner was because the FBI had grown tired of the bland fried chicken, fries, and burgers in the area.
While Jack and Jiejie traveled from Forrest to Hot Springs, then from Hot Springs to Little Rock, and finally back to Forrest, the others, besides trying every possible way to track Rourke, also stocked up on fresh produce at the city supermarket.
Clay even dug up a grimy barbecue grill from the pool bar's utility room and, after a brief cleaning, was ready for someone to start their work. The grill was set up, the charcoal was lit, and a large pork rib sizzled in the pan. A small glass of brandy was poured into the pot, and as the flames rose, the aroma of the meat, invigorated by the aroma of the wine, filled the air.
Naturally, no one could drink alcohol until the work was done, but the amazing barbecue wrapped in lettuce leaves and served with Mexican chili sauce was enough to boost morale.
Nothing was said that night. The next morning, Alice, with a pair of dark circles under her eyes, finally found out the identity of the person who illegally hacked into the State Court of Appeals database.
"Samuel Gray, he was on probation for hacking, and the person who sentenced him was Rourke.
I'm sorry, there are too many people who illegally access the court database, and it took a lot of time to check. In the end, it was confirmed that he was the only one who copied the 'JNE' data."
Jubal drank the milk in the glass in one gulp, stood up and took out the car keys, "Thank you for your hard work, Alice, go back to the hotel and rest."
Then he looked at the others who were having breakfast and began to call out the troops, "Aubrey, come with me to meet this Samuel Gray, Jiejie and the others will contact the ASP (Arkansas State Police).
They had a speeding surveillance camera that captured the Dolanger 'TAHOE' driven by Rourke appearing near Mount Crist, and the ASP is currently searching the surrounding residential communities.
This is a bit Something's wrong. I don't understand why he's not in a hurry to escape, but instead heading towards Little Rock."
Hannah and Clay worked together to load a box of equipment into the trunk of the GMC Business Star, casually saying, "Perhaps he has unfinished business. Who might be his next target?"
Jack sighed. "Not many, and I don't think he can kill them. The house of the woman who will soon become his ex-wife is heavily guarded, and I'm sure the servants won't recognize Rourke as their master anymore.
The security level of the Little Rock Court of Appeals is now second only to that of the governor and the state legislature, and it's not something Rourke can handle. Honestly, I think this honorable judge is probably the least capable fugitive we've ever dealt with."
"Don't be careless," Jubal warned. "Even if he's weak, he at least has an Uzi submachine gun that's been used to kill people."
"This guy won't go out and kill people in public, will he?" Clay's words startled everyone. Although Arkansas is indeed vast and sparsely populated, it is not without its share of crowded areas.
It would be horrible if this former judge actually went to a school or something like that and started a shooting rampage right under their noses, in retaliation against society.
(End of this chapter)