The steak was delicious, the fries were perfectly fried, and the ice-cold beer, while not as refreshing as iced, was still quite effective in cooling off the heat.
Although Cody Grayson was initially uncooperative, Jack managed to extract some useful information from him over the course of the meal.
Twenty years ago, Cody was just a young, timid boy, the kind who only dared to secretly gaze at his goddess.
He was on the list of witnesses compiled by librarian Barbara. Even if Old Fred hadn't mentioned it before, Jack and Jiejie would still find a way to track down all the witnesses in the library from that time, including those who were still in town.
"I did follow Hana a few times, but I just wanted to walk her home or pretend to meet her by chance and chat her up. But not that night, because Old Fred had warned me that if I approached his daughter again, he would shoot me."
Cody said with a sneer on his face. "Perhaps you could ask her henchman."
"What henchman?" Jiejie demanded.
"A little girl named Sam or something, two years younger than Hana. They were very close, or rather, Hana always took good care of her."
Jiejie flipped through the documents in her hand and looked at him in confusion. "But that name isn't on the witness list. Do you remember her full name?"
"I don't know. She left less than a year after Hana disappeared. I heard her mother died of illness, and she went to live with relatives in another state. If you two respected agents are all right, I'll excuse me."
Cody wiped the snot and tears from his face vigorously, downed the remaining half glass of beer in front of him, stood up, and staggered towards his previous seat.
"It seems that Hana Frey's disappearance has affected more than just her family," Jack muttered, observing him from behind.
"Sam, a name not on the witness list, Jack, what do you think? Did the librarian accidentally miss a witness?"
Jiejie gently kicked Jack's shin with her toe, finally bringing him back from his reverie.
"I don't know, but I have a suspicion. Sam might be the Ms. Gen, the one who called the police. The 'machine' knows Gen's true identity.
It thinks that if we can solve Hana's disappearance, we might be able to help Gen."
"Helping a cold-blooded murderer? Why? I always thought the AI built by Finch prioritized protecting the innocent," Jiejie asked, puzzled.
"That's a long story. Let's talk as we walk," Jack said, standing up.
The next witness on the list was Trent Russell, a 35-year-old local banker with a keen public service.
The meticulous Sheriff Landry had noted his address and brief information in an affidavit. It was unknown whether Mr. Russell was still in the area 20 years later.
The two of them went to get a car and drove to the other side of town. When Jiejie heard that Jack had traded his script for the 'machine's' cooperation, her eyes widened in surprise.
"That's impossible. According to you, the 'machine' is not a rigid program, but a true artificial intelligence with self-awareness. It even has curiosity."
"An artificial intelligence that can understand the logic of human behavior and further judge whether some individuals are harmful or harmless to other groups, it shouldn't be particularly difficult to understand that it is a living electronic life, right?" Jack asked with a smile.
Jiejie's red lips parted slightly, her stunned expression adorable.
Such a naive expression wouldn't be surprising on Hannah's face, but Jiejie's usual persona was quite aloof and independent. While she might take on a more wifely air in front of Jack, it was rare to see her looking so completely paralyzed.
"But why would 'the machine' want to help Ms. Gen? Was it out of sympathy?"
Countless thoughts raced through Jiejie's mind, but none of them formed a convincing conclusion.
As a law enforcement officer, she had witnessed Peter Matheson's botched suicide (Chapter 1384) firsthand, and it was most likely Gen who had done it.
Furthermore, having previously aided Peter Matheson in the assassination of Councilman Delancy and framed the innocent Powell, Gen's actions left Jiejie with a far cry from sympathy.
Jack simply shrugged. Although, in hindsight, Peter Matheson had brought this upon himself, and Councilman Delancy, who had been assassinated, wasn't entirely innocent either, it was a dog-eat-dog situation.
But Powell, the scapegoat, was completely innocent. If it weren't for the intervention of "POI" and Jack, he might be in prison right now. Gen's actions completely crossed the line.
He could only shrug and say he didn't know. "Who knows? Maybe the 'machine' has its own criteria, or maybe there are other factors we don't know about.
Just like it's been 48 hours, and Finch still hasn't turned on his GPS."
As they chatted, Jiejie's phone rang. It was Alice calling. She had concluded her investigation into the credit card promotional email from Texas Commerce Bank.
"I found an expired account. It was opened in 2007, two years after Hana Frey disappeared. It was a joint account in her and Trent Russell's names.
When the account was opened, $100,000 was transferred into it. It was then used in Lafayette, Louisiana. Over the next three weeks, the entire amount was withdrawn, and the account was subsequently closed."
Jack and Jiejie exchanged a look of surprise. Trent Russell was the man they were planning to visit next.
"$100,000? Can you trace the source of the funds?" Jiejie asked quickly.
Alice answered without hesitation. "We have. A drug dealer named Jose Barria, currently serving a life sentence for drug trafficking and murder, was found. The money was transferred directly from his personal account, without any disguise."
"Sounds like some kind of frame-up," Jack smiled at Jiejie. "Does this method sound familiar to you?"
"It was Gen," Jiejie confirmed.
Meanwhile, Jack parked his car in front of a rather nice house. Instead of getting out immediately, he pulled out his phone.
"I think we need to contact Sheriff Landry before visiting this Trent Russell."
(End of chapter)