"Sarah Elmasri, who is she?" Cassel good-temperedly poured himself another cup of coffee.
"The details are still under investigation, but she's also a sophomore at Columbia University. I couldn't get through to her on the phone, so I could only leave a message."
Esposito handed Beckett a photo of a dark-haired girl with soft features, mixed-race with distinct Middle Eastern features.
Just as he was about to finish his cup of coffee, his good friend Kevin Ryan appeared at the door, looking at everyone with a serious expression.
"Hey, guys, I have something here you should see."
Knowing that he must have made some important discovery, everyone quickly put down their coffee cups and followed him out.
Kevin walked away, saying, "I'm sorry I've spent so much time looking through the surveillance footage. There's no traffic or road surveillance near the alley where the accident occurred. I mobilized several officers to help me search the surveillance cameras at the intersections surrounding the crime scene, and we found this clip."
He led everyone into a conference room, picked up the remote control on the table, and began playing the surveillance footage. "This is from the intersection of the alley and street where Hasim was struck and killed, about five minutes after the incident."
A gray van appeared on the screen. Jack couldn't tell the exact make, but the markings suggested it was a Ford.
The van had stopped temporarily at a red light, and the front of the vehicle bore obvious dents from a collision, along with several clear bullet holes in the windshield.
"That must be the car involved in the accident," Esposito blurted out.
"Yes, that's right, but keep watching," Kevin pressed the play button again.
Suddenly, the van's door opened, and a girl poked her head out, seemingly trying to call for help. Someone pulled her back, and the door closed again.
"Wait, rewind, pause, right here, if I'm reading this correctly." Beckett held up the photo Esposito had just given her in front of the screen.
"Is this Sarah Elmasri? She's been kidnapped!"
"And Hasim was killed trying to save her!" Castle was equally shocked.
—
"Okay, guys, this case now belongs to the FBI." Jack gave an apologetic smile. He had only planned to join in the fun, after all, it was rare to run into terrorists or spies. But he hadn't expected the case to turn into a kidnapping, which fell under the FBI's jurisdiction.
"Oh, come on, this case is just starting to get interesting, and you're going to take it away?" Castle complained in frustration.
"Sorry, but this is a young woman's life." Jack took out his phone and was about to call, but after a pause, he looked at everyone, and finally relented.
"Of course, if you're willing, the FBI still welcomes the NYPD's assistance. We'll just need you to move to the Federal Building. I'll notify Isobel to immediately activate the operations center." By the time they arrived at the Federal Building, Isobel and Jubal were already waiting. The rest of the Most Wanted team was already seated in the operations center's large office. Alice was even sitting at her old desk.
"Even though I've been here twice before, it's still as stunning as walking into the Pentagon."
Seeing the beautiful Cassel, he couldn't help but gushed over the compliments he showered on Isobel right in front of Beckett, praising everything from the operations center's layout to her taste in clothing.
Seeing that he got a little carried away, Jack reminded him with a sneer, "Shouldn't you be busy taking care of the children today? It's almost time for dinner, and it's time for Alexis and Kim to go home, right?"
"I've reserved a table for them at a French restaurant. Alexis will take Kim there. You know, teenagers of their age don't like to have adults following them."
Cassel said as he waved and greeted the others. He knew almost everyone in the wanted criminal team, and some FBI agents were even fans of his books.
Leading the group into the large office, Isobel's face straightened as she turned to face the NYPD detectives.
"The NYPD's previous investigation has been synchronized with ours. Sarah Elmasri was born in Cairo and is currently a sophomore at Columbia University, majoring in marine biology.
Sarah's father is a well-known Egyptian businessman with a billionaire fortune. He and his wife live on Long Island. I just received the news and am on my way here. Before we get there, I'd like to get your opinions."
Kevin and Esposito followed suit, stunned by the large screens covering the walls and the large office filled with hundreds of people. The two witty characters were whispering among themselves, but when they saw everyone's gazes directed their way, they froze in their tracks.
Esposito was the first to react, quickly nudging Kevin with his arm. Kevin finally came to his senses and quickly pulled out his notebook.
"I just called Sarah's roommate, and she confirmed that Sarah doesn't know Hasim, and that they've never had any contact. We compared their call records, and that confirms this. So it seems more likely that Hasim has been stalking Sarah.
Not only did he bug Sarah's apartment, but he also took two of the same classes as her."
"Sounds like the movie 'The Conversation,'" Cassel's imagination took flight again.
"Sorry, I haven't seen it," Isobel said before Jubal took over. "The one directed by Francis Ford Coppola?"
"The one starring Gene Hackman. It coincided with the Watergate scandal, so it sparked widespread discussion at the time. Of course, the movie itself is also very interesting,"
Jack added. Compared to the ancient Westerns, this old movie released in the 1970s was barely within his scope of interest.
Francis Ford Coppola is a renowned American director, best known for The Godfather series. Gene Hackman is also a renowned actor, best known to Americans for his role as the villain Lex Luthor in the original Superman series.
"Thank you," Castle thanked the two for their explanation and continued his speculation. "In the movie, an eavesdropping expert accidentally uncovers a plot against the woman he was eavesdropping on.
Perhaps Hasim is similarly at fault, accidentally discovering a kidnapping through eavesdropping, and trying to prevent it costs him his life."
"Then how do you explain all those guns in his apartment?" Beckett bluntly challenged.
Castle rolled his eyes, unable to find a suitable explanation. "Indeed, Gene Hackman didn't have an arsenal."
"Or maybe Hasim was actually one of the kidnappers, only to have a conflict with his accomplices, or perhaps his conscience struck him, and he tried to stop it, and ended up being killed."
Hannah, smiling, appeared behind the group and offered another clichéd movie trope.
"Long time no see, Hannah." Cassel greeted her.
"Why didn't Alexis answer my call today? I wanted to share my findings from New York Fashion Week with her." Hannah complained slightly and turned to business.
"Sarah's parents are here. Who of you plans to talk to them?"
(End of the cahpter)