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Kennedy sat alone in the cold meeting room inside the FBI's Washington DC headquarters. Her hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of black trousers, a white long-sleeved blouse, and a black vest - with dark two-inched boots on her feet, and her Glock 22 strapped to her waist.
As she sat there and drank her cup of black coffee, the impatient agent had half the mind to pull out her phone and see what was taking the others so long, but decided she'd finish her drink first. And by the time she did, her fellow agents; Mingli Hart, Orlando Vasquez, and Kyle Mayner; where sitting on either side of her, as a pair of their superiors stood in front of them.
"You have forty-five minutes to fill your group in on what to expect once landing in Hong Kong, Agent Kay. Then you'll all be escorted to the tarmac, for your 9:05 departure." one of the older men in the front of the room said. Kennedy nodded her head, and then without any formal pleasantries, the two men left.
Only after shutting the door behind them, would Kennedy took their place at the front of the meeting room, with folders in her hand.
For the past two hours she had studied the gruesome crime scene details and photos of the four Hong Kong victims, the last being the American scientist Timothy Procter. And now it was time to share with the others.
"Even though it's likely the victims were caught off guard each time," Kennedy started, as she slid the folder of pictures onto the table for the other agents to view. "the UNSUB still didn't go for a simple quick kill. Instead, each scene has been chaotic, as if he enjoys the panicked state of his victims, as they try desperately to get away."
"He could just be an amatuer" Orlando chimed in with.
He was always one to look for a quick answer and a quick solve to bolster up his completion average, even if the work was slightly sloppy and the case largely unexplained. But that aside, he was a highly decorated war veteran, who was loyal to a fault, had immense knowledge on the underworld of East Asia, and was probably the best shot on the team.....which is why he was chosen to tag along.
"If there was an amateurish crime scene for just the first victim, and perhaps the second, maybe i'd by that. But for all four? That makes it appear as if the UNSUB has either learned nothing, or enjoys a manic victim. The first choice would be highly unlikely, seeing as how even the most simple minded serial killers of our time, have managed to learn SOMETHING from the mistakes of their first two kills. So, what are we left with then?" Kennedy asked, before leaning her back against the wall behind her.
"A sociopathic son of bitch, who loves watching his prey squirm" responded Kyle, as he held up two pictures from two different crimes scenes.
Kennedy smirked. "Bingo."
Kyle was far more interested in solving a case properly, than quickly. He thought things out in a deep meaningful manner, and might be slow to the table with an idea, but once he arrived with one, it rarely, if ever, failed.
"You both say sociopath, but i say psychopath.....or at the least, mentally retarded." Mingli threw out there. "I mean what sane person would waste valuable time, when the locals are hot on their trail, simply to enjoy a stir?"
"But how would someone who is psychopathic, or retarded, have enough mental stability to REALIZE he was enjoying the stir? The scenes would be chaotic, yes, if the UNSUB was mentally disturbed. But the method of killing wouldn't be so precisely identical, the style would be change erratically. But instead, each of the four victims we have here, are all found on their backs, with a non-lethal slit to the throat, bruises on the wrist and chest, impressions on the chest, and then finally the lethal blow to the head. The only two things that seem to change, are the locations, and the degree of post-mortem mutilation. Which is understandable."
Mingli, a young 23 year old rookie who loved to debate, would go on to challenge both Kennedy and Kyle for the next several minutes, and Orlando would say nothing, choosing to simply read the details in the second folder Kennedy had slipped onto the table........before all four would be interrupted by a senior official, telling them it was time to leave.
*------------------*-*------------------*
It was nearly 9:00am EST, when the final bags of luggage made their way onto the plane. Kennedy casually leaned over the back of the couch, so she could stare out the window of the FBI's Glufstream V jet.
Her and Mingli were already inside, but Kyle and Orlando were both saying goodbye to loved ones on the tarmac.
The 34 year old Orlando Vasquez had no children, and went through women like toilet paper, so Kennedy felt little sympathy for the man having to separate with his girlfriend of only ten days. Kyle Mainer however, was a 28 year old newlywed, with 10 month old twins.....so the scene was far more depressing for him.
"I'll call you baby, promise!" she heard Orlando yell from the top of the staircase, before walking inside and taking a seat across the way from the couch she was now laying back on. Kyle would soon follow behind him, causing her to stand up from the couch, and make her way towards a seat.
Once the women and children were escorted back inside, and all agents were buckled in, the plane would begin to make it's way down the runway.
"You know, government agents shouldn't be such blatant liars.....Vasquez" Kennedy said coolly, as she stared out towards the window his girlfriend, and Kyles wife, could now been seen standing in.
"Huh? Where the hell did that come from!?" Orlando was completely befuddled.
Kennedy smirked. "Telling that chick you'll call her.....we all know that's a lie. You'll forget her as soon as we land, and you spot some nice good looking Hong Kong girl!"
Everyone erupted into laughter, except the man at the heart of the comment, who instead had to fight the urge to smile. "No no no, that's my baby girl over there! I'm not forgetting her in no day!"
"Oh sorry, i meant TWO days."
The friendly jousting, the occasional card games w/ beers, random comments about the case at hand, and the showing of a couple of movies, would all go on amongst the group for nearly twelve hours, before everyone fell asleep.
Everyone except Kennedy that is......who would watch a home movie of her two pups and her young niece, on her red Samsung Galaxy Note, before finally dosing off on the small couch.
*------------------*-*------------------*
Three hours later, all agents were awake and strapped into their seats again, as the Jet landed at Hong Kong International Airport.
It was Saturday, and a little after noon local time, but to the agents it felt as if it was only midnight.
But Kennedy pushed the jet lag aside, and after the plane came to a stop, she'd stand up and pull her badge out of her right pants pocket so that it could be clipped to her hip. Then she would turn towards the rest of her group, who all looked as tired as she felt. "We'll check into the hotel, and go over Timothy Procters murder scene one additional time, before heading to the police station."
"Can't we catch a nap first? Gees." Orlando complained under his breath
"Sleep is a luxury that will have to wait. For now, lets hope they have coffee."
It would take only ten minutes for their luggage to be brought off the plane and loaded into the trunk, and back seats, of a black Rolls Royce.
The weather in Hong Kong was nearly twenty degrees warmer than the 58 degrees in DC, so the men had stripped out of their jackets, and Kennedy had pushed her blouses sleeves up past her elbow, before another Rolls Royce pulled up, and they were able to climb inside the air conditioned car.
The ride to their hotel, The Peninsula Hong Kong, was twenty minutes, and seeing as how the FBI had set up everything well in advance, instead of having to check in, there were a pair of butlers waiting for them when they arrived - their luggage already stacked up on two large carts.
One butler would ride in one elevator with all their bags, while another would ride with them, up to the top floor.
The entire way, the young man would explain all the amenities of the hotel and their rooms, in English. Kennedy was the only one who appeared to be listening.....but in reality, she wasn't paying the rundown much mind.
After arriving on their floor, one butler went right with Kennedy and all her things, while the other went left, with her partners and their things.
"Here you go Miss! Welcome!" the young man said enthusiastically, before opening the door.
"You have got to be kidding me..." she muttered, as she stepped into the insanely luxurious suite.
The FBI claimed they were saving money by putting them in only two suites, instead of four. But something told Kennedy the nightly cost for this one suite alone, could cover the amount of a dozen deluxe rooms for a month, or more. "Taxpayer dollars down the drain......." she complained, before excusing the butler from the room and handing him a generous tip.
She wouldn't unpack, and instead toured the multiple rooms of the massive suite, before leaving and walking down the hall towards where the rest of her team was going to be staying.
"Can you beleive this shit!?!!" said Orlando, as he opened the door. Kennedy smiled and shook her head 'no', before walking inside the suite that was equally as impressive as her own.
"Seems like a total waste of money if you ask me" she said, before walking over to the phone and ordering a large pot of coffee from the American Menu beside the phone, the one thing she DID pay attention to when the butler was speaking in the elevator.
Over the next hour they'd all go over the latest victims case-file, making the following quick notes in each of their pocket-sized notebooks.
- Age 27
- Male
- Body found in alley beside apartment building
- Same markings as all the rest, plus an additional slit across the eye sockets from what we think is an eight-inch chefs knife.
- No witnesses
The one areas they didn't seem to have much information on, was forensics, and background on what exactly Procter was doing in Hong Kong.
Each victim was said to be in the country for one thing or another, but all appeared to not being doing what was listed on their visa applications.....making it impossible to figure out their daily schedules without putting in lots of ground work.
"Well hopefully the locals have some forensics" said Kyle, just before a knock came at the door, and Mingli got up to answer it.
"Yes?" he'd ask in Cantonese. The man at the door was instantly recognized as a local cop named Chen, since the FBI had told them ahead of time who would be their escort to the local police station. But Mingli let the man introduce himself anyways, before inviting him in.
*------------------*-*------------------*
Half an hour later, the group of agents would walk into the Hong Kong station, behind the out-of-uniformed cop.
They'd be told to stand a wait in the front of the room, and that they did.
"Damn it's cold in here! They should turn down the fucking air!" Orlando complained. Kennedy glared daggers at him. "What!? They have no idea what i'm saying!" he'd whisper to her. Mingli would lean forward, and whisper over Orlandos shoulder. "Actually, it's likely 75% of the people in here speak English on at least very basic level. And a handful are likely fluent......so, i'd watch my mouth if i was you."
Kennedy smirked, before pulling out her proper identification, which held a second, much smaller badge, inside of it.
She was a bit anxious to meet the local head detective on the case, but she was also excited to start the latest interesting chapter of her life.
"Any second now, anyyyyy second!" she thought, as she interlocked her hands in front of her body, and began to unconsciously tap her foot on the ground.
As she sat there and drank her cup of black coffee, the impatient agent had half the mind to pull out her phone and see what was taking the others so long, but decided she'd finish her drink first. And by the time she did, her fellow agents; Mingli Hart, Orlando Vasquez, and Kyle Mayner; where sitting on either side of her, as a pair of their superiors stood in front of them.
"You have forty-five minutes to fill your group in on what to expect once landing in Hong Kong, Agent Kay. Then you'll all be escorted to the tarmac, for your 9:05 departure." one of the older men in the front of the room said. Kennedy nodded her head, and then without any formal pleasantries, the two men left.
Only after shutting the door behind them, would Kennedy took their place at the front of the meeting room, with folders in her hand.
For the past two hours she had studied the gruesome crime scene details and photos of the four Hong Kong victims, the last being the American scientist Timothy Procter. And now it was time to share with the others.
"Even though it's likely the victims were caught off guard each time," Kennedy started, as she slid the folder of pictures onto the table for the other agents to view. "the UNSUB still didn't go for a simple quick kill. Instead, each scene has been chaotic, as if he enjoys the panicked state of his victims, as they try desperately to get away."
"He could just be an amatuer" Orlando chimed in with.
He was always one to look for a quick answer and a quick solve to bolster up his completion average, even if the work was slightly sloppy and the case largely unexplained. But that aside, he was a highly decorated war veteran, who was loyal to a fault, had immense knowledge on the underworld of East Asia, and was probably the best shot on the team.....which is why he was chosen to tag along.
"If there was an amateurish crime scene for just the first victim, and perhaps the second, maybe i'd by that. But for all four? That makes it appear as if the UNSUB has either learned nothing, or enjoys a manic victim. The first choice would be highly unlikely, seeing as how even the most simple minded serial killers of our time, have managed to learn SOMETHING from the mistakes of their first two kills. So, what are we left with then?" Kennedy asked, before leaning her back against the wall behind her.
"A sociopathic son of bitch, who loves watching his prey squirm" responded Kyle, as he held up two pictures from two different crimes scenes.
Kennedy smirked. "Bingo."
Kyle was far more interested in solving a case properly, than quickly. He thought things out in a deep meaningful manner, and might be slow to the table with an idea, but once he arrived with one, it rarely, if ever, failed.
"You both say sociopath, but i say psychopath.....or at the least, mentally retarded." Mingli threw out there. "I mean what sane person would waste valuable time, when the locals are hot on their trail, simply to enjoy a stir?"
"But how would someone who is psychopathic, or retarded, have enough mental stability to REALIZE he was enjoying the stir? The scenes would be chaotic, yes, if the UNSUB was mentally disturbed. But the method of killing wouldn't be so precisely identical, the style would be change erratically. But instead, each of the four victims we have here, are all found on their backs, with a non-lethal slit to the throat, bruises on the wrist and chest, impressions on the chest, and then finally the lethal blow to the head. The only two things that seem to change, are the locations, and the degree of post-mortem mutilation. Which is understandable."
Mingli, a young 23 year old rookie who loved to debate, would go on to challenge both Kennedy and Kyle for the next several minutes, and Orlando would say nothing, choosing to simply read the details in the second folder Kennedy had slipped onto the table........before all four would be interrupted by a senior official, telling them it was time to leave.
*------------------*-*------------------*
It was nearly 9:00am EST, when the final bags of luggage made their way onto the plane. Kennedy casually leaned over the back of the couch, so she could stare out the window of the FBI's Glufstream V jet.
Her and Mingli were already inside, but Kyle and Orlando were both saying goodbye to loved ones on the tarmac.
The 34 year old Orlando Vasquez had no children, and went through women like toilet paper, so Kennedy felt little sympathy for the man having to separate with his girlfriend of only ten days. Kyle Mainer however, was a 28 year old newlywed, with 10 month old twins.....so the scene was far more depressing for him.
"I'll call you baby, promise!" she heard Orlando yell from the top of the staircase, before walking inside and taking a seat across the way from the couch she was now laying back on. Kyle would soon follow behind him, causing her to stand up from the couch, and make her way towards a seat.
Once the women and children were escorted back inside, and all agents were buckled in, the plane would begin to make it's way down the runway.
"You know, government agents shouldn't be such blatant liars.....Vasquez" Kennedy said coolly, as she stared out towards the window his girlfriend, and Kyles wife, could now been seen standing in.
"Huh? Where the hell did that come from!?" Orlando was completely befuddled.
Kennedy smirked. "Telling that chick you'll call her.....we all know that's a lie. You'll forget her as soon as we land, and you spot some nice good looking Hong Kong girl!"
Everyone erupted into laughter, except the man at the heart of the comment, who instead had to fight the urge to smile. "No no no, that's my baby girl over there! I'm not forgetting her in no day!"
"Oh sorry, i meant TWO days."
The friendly jousting, the occasional card games w/ beers, random comments about the case at hand, and the showing of a couple of movies, would all go on amongst the group for nearly twelve hours, before everyone fell asleep.
Everyone except Kennedy that is......who would watch a home movie of her two pups and her young niece, on her red Samsung Galaxy Note, before finally dosing off on the small couch.
*------------------*-*------------------*
Three hours later, all agents were awake and strapped into their seats again, as the Jet landed at Hong Kong International Airport.
It was Saturday, and a little after noon local time, but to the agents it felt as if it was only midnight.
But Kennedy pushed the jet lag aside, and after the plane came to a stop, she'd stand up and pull her badge out of her right pants pocket so that it could be clipped to her hip. Then she would turn towards the rest of her group, who all looked as tired as she felt. "We'll check into the hotel, and go over Timothy Procters murder scene one additional time, before heading to the police station."
"Can't we catch a nap first? Gees." Orlando complained under his breath
"Sleep is a luxury that will have to wait. For now, lets hope they have coffee."
It would take only ten minutes for their luggage to be brought off the plane and loaded into the trunk, and back seats, of a black Rolls Royce.
The weather in Hong Kong was nearly twenty degrees warmer than the 58 degrees in DC, so the men had stripped out of their jackets, and Kennedy had pushed her blouses sleeves up past her elbow, before another Rolls Royce pulled up, and they were able to climb inside the air conditioned car.
The ride to their hotel, The Peninsula Hong Kong, was twenty minutes, and seeing as how the FBI had set up everything well in advance, instead of having to check in, there were a pair of butlers waiting for them when they arrived - their luggage already stacked up on two large carts.
One butler would ride in one elevator with all their bags, while another would ride with them, up to the top floor.
The entire way, the young man would explain all the amenities of the hotel and their rooms, in English. Kennedy was the only one who appeared to be listening.....but in reality, she wasn't paying the rundown much mind.
After arriving on their floor, one butler went right with Kennedy and all her things, while the other went left, with her partners and their things.
"Here you go Miss! Welcome!" the young man said enthusiastically, before opening the door.
"You have got to be kidding me..." she muttered, as she stepped into the insanely luxurious suite.
The FBI claimed they were saving money by putting them in only two suites, instead of four. But something told Kennedy the nightly cost for this one suite alone, could cover the amount of a dozen deluxe rooms for a month, or more. "Taxpayer dollars down the drain......." she complained, before excusing the butler from the room and handing him a generous tip.
She wouldn't unpack, and instead toured the multiple rooms of the massive suite, before leaving and walking down the hall towards where the rest of her team was going to be staying.
"Can you beleive this shit!?!!" said Orlando, as he opened the door. Kennedy smiled and shook her head 'no', before walking inside the suite that was equally as impressive as her own.
"Seems like a total waste of money if you ask me" she said, before walking over to the phone and ordering a large pot of coffee from the American Menu beside the phone, the one thing she DID pay attention to when the butler was speaking in the elevator.
Over the next hour they'd all go over the latest victims case-file, making the following quick notes in each of their pocket-sized notebooks.
- Age 27
- Male
- Body found in alley beside apartment building
- Same markings as all the rest, plus an additional slit across the eye sockets from what we think is an eight-inch chefs knife.
- No witnesses
The one areas they didn't seem to have much information on, was forensics, and background on what exactly Procter was doing in Hong Kong.
Each victim was said to be in the country for one thing or another, but all appeared to not being doing what was listed on their visa applications.....making it impossible to figure out their daily schedules without putting in lots of ground work.
"Well hopefully the locals have some forensics" said Kyle, just before a knock came at the door, and Mingli got up to answer it.
"Yes?" he'd ask in Cantonese. The man at the door was instantly recognized as a local cop named Chen, since the FBI had told them ahead of time who would be their escort to the local police station. But Mingli let the man introduce himself anyways, before inviting him in.
*------------------*-*------------------*
Half an hour later, the group of agents would walk into the Hong Kong station, behind the out-of-uniformed cop.
They'd be told to stand a wait in the front of the room, and that they did.
"Damn it's cold in here! They should turn down the fucking air!" Orlando complained. Kennedy glared daggers at him. "What!? They have no idea what i'm saying!" he'd whisper to her. Mingli would lean forward, and whisper over Orlandos shoulder. "Actually, it's likely 75% of the people in here speak English on at least very basic level. And a handful are likely fluent......so, i'd watch my mouth if i was you."
Kennedy smirked, before pulling out her proper identification, which held a second, much smaller badge, inside of it.
She was a bit anxious to meet the local head detective on the case, but she was also excited to start the latest interesting chapter of her life.
"Any second now, anyyyyy second!" she thought, as she interlocked her hands in front of her body, and began to unconsciously tap her foot on the ground.
Dashan stood in the opening of the alleyway and surveyed the chaotic crime scene, reaching up and scratching the thin fuzz on his chin. He should have shaved that evening but when he got the call that their killer might have struck again he quickly got out of bed made his way there. It was disturbing how close to his apartment the killer had struck. I thought I got away from him, Dashan thought, shaking his head. A forensic scientist walked up to him carrying a case of equipment and smiled. It took him a while to recognize who it was under the lamplight but when he did, he smiled. Meiling could never hide the fact that she had a crush on him and, though he never reciprocated her feelings, he slightly exploited them for some extra favors in the lab.
"What's the story, Meiling?" Dashan spoke in his native Cantonese why nodding towards the body lying by the dumpster in the alley. The girl blushed before turning and following his gaze. "The victim is 27 years old, American. Same positioning as the others with multiple trauma marks all over the body made before death. Incision across the throat and cause of death trauma to the frontal cranium. Just like the others. Only this one has cuts made across the eye. Meiling made a gesture by her eyes to emphasize the mutilations there. Dashan frowned. "Really?" The cuts over the eye was something new and it intrigued him' they were different from all the other victims. "Thanks, Meiling." He reached forward and patted her on the shoulder, eliciting another blush from her cheeks before he walked past her and up to the body where forensics were busy taking pictures. He felt a deep sympathy for the victim, seeing how violent and torturous of an end he came to. Just like the others...
***
Dashan did not feel like sleeping after finishing up at the crime scene so he went straight to his office in the station to try and think of what angles he was missing. A hot mug of brewed oolong tea sat on his desk, steam rising up and curling around in the air. He had just spread out the new crime scene pictures on his desk when Du Boding, the chief of police, stuck his head in. It surprised Dashan to see the chief in so late; he usually was a strictly day person. "Yes, Chief?" Dashan questioned. Boding said nothing but motioned for Dashan to follow him. The detective sighed and got up, grabbing his tea on the way out the door and down the hall to the Chief's office.
Dashan slid into the chair across from the Chief's desk and noticed the unkempt look of his superior. He must had been woken up not too long ago before heading down to the station. The detective was now curious; the Chief had never been woken up for any of the other victims. So why was this one any different. Boding sighed and ran his fingers through his greasy hair. "Dashan, these killings are getting out of hand." Dashan frowned and set his cup down on the desk in front of him, not expecting criticism. "What?! Just yesterday you told me I was doing a good job. I'm pretty sure I have a connection between the victims... The Chief slammed his fist on the table, interrupting Dashan. "Damnit! I don't want excuses, Dashan. We've got a dead American on our hands and now the FBI has gotten involved." The detective shrugged. "Just send them some pictures and fill them in like last time. It's not a big deal." Boding glared at Dashan across the table and the detective stared back, unblinking. "That's not going to cut it, this time. They're sending four agents over to help work on the case. Don't give me that look, Dashan. They're already on their way. We could use all the help we can get on this case. They'll be here around noon. Now go home, get some rest, and for god's sake, clean yourself up. I don't want the Americans to think I hire slobs. The Detective stood up, glaring hotly at the Chief before grabbing his cup and walking out of the office.
***
Dashan was still seething by the time he got home though he was careful to not slam the door to wake his neighbors. Why was the FBI so interested in THIS case?! When his wife, an American citizen, had been murdered they had hardly blinked an eye. Thinking of his wife's death made the man angrier still so he changed into his gym suit and began lifting weights in the corner of his small bedroom. Sweat glistened off his forehead as he thought of how close he had been to his wife's killer four years ago. After he had quit his father's technology business he had signed on as a detective for the police department. While he was interested in helping solve crimes, he also had the motive to personally investigate his wife's death. He had gotten so close to a breakthrough when the Chief had discovered what he was doing and ordered him to stop. Now, with the new string of murders so like his wife's, the Chief told him that they were not related and that he could not add her into the list. Just thinking of the many dead ends he had encountered due to that man made Dashan's blood boil. After an hour of weights, however, he had calmed down enough to feel the exhaustion take over. The sun was just peeking through the mountains as he fell asleep.
***
He was running late, hurrying down the street and trying to do his tie. He had forgotten to set an alarm to wake him up and had to rush to shower and dress to get to the office before noon. It was now ten after and he cursed at himself for looking unprofessional, to the FBI no less. He hoped the men they sent were running a little late too as he took the steps to the station two at a time. Walking through the door, he could spot the Americans easily and he swore under his breath. He still needed to fetch his jacket, which he had forgotten in his office the night before. The detective weaved through the group and overheard a comment about the "fucking air" and he couldn't help but glare at the commenter before he turned the corner and into his office. The Chief was there, looking like hell but clean. "Fucking Americans. Think they know everything," Dashan spat, reaching for his coat and pulling it on. "That's funny, coming from someone who is American and married one." The detective turned to glare at the now smiling Chief before rightening his collar and heading back out to the office to confront the group of FBI agents. "My name is Jack Scott." He introduced himself in flawless English with a fake smile and holding out his hand. "I'm the head investigator for the Proctor case. Welcome to Hong Kong."
"What's the story, Meiling?" Dashan spoke in his native Cantonese why nodding towards the body lying by the dumpster in the alley. The girl blushed before turning and following his gaze. "The victim is 27 years old, American. Same positioning as the others with multiple trauma marks all over the body made before death. Incision across the throat and cause of death trauma to the frontal cranium. Just like the others. Only this one has cuts made across the eye. Meiling made a gesture by her eyes to emphasize the mutilations there. Dashan frowned. "Really?" The cuts over the eye was something new and it intrigued him' they were different from all the other victims. "Thanks, Meiling." He reached forward and patted her on the shoulder, eliciting another blush from her cheeks before he walked past her and up to the body where forensics were busy taking pictures. He felt a deep sympathy for the victim, seeing how violent and torturous of an end he came to. Just like the others...
***
Dashan did not feel like sleeping after finishing up at the crime scene so he went straight to his office in the station to try and think of what angles he was missing. A hot mug of brewed oolong tea sat on his desk, steam rising up and curling around in the air. He had just spread out the new crime scene pictures on his desk when Du Boding, the chief of police, stuck his head in. It surprised Dashan to see the chief in so late; he usually was a strictly day person. "Yes, Chief?" Dashan questioned. Boding said nothing but motioned for Dashan to follow him. The detective sighed and got up, grabbing his tea on the way out the door and down the hall to the Chief's office.
Dashan slid into the chair across from the Chief's desk and noticed the unkempt look of his superior. He must had been woken up not too long ago before heading down to the station. The detective was now curious; the Chief had never been woken up for any of the other victims. So why was this one any different. Boding sighed and ran his fingers through his greasy hair. "Dashan, these killings are getting out of hand." Dashan frowned and set his cup down on the desk in front of him, not expecting criticism. "What?! Just yesterday you told me I was doing a good job. I'm pretty sure I have a connection between the victims... The Chief slammed his fist on the table, interrupting Dashan. "Damnit! I don't want excuses, Dashan. We've got a dead American on our hands and now the FBI has gotten involved." The detective shrugged. "Just send them some pictures and fill them in like last time. It's not a big deal." Boding glared at Dashan across the table and the detective stared back, unblinking. "That's not going to cut it, this time. They're sending four agents over to help work on the case. Don't give me that look, Dashan. They're already on their way. We could use all the help we can get on this case. They'll be here around noon. Now go home, get some rest, and for god's sake, clean yourself up. I don't want the Americans to think I hire slobs. The Detective stood up, glaring hotly at the Chief before grabbing his cup and walking out of the office.
***
Dashan was still seething by the time he got home though he was careful to not slam the door to wake his neighbors. Why was the FBI so interested in THIS case?! When his wife, an American citizen, had been murdered they had hardly blinked an eye. Thinking of his wife's death made the man angrier still so he changed into his gym suit and began lifting weights in the corner of his small bedroom. Sweat glistened off his forehead as he thought of how close he had been to his wife's killer four years ago. After he had quit his father's technology business he had signed on as a detective for the police department. While he was interested in helping solve crimes, he also had the motive to personally investigate his wife's death. He had gotten so close to a breakthrough when the Chief had discovered what he was doing and ordered him to stop. Now, with the new string of murders so like his wife's, the Chief told him that they were not related and that he could not add her into the list. Just thinking of the many dead ends he had encountered due to that man made Dashan's blood boil. After an hour of weights, however, he had calmed down enough to feel the exhaustion take over. The sun was just peeking through the mountains as he fell asleep.
***
He was running late, hurrying down the street and trying to do his tie. He had forgotten to set an alarm to wake him up and had to rush to shower and dress to get to the office before noon. It was now ten after and he cursed at himself for looking unprofessional, to the FBI no less. He hoped the men they sent were running a little late too as he took the steps to the station two at a time. Walking through the door, he could spot the Americans easily and he swore under his breath. He still needed to fetch his jacket, which he had forgotten in his office the night before. The detective weaved through the group and overheard a comment about the "fucking air" and he couldn't help but glare at the commenter before he turned the corner and into his office. The Chief was there, looking like hell but clean. "Fucking Americans. Think they know everything," Dashan spat, reaching for his coat and pulling it on. "That's funny, coming from someone who is American and married one." The detective turned to glare at the now smiling Chief before rightening his collar and heading back out to the office to confront the group of FBI agents. "My name is Jack Scott." He introduced himself in flawless English with a fake smile and holding out his hand. "I'm the head investigator for the Proctor case. Welcome to Hong Kong."
Kennedys foot stopped tapping when a man finally approached them. "My name is Jack Scott." he said, as he held out his hand. "I'm the head investigator for the Proctor case. Welcome to Hong Kong."
His hand was held out more towards Kyle, but Kennedy simply leaned over to shake it firmly.
"Thanks. Agent Kennedy Kay, FBI." she said, as she showed her identification. She'd then turn around and introduced her three fellow agents before facing Jack again.
"Your English, It's American....are you a citizen stateside, or here?"
Kennedy would smile casually, and stick her ID in her back pocket again. She had every intention on waiting for Jacks answer and conversing about it a bit, but before he could respond, she noticed a large billboard in the back, with photos pinned to it. "Those are from the Proctor crime scene, aren't they?" Kennedy said, before walking past Jack and making her way to the back of the station. "We haven't seen these here, they must be newly developed."
She'd take five particular photos off the board, and wave the rest of her team over. Once they arrived behind her, she'd hand each of them a photo, and keep one for herself.
"Look, this photo actually shows the entire alleyway, and it's a dead end like we guessed." said Mingli, before looking over Kennedys shoulder to see what her picture showed, but before he could get a good look she turned and grabbed his photo back.
"Yeah but look at the top of the brick wall on the left.....there's wires." she handed Minglis photo back to him, placed hers back on the board, and then pointed to it. "And this angle here shows the wires leading to this small box."
"Hey! Isn't that a transmitter box?" Orlando asked
"I'm pretty sure it is, and above it is an EXIT sign, but there are no wires connecting the two. Then if you look across the street in those other pictures i handed you guys, it looks like both the businesses over there are using the same tall black lamps outside their windows, and none of them have cords either. So im thinking all of these are probably those DVR systems like we saw in the Travers case"
"So the EXIT sign on the wall and the cordless laps, are likely wirelessly connecting to that transmitter box" Kyle added in. "Exactly."
The foursome were pretty sure they had spotted something they'd become very familiar with on another case a year or so back.......wireless hidden camera systems. Four outside the windows of a laundry mat and restaurant across the street, and then the one above the transmitter box.
Unfortunately the EXIT sign cam in the alleyway was too high to have captured anything relevant, but the cameras in the lamps across the street could of caught something of value. And even if they didn't, stills from the video should still be pinned to the board in the station. But after Kennedy scanned the front and back of the photo-board, it was obvious there were no video-stills on it..
"Where are they?" Orlando asked, and she simply shrugged. "I have no idea. If Scotts teams collected the video from these cameras, there should be stills by now. Or perhaps they haven't gotten around to pinning them up here?"
Kennedy crossed her arms over her chest and looked up towards the board again so that she could read the inventory-paper pinned up beside the photos. It was written in Kanji, but she was able to understand enough of it to notice it didn't mention any video, or stills........simply angles and locations of photographs taken at the scene.
"What?" asked Kyle, as he noticed her looking at the paper.
"I read that too," Mingli butted in with. "and it makes me think they didn't notice the video cameras."
Kennedy would take the picture out of Minglis hand, and then grab the one she had pinned back up, before walking over towards Jack.
"These here," she said, as she held the pictures out towards him with one hand, and pointed to the sign & lamps with the other. "did you guys check and see if they were cameras or not? I know they appear like normal signs and lamps, but we've seen these used more and more in urban communities, instead of the traditional security camera systems. And the fact that one is directly under a transmitter box, but not connected to it, makes me think it's more likely it's a wireless setup."
She wasn't trying to sound condescending, her professional tone was just bit quick and sharp by nature. "If you didn't, we should probably head there now before the video is taped over. The search and seizure laws are more lenient here....so i'm sure it shouldn't be much of an issue to retrieve the data, if we can't get them to hand it over willingly."
His hand was held out more towards Kyle, but Kennedy simply leaned over to shake it firmly.
"Thanks. Agent Kennedy Kay, FBI." she said, as she showed her identification. She'd then turn around and introduced her three fellow agents before facing Jack again.
"Your English, It's American....are you a citizen stateside, or here?"
Kennedy would smile casually, and stick her ID in her back pocket again. She had every intention on waiting for Jacks answer and conversing about it a bit, but before he could respond, she noticed a large billboard in the back, with photos pinned to it. "Those are from the Proctor crime scene, aren't they?" Kennedy said, before walking past Jack and making her way to the back of the station. "We haven't seen these here, they must be newly developed."
She'd take five particular photos off the board, and wave the rest of her team over. Once they arrived behind her, she'd hand each of them a photo, and keep one for herself.
"Look, this photo actually shows the entire alleyway, and it's a dead end like we guessed." said Mingli, before looking over Kennedys shoulder to see what her picture showed, but before he could get a good look she turned and grabbed his photo back.
"Yeah but look at the top of the brick wall on the left.....there's wires." she handed Minglis photo back to him, placed hers back on the board, and then pointed to it. "And this angle here shows the wires leading to this small box."
"Hey! Isn't that a transmitter box?" Orlando asked
"I'm pretty sure it is, and above it is an EXIT sign, but there are no wires connecting the two. Then if you look across the street in those other pictures i handed you guys, it looks like both the businesses over there are using the same tall black lamps outside their windows, and none of them have cords either. So im thinking all of these are probably those DVR systems like we saw in the Travers case"
"So the EXIT sign on the wall and the cordless laps, are likely wirelessly connecting to that transmitter box" Kyle added in. "Exactly."
The foursome were pretty sure they had spotted something they'd become very familiar with on another case a year or so back.......wireless hidden camera systems. Four outside the windows of a laundry mat and restaurant across the street, and then the one above the transmitter box.
Unfortunately the EXIT sign cam in the alleyway was too high to have captured anything relevant, but the cameras in the lamps across the street could of caught something of value. And even if they didn't, stills from the video should still be pinned to the board in the station. But after Kennedy scanned the front and back of the photo-board, it was obvious there were no video-stills on it..
"Where are they?" Orlando asked, and she simply shrugged. "I have no idea. If Scotts teams collected the video from these cameras, there should be stills by now. Or perhaps they haven't gotten around to pinning them up here?"
Kennedy crossed her arms over her chest and looked up towards the board again so that she could read the inventory-paper pinned up beside the photos. It was written in Kanji, but she was able to understand enough of it to notice it didn't mention any video, or stills........simply angles and locations of photographs taken at the scene.
"What?" asked Kyle, as he noticed her looking at the paper.
"I read that too," Mingli butted in with. "and it makes me think they didn't notice the video cameras."
Kennedy would take the picture out of Minglis hand, and then grab the one she had pinned back up, before walking over towards Jack.
"These here," she said, as she held the pictures out towards him with one hand, and pointed to the sign & lamps with the other. "did you guys check and see if they were cameras or not? I know they appear like normal signs and lamps, but we've seen these used more and more in urban communities, instead of the traditional security camera systems. And the fact that one is directly under a transmitter box, but not connected to it, makes me think it's more likely it's a wireless setup."
She wasn't trying to sound condescending, her professional tone was just bit quick and sharp by nature. "If you didn't, we should probably head there now before the video is taped over. The search and seizure laws are more lenient here....so i'm sure it shouldn't be much of an issue to retrieve the data, if we can't get them to hand it over willingly."
Jack was a little taken back when the woman of the group reached forward and grasped his hand. "Thanks. Agent Kennedy Kay, FBI." The detective had only a brief moment to glance at the ID flipped in front of him before the other agents were introduced. It was hard for him to keep up with her pace and he decided he would have to ask them what their names were again. "Your English, It's American....are you a citizen stateside, or here?" Jack opened up his mouth to answer before the woman looked up and brushed past him. "Those are from the Proctor crime scene, aren't they?" Jack closed his mouth and just frowned as the other group of agents followed her to the back. Already he could feel like he was loosing control of the case and his anger seethed. He saw them pull down the pictures he had organized the night before and was about to go stop them when his cellphone rang. A glance down at the screen made him sigh and stay back, answering it while crossing an arm across his chest.
"Hi Dad."Jack greeted, glaring over at the group now completely disassembling his board before turning his back on them to concentrate on the call. "Hiya Jackie. I saw in the paper your guy struck again. You okay?" Jacks father, Frank Scott, knew about his son's obsession with finding his wife's killer. The billionaire tried to understand how his son felt and reluctantly supported Jack's switch to being a detective by donating to the force periodically. It was all Scott Tech money that bought the new fleet of squad cars in the back and perhaps had something to do with Jack's promotion to head detective. "I'm find Dad, really. Just...just didn't think he would strike so soon." There was a pause. "Well, okay. As long as you think you got it under control. You know how much your mother worries about you, Jackie." The detective shrugged and ran a hand through the fuzz on his chin he had no time to shave that morning. "Isn't Mom off filming somewhere? Morocco?" Another pause and he could picture his father trying to remember before snapping his fingers. "She's in Beijing, now. Shooting some kind of Mahjong flick."Jack turned around and saw that Agent Kay was walking towards him. "Okay. Gotta go, Dad. I'll call tonight." He hung up quickly, not wanting her to overhear his conversation.
The detective listened to her explaining about the wireless cameras, trying to stay focused on her words instead of letting his eyes wander over her body. However annoying and rude she seemed to be, he did appreciate her appearance. Scolding himself, he quickly returned his attention to the picture and shrugged when it seemed her never ending explanation was over. "We haven't followed up on them yet; the businesses nearby were closed at the time of the murder. There's also a problem that the places nearby are small 'mom and pop' shops that cannot afford such technology so we have been in touch with the service provider to see who specifically owns the units. No answer, yet." If there was one thing Jack knew back and forth, it was technology. He had seen the small signal wires that night poking down through the lamps and recognized it as a piece of Scott Tech. "It is kind of strange for someone to be interested in watching a dead-end alley who has no stake in theft, though. Perhaps the business owners would be willing to share more information." Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out a set of keys and jingled them in front of her. "Care to come along? Would your 'posse' be interested in joining or are they content with messing up my board?" He didn't bother to hide the slightly annoyed tone in his voice.
"Hi Dad."Jack greeted, glaring over at the group now completely disassembling his board before turning his back on them to concentrate on the call. "Hiya Jackie. I saw in the paper your guy struck again. You okay?" Jacks father, Frank Scott, knew about his son's obsession with finding his wife's killer. The billionaire tried to understand how his son felt and reluctantly supported Jack's switch to being a detective by donating to the force periodically. It was all Scott Tech money that bought the new fleet of squad cars in the back and perhaps had something to do with Jack's promotion to head detective. "I'm find Dad, really. Just...just didn't think he would strike so soon." There was a pause. "Well, okay. As long as you think you got it under control. You know how much your mother worries about you, Jackie." The detective shrugged and ran a hand through the fuzz on his chin he had no time to shave that morning. "Isn't Mom off filming somewhere? Morocco?" Another pause and he could picture his father trying to remember before snapping his fingers. "She's in Beijing, now. Shooting some kind of Mahjong flick."Jack turned around and saw that Agent Kay was walking towards him. "Okay. Gotta go, Dad. I'll call tonight." He hung up quickly, not wanting her to overhear his conversation.
The detective listened to her explaining about the wireless cameras, trying to stay focused on her words instead of letting his eyes wander over her body. However annoying and rude she seemed to be, he did appreciate her appearance. Scolding himself, he quickly returned his attention to the picture and shrugged when it seemed her never ending explanation was over. "We haven't followed up on them yet; the businesses nearby were closed at the time of the murder. There's also a problem that the places nearby are small 'mom and pop' shops that cannot afford such technology so we have been in touch with the service provider to see who specifically owns the units. No answer, yet." If there was one thing Jack knew back and forth, it was technology. He had seen the small signal wires that night poking down through the lamps and recognized it as a piece of Scott Tech. "It is kind of strange for someone to be interested in watching a dead-end alley who has no stake in theft, though. Perhaps the business owners would be willing to share more information." Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out a set of keys and jingled them in front of her. "Care to come along? Would your 'posse' be interested in joining or are they content with messing up my board?" He didn't bother to hide the slightly annoyed tone in his voice.
Kennedys eyebrows rose up a bit, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes & smirk, when she noticed Jack staring at her body instead of the photographs she was holding out towards him. But her expression quickly returned to that of a professional, when the detective began to speak.
"We haven't followed up on them yet; the businesses nearby were closed at the time of the murder. There's also a problem that the places nearby are small 'mom and pop' shops that cannot afford such technology so we have been in touch with the service provider to see who specifically owns the units. No answer, yet......it's kind of strange for someone to be interested in watching a dead-end alley who has no stake in theft, though. Perhaps the business owners would be willing to share more information."
Jack then ruffled through his pocket, pulled out a pair of keys, and jingled them in front of her. "Care to come along? Would your 'posse' be interested in joining or are they content with messing up my board?" Kennedy simply smiled at the obvious annoyance in his tone...before snatching the keys out of his hand. "Well, let me go tell my 'posse' to put your darling pictures back before we leave then."
Kennedy swiftly turned around and made her way to the back of the station again. Once there, she'd pull the pictures from the other agents hands, messily bunch them all together, and then via a safety pin, stab them to the middle of the photo-board. "There, nice and neat!" she said sarcastically to herself, before turning to face her team. "Okay, we're heading to those businesses with the security systems out front. You two-" she'd point out Mingli and Kyle, before continuing. "stay here and comb through these case files. See what intel they have, that we don't. And while you're at it, check and see if there's a forensics team here.....if there is, go see what the status is at the labs. Orlando, you're gonna come me and Detective friendly over there."
Orlandos face scrunched up at the word 'friendly', but instead of questioning it he simply shrugged his shoulders and began to follow Kennedy back towards Jack.
Instead of stopping and letting him walk out first, Kennedy simply walked past the Detective and headed out the front door. But before walking out, she turned around and called out: "Think fast.", before throwing the keys up in the air towards him.
She figured he'd catch it, but didn't wait to see if he did......instead, she opened the front door and walked outside.
"God damn it's hot!" Orlando complained, before rubbing his hand over his head.
"It could be worse....like Phoenix or Florida in July, kind of worse." Kennedy shot back, before pulling her gun out of her holster.
"Planning on shooting someone, GI Jane?"
"For now i'm simply making sure the safety is on. But call me GI Jane again and it'll be you i'm shooting......GI Jose." she responded with a small laugh, before placing her gun back on her hip, and then making sure her badge was still tightly clipped to the top of her pants.
The two would wait for Jack to step outside, before following him to the car and then getting inside of it - Orlando in the back seat, and Kennedy up front beside Detective Scott.
From the little amount of time she had spent here, Kennedy could tell the traffic was not as bad as some in America would assume it to be......so the ride probably wasn't going to take all that long. But she still - after slipping on her seat belt - rolled down the window, leaned her arm out of it, and then crossed her legs....all in an attempt to get comfortable.
"Oh this will be a fun ride...." she thought, seconds before the car would be started up.
"So..." Kennedy began, as they pulled off. ".....are you gonna tell us why you're in Hong Kong? Or is that some kind of secret?" she asked Jack., not expecting him to really tell her the full truth. But she'd still study what he did decide tell her, in an attempt to try and get a better read on him.
"We haven't followed up on them yet; the businesses nearby were closed at the time of the murder. There's also a problem that the places nearby are small 'mom and pop' shops that cannot afford such technology so we have been in touch with the service provider to see who specifically owns the units. No answer, yet......it's kind of strange for someone to be interested in watching a dead-end alley who has no stake in theft, though. Perhaps the business owners would be willing to share more information."
Jack then ruffled through his pocket, pulled out a pair of keys, and jingled them in front of her. "Care to come along? Would your 'posse' be interested in joining or are they content with messing up my board?" Kennedy simply smiled at the obvious annoyance in his tone...before snatching the keys out of his hand. "Well, let me go tell my 'posse' to put your darling pictures back before we leave then."
Kennedy swiftly turned around and made her way to the back of the station again. Once there, she'd pull the pictures from the other agents hands, messily bunch them all together, and then via a safety pin, stab them to the middle of the photo-board. "There, nice and neat!" she said sarcastically to herself, before turning to face her team. "Okay, we're heading to those businesses with the security systems out front. You two-" she'd point out Mingli and Kyle, before continuing. "stay here and comb through these case files. See what intel they have, that we don't. And while you're at it, check and see if there's a forensics team here.....if there is, go see what the status is at the labs. Orlando, you're gonna come me and Detective friendly over there."
Orlandos face scrunched up at the word 'friendly', but instead of questioning it he simply shrugged his shoulders and began to follow Kennedy back towards Jack.
Instead of stopping and letting him walk out first, Kennedy simply walked past the Detective and headed out the front door. But before walking out, she turned around and called out: "Think fast.", before throwing the keys up in the air towards him.
She figured he'd catch it, but didn't wait to see if he did......instead, she opened the front door and walked outside.
"God damn it's hot!" Orlando complained, before rubbing his hand over his head.
"It could be worse....like Phoenix or Florida in July, kind of worse." Kennedy shot back, before pulling her gun out of her holster.
"Planning on shooting someone, GI Jane?"
"For now i'm simply making sure the safety is on. But call me GI Jane again and it'll be you i'm shooting......GI Jose." she responded with a small laugh, before placing her gun back on her hip, and then making sure her badge was still tightly clipped to the top of her pants.
The two would wait for Jack to step outside, before following him to the car and then getting inside of it - Orlando in the back seat, and Kennedy up front beside Detective Scott.
From the little amount of time she had spent here, Kennedy could tell the traffic was not as bad as some in America would assume it to be......so the ride probably wasn't going to take all that long. But she still - after slipping on her seat belt - rolled down the window, leaned her arm out of it, and then crossed her legs....all in an attempt to get comfortable.
"Oh this will be a fun ride...." she thought, seconds before the car would be started up.
"So..." Kennedy began, as they pulled off. ".....are you gonna tell us why you're in Hong Kong? Or is that some kind of secret?" she asked Jack., not expecting him to really tell her the full truth. But she'd still study what he did decide tell her, in an attempt to try and get a better read on him.
Jack smirked when she grabbed the keys out of his hand. Well...if she insisted on driving he wouldn't spend the energy to argue with her. He just wondered how the hell they were going to make it there without her knowing where the crime scene was. "Well, let me go tell my 'posse' to put your darling pictures back before we leave then." Jack shrugged as she left, seeing Meiling approach him from behind Agent Kay's back. "What's up?" He asked, eyes darting to watch Kennedy go before focusing in on the shy girl in front of him. She handed the detective two separate folders. "Here's the toxicity report from Proctor. And the other is his background information. We're still translating it to Cantonese but I figured you could read it already." Dashan nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you. Go ahead and leave a copy of these on my desk and give English background to those lovely Americans right there. Also of the toxicity report; maybe one of them can read Chinese." He pointed over to the group and frowned as he saw Kennedy stab all the pictures into one pile on the board. Well, there went an hour of organizing. Meiling looked over to the group with nervousness and Dashan couldn't help but smirk and pat her shoulder. "Don't worry; they're nothing but Americans." The girl laughed then made her way to the two agents remaining as the others approached Jack. "Think fast." Kennedy threw the keys at Jack and he caught them in midair with one hand, raising an eyebrow. What was the deal with this girl? He followed them outside.
"God damn it's hot!" Orlando complained, before rubbing his hand over his head. Jack smirked at Kennedy's reply and passed them, leading to the back where the fleet of cars were parked behind a fence. "First it's too cold, now it's too hot. Seems like somebody needs to put on their big boy pants and deal with it." Jack rolled his eyes at the guard by the fence as the man flicked two fingers across his forehead in greeting. "We'll be taking the sedan," Dashan told him, pointing to the new black Ford sitting near the front. The man nodded and passed them through, uncaring. After loading into the car, Jack pulled out and began driving the familiar roads.
"So..." Kennedy began, as they pulled off. ".....are you gonna tell us why you're in Hong Kong? Or is that some kind of secret?" Jack looked over at her suspiciously. "Who told you it was a secret? Damn traitors..." He was attempting to joke at the same time avoiding to answer her question directly. She had asked before but didn't seem to be that interested; why would that be different from now? Maybe now he had a captivated audience. No boards to distract anybody, anyways. "Actually, Hong Kong is my home. I've lived here most of my life." He swerved to narrowly miss a pedestrian crossing the street casually, like he had done this thousands of time before. "Umm...when we arrive to question the businesses...maybe it would be best if you and Odie hang back. No offense! You're just kind of intimidating, being all obviously foreign." He didn't mean anything by asking them to hang back. He just knew his people and how shy they got around somebody different. Having them stay back would probably produce the best results. However, if there was a young man involved... His eyes trailed over to Kennedy again while raising an eyebrow. She could probably get the man's most dirtiest secret if she flashed him a smile. He looked back at Odie (was that his name? She had said it so fast) in the rear view mirror with a teasing grin. "How are you doing back there? Need me to turn the AC up?"
He pulled up alongside the alley, a cop still standing guard in front of the blocked-off alleyway. "Hey, Dashan." He greeted, motioning again with the two fingers across his forehead. Jack nodded to him and pointed to the two agents getting out of the car. "They're with me. Let them pass." Jack looked at the two businesses and decided to go into the small food shop first, seeing how other cops were currently questioning the dry cleaning shop. He didn't wait to see if the two wanted to follow him as he pushed open the door. A wave of delicious smelling air greeted him and he couldn't help but breath in and smile. Why hadn't he tried this place before? A woman came up to greet him. "Welcome! Welcome! You..." She paused, seeing his face and eyes widening. "You're Dashan Scott! Son of Miss. Xu!" Jack winced and then noticed the entire wall dedicated to his mother's movies. Oh god, no. "[color=#BF8000]We're your mother's biggest fans! Oh...we were so sorry to hear about your wife. So sad..."[/color] Jack looked nervous and cleared his throat. "Thank you for your kind words. I'm actually here to ask you about those cameras out in the ally? Are they yours?" The woman looked like she was going to answer until she spotted the agents, narrowing her eyes. "Who are they?" Jack turned and shrugged. "They're with me, here to look into the American's murder."
He could see he was loosing her interest and smiled, walking next to her and wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder. "How about I see if I can't get my mother to send you some signed glossies, hm? I'm sure she'd be happy to hear about her biggest fans that helped me with a case." The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, that would be wonderful! We'll put them on the wall..." Dashan smiled and nodded, waiting for her to calm down and talk about the cameras. "Well, this man came in and asked if we would let him set up those cameras for a test. He paid us for it, too so we said yes." Jack nodded. "Anything odd happen with them?" The woman thought for a second then gasped in realization. "Oh yes! Last night my husband was taking out the trash around 10 and he noticed they had lights blinking when they hadn't been blinking before." Jack frowned in thought. They had been on and blinking while he was at the scene last night too; it was what helped him see them. "Do you think you could come into the station and help us identify that man?" He tried to be patient and charming even though he was eager to get outside and check the cameras. "Sure!" The woman seemed excited to be involved. Reaching into his jacket, Jack produced his card and gave it to the woman. "Call me day or night if anyone comes to mess with those cameras. Also if you haven't received the signed pictures, okay? I'll be by sometime to try this food too. Smells delicious!" Dashan's face melted from its smile the moment he pushed out of the door and went around to the alley. Squinting, he saw the lights on the cameras were now off. "Hmm, so whoever it was that had these cameras here were either very unlucky or wanting to film the murder and resulting chaos..."
"God damn it's hot!" Orlando complained, before rubbing his hand over his head. Jack smirked at Kennedy's reply and passed them, leading to the back where the fleet of cars were parked behind a fence. "First it's too cold, now it's too hot. Seems like somebody needs to put on their big boy pants and deal with it." Jack rolled his eyes at the guard by the fence as the man flicked two fingers across his forehead in greeting. "We'll be taking the sedan," Dashan told him, pointing to the new black Ford sitting near the front. The man nodded and passed them through, uncaring. After loading into the car, Jack pulled out and began driving the familiar roads.
"So..." Kennedy began, as they pulled off. ".....are you gonna tell us why you're in Hong Kong? Or is that some kind of secret?" Jack looked over at her suspiciously. "Who told you it was a secret? Damn traitors..." He was attempting to joke at the same time avoiding to answer her question directly. She had asked before but didn't seem to be that interested; why would that be different from now? Maybe now he had a captivated audience. No boards to distract anybody, anyways. "Actually, Hong Kong is my home. I've lived here most of my life." He swerved to narrowly miss a pedestrian crossing the street casually, like he had done this thousands of time before. "Umm...when we arrive to question the businesses...maybe it would be best if you and Odie hang back. No offense! You're just kind of intimidating, being all obviously foreign." He didn't mean anything by asking them to hang back. He just knew his people and how shy they got around somebody different. Having them stay back would probably produce the best results. However, if there was a young man involved... His eyes trailed over to Kennedy again while raising an eyebrow. She could probably get the man's most dirtiest secret if she flashed him a smile. He looked back at Odie (was that his name? She had said it so fast) in the rear view mirror with a teasing grin. "How are you doing back there? Need me to turn the AC up?"
He pulled up alongside the alley, a cop still standing guard in front of the blocked-off alleyway. "Hey, Dashan." He greeted, motioning again with the two fingers across his forehead. Jack nodded to him and pointed to the two agents getting out of the car. "They're with me. Let them pass." Jack looked at the two businesses and decided to go into the small food shop first, seeing how other cops were currently questioning the dry cleaning shop. He didn't wait to see if the two wanted to follow him as he pushed open the door. A wave of delicious smelling air greeted him and he couldn't help but breath in and smile. Why hadn't he tried this place before? A woman came up to greet him. "Welcome! Welcome! You..." She paused, seeing his face and eyes widening. "You're Dashan Scott! Son of Miss. Xu!" Jack winced and then noticed the entire wall dedicated to his mother's movies. Oh god, no. "[color=#BF8000]We're your mother's biggest fans! Oh...we were so sorry to hear about your wife. So sad..."[/color] Jack looked nervous and cleared his throat. "Thank you for your kind words. I'm actually here to ask you about those cameras out in the ally? Are they yours?" The woman looked like she was going to answer until she spotted the agents, narrowing her eyes. "Who are they?" Jack turned and shrugged. "They're with me, here to look into the American's murder."
He could see he was loosing her interest and smiled, walking next to her and wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder. "How about I see if I can't get my mother to send you some signed glossies, hm? I'm sure she'd be happy to hear about her biggest fans that helped me with a case." The woman's eyes widened. "Oh, that would be wonderful! We'll put them on the wall..." Dashan smiled and nodded, waiting for her to calm down and talk about the cameras. "Well, this man came in and asked if we would let him set up those cameras for a test. He paid us for it, too so we said yes." Jack nodded. "Anything odd happen with them?" The woman thought for a second then gasped in realization. "Oh yes! Last night my husband was taking out the trash around 10 and he noticed they had lights blinking when they hadn't been blinking before." Jack frowned in thought. They had been on and blinking while he was at the scene last night too; it was what helped him see them. "Do you think you could come into the station and help us identify that man?" He tried to be patient and charming even though he was eager to get outside and check the cameras. "Sure!" The woman seemed excited to be involved. Reaching into his jacket, Jack produced his card and gave it to the woman. "Call me day or night if anyone comes to mess with those cameras. Also if you haven't received the signed pictures, okay? I'll be by sometime to try this food too. Smells delicious!" Dashan's face melted from its smile the moment he pushed out of the door and went around to the alley. Squinting, he saw the lights on the cameras were now off. "Hmm, so whoever it was that had these cameras here were either very unlucky or wanting to film the murder and resulting chaos..."
"Who told you it was a secret? Damn traitors..." Jack said jokingly, and Kennedy smiled."Actually, Hong Kong is my home. I've lived here most of my life."
She was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more to his answer, but at the same time she really wasn't surprised. Jack seemed friendly enough, but he also seemed a bit annoyed at their presence, and by nature law enforcement officials tend to like to detach from their normal lives when on duty. Plus, they were virtually strangers.....so it made complete sense that he wouldn't divulge his life story to her. Still, she had hoped for more.
Jack suddenly swerved to avoid a pedestrian, and Kennedys eyes widened as she was jolted out of her thoughts.
"Umm...when we arrive to question the businesses...maybe it would be best if you and Odie hang back. No offense! You're just kind of intimidating, being all obviously foreign"
"Hey!" Orlando said, before kicking the back of Jacks seat lightly. "It's Orlando, Detective Friendly!"
Kennedy glared up at her partner in the rear-view mirror, trying hard not to smile........Orlando simply shrugged though, as if to say "What!?"
"I can't beleive he actually said that out loud." she thought to herself, before again catching Jacks eyes wandering down her body.
She had half the mind to tell him to take a picture.....but instead, turned her head towards the open window and laughed softly to herself.
Orlando would wave off Jacks comment about the AC, claiming that he was "doing just fine", before the car pulled up to the crime scene and was greeted by another officer.
"Hey Dashun!" the man said in Cantonese, which made Kennedys eyebrows scrunch up a bit. "That must be his be his real name" she thought - quickly making a mental note of it before the car pulled up a bit and then came to a complete stop.
As they piled out the car, Orlando pulled off his jacket and threw it in the back seat. Both agents guns, which were strapped to their waist, were now in full view, so neither of the two would come off as the most approachable. Which is why after they followed Jack into the small restaurant across the street, Kennedy wasn't surprised at the stares they received. But she was a bit taken aback when the woman who welcomed Jack inside the restaurant, suddenly began to act like a fan-girl.
"You're Dashan Scott! Son of Miss. Xu!" she said, and Jack winced.....something Kennedy caught.
"We're your mother's biggest fans! Oh...we were so sorry to hear about your wife. So sad....."
After brushing the nervous expression off his face with a quick clearing of his throat, Jack began to talk once more. However for Kennedy, the womans words were replaying in her mind.
"What?" Orlando asked, noticing the peculiar expression his friends face.
"Um, from what she said i think that's his mother over there on their wall......"
"Ahh....an actress? Interesting. I guess that's part of that secret life of his."
Kennedy nodded her head and smiled at Orlandos sarcastic remark.
She had deliberately left out the part about Jacks wife, but it still captivated her thoughts.
"She made it sound as if something had happened to the woman. But since he lacks a ring on his hand, perhaps it was just a nasty divorce?" she thought to herself unconvincingly.
Suddenly all eyes in the restaurant turned towards her and Orlando....something that snapped her back into reality.
"They're with me, here to look into the American's murder." Jack said, which unbeknown to him, was an impromptu que for Kennedy to attempt her hand at a warm, but close-mouthed, smile.
She wasn't quite ready to reveal the fact that she was rather fluent in the native tongue, so she simply crossed her arms atop her bust and listened as the two went back to conversing.
Jack slyly used his the womans infatuation with his mother as a means to get information, and once done he walked back outside.....to which Kennedy followed, without saying a single word.
"Hmm, so whoever it was that had these cameras here were either very unlucky or wanting to film the murder and resulting chaos..." the detective muttered, as he looked at the lamps outside the restaurant and then turned to look at the one inside the alleyway EXIT sign across the street.
Orlando was becoming annoyed with not being able to understand anything being said around him, so he looked towards Kennedy and shrugged - annoyance written all over his face.
"*Don't ask me to translate out loud,*" she blurted out, in the Central-American dialect of Spanish she knew the biracial detective was fluent in. "*I don't want him to know i can understand him just yet...*"
"*Why not!?*"
"Because i have my reasons, that's why!" she responded, now speaking English again.
Thankfully Jack appeared to be more interested in security system across the street, than their simple conversation......and quickly crossed the street as soon as he could, to go investigate it. So without further adieu, Kennedy pulled out her Samsung Galaxy Note, stepped back from the lamps, and took a few pictures.
She'd then cross the street, and follow Jack into the alleyway, to take pictures there.
For the next few hours, Kennedy would drag Jack to every building on the block - including the Laundromat beside the restaurant - and have him ask any and everyone if they had seen anything or anybody out of the ordinary on the night of the murder.
She'd also take over a hundred different photos on her phone, from multiple different locations and heights......all the while cursing the fact she had left the FBI issued Canon, back in her hotel room.
By the time they arrived back at the station, it was a little after 5:30pm, and Kennedy was spent. But she refused to leave until Mingli and Kyle went over every piece of new information they had learned while she was away.
The FBI had been privy to the basics of the three previous cases before they arrived, but for the next hour, Kennedy and Orlando were carefully informed of how outside of the typical non-lethal slit to the throat, and impressions/busing on the chest & wrist; both hands on the first victim were pierced with what appeared to be home-made stakes, the second victim had their lips nailed shut post-mortem courtesy of a nail gun found on the scene, and the third victim had screwdrivers pushed all the way into both ears. Meaning for some odd reason, the killer wanted to mutilate each victim in a different way, on top of his preferred killing method.
"And if you add our fourth victim in," Kennedy began, after the other agents finished. "it appears the UNSUB has an issue with the victims senses."
"But why?" Orlando asked, befuddled.
"It's obvious he's a sadist. One who is quite possibly manic, due to the changing forms of mutilation." Kyle responded with.
"Well yes, and no. If he was manic, so much wouldn't be the same in each crime scene. Sure, he's a bit of a sadist, but it's more than that i think. Eyes, hands, ears, and the mouth.....those all center around our five basic senses. The UNSUB feels as if these people are sensing something they shouldn't....or maybe he doesn't want them to sense something? I don't know which at the moment.......i'm tired."
Kennedy would stand and stretch her arms up in the air before flouncing back down in her chair. She longed for a cup of coffee.....or bet yet, a glass of vodka. But she'd brush off her cravings, as the group would go on to discuss what information Meiling had found out about Timothy.
"She informed us that on Timmothys Visa it said he'd be studying at a local university." Mingli started, but Kennedy quickly cut him off.
"Well we knew that already." she'd say.
"I know, but as i was saying.......they've also found out that Timothy wasn't alone. There were two others students from Timothys class back home who filled out mirroring Visas. They all entered Hong Kong at the same time, and if we can track them down, we might be able to find out what exactly they were doing here."
"Ah, well that should be easy enough. Did you pull their credit card records, and any activity on their socials??"
"Yeah we put in the request, but we're still waiting to hear back." said Kyle.
"It's not even seven in the morning there, it'll probably be faxed here sometime tomorrow. So i guess we're done for now."
Kennedy would stand and ask if anyone had anything else to add........no one spoke up.
"Guess we're done then!" Orlando said, as he popped up out of his seat enthusiastically.
"Guess so."
Kyle and Mingli had collected paperwork and photos in a pair of vanilla envelopes over the day, that Kennedy swiftly placed under her arm before approaching Jack - the rest of her team now waiting anxiously at the front door, with the officer who drove them to the station hours ago.
"Here." she said, as she bent down and began to write on a small piece of paper. "It's the name and number of the hotel we're staying at, and I also wrote down my cell phone number w/ the proper country code......i'd appreciate a call if something happens overnight."
Without waiting for a response, Kennedy turned around and made her way towards the front doors.
*-*-----------------------*-----------------------*-*
Thirty minutes later the foursome where stepping out of Officer Chens car. It was 7:15pm, and the city lights shined brightly against the darkened sky.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know of a decent place around here to get a drink would you?" Kennedy asked, after leaning into the open passenger-side window. Chens eyes went wide, and Kennedy simply smiled.
"Y-you speak Cantonese? And so fluently!?"
"No no, just a little here and there....don't tell anyone!" she said sarcastically. "Now about that place to drink?"
"Yes, well there's bar several blocks away, called PLAYA!. A lot of us go there for drinks and socializing after the day is over with . And then further up is a wilder place, but-"
"Wilder? How so??"
"Well the crowd there is young and crazy. The music is very loud, and the dance floor is heavily crowded with provocative dancing and clothing. But, some of the younger men at work go there to wind down. I suppose it depends on your taste."
"And the name of this place is?"
"Atmosphere!"
"Interesting..... Well thank you for the info! See you tomorrow morning."
Kennedy would walk inside the hotel, and then follow her friends up to the top floor.
On the elevator, they conversed about what each wanted to do for the night.
Kyle was eager to simply get on his laptop and Skype his wife. Orlando and Mingli however wanted to be "shown around". When Kennedy asked by who, the two simply laughed and mentioned "local girls", before the elevator doors opened and they parted ways.
Once inside her suite, the first thing Kennedy did was walk inside the office space and lock the folders up the desks top lock-drawer. It had a combination device on the outside, and then a key-lock on the inside........she knew she was being a bit paranoid, but in her world it was always better to be safe than sorry.
"I should go to sleep......" she muttered to herself as she turned and stared out the window.
But the multicolored lights of Hong Kong were calling her name.......at least, that was the excuse she used to talk herself into the shower.
Nearly an hour later, she was out and blow drying her damp hair in the gigantic oval-shaped bathroom mirror.....fully dressed in jean shorts, a grey beaded tank, a camel-colored jacket , and a pair of dark brown 3inch sandals..
Seconds after the blower dryer stopped, Orlando sent a text to her phone letting her know that him and Ming Li were head out to PLAYA!.
She warned them to "behave", before placing her phone back on the counter.
"Well, i guess it's 'Atmosphere!' for me then...." Kennedy thought.
She could of cared less if the place was packed tighter than a can of sardines.......the day had been long, and all she wanted to do was go out for a nice round of drinks.
And besides, she had spent the last several hours studying death......her eyes could stand to get a glimpse of some liveliness for the next hour or two.
*-*-----------------------*-----------------------*-*
After styling her hair in loose waves, she slipped her phone & thin ID wallet into her shorts side pocket, and then left her suite to head downstairs.
A luxury they had, from staying at The Peninsula Hong Kong, was free 24/7 Rolls Royce transportation service. So after standing in the lobby for a minute or two, Kennedy noticed her car being pulled around front and went to meet it.
She'd direct the Driver to take her to 'Atmosphere!', and then sit back.
The ride was only seven minutes, and when they pulled up she sighed at the long line, before getting out.
"Thanks. For your troubles...."
Kennedy pulled out $100 HK note and handed it to the man, who grinned from ear to ear.
"Thank you, thank you very much!" he said, responding to her in English even though she spoke clear Cantonese to him.
"When would you like me to come back here for you?"
"Not sure. How about i call you?"
The driver, whose name Kennedy learned was Bai, gave her his business number and informed her he'd be on duty for the next five hours. She'd smile and hold out her to shake his, before standing back up and heading towards the back of the 50+ person line. But before she got far, a rather large man lightly grabbed her arm. Her instinct told her to jam her elbow under the mans chin and then knock him to the ground with a swift jab to the side of his head. But when she caught glimpse of the "Atmosphere!" logo on his shirt, and the cheeky smile on his face, she relaxed a bit.
"Yes? Did i do something wrong??" she asked, in a faux innocent tone.
"No no, wait.....you can speak Cantonese?"
"Obviously." she joked, before sliding her arm out of his grasp and taking a step back.
"Well Miss. We like beautiful women here to get first access to our club, it looks well for us, you know?. The back of the line is for the ugly, overweight, and old women. Not for the likes of you....so please, come wait up front."
Kennedy was a bit taken aback by the mans bluntness, and surely didn't take it as a compliment........especially since the so called "ugly, overweight, and old" women he was speaking of, could clearly hear him.
However even though she felt bad, she followed the man up towards the front of the line, and took her place behind five scantly dressed local girls. The woman Kennedy was placed in front of smacked her teeth for being passed, and muttered some insult under her breath.......but she could of cared less, she simply wanted a glass of Vodka. Or better yet, a Long Island Ice Tea.
Luckily it was only a few minutes before the five girls, herself, and the bitchy woman behind her, where all invited inside.
The dance floor looked like a sea of people, and the music - just like Chen had mentioned - was loud and pounding. The current playlist; Adele's 21 Dance-Remixes.
"Adele remixes? How bizarre" Kennedy muttered to herself, as she pushed her way towards the closet of five bars, scattered about the first of two floors.
There were 20 seats around the circular counter-top lit with bright blue and green neon lights, and surprisingly 15 were available.
"Hello! What can i get you!??" a young woman asked in a bit of a scream, as she slid over in front of Kennedy rather swiftly. Her English was close to flawless.
"Are you....on skates?"
"Yeah, see!"
The peppy girl actually kicked her leg up in the air to showcase the skate shoes on her feet......something which caused the four other men at the bar to all take note. Kennedy simply shook her head and laughed.
"Awesome."
"Yup! So what can i get you?"
"Ever heard of a Long Island Iced Tea?"
"Oh yes!! I haven't had anyone ask me to make that in well, a long long time! Coming right up. Can i have your card first please?"
A few minutes later after Kennedys card was handed over and a tab was started up, two additional men had taken a seat at the bar, and the young girl was now serving them.....as Kennedy, who was turned out towards the dance floor on her bar-stool, took the last few sips of her drink.
"Hey, um, what was your name??"
"Lilly! Want another one?"
"Yup."
Kennedy crossed her legs and turned back towards the bar......and once the young woman placed her second LIIT in front of her, she'd begin to down it....as she rocked side to side in her bar-stool, to a dance-remix of "Rolling in The Deep".
She was somewhat disappointed that there wasn't more to his answer, but at the same time she really wasn't surprised. Jack seemed friendly enough, but he also seemed a bit annoyed at their presence, and by nature law enforcement officials tend to like to detach from their normal lives when on duty. Plus, they were virtually strangers.....so it made complete sense that he wouldn't divulge his life story to her. Still, she had hoped for more.
Jack suddenly swerved to avoid a pedestrian, and Kennedys eyes widened as she was jolted out of her thoughts.
"Umm...when we arrive to question the businesses...maybe it would be best if you and Odie hang back. No offense! You're just kind of intimidating, being all obviously foreign"
"Hey!" Orlando said, before kicking the back of Jacks seat lightly. "It's Orlando, Detective Friendly!"
Kennedy glared up at her partner in the rear-view mirror, trying hard not to smile........Orlando simply shrugged though, as if to say "What!?"
"I can't beleive he actually said that out loud." she thought to herself, before again catching Jacks eyes wandering down her body.
She had half the mind to tell him to take a picture.....but instead, turned her head towards the open window and laughed softly to herself.
Orlando would wave off Jacks comment about the AC, claiming that he was "doing just fine", before the car pulled up to the crime scene and was greeted by another officer.
"Hey Dashun!" the man said in Cantonese, which made Kennedys eyebrows scrunch up a bit. "That must be his be his real name" she thought - quickly making a mental note of it before the car pulled up a bit and then came to a complete stop.
As they piled out the car, Orlando pulled off his jacket and threw it in the back seat. Both agents guns, which were strapped to their waist, were now in full view, so neither of the two would come off as the most approachable. Which is why after they followed Jack into the small restaurant across the street, Kennedy wasn't surprised at the stares they received. But she was a bit taken aback when the woman who welcomed Jack inside the restaurant, suddenly began to act like a fan-girl.
"You're Dashan Scott! Son of Miss. Xu!" she said, and Jack winced.....something Kennedy caught.
"We're your mother's biggest fans! Oh...we were so sorry to hear about your wife. So sad....."
After brushing the nervous expression off his face with a quick clearing of his throat, Jack began to talk once more. However for Kennedy, the womans words were replaying in her mind.
"What?" Orlando asked, noticing the peculiar expression his friends face.
"Um, from what she said i think that's his mother over there on their wall......"
"Ahh....an actress? Interesting. I guess that's part of that secret life of his."
Kennedy nodded her head and smiled at Orlandos sarcastic remark.
She had deliberately left out the part about Jacks wife, but it still captivated her thoughts.
"She made it sound as if something had happened to the woman. But since he lacks a ring on his hand, perhaps it was just a nasty divorce?" she thought to herself unconvincingly.
Suddenly all eyes in the restaurant turned towards her and Orlando....something that snapped her back into reality.
"They're with me, here to look into the American's murder." Jack said, which unbeknown to him, was an impromptu que for Kennedy to attempt her hand at a warm, but close-mouthed, smile.
She wasn't quite ready to reveal the fact that she was rather fluent in the native tongue, so she simply crossed her arms atop her bust and listened as the two went back to conversing.
Jack slyly used his the womans infatuation with his mother as a means to get information, and once done he walked back outside.....to which Kennedy followed, without saying a single word.
"Hmm, so whoever it was that had these cameras here were either very unlucky or wanting to film the murder and resulting chaos..." the detective muttered, as he looked at the lamps outside the restaurant and then turned to look at the one inside the alleyway EXIT sign across the street.
Orlando was becoming annoyed with not being able to understand anything being said around him, so he looked towards Kennedy and shrugged - annoyance written all over his face.
"*Don't ask me to translate out loud,*" she blurted out, in the Central-American dialect of Spanish she knew the biracial detective was fluent in. "*I don't want him to know i can understand him just yet...*"
"*Why not!?*"
"Because i have my reasons, that's why!" she responded, now speaking English again.
Thankfully Jack appeared to be more interested in security system across the street, than their simple conversation......and quickly crossed the street as soon as he could, to go investigate it. So without further adieu, Kennedy pulled out her Samsung Galaxy Note, stepped back from the lamps, and took a few pictures.
She'd then cross the street, and follow Jack into the alleyway, to take pictures there.
For the next few hours, Kennedy would drag Jack to every building on the block - including the Laundromat beside the restaurant - and have him ask any and everyone if they had seen anything or anybody out of the ordinary on the night of the murder.
She'd also take over a hundred different photos on her phone, from multiple different locations and heights......all the while cursing the fact she had left the FBI issued Canon, back in her hotel room.
By the time they arrived back at the station, it was a little after 5:30pm, and Kennedy was spent. But she refused to leave until Mingli and Kyle went over every piece of new information they had learned while she was away.
The FBI had been privy to the basics of the three previous cases before they arrived, but for the next hour, Kennedy and Orlando were carefully informed of how outside of the typical non-lethal slit to the throat, and impressions/busing on the chest & wrist; both hands on the first victim were pierced with what appeared to be home-made stakes, the second victim had their lips nailed shut post-mortem courtesy of a nail gun found on the scene, and the third victim had screwdrivers pushed all the way into both ears. Meaning for some odd reason, the killer wanted to mutilate each victim in a different way, on top of his preferred killing method.
"And if you add our fourth victim in," Kennedy began, after the other agents finished. "it appears the UNSUB has an issue with the victims senses."
"But why?" Orlando asked, befuddled.
"It's obvious he's a sadist. One who is quite possibly manic, due to the changing forms of mutilation." Kyle responded with.
"Well yes, and no. If he was manic, so much wouldn't be the same in each crime scene. Sure, he's a bit of a sadist, but it's more than that i think. Eyes, hands, ears, and the mouth.....those all center around our five basic senses. The UNSUB feels as if these people are sensing something they shouldn't....or maybe he doesn't want them to sense something? I don't know which at the moment.......i'm tired."
Kennedy would stand and stretch her arms up in the air before flouncing back down in her chair. She longed for a cup of coffee.....or bet yet, a glass of vodka. But she'd brush off her cravings, as the group would go on to discuss what information Meiling had found out about Timothy.
"She informed us that on Timmothys Visa it said he'd be studying at a local university." Mingli started, but Kennedy quickly cut him off.
"Well we knew that already." she'd say.
"I know, but as i was saying.......they've also found out that Timothy wasn't alone. There were two others students from Timothys class back home who filled out mirroring Visas. They all entered Hong Kong at the same time, and if we can track them down, we might be able to find out what exactly they were doing here."
"Ah, well that should be easy enough. Did you pull their credit card records, and any activity on their socials??"
"Yeah we put in the request, but we're still waiting to hear back." said Kyle.
"It's not even seven in the morning there, it'll probably be faxed here sometime tomorrow. So i guess we're done for now."
Kennedy would stand and ask if anyone had anything else to add........no one spoke up.
"Guess we're done then!" Orlando said, as he popped up out of his seat enthusiastically.
"Guess so."
Kyle and Mingli had collected paperwork and photos in a pair of vanilla envelopes over the day, that Kennedy swiftly placed under her arm before approaching Jack - the rest of her team now waiting anxiously at the front door, with the officer who drove them to the station hours ago.
"Here." she said, as she bent down and began to write on a small piece of paper. "It's the name and number of the hotel we're staying at, and I also wrote down my cell phone number w/ the proper country code......i'd appreciate a call if something happens overnight."
Without waiting for a response, Kennedy turned around and made her way towards the front doors.
*-*-----------------------*-----------------------*-*
Thirty minutes later the foursome where stepping out of Officer Chens car. It was 7:15pm, and the city lights shined brightly against the darkened sky.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know of a decent place around here to get a drink would you?" Kennedy asked, after leaning into the open passenger-side window. Chens eyes went wide, and Kennedy simply smiled.
"Y-you speak Cantonese? And so fluently!?"
"No no, just a little here and there....don't tell anyone!" she said sarcastically. "Now about that place to drink?"
"Yes, well there's bar several blocks away, called PLAYA!. A lot of us go there for drinks and socializing after the day is over with . And then further up is a wilder place, but-"
"Wilder? How so??"
"Well the crowd there is young and crazy. The music is very loud, and the dance floor is heavily crowded with provocative dancing and clothing. But, some of the younger men at work go there to wind down. I suppose it depends on your taste."
"And the name of this place is?"
"Atmosphere!"
"Interesting..... Well thank you for the info! See you tomorrow morning."
Kennedy would walk inside the hotel, and then follow her friends up to the top floor.
On the elevator, they conversed about what each wanted to do for the night.
Kyle was eager to simply get on his laptop and Skype his wife. Orlando and Mingli however wanted to be "shown around". When Kennedy asked by who, the two simply laughed and mentioned "local girls", before the elevator doors opened and they parted ways.
Once inside her suite, the first thing Kennedy did was walk inside the office space and lock the folders up the desks top lock-drawer. It had a combination device on the outside, and then a key-lock on the inside........she knew she was being a bit paranoid, but in her world it was always better to be safe than sorry.
"I should go to sleep......" she muttered to herself as she turned and stared out the window.
But the multicolored lights of Hong Kong were calling her name.......at least, that was the excuse she used to talk herself into the shower.
Nearly an hour later, she was out and blow drying her damp hair in the gigantic oval-shaped bathroom mirror.....fully dressed in jean shorts, a grey beaded tank, a camel-colored jacket , and a pair of dark brown 3inch sandals..
Seconds after the blower dryer stopped, Orlando sent a text to her phone letting her know that him and Ming Li were head out to PLAYA!.
She warned them to "behave", before placing her phone back on the counter.
"Well, i guess it's 'Atmosphere!' for me then...." Kennedy thought.
She could of cared less if the place was packed tighter than a can of sardines.......the day had been long, and all she wanted to do was go out for a nice round of drinks.
And besides, she had spent the last several hours studying death......her eyes could stand to get a glimpse of some liveliness for the next hour or two.
*-*-----------------------*-----------------------*-*
After styling her hair in loose waves, she slipped her phone & thin ID wallet into her shorts side pocket, and then left her suite to head downstairs.
A luxury they had, from staying at The Peninsula Hong Kong, was free 24/7 Rolls Royce transportation service. So after standing in the lobby for a minute or two, Kennedy noticed her car being pulled around front and went to meet it.
She'd direct the Driver to take her to 'Atmosphere!', and then sit back.
The ride was only seven minutes, and when they pulled up she sighed at the long line, before getting out.
"Thanks. For your troubles...."
Kennedy pulled out $100 HK note and handed it to the man, who grinned from ear to ear.
"Thank you, thank you very much!" he said, responding to her in English even though she spoke clear Cantonese to him.
"When would you like me to come back here for you?"
"Not sure. How about i call you?"
The driver, whose name Kennedy learned was Bai, gave her his business number and informed her he'd be on duty for the next five hours. She'd smile and hold out her to shake his, before standing back up and heading towards the back of the 50+ person line. But before she got far, a rather large man lightly grabbed her arm. Her instinct told her to jam her elbow under the mans chin and then knock him to the ground with a swift jab to the side of his head. But when she caught glimpse of the "Atmosphere!" logo on his shirt, and the cheeky smile on his face, she relaxed a bit.
"Yes? Did i do something wrong??" she asked, in a faux innocent tone.
"No no, wait.....you can speak Cantonese?"
"Obviously." she joked, before sliding her arm out of his grasp and taking a step back.
"Well Miss. We like beautiful women here to get first access to our club, it looks well for us, you know?. The back of the line is for the ugly, overweight, and old women. Not for the likes of you....so please, come wait up front."
Kennedy was a bit taken aback by the mans bluntness, and surely didn't take it as a compliment........especially since the so called "ugly, overweight, and old" women he was speaking of, could clearly hear him.
However even though she felt bad, she followed the man up towards the front of the line, and took her place behind five scantly dressed local girls. The woman Kennedy was placed in front of smacked her teeth for being passed, and muttered some insult under her breath.......but she could of cared less, she simply wanted a glass of Vodka. Or better yet, a Long Island Ice Tea.
Luckily it was only a few minutes before the five girls, herself, and the bitchy woman behind her, where all invited inside.
The dance floor looked like a sea of people, and the music - just like Chen had mentioned - was loud and pounding. The current playlist; Adele's 21 Dance-Remixes.
"Adele remixes? How bizarre" Kennedy muttered to herself, as she pushed her way towards the closet of five bars, scattered about the first of two floors.
There were 20 seats around the circular counter-top lit with bright blue and green neon lights, and surprisingly 15 were available.
"Hello! What can i get you!??" a young woman asked in a bit of a scream, as she slid over in front of Kennedy rather swiftly. Her English was close to flawless.
"Are you....on skates?"
"Yeah, see!"
The peppy girl actually kicked her leg up in the air to showcase the skate shoes on her feet......something which caused the four other men at the bar to all take note. Kennedy simply shook her head and laughed.
"Awesome."
"Yup! So what can i get you?"
"Ever heard of a Long Island Iced Tea?"
"Oh yes!! I haven't had anyone ask me to make that in well, a long long time! Coming right up. Can i have your card first please?"
A few minutes later after Kennedys card was handed over and a tab was started up, two additional men had taken a seat at the bar, and the young girl was now serving them.....as Kennedy, who was turned out towards the dance floor on her bar-stool, took the last few sips of her drink.
"Hey, um, what was your name??"
"Lilly! Want another one?"
"Yup."
Kennedy crossed her legs and turned back towards the bar......and once the young woman placed her second LIIT in front of her, she'd begin to down it....as she rocked side to side in her bar-stool, to a dance-remix of "Rolling in The Deep".
Dashan sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes to fight of the exhaustion that was winning over his body. Not only had he not slept long enough that night he had foregone sleep the past 2 days, only taking short naps between digging through files. Following Agent Kay around that afternoon had taken a lot of effort for him to be patient as he felt as though he had to slow down and explain everything twice. Their voices echoing around the room didn't help; he was used to, as a boy, falling asleep listening to his father conduct business in the next room. Something about English just made him...drowsy. His ears perked up when they talked about the senses. He had his suspicious about that too...yet his wife's death had been something different. His face went stoney when he remembered the scene, walking back into the room and seeing how she had been tortured and eventually staked through the heart. Of course she had come years before these murders, but Dashan knew deep in his gut that this was the same killer. Everything was just too similar for it to be someone new.
The lack of talking brought him back to attention and he saw Kennedy walk up and band over to write on a piece of paper. He stared at her, not really admiring her this time but trying to get his mind off of the image of his wife's body. "It's the name and number of the hotel we're staying at, and I also wrote down my cell phone number w/ the proper country code......I'd appreciate a call if something happens overnight." Jack nodded and folded the piece of paper in half before sticking his behind his ear. He was about to say something; he was tired of being the only one who believed his wife's murder was connected but the agent had turned and left before he could say anything. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Perhaps telling her was not the best thing to do...especially not in the station.
The next few hours Dashan spent gathering together files and making copies for the rest of the team to go over in the morning. He had other cases to give to other detectives due to orders from the Chief. Boding wanted Dashan to be focused only on the serial killer and the FBI agents for now and for once Dashan was glad to be relieved of duties. The man wasn't too sure if he had the energy to take on more than that. Walking down the hall with folders in his hand, he spotted Meiling working alone in the labs. He knocked on the door frame and felt bad for making the shy girl jump. "Hey, Meiling. Stop being an overachiever and go home. Better yet, go out and meet somebody. This lab will consume you." The girl blushed and pushed back her bangs from her face, obviously tired. "Yes. I just wanted to have everything ready for you guys by tomorrow." Dashan shrugged and looked down at the folders in his hand. Yup, that's what he was doing as well. "Oh!" Meiling stood up and reached into the drawer of her desk, fetching a small jump drive and tossing it to Dashan. He caught the stick with one hand and smiled. "Oh wow, is this it?!" The girl nodded. "Yes. I managed to sneak it out of the file while everyone was running around distracted by the foreigners." Thank god for small miracles, Dashan thought while sliding the drive into his pocket. "The audio is still very messed up; when our technicians couldn't do much with it the Chief ordered them to stop." Dashan couldn't let this bit of information ruin his mood and he nodded. "I think I know of someone outside of the station that could help me clean it up. Thanks, Meiling...you're the best!" He gave her a wink before hurrying down the hall and quickly placing the files on the table. He needed to make a call but it would have to wait until he was out of the station; he never knew who could be listening.
"Jack, you son of a bitch! What corner of the world did you drop off this time?! It's been four months, man. Four months!!" Jack couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the voice on the other end of his phone. "Max, sorry. I've been busy. I got a favor to ask of you. Can we meet tonight?" Jack heard a faint thudding on the other end of the phone and had to strain to hear Max over the sound of people talking. "Can't man, I'm DJ'ing tonight. Unless you want to meet me at the club?" Jack reached into his pocket and fingered the drive, conflicted feelings making it hard to make up his mind. He had waited so long to get this but he was not in any shape to go into a club. "C'mon man, what will it be? I gotta go change the disks soon." Sighing, Jack shrugged and hailed a Taxi. "Which club?" He heard Max laugh triumphantly. "Atmosphere!"
It wasn't hard for Jack to get access into the club; his wife and him used to frequent Atmosphere quite often on their days off. It was a young place for a young crowd, a culture that he had left be hind the moment he came home to see his wife dead on the floor. Plus he was the semi-famous son of an extremely popular couple; the bouncer would be a fool to not let him in, even when he was looking a little rundown. Pushing through the crowds, he made his way to the DJ stage and saw Max wave him up. He was a little nervous to be in eyesight of the entire club but he had to get the drive to Max. The American had been his best friend in college, even following him to Hong Kong to be a DJ. Through Jack's connections Max had landed several good jobs and was now one of the top DJs in the city. "Hey!" Max yelled, setting his earphones down. "You have got to listen to this girl Adele! She's got the jazz feel to her you seem to like." Jack listened then shrugged with a confused look on his face. "If you say so. Kinda a little too danceish to be jazz." Max laughed and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder leading him to the middle of the stage. "You gotta listen to the non-remixes. Now, hold on a second. The song's winding down." Jack shifted uncomfortably when Max reached for the microphone as the song faded away.
"How we all doing tonight?!" Max shouted, causing the whole stage to vibrate from his voice echoing out of the nearby speakers. The crowed cheered back, raising their hands and drinks. Max laughed and nodded. "All right! Tonight is a night to celebrate, because our very own, Jack Dashan Scott is here in the houuuuuuse!" Jack stiffened his back as a spotlight swerved and shone on the stage. Son of a bitch. More cheers, louder this time, filled the place and it took all of his will to not walk off. "Max, stop." He hissed through gritted teeth. Max ignored him. "Now, we haven't seen my friend Jack here for a very very long time. He's in need of a little pick me up!" Jack took a step forward and glared. "Max, stop." Again Max ignored him. "Which young lady here will take him home tonight?" Jack reached forward in response to the cheers and yanked the microphone cord out of the box, giving Max a seething glare before throwing the cord down to the ground and walking off backstage. A short silence could be heard as the crowd mummered and Max fixed the mike. "Ooookay," Max started with a laugh. "Someone's just going to be hard to get tonight. Let's get this party back on track with some more Adele!"
Jack cursed to himself, making his way past all the equipment to use the back exit. He stopped, however, when he remembered that he had forgotten to give the disk to Max. Son of a bitch! He was about to just give up when he remembered Max's girlfriend, Lilly. Recalling her usual bar tending hub, he turned and started his way up to it. He smiled in relief when he saw her skating around, lifting her leg up once to show off her skate. He ignored the people at the bar, not wanting to make eye contact as he leaned over and shouted above the music. "I thought they would have taken your skates away years ago!" Lilly turned and saw Jack, letting out a squeal and sliding up to hug him. "Jack! I'm so glad to see you!" Jack smiled and blinked in shock. Her English was getting a lot better. "Hey," she backed away and faced him with a sad smile. "Whatever Max said, you know his heart was in the right place. You know Jess wouldn't want you to mope about like you have been doing." Her phrase 'mope around' must have come from something Max had said for her to know what it meant and his frowned, looking down at the ground while playing with his wedding ring on his right hand finger. Seeing his mood shift, Lilly let out a giggle and playfully punched his arm. "Lemme get you a drink! What will you be having?" Jack shrugged before seeing what Lilly had been making behind the counter. "Is that a Long Island Iced Tea?" He hadn't seen one of those since coming back from the states. Lilly giggled again. "Yep! Lemme make one for you, sweety!"
The lack of talking brought him back to attention and he saw Kennedy walk up and band over to write on a piece of paper. He stared at her, not really admiring her this time but trying to get his mind off of the image of his wife's body. "It's the name and number of the hotel we're staying at, and I also wrote down my cell phone number w/ the proper country code......I'd appreciate a call if something happens overnight." Jack nodded and folded the piece of paper in half before sticking his behind his ear. He was about to say something; he was tired of being the only one who believed his wife's murder was connected but the agent had turned and left before he could say anything. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his eyes. Perhaps telling her was not the best thing to do...especially not in the station.
The next few hours Dashan spent gathering together files and making copies for the rest of the team to go over in the morning. He had other cases to give to other detectives due to orders from the Chief. Boding wanted Dashan to be focused only on the serial killer and the FBI agents for now and for once Dashan was glad to be relieved of duties. The man wasn't too sure if he had the energy to take on more than that. Walking down the hall with folders in his hand, he spotted Meiling working alone in the labs. He knocked on the door frame and felt bad for making the shy girl jump. "Hey, Meiling. Stop being an overachiever and go home. Better yet, go out and meet somebody. This lab will consume you." The girl blushed and pushed back her bangs from her face, obviously tired. "Yes. I just wanted to have everything ready for you guys by tomorrow." Dashan shrugged and looked down at the folders in his hand. Yup, that's what he was doing as well. "Oh!" Meiling stood up and reached into the drawer of her desk, fetching a small jump drive and tossing it to Dashan. He caught the stick with one hand and smiled. "Oh wow, is this it?!" The girl nodded. "Yes. I managed to sneak it out of the file while everyone was running around distracted by the foreigners." Thank god for small miracles, Dashan thought while sliding the drive into his pocket. "The audio is still very messed up; when our technicians couldn't do much with it the Chief ordered them to stop." Dashan couldn't let this bit of information ruin his mood and he nodded. "I think I know of someone outside of the station that could help me clean it up. Thanks, Meiling...you're the best!" He gave her a wink before hurrying down the hall and quickly placing the files on the table. He needed to make a call but it would have to wait until he was out of the station; he never knew who could be listening.
"Jack, you son of a bitch! What corner of the world did you drop off this time?! It's been four months, man. Four months!!" Jack couldn't help but smile and shake his head at the voice on the other end of his phone. "Max, sorry. I've been busy. I got a favor to ask of you. Can we meet tonight?" Jack heard a faint thudding on the other end of the phone and had to strain to hear Max over the sound of people talking. "Can't man, I'm DJ'ing tonight. Unless you want to meet me at the club?" Jack reached into his pocket and fingered the drive, conflicted feelings making it hard to make up his mind. He had waited so long to get this but he was not in any shape to go into a club. "C'mon man, what will it be? I gotta go change the disks soon." Sighing, Jack shrugged and hailed a Taxi. "Which club?" He heard Max laugh triumphantly. "Atmosphere!"
It wasn't hard for Jack to get access into the club; his wife and him used to frequent Atmosphere quite often on their days off. It was a young place for a young crowd, a culture that he had left be hind the moment he came home to see his wife dead on the floor. Plus he was the semi-famous son of an extremely popular couple; the bouncer would be a fool to not let him in, even when he was looking a little rundown. Pushing through the crowds, he made his way to the DJ stage and saw Max wave him up. He was a little nervous to be in eyesight of the entire club but he had to get the drive to Max. The American had been his best friend in college, even following him to Hong Kong to be a DJ. Through Jack's connections Max had landed several good jobs and was now one of the top DJs in the city. "Hey!" Max yelled, setting his earphones down. "You have got to listen to this girl Adele! She's got the jazz feel to her you seem to like." Jack listened then shrugged with a confused look on his face. "If you say so. Kinda a little too danceish to be jazz." Max laughed and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder leading him to the middle of the stage. "You gotta listen to the non-remixes. Now, hold on a second. The song's winding down." Jack shifted uncomfortably when Max reached for the microphone as the song faded away.
"How we all doing tonight?!" Max shouted, causing the whole stage to vibrate from his voice echoing out of the nearby speakers. The crowed cheered back, raising their hands and drinks. Max laughed and nodded. "All right! Tonight is a night to celebrate, because our very own, Jack Dashan Scott is here in the houuuuuuse!" Jack stiffened his back as a spotlight swerved and shone on the stage. Son of a bitch. More cheers, louder this time, filled the place and it took all of his will to not walk off. "Max, stop." He hissed through gritted teeth. Max ignored him. "Now, we haven't seen my friend Jack here for a very very long time. He's in need of a little pick me up!" Jack took a step forward and glared. "Max, stop." Again Max ignored him. "Which young lady here will take him home tonight?" Jack reached forward in response to the cheers and yanked the microphone cord out of the box, giving Max a seething glare before throwing the cord down to the ground and walking off backstage. A short silence could be heard as the crowd mummered and Max fixed the mike. "Ooookay," Max started with a laugh. "Someone's just going to be hard to get tonight. Let's get this party back on track with some more Adele!"
Jack cursed to himself, making his way past all the equipment to use the back exit. He stopped, however, when he remembered that he had forgotten to give the disk to Max. Son of a bitch! He was about to just give up when he remembered Max's girlfriend, Lilly. Recalling her usual bar tending hub, he turned and started his way up to it. He smiled in relief when he saw her skating around, lifting her leg up once to show off her skate. He ignored the people at the bar, not wanting to make eye contact as he leaned over and shouted above the music. "I thought they would have taken your skates away years ago!" Lilly turned and saw Jack, letting out a squeal and sliding up to hug him. "Jack! I'm so glad to see you!" Jack smiled and blinked in shock. Her English was getting a lot better. "Hey," she backed away and faced him with a sad smile. "Whatever Max said, you know his heart was in the right place. You know Jess wouldn't want you to mope about like you have been doing." Her phrase 'mope around' must have come from something Max had said for her to know what it meant and his frowned, looking down at the ground while playing with his wedding ring on his right hand finger. Seeing his mood shift, Lilly let out a giggle and playfully punched his arm. "Lemme get you a drink! What will you be having?" Jack shrugged before seeing what Lilly had been making behind the counter. "Is that a Long Island Iced Tea?" He hadn't seen one of those since coming back from the states. Lilly giggled again. "Yep! Lemme make one for you, sweety!"
She was halfway through her fourth drink when a woman sat down beside her.....Kennedy smiled.
"Hello" she said, with a thick accent.
"Good evening" Kennedy responded....which earned her the usual shocked expression.
"A foreigner who speaks the language, in here? That's rather unusual. I'm Hsiu Mei."
"I'm Kennedy...and i'm definitely one unusual lady."
The two women would shake hands casually and then trade comments & compliments back and forth for nearly fifteen minutes.....before suddenly, the woman placed her hand on Kennedys bare thigh.
"I think your hand got lost on the way to your lap...."
"No, it landed where i wanted it to."
Such a response made the slightly tipsy agent smile broadly. The woman was likely in her mid 30's, and absolutely stunning. She wore a redish-orange dress that left very little to the imagination, yet Kennedys still began to run a bit wild.......especially when Hsiu Mei slid off her stool and pressed herself into Kennedys side, so she could whisper in her ear, all while her hand began to slide up and down Kennedys thigh.
"I think, i'll be going up to the second floor now......you should follow me." Hsiu Mei whispered.
"Why the second floor?" Kennedy asked with a smirk, even though she had a likely reason in the back of her head.
"It's much darker up there......and the seating is more accommodating for two."
It was obvious what the woman had in mind....and perhaps if she was on vacation, a bit younger, and trashed out of her mind with absolutely no self control, Kennedy would of followed the woman like a young pup in heat. But instead she smiled, placed her hand atop the womans, and then downed the rest of her drink with her free hand.....before shifting her head so that she could now whisper into Hsiu Meis ear.
"As tempting as that may be, i'm afraid i'll have to pass...."
She could hear the sigh as the woman pulled back a little - her hand still on Kennedys thigh.
"May i ask why?"
"Lets just call it, a Conflict of interest..."
"Conflict of interest?"
"Yes."
"How so?"
"If i told you, i'd have to kill you..."
The two would share a brief a laugh, before Hsiu Meis hand finally left Kennedys leg.
"Well that's a shame. However, if you change your mind......you should come up and find me up there."
Kennedy would smile at Hsiu Mei as she walked away....and once the woman reached the top of the stairs, she took a deep breath and ran her both her hands through her hair.
"Temptation, temptation, temptation! It's a Sin, and you're a good catholic girl Kennedy, aren't ya....we don't sin." she said sarcastically to herself, before waving her hand towards Lily for another drink, just as the song winded down.
"How we all doing tonight?!" shouted the DJ, after the music ceased. Kennedy let out a small cheer, before tipping back her fifth drink. "All right! Tonight is a night to celebrate, because our very own, Jack Dashan Scott is here in the houuuuuuse!"
"What!!?" she shouted out at the sound of the oh so familiar name, before turning around on her stool in a flash to see out towards the dance floor again.
"Now, we haven't seen my friend Jack here for a very very long time. He's in need of a little pick me up!" DJ Max repeated, which made Kennedy spontaneously burst out into laughter.
She couldn't beleive irony, her luck, or perhaps bad luck, of running into of all people, Detective Scott, at such a venue.
"A pick me up, hmm?" she said to herself with a smile, before grabbing her drink behind her and taking another sip. For some reason she was getting a kick out of seeing Jack squirm in his skin on stage, as the DJ obviously ignored his plea to stop. "Which young lady here will take him home tonight?"
Kennedy smirked and then shook her head, as a crowd of women went wild. Even after a long days work, Jack was indeed a very handsome man, and if he would of stayed up there, the line of eager bachelorettes would of likely stretched out the door. But instead, he snatched the mic out of the DJs hand and threw it on the ground.......before walking off stage.
"Awwe, i thought i was going to see a good ol bidding contest!" she joked aloud.
Only a few seconds later, she'd spot Jack walking towards the bar......and would swiftly spin her bar-stool around so that her back was to him.
"I thought they would have taken your skates away years ago" she heard him say as he approached, and within seconds Lily had turned around, skated over towards him, and then leaped up to hug him across the bar.
"He must know her...." Kennedy thought to herself, as she took a sip of her drink, again, and nonchalantly listened in to their conversations.
Apparently the two of them, plus the DJ - Max, all knew one another.......but Jess, who was Jess? Kennedy would roll that question around in her slightly intoxicated mind for only a few seconds, before shrugging her shoulders, grabbing her glass, and hopping off of her stool.
Jack was only a few seats down.......and moments after he noticed the drink Lily was making, an ordered one for himself, Kennedy leaned in over his left shoulder.
"Seems like someone's quite popular!" she joked, before quickly moving around to his right side, and pushing herself in-between Jack and the man beside him, as she placed her empty glass on the bar.
"One more for me too Lilly, thanks." she'd say, before turning slightly to face Jack. "You know, the way those women were cheering for you over there, i thought we were going to have a good old fashion auction like we do back home.....10 dollars, 10 dollars here for the handsome rugged man on stage, 10 dollars, 100, 1000, 100,000.....going once!, twice! SOLDDDDD for 100,00 bucks to the four foot two, six hundred pound, Helga of a cat-woman, in the back of the room!!"
Kennedy couldn't help but laugh at her own joke.....but her laughter was quickly drowned out by a remix of "If it hadn't been for love", as it began to thump out over the speakers.
"Here we go! One for you, and one for you!" Lily shouted out with a smile, before suddenly crunching up her face.
"Heyyyy, do you two know each other!?"
Kennedy laughed softly to herself as the person on the bar-stool beside Jack suddenly left, and she was able to move back from the detective to slide up on to the biw available seat - crossing her legs almost immediately, which put the tattoo on the bottom of her right leg, in full view.
"Oh no, not at all...." she'd yelled jokingly back at Lily. But apparently the sarcasm was lost on the young bartender, who proceeded to introduce Kennedy to her friend "Dashan".
Before either of them could respond though, a party of three arriving at the bar caused the girl excuse herself,and then skate away to the opposite end of the counter top.
"Well then, Cheers!?" Kennedy said with a small smile, before clinking her glass against Jacks, and then throwing it back for a big long gulp.
"So what exactly brings you out to such a place tonight??" she'd inquire without a single slurred word, after placing her half-empty glass on the counter. "I Figured you more for a jazz, or maybe sports, bar....."
"Hello" she said, with a thick accent.
"Good evening" Kennedy responded....which earned her the usual shocked expression.
"A foreigner who speaks the language, in here? That's rather unusual. I'm Hsiu Mei."
"I'm Kennedy...and i'm definitely one unusual lady."
The two women would shake hands casually and then trade comments & compliments back and forth for nearly fifteen minutes.....before suddenly, the woman placed her hand on Kennedys bare thigh.
"I think your hand got lost on the way to your lap...."
"No, it landed where i wanted it to."
Such a response made the slightly tipsy agent smile broadly. The woman was likely in her mid 30's, and absolutely stunning. She wore a redish-orange dress that left very little to the imagination, yet Kennedys still began to run a bit wild.......especially when Hsiu Mei slid off her stool and pressed herself into Kennedys side, so she could whisper in her ear, all while her hand began to slide up and down Kennedys thigh.
"I think, i'll be going up to the second floor now......you should follow me." Hsiu Mei whispered.
"Why the second floor?" Kennedy asked with a smirk, even though she had a likely reason in the back of her head.
"It's much darker up there......and the seating is more accommodating for two."
It was obvious what the woman had in mind....and perhaps if she was on vacation, a bit younger, and trashed out of her mind with absolutely no self control, Kennedy would of followed the woman like a young pup in heat. But instead she smiled, placed her hand atop the womans, and then downed the rest of her drink with her free hand.....before shifting her head so that she could now whisper into Hsiu Meis ear.
"As tempting as that may be, i'm afraid i'll have to pass...."
She could hear the sigh as the woman pulled back a little - her hand still on Kennedys thigh.
"May i ask why?"
"Lets just call it, a Conflict of interest..."
"Conflict of interest?"
"Yes."
"How so?"
"If i told you, i'd have to kill you..."
The two would share a brief a laugh, before Hsiu Meis hand finally left Kennedys leg.
"Well that's a shame. However, if you change your mind......you should come up and find me up there."
Kennedy would smile at Hsiu Mei as she walked away....and once the woman reached the top of the stairs, she took a deep breath and ran her both her hands through her hair.
"Temptation, temptation, temptation! It's a Sin, and you're a good catholic girl Kennedy, aren't ya....we don't sin." she said sarcastically to herself, before waving her hand towards Lily for another drink, just as the song winded down.
"How we all doing tonight?!" shouted the DJ, after the music ceased. Kennedy let out a small cheer, before tipping back her fifth drink. "All right! Tonight is a night to celebrate, because our very own, Jack Dashan Scott is here in the houuuuuuse!"
"What!!?" she shouted out at the sound of the oh so familiar name, before turning around on her stool in a flash to see out towards the dance floor again.
"Now, we haven't seen my friend Jack here for a very very long time. He's in need of a little pick me up!" DJ Max repeated, which made Kennedy spontaneously burst out into laughter.
She couldn't beleive irony, her luck, or perhaps bad luck, of running into of all people, Detective Scott, at such a venue.
"A pick me up, hmm?" she said to herself with a smile, before grabbing her drink behind her and taking another sip. For some reason she was getting a kick out of seeing Jack squirm in his skin on stage, as the DJ obviously ignored his plea to stop. "Which young lady here will take him home tonight?"
Kennedy smirked and then shook her head, as a crowd of women went wild. Even after a long days work, Jack was indeed a very handsome man, and if he would of stayed up there, the line of eager bachelorettes would of likely stretched out the door. But instead, he snatched the mic out of the DJs hand and threw it on the ground.......before walking off stage.
"Awwe, i thought i was going to see a good ol bidding contest!" she joked aloud.
Only a few seconds later, she'd spot Jack walking towards the bar......and would swiftly spin her bar-stool around so that her back was to him.
"I thought they would have taken your skates away years ago" she heard him say as he approached, and within seconds Lily had turned around, skated over towards him, and then leaped up to hug him across the bar.
"He must know her...." Kennedy thought to herself, as she took a sip of her drink, again, and nonchalantly listened in to their conversations.
Apparently the two of them, plus the DJ - Max, all knew one another.......but Jess, who was Jess? Kennedy would roll that question around in her slightly intoxicated mind for only a few seconds, before shrugging her shoulders, grabbing her glass, and hopping off of her stool.
Jack was only a few seats down.......and moments after he noticed the drink Lily was making, an ordered one for himself, Kennedy leaned in over his left shoulder.
"Seems like someone's quite popular!" she joked, before quickly moving around to his right side, and pushing herself in-between Jack and the man beside him, as she placed her empty glass on the bar.
"One more for me too Lilly, thanks." she'd say, before turning slightly to face Jack. "You know, the way those women were cheering for you over there, i thought we were going to have a good old fashion auction like we do back home.....10 dollars, 10 dollars here for the handsome rugged man on stage, 10 dollars, 100, 1000, 100,000.....going once!, twice! SOLDDDDD for 100,00 bucks to the four foot two, six hundred pound, Helga of a cat-woman, in the back of the room!!"
Kennedy couldn't help but laugh at her own joke.....but her laughter was quickly drowned out by a remix of "If it hadn't been for love", as it began to thump out over the speakers.
"Here we go! One for you, and one for you!" Lily shouted out with a smile, before suddenly crunching up her face.
"Heyyyy, do you two know each other!?"
Kennedy laughed softly to herself as the person on the bar-stool beside Jack suddenly left, and she was able to move back from the detective to slide up on to the biw available seat - crossing her legs almost immediately, which put the tattoo on the bottom of her right leg, in full view.
"Oh no, not at all...." she'd yelled jokingly back at Lily. But apparently the sarcasm was lost on the young bartender, who proceeded to introduce Kennedy to her friend "Dashan".
Before either of them could respond though, a party of three arriving at the bar caused the girl excuse herself,and then skate away to the opposite end of the counter top.
"Well then, Cheers!?" Kennedy said with a small smile, before clinking her glass against Jacks, and then throwing it back for a big long gulp.
"So what exactly brings you out to such a place tonight??" she'd inquire without a single slurred word, after placing her half-empty glass on the counter. "I Figured you more for a jazz, or maybe sports, bar....."
"Seems like someone's quite popular!" Jack froze when he heard the voice, not trusting or wanting to believe himself to see who it was. Agent Kay came into view as she muscled her way between him and the guy in the next stool. He sighed and dropped his chin down onto his chest, knowing that she had at least overheard what Max had said on the stage. "You know, the way those women were cheering for you over there, i thought we were going to have a good old fashion auction like we do back home.....10 dollars, 10 dollars here for the handsome rugged man on stage, 10 dollars, 100, 1000, 100,000.....going once!, twice! SOLDDDDD for 100,00 bucks to the four foot two, six hundred pound, Helga of a cat-woman, in the back of the room!!" Kennedy laughed and Jack couldn't help but chuckle and turn to face her, half smiling. "Sounds like my type. Especially if she has back hair...mmmmhmmm." He closed his eyes in mock appreciation. He heard Lilly drop two drinks and turned to thank her.
He said nothing when Lilly asked if they knew each other, not trusting himself to say something cruel. Jess had always been there to kick him under the table and even now he could picture her pointed toe digging into his calf to behave. Once Lilly introduced him to her he would roll his eyes. "I thought living with Max would have taught her a little about sarcasm." He lifted up his glass and was about to take a drink when Kennedy offered hers. "Well then, Cheers!?" Awkwardly, Jack lifted up his glass and clinked it against hers, allowing his eyes to go down and admire her bare legs crossed over themselves. Was that a tattoo?
"So what exactly brings you out to such a place tonight??" she'd inquire without a single slurred word, after placing her half-empty glass on the counter. "I Figured you more for a jazz, or maybe sports, bar....." Jack smirked, setting his drink down and lifting a shoulder. "You guys are good at pegging people, that's for sure." He glanced around with a slight frown, having been reminded just how out of place he now was at his old favorite hub. "I had some business with Max but it seems I should leave business for when he's not near a crowd...or a microphone. Shit." Jack looked over to where the stairs leading to the second floor was and felt his chest tighten at the many memories he had of that floor, mainly the ones that included Jess. It became clear why he avoided Atmosphere and he started to down his drink so he could get out of there.
"Heeey, it's my shy man!" Max came up and slapped a hand down on Jack shoulder, grinning. "I was about to take Lilly up to the second floor. Why don't you come...oooh, and you too, hot stuff." Max turned and openly admired Kennedy while shaking Jack's shoulder. The detective forced a smile and shook his head. "Sorry, Max. Not tonight." Max frowned for the first time that night, shaking his head and making eye contact with a nervous looking Lilly. "Jack...man, you gotta let Jess go, okay? Remember how much fun she had up there? If she was here right now she would force you up there with this hot thing right here." Max flipped a thumb in Kennedy's direction while Jack fought to keep his anger down. "Max..." His voice sounded strained. "There are some days when I miss Jess more than others." He turned and set a hand down on his friend's shoulder. "Stop making this one of those days...please." Reaching into his jacket pocket, Jack pulled out a bill and tossed it onto the bar table. "It was good to see you again, Lilly. And here," Jack handed the jump drive to Max. "I know you can work miracles, Max. Make one happen with this." Lastly, he turned and faced Kennedy. "Sorry, I should really get to sleep if I'm to be any good for work tomorrow. You're right; this isn't my scene." His eyes flashed over to Max. "Not anymore. Let me take you and your posse out to lunch tomorrow; I really would like to talk to you without you walking away."
Max and Lilly exchanged glances as Jack weaved his way to the exit. "Max, you should really leave him alone. He's changed, you know." Max sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, what a fucking party pooper. So...how about it, hot stuff?" He turned to grin at Kennedy, reaching forward a finger to rub it up and down her shoulder. "Lilly an' I can be quite a team."
He said nothing when Lilly asked if they knew each other, not trusting himself to say something cruel. Jess had always been there to kick him under the table and even now he could picture her pointed toe digging into his calf to behave. Once Lilly introduced him to her he would roll his eyes. "I thought living with Max would have taught her a little about sarcasm." He lifted up his glass and was about to take a drink when Kennedy offered hers. "Well then, Cheers!?" Awkwardly, Jack lifted up his glass and clinked it against hers, allowing his eyes to go down and admire her bare legs crossed over themselves. Was that a tattoo?
"So what exactly brings you out to such a place tonight??" she'd inquire without a single slurred word, after placing her half-empty glass on the counter. "I Figured you more for a jazz, or maybe sports, bar....." Jack smirked, setting his drink down and lifting a shoulder. "You guys are good at pegging people, that's for sure." He glanced around with a slight frown, having been reminded just how out of place he now was at his old favorite hub. "I had some business with Max but it seems I should leave business for when he's not near a crowd...or a microphone. Shit." Jack looked over to where the stairs leading to the second floor was and felt his chest tighten at the many memories he had of that floor, mainly the ones that included Jess. It became clear why he avoided Atmosphere and he started to down his drink so he could get out of there.
"Heeey, it's my shy man!" Max came up and slapped a hand down on Jack shoulder, grinning. "I was about to take Lilly up to the second floor. Why don't you come...oooh, and you too, hot stuff." Max turned and openly admired Kennedy while shaking Jack's shoulder. The detective forced a smile and shook his head. "Sorry, Max. Not tonight." Max frowned for the first time that night, shaking his head and making eye contact with a nervous looking Lilly. "Jack...man, you gotta let Jess go, okay? Remember how much fun she had up there? If she was here right now she would force you up there with this hot thing right here." Max flipped a thumb in Kennedy's direction while Jack fought to keep his anger down. "Max..." His voice sounded strained. "There are some days when I miss Jess more than others." He turned and set a hand down on his friend's shoulder. "Stop making this one of those days...please." Reaching into his jacket pocket, Jack pulled out a bill and tossed it onto the bar table. "It was good to see you again, Lilly. And here," Jack handed the jump drive to Max. "I know you can work miracles, Max. Make one happen with this." Lastly, he turned and faced Kennedy. "Sorry, I should really get to sleep if I'm to be any good for work tomorrow. You're right; this isn't my scene." His eyes flashed over to Max. "Not anymore. Let me take you and your posse out to lunch tomorrow; I really would like to talk to you without you walking away."
Max and Lilly exchanged glances as Jack weaved his way to the exit. "Max, you should really leave him alone. He's changed, you know." Max sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, what a fucking party pooper. So...how about it, hot stuff?" He turned to grin at Kennedy, reaching forward a finger to rub it up and down her shoulder. "Lilly an' I can be quite a team."
After laughing at Jacks joke, Kennedy quickly downed the rest of her sixth drink.
She'd nod as if saying "of course" when he admired he ability to read people, before ordering another drink....which arrived right as Max popped up.
Kennedy rolled her eyes at the term "hot stuff", and the suggestion that she should follow Jack up to the second floor. But when she caught a glimpse of Lily's reaction to Jacks "No", a slightly more serious expression made its way to her face...that only deepend the more the DJ tried to push Jack to do something he obviously didn't want to do.
Suddenly, mere seconds before Jack could respond, it hit her.
"Jess must of been his wife....." she thought "....but what happened to her?." she'd wondered to herself, as she uncrossed her legs, turned slightly towards the bar, and turned up her glass again.
"There are some days when I miss Jess more than others......stop making this one of those days, please" Jack let out, before handing over the USB drive, and paying Lily for the drink he barely even touched.
He then turned towards Kennedy, and she stared back at him w/ curiosity written all over her face.
"Sorry, I should really get to sleep if I'm to be any good for work tomorrow. You're right; this isn't my scene.....not anymore. Let me take you and your posse out to lunch tomorrow; I really would like to talk to you without you walking away."
It took her only a few seconds to get the irony of his statement as she watched him make his way towards the exit. Once she did however, Kennedy couldn't help but grin...........she had gotten a taste of her own medicine.
Max would again call her "hot stuff" before inviting her to hangout with him and Lily, but she'd ignore the offer and turn to face the bar again - her seventh drink now gone. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a plastic to-go cup back there would ya??" Kennedy joked, but Lily actually began to look around for one, and after only twenty seconds or so, she found it!
"Oh wow, think you can secretly pour me one in there to go!?"
Lily laughed and said "Sure", and in return Kennedy pulled out her cellphone to call Bai.
Luckily the driver was right around the block, so her wait wouldn't be long at all...
"Hey you can run my card now.....that'll be my last one for the night."
Lily nodded, handed her the now full 16oz plastic cup, and then returned her credit card once it was swiped. Grand total for the night? $694.98 HKD.
"It's was nice meeting you Lily. And you," Kennedy paused to look over towards Max "I suppose it was nice to meet you too......but please, next time, it's Kennedy - not 'hot stuff' or 'hot thing'." she'd say with a quick wink, before swiftly jumping off her stool and then pushing her way towards the exit.
She knew it wasn't legal to walk about the streets drinking liquor from a cup, so she held the cup down at her side, until Bai showed up and she could quickly jump into the car.
**--*----------------------*-*----------------------*--**
By the time Kennedy arrived back to her room, it was nearly midnight......and her "Red Solo Cup" was empty.
Most women would of been slurring their words, and walking with a slight stagger, after downing eight LIIT's as quickly as she did. But Kennedy was remarkably steady on her feet as she walked into her bedroom, and rather clear in her words when she told her phone to "Wake me up at 5:30am, please" - which would give her ample time to have a small meeting with her fellow agents, and then be ready to leave by 8am.
After kicking off her shoes, and placing her phone on the nightstand, she flounced down on to the massive king-size bed - face first in the pillows. She mentally kept telling herself to get up and at least take her clothes off.......but after only a few minutes, Kennedy was out.
**------------------------------**
When she slowly opened her eyes again, it was clearly morning, and the golden decor around the room shined brightly.
Kennedy rolled onto her back and began to stare up at the ceiling
"Sunlight, sunbright...." she muttered, unenthusiastically......before rolling back over over on her side.
She didn't want to get up, and for the next five minutes, she didn't. Only until she spotted her phone on the nightstand, did she suddenly jolt up.
"Isn't sunrise at six...." she whispered, as she grabbed her phone - dread building up inside of her as she pressed the "idle" button to view the time.
"SHIT!" she yelled, before popping up off the mattress and running into the bathroom.
Literally within seconds, she had stripped out of her clothing and jumped into shower....all while cursing herself aloud.
The clock had read; 9:32am.
By 10:00am Kennedy had, in record time, not only gotten dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a sleeveless top, and the same pair of black boots from the previous day, but had successfully dried and pinned her hair, up in a large messy bun.
She hurriedly attached her gun to her hip, clipped her badge above her right front pocket, placed her official ID-wallet and room key in her back pocket, and then clenched her phone in her right hand.
After spending only five seconds or so checking over her reflection in the mirror, she was out the door. And within under a minute, she was knocking ferociously at the other agents door.
Kyle answered, fully dressed.
"Finally! Did you get my messages?" he'd ask, as Kennedy suddenly began to scroll through her phones menus, until she found the alarm clock.
"No no no, i didn't even read or listen to any of my messages, i just can't beleive this damn clock didn't go off! It said the appointment was set after i said the damn time, but-"
Kennedy suddenly stopped ranting and stared at her phones screen.....the alarm HAD set, but it set for 5:30pm, having taken the "p-lease" she said last night, as "p-m".
Her shoulders slumped down, and all her anger began to deflate from her body - as she slowly shook her head side to side.
"I hate technology......" she muttered, before clearing her throat and speaking up in a much clearer tone "Well, at least you guys are ready, so lets-.....wait, where are Mingli and Orlando!?" she asked, suddenly realizing they weren't there over Kyles shoulder.
"Ah, that was one of the things in the message i left you...."
"Kyle, you better tell me they're in the freakin bathroom together or i think i'll go postal."
"Well no, thank god.....that would be a little to strange for me. They went out last night, but left the bar with some girls who were vacationing from Brazil i think, and well, long story short they stayed at their hotel clear across town and are now stuck in traffic behind a multiple car pile-up......they called me when they couldn't get through to you, it could be a hour or so more before they get here."
Kennedy shoved her phone in her pocket and then cupped her hands over her face. She'd take a deep breath before stepping back from the door and dropping her arms to her side again. "Come on.....we'll just go to the station and they can meet us there when they can."
She'd turn and walk towards the Elevator, figuring Kyle would follow her - he did.
The two would then use the hotels complimentary car service to make it to the station......arriving at 10:40am.
Kennedy knew they were late, and figured at least one of the four messages on her phone came from someone at the station. But instead of wasting time with an explanation the second she walked in, she zoned in on the first familiar face, Chen, and began question him on the status of the credit reports.
"Hey, have you guys heard back from the FBI yet??"
"U-um, no, i don't think so. I beleive they were waiting for you guys to call it in again." he said softly, obviously a bit uncomfortable by Kennedys abrasive approach.
"Great...." she muttered....before walking away towards the back of the room.
Kyle thanked Chen, and then followed behind her.
"You gonna be okay?" he asked, just as she slipped both her hands into her back pockets and turned away from the photo board.
"Oh yeah, i'm great. I can't wait to listen to them relay how they've been waiting on us to call the FBI, an agency WE work for, to get the credit and social reports." the sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and the two sighed almost in unison. "You do know that there's this little nasty stereotype floating around out in the world, that Americans are just fat lazy slobs, who think the world revolves around them, and runs on THEIR schedule only, right? So what does us arriving here nearly three hours late say??"
"That we're douches who think we can show up whenever we want, eh?"
"Exactly."
After sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Kennedy walked past Kyle and up to the first door she spotted. The writing on the window was in Kanji, but she was able to translate it in her head to; "Supply Room"..........so on to the next room she went, and then the next, until she hit a room that clearly had "Chief" written on it, in both Kanji AND English. Kennedy knocked.
"Come in!" she heard, and quickly walked in.
"Good Morning. I'm sorry we're late."
The older man quickly stood up from his chair and made his way towards them with a hand held out.
"Oh the FBI agents. It's very nice to meet you."
Just like Jack had, the Chief held his hand out towards Kyle. She let her fellow agent shake his hand first and then held out hers to be shaken too....but to her annoyance, it wasn't, and instead the older man turned to walk back behind his desk - inviting them to take a seat in one of the four chairs in the office.....they did.
"You guys are a little late, and there's only two of you today? Does Jack know you're here now?" the man asked, looking over towards Kyle. But it was Kennedy who would answer.
"No, we just arrived. And like i said before, we apologize for being late, and our partners will be here shortly. As to Jack, i haven't seen him yet....so no, he doesn't know. Care to call him?"
The man seemed to find it hard to look at Kennedy over Kyle, but eventually did - somewhat.
"Well, i can call him in here, just hold on."
As the chief picked up his office phone, Kennedy pulled out her cellphone and began dialing her supervising agent back home.
After a brief conversation, she inquired about the credit card reports, and the SSN activity sheets. She was informed they had been pulled the other evening, and would be sent in the next few minutes.
So all they had to do now, was wait.....
She'd nod as if saying "of course" when he admired he ability to read people, before ordering another drink....which arrived right as Max popped up.
Kennedy rolled her eyes at the term "hot stuff", and the suggestion that she should follow Jack up to the second floor. But when she caught a glimpse of Lily's reaction to Jacks "No", a slightly more serious expression made its way to her face...that only deepend the more the DJ tried to push Jack to do something he obviously didn't want to do.
Suddenly, mere seconds before Jack could respond, it hit her.
"Jess must of been his wife....." she thought "....but what happened to her?." she'd wondered to herself, as she uncrossed her legs, turned slightly towards the bar, and turned up her glass again.
"There are some days when I miss Jess more than others......stop making this one of those days, please" Jack let out, before handing over the USB drive, and paying Lily for the drink he barely even touched.
He then turned towards Kennedy, and she stared back at him w/ curiosity written all over her face.
"Sorry, I should really get to sleep if I'm to be any good for work tomorrow. You're right; this isn't my scene.....not anymore. Let me take you and your posse out to lunch tomorrow; I really would like to talk to you without you walking away."
It took her only a few seconds to get the irony of his statement as she watched him make his way towards the exit. Once she did however, Kennedy couldn't help but grin...........she had gotten a taste of her own medicine.
Max would again call her "hot stuff" before inviting her to hangout with him and Lily, but she'd ignore the offer and turn to face the bar again - her seventh drink now gone. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a plastic to-go cup back there would ya??" Kennedy joked, but Lily actually began to look around for one, and after only twenty seconds or so, she found it!
"Oh wow, think you can secretly pour me one in there to go!?"
Lily laughed and said "Sure", and in return Kennedy pulled out her cellphone to call Bai.
Luckily the driver was right around the block, so her wait wouldn't be long at all...
"Hey you can run my card now.....that'll be my last one for the night."
Lily nodded, handed her the now full 16oz plastic cup, and then returned her credit card once it was swiped. Grand total for the night? $694.98 HKD.
"It's was nice meeting you Lily. And you," Kennedy paused to look over towards Max "I suppose it was nice to meet you too......but please, next time, it's Kennedy - not 'hot stuff' or 'hot thing'." she'd say with a quick wink, before swiftly jumping off her stool and then pushing her way towards the exit.
She knew it wasn't legal to walk about the streets drinking liquor from a cup, so she held the cup down at her side, until Bai showed up and she could quickly jump into the car.
**--*----------------------*-*----------------------*--**
By the time Kennedy arrived back to her room, it was nearly midnight......and her "Red Solo Cup" was empty.
Most women would of been slurring their words, and walking with a slight stagger, after downing eight LIIT's as quickly as she did. But Kennedy was remarkably steady on her feet as she walked into her bedroom, and rather clear in her words when she told her phone to "Wake me up at 5:30am, please" - which would give her ample time to have a small meeting with her fellow agents, and then be ready to leave by 8am.
After kicking off her shoes, and placing her phone on the nightstand, she flounced down on to the massive king-size bed - face first in the pillows. She mentally kept telling herself to get up and at least take her clothes off.......but after only a few minutes, Kennedy was out.
**------------------------------**
When she slowly opened her eyes again, it was clearly morning, and the golden decor around the room shined brightly.
Kennedy rolled onto her back and began to stare up at the ceiling
"Sunlight, sunbright...." she muttered, unenthusiastically......before rolling back over over on her side.
She didn't want to get up, and for the next five minutes, she didn't. Only until she spotted her phone on the nightstand, did she suddenly jolt up.
"Isn't sunrise at six...." she whispered, as she grabbed her phone - dread building up inside of her as she pressed the "idle" button to view the time.
"SHIT!" she yelled, before popping up off the mattress and running into the bathroom.
Literally within seconds, she had stripped out of her clothing and jumped into shower....all while cursing herself aloud.
The clock had read; 9:32am.
By 10:00am Kennedy had, in record time, not only gotten dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a sleeveless top, and the same pair of black boots from the previous day, but had successfully dried and pinned her hair, up in a large messy bun.
She hurriedly attached her gun to her hip, clipped her badge above her right front pocket, placed her official ID-wallet and room key in her back pocket, and then clenched her phone in her right hand.
After spending only five seconds or so checking over her reflection in the mirror, she was out the door. And within under a minute, she was knocking ferociously at the other agents door.
Kyle answered, fully dressed.
"Finally! Did you get my messages?" he'd ask, as Kennedy suddenly began to scroll through her phones menus, until she found the alarm clock.
"No no no, i didn't even read or listen to any of my messages, i just can't beleive this damn clock didn't go off! It said the appointment was set after i said the damn time, but-"
Kennedy suddenly stopped ranting and stared at her phones screen.....the alarm HAD set, but it set for 5:30pm, having taken the "p-lease" she said last night, as "p-m".
Her shoulders slumped down, and all her anger began to deflate from her body - as she slowly shook her head side to side.
"I hate technology......" she muttered, before clearing her throat and speaking up in a much clearer tone "Well, at least you guys are ready, so lets-.....wait, where are Mingli and Orlando!?" she asked, suddenly realizing they weren't there over Kyles shoulder.
"Ah, that was one of the things in the message i left you...."
"Kyle, you better tell me they're in the freakin bathroom together or i think i'll go postal."
"Well no, thank god.....that would be a little to strange for me. They went out last night, but left the bar with some girls who were vacationing from Brazil i think, and well, long story short they stayed at their hotel clear across town and are now stuck in traffic behind a multiple car pile-up......they called me when they couldn't get through to you, it could be a hour or so more before they get here."
Kennedy shoved her phone in her pocket and then cupped her hands over her face. She'd take a deep breath before stepping back from the door and dropping her arms to her side again. "Come on.....we'll just go to the station and they can meet us there when they can."
She'd turn and walk towards the Elevator, figuring Kyle would follow her - he did.
The two would then use the hotels complimentary car service to make it to the station......arriving at 10:40am.
Kennedy knew they were late, and figured at least one of the four messages on her phone came from someone at the station. But instead of wasting time with an explanation the second she walked in, she zoned in on the first familiar face, Chen, and began question him on the status of the credit reports.
"Hey, have you guys heard back from the FBI yet??"
"U-um, no, i don't think so. I beleive they were waiting for you guys to call it in again." he said softly, obviously a bit uncomfortable by Kennedys abrasive approach.
"Great...." she muttered....before walking away towards the back of the room.
Kyle thanked Chen, and then followed behind her.
"You gonna be okay?" he asked, just as she slipped both her hands into her back pockets and turned away from the photo board.
"Oh yeah, i'm great. I can't wait to listen to them relay how they've been waiting on us to call the FBI, an agency WE work for, to get the credit and social reports." the sarcasm in her voice was obvious, and the two sighed almost in unison. "You do know that there's this little nasty stereotype floating around out in the world, that Americans are just fat lazy slobs, who think the world revolves around them, and runs on THEIR schedule only, right? So what does us arriving here nearly three hours late say??"
"That we're douches who think we can show up whenever we want, eh?"
"Exactly."
After sighing for what felt like the hundredth time, Kennedy walked past Kyle and up to the first door she spotted. The writing on the window was in Kanji, but she was able to translate it in her head to; "Supply Room"..........so on to the next room she went, and then the next, until she hit a room that clearly had "Chief" written on it, in both Kanji AND English. Kennedy knocked.
"Come in!" she heard, and quickly walked in.
"Good Morning. I'm sorry we're late."
The older man quickly stood up from his chair and made his way towards them with a hand held out.
"Oh the FBI agents. It's very nice to meet you."
Just like Jack had, the Chief held his hand out towards Kyle. She let her fellow agent shake his hand first and then held out hers to be shaken too....but to her annoyance, it wasn't, and instead the older man turned to walk back behind his desk - inviting them to take a seat in one of the four chairs in the office.....they did.
"You guys are a little late, and there's only two of you today? Does Jack know you're here now?" the man asked, looking over towards Kyle. But it was Kennedy who would answer.
"No, we just arrived. And like i said before, we apologize for being late, and our partners will be here shortly. As to Jack, i haven't seen him yet....so no, he doesn't know. Care to call him?"
The man seemed to find it hard to look at Kennedy over Kyle, but eventually did - somewhat.
"Well, i can call him in here, just hold on."
As the chief picked up his office phone, Kennedy pulled out her cellphone and began dialing her supervising agent back home.
After a brief conversation, she inquired about the credit card reports, and the SSN activity sheets. She was informed they had been pulled the other evening, and would be sent in the next few minutes.
So all they had to do now, was wait.....
Jack had gone home and worked out, trying to empty his mind of thoughts. He had nagging doubts about the dedication of the FBI agents seeing how they went to clubs instead of studying and resting. Somehow he had pictured them to be a little more extreme, a little more...obsessed. Like you, hm? He thought to himself before setting down the barbells and sighing. Nobody seemed to care as much as he did, which was frustrating. Especially the chief. The thought of that man returned the anger to Jack's mind and he went to take a cold shower to calm down.
Lying in bed a bit later, Dashan pulled out his wife's file which was hidden underneath the mattress. Meiling had given him a copy of it but had left out the graphic pictures, thankfully. Every night he glanced over it, trying to see if he was missing some vital part. One missing part of the puzzle was the video card the chief had refused to let him see, which seemed odd. Jack hoped Max could work with it and make things audible. Setting the alarm, Jack pulled the covers over his head and practiced a slight form of meditation until he fell into a dreamless sleep.
***
The next morning Jack was surprised to not see the FBI agents anywhere. Even when he asked around nobody seemed to have run into them which annoyed the detective. This was the same kind of 'hurry up and wait' attitude he didn't miss from leaving the states. Not having anything to do, he reorganized his picture board before going into his office and sitting at his desk. Today he wore bluejeans and a white T-shirt, not feeling up to dressing up when he knew they would most likely be mulling over files in the backroom. He began to absentmindedly balance a pencil on his nose while staring out of his window, down onto the street. So many people.
Jack wasn't sure how long he had been staring when his phone rang, causing him to jump and drop the pencil down to the ground. "Dashan Scott," he answered, bending down to retrieve the writing utensil off the floor. "The agents are finally here. Come to my office." Jack frowned and hung up the phone, glancing to his clock. 10:40...shit, it was almost lunchtime. Jack stood up and grabbed his black sports jacket before heading to the chief's office and sitting down in a nearby seat, nodding to first Kennedy then...Keith, was it?
"The rest are running late." Boding informed him in Cantonese. Dashan nodded, glancing over to the two with a disappointed frown. "I'm sure they're taking this very seriously." The chief rose an eyebrow. "Are you, Dashan? I heard about your little 'appearance' at Atmosphere last night. You know, I hired you in spite of your playboy reputation. I hope you're not going to make me regret that." Dashan glared at the chief, his fists balling up. "I was under the impression you hired me for my father's money, a decision I'm SURE you don't regret." The tension between the two was obvious until Jack cleared his throat and turned to Kennedy. "Have you heard back from your headquarters yet?"
Lying in bed a bit later, Dashan pulled out his wife's file which was hidden underneath the mattress. Meiling had given him a copy of it but had left out the graphic pictures, thankfully. Every night he glanced over it, trying to see if he was missing some vital part. One missing part of the puzzle was the video card the chief had refused to let him see, which seemed odd. Jack hoped Max could work with it and make things audible. Setting the alarm, Jack pulled the covers over his head and practiced a slight form of meditation until he fell into a dreamless sleep.
***
The next morning Jack was surprised to not see the FBI agents anywhere. Even when he asked around nobody seemed to have run into them which annoyed the detective. This was the same kind of 'hurry up and wait' attitude he didn't miss from leaving the states. Not having anything to do, he reorganized his picture board before going into his office and sitting at his desk. Today he wore bluejeans and a white T-shirt, not feeling up to dressing up when he knew they would most likely be mulling over files in the backroom. He began to absentmindedly balance a pencil on his nose while staring out of his window, down onto the street. So many people.
Jack wasn't sure how long he had been staring when his phone rang, causing him to jump and drop the pencil down to the ground. "Dashan Scott," he answered, bending down to retrieve the writing utensil off the floor. "The agents are finally here. Come to my office." Jack frowned and hung up the phone, glancing to his clock. 10:40...shit, it was almost lunchtime. Jack stood up and grabbed his black sports jacket before heading to the chief's office and sitting down in a nearby seat, nodding to first Kennedy then...Keith, was it?
"The rest are running late." Boding informed him in Cantonese. Dashan nodded, glancing over to the two with a disappointed frown. "I'm sure they're taking this very seriously." The chief rose an eyebrow. "Are you, Dashan? I heard about your little 'appearance' at Atmosphere last night. You know, I hired you in spite of your playboy reputation. I hope you're not going to make me regret that." Dashan glared at the chief, his fists balling up. "I was under the impression you hired me for my father's money, a decision I'm SURE you don't regret." The tension between the two was obvious until Jack cleared his throat and turned to Kennedy. "Have you heard back from your headquarters yet?"
Kennedys face scrunched up in annoyance at Jacks remark about them "taking this seriously".
"Great, just the reaction i expected......i wish i was wrong sometimes." she thought to herself, before the chief and Jack began to bicker in their native tongue.
Unlike Orlando, Kyle had already figured out Kennedy didn't want to divulge that she understood them, in hopes that perhaps she could pick something up they didn't want her to hear.........so he sat back and simply watched her facial expressions, instead of inquiring aloud for a translation.
Kennedy couldn't help but cringe a bit at the mention of "Atmosphere!" She couldn't shake the question of not only why, but how, the chief would know about what Jack does on his off time.......that is, until Jack spoke of his fathers money.
"What the hell is that suppose to mean!?" she thought to herself, wishing they'd converse a bit more.....but she'd be disappointed, as the detective suddenly turned to her.
"Have you heard back from your headquarters yet?" he asked.
Kennedy uncrossed her legs and shifted in her seat a bit so that she was facing him. "Well we called them a few moments ago, and we're waiting for a fax to-"
Before she could finish, an officer burst through the door without even a knock. "A fax has arrived sir! It's from the FBI, i figured you and the agents would want to see this as soon as possible!"
She couldn't help but smirk a bit at the officers eagerness to please, before standing and walking over to him.
"I think i heard you say FBI in there.....right?" she said, playing dumb.
The man nodded quickly, and responded with a heavily accented "Yes, it is".
"Well then, i'll take that." she'd say, before pulling the folder out of the mans hands, and then opening it up.
Kennedy would stand near Jack and scan over the pages that listed the activity on the socials. Like she suspected, there was nothing of value there. But as she scanned over the credit card reports, she perked up a bit.....when she noticed the last use on the cards was only a few days ago. And two students appeared to go to the same place every morning.......something Kennedy pointed out to Kyle, after walking over and bending down to hand him the files.
"See that...." she said quietly.
"Yeah, but what is this place!?? All the report says is "DLIMKT" Kyle wondered aloud.
"Um, Deli......Market! Deli Market! Gee, i wish they'd put that on the report. Well at least there's a phone number there, so let me enter that into my phone to try and find an address"
Sure enough, seconds after putting the number into Google, a result popped up for "Kim's Deli Market"
"The place is called-" Kyle cut Kennedy off. "Kims Deli Market"
She looked down at him, with a slightly shocked expression on her face. "How'd you know!"
When Kyled held up the last page to her, Kennedy couldn't help but laugh quietly at herself.
All the locations where the cards had been swiped, where detailed out on the final page in the folder.
"Well," she said, before turning around to face Jack - arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sure we can do that lunch you promised, after we go to this Deli."
She'd slipped her phone into her side pocket and then tapped Kyle on the shoulder - to which he responded to by standing up and following her to the door.
"Chop chop!" Kennedy said towards Jack with a small smirk, before opening the office door and heading out towards the front doors.
While she waited for Jack to come out with the keys, she'd text Orlando and Mingli to see where how much longer they'd be
"An hour...maybe. We're so sorry." was the response she got.
"Great, just the reaction i expected......i wish i was wrong sometimes." she thought to herself, before the chief and Jack began to bicker in their native tongue.
Unlike Orlando, Kyle had already figured out Kennedy didn't want to divulge that she understood them, in hopes that perhaps she could pick something up they didn't want her to hear.........so he sat back and simply watched her facial expressions, instead of inquiring aloud for a translation.
Kennedy couldn't help but cringe a bit at the mention of "Atmosphere!" She couldn't shake the question of not only why, but how, the chief would know about what Jack does on his off time.......that is, until Jack spoke of his fathers money.
"What the hell is that suppose to mean!?" she thought to herself, wishing they'd converse a bit more.....but she'd be disappointed, as the detective suddenly turned to her.
"Have you heard back from your headquarters yet?" he asked.
Kennedy uncrossed her legs and shifted in her seat a bit so that she was facing him. "Well we called them a few moments ago, and we're waiting for a fax to-"
Before she could finish, an officer burst through the door without even a knock. "A fax has arrived sir! It's from the FBI, i figured you and the agents would want to see this as soon as possible!"
She couldn't help but smirk a bit at the officers eagerness to please, before standing and walking over to him.
"I think i heard you say FBI in there.....right?" she said, playing dumb.
The man nodded quickly, and responded with a heavily accented "Yes, it is".
"Well then, i'll take that." she'd say, before pulling the folder out of the mans hands, and then opening it up.
Kennedy would stand near Jack and scan over the pages that listed the activity on the socials. Like she suspected, there was nothing of value there. But as she scanned over the credit card reports, she perked up a bit.....when she noticed the last use on the cards was only a few days ago. And two students appeared to go to the same place every morning.......something Kennedy pointed out to Kyle, after walking over and bending down to hand him the files.
"See that...." she said quietly.
"Yeah, but what is this place!?? All the report says is "DLIMKT" Kyle wondered aloud.
"Um, Deli......Market! Deli Market! Gee, i wish they'd put that on the report. Well at least there's a phone number there, so let me enter that into my phone to try and find an address"
Sure enough, seconds after putting the number into Google, a result popped up for "Kim's Deli Market"
"The place is called-" Kyle cut Kennedy off. "Kims Deli Market"
She looked down at him, with a slightly shocked expression on her face. "How'd you know!"
When Kyled held up the last page to her, Kennedy couldn't help but laugh quietly at herself.
All the locations where the cards had been swiped, where detailed out on the final page in the folder.
"Well," she said, before turning around to face Jack - arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sure we can do that lunch you promised, after we go to this Deli."
She'd slipped her phone into her side pocket and then tapped Kyle on the shoulder - to which he responded to by standing up and following her to the door.
"Chop chop!" Kennedy said towards Jack with a small smirk, before opening the office door and heading out towards the front doors.
While she waited for Jack to come out with the keys, she'd text Orlando and Mingli to see where how much longer they'd be
"An hour...maybe. We're so sorry." was the response she got.
Jack didn't bother to try and look over the files, knowing that Kennedy would want to look them over first. While his exclusion annoyed him, he wasn't sure anymore if the American did it on purpose or if it was just the way she was. He couldn't help but notice, however, the pleased expression on the Chief's face. "Well, allowing the woman to take charge, are we?" He teased Jack while the two FBI agents were now conversing and Jack just shrugged. "You don't keep your bloodhounds on a leash when they're on a trail." Jack meant the statement to be a stab at the Chief's methods of reining the detective back whenever he found a viable lead; the man was either the worst investigator ever or...he had something invested in not allowing these murders to be solved.
At the mention of lunch Boding sat up straight and glanced between the two and Jack couldn't help but grind his teeth. "Lunch? At that deli? I would like to be present to see what you have come up with so far." Dashan stood up and snatched his jacket before pulling it on as Kennedy left. "She said she saw a place somewhere she wanted to try. Not sure what she's talking about." Jack lied and hurriedly left the angry Chief behind, almost running into Meiling outside the door. "Woah, you okay?" He stopped to make sure the small woman was steady on her feet. "Yes, thank you Dashan," she blushed and handed him a file. "Here's the information about the cameras from the other day. Only in Chinese, though." Jack flashed her a smile before heading to the exit. "Thank you!" He called out behind him. Once outside he paused, opening up the file to look through it and holding it tightly in case Kennedy felt the need to take it away from him. Just as he thought, the records had been wiped clean. So they had been controlled by either someone who knew enough to hack into a fairly sophisticated company's records or enough money to bribe them.
"The camera records," he would hold the file out to Kennedy. He hurried out to the back, not wanting to waste more time than they already had that morning. His usual sedan was there and the guard saluted again with two fingers across his forehead when Dashan let him know they were going to take it. Once they got driving, he pinched the bridge between his nose and sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that back there. The Chief and I don't really see eye-to-eye." Rounding a corner he had to slow down at the sight of the congested traffic. "Just great," he muttered. At least he would have time now to explain the camera files.
At the mention of lunch Boding sat up straight and glanced between the two and Jack couldn't help but grind his teeth. "Lunch? At that deli? I would like to be present to see what you have come up with so far." Dashan stood up and snatched his jacket before pulling it on as Kennedy left. "She said she saw a place somewhere she wanted to try. Not sure what she's talking about." Jack lied and hurriedly left the angry Chief behind, almost running into Meiling outside the door. "Woah, you okay?" He stopped to make sure the small woman was steady on her feet. "Yes, thank you Dashan," she blushed and handed him a file. "Here's the information about the cameras from the other day. Only in Chinese, though." Jack flashed her a smile before heading to the exit. "Thank you!" He called out behind him. Once outside he paused, opening up the file to look through it and holding it tightly in case Kennedy felt the need to take it away from him. Just as he thought, the records had been wiped clean. So they had been controlled by either someone who knew enough to hack into a fairly sophisticated company's records or enough money to bribe them.
"The camera records," he would hold the file out to Kennedy. He hurried out to the back, not wanting to waste more time than they already had that morning. His usual sedan was there and the guard saluted again with two fingers across his forehead when Dashan let him know they were going to take it. Once they got driving, he pinched the bridge between his nose and sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that back there. The Chief and I don't really see eye-to-eye." Rounding a corner he had to slow down at the sight of the congested traffic. "Just great," he muttered. At least he would have time now to explain the camera files.
"The camera records" Dashan said suddenly, before handing Kennedy a folder.
She purposely sighed after opening it up.
"It's in Chinese..." Kennedy muttered, as she casually flicked through the pages and then closed the folder dramatically.
"That sucks" Kyle said, going along with her lie.
The two couldn't help but smirk at each other as Kennedy reopened the folder softly and skimmed over the pages again - actually reading what was written this time, since Dashans back was to them.
Luckily the detective didn't turn around as she skimmed through the pages, and the folder would be tucked tightly under her arm by the time she sat in cars passengers seat.
"I'm sorry you had to see that back there. The Chief and I don't really see eye-to-eye." the detective said, as the car turned around the corner and came into some traffic.
"Oh it's not a problem, i'd ask what all the fuss was about but something tells me it's personal. So," Kennedy paused long enough to roll her window down and cross her legs - as she had suddenly became warm and uncomfortable in her seat. "I'm guessing from the lack of enthusiasm in your voice when you handed me this folder, that there's nothing of real value on the cameras - hmm?" she asked, knowing the answer already.
"Well if that's true, i can't say i'm too surprised. Things never go that easy in a case, UNSUBs with multiple murders under their belts rarely ever leave such easy trails behind them. The question is, if my assumption of the cameras being cleaned is right, how in the world did such a thing happen?"
"I think it's safe to say the owners of the cameras didn't do it." Kyle chimed in with. "I mean nothing personal here, but they don't strike me as the type sophisticated enough to wipe security camera systems, which are likely designed against such sweeps of data."
"Exactly. I don't much about the inter-working of electronics either, but i know security systems are built to retain data and prevent easy deletions via hackings.....so i'm thinking this person either had access to the main controls via the owners, or we're dealing with someone pretty smart."
Kennedy sat up a bit in her seat as traffic began to flow again, and the Deli was now in sight.
"Again, i doubt it's the owners. The UNSUB is likely a introverted genius of sorts." Kyle suggested
"Yeah, or perhaps he's not working alone."
"What? You actually think more than one person is committing the crimes?"
"Well, not really. But perhaps the UNSUB has a contact, or friend, for the electronic aspect we've seen in this last killing? I guess I'm not sure about that last bit, but look - we're here."
Kennedy pointed across Dashans chest and out his window, at a sign that read "Kim's Deli Market".
She'd wait until the car was parked outside of the Deli before unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car. However within seconds of closing the door, she'd lean back down into the open passenger window and throw the folder on Dashans lap.
"So, even if the owners speak English i think you should do the questioning again, since you seem to have a bit of a local celebrity aura around yourself."
Kennedy would wink at him once before laughing a bit and standing up. She'd then walk away from the car and over towards Kyle, who stood by the Delis front door. As she walked, she'd pull her shirt up slightly in the back, so that she could slide her gun underneath it to appear slightly less intimidating - evening though she knew a nearly 6FT tall blonde, who obviously wasn't Chinese, would be slightly intimidating even without a gun.
She purposely sighed after opening it up.
"It's in Chinese..." Kennedy muttered, as she casually flicked through the pages and then closed the folder dramatically.
"That sucks" Kyle said, going along with her lie.
The two couldn't help but smirk at each other as Kennedy reopened the folder softly and skimmed over the pages again - actually reading what was written this time, since Dashans back was to them.
Luckily the detective didn't turn around as she skimmed through the pages, and the folder would be tucked tightly under her arm by the time she sat in cars passengers seat.
"I'm sorry you had to see that back there. The Chief and I don't really see eye-to-eye." the detective said, as the car turned around the corner and came into some traffic.
"Oh it's not a problem, i'd ask what all the fuss was about but something tells me it's personal. So," Kennedy paused long enough to roll her window down and cross her legs - as she had suddenly became warm and uncomfortable in her seat. "I'm guessing from the lack of enthusiasm in your voice when you handed me this folder, that there's nothing of real value on the cameras - hmm?" she asked, knowing the answer already.
"Well if that's true, i can't say i'm too surprised. Things never go that easy in a case, UNSUBs with multiple murders under their belts rarely ever leave such easy trails behind them. The question is, if my assumption of the cameras being cleaned is right, how in the world did such a thing happen?"
"I think it's safe to say the owners of the cameras didn't do it." Kyle chimed in with. "I mean nothing personal here, but they don't strike me as the type sophisticated enough to wipe security camera systems, which are likely designed against such sweeps of data."
"Exactly. I don't much about the inter-working of electronics either, but i know security systems are built to retain data and prevent easy deletions via hackings.....so i'm thinking this person either had access to the main controls via the owners, or we're dealing with someone pretty smart."
Kennedy sat up a bit in her seat as traffic began to flow again, and the Deli was now in sight.
"Again, i doubt it's the owners. The UNSUB is likely a introverted genius of sorts." Kyle suggested
"Yeah, or perhaps he's not working alone."
"What? You actually think more than one person is committing the crimes?"
"Well, not really. But perhaps the UNSUB has a contact, or friend, for the electronic aspect we've seen in this last killing? I guess I'm not sure about that last bit, but look - we're here."
Kennedy pointed across Dashans chest and out his window, at a sign that read "Kim's Deli Market".
She'd wait until the car was parked outside of the Deli before unbuckling her seat belt and getting out of the car. However within seconds of closing the door, she'd lean back down into the open passenger window and throw the folder on Dashans lap.
"So, even if the owners speak English i think you should do the questioning again, since you seem to have a bit of a local celebrity aura around yourself."
Kennedy would wink at him once before laughing a bit and standing up. She'd then walk away from the car and over towards Kyle, who stood by the Delis front door. As she walked, she'd pull her shirt up slightly in the back, so that she could slide her gun underneath it to appear slightly less intimidating - evening though she knew a nearly 6FT tall blonde, who obviously wasn't Chinese, would be slightly intimidating even without a gun.
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Dashan (Jack) Scott
A dedicated Hong Kong detective still mourning the death of his wife, obsessed with solving crimes to keep his mind off of her. His diligence to a case is both is best asset and worst flaw.
Kennedy Kay
A fiery young Special Agent with the FBI, who has a pension for tough solves, and is like a dog with a bone once a target has been lined up in front of her.
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Dashan (Jack) Scott
A dedicated Hong Kong detective still mourning the death of his wife, obsessed with solving crimes to keep his mind off of her. His diligence to a case is both is best asset and worst flaw.
Kennedy Kay
A fiery young Special Agent with the FBI, who has a pension for tough solves, and is like a dog with a bone once a target has been lined up in front of her.
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Dashan (Jack) Scott
A dedicated Hong Kong detective still mourning the death of his wife, obsessed with solving crimes to keep his mind off of her. His diligence to a case is both is best asset and worst flaw.
Kennedy Kay
A fiery young Special Agent with the FBI, who has a pension for tough solves, and is like a dog with a bone once a target has been lined up in front of her.
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The Shadows of Hong Kong
by Solarbay on Thu Apr 19, 2012 1:48 pm
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The Shadows of Hong Kong
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The Shadows of Hong Kong
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