After finally calming the panicked Larry Griffin back to the villa, Jack and Clay, who had been waiting outside, leaned against the car and began a quiet conversation.
"I don't quite understand. It's not quite right to say this, but compared to killing that girl, kidnapping seems more troublesome. What exactly is the Hammond brothers' motive?
They killed three people without hesitation before, and they could have even chosen Larry Griffin directly. Why are they going through so much trouble?" Clay asked, puzzled.
Jack tossed him a cigar and lit one for himself before slowly speaking, "They're pursuing their own justice, not just revenge."
"What do you mean?" Clay expressed confusion.
Jack prompted, "Remember the somewhat contradictory deaths of the truck driver and his wife?"
"Of course, one was shot and the other stabbed. Now it seems the brothers did it separately. What does that mean?" Clay still didn't understand.
Jack blew out a smoke ring and explained in detail, "This shows the brothers' cooperative relationship, including the deliberate ritualized scenes like cutting off ears and tongues. I tend to believe that the elder brother, Greg, is the leader. Although he is filled with anger, his actions are logical.
The brothers' ultimate target of revenge must be Larry Griffin, but it's not simply to kill him."
"You're saying," Clay recalled the previous conversation, "that Greg not only wants to make Larry Griffin experience the pain of losing a loved one, but also likely wants to force him to confess his guilt."
"When justice cannot be achieved through legal proceedings, only violence, the most simple and unpretentious method, remains," Jack concluded in a flat tone.
Along with the rest of the Most Wanted Squad, state troopers arrived. Jubal even borrowed the local office's command vehicle.
"The photo was sent from an anonymous phone, now turned off. I'll keep an eye on the number if it turns back on.
Julia Griffin's phone is also turned off. The GPS shows it was last seen in a commercial plaza near Red Mountain Park."
Alice, sitting in the open cab of the command vehicle, reported the tracking results.
"Ah, I know. Julia has a Pilates class at the dance studio there," Larry Griffin's girlfriend exclaimed.
Jubal pointed at Aubrey and Hannah. "Go to the studio and check the security footage from the surrounding parking lot."
He turned to the anxious Larry and asked, "What car does your daughter usually drive?"
"Uh, a Range Rover, license plate number *****." The old man was completely panicked. "What do they want? Money? I'll give it to them, no matter how much." He
was afraid they weren't after money, but rather ruined his reputation or even his life.
Jubal persuaded Larry to leave and summoned two state troopers to accompany him and his girlfriend. Jack winked at Clay, who nodded knowingly and turned away.
Everyone stayed in the command vehicle, waiting for a call from the Hammond brothers by Larry's phone. As time ticked by, Jubal frowned and beckoned Jack to get out of the car with him for some fresh air.
"Honestly, I'm more concerned about the bomb they're preparing. A pistol is all they need to kidnap a hostage. What do you think they'll use the bomb for?"
"Since this is revenge, everyone involved in the fly ash pollution incident could be implicated, including the lawyers defending Larry Griffin, the experts testifying in court, and even the judge and jury."
Jack was also a bit overwhelmed. The scope was too broad. They had previously thought the company Larry opened for his girlfriend was the most likely target, but the state police had already checked the office and warehouse and found no suspected explosives.
"The jury can be ruled out for now. I don't think the Hammond brothers can find their identities. The experts testifying aren't local. That leaves the judge and lawyers. Do you think they'll attack the courthouse or the law firm?" Jubal was horrified.
"Send a notice, just in case." Jack was unsure. Cutting off ears and tongues and the like suggested that the brothers were mentally unstable. Most people seeking revenge wouldn't go to such lengths.
Just then, Jubal's phone rang. It was Hannah and Aubrey calling. They were lucky: the security camera in the parking lot had captured the entire kidnapping of Julia Griffin.
Hannah reported, "The kidnapper is Greg Hammond. He's driving a black Mazda. Send the license plate number to Alice now."
Before the two could return to the command vehicle, Alice had already checked the car's owner's information. "This car belongs to Brad Smith. He's... uh? He's the mayor of Blue Springs."
Jack, leading Jiejie, rushed to the parked Suburban. "Send me his address."
—
"FBI!" Jack kicked open the door and rushed into the house, where he was greeted by the strong smell of bleach.
"It's clear!"
"No one!" Jiejie returned to the living room to see Jack, with a kitchen knife, cutting the ropes of a middle-aged man tied to a chair.
"I... I can't see! Help! Help!" The middle-aged man, with obvious burns on his face, especially around his eyes, let out a miserable wail as the tape on his mouth was torn off.
Jack glanced at the bleach on the table next to him, grabbed his arm, and calmly asked, "Did they use anything besides bleach?"
"Probably not. Please help me, I can't see." The middle-aged man's eyes were open, his whole body trembling.
Jack lifted him up and pulled him under the kitchen faucet, shouting, "Open your mouth and breathe."
The man's vision was doomed; running water would only slightly ease the pain. Greg Hammond had kidnapped Julia Griffin in his car two hours ago, meaning his eyes had been exposed to the bleach at least two hours ago.
"They kidnapped my wife! Please save her," the man pleaded, clutching Jack's hand tightly. "Greg Hammond took her, and there's someone I don't know. They also took my car."
"Why did they kidnap your wife? Did they say where they were going?" Jiejie asked.
"I don't know, but they took both of my cars—a black Mercedes and a Mazda," the middle-aged man named Brad Smith shouted excitedly.
"What are you waiting for? Save my wife! She's innocent."
"Calm down! Tell us the license plate number of the other Mercedes. The ambulance is on the way. They'll take you to the hospital later. But before that, I need you to tell us exactly what Greg Hammond said to you."
(End of this chapter)