Chapter 181: Revenge

Compared to Joey's thick stack of printed materials brought by the beautiful Secret Service officer, Molly Beth Gordon, Reacher and Roscoe returned from the barbershop with a large wooden crate.

Using the key found in the gun case, they opened the crate. Dana and Chris took the lead in organizing the materials.

Why Dana and Chris? Because most of the contents were copies of the Kleiner Foundation's tax documents, detailing nearly every transaction.

"The foundation channels large amounts of money into Kleiner Industries and other businesses and community groups in Margrethe Town. They're essentially buying everything around here, including people's loyalty, with counterfeit bills."

Chris reached this conclusion in less than an hour.

Ray King, the head who arrived in Atlanta this morning, removed his reading glasses and rubbed his temples.

"This means that even if we have enough evidence, this will be a prolonged legal battle. Almost no one in this town will support us. Instead, they'll see us as the destroyers of their happy lives."

Jack interjected, "And Kleiner only needs to smuggle the remaining counterfeit bills out of the country and then burn down the factory. They can easily restart their operations in another rundown town with good transportation links."

Jack had always planned to flip the table and let the authorities clean up. The FBI's operation against the cannibals in New Mexico had opened his eyes to a new world of possibilities.

Seeing Jack's eager eyes, Ray King knew what he was thinking. "I need a valid reason. Otherwise, I can't back your covert raid."

Jack snapped his fingers and took a document Zoe handed him.

"This is an investigation report. Detective Finlay mentioned that an FBI friend once warned him not to come to Margrethe Town. This made me curious, so I asked Zoe to use her connections to investigate."

"Shortly after Hannah's parents' tragic deaths, an EPA investigator died unexpectedly. An FBI agent named Picard was assigned to the case, which was quickly closed as a botched burglary."

Hannah continued, "According to Joey's investigation, the culprit was a local professional killer known as 'The Viking.'"

"Coincidentally, we just learned from Detective Finlay that his FBI friend's name is Picard. Ten years ago, he was stationed at the Austin FBI office and now works at the Atlanta office."

"Even more coincidentally, his partner was someone as big as Reacher, nicknamed 'The Viking,' who died of cancer three years ago."

"Is the FBI's salary too low? Why are they either moonlighting as professional killers or colluding with counterfeit groups? How about you and Jack join the IRS as investigators?" Ray King joked half-seriously.

Hannah glanced at Jack. She didn't lack money, and she joined the FBI mainly to avenge her parents. Now, seeing her vengeance within reach, the FBI didn't hold much appeal for her anymore.

If Jack was willing, it wouldn't matter much whether she stayed with the FBI or joined the IRS. Jack, however, was uninterested. Working at the IRS investigating taxes paled in comparison to gaining experience solving cases at the BAU.

Jack knocked on the table, signaling everyone to focus.

"These documents are enough for the IRS to bypass the local FBI office. However, if we go through official channels to mobilize other FBI offices, we might run out of time."

The IRS didn't have its own armed force as exaggerated in some online stories. Investigators carried a handgun at most, and when force was needed, they usually requested FBI assistance. On the other hand, FBI offices in each state typically had their own SWAT teams.

The IRS's true power lay in its independent tax courts and prisons.

Ray King, a seasoned veteran, knew Jack's plan was to create a pretext to take his team for personal revenge.

After a moment's thought, he raised a small objection. "But what's your reason for raiding the Kleiner family? I can bypass the local FBI office and talk directly to their superiors. In two days, we could have a SWAT team in Atlanta."

"These documents are enough to get a search warrant for raiding Kleiner Industries. I can't authorize a local police detective, a vacationing LAPD officer, an undercover FBI agent, and several civilians to storm the place."

Jack was prepared. "Kidnapping. We need to rescue hostages."

Ray King was stunned. "Who did the Kleiner family kidnap?"

"Paul Hubble's wife and daughters. Charlie Hubble hid with her two daughters at her cousin Stevenson's house. To force Paul out, several South American hitmen broke into Stevenson's house tonight and kidnapped them in front of Detective Finlay."

"To rescue the hostages, Detective Finlay led elite local police officers and a few good citizens to follow the kidnappers to Kleiner Industries' factory, where they found a large amount of counterfeit bills and the equipment to make them."

Jack paused, realizing he had a knack for writing scripts.

Ray King nearly laughed. "So who are the mother and daughter next door being protected by the old detectives?"

Jack looked around innocently. "Do any of you know the elderly couple next door traveling with their granddaughter?"

Everyone shook their heads. Those with thinner skin, like Dana, looked up at the ceiling to avoid laughing.

Ray King rolled his eyes, struggling to suppress his urge to curse.

"If you can guarantee the main culprits won't make it to trial, I can turn a blind eye. The FBI will want a quick resolution due to the mole problem. As for the Secret Service..."

Everyone shared a knowing smile.

To avoid suspicion, Ray King left the room to join the elderly couple next door. Jack began assigning tasks.

"If nothing goes wrong with Finlay, we'll act tonight. To avoid detection, we'll infiltrate before dark."

"Everyone will split into three groups: one to stake out Stevenson's house, another to monitor Kleiner Industries' factory at the ranch, and the last to ensure the safety of the Hubble family. After it's all over, we'll need them at the scene."

Jack paused and looked at Reacher. "Can you find Paul Hubble? We need him to provide the factory layout. We might not have time to extract this information otherwise."

Reacher glanced at the time and confidently nodded. "I'll bring him back before dark. Tracking fugitives is my specialty."

Just then, Jack's phone rang. It was a message from Justin, whom Jack had asked to investigate two things: Paul Hubble's whereabouts and information on Roscoe's adoptive father Gray's death.

Paul was hiding well, not using credit cards or driving himself. Justin sent some background information for reference.

Reacher skimmed the information and checked the electronic map on his phone before confidently saying, "He's hiding in Augusta."

Everyone looked skeptical. Was he that sure?

"Paul isn't a bad guy. In his mind, he's just hiding out and won't go far from his family. If Kleiner threatens his family, he needs to be close enough to appear quickly."

Pointing to the map, Reacher continued, "Atlanta is too big. He'd feel uncomfortable, thinking Kleiner's eyes are everywhere. Athens County, home to the University of Georgia, is too obvious."

"Remember he wanted to hear his mom's childhood song, 'Rocky Raccoon'? He habitually seeks comfort zones. The file says he likes golf and has played in Augusta, leaving good memories there."

Such flimsy reasoning, but it made some sense.

Braxton, who had remained silent, skeptically asked, "But even if you know he's in Augusta, how will you find him?"

Reacher smiled mysteriously. "He can't use credit cards or reveal his identity, so he'll be in a cheap hourly-rate motel near a long-distance bus stop."

Everyone fell silent. Jack cleared his throat, hoping Reacher's protagonist aura would help. He then turned to Roscoe.

"There's another thing. Justin hacked into the coroner's office and found autopsy photos of your adoptive father Gray. Do you remember the head wound?"

Roscoe's breath quickened. "The coroner said it might have been from a fall before he hanged himself because the wound wasn't fatal. Did you find evidence of murder?"

Ever since discovering her adoptive father had investigated Kleiner Industries, Roscoe had doubted his death was a suicide.

Jack showed her a magnified photo of the wound. "This is Justin's enhanced image. You can clearly see a diamond-shaped impact mark."

Roscoe sprang up. "It was that fat pig Tiller. His cane is inlaid with a diamond-shaped synthetic moissanite. He colluded with the Kleiner family and killed Gray, staging it as a suicide."

Seeing her agitated, Reacher quickly embraced her.

"My suggestion is, you and Reacher find Paul. On your way back, you can visit the esteemed mayor and police chief's home. After all, it's reasonable for the body of someone colluding with the Kleiner family to be found at their counterfeiting factory."

Jack nodded at Braxton, who handed Reacher a silenced P14 from his waistband.

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