The formation of Jack's new task force would take at least another six months, and with the BAU also needing time to find a replacement for Jiejie, she wouldn't be moving to New York anytime soon.
As soon as Jack returned to New York, he gave Jason Hayes of SEAL Team B a call to see if he could recommend a few suitable retired special forces operatives for recruitment.
After all, tracking and apprehending fugitives was a high-risk job, and it was crucial to recruit a few skilled operatives with combat experience. The FBI had special incentives for hiring veterans, so even slightly older candidates weren't a problem.
Moreover, while many retired special forces operatives went into private military contracting (PMC) for the big money, that line of work was often even more dangerous, with a higher risk of injury or worse. Working for the FBI, especially under Jack, would be a safer and more stable option. Jason Hayes could rest assured that his friends would be treated well.
If it weren't for the fact that Jack Reacher—the other Jack, the hulking one—despised the structured life and preferred wandering from place to place, Jack would have considered him as his first recruit. Jiejie would have been second in line.
Reacher's combat prowess was unparalleled, his attacks brutal and merciless. A former soldier, he was also an expert in all kinds of weapons and equipment. Jack guessed that even Chris might struggle in a direct confrontation with him.
Reacher was also adept at "deductive reasoning," with a razor-sharp intellect to match his imposing size. He was the epitome of a "big guy with big brains." Unfortunately, Jack knew that while he could probably ask Reacher for short-term help against specific enemies, long-term recruitment was out of the question.
Even more frustrating, Jason Hayes had no immediate leads. SEAL Team B was about to deploy on a mission to a small African nation, leaving Jack without reinforcements for now. Fortunately, time was on Jack's side, and they agreed to reconnect in a month.
In the meantime, Dana Mosier wasn't about to let Jack sit idle. Before his promotion and transfer orders were officially finalized, he still had work to do. Not long after Christmas and New Year's, a call from the CSI New York lab summoned Jack to their office.
"We might be dealing with a serial killer—a mysterious female ghost killer. We heard you're a consultant from the BAU, so we reached out to the FBI for assistance," Mac Taylor said wearily. He looked like the case had been taking a toll on him.
"A female serial killer?" Jack's interest was piqued. He'd encountered plenty of serial killers, but female ones were a rarity. "Could it be some kind of spy or assassin whose methods finally slipped up under the scrutiny of CSI technology?"
Mac Taylor gave a wry smile and began explaining the case. It all started with what seemed like a fairly ordinary spousal murder.
The Carters were a middle-aged couple who had been married for eight years. They were a middle-class family living a seemingly happy life—or so it appeared to outsiders.
Three mornings ago, Mrs. Carter walked into a New York police station and confessed that she had killed her husband the previous night. The crime scene was the couple's luxury apartment in a high-end Manhattan neighborhood.
When police arrived at the scene, they were stunned. The dining room was a mess: shattered plates, broken wine glasses, scattered food, and an overturned bottle of red wine covered the floor. Blood was smeared across the dining room and into the living room, where a male body lay collapsed in front of the dining table. His chest had been stabbed repeatedly.
"Seventeen stab wounds?" Jack exclaimed, visibly impressed. "That's a lot of anger. So the murder weapon was a steak knife. What was Mrs. Carter's motive?"
"She found a jewelry box in Kevin Carter's coat. Inside was a ring and a card that read, 'To my dearest Kevin.'"
Mac Taylor took a sip of the black coffee in front of him, grimacing at the bitterness. After a moment, he downed the rest like it was medicine.
"Sounds like a woman who knows how to love and hate," Jack said, shivering slightly as he set down the crime scene photos. Kevin Carter was a good-looking man, but clearly a womanizer—or rather, a scumbag.
"So where's the issue?" Jack asked, puzzled. "Did DNA testing reveal that Mrs. Carter was actually a notorious female serial killer? But if she's already confessed, why call me?"
"The issue," Mac explained, "is that we found DNA from an unknown third female party at the scene—on the handle of the steak knife and on half a roll of bread that had fallen out of the bread basket."
"And this morning, when one of our lab researchers was running a DNA search, he made a small mistake. He submitted a dual search request to both the national and local DNA databases. Normally, these two databases only synchronize every couple of months."
"Wow. And then you discovered that this unknown woman's DNA matches evidence from 21 other cases across several neighboring states?" Jack quickly flipped through the report.
"Murders, home invasions, robbery-homicides—all major crimes. Locations include Connecticut, New Jersey, New York City's Upper East Side, and Long Island—three states and seven jurisdictions. Sounds like you've got yourselves a female serial killer."
"I don't have the clearance to access all the case files yet," Mac said, pulling two thick folders from his desk. "But I've got information on two cases that occurred in New York."
He handed the folders to Jack, explaining as he did so. "This one happened a little over a week ago in the Bronx. It was a drug-related home invasion. The victim was shot with a 9mm handgun. We found DNA evidence on a spent shell casing at the scene."
"The second case is from five days ago. It happened at a nightclub in Queens. The victim was stabbed with a knife, but we found the suspect's DNA on the rim of a wine glass left at the scene."
"Hmm," Jack said, frowning as he examined the files. "Different weapons, no consistent fingerprints, varying motives. Other than the DNA, there's no clear link between these cases. Looks like your lab researcher's 'small mistake' just uncovered a big fish. Could this be a female professional hitman?"
Mac Taylor pressed his lips together, visibly troubled. "The problem is, all we're seeing is the ripples caused by this 'big fish.' But the news is already starting to leak. Some sharp-nosed reporters are beginning to sniff around."
"So you're not really looking for BAU's help—you just want to drag the FBI into the spotlight to share the pressure," Jack said, smirking as he let out a low chuckle.
"At least that's not my intention," Mac replied, feigning innocence. "The quickest way to access the remaining case files is through the FBI. It's purely procedural." Despite his straight-faced reply, the faint smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
Jack sighed, knowing this was just payback. He'd asked for CSI's help more than once in the past, and now it was time to return the favor.
"Send the case list to the FBI's New York office. Someone there will coordinate with the relevant departments to pull the case files."
Rolling up his sleeves, Jack grinned. "In the meantime, let's start with the most recent case—the husband-murdering wife. How's that investigation going?"
"Dr. Hammerbeck is conducting the autopsy on the husband's body as we speak. It's happening in the morgue on the basement level. I have to head to Commissioner Reagan's office for a briefing. Anything you'd like me to pass along?"
Mac handed Jack a high-level internal access badge and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair, looking ready to leave.
Feeling somewhat used, Jack rubbed his chin. "If possible, ask him to assign Detective Reagan as my partner for this case. By the way, isn't Dr. Hawkes your medical examiner?"
Jack still remembered the well-spoken and dapper African-American forensic expert.
"Sheldon Hawkes recently passed his licensing exam. He's now a Level Two Researcher in the lab. Incidentally, he's also the one who made the 'small mistake' that led to the discovery of our mystery female serial killer."
Though Mac Taylor had a round face that should have made him look approachable, his sly smile always seemed to carry a hint of mischief.
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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