The Last Killer

With a hot dog bought on the street in his mouth and a cup of hot coffee under his arm, Rob shook out the "Daily News" of the day.

The headline headline hit his retina with bold and bold characters, and the coffee cup fell to his feet, splashing his trouser legs. "...Damn it!" He spat out the hot dog, grabbed the newspaper and ran to the office building not far away.

When he rushed into the office, he saw Leo sitting at the desk looking at the computer screen, with several deep lines between his brows. "Looks like you already know that," Rob said morosely. "Is this what you call 'things are always going to go wrong'? Even if these dog-nosed journalists beat you first - damn they always beat you One step—but can you not take this kind of title that seems to be full of conspiracy theories? "Serial Killer Terminator was secretly arrested, the FBI refused to disclose the inside story, and the trial is nowhere in sight"... and the following case introduction, written like a series Violent erotic novels... what 'he tried to rape and kill him on the hood of the car, got his own toxin shot in the neck in the scuffle', as if the bitch saw it with her own eyes!"

He angrily threw the newspaper on the table: "Tell me this is not as bad as I imagined, you have a solution. Otherwise, I will go to this female reporter named 'Larry' and handcuff her for any crime! "

"You're overreacting, Rob." The black-haired detective's expression has calmed down, "The news media doesn't care about the truth, they only want ratings and circulation."

"But at least they don't want to be so subjective. If you read between the lines, it is clear that they want to portray the suspect we arrested as an invincible punishment angel and dark hero. This is misleading the public! So what is it that we are born and died? It is always after the fact Dumb cops and arrogant govt law enforcement bastards who came too late? They can't do this for what we've done, after a field agent died just last month!"

Leo was silent for a moment, and replied: "Don't care too much about other people's opinions, since you have chosen this profession. I will call Prosecutor Martrini now and ask her to communicate with the judge and set a trial time as soon as possible."

Like pouring the first scoop of water into boiling oil, the media completely fried the pot.In just a few hours, reporters from newspapers and TV stations flocked to the FBI office building, the prosecutor's office, and the federal detention center like a tide. Rob doubted that if they hadn't left a few minutes earlier, they would have been arrested. Only a few bloody bones remained.

In the Chevrolet car, they each answered countless calls, all of which were troublesome and unsatisfactory.

"It's not an accident." Rob hung up the phone and said, "I just found out from a friend that Canning went to MCC again yesterday, with a woman, probably the female reporter named Larry. I heard they The cooperation is close, that woman is like a short-legged embarrassment lying on the back of a wolf, plus a profit-seeking newspaper owner, if they get the exclusive interview right to kill, other media will definitely make trouble because of jealousy!"

Leo wore a bluetooth headset and said while driving: "Trust me, the news I got is worse than yours. It came from the information technology department. Aliases and fake documents. As long as he is a social person, there will always be a growth track—birth hospital, school, work unit, bank account, etc.—but he did not leave any traces, and there are no records of DNA and fingerprints.”

"Sounds like an invisible man, or a ghost who came back from the dead..." Rob shook the goosebumps on his back.

"Of course he has a real name, but we haven't found it yet." Leo said with certainty, "Maybe it's a name that was falsely reported as dead in some dusty file; maybe it was deliberately concealed by a secret organization. There are many doubts, his skill, information network, source of funds...everything is still a mystery."

"So you don't want to start the trial so early and expose the case to the public eye," Robb said.

"Unfortunately, we lost the opportunity. I thought the finale wouldn't be so—"

"High profile?"

"And eager for quick success. I thought that according to his personality, he would go to prison quietly, and then find an opportunity or create an opportunity to successfully escape from prison, disappear into the vast crowd, and continue his beloved killer career-that is his life goal No. But now, he put himself on the cusp, naked in broad daylight, which is stupid and self-defeating for a killer," Leo said.

Rob hesitated for a moment: "Perhaps... he thinks he is sure to be acquitted, and he plans to wash his hands from now on?"

"That's impossible." Leo stared blankly at the vehicle in front of him. "I can feel the desire boiling in his body... He can't stop at all. There is only one thing that can completely stop him—death."

Rob muttered softly, "But I always feel that maybe he's not as crazy as you think..."

"What did you say?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"No, nothing. Where are we going now?"

"Go home to hide from the limelight and pretend you're not at home," Leo said. "The court decided to open the case tomorrow. The next 24 hours will be a painful time for the prosecutor. We are just two people on the witness list waiting to be called. , there is no need to ask for trouble.”

"Actually, you said that because you are more afraid of facing the aggressive faces of journalists than serial killers?" Rob teased, "I remember the chess serial murders in Chicago last time, they crowded you in the corner Pressing for details, your eyes were annoyed and angry, as if you wanted to take a stun gun and knock them all down."

"Actually, if I had a stun gun in my hand, I would. Those damn news reports tell the killer who knows how much information, and they adjusted their strategy according to our reaction, and luckily we ended up getting killed."

"Thinking about it now, I still think it was a miracle—I said, Leo, you really defeated those two criminals by yourself, with such serious injuries?" Rob asked suspiciously.

Leo's breathing seemed to stagnate for a moment, and then he said coldly: "I don't want to recall the situation at that time."

"Okay." Rob shrugged. "Everyone has a secret. Maybe you really have a blue tights with an S on it under your shirt."

Canning walked into an office in the courthouse.Prosecutor Vanna Martini was sitting in an armchair behind a tall and heavy square table. She was a young Caucasian woman in a dark dress and her black hair was cut short, making her look capable and feminine.

When she saw Canning, Ms. Prosecutor gave him a friendly smile and nodded to him.

Oh, that look again: "Let's make a deal." Canning thought, but it's different this time.

"I'll be blunt." Fan Na said after he sat down, "If Xie Qing can sign the confession, plead guilty to the prosecution in court, and truthfully explain the crime, I suggest the judge sentence him to 30 years."

Canning immediately retorted professionally: "It's too long. What's the difference between this and life imprisonment? Do you know the average life expectancy of prisoners in prison?"

Fan Na released the line unhurriedly, "If he pleads guilty in a good manner, he will repent to the victim in court, 25 years."

"Victims? Are you referring to those serial killers who have been murdered a lot? Oh, if I convey this to him, he will go crazy, or he will talk nonsense to the media." Canning made a sad look, very sincerely Said to the female prosecutor: "He is a diehard, but not a killer with anti-social personality. In fact, I believe that everything he does is based on a sense of justice and compassion..."

Fan Na almost rolled her eyes towards the ceiling.Based on her understanding of a certain lawyer (she has worked with him in some previous cases), she decided to make a quick decision: "20 years, serve two-thirds of the sentence-don't bargain, I won't go back of."

Canning heard her decisive tone, and guessed that this was probably the bottom line of the other party.

Seeing that the other party stopped talking, Fan Na calmed down and said, "That's the decision. Lawyer Canning, bring your client here to sign the confession. Teach him how to speak in court. If he foolishly offends you in court Judge, don't blame me for breaking my promise."

Canning sighed helplessly: "I want him to sign the confession. In fact, I have strongly suggested it several times, but he just refuses to plead guilty."

Fan Na's face darkened suddenly: "Refused to plead guilty—then what were we doing just now? You wasted 5 minutes of me!" She got up annoyed and left, before she left, she said something to Canning in a bad tone. : "See you in court tomorrow morning!"

Canning shrugged: "You know how much I don't want to offend you, but...well, see you in court tomorrow."

At the same time, two FBI agents on the witness list were in one of the apartments, curled up on the couch eating a delivery pizza and watching TV.

On the screen, a haggard middle-aged woman was crying into the microphone, crying about how kind and excellent her son who was brutally killed by a serial killer was.When a reporter asked her what she thought of the arrest of the "serial killer", she exclaimed without thinking: "They can't do this! He avenged my son... What's wrong with him? He killed scum , those bastards would not regret dying ten thousand times..."

Rob chews on a slice of pizza and says, "Look, how sensational it is...tear-jerking, eye-catching, that's what the media wants."

Leo picked up the remote and replaced it with a different one.

It’s still a news program, this time it’s a random interview on the street. There are two questions: “Do you think those serial killers who were murdered have human rights?” The interviewees all gave affirmative answers, but for the latter question, the answers to "guilty" and "not guilty" were basically half and half. To a certain degree of purification."

Leo changed another one.This time it is no longer news, but a hit TV series: "Green Arrow".On the screen, the handsome, attractive male protagonist is pointing at the bad guys with a bow and arrow (he can always find so many bad guys), and said coldly: "——you have failed the city!"

An arrow shot.

Right in the middle of the mouth.

The villain gets his reward, and the protagonist drifts away.

Then the protagonist's lawyer girlfriend helps in various ways, and the girlfriend's police father releases water in various ways.

"What's wrong with our society..." Leo muttered.

Rob swallows his last bite of pizza: "Individual heroism is never out of date. You know, someone has to beat the bad guys, and people don't think the police are cool enough, so Spider-Man and Batman come on."

"—But he is not a hero! He did this purely to satisfy his selfish desires!" Leo replied angrily.

"Then you have to convince the judge, the jury and the public of this in tomorrow's courtroom." Rob hooked his partner's shoulder and said, "Believe me, except for the prosecutor, only you can do it."

Leo was silent for a long time and said, "I need to sleep well."

The next day, Leo did not arrive at the courthouse early in the morning.After the court session was in session for a while, he quietly pushed the door open, walked to the back auditorium, and sat next to Rob.From here, looking over the shoulders of the people in front, one could clearly see the figure in the navy blue suit in the dock.

As if aware of the gaze behind him, Sha Qing suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and then turned back, as quickly as a glimpse.

Leo didn't see his expression clearly, only to find that all the bandages on his body had been removed - he knew how hard he had hit, and the wound from Sha Qing would not heal for a while.

He could have gone to court in a bandage to get the mercy of the jury and accuse law enforcement of abuse of power, so why wouldn't he?Leo thought indifferently.

The atmosphere in the arena was tense, and the eyes of the defense lawyer and the prosecutor occasionally met with fire, obviously they had already confronted each other unceremoniously.

Rob came close to Leo's ear and explained in a low voice: "Just now the defendant has admitted that he killed [-] people, and the prosecution's argument is deliberate murder, and the defense's argument is just killing."

Canning got up and asked to show the judge and jury Exhibit A—a large stack of horrific and horrible corpse photos, the proud works of serial killers.

"Objection. This is the information of other cases and has nothing to do with this case." Prosecutor Fan Na immediately spoke.

"This is important evidence to understand the defendant's motives for committing the crime, and I think it has a great relationship with this case." Canning argued against each other.

Judge Linden rejected the prosecution's objection, and the photos were sent to the jury. The twelve jury members showed expressions of shock, anger, sadness and sympathy.

Canning walked up to the jury and began eloquently denouncing the cruelty, anti-sociality and inhumanity of these serial killers, and then summoned a relative of the victim as a witness to ask how he felt about losing a loved one.

Fanna objected again: "The defense lawyer tried to influence the jury's judgment with personal feelings."

This time her objection was adopted, and the old black judge with white hair and serious face warned the defense lawyer: "Don't play the emotional card."

Canning accepted.The witness returned to the auditorium, but the attitude of the jury was slightly tilted.

Seeing the situation, Fan Na made a big fuss by seizing Sha Qing's killing methods, saying that these methods are no different from serial killers, they are just as bloody, cruel and inhumane.

Obviously this is the truth, Canning was speechless and avoided a positive response, claiming that the defendant was a devout Christian who was deeply influenced by the Old Testament and believed in "an eye for an eye".These methods of killing seemed to him like a religious commandment, not from the original intention.This argument is barely tenable, but it is somewhat far-fetched and lacks convincing force.

Rob was very interested in the exchange of words between the two sides, but Leo lost his mind, as if his thoughts were left in another dimension.It wasn't until the prosecutor called his name that he stepped onto the witness stand as if awakened from a dream.

"Tell the court your name, work?" the prosecutor asked.

"Leo Lawrence, of the FBI Criminal Division."

"For the past year, you've been tasked with hunting down serial killers, aka kills, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"He commits crimes frequently, why did it take you fifteen months to catch him?"

Leo involuntarily glanced at the dock.Sha Qing was staring at him, his black eyes were like the midnight sea, calm and dark.Leo forced himself not to look away, looked at the other person and said word by word: "Because he is smart enough, he plans meticulously, strikes decisively, and leaves almost no trace."

Rob pondered the words in the audience—they seemed like compliments, but in this place, at this time, they seemed to be counterproductive.

The corners of Fan Na's mouth were slightly raised, and she continued to ask: "Compared to other killers you have hunted down, he is more cunning, good at escaping, and more sophisticated in methods, right?"

"Yes."

"Last question: As the law enforcement officer who knows the defendant best, do you think he will never harm anyone except the serial murder suspect he himself identified?"

Rob straightened up unconsciously, and leaned his head forward.This question is a tricky trap. No one can make absolute guarantees about other people's behavior, but once Leo gives a negative answer, it proves that in the eyes of the frontline law enforcement officers who know the killing best, he has the possibility of killing innocent people indiscriminately.

Leo realized that the prosecutor turned the direction of the debate to "social harm". In this regard, he has the right to speak and authority that cannot be ignored.

He hesitated for a second, and slowly spit out a few words in Sha Qing's calm expression: "I can't make such a guarantee."

Fan Na asked: "That is to say, do you think it is possible for him—even if he has never done so before, it is possible for him to attack innocent people in the future?"

"...Yes." Leo replied seriously.He knew that he had cast a heavy weight on the jury, tipping the scales of their judgment in favor of the prosecution.

Sha Qing closed his eyes at this moment, and when he opened them again, the surging emotions had been perfectly suppressed by him.

"I'm done asking." The female prosecutor returned to her seat and cast a mocking glance at the defense lawyer as she turned around.

When Fanna observed him before, Canning deliberately showed a look of struggling to find a solution, but now she stood up confidently, walked in front of Leo, and asked in a relaxed tone: "Excuse me, what is the situation in the office of the FBI Criminal Division?" , are there any office reading materials? The ones recommended by the bureau and purchased at public expense?"

"Objection!" cried the prosecutor. "Defense lawyers are wasting everyone's time."

"All my questions are closely related to the topic, not aimlessly." Canning retorted.

"Then you'd better get to the point right away," Judge Linden warned again.

"Witnesses please answer my questions."

"Have."

Canning asked the judge to show Exhibit B, which was a stack of books, the cover of which looked like a novel, "This is the work of suspense detective novelist Roy Lee, "Whispers Before the Bed" and "Broken Chrysalis", "Death" Butterfly, The Last Wings trilogy, they are also in your office books, right?"

"Yes." Leo replied inexplicably.He didn't know what this inexplicable question had to do with today's trial.

The jury members also exchanged puzzled glances.

"The reason why these reading materials are recommended is because they are related to your own work, and the reasoning methods and investigative methods in them are helpful for you to understand the psychology of criminals and enrich your investigative knowledge, right?"

"Yes." Leo admitted.Of course it has something to do with my job, otherwise why not put "Playboy" in the bookcase? As for whether it is helpful or not, this is a matter of opinion.

Canning showed a fleeting smile, "Then, is it possible to think that while the FBI is chasing and killing, at the same time, it uses his works as auxiliary teaching materials to improve the level of criminal investigation?"

There was no sound in the courtroom, and people seemed to be using their brains to understand the amazing message conveyed in this sentence-a few seconds later, the audience was in an uproar!The jury began to whisper, and the female prosecutor's eyes widened and she forgot to close her lips, which were painted with skin color lipstick.Even the judge, who had been calm all this time, looked surprised. After a while, he remembered to ring the gavel: "Silence!"

Leo asked Canning in a daze: "...Sorry, what did you say?"

"Apply for exhibits C and D." Canning took a deep breath.For this moment, he has been extremely excited and looking forward to it for several days, and he has rehearsed countless times, so that he still can't calm down the excitement in his heart.Just like when he opened the subway locker and took out the manuscript from the bag inside, he was so shocked that he almost passed out.He couldn't wait to go back to find Zaqing for verification, and then yelled so forgetfully that he almost picked up the other party and spun around in circles, but was severely warned by the prison guard.

"Exhibit C is a manuscript of a novel that has just been completed. It was handed over to me by Sha Qing. The author is Roy Lee. Yes, this is his pseudonym. Exhibit D is the manuscript handwriting and the publisher's previous preservation. The comparative identification of Roy Lee's handwriting confirms that the two parties are indeed the same person."

After receiving the evidence passed by the bailiff, the expressions of the judge and jury seemed to gradually fall from the void to the ground. It was unbelievable, but they had to believe it.

"The title of the new novel is "Chess of Life and Death". It is a suspenseful detective story based on the chess serial murder case in Chicago two months ago. In actual cases, whether it is also involved and plays an important role."

"Agent Lawrence," Canning turned to Leo with a blank expression again, "I have a problem that I have never understood. In that case, you and your colleague Robbie Simon were attacked by two serial killers. You covered the escape of your colleague. Go, get yourself captured, tortured, and imprisoned in the 'Holmes' Fortress of Horrors' full of traps. How on earth did you escape, knock down and kill two professional fighters in such a severely injured and immobile situation? , Retired Special Forces murderer? Can you boast to the judge and jury that you did it entirely by yourself?"

Leo said nothing.His mind was rumbling, like a derailed train rolling rapidly, about to fall to pieces under a cliff.He stared blankly at his hands.At that time, the other party was sitting below, facing him, but he couldn't face him face to face, and condemned him with angry eyes - I let you go, the only time!In order to protect you, I didn't mention your presence in the report I submitted to my superiors!And you, actually told the lawyer this inside story, and became a weapon to attack me in court!

"—Don't forget the oath you took when you laid your hand on the Bible!" Canning raised his voice and shouted.

"...No, I can't." Leo answered in a trembling voice.

"So, who was that man? Who was the man who helped you defeat the murderer, saved your life, and saved countless other potential victims of law enforcement?" Canning asked sternly.

Leo raised his head in pain and despair, and closed his eyes.

"You don't need to answer directly. Please read the underlined paragraph in the text—" As he spoke, Canning shoved the paper in front of him.

The black and white words fluttered in his eyes, like fragments of memory mottled with light and shadow, like a sigh made up of blood and pain.Leo read dryly, "'Great, I think we can have a temporary united front,' the serial killer said with a smile, 'that is, I'm safe for now, don't worry about your gun barrel Poke my back and call 'Freeze', huh?'

'Before I catch the cavalry, yes. ’ promised the federal agents discreetly. "

Canning asked: "Is this passage a faithful reproduction of the scene at that time?"

"Yes." Leo replied mechanically.

"As a senior agent of the FBI, is the cooperation between you and Sha Qing a personal act, or was it ordered by the bureau?"

No, this has nothing to do with the Bureau of Investigation. If you want to pull me into the water, don't even try to drag me into the bureau!Leo quickly replied: "It has nothing to do with the Bureau of Investigation, this is entirely my own behavior!"

He answered so quickly and so resolutely that in the eyes of those who cared, he turned into a self-evident cover-up.Canning gave the jury a look of "Look, the shady is everywhere", and said emotionally and summed up: "We have reason to believe that Detective Lawrence and Mr. Sha Qing have reached some kind of joint pursuit of serial killers." Based on the identity of the former, I can't guess which side the instigator came from. But obviously, the defendant took it seriously, thinking that he was an existence like a 'non-staff agent', with a sense of justice, compassion, and It is the positive attitude of law enforcement services that has led to a series of cases."

Leo looked like a lion driven to a desperate situation, with unusually sharp and gloomy eyes, he swept across Canning's proud standing posture, and landed on Sha Qing's calm and unwavering face.

——Since he walked into the courtroom until now, Sha Qing has never spoken or said a word, but he has controlled the whole situation with a long-planned, unexpected, and outrageously suppressed huge force.

The prosecutor stood up abruptly, resisting the panic in his eyes, and said to the judge: "The prosecution applied for a 48-hour adjournment!"

The old black judge said in a deep voice, "Adjourn the court." With the sound of the gavel, the media reporters in the auditorium almost dispersed in a crowd, and ran towards their positions as fast as they could.

Canning couldn't hide his joy and walked over to embrace the killing, and said in his ear: "It's unbelievable...we will win, I believe it!"

"You are the only one who wins." Sha Qing murmured.

Canning took this as a novelty compliment, and smiled brighter and brighter.

Leo nearly tripped over the corner of a table as he stepped down from the witness stand.Rob rushed over and grabbed him.

"... Rob."

Rob heard his dark-haired partner whisper his name.

"I know, I know, it's not your fault...it's a shameless trap, a deliberate conspiracy, and it's impossible to guard against..." He tried to comfort him with all his strength, and never had he hated the finale as much as he did now callous.

"Rob," Leo said in a very calm, calm ashes tone, "I don't want to lose my career. I have nothing else."