By the time Jack returned to the NICS-OSP operations center, Danny and the others had already obtained information from Jarod Broadman about the individual who purchased the smallpox virus.
"Dr. Rachel Horton, an epidemiologist at the Malibu Cancer Research Center, is still gathering information, but the name isn't on any 'lists,' including yours."
The "list" Karen was referring to was primarily the Terrorist Watch List, a list of millions of individuals specifically designated for this purpose. The FBI is primarily responsible for maintaining this list.
"The FBI's Los Angeles office will send someone to take Broadman away later to ensure he receives the proper justice. I hope you understand and cooperate."
Hearing Jack's somewhat official words, Karen and Hannah exchanged a smile. The latter was even more blunt, "Can you make sure he gets the shot?"
"It shouldn't be a problem. Using a Class A selective agent to commit murder qualifies as using a biological weapon to attack U.S. citizens, and the death penalty is a definite offense."
Jack smiled back. He was anxious for the FBI to take Broadman away after the interrogation because he didn't want him to cause any trouble in the hands of the military.
The selective agents he was referring to were a broad range of microorganisms and toxins that could be used in biological weapons.
Broadman was once a highly regarded epidemiologist in Pittsburgh. Several years ago, he was disgraced for falsifying experimental data and was quickly forced out of academia.
Divorced and bankrupt, he had been living in seclusion in Hawaii for several years until he was approached by Dracula Comescu and began experimenting and modifying the accidentally discovered smallpox virus.
Although he hadn't made much progress in just a few weeks, the current situation showed that this epidemiologist had some real talent.
At least he had actually extended the virus's incubation period, which was a terrifying factor in terms of transmission.
While unlikely, Jack was eager to get Broadman into the FBI's hands to prevent him from being spotted by someone in the military and sent to Fort Detrick for some horrific research.
Clearly, Karen and Hannah shared his thoughts and were extremely cooperative.
"Okay, it's basically confirmed that the smallpox viruses were handed over to Dr. Rachel Horton, but other than her work at the Malibu Cancer Research Center, we know almost nothing about her.
Intelligence gathering on her has just begun. We need to quickly figure out this doctor's motive for obtaining these deadly viruses. Is it for money like Broadman, or is she planning to spread them?"
Karen said to Jack with a hint of meaning. "So we need your judgment, Jack, to conduct your kind of, uh... profile on her?"
Jack accepted the task very straightforwardly. "No problem, the FBI will conduct a simultaneous investigation of her, including support from the Operations Center in the New York office. Once I have enough information, I will immediately prepare a psychological profile report."
He paused here, remembering the funny scene he saw that morning. "Do you think it's possible to start with the vaccine?"
"What do you mean?" Danny and Cheng Hao, who were chewing chicken rolls, also became interested.
Jack thought and organized his words. "Uh, what I mean is that those who want to obtain the virus, or those who have already obtained the virus, must be well aware of its dangers.
So is it possible for them to do some precautions for themselves in advance? For example, like us, get vaccinated against smallpox."
Cheng Hao asked doubtfully, "but except for the military and specific medical institutions, ordinary people cannot get access to smallpox vaccine. After all, the smallpox virus has been extinct for half a century."
"Yes, so if an ordinary person wants to get this vaccine, the only way is"
Karen's eyes lit up, and he and Danny said in unison, "steal."
"From a military base or a state-level health department. "Jack finished their sentence.
——Compared
to investigating the little-known Dr. Rachel Horton, sifting through the LAPD database for suspected theft cases was much faster.
This was thanks to the furry-looking comedian Maddy Dix, who hadn't officially joined NCIS, so Karen had previously introduced him as the LAPD liaison officer.
Drawing on his experience as a detective, he quickly zeroed in on a burglary that had occurred two weeks prior in Torrance. The suspect, Gabriel Marchal, had stolen some medications from a local state health facility.
Since they hadn't caught the man red-handed, only the suspect's identity was confirmed from surveillance footage, and because pills were involved, the LAPD's theft unit transferred the case to the Narcotics Division.
Perhaps because the case value was so small, it wasn't taken seriously, and the file is currently buried under the pile of pending cases of an unknown LAPD detective.
NCIS technical support personnel identified two boxes of smallpox vaccine from the inventory provided by the stolen health agency and immediately retrieved Gabriel Martial's criminal record.
They were surprised to discover that he had been associated with a militia group espousing extremist ideology.
"'ELE,' or 'Enforced Law Enforcement Unit,' is a group dedicated to protecting the border and preventing illegal immigration. They once used SUVs to shoot at unarmed civilians along the border.
I thought we completely destroyed this militia two years ago?" Hannah explained briefly, a hint of confusion on his face.
"Apparently, you didn't kill all of them," Danny said, flipping through the documents in his hand. "Then the logic at least makes sense. The best way to prevent illegal immigration into the United States is to eliminate them all."
"At least that would force the top brass to permanently seal the border. Nothing could be more appropriate than a new-age 'Black Death.'" "Grandma Heidi appeared in the conference room at some point.
She nodded at everyone, "Go ahead, boys, stop these bastards."
—
Torrance is a satellite city of the Greater Los Angeles area, less than 30 kilometers south of Los Angeles. Its namesake beach is also quite famous. It is a burgeoning city with a mix of industry and residential areas, and some tourism.
Gabriel Martial and his four accomplices were hiding in an RV near Torrance Beach. When they arrived, it was already afternoon, and the beach was still crowded with tourists.
"There are three in the car and two sitting outside. So, should we follow standard procedures or make a quick decision?" Karen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, lowered his binoculars and looked at the others.
(End of this chapter)