Chapter 112: AC Company's A!
"Oh, I see."
Jake tilted his head and spread his hands, gesturing for Chuck and the others to look at him. With exaggerated confidence, he said, "You're worried that those English ladies will be in trouble if I go to England."
"Your disposition is more like an 'English rose.' Dr. Wolfe is worried that you'll be the one in trouble," Detective Amy Santiago quipped.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Jake grinned, still confident. Suddenly, his attention shifted toward the new female medical examiner. "Hi, Detective Jake Peralta, lead detective on this case. I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"
"Yes, I'm the new medical examiner, Rose. I imagine you must have quite a workload."
The female medical examiner nodded, her eyes focused on the crime scene on the floor.
"I'm the lead detective on this case!"
Detective Amy Santiago looked at her partner, who had seemed so protective of her just two hours ago. She felt strangely touched, then watched him flirt with the new female medical examiner in the blink of an eye. She was furious.
"She's my partner, and I'm the senior detective."
Jake smiled. "Okay, Santiago, I'll leave everything to you from now on."
He walked over to the medical examiner and crouched down, mimicking her position, trying to look professional. However, he slipped on the wet floor and fell directly onto the deceased African American man.
"Are you okay?" the medical examiner asked.
"What could possibly happen to him?" Detective Amy Santiago scoffed. "He just suddenly discovered a new talent for making situations even more complicated."
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Jake quickly scrambled to his feet, dropping the act. He gave the medical examiner a charming smile and offered his version of "how you doin'": "What's up?"
The medical examiner, observing him, immediately smiled knowingly.
She understood this classic American pickup line. Glancing at the crime scene on the floor, the medical examiner's smile widened as she gave Jake an encouraging response.
Jake knew his flirtation had worked.
This infuriated Detective Amy Santiago, who was standing nearby. She glanced around and saw Chuck beside her, looking at his phone. Rolling her eyes, she tossed her hair and tried to adopt a sweet voice, saying to Chuck, "Dr. Wolfe, are you free tonight?"
"No," Chuck said without looking up.
"..."
Detective Amy Santiago's gesture froze, and she caught sight of Jake's suppressed grin. She forced a smile, "What are you busy with? This case should be wrapped up for now, right? Time for you to unwind."
"I'm always relaxed," Chuck said bluntly, putting his phone away and looking at her.
"...What if I said I want to do the experiment?"
Detective Amy Santiago, driven to desperation by Jake's amused gaze and Chuck's directness, gritted her teeth and said something she couldn't believe.
Chuck immediately looked at Jake.
"Why are you looking at him?" Detective Amy Santiago said even more frantically, "I agree..."
At this point, her heart was racing, and she quickly tried to clarify, "You can try it."
"Sorry!" Chuck shook his head, "This experiment requires the essential participation of Detective Peralta. You need his confirmation and consent, otherwise you're just Schrödinger's test subject."
"Schrödinger's test subject?" The female medical examiner looked at Chuck with interest when she heard this.
"Yes," Chuck explained matter-of-factly. "To conduct an experiment, you must first obtain consent. Then, you have to spend time setting up the experimental environment, purchasing new equipment like bunk beds, noise-canceling headphones, and sleep masks. Detective Peralta must be transformed into the male test subject, so that the female test subject can achieve the proper experimental conditions."
"Sounds intriguing." The female medical examiner looked at Chuck with a peculiar expression, a hint of "You're quite the character." She glanced down at the crime scene and, with the same expression and gesture Jake had used to greet her, said to Chuck, "What about us? This would be a unique male and female test subject combination, right?"
"Not suitable," Chuck shook his head bluntly.
The female medical examiner's appearance fell far short of experimental standards; it wasn't even in the realm of possibility.
When conducting research, everything matters, and physical attributes are paramount.
"What are we lacking?" the female medical examiner said, slightly offended.
Oblivious to the others, the two of them engaged in a detailed discussion about the differences between Detective Amy Santiago, Jake, the female medical examiner, and the crime scene, leaving both Detective Amy Santiago and Jake speechless. They exchanged glances, each understanding the other's thoughts: "We're still not weird enough."
However, unlike Detective Amy Santiago, who was merely trying to provoke Jake and had no intention of conducting any bizarre experiments with Chuck, Jake, while aware of his own normalcy and finding the female medical examiner somewhat eccentric, immediately resumed flirting with her after Chuck left.
Men, driven by hormones, are remarkably adaptable!
It was already nighttime when Chuck left the hotel. He drove away, heading to an underground parking garage. He got out and walked to the far end of the structure, where a black Volkswagen SUV was parked. Chuck used the key fob, unlocked the door, got in, and drove off.
Four hours later, in New Hampshire.
In the woods, beside a lake, stood a building with a sign reading "Haven Mental Institute." Chuck's car quietly entered through the rear entrance.
"You're here."
Chuck exited the underground garage and saw an ordinary-looking middle-aged man standing there with a smile.
"I'm here," Chuck nodded.
"Anna has been looking forward to this day," the middle-aged man smiled.
"No!" Chuck shook his head. "Dr. Green, it's you who's been looking forward to this day!"
"Yes," the middle-aged man, Dr. Green, smiled warmly. "I am indeed looking forward to this day. It's my daughter Anna's birthday."
"Holidays mean nothing to us," Chuck said.
"Anna is your best friend, and you're Anna's best friend too." Dr. Green smiled. "Good friends should see each other more often, and it's beneficial."
"Unnecessary," Chuck replied bluntly. "We communicate daily. Meeting in person is not only unnecessary but also unsafe."
He'd always known the world was dangerous, and he'd consciously maintained his cover. Now, as a detective, the risks were unprecedented. He didn't care about himself. Even if someone close to him were to die, he'd probably accept it calmly. But the death of someone important to him would necessitate significant changes.
Many established routines would have to be altered.
He didn't like change!
"We're not as fragile as you think," Dr. Green said meaningfully.
"We're not as invulnerable as you think." Chuck shook his head. "The dangers of this world exceed your imagination, so don't let overconfidence lead you astray. The last person to say something like that was killed by a sniper 6 hours, 34 minutes, and 57 seconds ago."
"..." Dr. Green's expression twitched, and he said helplessly, "Anna's still waiting for you. Go ahead."
"Alright."
Chuck nodded and walked toward a suite in the rear with familiarity. When he reached the door, he glanced at the security camera in the corner, and the door opened automatically.
Inside, he found himself in a remarkably clean and minimalist room: a bed, a table, and two chairs facing each other. On the table sat a chess set, already in its endgame. A beautiful young woman in white sat staring at the board, her eyes vacant and distant.
"Anna," Chuck called.
The girl-next-door-looking woman's gaze began to focus. She looked up, her eyes settling on Chuck's face. After a few seconds, a radiant smile crossed her features.
Dr. Green, who had followed Chuck, was moved to tears by that smile. He turned away, covering his mouth, straining to control his emotions.
A year had passed, and he finally saw life return to his daughter's face.
He had been a promising neuroscientist. During a research assignment at a psychiatric facility, he met Anna's mother and was instantly captivated by her beauty and brilliance.
He knew it was inappropriate, but he couldn't control his feelings. After considerable effort, he finally married the woman he loved most in his life.
Unfortunately, his happiness was brief. He ultimately overestimated his ability to help someone like Anna's mother, who took her own life shortly after giving birth.
He was devastated. If little Anna hadn't needed him, he would have followed her.
Even so, he was heartbroken and lost interest in everything. Raising their daughter became his only purpose.
However, life's cruelties had only just begun.
He soon discovered something was different about his daughter, Anna. She was completely unlike other children, and this difference became more pronounced each year. With his doctorate in neuroscience, he eventually diagnosed Anna with autism spectrum disorder.
Thinking of his brilliant wife, he gradually accepted this difficult reality. Seeing echoes of her in Anna, he rediscovered his determination and developed a lifelong mission: to help his daughter and prevent her from suffering the same tragedy.
He abandoned everything and came here, establishing the Haven Mental Institute, where he researched treatments for Anna and cared for other children with similar challenges.
On one hand, he wanted to advance his research, and on the other, he wanted to find peers and companions for his daughter Anna.
Unfortunately, there was no progress until young Chuck was brought by his parents to consult with him, as he had become a leading authority in autism spectrum disorders.
When young Chuck was having a meltdown because he couldn't find a missing puzzle piece, his daughter Anna, who had never responded to other people including him, her father, suddenly reacted and became agitated as well. Under his ecstatic observation, his daughter overcame her discomfort, walked over courageously, picked up the missing puzzle piece that had fallen, and handed it to the distressed young Chuck.
Young Chuck's distress immediately ceased, he took the final piece, completed the entire puzzle, and became calm and content.
(End of Chapter)
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