The lady who was robbed really had so lungs on her; her screams were so piercing and clear even from twenty or thirty ters away, even more thrilling than the sound of a police siren. Jimmy, who had been casually smoking and eyeing beauties, instantly shifted his attention to the commotion.
Nobody tried to stop the robbery, which was outrageous. Jimmy watched as the young Latin male robber easily threaded through the crowd and headed his way. Jimmy's spot was near the corner of the street, the perfect place if the thief was planning to make a turn and flee.
This was normal in Arica; people generally minded their own business and left these matters to the police. With robberies and thefts happening every day, many were accustod to it, and as long as it wasn't happening to them, it wasn't their problem.
Jimmy tossed his cigarette butt, moved to the middle of the sidewalk, and when the robber reached him, he grabbed the offender's clothes, extended his left leg, and kicked at his legs. It was a simple move that sent the robber sprawling on the ground.
After tumbling a couple of tis, Jimmy walked over and pressed down on him, twisting his arm behind his back and flipping him from lying on his back to facing the ground, then knelt on the robber with one leg. These were moves learned during academy training, almost an instinct for Jimmy after months of practice. The robber, still disoriented from the fall, hardly resisted, and Jimmy's capture was smooth and unobstructed. Unfortunately, Jimmy was on vacation and didn't have his handcuffs with him.
"FBI, don't move," Jimmy said to the robber before looking up at the crowd. "FBI, can soone help call the police? I can't use my hands right now."
Among the onlookers, so pulled out their phones to call the police. Within little over a minute, a patrol car stopped not far from Jimmy. The car didn't approach closer mainly due to the many bystanders gathered around. They were tourists after all, keen to watch the excitent without being in danger.
Two officers pushed through the crowd. "FBI. I've caught a robber. The girl in the red is the victim," Jimmy inford them. The girl in red nodded frantically at the police.
One officer produced handcuffs and took over the robber from Jimmy, who stood up and showed his FBI badge to the other officer.
After inspecting the badge, the officer nodded. "Thank you, we really appreciate it." He took Jimmy's na on a notepad and returned the badge.
The robber and the victim were put into the patrol car and left the scene, while Jimmy straightened his suit and squeezed through the dispersing crowd. The commotion hadn't dampened his mood for sightseeing. He strolled the street with boredom, holding a coffee he had just bought, looking every bit the idle loafer if not for his crisp suit.
"Jimmy? Is that you?"
A voice ca from the side. Jimmy turned to look, and the sight of a tall bald man captured his attention. It was Frank Moses, an old or rather a half-acquaintance from the past. They had t back in Little Rock. After Pat Bright left, Frank too had moved out of Little Rock to spend so ti in Kansas City, and it had been over a year since Jimmy last saw him.
Jimmy: "Hi, Frank, long ti no see, it's been over a year, hasn't it?"
Jimmy reached out for a hug with Frank Moses.
Frank: "I wasn't sure it was you at first. Are you on vacation? Visiting New York?"
Jimmy: "No, I changed jobs. I'm not with the county police anymore; I work in New York now. What about you? I rember you telling you moved to Kansas City."
Frank: "Yes, but I've got so business to attend to in New York, so I'll be here for a few more days."
Jimmy: "Oh, right, are you still single? How's Pat Bright doing?"
Frank: "He's fine, enjoying the sunshine and swamps in Florida. I still have things to do, we'll catch up later."
Jimmy: "OK, jot down my new number."
Jimmy and Frank exchanged mobile numbers and shook hands before saying goodbye.
Watching Frank walk away, Jimmy felt a bit surprised. After all, they were acquaintances, and for them to run into each other among New York's population of twenty million was indeed a twist of fate.
Jimmy continued shopping, while Frank was sowhat taken aback. As a forr agent, Frank had an excellent mory, and Jimmy, being one of the few Chinese he knew, must have made a deep impression on him for Frank to recognize him on the street. Otherwise, the chances of them passing by each other unnoticed were much higher, considering foreigners' usual difficulty in distinguishing Asian faces.
Frank picked up his phone and made a call, reporting Jimmy's na and previous job. Then he hung up and waited for the information to be checked by the person on the other end.
Frank had looked up Jimmy's information before, but at that ti, soone had altered Jimmy's records, and they had not found out who did it. Encountering Jimmy again, Frank didn't dare to think it was rely a coincidence. It was safer to check. Retired agents were most wary of old cause and effect relationships coming back to haunt them.
After a while, Frank's phone rang. Jimmy's information had been found. For the CIA's records departnt, digging up a person's public information was easy. Jimmy had moved from county police to the FBI, which surprised Frank. However, as it seed he wasn't targeting Frank, there were no issues.
Frank thanked the person on the other end for helping with the information search, then hung up and entered a hotel.
Jimmy had arrived at Central Park, the largest park in Manhattan, surrounded by many famous museums and galleries. Having seen files and materials in the FBI, Jimmy was quite familiar with the area. There was no helping it; Peter's team dealt with art and comrcial cases, and the most famous places related to art in Manhattan were near Central Park.
Jimmy bought so food nearby and found a shady path in Central Park, where he enjoyed the view of the beauties nearby as he relished the feeling of a picnic. It was quite nice.
"Ring, ring, ring, ring..."
Jimmy's phone rang. He was used to Nokia's iconic ringtone, but now that he had switched to an FBI-issued phone with only the most basic ringtone, it felt strange and uncomfortable.
Jimmy answered the call, "Hi, this is Jimmy."
Jones: "Jimmy, it's Jones. Where are you at?"
Jimmy: "I'm on vacation, just strolling through Central Park."
Jones: "Vacation's canceled. Get back to the office as soon as you can, we've got a case."
Jimmy: "That urgent, huh? What kind of case?"
Jones: "It's a bit of a hassle; just hurry over."
Jimmy: "OK, I'm on my way."
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