Accounts to be settled.

Seeing Emmett's unsatisfied gaze, Dean smiled.—I don't like this either, but the rules are rules, and given the situation at your police station, I think there is nothing wrong with continuing to monitor it.—Officer Morgan, update me?Ethan came out of the cord, took out a cigarette, and hit the cigarette pack.—Don't ask me, I just arrived too. — said with a frown.—I know you are not satisfied with my existence, but regarding this kidnapping and the shooting that took place at the abandoned metal factory, the FBI will investigate thoroughly, and until that investigation is concluded I will be around, so that we had better get along during that time.—Incidentally, the regional office has also assigned a special agent. It will arrive in a few days. Until he makes a decision, you must accept FBI supervision.Dean pushed Ethan away and led him into the pit, saying in a strong tone:—So would anyone want to tell me what happened here?Emmett looked at Ethan and said helplessly:—Local hunters found the body today. The rain of this last few days caused the earth to loosen, based on the degree of decomposition of the bodies, the coroner estimated that these people were buried for about 10 to 12 weeks after their death. The people who buried the bodies were in a hurry and only dug a shallow hole, which was unearthed by the hunter's dog.—Let me know if something happens.Dean had been exposed to these kinds of headless murder cases for a long time, and he was used to it. After covering his nose with a handkerchief and looking at him for a while, Dean got up and left.After leaving work, Ethan drove to the Davis bar, where the closed sign still hung high.After knocking on the door, the wooden door quickly opened a crack.— Why are you here? Don't you need to go to the hospital to watch?When Jab saw it was Ethan, he let him in and then closed the door.—It's Emmett's turn tonight. Also Rabbit should not dare to return for the moment. It is now the FBI's focus of attention after the kidnapping and shooting incident.—Serve yourself —Jab returned to his seat and looked at the laptop in front of him.Ethan walked over to the bar, leaned over, and pulled out a couple of glasses and a bottle of bourbon, walked over to Jab, and pulled out a chair to sit on.Jab took the bottle of wine next to him and served him half a glass of wine.After Ethan took a sip, he pointed to the image of a rabbit sitting in a car on the screen, with FBI files written on top of the image.— Any clues?—No, Rabbit has not appeared since leaving Banshee —Jab shook his head.—We murdered more than a dozen of his men, right now he is weak, if we could find him it would be easy to finish it.They both looked at the rabbit image on the computer screen in silence. After a while, Jab looked at Ethan, took a bag of files on one side, and threw it in front of Ethan.— What is this?—You'll know when you take a look at it.Ethan shrugged, left his drink on the bar, untied the rope from the document bag, casually leaned it, and came out a pile of photographs.He took the photo and looked at it, his eyes suddenly turned cold.In these photographs, they were all taken by street surveillance cameras. The photographs are very blurred. If you are not familiar with the person, it is difficult to see his face.In the photo you can see that on the surveillance screen, a naked person runs away in a hurry, followed by a man in a suit holding a gun, and passers-by on the street dodge it.—You really have a good figure.Ethan squeezed his fingers hard and the photo in his hand was wrinkled. I didn't expect Jab's abilities to be that great. In just a few days, he found the surveillance video on the road of his predecessor being chased.Jab reached out, rummaged through the photos on the desk, took a photo, and put it on top.—Take a look to see if it's this person. I have processed this image to make it appear clearer.—It's him, of that there is no doubt. I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to.Ethan looked at the profile picture in the photo and nodded heavily. This bald man with a British accent was particularly fresh in his memory.—In addition to searching for Rabbit's whereabouts these days, I also confirmed your story.—Through my channels, I learned that the man in the photo is called Quentin. He works for a loan band and is responsible for collection and taking out the trash.—Then I investigated the gang situation and discovered only one name. Its leader is Raymond Walton Brantley. Its motto is that all accounts must be settled. Once for a thousand dollar account. They traveled through various states to collect a debt, leaving a path full of corpses in the process.Jab took a sip of bourbon and continued:—This Brantley had a mistress a couple of months ago, who is missing.— What do you mean? —Ethan shook the photo in his hand.—To put it in simple terms, because of that woman, now you have outstanding debt to Brantley, and it's the type of account that I don't doubt that he should seek to settle.— How do I find this Brantley?—I'm trying to figure this out, but you also know that the whereabouts of these types of people are the most mysterious, making it very difficult. I will notify you when there is news.Jab saw Ethan drinking in silence, so he had no choice but to comfort him and said:—Don't worry, with us here, even if Brantley comes to Banshee, he can't do anything to you ..—Thank you. Since we can't find Brantley at the moment, let's focus first on the Rabbit, one enemy at a time.Jab sighed deeply and turned his attention to the computer.When he got home, Ethan saw a car parked outside his house. Ethan's police car appeared and the person in the car opened the door and left.Ethan withdrew his hand from the Glock's handle and said in surprise:—Sugar, why are you here?It was Sugar Kendall who got out of the car. She wore a short skirt, a pink shirt, black-mounted glasses, tied hair, and light makeup on her face.—Good evening, Ethan.Janie Kendall smiled slightly at him and then lifted the tray in her hand.—I heard what happened at your police station. It was really terrible. How is Chief Hood now? He didn't expect him to really choose to replace Carrie's son with himself, he's a hero.—Thanks for your concern. He is improving, but he will be hospitalized for a couple more days. What are you doing around here?—I made you some pasta. I saw that you liked it last time, so I brought you a little, I hope not to bother you ..Looking at Janie's soft legs under the black short skirt, Ethan was not stupid, no house woman would go to a place as desolate as this just to take him out for dinner and he was quickly able to foresee the woman's intentions.But now that things were complicated, and he had no intention of messing with a married woman. .Ethan opened the door and left the car, scratching his head helplessly.Janie's smile left, she felt the situation was a little forced, she adjusted her glasses and took a half step back.— Am I inopportune?Ethan was silent for a moment, aware of the implications of Janie's visit, with a sigh, decided to handle the situation carefully.—Of course not, please come in.Ethan had no choice but to take the macaroni from Jenny's hands and invite her into the house.Crossing the threshold, Janie took a curious look around her. He had hoped to find the typical chaos of a man living alone, but the place was clean and tidy, exceeding his expectations. Each object seemed to be in place, except for the ashtray full of butts and a half-consuming bottle of whiskey by the sofa.—Feel at home —Ethan said, leaving the macaroni on a nearby display case.—Thank you —Jenny replied, as she settled on the large leather sofa, sinking into the comfort it offered.After a moment of awkward silence, Jenny pointed at Ethan's waist with concern.— How is your wound?—Okay, I'm harder than I seem. —he replied, sitting in front of her.Feeling the tension in the air, Ethan quickly pulled out a cigarette case and waved it in front of it.— Does it bother you if I smoke?—I wouldn't mind if you give me one —he replied with a smile.Remembering that Jenny was also an inveterate smoker, Ethan lit two cigarettes and soon the room filled with a thick cloud of smoke. As the atmosphere charged, Jenny unbuttoned the top button on her shirt, exposing her clavicle, and exhaled gently. Her crossed legs constantly changed direction, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.— Where's Mayor Kendall? —Ethan asked, breaking the silence with a slight clearing.—Still at work. He doesn't normally come home until midnight —Jenny replied, with a touch of tiredness in her voice.— How busy are you?—Just think about work, and lately, how to finish off Proctor.Proctor's mention sparked Ethan's interest.—It seems that Kendall has a serious problem with Proctor. Is personal?— Do you know about the new Kinaho tribe casino project?—I heard something, but I didn't know what it had to do with the two of them —Ethan said, straightening up in his seat.Jenny leaned forward a little, her voice low and conspiratorial.—Dan and Alex Longshadow, the new chief of the Kinaho tribe, have secretly reached an agreement to get rid of Proctor and the verbal agreement with the previous boss, and Kendall wants to get him out of the project to keep a share of the new casino .Ethan threw the ashes out of his cigarette and nodded slowly.—So Mayor Kendall wants to get rid of Proctor to take his place. Now it all made sense. Ethan understood why Kendall had been chasing Proctor so insistently. Although Proctor was seen as a necessary evil in Banshee, he maintained a certain order and did not tolerate drug trafficking in his territory. For many, that made him a kind of dark guardian of the city.—Exactly —confirmed Janie —. With the new casino running, Kendall and Alex are determined to get rid of Proctor.Jenny gave her cigarette a deep drag before speaking in an almost inaudible whisper.—I don't know what Dan does all day, but at home ... he hasn't touched me in a year.Ethan was speechless, uncomfortable at the confession. He decided to change the subject.— Why are you telling me all this?Jenny looked him straight in the eye.—You asked.Ethan coughed to hide his discomfort.—I'm going to bring you something to drink.As he headed to the kitchen, he heard footsteps behind him. Suddenly, he felt Jenny hugging him from behind.—Since you saved me at the Banshee Festival, I haven't been able to get you out of my mind —she whispered —. When I saw you in the gym that day, I was not afraid at all I knew that you would save me.—Mrs. Kendall, please don't do this —Ethan said, trying to break free.—Call me Janie.Just then, the sound of a horn broke the tension in the room. Janie released Ethan quickly and returned to the couch, trying to pull herself together.A few seconds later, someone knocked on the door. Ethan sighed with relief and went to open it. On the other side were Siobhan and Emmett, both with serious expressions.— What are you doing here? —Ethan asked, surprised.Siobhan was hiding something behind his back, but he soon revealed it, throwing a burst of confetti and colored ribbons at Ethan.— Happy Birthday! —both shouted in unison.Siobhan rushed to hug Ethan, while Emmett smiled widely.—Damn bastards, I thought something had happened —Ethan said, hitting Emmett's back amicably, while Emmett's wife Meg got out of the car with a big cake in her hands.—Hello, Meg. I haven't seen you in a long time —Ethan greeted.Siobhan added:—Brock and Alma also contributed to buy the cake, but were unable to come. It was Alma who reminded us that today was your birthday.—I didn't even remember today was my birthday —Ethan admitted, scratching his head.He did not remember celebrating his birthday since he was a child. But now, in this new world, the surprise of his friends gave him a feeling of warmth. Today in this world he was 24 years old.— Do you have a guest? —Siobhan asked, looking inward.—Yes, it's Mrs. Kendall. He came to thank me for the gym last time —Ethan replied, taking off the confetti from his clothes and pointing the pasta on the table.Janie got up quickly and greeted the newcomers, before finding an excuse to leave in a hurry.— You two ...? —Siobhan asked, in a curious tone.— What? No, I'm not sleeping with Mrs. Kendall if that's what you're asking. —Ethan replied, taking the idea out of his head.Siobhan blushed, realizing that he had misinterpreted the situation. Jenny had a husband, after all.Under the dark sky, the lake shone with golden reflections as the sun slowly faded on the horizon. The air was impregnated with the aroma of burning wood and the unmistakable smell of meat grilling. Siobhan, Meg, Emmett, and Ethan were around a large wooden table they had set up near the lake shore that mixed with laughter and friendly conversations.Meg, with a radiant smile, served fresh salad dishes and freshly baked bread. His ability to organize dinners always left everyone impressed, and tonight was no exception. -Ethan, I hope you like the homemade barbecue sauce. I've been perfecting it all year.- he said while placing a jug full of thick sauce near him.Emmett, as always, was in charge of the grill. With an apron that said "King of the Grill," he deftly flipped the fillets, making sure each was perfectly cooked. -It's almost there, boys. Ethan, I've made you a special steak. Today you are the man of the moment.- he said with a smile from ear to ear, showing Ethan a piece of meat that looked like something out of a television commercial.Siobhan, on the other hand, was in charge of keeping everyone with a beer in hand.- Who wants a very cold beer? - he asked, opening a can with a sizzle that promised freshness.Ethan, normally reserved, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the warmth and camaraderie around him. He wasn't used to celebrating his birthday, much less this way. - I must thank you again, it was a real surprise.-No speeches still cheesy! First, let's eat and then you can talk what you want! .- Siobhan joked, raising his beer to toast.The crackling of the fire accompanied the evening, while the sky turned deep blue and the first stars appeared in the sky. The food was a resounding success: Emmett's special steak was devoured in a matter of minutes.After lunch, when there were only embers left on the grill, Siobhan got up and pulled out a guitar that he had kept hidden until then. The evening ended and they finally decided to leave, Ethan stayed a moment behind, looking at the now dark lake and feeling a peace that he had not experienced in a long time.