"So the reason they didn't remove the Commander's name from the website is to maintain its credibility, right?" Clay was clearly somewhat disgusted by this approach.
"It's also a form of protection," Jane explained, noticing the former Navy SEAL's displeasure. "Dorian Hobart was arrested by the ATF over two months ago, but the arrest was kept secret.
The joint task force hopes to use his website to monitor the movements of dangerous individuals.
I can assure you that there haven't been any recent warnings regarding Commander Barnes and his family, otherwise we would have intervened long ago."
"So in your opinion, the death of Commander Barnes's wife has nothing to do with extremist groups or terrorists?" Jack asked, preempting any potential argument.
"Of course," Jane said with conviction. "For those people, killing is never the goal; publicity is. What do you think, Agent Spencer (Clay)?"
Clay instinctively wanted to retort, but ultimately said nothing more.
While this approach was emotionally difficult for him to accept, Jane was at least right. If this had truly been the work of an extremist group, someone would have been eager to claim responsibility by now.
The atmosphere at lunch returned to harmony. After all, Jane was clearly on their side, while the Most Wanted team was there to help NCIS.
With the exception of Clay, a former Navy SEAL who felt somewhat uncomfortable with this approach, everyone else was understanding.
After lunch, Jane volunteered to stay and help. In her words, the actions of their joint ATF task force posed a threat to Lieutenant Colonel Barnes and his family, and they had a natural responsibility to eliminate any such possibility.
Of course, everyone understood why she stayed.
So, when Jack mentioned that he had made some additional discoveries and planned to visit the Eastern Psychiatric Research Center in Baltimore, Maryland, he had no choice but to choose Aubrey as his companion.
Jubal and Clay were going to the psychological counseling center where the victim, Valerie Barnes, worked to retrieve the resumes of all the patients she had treated. Jiejie and Hannah were very "friendly" and offered to take Jane back to the police station.
Under Jack's menacing gaze, Aubrey, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, looking pleased with himself, finally surrendered and got down to business.
"Okay, so now, can you tell me what we're doing at the mental hospital?"
"While Alice was researching Valerie Barnes's past, she discovered she had worked as a forensic psychologist in Maryland for a long time, and the old injury on her face likely occurred during that time."
Jack activated his sirens as soon as he got on the highway. A round trip from Richmond to Baltimore would take the better part of a day, so they needed to hurry.
"Do you suspect the injuries on her face were caused by an inmate who attacked her back then? That would explain why we can't find the medical records from that time. The relevant materials were likely sealed for some reason."
Aubrey instinctively grabbed the window handle before he finished speaking. Jack's driving style could easily make it seem like they were on a highway chase.
"It's not a certain inmate. I've already found out. George Burton, are you familiar with that name?" Jack asked.
"A serial killer and cannibal. I've read his file, and it's chilling."
Aubrey suddenly realized, but then became confused. "I remember he failed his pre-trial assessment and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital. So this is because he attacked Valerie, who was evaluating him.
But isn't that the best alibi? Are you planning to go and confirm with your own eyes whether this lunatic has escaped from the mental hospital?"
"No, I've confirmed with the mental hospital that George Burton has been staying in his solitary cell and hasn't gone anywhere. But I asked the hospital for his visitor log, and guess what?"
Jack tossed his work phone to Aubrey and asked him to look through the files on it. There were records of George Burton's attack on Valerie, as well as photos of her injuries.
"Two weeks ago, Valerie visited George Burton and had a private meeting for nearly an hour?" Aubrey's face was a little excited, just like the various chaotic plots that were surfacing in his mind at this moment. A mental hospital
housing
mentally ill patients who have committed serious crimes is not much different from a high-security prison. In fact, in some ways, the security level of such a hospital is even higher.
This is because the patients within are even more dangerous than some of the most vicious criminals.
If you ignore the full set of locks on George Bolton, he seems quite polite. He even smiled a friendly smile when Jack and Aubrey sat down across from him.
The man's age was 36 when he was arrested, which was more than a decade ago. But if you ignore his long, graying hair, his face alone doesn't look like he's in his 50s. He's a
very elegant middle-aged white man. In a suit and glasses, he could easily be a university professor.
"What a surprise! When I woke up today, I didn't expect to have two strangers visiting me. May I ask who you are?" George Bolton's eyes kept wandering between the two visitors.
"Special Agent Jim Aubrey, this is Agent Jack Tavola, we're from the FBI."
Compared to Jack, who often traveled with Rossi to various prisons, interviewing serial killers and recording psychological profiles, Aubrey seemed a little uneasy.
While this wasn't his first experience with a serial killer, this one, which was cannibalistic, was definitely new.
However, before the two could explain their purpose, George Burton's face darkened upon seeing their FBI ID. "That's so sad. How did she die?"
He continued without waiting for Jack or Aubrey to reply. "You're here to inquire about Valerie, correct?"
"Who told you she was dead?" Although he had rehearsed the entire journey, George Burton's blunt statement still caught Aubrey off guard.
"Please, my case was closed a long time ago. What else could the FBI want to find me for? Young man, your face has clearly expressed what you want to say. You think I am involved in her death, right?"
George Bolton became excited after just a few words. "Although this speculation is well-founded, you may have overlooked a small problem."
He raised the handcuffs connected to the leg cuffs, making a jingling sound.
Because he had agreed with Jack on the way here that he would deal with this guy, Aubrey quickly adjusted his mood and got back into the state. "Perverts always make friends with perverts, don't they?"
He paused, spread his hands and pretended to be frank. "To be honest, we came in a hurry and didn't even have time to check your records over the years.
How about we make a deal? You tell us directly which of your perverted pen pals is the most suspicious.
And in exchange for saving us time, I can intercede with the hospital on your behalf to improve your food or accommodations, or perhaps increase your outdoor time. How about that?
"Ha!" George Bolton laughed. "You think too highly of me, then. I wouldn't do that."
Sensing an ambiguity in his words, he quickly corrected himself. "What I meant was, I wouldn't hurt Valerie. She's one of the few people I respect, and I certainly wouldn't instigate anyone to do so."
Aubrey looked at Jack. Seeing he didn't react, he pulled out a freshly printed photo from his file bag. It showed a young Valerie with a severe bruise across the right side of her cheek.
"Oh, that," George Bolton said casually. "It was just an unfortunate little accident."
Seeing the two FBI agents staring at him intently, he actually looked a little embarrassed.
"Well, here's what happened. I thought a little emotional breakdown might, uh...help prove my mental state at the time, but it wasn't directed at her specifically."
George Bolton had barely spoken when he noticed Aubrey's disdainful expression. "I swear everything I say is true. You should know from reading my file that if I wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have had a chance.
If I wanted to kill her, she'd be dead long ago. I could have easily done it, right?"
His fingers drummed beside the photo, a flash of madness in his eyes.
Jack had been reading George Bolton's file. He was a low-profile Hannibal Lecter, with three victims of varying skin colors, ages, and genders. Their only common denominator was a history with him. These
ranged from minor conflicts in personal and professional life to mere arguments.
"Why?" Jack, who had been silent until then, suddenly asked.
"Why?" George Burton looked at Jack, his expression calm, then a look of sudden realization crossed his face. "Oh, of course. You mean how did I know Valerie was murdered?
Isn't that a very simple deduction? She's the only person who's visited me in recent years. We talked about some interesting things, and then less than two weeks later, you show up, FBI? What else could you be doing?"
Jack pulled a bottle of orange soda from his pocket, uncapped it, and pushed it towards him. "Tell us, what did you talk about? Why do you think Valerie was murdered?"
"That's right, Boss."
George Burton's eyes lit up. He snatched the soda bottle and took a sip, then gave Jack an ingratiating smile.
"She told me she was having some... uh... little problems with one of her patients, and that their behavior might be similar to mine."
"Are you saying she's encountered another serial killer?" Aubrey sat up unconsciously.
"No, no, no, it's much more serious than that." George Burton leaned forward mysteriously.
"You mean the other sociopath?" Jack answered for him.
"Wow, someone who did their homework." George Bolton sipped his soda with a delightful smile. "I like you. I knew you were the boss, even though you look younger than him."
Jack remained unmoved by the flattery. "I'm not the boss, but as a former member of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, I know quite a few sociopaths like you and know how to deal with them. How about
we make a little deal? Tell me everything you know, and I'll arrange for you to join the BAU's psychological research program. After all these years locked up, I bet you have a lot you're eager to share, right?"
This time, even Aubrey saw it. George Bolton was trying to project a certain level of reserve, but it was clearly unsuccessful.
"Okay, you win, boss."
He finished the last of his soda and shook the bottle regretfully.
"Well, sociopaths like me—I mean, people like us—will often do anything to achieve a small goal.
We'll lie, deceive, manipulate others, and do whatever it takes to achieve our goals.
Anyone who might get in our way, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is seen as a stumbling block, an obstacle to be eliminated."
"You're saying Valerie Barnes realized she was becoming an obstacle to a sociopath and came to you for help?" Aubrey understood.
George Burton frowned and replied hesitantly. "In fact, she was probably just skeptical at first. Oh, damn, you psychologists are always so unprofessional. You talk about eliminating all possibilities, but it's really just a lack of confidence."
He shook his hand, and the chains clanked again. "I helped her. Yes, it was my warning that made Valerie realize she was in danger. She'd accidentally made a wrong decision.
As a result, she became very, very scared, even more so than being in the same room with me."
"Go on." Jack set down the documents in his hand, gathered them up, and returned them to the file.
"If that's all, I regret to tell you that our deal is void. You can look forward to your next visitor."
"No, no, no, Boss, you don't understand. Although Valerie didn't tell me the name of her patient, I know their relationship must be very special."
George Bolton's smile turned a little crazy. "It's like a dog suddenly biting its owner. The only possibility is that you abandoned it, understand? I ate mine, alive."
He seemed to enjoy Aubrey's discomfort at hearing this, even licking his lips. "What a wonderful childhood memory, isn't it?"
"Okay, thank you for your help. The BAU will ask you to sign some relevant documents later. Now you can return the bottle to me." Jack stood up and held out his hand to George Bolton.
Sorry, the update is late today. I lost the cat fight last night and wasted a lot of time catching up on sleep during the day.
Also, I may have to go out tomorrow. If you don't see an update by two or three in the afternoon, there's no need to wait.
It's been a long time since I went out again. I might find a park to relax.
(End of this chapter)