"No, actually, I'm a coward. During the first trial, I heard about the horrific experiences of the other three witnesses. I was so scared that I fled back to New York and hid in my mother's house."
Knowing that Jack was trying to comfort herself, Julie spoke frankly about her previous experience, "I'm actually a very bad person."
"At least you stood up this time, right? I'm sorry you don't like detective novels, but I don't know any Joan Doe, otherwise I would have gotten you a signed copy of her novel."
Of course, Jack didn't know any Joan Doe, because there was no such author. This was a pseudonym he used when writing those domineering boss stories, derived from the anonymous pronoun "John Doe", similar to the "Zhang San" mentioned by a famous online legal expert.
In various cases, "John Doe" is usually used to refer to men who do not want to reveal their identities or whose identities cannot be confirmed. Corresponding names include "Jane Doe" for women and "Baby Doe" for babies.
"That's a shame. Actually, my sister Lisa is a huge fan of Joan Doe's. She's five years younger than me and my best friend. It's because of her that I have the courage to testify again."
Julie's words surprised Jack. He stepped over a rotten tree trunk, turned back, and offered her a hand, urging her to hold on tight. Applying a little pressure, he asked.
"But you have to understand, in a case like this, agreeing to testify means entering the WPP (Federal Witness Protection Program), and it'll be difficult for you to see her again." "
I understand, but Lisa has always been different from other children. When my mom first filled out the caregiver questionnaire, I was still a kid and didn't understand what it meant."
Julie used the momentum to step over the tree trunk, panting slightly.
"Autism?" Jack understood what she meant, and couldn't help but feel surprised.
Julie nodded. "My mom has been taking care of Lisa, but as she's gotten older, she's gradually become unable to do so.
I had planned to finish my studies in Hawaii, save up some money, and then bring them over to take over Lisa's care."
Jack was even more confused. "In that case, you shouldn't come back. Joining WPP means you'll be away from your family for a long time."
"You're right," Julie's voice choked. "In fact, I used that excuse to convince myself to go back to New York. But one night, it was very late, around 11 o'clock.
Lisa usually went to bed by 9, but she knocked on my door, looked at me like that, and stammered, "Julie has to go back to Hawaii to make sure the bad guys don't hurt the good guys anymore."
Jack paused, feeling a soft spot in his heart touched. "If that's the case, we might have to speed up. It's less than two hours until 5 p.m."
He didn't mention the FBI taking over the case later, or that even if she didn't appear in court, Allen Brynner wouldn't be able to get away with it. Since the girl in front of him had made up her mind, he might as well let her fulfill her wish.
Help Julie get to the courthouse before 5 p.m. and let her personally send the bad guys to prison. We can talk about the rest later. It can be a surprise then.
However, just when Jack gave up his plan of raking grass and hunting rabbits and was about to give priority to sending Julie to the Honolulu court, someone caught up with him without knowing the consequences.
The two trudged through the jungle for nearly half an hour and finally climbed a ridge. Jack used the GPS to confirm the location again and pointed to the hill not far away and said,
"Looking at the map, we can see the main road after crossing that hill. Drink some water first, and we can wait for rescue when we get there."
After that, he put his backpack on the ground, took out the water bottle and handed it to Julie, and then took out the satellite phone to call Danny and Cheng Hao to notify them to come and pick them up.
"Thank you, I even forgot to ask your name." The girl adjusted her sweat-soaked temples and gave Jack a bright smile.
"Jack Tavaller, from the FBI."
Jack was about to press the call button when he suddenly stopped. He shoved his satellite phone back into his backpack, drew his gun with his right hand, and pulled Julie behind him with his left.
"Are they catching up?" Julie stumbled, nearly losing her balance. She stumbled two steps and crouched down behind Jack. After waiting for a long moment, seeing no movement, she leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"They should be," Jack sighed inwardly. He didn't know if these two killers were just lucky or unlucky. He was about to give up, but then they just walked right up to him.
He pressed Julie's head, signaling her to crouch behind him. The muzzle of his gun slowly moved, following the swaying of the tropical plants in the forest. Soon, two figures in HPD uniforms appeared on the path, one in front and one behind.
The leader had a fresh burn on his face, and he kept picking up leaves and sniffing them as he walked. Jack observed his movements, then glanced back at Julie's sweat-soaked face, and guessed what was going on.
The other man clearly had a keen nose, and Julie, like him, was prone to mosquitoes. Besides DEET, she'd also slathered herself in half a bottle of cooling oil.
As a result, the oil, washed away by her perspiration, rubbed against the leaves along the way. Furthermore, as they ascended the forest path toward higher ground, they inevitably left footprints, which allowed the two men to follow their scent.
"We could actually hide," Julie said, seeming to sense Jack's intention to fight two men alone. She clutched Jack's arm tightly.
An FBI agent had recently fallen to the assassins' guns, protecting himself, and she didn't want that to happen again.
"Trust me, even a dozen of those guys wouldn't be a match for me." Jack sheathed his gun and patted her hand. Then, pulling her into hiding behind a pile of large, unidentified plants, he began to remove his bulletproof vest.
"Do you dare put this on and scare these guys?"
Julie's eyes widened in fear as Jack cheerfully whispered his plan. But before she could say anything, a stone was thrust into her hand. Then, nimbly like a monkey, the figure vanished behind a tree.
"Whoosh!" Perhaps it was her beauty that truly enhanced her persuasiveness. Obsessed, Julie clenched the stone tightly in her hand and began counting silently.
Five, four, three, two, one. On the last count, the girl suddenly emerged from behind a thicket of areca palms, shrieking and swinging the stone at the two assassins, now only ten meters away.
The assassins were startled by the sudden scream, but the one ahead, whose cheek had been burned, reacted quickly, ducking his head to avoid Julie's toss.
Seeing the girl standing there motionless after throwing the rock, a grim smile crossed the killer's throbbing face. He pulled out his silenced Glock rifle, intending to end this unfortunate mission.
Neither he nor his companions realized why the girl, who had previously fled alone, was wearing a bulletproof vest.
"Bang!" Bullets flew from nowhere, shattering the silence of the jungle. The two killers felt a sharp pain in their wrists, their Glock 17s nearly falling to the ground.
"Ah!" The gunshots were followed by two screams, almost as loud as the girl's screams.
Meanwhile, overhead, they heard the crackling of branches under the weight, followed by a throbbing buzzing sound. Their last memory before they passed out was a sharp pain in their skulls.
"Come out, we've got it."
Jack landed lightly beside the two fallen assassins and waved to the stunned Julie. He reluctantly threw away a dead branch he had just picked up. Such a straight stick was rare, and it was perfect for hitting someone on the head.
(End of this chapter)