"Bad news, Commander Barnes' phone is turned off," Hannah waved her phone to the crowd.
Meanwhile, Alice appeared in the hallway outside the monitoring room, tablet in hand. "While I was following up on Ryan Barnes's alibi, I learned from Naval Special Warfare Command that
the Commander had recently participated in wilderness survival training in Prince William Forest Park, less than twelve miles from his home in Rich Lake."
"Sneaking out of camp in the middle of the night wouldn't be difficult for a SEAL." Jiejie's thoughts were still lingering on her suspicions of Commander Barnes.
"Whether the couple abused the child would surely cause serious conflict between them. Add to that the mental infidelity, and Commander Barnes is a strong suspect."
Jack didn't rush to refute Jiejie. Although he had a rough guess in mind, it was just a guess, without any evidence to support it. So he looked at Aubrey.
"A favor, I need you to look into Rachel's medical records. The more detailed the better."
Aubrey had previously been to a mental hospital with Jack. As a Wall Street veteran, he lacked experience in this area, not a flawed mind.
In a flash, a multitude of thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn't help but look stunned. "You don't really have any suspicions?"
"What do you suspect?" Jane and the others, who had been observing, were completely bewildered.
"Some hypotheses need to be verified. Do it quickly, preferably before Clay and I bring Lieutenant Colonel Barnes back." Jack waved Clay and himself to retrieve their equipment.
Although the other party was an officer, not a seasoned sergeant major like Jason Hayes, he had received just as much specialized training, so he had to proceed with caution.
Although his suspicions differed from Jiejie's, they led to the same conclusion: the father and daughter were now together. Finding one meant finding the other.
"Oh, right," Jack suddenly stopped and turned to Jubal. "We'd better get someone to dig in the Barnes' backyard. Maybe we can find the murder weapon."
"You mean the .38 Colt?" Jubal was a little stunned. Like everyone else, he had no idea what Jack and Aubrey were talking about.
"Sure, leave it to me," Hannah volunteered.
The
safe house Clay had arranged for the Barnes and their daughter was a hotel near a military base. Richmond is not far from Virginia Beach, and the numerous naval and air force bases nearby have contributed significantly to the local economy.
"I know spouses are usually the first choice, but Lieutenant Colonel Barnes doesn't seem too suspicious," Clay muttered, fully armed, as he took the room card from the horrified receptionist.
"I know, but I'm worried he might do something irrational." Jack knew several "daughter slaves." Besides Cassel and a non-blood uncle of his, that old man Mason also seemed to have potential in that area.
Strictly speaking, Jubal also counts. His eldest daughter was suspected of having leukemia before. Although it was just a false alarm, it scared him a lot. (Chapter 705)
Now he spends most of his spare time accompanying his two children.
"Sir, do I need to notify the hotel guests to evacuate?" A burly hotel manager followed the two "murderous" people, looking much calmer than the front desk staff.
"Navy?" Clay had an FBI badge hanging on the outside of his bulletproof vest, and he noticed the tattoo on the hotel manager's neck.
The latter nodded seriously, "Yes, most of the hotel employees are retired from the Navy."
The two FBI agents were not surprised by this. After all, the name of this hotel is "Admiral Heights".
"Seal off the first-floor entrance and exit to the guest rooms. Don't let any guests in for now," Jack said, reassuringly. "It won't be a big deal. This is just a precaution."
The Barnes and their daughter were staying in room 101, located at the end of the first-floor hallway, right next to the emergency exit. Clay had been very thoughtful in arranging a safe room for them.
Jack glanced at the "Do Not Disturb" sign hanging on the doorknob, then positioned himself against the wall and listened. The TV in the room was turned up loud.
"Get ready!"
Clay whispered, placing the key card in the lock. With a mechanical whirring from the electromagnetic lock, he pulled the handle to open the door, ducking slightly to allow Jack, armed with an MDX508 short-barreled assault rifle, to enter first, brushing past his shoulder.
"Safe!"
"Safe!"
The room was empty, save for a turned-on TV. The furnishings inside were identical to those of a freshly cleaned guest room, even the trash can was clean.
"No luggage, no trash. It looks like we've been tricked. They didn't even stay the night at the hotel," Clay's face darkened.
"I've issued a nationwide notice. Airports, train stations, and bus stations are all on alert. However, the situation is not optimistic. If your speculation is correct, he fled with his daughter shortly after checking into the hotel, and they might have reached the Mexican border by now."
Seeing Jack and Clay returning empty-handed, Jubal's expression was full of self-blame. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have withdrawn the police who were protecting the father and daughter so early."
"Maybe you saved two lives instead." Clay said bluntly, "If Ryan Barnes is really the murderer, the two police officers who provided protection would be regarded as obstacles and removed."
"Okay, no one would have thought of this. After all, at the beginning we regarded him and his family as victims of extremist organizations. The key now is to find the father and daughter so that we can uncover the final truth."
Jack said, looking at Alice, "Have you found any results from tracking Barnes' credit card and phone records?"
Alice spread her hands at him, "The phone hasn't been turned on since last night. The last withdrawal record of the credit card was at an ATM in the hotel at 8 o'clock last night, and 2,000 US dollars was withdrawn at one time."
"What about Rachel's phone?"
Jane's question drew Jubal's sidelong glance. "She's only ten." "
There's not much difference between a ten-year-old and a sixteen-year-old girl, believe me," Jane smiled at the father of two daughters.
"She's right, Rachel does have a phone number." Alice ended the potential argument with a single sentence, "Give me ten minutes."
"A rest area north of I-95. They're still in Virginia."
Before Alice finished speaking, Jubal stood up and walked out. "Notify the state police and highway police to set up a checkpoint. Jiejie, find a way to get us a helicopter."
(End of this chapter)