Chapter 952 Jack's "Love Rival"

When Jack returned to the Most Wanted Criminals team's office building on Long Island, Danny had already picked up Reacher and the others. Apart from being a little dusty, the four of them didn't look seriously injured, without even a scratch.

The killer was blown to pieces. Lei Che and his companions were watching outside the house, hoping to catch the killer and interrogate him after the two parties had exchanged the final payment.

However, he did not expect that the other party would directly choose to kill and silence the witness, and even used such an extremely eye-catching method as explosion.

Danny hung up the phone and raised his hand to say hello to Jack. "The fire has been put out. The bomb disposal team found the remains of a tripwire-type IED device at the scene, and only a mutilated charred body."

"Hiring a killer using Swan's name and then using such a striking method to kill him is a perfect way to frame him. As long as the police find out about Swan's military experience afterwards, they will undoubtedly identify him as the murderer."

Negley rolled his eyes as he spoke, seeming to still be upset about his previous misjudgment and doubting the thoughts of his former teammates.

"But all our clues are gone now. Is there any good news from the FBI?" Dixon was opening the refrigerator to find something to eat, but she was troubled because Jack's inventory was too rich and she had never seen many of the things before.

Jack walked over and picked up two salted duck eggs and smashed them on the table, motioning Reacher, who was munching on bread, to eat with them. Then he took out a food box and took out a mango and some strawberries.

He first talked about the strange email exchanges between Swan and Marlo Burns, and several special investigators immediately showed indescribable expressions on their faces.

"Swann hates Jimi Hendrix, including any song with electric guitar as the main melody." O'Donnell's eyebrows were about to fly to the top of his head.

Dixon was watching Jack working on the countertop with a curious look on his face. He nodded when he heard this. "Swan likes to play the guitar, but he never plays songs by Skinner, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, or The Who. This is his principle."

"Although the FBI was not aware of this, our clever analysts were able to discover the codewords hidden in it and link it to the 'Little Wings Project'."

Jack skilfully peeled and cut the mango into pieces, cut the washed strawberries in half, poured in milk and osmanthus honey, then opened the lunch box and cut the black jelly-like substance inside into small cubes and added them to the lunch box. Finally, he handed a bowl to Dixon and Negley respectively.

“Unfortunately, we arrived a step too late. Marlo Burns and her daughter are currently missing, but the good news is that they should have fled on their own initiative instead of being kidnapped or murdered like the others.

However, the memo clearly states that Senator Malcolm LaVoy has guaranteed that Project Little Wings will pass a congressional vote.

I still remember the exact words, he said 'he firmly believed that this project was extremely important and would do everything he could to help us'."

Dixon scooped a spoonful and tasted it carefully, frowning and thinking, "So, unless we find Marlo Burns, if we want to know the details of the 'Little Wing Project', we can only go to the senator?"

"It's not easy to approach a federal senator." After Negley said this, her attention was drawn to the "fruit salad" handed to her by Jack. She curiously studied the black jelly in the bowl that contrasted sharply with the white milk.

“Why are these jellies black?”

"This is Guilinggao, a traditional Chinese medicine that can improve women's physical condition, make the skin more delicate and reduce wrinkles." Without waiting for Jack to speak, Danny took the initiative to help explain. This thing is now his wife's favorite.

Authentic tortoise jelly needs to be made from the shell of the hawksbill turtle. This cold-water turtle, which lives in China and Southeast Asia, is not found in North America. However, there is another distant cousin of the turtle that is similar in appearance and ferocious habits, but is actually not related to it in terms of classification - the alligator snapping turtle.

Jack just came back from France some time ago. Under Danny's persuasion, he spent $765 to get a combined fishing and hunting license valid for life in New York State, intending to improve his fishing skills.

In most cases, sea fishing in New York State does not cost money, you just need to register. However, it is more troublesome to fish for freshwater fish. Jack simply applied for a combined license to avoid the trouble of getting a license if he wants to go hunting one day.

Unexpectedly, Danny was also a rookie. The two spent a whole day at Hempstead Lake in Long Island, but failed to catch even the most common sunfish. When they were about to return disappointed, they found a big fish in the grass by the lake.

Alligator snapping turtles are native to America and are roughly divided into two categories, the big alligator snapping turtle and the small alligator snapping turtle, also called the true alligator snapping turtle and the false alligator snapping turtle. The former is a protected animal in the United States and is on the verge of extinction as its habitat decreases. Adult individuals are said to weigh more than 100 pounds and are very rare in the wild.

Although the alligator snapping turtle has a "small" in front of its name, it is considered a large freshwater turtle and can easily weigh more than 20 pounds.

Apart from their body size, the biggest difference between the two is the spines on their carapace. The true alligator turtle looks ferocious, with three sharp and protruding spines on its back, a bit like a Triceratops.

Apart from its particularly ugly head, the shape of its back is not very protruding. Jack and Danny discovered such a alligator snapping turtle weighing more than ten pounds.

This thing was considered an invasive species in Jack's previous life. The official recommendation was to eat it directly after catching it. It was not taken seriously in the United States. The origin of this alligator snapping turtle is far away in Florida. The reason it appeared here was probably because it ran away after being artificially bred.

Although the alligator snapping turtle looks fierce, it tastes quite good. Most importantly, it is big and can easily grow to more than ten pounds. It is suitable for braising with pig's feet or chicken feet. It is full of gelatin.

After eating, Jack thought that such a big turtle shell should not be wasted, so he went to Chinatown and bought more than 20 kinds of Chinese medicine and made a big pot of tortoise jelly for his girls.

Although it feels a bit strange to eat Guilinggao in autumn, once people heard that it can improve skin quality, not only did Hannah and Jiejie fall in love with this "black jelly" that tastes a bit bitter, but Danny also happily bought a big box to take home to please his wife.

After listening to Jack's introduction, the two women's disgusted expressions due to the slightly bitter taste of the "black jelly" disappeared instantly, and they began to taste it with relish.

"Malcolm Lavoie, Washington's 'paper bag', roo, it seems that 'New Age Technology' has spent a lot of effort on this project." O'Donnell showed a hint of sarcasm on his face.

"Have you also heard of this congressman?" Jack couldn't help but feel curious. Although he knew that these special investigators basically continued to work in their old jobs after retiring from the military, they should have little to do with politics.

Even he, an FBI agent, didn't know much about those congressional gentlemen. He had heard the name Malcolm Lavoie from Zoe before. This bastard senator who held one of the two seats in California had somehow become his "rival in love."

O'Donnell rubbed the back of his head complacently, as if to say, "I'll wait for you to ask me before I reveal more inside information."

At this time, Reacher, who seemed to be concentrating on eating bread, wiped the salted egg yolk from the corner of his mouth, licked his fingers with satisfaction, and said thoughtfully.

"So Lavoie is the voice of New Age Technology in Congress. If he received dirty money from it, he probably wouldn't want to be associated with terrorism. This may be something we can use to our advantage."

Negley rolled his eyes. "It's the same question. Even if Jack came forward as an FBI agent, it would be difficult for him to talk to a senator. If your brother or his DHS partner were to question him, do you think he would confess everything or try his best to deny it?"

Seeing that these guys ignored him, the "expert", and instead started chatting among themselves, O'Donnell couldn't help feeling discouraged. Although he knew they did it on purpose, he still took the initiative to approach them.

"We don't need to look for him. These politicians never know what they voted for, let alone read a thousand-page bill in person. After receiving the money, they just need to know whether they voted for or against.

But the legislative directors who work for them are different. They are the ones who actually study those bills, and they are our target. They are not easy to approach without bodyguards. "

"What's the difference?" Negley glanced at him. "Why would such people be willing to tell us the truth? As lackeys of the congressman, their interests are the same as the congressman's."

"This is my area of ​​expertise. I have a way to control the situation and make them tell me everything they know." O'Donnell looked very proud.

Negley looked at him with a half-smile. "It sounds like your work as a private investigator has allowed you to interact with many high-ranking figures in Washington. Is there anything you want to share with us?"

O'Donnell's expression froze, and his original smugness gradually turned into an indescribable feeling, "Well, let's put it this way, there are many powerful people in Washington DC, haha, but as we all know, the more powerful people are, the more secrets they have.

Most of these little secrets are not illegal, or are only slightly illegal, but they are shameful, and my job is to make sure their little secrets are kept secret."

"So what you're doing is using privacy to blackmail people." Reacher spread his hands and got to the point.

"I'm just motivating them and urging them not to make mistakes again," O'Donnell said guiltily.

Dixon covered his face to hide his laughter. "That sounds a bit immoral, O'Donnell."

As his self-psychological construction strengthened, O'Donnell's sophistry became less guilty, "That's because you haven't seen those dirty little secrets. Believe me, compared to those upper-class people, my character is comparable to that of a saint.

Besides, I have two children to raise, and you know how expensive private schools are? I just put the facts in front of them and let them make their own choice. "

Reacher shook his head speechlessly, "O'Donnell, I always thought that you died because you were hacked to pieces by an angry ex-girlfriend, but I never thought that you would give up the entire forest.

Anyway, I am glad to see that you have bravely taken on the responsibility of taking care of a family. Such a change is not easy."

"Everyone changes, doesn't he?" O'Donnell said a little embarrassedly. "Just like I always thought you would live in seclusion in a small place where no one would disturb you, have your own little house, and then..."

".Get five or six dogs to keep them company." The other two special investigators said in unison, and then everyone looked at each other and smiled.

"OK, give me ten minutes to make a few calls, and I'll find out the name and details of the legislative director who works for Congressman Lavoie." O'Donnell picked up his cell phone and prepared to make a call.

"Daniel Boyd, the name you want, and his information." Jack, who was frying steak for everyone in the kitchen, suddenly called him and shook his mobile phone screen that was splashed with oil.

While they were digressing, Jack sent Zoe a message to inquire about his "rival".

Soon several documents were sent over, including not only those from Malcolm Lavoie himself, but also those from several of his staff, including the legislative director mentioned by O'Donnell.

-

The steak and noodles lunch was a bit weird, and even the timing was not appropriate. It was three o'clock in the afternoon and it was time for afternoon tea, but a group of people were slurping noodles while staring at the computer screen.

"This guy looks like a spoiled idiot. He's probably never lifted anything heavier than a bottle in his life, right?"

O'Donnell clumsily finished the chicken noodle soup that Jack ordered with chopsticks, and drank the noodle soup relishing the taste. Then he wiped his mouth and made a very sarcastic comment about the Daniel Boyd in the information.

"I went to UVA and Georgetown Law School with a C+, was a complete party boy and frat scumbag in school, and a loser who got to where he is today entirely because of his parents' connections.

He had two revoked drunk driving records, and was caught by a female police officer on a fishing expedition in his second year of law school. The charges also mysteriously disappeared, and he was still able to practice law smoothly with a GPA of 2.3 and successfully entered a large law firm.

This is the man who is now responsible for drafting the bills that determine the fate of us common people, getting his boss to vote according to the demands of the lobbyists who offer the highest price and are most willing to please them.

Now I understand how people in Massachusetts lost their mom overnight.”

O'Donnell was referring to a new Massachusetts law that requires that the word "birther" be used instead of the word "mother" on birth certificates.

In fact, future newborn babies in Massachusetts will not only lose their mothers but also their fathers, because the word "father" has been replaced by "other parent".

Of course, given the current trends in the United States, I believe the locals won’t care too much about not having a father.

"So how are you going to use your little tricks to motivate the upper class?" Reacher teased.

O'Donnell looked at Dixon and Negley slyly, "How long has it been since you two wore sexy dresses?"