Irene Wuorn, mentioned by Jack and Red, was a famous female serial killer in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, and was considered one of the best.
A total of seven men were killed by her, and the murder weapons were pistols, which are rarely used by female killers. Charlize Theron once destroyed her image by playing the heroine based on her in the film "Monster."
Irene Wuorn had a rather difficult life. At the age of 14, she was raped and gave birth to a child. At the age of 15, she was kicked out of her home and became a prostitute, specializing in providing services to rude long-distance truck drivers in motels along the highway.
Therefore, her antisocial personality was shaped by her acquired environment, which was completely different from the little girl Jack met not long ago.
The current case clearly piqued Red's interest. "She sounds not only methodical but also quite sophisticated. Perhaps we should look for commonalities among the victims. Besides their wealth, do the two victims have anything else in common?"
"Hmm," Jack thought, frowning. "They're both in their early 50s and generous. The $20,000 a night price clearly includes hush money, suggesting they value privacy extremely.
In other words, they were likely regular customers, likely having had transactions more than once."
"Then is it possible that the victim shared a particular sexual quirk, perhaps something abusive? Excessive demands might have pushed the killer to the point of no return, potentially providing a motive."
"Thank you, Red. That might be a good avenue for investigation." After discussing this with Red, Jack felt his perspective broadened considerably.
He didn't know much about call girls, but during his time as a patrol officer with the LAPD, he often dealt with streetwalkers who charged a starting price of $50 and usually no more than $200.
The LAPD occasionally conducts sting operations, sending attractive female officers to pose as streetwalkers to lure those who are looking for sex.
But Jack was completely unfamiliar with call girls charging $20,000 a night. If they were, like Aubrey had done before, hooking up with minor celebrity stars or supermodels, he could understand.
After all, every man has his own vanity. Across the pond, there are countless "bigwigs" who throw hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars into the water, yet can't even lay a finger on a female anchor.
Jack spent most of the day in the office provided by Attorney General Jackson, sorting through the information he had received. He waited until sunset for Aubrey and Jiejie to return.
Their expressions told him he had found the right people this time. Without waiting for them to report their progress, Jack got up, dismissed them, and took them out to find food. A
trip to Texas is a must, and Jack had already booked a restaurant: Hickory Shack, Dallas's most highly-rated barbecue spot.
The three of them had been busy for most of the day and were now starving. Tomahawk steaks, lamb chops, smoked brisket, and smoked salmon arrived one after another and were devoured at lightning speed.
Jiejie, as a lady, had to be a little mindful of her appearance, but Jack and Aubrey were less restrained and simply dived in with relish.
The meats, smoked in the oven for over ten hours, were already fall-off-the-bone tender, yet their moisture was locked in with a special technique. The juicy texture, paired with the sweet and sour sauce, was simply irresistible.
Even Aubrey, known for his voracious appetite, felt a rare overfull. He removed his napkin and ordered a glass of lemon water to help him digest his food. Jiejie then shared her findings.
"I contacted Hoyt Asift's wife. Apparently, she's not entirely satisfied with the 'quiet death' her husband suffered at home. She wants to know the truth.
I've arranged to meet her at her house tomorrow morning at 8:30."
"Why not tonight? Uh, forget it. Just forget it."
Perhaps it was because the blood was concentrated in the stomach to aid digestion, but Jack's words were clearly thoughtless.
Hoyt Asift was the womanizer who passed away the night before. His wife would surely be busy with various matters over the next two days, so being able to arrange a date tomorrow morning was already a sign of eagerness.
"That's perfect timing. I've found the 'scavenger' and we're meeting tomorrow at 12 noon." Aubrey slumped in his chair, looking lazy and unwilling to move.
Jack looked a little surprised, not at the guy's quickness in finding someone, but at the fact that he'd actually arranged a date.
"Maybe she really doesn't care about being an FBI agent, but I told her I have a lot of friends at CNN, CBS, and Fox, so she took the initiative to arrange a time and place to meet."
Noticing Aubrey's use of the female pronoun "She," Jack was a little surprised that the "scavenger" was actually a woman.
He'd expected a burly fellow with a full beard and cheeks, resembling Wolverine's brother, Sabretooth. (American TV series "Scavenger") –
Unlike other large American metropolitan areas, Dallas's wealthy district is located in the heart of the city, around a neighborhood called Highland Park.
True to its name, the community boasts its own artificial lake and forest, with 90% of its landscaping covered in greenery. Luxurious single-family homes dot the landscape, rivaling even Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.
Hospitals, schools, luxury shopping malls, golf courses, and other amenities are all within easy reach. Jack looked up housing prices online and found that even the cheapest unit was over four times the Texas average.
Of course, even the most affluent nouveau riche couldn't afford to move in, as those who could afford to live here were well-known "old money" in Texas, whose wealth could be easily discerned by their surnames.
Hoyt Asift's wife was young, in her early 30s at most, at least 20 years younger than her husband. After inviting the two visiting FBI agents to a seat in the living room, she gracefully took a seat on the couch across from them.
"Mrs. Asift, we are very sorry about your husband."
However, before Jiejie could finish her words, the young widow waved her hand and interrupted her.
"Thank you, but please don't say that. I have heard too many similar words in the past two days. It is too ironic that I keep hearing such words after knowing the real cause of his death. It makes me feel like a hypocrite."
Jiejie looked at Jack with a mixture of laughter and tears, feeling that she couldn't respond to this.
Jack was quite familiar with the straightforward character of Texans, so he simply got straight to the point, "We came here to learn more about your husband.
We believe that the reason your husband became the target of the murderer may be related to some of his hobbies."
Jack paused, feeling that he had not expressed himself well enough, and added, "It is about that hobby between the bed and the bed."
Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and it should be a busy day. There is a saying here that the night of the winter solstice is longer than the night of the New Year, so I guess I will have to ask for leave.
(End of this chapter)