Eileen didn't hand the documents directly to her father but instead gave them to Jack first. "The bad news is that we still have two big problems left. Gus Careyford, a copper fetishist, has been charged with three instances of child abuse—first-degree felonies. The judge is still hesitating on whether to dismiss the charges."
"You're saying someone like this might actually get released?" Jack opened the folder, skimmed through a few pages, and found it hard to keep reading. He pulled out the relevant file and handed it to Frank.
"What do you think the judge will decide?" Frank took the file, frowning as he flipped through it.
Eileen's expression wasn't optimistic. "As much as this guy worries me, I'm even more concerned about Dick Reed."
Hearing that name, Frank let out a heavy breath through his nose, clearly remembering who it was.
It was Jack's first time hearing about this man. The remaining three-quarters of the folder was filled with case files about him—a serial rapist and murderer.
"So this Dick—his name is actually his real name, not just some nickname?" Jack's question earned him an eye-roll from Eileen.
"Three innocent women were brutally tortured before he killed them—slashed, burned, repeatedly raped, and sexually abused. There are also several other missing women suspected to be connected to him, but no bodies have been found, so…"
Eileen glanced at the case file Jack was flipping through. Even though she had personally worked on this case, seeing the photos and evidence again still made her, as a woman, feel deeply uncomfortable.
"This is like adding fuel to the fire," Frank muttered. He could already foresee tomorrow's headline news.
"We don't have many cards to play. He's a very clever psychopath, extremely cautious during his crimes. The CSI team only managed to convict him using DNA evidence from a trace of saliva left on one of the bodies. Now, our only option is to get Becky Swartz to testify against him in the new trial."
When Eileen mentioned that name, she turned to Jack to explain. "Becky is the sole survivor of Dick Reed. She was tortured for 19 hours and finally escaped by burning through her restraints with a candle flame."
"I've visited her three times trying to convince her to testify in court, but…"
"Understandable." Jack pulled out a photo of the victim. It was clear that she had once been a sweet, artistically inclined young woman, probably in her mid-twenties and in the prime of her life.
But in the photo Jack held, the left side of her face bore two long, gruesome scars, and the rest of her body showed even more injuries. "She's a strong girl."
Even though Eileen said Becky had refused to testify, Jack still gave her that evaluation. To endure such horrific injuries for 19 hours and still find the strength to escape from Dick Reed's clutches—it was enough to demonstrate a willpower far greater than her seemingly delicate frame.
Frank nodded in agreement. "Thanks to the clues she provided, we were able to track down Reed. We can't ask too much of her."
"I just regret that when Dick Reed saw the police, he immediately surrendered without resisting. As you said, this guy really is a cunning beast."
Jack's remark made Eileen subconsciously furrow her brow, but she didn't react as she might have during Jack's first visit to the Reagan family gathering. Back then, she might have openly condemned the idea of police "excessive force" or launched into a speech about criminals' human rights.
It seemed that Eileen's past arguments with Danny were more of a sibling dynamic than actual ideological opposition. Deep down, this young lady still carried the Reagan family's bloodline and wasn't one of those nauseating "bleeding hearts."
"I'll have Danny keep an eye on Reed. And you, dear, I trust you'll find enough evidence to convict him."
What was odd was that when Frank said this, his gaze remained fixed on Jack.
The problem was, not a single word Frank had said seemed to involve him. Jack glanced back and forth between the father and daughter in front of him. Frank looked serious, while Eileen seemed as puzzled as he was.
"Ahem." Frank cleared his throat, opened a drawer in his desk, and took out a wooden box, placing it on the table. "Jack, I heard you'll soon be leading your own team. What do you think of this gift?"
Although the topic shift felt abrupt, Jack curiously opened the box, revealing a hefty firearm inside.
"This is a SIG Sauer P320?" But the size seemed off. He pressed the magazine release button, letting the magazine slide smoothly into his palm. Then, with practiced ease, he pulled back the slide, locking it in the open position. Finally, he removed a single bullet from the magazine to examine it closely.
"This is .40 S&W? No, wait, this is full-power 10mm Auto, not even the reduced 'FBI load'?" Jack was surprised. This caliber wasn't standard police issue.
Frank chuckled and nodded. "This model is the SIG Sauer P320-XTen. Yes, it's chambered in 10mm. Someone tried to pitch this firearm to the NYPD, but obviously, its power is a bit excessive. Considering the FBI once adopted this caliber, I kept a batch of samples for you."
The FBI had indeed once used the 10mm Auto as its standard handgun caliber. This decision stemmed from a 1986 incident where eight FBI agents encountered two armed men in Florida. In just five minutes, 150 rounds were exchanged.
Although the FBI ultimately won, it was a pyrrhic victory. Both suspects were killed, but the FBI lost two agents and had five others injured—four seriously and one lightly.
This incident was widely regarded as one of the FBI's most disastrous operations and left the bureau with a deep-seated fear of insufficient firepower. They subsequently adopted the 10mm Auto as their standard issue and issued Smith & Wesson Model 1076 handguns.
However, the firearms of that era couldn't adequately handle the recoil of such a high-powered round. The FBI eventually had to commission reduced-power versions of the 10mm Auto, which became known as the "FBI load" that Jack mentioned.
Smith & Wesson later saw a market opportunity and developed the .40 S&W cartridge by shortening the 10mm Auto case. Around the same time, Glock jumped on the bandwagon with its Glock 20, chambered in 10mm. But with the introduction of new 9mm rounds offering good stopping power and higher magazine capacity, interest in 10mm gradually faded. It became mostly used for hunting—its power was overkill for two-legged targets but perfect for four-legged ones.
Recently, however, the rise of drug-fueled, hyper-aggressive criminals had rekindled interest in the 10mm round. It wasn't entirely surprising that someone had tried to sell such handguns to the NYPD.
Jack didn't believe for a second that an NYPD commissioner would be shilling for a gun manufacturer. Even if his team officially formed, it would only have a handful of members—hardly enough to consume a significant number of firearms.
This was undeniably a gift, perhaps a small token of appreciation for Jack's assistance in resolving internal NYPD issues. But the timing of the gesture made it all the more intriguing.
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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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