North America Gunman Detective

Chapter 1548 - 830: Dave

Nia watched Jimmy standing motionless by the window, staring outside, knowing he was deep in thought. She busied herself with sorting out the little one's clothes and the things needed for the night. They had slept too much during the day, and it seemed neither of them would have a peaceful sleep tonight.

Mrs. Valz's words came at just the right time for Jimmy. He had recently created some tension for Ruiz and the others, and Dave probably also knew about Jimmy's month-long disappearance. It was uncertain how they would respond.

Ruiz had already talked with Jimmy. Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Jimmy's resentment should be palpable to him.

The matter concerning Jimmy wasn't orchestrated by Ruiz. He simply couldn't withstand the pressure from above and hence gave Jimmy the cold shoulder. Naturally, he wouldn't shoulder Jimmy's resentment himself. It takes some time for the message to travel upward, and Jimmy happened to leave New York during this period. His whereabouts this time were public and easy to investigate. They must have accomplished quite a bit during this time. By the time he returns to New York, there should be some news, be it good or bad.

"Don't you have anything you want to say?"

When Jimmy turned around, Nia spoke up, then resumed packing the suitcase. They would return to New York tomorrow, and the contents of these suitcases were already in disarray.

Jimmy came over to Nia and sat directly on the carpet. "Just work stuff, nothing much. When did the little one fall asleep?"

Nia: "About an hour ago, probably will wake up soon. Are you sure it's nothing? You've been acting different ever since you came back from Mrs. Valz."

Jimmy sighed, realizing that Mrs. Valz's words had indeed affected him, and he hadn't managed his expressions well: "Alright, it's work stuff. You know I got promoted a year ago, right?"

Nia: "Yeah, I remember, Supervisory Special Agent. And then?"

Jimmy: "I am in charge of the Support Team at the office. Apart from going out to assist other agencies with cases, I haven't dealt with any cases at the Manhattan office."

Nia: "That can't be right. I remember you were very busy, even had some big cases... Damn, you were always on business trips to other places."

Jimmy nodded, "Yeah, all in other places, collaborating with them."

Nia and Jimmy both fell into silence. Nia wasn't dumb; she had so much time with Jimmy then, thinking it was because he was making time for family by reducing work hours. Of course, she knew about Jimmy's reputation at the New York office, and skipping work wasn't a big deal for him. She never expected it was because he really had nothing to do.

After a while, Nia quietly asked: "What do you plan to do?"

Jimmy: "Haven't figured it out yet, but don't worry. You know, I know a lot of people, no need to worry about work."

Looking at Jimmy's forlorn expression, Nia bit her lip and said: "But you're not happy, not satisfied, right?"

Jimmy smiled, hugged Nia, "It's nothing, don't worry, I'll sort it out."

Nia nodded slightly, continuing to pack, while Jimmy stood up and looked at the sleeping little Liam by the bed. Anyway, this break had indeed allowed him more bonding time with the little one. It was way better than going to work on time.

The return trip was smooth. The little one seemed to have inherited Jimmy's calmness, didn't cry or fuss on the plane despite seeing so many people, just full of curiosity about everything. The only thing that kept Jimmy and Nia busy was his habit of grabbing anything to put in his mouth, requiring constant vigilance.

But this was a child's nature. For the little one, there was only the difference between edible and inedible, a way for them to understand the world. What made it tough for Jimmy and Nia was the little one's sudden and swift actions, where a moment's inattention could mean something would end up in his hand or mouth.

They took a cab home from the airport, and Jimmy used the key to open the door, "Hey, Roland! We're back!"

Soon, Roland came up from the basement. Seeing no one else around, he removed his hand from his waist. "How was the trip? Hey, Liam, you look a bit tanned."

Roland kissed little Liam's forehead. Nia took the child upstairs, while Roland looked at Jimmy: "Everything's normal here, but there's a vehicle parked outside the church that's been there for two days without being moved."

Roland indicated the spot to Jimmy, "I'm heading back now. I'll return when you're ready, you guys prepare yourselves."

Jimmy: "Thanks, Roland, be careful."

Roland nodded and left. He'd been watching the house these days, a standard procedure—better to have someone watch over the place when away from home, to prevent burglary or even occupation...

Jimmy stood by the window and looked towards it, a van was parked beside the church. Without Roland's reminder, he would have assumed it was just a delivery vehicle.

This is New York; maybe a vehicle could be parked in a lot or in front of a house for a long time, but a car parked in a public area for two or three days without moving, or without the police towing it, meant those delinquents weren't slacking on their job; it likely meant someone was inside or someone intentionally instructed to park there.

Jimmy went upstairs: "Nia, take the kid to the basement, I'm going out for a bit."

Nia was startled, opened the cabinet beside her, pulled out a Glock, and put it in her clothes. She picked up Liam from the crib and went downstairs with Jimmy. Jimmy made sure they were in the basement, then turned off the alarm system and left through the back window.