Hodgner clearly knew how to deal with military personnel. He adopted an approach that was professional rather than personal, slightly softening his tone, but without backing down from his position.
"General, I can rule out your lab, but I can't rule out your researchers."
The General remained silent, locking eyes with Hodgner, creating a tense standoff.
Sensing that this stalemate was unproductive, Rossi spoke up from the side.
"General, our goal is to identify anyone capable of weaponizing anthrax and producing it. You know what that means. This isn't a personal attack. No one wants to see another 2001 incident in D.C."
"David Rossi, back then I was just a colonel, but we all know what happened after the BAU team investigated our people."
General Whitworth wasn't referring to Dr. Evans, the "culprit" who allegedly committed suicide—neither side wanted to touch that topic.
He was talking about another scientist, Professor Stephen Hartfield. According to Rossi's notes, this virology expert had once come under FBI scrutiny, but was eventually cleared of suspicion.
However, the issue arose with the Attorney General at the time. Perhaps due to his loose tongue or the prolonged, fruitless investigation, the politician faced immense pressure.
During a press conference, the Attorney General hastily identified Professor Hartfield as a suspect, though he used a vague term, "person of interest." This sparked a huge public outcry.
An enraged Professor Hartfield sued the Department of Justice, leading to a court battle that lasted several years. The DOJ eventually paid out $5.8 million to settle with the professor, essentially covering the cost of their official's big mouth.
"General, the FBI formally cleared Professor Hartfield of suspicion in its final report. It's unfortunate that some didn't agree at the time, but the psychological profile was correct, as later confirmed."
Hodgner's words left General Whitworth with nothing to say. He sighed. "Alright, my rank isn't high enough to argue with someone who believes in your profiling abilities."
"I'll give you the list," he said, then turned and left the conference room without looking back.
Fortunately, JJ's skills as a liaison officer were reliable. Led by an Army captain, Jack and JJ arrived at the crime scene, Jing Mountain Park.
Several soldiers in hazmat suits were still working in the park. Jack noticed that in many areas, the soil had been removed to a depth of at least 20 centimeters.
The decontamination work seemed to be complete, and the bioweapons team was trying to restore the damaged, pockmarked lawn to its original state.
"How did you explain the park's closure to the nearby residents?" Jack asked out of curiosity.
"Sewer gas buildup with an explosion risk," the efficient Army captain replied.
"The high-risk areas and surrounding zones have all been decontaminated. You're safe here."
Jack nodded and was about to step into the area when he noticed JJ hesitating.
"Shouldn't we be wearing gas masks or something?"
"No need, ma'am. All zones have been sampled at least three times. After confirming no anthrax spores were detected, we removed our masks. We don't take chances with our lives," the captain explained, pointing to the gas mask hanging around his neck.
Jack didn't doubt this. He trusted the professionalism and extensive experience of these bioweapons troops.
"Please provide your test data. I need to know the distribution of the bacteria at the time."
It was just around noon, and the spring sunlight was warm and bright, making one feel lazy. It was hard to imagine that less than 24 hours ago, this place had turned into a deadly trap.
"The weather yesterday was similar to today."
Jack looked around and sighed. Emily had just called from the hospital. In just one morning, the death toll had risen from 12 to 17.
Reid had found the only patient who was in relatively stable condition, but after just two or three sentences, the patient developed aphasia.
This indicated that the anthrax bacteria had spread through the bloodstream, breached the blood-brain barrier, and started affecting the brain. This meant that the remaining eight survivors didn't have much time left.
Soon, the Army captain returned with a simple map, marked with various data points.
"The wind direction yesterday was the same as today—southeast." Jack and JJ walked up a small hill.
"The test results show the highest concentration here, so the attacker likely released the bacteria from this spot."
They looked downwind at a large lawn, where some playground equipment like slides had been installed.
"Six children and their parents," JJ murmured, visibly moved.
"And some high school students from the nearby school, playing football there."
"It's strange. Why would this park be chosen as the attack target?" Jack mused, rubbing his chin.
"Washington, D.C. is just next door. There are plenty of other high-profile landmarks nearby. A little powder in the ventilation ducts could result in hundreds or thousands of casualties."
JJ offered her theory. "Maybe the park holds some special significance for the attacker. Personal feelings might have led them to choose this park as the target."
"If that's the case, we can assume this is a domestic terrorist. They're likely a local, living or working nearby."
As Jack spoke, he pulled out a notebook and jotted down the point.
The two walked around the area but found no additional clues, so they started heading back. Seeing no one around, Jack quietly asked.
"Dear, is there something you want to tell me?"
Though he could be a bit dense at times, most of the time, Jack's emotional intelligence was quite high. He had noticed since meeting JJ at the airport that her mood had been off today.
Anthrax was certainly terrifying, but as an agent who had been with the FBI two or three years longer than him, JJ shouldn't be this shaken. Something else must be going on that he wasn't aware of.
JJ's face showed a hint of inner conflict. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke.
"It's my parents. They've been living in Silver Spring. I'm not sure what to do—they go for a walk in the park every afternoon."
Silver Spring is right next to Washington, D.C., less than 50 kilometers from where they were in Annapolis.
___________________
Read Ahead
P@treon.com/Mutter