"Who said, 'Paying a prostitute isn't for sex, it's for her to leave afterward'?" Megan, her lips pale, clutched Jack's hand tightly, her voice trembling.
Someone had finally come to the hospital with her. After accompanying Megan through a series of tests, they remained by her bedside, preventing her from becoming overwhelmed again. This lasted the entire night.
"Uh, Dashiell Hammett?" The question nearly stumped Jack.
Dashiell Hammett was a renowned American hard-boiled detective writer, on par with Raymond Chandler. "The Maltese Falcon," "Bloody Harvest," and "The Thin Man" were his three most famous detective novels.
Jack had once discussed a Raymond Chandler quote with NYPD Commissioner Frank Regan (Chapter 653), but compared to Chandler, he preferred Dashiell Hammett's blunt, biting satire of the contemporary American social climate.
"That's completely illogical, isn't it?" Megan's smile was filled with self-mockery and bitterness. "Men are always the first to leave."
Jack wasn't sure how to respond to this, because it's easy to take the blame if you don't handle it well.
While he truly sympathized with the girl's plight, he couldn't deny that Megan herself was also largely to blame. There were so many ways to exact revenge, but she chose the most damaging and self-destructive.
Of course, this also had something to do with her upbringing. After all, she'd been spoiled from a young age, so it's understandable that she'd go to extremes when faced with such a sudden change.
But Jack's decision to help her stemmed from two factors.
First, Megan truly listened and spared the seemingly innocent Trent Rabb, who had mistaken a date with a call girl for a blind date.
The wealthy farmer, in tears at the police station, recounted the entire story of his and Megan's encounter, despite his lawyer's attempts to stop him.
Second, Megan never considered harassing Katherine Vera, the call girl who had caused her mother's abandonment. This was truly remarkable.
You have to know that women are often driven by emotion when committing crimes. Once they start a killing spree, it's essentially like hitting the self-destruct button. Therefore, before I die, it's normal for everyone who has offended me to die.
"Major companies in Dallas have been hit hard today. The discovery of a list has left their executives in an awkward silence."
"A call girl suspected of murdering her client has been identified as Andrew Kane's daughter. He has been arrested on charges of obstruction of justice."
"The FBI says they unexpectedly captured several videos and are submitting them to the Attorney General as evidence."
The local morning news was particularly lively. The media, which had been somewhat subdued by the protest shooting, was once again excited, with all major channels simultaneously reporting on the explosive news that happened last night.
Jack turned off the TV and turned to Megan in the hospital bed. "I've done everything I promised you. Now I hope you'll promise me one thing: live well. You have a long life ahead of you."
Seeing him eager to escape, Megan's face flickered with disappointment, but then relief settled in. She waved at Jack with her free hand.
"I'm sorry to have left such a bad impression on you. Eastern Buddhism believes in the afterlife. If that's true, I hope we'll meet again in the next life, and hopefully things will be different then."
Trucks
towing shipping containers roared past. Aubrey, driving, subconsciously switched to the slow lane and deliberately slowed down.
"Jack, you said before that Margrave was just a remote town, and the only thing you remembered was the good peach pie and barbecue."
"Don't ask me, I haven't been here in ages." Jack was also a little confused as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar road before him. The last time he and Hannah came here, they drove for 10 minutes without seeing a single oncoming car.
Although he knew Roscoe had done a good job managing the area, judging by the traffic volume on the road before him, his previous estimate might have been a bit conservative.
A brand new Chevrolet police car with the logo of the Maggrave Police Department on the side of the road saw two Suburbans from the Most Wanted Squad passing one after the other and followed with its lights flashing.
"Are we in trouble?" Aubrey was confused, thinking that his slow speed had attracted the attention of the other party, but the problem was that their Suburban had federal license plates.
Jack had already seen the faces of the people in the car in the rearview mirror and couldn't help but smile. "Just a welcome."
Hearing the sirens of the police cars behind him, both Suburbans pulled over. Jack was the first to get out. Two people got out of the police cars: one in a police uniform, the other a rather thin, yet handsome young woman.
"Jack!"
"Rosko, long time no see." She bent down and hugged the petite female officer—well, she should be the mayor now.
"Hannah! You're getting prettier."
"Rosko, you too." The two women, who hadn't seen each other for years, kissed each other on the cheek. "
Agent Taverner, long time no see." Stevenson, in his brand new uniform, was trembling with emotion. He held Jack's hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes.
He was the only ordinary officer from the Margrave Police Department who survived, besides Rosko and Finlay, two deeply involved protagonists.
In the original series, he and his pregnant wife died together at the hands of the perverted Kleiner Jr., but in this world, Jack's fate was completely changed.
"You've become the Commissioner?" Jack was surprised, still remembering his timid appearance back then.
"Hehe," Stevenson scratched his head sheepishly. "Roscoe became the mayor, Finlay returned to Boston, and I'm the only one left in the department who's still somewhat familiar with the situation."
The local mayor is elected, and the police chief is appointed by the mayor, so this shouldn't be surprising.
After a brief greeting, Commissioner Stevenson personally drove a police car ahead, ushering the two Suburbans into town. The town of Margrave welcomed the FBI, and of course, Jack, with a grand ceremony.
The three cars stopped in front of the fast food restaurant where Jack had once enjoyed the peach pie. Much like the town today, the place, save for the name, had been completely renovated and rebuilt.
Not only was the storefront much more impressive, but the parking lot had more than doubled in size. A large group of people, both known to Jack and unknown to him, were waiting at the door with beaming smiles on their faces. The area was decorated with ribbons and balloons, making it look like a festive occasion.
(End of Chapter)