North America Gunman Detective

Jimmy heard that Hughes said Peter would be transferred to Washington, D.C., and immediately understood that this time the Manhattan office was facing a great loss.

Peter was the most favored candidate for the field supervisor position by the higher-ups before, he was just over 40, still young, capable, especially in recent years, the case-solving rate of Peter's team reached over 80%, a terrifying figure of around 87%, leaving others without any advantage in comparison.

Moreover, Peter had a wide circle of friends, and his interpersonal relationships in New York were far better than others. Such a field supervisor, once appointed, could maintain a stable hold on the position for a long time.

Although Peter was not dismissed from the FBI due to the murder case, he had to leave the Manhattan office for the headquarters in Washington, D.C., and as a result, the Manhattan office lost the planned successor, completely disrupting their plans.

Hughes had already retired once earlier, then was re-hired, and now, having retired again, there would be no third opportunity to assume the supervisor role.

The FBI is not a private company; there are many talented individuals lining up for advancement. Previously, since Hughes was wrongly accused, the re-hiring was justifiable. Now, being officially ordered to retire from headquarters, to re-hire him again would be a slap in the face—is the Manhattan office out of people?

With the original planned successor taken out, finding another from the ranks is not easy. If an unsuitable choice is made, replacing them won't be feasible for a long time. Changing field supervisors three to five times a year would not only draw criticism from headquarters but would utterly disgrace the management of the Manhattan office.

Jimmy: "How long will it be?"

Hughes: "Not very long, a few weeks perhaps."

Jimmy: "If Peter goes to D.C., has the replacement been selected?"

Hughes looked at Jimmy, noticing the contemplative pause Jimmy made earlier. From the conversation, Hughes realized Jimmy was aware of many things. The successor Jimmy referred to was the head of Peter's team, who would also be the choice for the field supervisor role.

After thinking for a moment, Hughes did not answer Jimmy's question but changed the topic, "Are you ready to return to the field?"

Jimmy nodded: "Always ready. I just hosted a press conference today; it went okay, but this kind of task isn't really my forte."

Hughes: "Hmm, in a few days, I will communicate with others."

Jimmy squinted his eyes slightly and then returned to normal: "Is it confirmed?"

Hughes nodded, "For now, let's arrange it this way; there are many things that need handling."

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After talking for a while, Jimmy finished his beer and got up to leave. Hughes saw him to the door, "Be prepared, goodbye, Jimmy."

Jimmy shook hands with Hughes, turned around, left his house, and drove directly back to his apartment.

Once home, he has ample time to think. The first consideration is Peter's team—he is now a Supervisory Special Agent, the next step is Assistant Agent Supervisor, which was Hughes' previous position.

Being sent to D.C. this time, it seems unlikely Hughes and the others would completely abandon him. Peter might act as a temporary supervisor for a while, and once in D.C., he would be officially promoted.

The White-Collar Division currently lacks a second Supervisory Special Agent, but from the perspective of team development, it should be Jones, who has been in the team for years and has long been a Senior Agent. A promotion now would be normal.

As for Diana, that's not likely; she and Jimmy were agents at the same time, but she arrived at the White-Collar Division half a year earlier than Jimmy. Diana joined the FBI through a normal recruitment process and studied at Quantico Academy, so she reported in January. Jimmy was part of the batch specially recruited after 9/11, and he reported to Manhattan after training in June.

Despite all he's done, Jimmy has only been a Senior Agent for just two years, and Diana has no chance of being promoted to Supervisory Special Agent.

Transferring a team leader from another team to take over Peter's position is not very likely.

In fact, Peter's cases are quite special, the majority are related to art and white-collar crimes, requiring a sufficient artistic sensibility to assess the value of artworks and identify potential suspects in the involved industries once a case is discovered.

Additionally, a considerable part of these cases requires solid interpersonal relationships; otherwise, just dealing with communication with various art galleries and museums could drive a person mad.

Finally, unlike cases from other teams, the White-Collar Division generally doesn't deal with high-risk crimes, so those familiar with various crimes in teams like the Homicide Team might find it hard to adjust.

As for the field supervisor, that's hard to guess—who knows how many options Hughes has in his hand? Aside from people Jimmy is familiar with, there are many teams, plus there are several other field offices with Supervisory Special Agents eligible for a promotion.

Considering his own return to the field, he used to be in the Homicide Team, and now Mahong and David are doing well; going back there would be good since it's all familiar.

If not in the Homicide Team, then it's highly likely to be the White-Collar Division, since he started as a trainee there. With Peter gone and Jones promoted, they are severely understaffed and most likely need to adjust by bringing in two more people. Another option is arranging a trainee to familiarize with the situation, just like when Jimmy and Diana started.

Another choice is going over to Ruiz's side, but it's doubtful Hughes and the others would let him go there. Jimmy is too familiar with Ruiz, and if he were there, things would probably go entirely unmanaged.