Jimmy stood, trussed up, on the sidelines watching his FBI colleagues bustle about. He'd screwed up this time; in the heat of the moment, he had forgotten where he was.
Langbo Gallery—this was a connection Peter had leveraged to let the FBI set up a temporary sting operation. Now, with two people suddenly dead, what was this supposed to mean? This was your way of handling things when lent a space for an operation by the FBI?
Talin was also stunned, merely acting as a middleman, later as a vase and an appraiser, just verifying the authenticity of paintings. And suddenly, his workplace had turned into a murder scene. How could they continue their business afterwards?
Peter was also feeling the headache. Now, he had to think about how to explain this to others. Hands on hips and teeth clenched, he glared at Jimmy. Although the case was solved, it left behind a mess of trouble.
After a while, the ambulance arrived. Peter and his team had already attempted first aid, but now that the paramedics had arrived, they were essentially just announcing the deaths. They placed the two bodies onto the ambulance, which then headed straight for the hospital morgue. A forensic doctor would need to examine the bodies afterward.
Once Peter and the others had cleaned up the scene, he led Jones, Jimmy, and company out of the gallery and back to Federal Square.
This time, Jimmy had to write the shooting report himself. He was the one who had fired the shots, and he had killed the people. Luckily, he had prepared cameras in advance, and surveillance footage showed Jimmy was trying to prevent the suspects from taking FBI money and the contraband paintings. Of course, that justification was thought up by Jimmy afterwards; during the shooting, his head was hot, and he hadn't thought about the consequences at all.
After finishing the report, Jimmy put his watch away and changed back into his own clothes. He needed to return the rented suit and check the watch back into the evidence warehouse.
Speaking of which, Jimmy was actually quite wealthy now. In America, anyone with a few hundred thousand dollars lying around in an account is definitely considered wealthy. Although not a tycoon, treating oneself a bit better shouldn't be a problem.
This is New York, home to renowned brands and bespoke shops. Jimmy also wanted to add some respectable items to his wardrobe, which would make things easier in the future.
By the time Jimmy had dealt with these miscellaneous tasks and returned to the office, he realized that things might have gotten a bit out of hand.
Dr. Mary Walter, whom he had met before, was shaking hands with Peter, ready to leave. Holding a folder, she passed Jimmy's seat, nodded at him, and Jimmy waved goodbye with a smile as he watched Dr. Walter enter the elevator.
Combining his own messes with the situation, Jimmy had no doubts that Dr. Mary Walter had been arranged by Peter for him. The folder she carried was likely his file.
Peter had yet to call Jimmy over as he was busy in his own office. After a while, Peter went to the office of Assistant Special Agent in Charge Hughes.
Whatever they discussed wasn't clear, but when they came out, Peter called for Jimmy. Jimmy stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, went upstairs, and entered Peter's office.
Peter, "Jimmy, this is Dr. Mary Walter's business card. You need to contact her to schedule a time for psychological intervention. You're being given a week's leave."
Jimmy, "Administrative leave? Because of what happened today?"
Peter, "You know the drill. Normally, administrative leave and counseling aren't mandatory after an agent discharges their weapon.
"This time, the week's leave Hughes just approved for you—stop, don't speak, just listen—is not only because of the two people you killed today but also the person you shot dead on the street the day you reported for duty. In just over a week, you've killed three people, Jimmy. You must undergo psychological intervention, or else you'll face suspension and mandatory arrangements."
Jimmy, "All right, I'll call Dr. Walter shortly to schedule an appointment for tomorrow. Is there anything else?"
Peter, "That's it, you can go home and rest now."
Jimmy, "OK. See you next week, Peter."
Jimmy turned and left Peter's office, tidied up his own desk, put the Special Service Bureau's certificate of commendation into a small bag to take home, said goodbye to the others, and left the office to go home.
Ever since Jimmy had come to New York, it seemed like he hadn't really had any rest, with his only weekend spent moving and treating people to dinner. Now that he was getting off work early, Jimmy suddenly didn't know what to do with himself, having not gone out and about yet.
Upon arriving home, Jimmy called Dr. Walter to make an appointment for the afternoon at Dr. Walter's office, and then he started to tidy up his apartment. With plenty of time today, Jimmy chose to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients and cook himself a nice dinner later that evening.
The next day, Jimmy arrived on time at Dr. Walter's office in the afternoon, which was located on the top floor of an office building near Times Square. The rooftop terrace was planted with a lot of plants, which really were a pleasing sight amidst the concrete jungle.
After the receptionist informed Mary, Dr. Mary Walter opened the door to her office and welcomed Jimmy inside.
Dr. Mary Walter looked particularly charming today in a white suit with subtle patterns, a white shirt underneath, paired with her fair skin and blonde hair, she looked extremely dignified and capable. Her delicate face appeared youthful, but the faint crow's feet at the corner of her eyes suggested she wasn't as young as she looked, probably over 40.
Jimmy, "Good afternoon, Dr. Walter."
Mary Walter, "Hi, Jimmy, just call me Mary. Please have a seat."
Mary's office had a guest area with two armchairs and a tea set on the coffee table in between. Although Jimmy hadn't used this kind of gongfu tea set before, he had seen enough to know how to use it.
Jimmy unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down, while Mary took a seat opposite him and began to handle the teaware on the coffee table.
Watching Mary clean the teapot and teacups, it was clear that the tea set was frequently used, and Mary's movements showed that she wasn't just improvising but truly knew how to use it.
Mary, "This way of brewing tea was taught to me by an old doctor in Chinatown. Being Chinese yourself, you're probably not unfamiliar with it."
Jimmy, "Yeah, but when I drink tea, I usually just use a glass cup. Gongfu tea is too much hassle for me."
Mary brewed a pot of black tea, but unfortunately, Jimmy had no understanding of tea leaves, and Mary's container for the tea didn't have a label, so he didn't know what kind of tea it was.
Mary placed a small cup in front of Jimmy and poured him a cup, "Please."
Jimmy picked up the cup, blew on it, and took a small sip, "It tastes good, but I don't know much about tea."
Mary, "You're very honest. Actually, I doubt how many people could just taste a tea and identify its name based on that alone, especially here in New York."