"Well, there's no evidence to support that yet. We just followed some clues and came to this town," Jack answered cautiously, flipping through the yellowed file.
The first thing that caught his eye was a faded photograph of a sweet-looking girl with a shy smile and a pair of unforgettable, large eyes.
She wasn't "Gen's sister," Gen. While Jack's forensic expertise, especially his osmology, wasn't at the level of Dr. Temperley Brainer (Bones - Little Bones), he could still determine a person's adult appearance from a photo of them as a teenager.
Hana Frey in the photo had the look of an American cheerleader, while Gen, while not short (1.7 meters), wasn't particularly impressive, and her figure was thin and thin, small in every sense of the word.
It was clear that Sheriff Landry, who was handling the case, was a meticulous and meticulous man. Every record was meticulously kept, which gave Jack a warmer impression of the now-white-haired sheriff.
The case itself wasn't particularly complicated. On the evening of the incident, Hana Frey left the library about five minutes before closing and disappeared.
No one knew where she had gone. Hours later, her parents reported her missing to the police. All five officers in town were dispatched, and several others joined in the search, but nothing was found. There
weren't many leads, but Jack noticed that Sheriff Landry had highlighted a call from a caller who claimed to have seen Hana get into a car after leaving the library that night and provided the license plate number.
"It's a wrong license plate, '925-ESK.' I checked, and there's no such car in the state. It was just a prank call
," the old sheriff sighed. "I wonder what those people were thinking."
"Can we still find the original recording of the call?" Jack pondered, studying the call log in the file.
The caller, upon answering, claimed to be reporting a missing girl. She had seen Hana get into a sedan after leaving the library.
The operator then asked for the make of car, and the caller said she didn't recognize it, only that it was a dark-colored car with the license plate the sheriff had mentioned, "925-ESK."
A prank call shouldn't be so detailed, especially with the license plate number. Just making up a few random characters and claiming they couldn't remember the rest would leave the police with nothing to worry about, which suited the prankster's mentality.
"It's been 20 years, and the call center wasn't digitized back then. I can only give it a try. Maybe we can find the tapes from back then."
Sheriff Landry was very cooperative. Although in a remote town, he had heard of the FBI's renowned BAU.
Jack nodded in thanks and carefully packed the information in a waterproof document bag in front of the sheriff before departing.
"So, where do you plan to start your investigation?" Sheriff Landry asked curiously before escorting the two men out of the station.
"Of course, the old-fashioned way. Talk to witnesses, try your luck, and maybe even trouble you later." Jack had a good impression of the veteran sheriff. Such a detailed case log would save them a lot of trouble on this trip.
Sheriff Landry extended his hand to the two FBI agents. "Then I look forward to your call, because it could mean a breakthrough in the case, right?"
"I hope so."
After bidding farewell to the veteran sheriff, Jack didn't go to the parking lot to pick up the car. Instead, he and Jiejie headed straight for the town center.
Bishop is a small town with a core population of only two to three thousand people. Therefore, key functions like the police station, supermarket, post office, bank, and library are all located in a crisscross pattern in the center of town, bounded by four main thoroughfares.
The public library is less than 200 meters from the station. Today, the weather is cloudy, the sun isn't strong, and the temperature is pleasant, making it a great opportunity to get to know the town.
"It looks just like my hometown in Pennsylvania when I was a kid—a peaceful and tranquil town,"
said Jiejie, a small-town girl. She seemed perfectly at home here, dressed in a figure-flattering short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans.
Although she wore a sidearm, she had deliberately removed her badge, making her look effortlessly comfortable walking through the streets of this Texas town.
From time to time, a sauntering streetwalker would whistle at Jiejie. If Jack, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, hadn't been walking behind her like a bodyguard, he'd have approached her.
Of course, the girls in Texas were just as welcoming. The female officer working the front desk at the police station was a hottie with celebrity looks and a model-like figure. She flirted with Jack the moment she saw him.
Jack and Jiejie flew overnight and drove to the small town this morning. From checking in at the hotel to visiting the police station, it took less than half a day.
I don't know if there's a saying about small-town test-takers in the US, but at noon, the library's small public reading area was still crowded with young people.
Jack noticed an even smaller electronic reading area next to the public reading area, with only seven or eight computers. Few were playing games, but most were browsing educational videos and websites.
The librarian at the front desk was a plump, white woman with reading glasses tethered to her chest.
She introduced herself as Barbara Russell. Upon hearing the couple's purpose, the seemingly kind-looking librarian took on a sad expression and initiated a conversation about the situation.
"Of course I remember. I wish I could forget. Hana was a beautiful and intelligent girl. Although she was a bit reserved, many people in town liked her, especially the young men at the time."
"Did you notice anything unusual about her that night?" Jiejie asked.
"No, actually. She was sitting at the computer over there," Barbara gestured to the electronic reading area behind them. "Just like usual,"
she explained. "Oh, and by the way, there was no internet connection at the time. The computer only had a few simple puzzle games, all educational, of course, and Hana loved them." "
You also provided this list of people who were in the library that night, right?"
Jack flipped the file to the witness section and tapped the signatures. He noticed that the last name after Barbara's wasn't Russell, so it seemed the librarian had taken her husband's name after marriage.
"Yes, that's right," Barbara nodded. "The library was about to close, and everyone was leaving. Hana was one of the last to leave. She checked out a few books, and I registered them for her."
(End of chapter)