No miracles occurred, but the analysts at the operations center had a breakthrough.
Ten minutes later, just as Jubal prepared to make one last effort to contact Helton in the safe house and Jack was about to call the SWAT team back from Yonkers to prepare for an assault, the operations center's video call reconnected.
"At 7:45 PM that night, a passenger heading to Boston made an emergency call. He reported seeing a white male having a confrontation with a white female outside the station.
We contacted the caller and obtained dashcam footage. After enhancing the video, here's a screenshot," Dana Moger explained as she sent the image over.
The screenshot showed a girl being forced into a car trunk. It was unmistakably Stephanie.
The three on-site were stunned. Jack quickly asked, "How did the analysts manage to pull this together in just 15 minutes?"
Dana shrugged with a wry smile. "We got lucky. The caller had uploaded the dashcam footage to Facebook to criticize the NYPD for their inaction."
"So it's likely the kidnapper used Stephanie's phone to send the text to her cousin, closing the loop," Hannah speculated. "Unbelievable. If it weren't for Helton..." She trailed off, but her meaning was clear: Helton wasn't a madman—he was just a desperate father.
Jubal instructed the technicians to prepare the screenshot and then picked up the microphone. "Mike, I have some news."
Inside the safe house, Mike Helton, slumped on the floor, lifted his head and stared blankly at the computer speakers where the voice was coming from.
Jubal continued, "We found surveillance footage from Queens Bus Terminal. It shows a man forcing Stephanie into a car. You were right, and I apologize. The NYPD officer shouldn't have treated you the way they did.
But we've taken over now, and I promise things will be different. Please, give us a bit more time. Stephanie's been missing for three weeks, which makes this search extremely challenging."
"No. I know what you're trying to pull," Helton said, rising from the floor. "You're pretending to be sympathetic, but deep down, you still think I'm crazy. Why should I believe you?"
"Look at your monitor, Mike," Jubal said, signaling the technicians to display the image.
Helton hesitantly walked to the computer desk near the door and saw the picture of Stephanie being held captive. His blank expression shifted to one of shock, and tears welled up in his eyes. "It's her—my Stephanie!" he exclaimed, before growing agitated. "Who is that man? Who took her?"
"We don't know yet," Jubal replied. "But we're working on identifying him. As I said, we're showing you the FBI's sincerity. I hope you can see that."
"Fine. Keep looking. Since you're actually doing something... uh... I'll give you three more hours," Helton said, his tone still anxious but somewhat calmer.
"Mike, I hope you'll work with us and not set a time limit—"
Before Jubal could finish, Helton's emotions flared again. "No! I'm not negotiating! For three weeks, I begged the police for help, and they laughed at me! They laughed! They said I was crazy! That my daughter didn't exist! Even if she did, they said she ran away because I was abusing her!
You're no different, are you? I could hear it in your tone before. I won't waste another second. You have three hours! That's all!"
Jubal opened his mouth to respond, but Jack nudged his arm and shook his head, holding up an A4 sheet with notes scribbled on it.
"Okay," Jubal said reluctantly. "We'll keep you updated on our progress. The FBI doesn't think you're crazy. Believe me, I'm a father too. I understand what you're doing. Like you, I'd do anything for my child."
Reading Jack's notes, Jubal recited the words without hesitation, then turned off the microphone.
"Isn't that too passive?" Jubal asked.
Jack sighed. "The guy's holed up in a safe house with a hostage. Our only options are to storm the place and risk the hostage's safety or help him find his daughter. There's no 'too passive' here."
While that was true, it wasn't something you said out loud. Jack stepped up to the monitor and pointed at the girl sitting on the sofa. "Look closely at how Chloe is tied up."
Jubal frowned in confusion, studying the scene. The girl's wrists were bound with plastic ties, and she sat quietly on the sofa. Nothing seemed unusual.
"The zip ties on her wrists are loose, and they're wrapped over her sleeves. What does that tell you?"
"Ah?" Jubal began to grasp the point. "You're saying he was careful not to hurt her while restraining her?"
"Exactly. Helton's motivation for kidnapping Chloe wasn't some vendetta against the rich. Even though he says she's the child of wealthy parents, he's careful not to harm her. Subconsciously, he sees Chloe as someone else's innocent daughter.
This means he's just using her to leverage the influence of the wealthy because, in his eyes, Stephanie's disappearance was ignored due to their poverty. So, he took a rich kid to draw attention."
And it worked. Within an hour of Chloe's abduction, the FBI was on the scene. Chloe's father even contacted an assistant director directly.
By contrast, Helton faced bureaucratic indifference for weeks—a stark commentary on systemic inequality.
But now wasn't the time for social debates. Another "keyboard warrior" might bring up examples of global injustices or derail the conversation with unrelated anecdotes. Jubal focused on the critical takeaway.
"You're saying Helton has no intention of harming Chloe, and we can use that to our advantage?" Jubal asked after a moment of thought.
"Exactly," Jack confirmed, pointing to the screen where Chloe was discreetly trying to loosen the zip ties. "Keep an eye on her. If necessary, we might even 'sell her out' to show Helton our goodwill."
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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)
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