Jubal also enjoyed the VIP treatment of flying alone on a Bombardier, but unlike Jack before, he flew from New York to Las Vegas alone, without the luxury of being served by a beautiful female flight attendant.
Jack, who had just seen Beckett and the Cassel family off on their flight back to New York, turned around and went to the private apron at the airport. The other members of the team had already boarded.
"OK, where is our destination this time? And who is the victim?" Jack opened the refrigerator in the wine cabinet and poured himself a glass of ice water to moisten his throat. He sat down next to Hannah and looked at the computer screen in front of her.
The photo showed a body hanging from a tree, with its hands forced open, resembling the crucifixion of Jesus.
Because the body was covered in red paint, Jack could not distinguish the victim's age or other features. He could only barely tell that it was a thin man.
However, the architectural style surrounding the photo looked very familiar to him; he had been there three times before. "Are we going to Mexico? Even this kind of work was assigned to the International Department?"
"Perhaps it's because of your relationship with Clay that they assigned this mission to us," Hannah laughed. She was the one who knew the most about Jack's experiences in Mexico.
After all, when Jack recounted some of the thrilling details to Jiejie, he would intentionally or unintentionally omit them to prevent her from worrying too much.
Hannah, on the other hand, was different. She preferred to hear about these things and always asked for the details.
Jubal knew about Jack's operation with the seals and the huge scale they had put on it, so he casually explained.
"It's a criminal case transferred from the DHS (Department of Homeland Security), but they're concerned about drug trafficking links, so they might have considered our team's connections to Jack and Clay.
CBP (Customs and Border Protection, a subsidiary of DHS) has expressed their full cooperation. Let's talk about the case first."
The Bombardier Challenger 850 they were currently aboard was originally a mid-size jet with seating for 50. Converted into a private business jet, it naturally boasted an extremely spacious interior.
The cabin boasted separate office, conference, and lounge areas, and the central dining area could even accommodate a small round table. With the four sofas on either side swiveled around, it was easy to sit around for meals or even play mahjong.
Of course, it was a stretch to fit all seven members of the team in the conference area alone, but now that the plane had reached the stratosphere, standing was no problem.
"The plane will land at the San Diego airport later, and we'll travel overland to Tijuana. The body was found early this morning near Plaza Delgado.
The preliminary time of death is estimated to be around 10 p.m. last night. Mexican police also found his cell phone and belongings in a nearby alley."
As Jubal spoke, the deceased's identity appeared on the main screen in the conference area opposite the sofa. Lee Kern, an 18-year-old high school graduate and a US citizen living in San Diego, was identified.
It was no wonder that an 18-year-old looked so frail, Jack realized.
Just like El Paso to Juarez, San Diego, Mexico, is a mere 20 kilometers from Tijuana, Mexico, separated by a border wall.
The San Diego here is the birthplace of the famous fertilizer "Jin Ke La" (translations vary), a key anchorage for the US Pacific Fleet, the only Marine Corps recruit training base on the West Coast, and the home port of three Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers:
the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), the USS Roosevelt (CVN-71), and the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
Aubrey squinted at the photo of the body on the screen for a long time, then asked in confusion, "What was the cause of death?"
Jubal replied, "The preliminary diagnosis is a slit throat, but the autopsy report isn't out yet. You know how busy Mexican medical examiners are. Given the red paint covering the body, I hope someone can see the body in person."
Jack naturally took charge of this matter. "Leave it to Hannah and me. You go ahead and set up your base of operations."
Jubal nodded in agreement. "Given the local security situation, I suggest we operate in pairs, at least two men and two women, and try to keep a low profile."
Due to its proximity to California, Tijuana has a thriving tourism industry. With its legal red-light district and casinos, and its relatively low cost of living, it attracts a large number of American tourists.
However, the city's overall security situation isn't much better than Juarez.
Gangs tend to be more restrained in tourist-heavy areas and maintain a certain level of tacit understanding. However, outside these areas, drug and gun crime remain prevalent, just as in other Mexican cities.
This is also why Jubal insisted that men and women travel together, at least in pairs, for this very reason.
Given the striking looks of the girls in the group, even if they were two people in a downtown area, they'd easily be targeted by the sex trade gangs.
After all, they were here to solve a crime, not to fight local gangs. If they made a scene too awkward, they might be escorted out of the country by the local police.
"Whoever the killer is, this isn't exactly a low-key act," Clay said, hinting that while the body wasn't decapitated or hung from an overpass, the DHS's concerns weren't entirely unfounded.
Aubrey agreed. "While this isn't a common tactic used by drug cartels, hanging a body in a public place and dyeing it red is also a sign that the killer wants to draw attention and could be seen as a warning."
"The question now is who is the killer trying to warn?" Jiejie asked. "The police, the locals, or the tourists?"
"We can prioritize this investigation." Jubal had just made a note of this in his notebook when Alice's computer beeped, signaling a new email.
"CBP just sent a surveillance video." Alice projected the downloaded video directly onto the main screen in the conference room, showing a young, blond woman.
"Rosie Bantal, also 18, was a classmate of the deceased, Lee Kern. This is a picture of her crossing the border back into the United States at 11:43 last night."
"Are they boyfriend and girlfriend?" Hannah frowned.
"Wait a minute. Uh. Got it." Alice typed away at a dizzying pace, various social media feeds popping up and disappearing at a dizzying pace.
"Judging from Lee Kern's WeChat Moments, the two were at least friends. They arrived in Tijuana together last night to celebrate Lee's 18th birthday."
(End of chapter)