"I'm a federal agent. What else can I do besides investigating?" Jack asked, puzzled.
"Don't be stupid, Jack. You're here to settle this. Do whatever they tell you to do. Find me, cover this up, and make me disappear just like they want me to!"
The woman gritted her teeth, as if she would pull the trigger at any second.
Unexpectedly, Jack chuckled in response. "I know you might not trust anyone because you've been betrayed so many times, but have you ever thought about why someone would specifically bring me from New York to investigate this case?
I know you're a smart girl, but not someone who's well-versed in criminal science. Couldn't they find someone more suitable than me in Dallas to do this? I don't think it would take anyone else any longer to find you." Without
waiting for a reply, Jack continued, "Didn't you feel particularly satisfied when you killed someone for the first time? Do you hardly feel that satisfaction now?
Not only that, but aren't the bad guys you can target becoming increasingly difficult to find? For example, have you talked to the unlucky guy you're holding at gunpoint right now?"
The other person hesitated for a moment before asking, "How did you know?"
But she immediately admitted, "Yes, we did. He said his wife died of cancer a year ago. When we first met, he even acted clumsy. He really doesn't seem like that kind of person."
"Trent Rabb is a good, devoted family man. You've picked the wrong target this time. Don't be surprised I know this, because you're using his phone right now,"
Jack began to speak incoherently. In reality, he knew nothing about Trent Rabb.
"While I don't know your identity yet, I know you were once a good woman. Your experiences don't justify killing innocent people. At least the man you're holding at gunpoint is innocent."
Listening to the growing sobs on the other end of the line, Jack continued, "I have my reasons for not leaking the case to the media, but it's definitely not what you're thinking. Believe me, no one in this world can bribe me with money or anything else.
How about we make a deal? Let that unlucky guy go. Give me three days, and then you'll see what you want happen. What do you say?"
A long silence greeted Jack's words, but thankfully, no gunshots were heard.
Time slipped by, and before they knew it, Jubal, Clay, and Aubrey had vanished from the apartment, leaving only Jiejie and Hannah by Jack's side.
After a sigh, the woman stopped sobbing and said through gritted teeth, "Why should I believe you, Agent Tawalla?"
"You don't have to believe me, but it turns out your judgment of men has never been very accurate, am I right, beautiful elevator lady?
Honestly, I'm regretting not accepting your invitation. Perhaps we should have had a more suitable opportunity, one that would have allowed us to sit down and have a good chat, to get to know each other better."
This time the silence was much shorter. After a slightly mocking chuckle, the woman stated her conditions.
"One day, you only have one day. By this time tomorrow, if I don't see what I want to see in the media, I swear you'll regret it, Jack!"
Only when the phone was hung up did Jack breathe a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of exhaustion throughout his body, and he wished he could collapse to the ground.
This literal, life-threatening exchange was incredibly tense. Although Jack and Trent Labs were strangers, a single misspoken word could have easily sent him reeling.
While the decision to close the investigation was unanimous, it was Jack who made it. His real goal was simply to appease the lawyers and gain more information about the killer.
He hadn't expected such a strong reaction. They'd just dragged an innocent man down for a "show."
"Well done, honey," Hannah said, hugging Jack and kissing him before pushing him out the door.
"Come on, Alice's got her at 1818 Collins Street."
Though he
'd anticipated this, Jack, driving Hannah and Jiejie to the location Alice had provided, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Clay and Aubrey, each supporting a portly, middle-aged man, exit the underground parking garage.
The wealthy Texan named Trent Rabb still had tape marks on his face, his snot and tears still stained, and his feet were unsteady, clearly frightened.
Jack looked at him puzzled. "Mr. Trent Rabb, haven't you heard any rumors lately?"
The middle-aged man nodded with a mournful look. "My lawyer did warn me, but I thought it was just an urban legend. I've been trying to meet that girl, Helena, for ages. I never imagined..." After all,
Europeans and Americans don't have the proverb "lust is a sword above your head." Jack sighed, at a loss for words.
Jubal opened the car door and gestured for him. "Mr. Trent Rabb, please come with us to the police station. We need you to draw the suspect's appearance for the portrait artist."
"No, I know the suspect's appearance."
Jack's words raised eyebrows. Although they had some idea of what the killer had said on the phone, they hadn't expected him to actually know the suspect.
"I've seen her before. It was the night I arrived in Dallas. I ran into her by chance in the elevator of the hotel where the crime occurred. At the time, she looked like a rich girl working for a Fortune 500 company. I didn't think much of it."
"After all, no one would suspect that a beautiful woman who took the initiative to talk to them would be a suspect, am I right, Jack?" Jie Jie clamped her throat and imitated the way the suspect had just spoken on the phone, teasing in a delicate voice.
Pretending not to smell the strong jealousy, Jack made a serious analysis, "When Attorney General Jackson stood at the elevator door and mentioned the name of the previous victim to me, the elevator door just opened.
Then when he said goodbye, he called me by my full name, which made the other party aware of my identity."
"So you really regret not going for a drink with her at the time?" Hannah also came up and asked sourly.
"Maybe I would be lying on the autopsy table right now, and I can only rely on you to help me catch the murderer." Jack deliberately pretended to be scared.
(End of this chapter)