Police in America

Given that the Wolf brothers had long since "cleaned up" their identities, Jack suggested a full team outing for the BAU—a team-building trip. Even Garcia, who usually preferred to stay within her own little world, was dragged along. They all piled into several cars and headed off to the Wolf brothers' farm.

When Jack got out of the car with bags full of seasonings, Chris and Braxton, along with Justin and her father, Professor Hubble, were already waiting outside the house. After a brief round of introductions, Rossi recognized Professor Hubble, a well-known expert in the field of autism, with an impressive list of publications.

Unlike Rossi, who leaned more toward practical applications and data analysis in psychology, Professor Hubble excelled in theoretical research and treatment, placing him higher in the academic pecking order. The two old men quickly hit it off, grabbed their guns and fishing rods, and headed to a nearby river to fish for bass.

Justin, who had nearly fully recovered, now appeared just like any other young woman. To the average person, she seemed merely a bit introverted. Of course, the BAU team, being psychological experts, saw through this, so Jack had already briefed them on Justin's situation beforehand. He particularly warned Reid not to focus too much on her.

Garcia was the only one unaware of Justin's past, and ironically, she was the first to befriend her. This was because Garcia found an impressively configured mini-supercomputer in Justin's room. Justin was thrilled. She had been eagerly awaiting Jack's visit, and now cooking in the kitchen had become her second favorite activity, right after computers.

In the past, whenever Jack visited, he would teach her to cook a few dishes. However, today she didn't cling to him. The two computer whizzes, both women of similar age, disappeared into the room and didn't come out.

Meanwhile, the Wolf brothers took Hotchner and Reid to set up the shooting range, while Jack stayed in the kitchen to deal with a fully prepared whole pig that awaited his attention.

Helping him were two lovely young women: Jiejie and another, an Indigenous girl named Alya. She was Braxton's girlfriend and could technically be considered his fiancée. The two had met years ago in Wyoming.

Back then, Braxton was an international mercenary, wandering from place to place. After earning enough money, he would return to the U.S. to continue his search for his brother Chris, spending what he had before taking on another job abroad.

Four years ago, Braxton arrived near Wind River in Wyoming during hunting season. He planned to hunt a moose to test out his new favorite rifle, a Barrett MRAD. It was in a small town there that he met Alya, and what began as a casual fling turned into something more when Braxton realized he was deeply loved by this girl. The feeling of being entrusted with someone's everything was too wonderful.

He nearly stayed. If it weren't for his lingering need to find his brother, Braxton might have settled down there for good. He even took a security job with a local mining company, living in that frozen land for half a year.

Eventually, torn between two desires, Braxton was persuaded by the understanding Alya to leave all his money with her and reluctantly part ways.

Alya despised the Wind River Indian Reservation where she was born, a place of despair and desolation. She didn't want her future children to endure the same life.

This smart and beautiful girl made a promise to Braxton to remain faithful, waiting for him to return and take her away from that place. 

"In my perfect world, there's a meadow where the wind dances in the trees, and the shadows play like leopard spots on the pond's surface. My love will wait for me there. Until he finds that meadow, I will guard every memory of you, even if I'm frozen in the muddy reality."

"Knowing you has been perfect enough; my heart is full of comfort."

This was Alya's poetic confession back then, and now, as she sat on the porch washing carrots, she sang it again in English with an Indigenous chanting style, deeply moving Jiejie, who was listening nearby.

Fortunately, Braxton didn't keep this beautiful and kind Native American girl waiting too long. After he and Chris had settled roughly at the farm, he eagerly brought her to Los Angeles.

Alya had typical Asian features. Apart from a slightly prominent nose bridge and a slightly darker skin tone, she didn't look much different from a typical northern Ceres girl.

When she first arrived in Los Angeles, her health was poor, plagued by the aftereffects of tuberculosis and dysentery—diseases long eradicated among ordinary Americans but still rampant on Native American reservations.

Now, this girl in her early twenties had regained her health with Jack's help, sparking her interest in acupuncture and massage, traditional Chinese medical techniques.

Alya was now striving to continue her education, aiming for a master's degree or even a doctorate in Eastern medicine at ACTCM (American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine) in San Francisco.

Jack spent nearly an entire day processing the whole pig. Thankfully, it was only a free-range pig raised for less than eight months, weighing less than 140 pounds. Otherwise, even with the help of the two girls, it would have taken him all day to prepare.

The most time-consuming part was handling the offal. The notion that Europeans and Americans don't eat organ meats is a misconception. Many classic European dishes feature organ meats, including delicious sausages made from them.

However, with the development of the Western food industry over the past century and the fast pace of life, dishes like the traditional kidney pie that American housewives once made for their husbands are now rare. Today, a typical slaughterhouse processes thousands of animals daily, making it costly to sort and sell offal, which has gradually disappeared from the tables of Westerners, particularly North Americans.

Jack, however, had brought this upon himself. On one occasion, he and the brothers hunted a wild boar. Seeing the fresh offal, and considering that California's environment was relatively unpolluted compared to other parts of North America, he secretly took it back and prepared it.

He ended up making a large pot of aromatic stew, initially intending to enjoy it alone. However, on a whim, he decided to sneak a couple of spoonfuls into the brothers' dinner.

Sorry, I got a bit caught up researching Native American history. I'll take a short break and then continue writing.

___________________

Read Ahead

[email protected]/Mutter