The old black barber tossed a hot towel into the bamboo basket beside him. "That's because you didn't offend her. There aren't many pretty girls in town, and she's the only one little Kleiner couldn't get. What do you think is the reason?"
"It sounds like Mr. Mosley knows a lot about the Conklin family?" Jack began to probe, seemingly unintentionally.
"Before that idiot Morrison beca the police chief here, Roscoe's adoptive father, Gray Conklin, was the guardian of this place. When he was around, the Kleiner brats only dared to speed."
Mr. Mosley's expression was filled with regret as he spoke.
"Conklin was a good man. I don't understand why such a good man would choose to end his life in the garage."
Jack vaguely rembered that Roscoe's adoptive father's death wasn't so simple. He couldn't recall the specifics, but it was definitely related to the Kleiner Foundation.
The two chatted as they watched Reacher confront the two young n through the glass window. After a mont, Reacher returned, and the two Kleiner brats drove away.
"They threatened you?" Seeing Reacher's unfriendly expression, Jack asked directly.
"Sort of. They found out so things about my past in the military." Although Reacher still maintained a blank expression, the anger ignited in his eyes was obvious.
....
"Thank you for your service. See you again soti, Mr. Mosley." Jack paid the bill for both of them and walked out of the barbershop side by side with Reacher.
"So, now you can tell your true identity, right? Who exactly are you?" Reacher finally asked the question.
"An LAPD officer on leave, and also a temporary IRS investigator."
Jack didn't hide anything any longer and directly told them his identity, and frankly said that he ca to help his girlfriend get revenge, and that his role as an IRS investigator was only temporary.
Of course, he didn't ntion a word about the criminal activities the Kleiner Foundation was secretly engaged in, such as counterfeiting money, or what happened in Atlanta. Joe Reacher was still in a coma, and everything would have to wait until he woke up to tell him, otherwise he would beco a precognitive wizard.
After listening to Jack recount Hannah's family's ordeal more than a decade ago, Reacher was sowhat shocked. To have the backing of a congressman and act with such ruthlessness, this was no ordinary criminal organization.
"What exactly is the Kleiner family up to?"
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. They're very secretive. I've only found so clues so far, and then I t you. I think as a forr military policeman who once led the 'Special Investigations Unit of the 110th Military Police Unit,' you must have so extraordinary abilities."
"So, you were in the room next to the conference room at the ti?" Reacher logically deduced the 'cause and effect.'
"Yes, I don't have Finlay's awkwardness. I need a partner now, and you happen to be being targeted by so people." Jack extended a direct invitation.
"Uh, actually, I can leave at any ti. You're not the only one in town with a car." A cunning smile, inconsistent with his honest appearance, appeared on Reacher's face.
Hearing this, Jack smiled slightly. "So, you're not planning to have dinner with that pretty policewoman tonight?"
"How about I think about it and we'll talk about it tomorrow?"
Seeing that Reacher was still hesitant, Jack understood. This kind of thing sounded like a bottomless pit of muddy water, and not everyone who wasn't involved was willing to wade in. The fact that this big guy was willing to consider it was already good.
But he wasn't in a hurry. He had a winning hand, so he wasn't worried about the guy getting away.
"Take this phone. My number is on it. Even if you don't agree, you can still leave in my car tomorrow morning. I'm planning to go to Atlanta tomorrow anyway."
Jack handed him a prepaid phone. He had bought a dozen of these on his way here; these untraceable devices were incredibly useful.
After saying goodbye to Reacher, Jack went straight back to the hotel. He called Hannah first and learned that the other big guy was still unconscious, but the doctor said he was recovering well and, according to the EEG, would wake up within 24 hours at most.
Confirming that no strangers were at the hospital asking for information, Jack felt relieved. This ant the Kleiner family hadn't found their whereabouts. He then briefly told Hannah about his experiences over the past day, focusing on accusing Justine of her prank.
Hannah on the other end of the phone was laughing uncontrollably, making a bunch of promises to appease Jack.
She then handed the phone to the Wolff brothers, and Jack thanked Chris and Braxton. These two brothers were truly reliable; they practically risked their lives to save Joe Reacher for just one request.
Finally, he contacted Justine, who had finally cald down. Jack asked her to help investigate two people: Paul Hubble and Roscoe's adoptive father, Gray Conklin.
Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, Jack unexpectedly received a call from Finlay, whose voice trembled slightly.
"Another murder. It's Chief Morrison and his wife. Was that guy with you last night?"
"Tell the address, I'll co with him. Don't worry about Reacher, I believe he has a solid alibi."
Jack and Reacher's rooms weren't next to each other, or even on the sa floor. To avoid any awkward situations, he didn't bother knocking and directly dialed the cell phone number given to him the day before.
"Jack, sothing's happened. See you downstairs, bring the girl with you."
"What happened? What girl?" Reacher's voice sounded confused; the surrounding sounds seed to be from the car, not the room.
"Huh?" Jack was surprised. Had he guessed wrong?
"You didn't go on your date last night?"
Reacher on the other end of the phone was clearly still sleepy. "Last night, Roscoe drove to a bar outside town. On our way back, we got caught in a downpour, and the flood washed away the roads, so…"
"So you didn't co back at all last night? I guess the nearby motels were so crowded because of the road blockage that they just happened to have only one room left?"
Jack let out a nasty laugh.
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, then a furious female voice suddenly ca through, "Nothing happened between us. He's a gentleman. He slept on the floor all night. We're on our way back now."
Jack almost burst out laughing; he had actually guessed pretty accurately.
"Alright, enough joking. It's really happened. I just got a call from Finlay. Another murder has occurred. Chief Morrison of the Margrave Police Departnt and his wife were killed last night."
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