Jubal, clearly realizing his misstep, hesitated to speak further. After a moment's thought, he set the microphone down. Without leverage, any further attempts at negotiation would likely come across as empty rhetoric.
Jack placed a glass of water beside him, signaling for him to calm down.
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Jubal asked after sipping some water to clear his throat.
"From a purely logical perspective, Helton doesn't seem like a typical delusional patient," Jack began. "So, there are two possibilities. One, he's telling the truth—he really has an unregistered daughter. Whether biological or informally adopted, that girl has either gone missing or run away."
"And the second possibility?" Jubal pressed impatiently.
"The second possibility is that he's a meticulous delusional individual. He's not only fabricated a daughter in his mind but has also created an internally consistent narrative. In this case, we'd never find his daughter, nor would we be able to shatter his delusion."
Jubal rolled his eyes in exasperation. "That's not funny. NYPD officers verified through neighbors that he did live with a girl for six months."
Jack raised a hand, motioning for Jubal to let him finish. "That girl could have been someone he abducted, forced to live with him until she managed to escape.
"Alternatively, she could've been his cohabiting girlfriend, whom he deluded himself into thinking was his daughter. Cases like this aren't rare—you've seen them before."
Jubal froze, his hand holding the glass mid-air. "But if we find the girl, wouldn't that shatter his delusion?"
"Even if we find the girl, he may not connect her to the daughter in his mind. Instead, he might believe we're trying to trick him with an imposter and—" Jack mimicked pulling a trigger, "—put a bullet in Chloe's head."
Jubal's hand trembled, spilling water onto himself without noticing. Thankfully, it wasn't hot water, or he might have been scalded. "That's horrifying. Are there really such delusional people?"
"Possibly," Jack shrugged. "But the likelihood of the second scenario is low. Based on what the carjacking victim said earlier, he doesn't seem like someone completely detached from reality."
"Good people don't kidnap innocent girls," Jubal muttered, sitting down at a computer and resuming work.
Regardless of Jack's grim theorizing, they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario, including breaching the safe room if necessary. "Bad luck always comes in threes," after all.
---
Dana Mosier soon sent a video update. "We've contacted the homeowner, Henry Kirkland. They do know Helton."
"Helton was their handyman, which explains his familiarity with the safe room. He personally installed much of the wiring. Have your tech guys made any progress with that blast door?" Jubal asked.
Jubal shook his head. "That door's as thick as a bank vault. In addition to the electronic lock, it has two manual mechanisms that can only be opened from the inside. We need the full specifications of the safe room to identify alternative points of entry."
"We've located the designer—a security contractor named Wan Quan Security Systems. Jack, take a few SWAT team members and head there immediately. Anything else?" Dana inquired.
Jubal hesitated, still troubled by Jack's earlier theory. Finally, he asked, "Did the homeowner mention anything about Helton's behavior? Like signs of mental illness or substance abuse?"
Dana paused, her expression turning slightly odd. "He said Helton is a good man. In fact, his exact words were, 'He's the most honest and trustworthy person I've ever met.'"
Jubal visibly relaxed. "So, he's not mentally ill?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Why do you ask?" Dana looked puzzled but let the matter drop.
---
Jack, now armed with the security contractor's details, headed to Yonkers with two SWAT agents. There, they met the company's CEO and designer, a lanky, bespectacled white man named Dor Johnson.
Upon learning the FBI's purpose, Johnson appeared excited, even a little smug, as he led them to a basement showroom. "We've built twelve of these safe rooms so far. Each starts at a base price of $2 million."
"This one's layout seems identical to the one you built for Kirkland?" Jack asked, walking around the spacious room, which measured roughly 500 square feet.
"Yes, although the furniture may differ—that's up to the homeowner," Johnson replied. He sobered under the intimidating stares of the SWAT agents, his initial pride over stumping the FBI giving way to caution.
"Does this system have any backdoors? Ways someone could sneak in undetected?" Jack asked, though he knew it was unlikely.
"Absolutely not," Johnson replied emphatically. As the CEO of a niche firm catering to wealthy clients, he also seemed adept at salesmanship, launching into a detailed pitch. "The absence of weaknesses is the cornerstone of our design. The walls are made of high-grade concrete, reinforced with rebar every 12 inches. All systems run on independent circuits, with backups in case the main system fails—"
Jack interrupted, sensing time slipping away. "Sorry, but let's cut to the chase. Are you saying that once the room is sealed from the inside, there's no way to breach it except through brute force?"
"Precisely," Johnson said confidently.
"What about the ceiling? Is that reinforced too?" Jack pointed upward. The basement showroom had an unusually high ceiling—almost four meters tall, ample enough to fit a small elephant.
"We offer ceiling reinforcement as an optional upgrade, but most clients consider it overkill. Kirkland's family opted not to add it. So—" Johnson's face lit up with a sly, salesman's grin, "—there's your weakness."
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]