Police in America

"How did you do it?" As they walked out of the bar, Jie Jie was still in disbelief. This group of "militias" was notoriously hostile towards those within the federal system. Not only did Jack get Harris Townsend to offer help, but from the look of it, they were almost like brothers.

The behavior of the plump bartender lady was easier to understand, as she slipped Jack several portions of lingonberry pie on his way out. After all, the charm of an older man.

"Well, I'm just that charming," Jack said with a grin.

In truth, these people were easy to get along with. Praise the local cuisine a bit, criticize the Federation together, talk about their cherished ideals of "mutual aid," "autonomy," and "small economies," and express some complex feelings about the tragic events of the '90s as a member of the Federation.

Moreover, their arrival hadn't caused any trouble for the locals; on the contrary, they had helped the police find missing persons and saved a victim, giving Jack the moral high ground from the start.

So, using a bit of rhetoric, he clarified their position, explaining that although their BAU team was part of the FBI, they typically only dealt with serial killers who posed a threat to everyone and didn't get involved in local vs. federal disputes.

These guys weren't well-educated and lacked theoretical guidance; even their understanding of anarchy was superficial. Just venting some frustrations with them and subtly expressing sympathy quickly won their favor.

In his previous life as a seasoned keyboard warrior, Jack knew how to adjust his political spectrum to attract people with different inclinations. Of course, the key was not to delve too deep, as sometimes heretics were more detestable than infidels.

Seeing that Jack had no intention of elaborating further, Jie Jie didn't press on. Instead, she lowered the sun visor on the passenger side and used the small mirror to gently touch the gauze on her cheek.

"How is it? What did the doctor say?" Jack placed a stack of packed local delicacies on the back seat, which included not only the lingonberry pie but also several portions of steaming steaks. They were now heading to the police station where Rossi and the others were waiting.

"The doctor said he used the smallest cosmetic needle for subcutaneous stitching, but the wound is quite deep, so it's hard not to leave a scar."

Jie Jie looked a bit distressed; after all, she was a girl who cared about her appearance.

"Leave it to me. As long as you keep it a secret from Emily and the others, I promise you'll be as good as new and your skin will be as great as Hannah's. I know you've been trying to find out her skincare secret." Jack boasted.

Jie Jie didn't seem surprised, nor did she act jealous.

"Is this a special treatment for becoming one of your girlfriends? That young city council member from the Anderson family and your beautiful professor also look unbelievably young."

"Hannah said it's because they all tried..."

"Screech!" Jack's hand slipped on the steering wheel, causing the Suburban to swerve slightly on the road.

"Damn, what did you talk about that day?"

He thought he had already corrected Hannah's whimsical ideas. After they kicked him out of the car that day, they weren't supposed to talk about Soviet-German negotiations. How did it turn into this topic?

Although Jack didn't have as deep feelings for Jie Jie as he did for Hannah, he didn't plan on being ungrateful. After all, this girl was typically traditional but could be very strong-willed when serious.

He considered himself a weak, pitiful, and helpless Poland, now caught between the two major powers of the Soviet Union and Germany. As long as he wasn't physically split in half, it was fine.

"I know she was joking, but you are indeed mysterious and seem omnipotent. Like on that island, when everyone else was terrified, only you remained confident and fearless."

Jie Jie paused for a moment. "I've never experienced this feeling before, entrusting myself completely to a man, trusting him unconditionally, relying on him, believing he could lead me out of any desperate situation."

"This goes against the education I've received since childhood, but it feels amazing. So, I told myself I had to give it a shot, even if the result might not be great."

"So... what happened?" Jack Poland wanted to know the details of the Soviet-German secret agreement.

"Ask your sweet Hannah," Jie Jie said playfully, giving him a coquettish glance that said everything without saying anything.

Jack didn't press further, just gently squeezed her hand. People are possessive and selfish by nature. He was fortunate to have them willing to give so much.

As for the BAU, it was clear some people had noticed. After the plane crash, Emily had made some half-joking, half-serious comments about the "suspension bridge effect" to him and Jie Jie, partly to test and partly as a reminder.

Rossi was a cunning old fox; he probably figured it out long ago but didn't say anything.

Hotchner was an experienced bureaucrat. Even if he hadn't noticed, given the severity of the accident they both experienced, he should have talked to them separately out of precaution, but he hadn't.

Since everyone was pretending to be oblivious, Jack wouldn't be foolish enough to break this tacit understanding. He truly had an external system that allowed him to juggle many aspects without worrying about any melodramatic events.

They drove back to the police station, where Jack's delivery of food lifted everyone's spirits. The excellent quality steaks and sweet-tart lingonberry pie significantly improved everyone's mood, and even the locally unique pickled beets were a hit. Jack thought he might try to recreate them when he got back.

With the accomplice still at large, everyone gathered after the meal to profile this unknown suspect.

"He is a submissive partner, extremely dependent on and highly respectful of Francis. But now that Francis is dead, this makes him very dangerous," Rossi stated his opinion first.

"So, if we push him into a corner, he might do what Francis did." Emily made a gesture mimicking an explosion.

At this moment, Garcia's video call came in, and Jie Jie transferred it to the computer.

"The tapes are all organized and sent over. I checked every frame; there's no sign of his accomplice. He only handled the filming."

Garcia looked pale, as if she had just gone through the most horrifying experience of her life.

"That's it. I've watched every creepy scene. Not even Jack's panda babies can save me now."

"Uh, Garcia, there's a jar of blueberry jam at the bottom of the office fridge. It's for your emergency 'healing' when we're not around," Jack said, clearly prepared.

Garcia's face lit up. "Oh, darling, you've let me down. Blueberry jam is my boyfriend's favorite, not mine. You got it wrong."

"Ahem." Jack cleared his throat, hesitating as he glanced at the others. "It's not for eating; it's for applying. Use it during your date tonight, and you'll get a cute puppy."

"Wow, that's a genius idea. You really get me." Garcia instantly perked up.

"Well, I'm off for my date. The rest is up to you guys." She hung up the video call.

"Why would blueberry jam get Garcia a pet?" Dr. Reid, the genius encyclopedia, also had questions he couldn't figure out.

"It's better you don't know," Emily shivered as if she imagined something inappropriate.

Everyone looked at Jack like he was a strange alien, wanting to see what was in his head to come up with such a peculiar "emergency item" for Garcia.

"She's been gaining weight recently and can't always relax by eating sweets," Jack explained dryly.

After the brief joke, Jie Jie played the video, and everyone gathered to analyze it.

As Garcia said, the content was gory and horrifying, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The footage showed Francis, a pervert, excitedly using those torture devices to inflict cruel abuse on the victims.

Everyone remained silent, the room filled with the victims' screams, pleas, and the perpetrator's repetitive rhetoric from the speakers.

They fast-forwarded through all the videos, trying to discard useless emotions and use rational thinking to analyze the information.

"He only films Francis, rarely focusing on the victims," Reid broke the silence first.

Emily nodded in agreement. "He seems more interested in Francis than the tortured victims."

"Because he's a 'giver.'"

Jack's words cleared up everyone's doubts.

"Notice the camera angles; they represent where his gaze is focused. The focus is almost always on Francis, as if caressing his body with the camera."

Jie Jie replayed a segment, and sure enough, it showed Francis shirtless, babbling while torturing, but the camera skipped over the victim and lingered on him.

"So he tore up the tapes out of jealousy, not to destroy evidence," Rossi realized.

"He saw Francis as a lover, willingly accepted his subjugation, cleaned the house, kidnapped girls, buried bodies, and even grew roses for him."

Hotchner picked up his phone. "Those roses were bought; Emily found a tag on the latest batch. I'll contact the sheriff to mobilize people to investigate nearby nurseries that sell rose seedlings."

The next morning, both good and bad news came. Emily found out the accomplice's identity, Henry Foster, who worked at a gardening store. The store owner provided his address.

Emily and Reid rushed to Henry Foster's run-down RV but arrived too late.

By the time they got there, Henry Foster had packed up and disappeared. Meanwhile, the local sheriff urgently contacted Hotchner; another victim had surfaced.

Before 10 AM, Henry Foster appeared at a gas station, kidnapped a young woman filling up her car, forced her

 into the trunk at gunpoint, and fled.

"I just checked his place. He destroyed everything related to his identity: photos, documents, all burned in the oven. The few photos left had the faces burnt out with cigarettes, whether from childhood or adulthood."

Reid and Emily joined the others at the gas station, quickly reporting their findings to Rossi and Hotchner.

"Why?" Hotchner raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Henry Foster was the submissive partner in their relationship. He didn't just follow Francis's commands but tried to understand and accept his ideas and views," Reid explained.

"So he destroyed everything from his past, denying his own personality."

Meanwhile, the elderly female gas station owner, still holding a shotgun, angrily recounted the incident to Jie Jie and the others.

"I swear I could've shot him. No punk has ever gotten away with causing trouble here."

"But I was afraid of hurting her. I watched that bastard shove her into the trunk, and the car was blocked by the pump when it turned."

"Yeah, I can imagine the scene. That bastard was really lucky."

Jack carefully took the ancient-looking shotgun from the old lady and handed it to an officer nearby.

"Did you see this person?" Jie Jie showed a photo, the only one they had of Henry Foster, provided by his gardening store boss.

"No." The old lady's answer shocked everyone.

"Did you see his face clearly?" Jie Jie asked skeptically.

"Of course. Follow me; I have surveillance in my store." The old lady led them inside the gas station store without hesitation.

The computer screen showed a thin white man with a bandage on his face, resembling the photo but with brown hair instead of blonde and sporting a mustache.

"He looks like Francis Goring!" Jie Jie exclaimed.

"Or rather, Henry Foster's version of Francis," Rossi and Hotchner exchanged glances, seemingly having figured it out.

"He walked in, bought beer and pumpkin seeds, then sat in his car, that brown pickup outside. I thought he looked suspicious and prepared my gun..."

The old lady was still talking as the team exchanged looks and quickly left, dragging a bewildered Reid with them.

Recently, the comments on the latest chapters have been sparse. How's the quality? Personally, I think the writing has become quite vivid and engaging. It seems the writing flow is getting smoother.

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