Chapter 797 Gabriel’s real “father”

What appeared in front of the two people was a common country wooden house. The appearance looked a bit old, and the insulation tiles on the roof were also slightly damaged.

It can be said that American wooden houses are almost useless except for their low cost and low property taxes. If they are not maintained for three to five years, they are basically unbearable to look at. Of course, the high-end wooden houses built by rich people with logs are another matter.

A sturdy white old man in his sixties or seventies was busy in front of the house. It seemed that he was going to repair the house. He was struggling to carry a few wooden planks to pile them on the corridor under the eaves. Jack walked up quickly and easily took the wooden planks from the old man's shoulders.

"You are the friendliest FBI agents I have ever seen, and of course the best-looking ones." The old man made a little joke and politely invited Jack and Jiejie into the house.

In contrast to the oldness outside the house, the layout inside the house was very warm. The pillows on the sofa were washed clean, the bookshelves were neatly arranged, and the books were arranged in a staggered manner.

The old man Ray Higgins invited the two FBI agents to sit down, served them the black tea that he had prepared in advance, and listened to their purpose very patiently, and could not help but sigh.

"Yes, I did write an email to the Newark Police Department to support Gabriel, and I also thought about going to stand up for Gabe in person, but my wife Susan was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, and I really didn't have any time." Jiejie agreed, "But it stands to reason that the words of a respected former police chief should still have some weight." Ray Higgins smiled bitterly, "It seems that it is not enough. Now think about it, if I could go to the Newark Police Department in person to speak for him and convince them to believe in Gabe's character, perhaps all this would not have happened." Jack took out the brass belt buckle and handed it to the old man, "So, I guess this is what you gave him." Ray Higgins took the belt buckle and fumbled with the Latin on it with his thick knuckles, "Oh, this is my old Sam Brown belt buckle. You guessed it right. I gave it to him when he just turned 16 to remind him to work hard and be sincere." "So he calls you a good coach because you taught him to play basketball or something like that?" Jack took back the brass belt buckle and asked curiously. "Of course not." After the old man denied it, he fell into silence for a long time, as if he was recalling the past. Jack and Jiejie did not speak either, waiting patiently.

"Sorry, that's how it is when you get old, you just..."

Ray Higgins came back to his senses and apologized a little embarrassedly. The two waved their hands again and again, indicating that it was nothing, and listened to him slowly start to tell the story.

"My family used to live on the same street as his family. I was the only policeman on that street. All the neighbors would come to me if they got into trouble or needed help.

One day I was repairing the car, and a little kid came up and said he ran away from home and asked me if I could help him."

"Running away from home? Our colleague just visited Gabriel's father today, it's not hard to imagine." Jiejie showed a kind of expression that was hard to describe.

Ray Higgins smiled bitterly, "It seems that this is not difficult to understand. At that time, Gabe's mother had just passed away, and Ted (Gabriel's father's name) was busy drinking to drown his sorrows, so I let Gabe stay at our house for one night.

We only have two daughters in our family, who are much older than him, so they take special care of and even pamper little Gabe, so in the days that followed, he often came to our house and followed me like a little tail."

"Like the youngest son in the family?" Jack finally understood why Gabriel had nothing in common with his alcoholic father. It turned out that Ray Higgins in front of him was the real "father" in his mind.

"Almost." Ray Higgins' face showed a trace of nostalgia, "I even felt that he was like a missing piece of puzzle in our family, which was found again after being lost for many years.

I taught him a lot of things, and he was willing to learn. That feeling was really good, and I really treated him as my own son."

"So, did you teach him to pay attention to the truth?" Jack hesitated again and again, but still asked the question.

"Of course, I told him that sincerity is the most important quality of a person." Ray Higgins' eyes gradually became sad, as if at this moment, the beautiful past and the cruel reality were intertwined and tormenting his heart.

"I must admit that this is all my fault. I should have noticed this. Even when Gabe was a child, he was always very rigid, black and white. You know, time will always smooth out the edges of most people, and they will learn when to stick to their principles and when to make appropriate adjustments in the face of setbacks, but Gabe is just the opposite. As he grows older, his personality becomes more extreme." The old man's fingers holding the teacup turned a little white, and his voice became deeper and deeper. "This is all my fault. After discovering this, I should have communicated with him more, but at that time." As he spoke, his eyes looked at the photo on the fireplace. "At that time, Susan was already terminally ill. I really..." Jiejie reached out and held the old policeman's hand, "Mr. Higgins, you have been a policeman for 40 years. You know what is waiting for Gabriel. He killed 4 people with his own hands, 3 of whom were policemen. Now the entire Newark Police Department is looking for him." Jack didn't need to say anything more. Ray Higgins had already understood her implication, "So, what does the FBI need an old guy like me to do?"

"As the person closest to him, and probably the only person he can listen to and talk to at the moment, we need your cooperation to prevent him from continuing to escape. Are you willing to help us find him?" Jiejie asked with a sincere look. .

"certainly."

——

The next morning, Aubrey went out to pick up people early in the morning. As soon as he got in the car, he was attracted by the aroma of eggs and chopped green onions, and teleported to the big table in the office area as if he could not help himself.

"This is for the guests, yours will be ready soon." Jack handed him an empty plate and asked him to wait on the side.

"Thank you for your assistance, Chief Higgins." Jubal reached out and helped Ray Higgins.

"God, you actually prepared breakfast for me. God knows, I haven't smelled this fragrance in the morning since Susan died." Ray Higgins saw the vegetable pancakes prepared for him on the table. Extremely touching.

"It's not a good habit to skip breakfast." Jack took out a few bottles and jars and put them in front of him, then turned around and continued working in front of the induction cooker. They were filled with some of his homemade sauces, some spicy, some sweet, some salty.

Although he was making authentic Texas Zaozhuang pancakes, after Hannah tasted them, he insisted that they were Texas Mexican pancakes, and he didn't bother to argue. They were all from Texas anyway, there was no difference.

After breakfast, everyone gathered around the big table in the conference area. Jubal asked, "Did Agent Aubrey brief you on our plan on the way?"

"Yes." Ray Higgins nodded, "He said you have already left a message for Gabe online. All you have to do is wait for him to call and I will answer the phone and try to persuade him to surrender."

"That's right, and I also assure you that the FBI will do its best to ensure his life safety." Jubal said seriously.

Gabriel did not keep everyone waiting for too long, perhaps because Hannah had written on the message board that it was Ray Higgins who was looking for him. Not long after, the cell phone on the table rang.

"Let's get started, Mr. Higgins." Jiejie nodded slightly to the old police chief, who took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Hello? Gabe, is that you?"

"Lei, I received a message saying that you are looking for me." Gabriel spoke a little fast, showing some concern.

Ray Higgins breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God it's really you. It makes me so happy to hear your voice."

"I'm sorry, Lei, I didn't contact you before because I didn't want to involve you in this matter, but if anyone can understand what I did, it's probably you."

Gabriel's speaking speed became faster and faster, as if he was suppressing some excitement.

Ray Higgins said seriously, "Gabe, I know your intentions are good, but your approach is wrong. I don't want to see anything happen to you. This will make me unbearable. Please stop, stop everything you're doing, and turn yourself in to the FBI."

"Didn't you see what they did to me? They slandered me and covered everything up with lies." Gabriel's voice suddenly rose.

"The truth is indeed important, but you have gone too far."

Ray Higgins was interrupted before he finished speaking, "No, they went too far. They ruined me. They ruined my future with Alissa. They ruined my future family."