"Target's here, guys, Jack, at your 5 o'clock position," Jubal warned, sitting at a stone table by the park pond, taking in the panoramic view.
Jack bent over in downward-facing dog, peering between his legs. He saw a white man wearing a green baseball cap and sporting the same beard as Aubrey, slowly approaching the bench.
Something felt off, but he couldn't quite place it. Jack glanced away from a sexy figure jogging around the lawn and slowly regained his composure.
He winked at the two women across from him, and the three of them began gathering their yoga mats, pretending to leave the lawn.
Meanwhile, Clay and his K9 partner consciously approached. The frisbee landed at the edge of the lawn, just seven or eight meters from Aubrey.
"Are you Tom?" The target sat down next to Aubrey, and the two bearded men stared at each other, startled, as if looking in a mirror.
"Yes." Though he murmured inwardly, Aubrey quickly grasped his wits and nodded sternly.
"Can I see the sample you mentioned?"
The target man silently glanced at Aubrey's rucksack on the bench, a slight bead of sweat on his nose, revealing that his inner self wasn't as calm as he appeared. After all,
everyone had given Aubrey the nickname of a bomb expert. To make it seem more authentic, Alice had posted on the message board that his pledge of allegiance was a homemade IED.
"Of course." Aubrey reached for the zipper of the rucksack, and Jubal gave the order to proceed.
Unknowingly, they formed a circle, and the group reached for their weapons.
Jack and the others retrieved their rolled-up yoga mats, while Clay and the K9 officer used the wristbands strapped to their arms. Aubrey simply flipped his hand and pulled his sidearms directly from the rucksack.
"Freeze, FBI!"
"ATF! Identify yourselves!"
"FBI! Freeze, everyone!"
Both sides roared almost simultaneously, sending the ordinary citizens who had genuinely come to the park to relax into a frenzy.
The female K9 officer had to cling to the blackback's collar. The loyal Paw Patrol member, already threatening, barked furiously at the cuckolded man claiming to be from the ATF.
Jack, sensing something was amiss, was about to ask what was going on when he felt a sudden gust of wind from behind. He instinctively leaned sideways, lowering his shoulders to absorb the pressure, and gently embraced the voluptuous body. The wind instantly turned to a sweet breeze.
"Oh, Jack, your taste in clothes is really terrible these days. It seems the girls around you aren't taking good care of you." Jane Banner put her arm around Jack's neck, pouting her red lips and giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Well, it seems to be a misunderstanding. Everyone, put down your guns."
Jack stood up awkwardly and gently put Jane down. Seeing that she was still hugging his neck and refused to let go, and the two girls opposite him were about to spit fire in their eyes, he quickly patted her hips and signaled her to pay attention to the occasion.
It has been a while since I last saw her. The girl dyed her hair burgundy. No wonder I didn't recognize her from the back just now.
"Why are you here?"
Hannah stepped forward and rudely pushed away Jane's hand that was still on Jack's shoulder. Jiejie, as if she had seen an old friend she hadn't seen for many years, put her arm around her shoulders with a smile as beautiful as a flower, indirectly controlling the girl.
"Of course I'm here to catch the terrorists who made IEDs. I'm currently cooperating with the ATF on a sting operation."
It wasn't the first time Jane had met the most wanted criminals, but she wasn't exactly familiar with them. She hadn't recognized them earlier, but now she was greeting everyone with considerable familiarity.
"Relax, everyone! It must be a misunderstanding. They're all FBI."
"Don't tell me you're the Dorian Hobart we're looking for," Hannah said, her expression still sullen, her teeth clenched tightly as if she were about to murder someone.
"Unfortunately, I've been running a phishing website with the ATF for about six months now,"
Jane said with an awkward yet polite smile, causing Hannah's furious expression to freeze.
The Texas girl was so simple and honest. It was obvious that after realizing they had likely botched the operation, her anger quickly turned to embarrassment.
"It's almost lunchtime. Why don't we eat and chat? We haven't tried the Southern cuisine here yet," Jack suggested, glancing at the crowd that had gathered around them.
Among them were state troopers providing support and agents wearing bulletproof vests emblazoned with the ATF logo.
"Oh, Agent Banner, long time no see." Jubal, approaching, recognized Jane, who had assisted them in the Allenwood Federal Penitentiary escape.
The seasoned agent in charge, seemingly oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, pointed to the slightly bewildered man with a green hat and beard not far away and asked.
"So, I assume that's not Dorian Hobart, right?"
"Of course," Jane shook his hand. "That's ATF Special Agent Marston, our 'bait.'"
She frowned and glanced at Aubrey. "Are they both using the same fake beard?"
—
Lobster-stuffed mushrooms, red wine lamb chops, Virginia smoked ham, and grilled oysters.
Compared to the Yankees, the Dixies tend to be more culinary, and Richmond, as the former capital of Dixie, makes it easy to find local delicacies.
Jane relished her meal while discussing her situation.
"We received intelligence that Dorian Hobart has been recruiting bomb experts for several extremist terrorist organizations within the country, so we formed a joint task force with the ATF. What are you looking for him about?"
"Murder case."
Jack, facing her, felt uneasy. Not only was Hannah and Jiejie sitting next to him, but the other team members' eyes were clearly filled with gossip.
Aubrey not only specifically called Alice, who was staying at the police station, but also offered to pay for her meal.
"I thought you only investigated current cases. Who is the victim?" Jane's eyes were only on Jack, automatically blocking out the gazes of the bored people around her.
Jack, confused as to why Jane said that, corrected her.
"It's indeed a current case. It happened early yesterday morning. The victim is Valerie Barnes, the wife of an active-duty Navy SEAL commander. Her name is still listed on your phishing website."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but I think there might be something wrong with the direction of your investigation. Dorian Hobart was apprehended by us over two months ago, and this website has been under our control ever since."
Jane's words dawned on Alice. "No wonder I couldn't find his whereabouts from the IP address even after searching through all the botnets and springboards."
(End of Chapter)