After dealing with Caitlin, Jimmy could finally relax. Caitlin's words have been very clear. No matter who she says it to, it seems that Caitlin seems to have left some traces when she checked Sullivan's information, and it is possible that someone will find out and trace her.
Sullivan and Greg died in a car. Sullivan was not a special person, but Greg would definitely attract investigators. If Caitlin was really found in the correlation investigation, Jimmy would most likely be found. To confess, Caitlin's words are a reminder to Jimmy to prepare for possible investigations and to improve the reasons for his investigation.
This is a bit troublesome. Sullivan is the middleman. No matter what angle he is involved in, it will trigger a targeted investigation. The direction of the investigation is definitely not what Jimmy wants.
Rick may be involved in the Treadstone Project, so why does Jimmy know the background of the Treadstone Project? Correspondingly, we need to investigate how the information was leaked, which is even more troublesome.
Roy Nelson, the man who was tracking James, was arranged by Sullivan. For an FBI headquarters agent to show up near the home of a former county police sergeant, the bad consequences may extend to the FBI. Inside, it's also troublesome.
As for Greg, of course Jimmy can't tell anyone directly that he has any grudge against Greg. After all, everything related to Greg was conveyed to Jimmy by Tom. He has no clues to connect himself with Greg. There is no way. Justify yourself.
After returning home, Jimmy thought about it for a long time, and finally could only focus on Roy Nelson. At least Jimmy had a label on him. He had great respect for the old leader. After communicating on the phone to determine whether there might be a problem, he would deal with the old leader's problem. This is a relatively viable reason to take action. Although there are still some loopholes, such as how to get back to Little Rock, it is at least stronger than the other two clues.
That's all it can do. Jimmy is just one person. No one can give suggestions. It is inevitable that mistakes will occur in some aspects, as long as it does not affect the results.
The matter was resolved, and Jimmy could finally relax temporarily. Of course, this also meant that he had to continue his normal life. He didn't plan to go to work right away. Hughes had told him before to let him deal with it before going back to work. There were still some tailwinds. If he was investigated after going to work, it would be troublesome. The impact would be too bad.
After communicating with Nia, he finally determined his Good Friday and attended the upcoming weekend family gathering with Nia.
Regarding Nia's father, Jimmy had already investigated it before, but it was just basic information. He also had to have a good chat with Nia about his hobbies and other things. As a civilian police station manager, it was really difficult for Jimmy to choose a gift. When he was sure that Nia's family was not opposed to alcohol, he decided to get a bottle of wine. It was worry-free. The key was that he had a bar. Woody's help in choosing a good bottle of wine is relatively simple and easy.
As for Nia's mother, she is a traditional American housewife. She once worked as a magazine editor when she was young and loves literature. Of course, this hobby makes Jimmy scratch his head. He is not a literature lover. Now he is only a community college graduate in name only, and he is not very good at it no matter where he is.
If you are a traditional American housewife, maybe giving a box of handmade cookies is a good choice. Jimmy has been cooking a lot for himself in the past two years, and of course he has also learned a lot of American pastry making methods. Whether it is cookies or chocolate cake, he has to think carefully.
Jimmy came to the bar at night and found Woody: "Woody, I need help!"
Woody: "Oh! What happened?"
Jimmy: "I need a good bottle of wine that I can give away."
Woody: "To whom?"
Jimmy: "Nia's family, wine or champagne bar, whiskey is fine too."
Woody looked at Jimmy speechlessly: "O...K, when do you want it?"
Jimmy: "Just these two days, very urgent."
Woody sighed. The time was too short. You might not be able to find good products even if you go shopping outside. "Come with me."
In the warehouse behind the bar, Woody moved the wine in front, revealing a wooden box in the back, "Let me tell you first, this bottle of wine belongs to me, not the bar. 1990 Romanee-Conti, French Burgundy red wine, 1990 The annual grape production is small and this wine is not available in large quantities.”
Jimmy took the box, opened it, took a look at it, and then closed it. He didn't know much about wine, but if Woody could treasure it, this wine would definitely not be bad. "Thanks, how much does this wine cost? I'll reimburse you."
Woody's mouth curved downwards with a very unhappy expression, "Almost ten thousand."
Jimmy was speechless. How much is your salary as a bartender? You deserve to have a hard time buying and keeping this kind of wine. "OK, I will make it up to you. Is there anything else?"
Woody: "This is enough. Wine has a wide range of uses, so it's just right to give it away."
Jimmy: "I see there are a few more boxes here. Give me another bottle."
Woody was speechless: "I have collected these over the years. If you don't give them to me, just leave them."
Jimmy: "Can you at least tell me what else is there? The most precious bottle."
Woody sighed: "Okay, I can tell you, but don't try to trick her. There is also a bottle of 1964 Black Bowmore Scotch Whiskey."
Jimmy shrugged, yes, booked. The two restored the layout of the warehouse and left the warehouse.
Now that we have the wine for Nia’s father, he should be satisfied with this kind of wine that can be displayed on a wine rack. The only thing left is to deal with her mother.
Jimmy went to the supermarket on Friday to buy cooking materials and packaging cartons and came back to make brownies. I originally wanted to make cookies, but they were too ordinary, with no intention, and too complicated. Jimmy couldn't make them. Brownies are relatively simple, and the audience in the United States is relatively wide, so there will basically be no problems. .
Heat a container over water, melt the dark chocolate, milk, and sugar, then add the butter, stir to melt and combine. After making sure everything is combined, add the beaten egg liquid and a small amount of flour, mix evenly, and then pour it into the mold and put it in the oven. Of course, the mold needs to be buttered first to prevent it from sticking, and water needs to be added to the baking pan to make the inside of the cake more tender.
After baking, take it out to cool, seal it with plastic wrap and throw it in the refrigerator. Take it out before leaving tomorrow, cut it into small pieces, wrap it in cocoa powder and put it in a box.
Everything was ready, and Jimmy finally breathed a sigh of relief. Speaking of going to meet Nia's family this time, he was still a little nervous. After all, it was hard to justify not seeing her family for such a long time. Meeting Nia's family now would be a step closer to their relationship.
On Saturday evening, Jimmy drove to the downstairs of Nia's apartment. Nia was already waiting for him in the hall downstairs. Jimmy walked into the hall holding the box, "Nia."
Nia came over and kissed him on the cheek, "Are you nervous?"
Jimmy smiled and nodded: "A little."
Nia: "Don't be nervous, they are all very nice. Let's go upstairs." After that, Nia took the cake box from Jimmy's hand and walked into the elevator holding Jimmy's arm.
The elevator came to the floor where Nia's house was located, and there was a door directly out of it. This was the large flat floor. Jimmy could already see three people sitting in the living room and two people in the kitchen.
Nia came over and held the door handle and opened the door, walked into the living room, introduced Jimmy and walked to the front of the sofa, "Jimmy, this is my grandpa, this is my dad, this is my uncle Mark, my mom and aunt In the kitchen. Grandpa, Dad, Uncle Mark and this is Jimmy.”
Nia introduced Jimmy to the three people sitting on the sofa in the living room, a white-haired old man and two blond middle-aged men. One of the people sitting on the left side of the sofa, Jimmy had seen his photo, was Nia's father Kevin Mi Le.
The three of them were all wearing casual clothes at home. Jimmy still took this visit a little too seriously. He wore a dark handmade Italian suit, which was too formal. In order to leave a good impression on Nia's family this time, he even had a pistol. They only brought one revolver to ensure that their clothes would not be out of shape due to too many weapons.
Jimmy greeted politely: "Hi, I'm Jimmy, nice to meet you."
Kevin stood up, "You are Jimmy, I heard Nia say it many times. Please sit down."
Jimmy handed over the wine box in his hand: "Director Miller, a little gift, I hope you like it."
Kevin: "That's very kind of you, Jimmy. Can I open it?"
Jimmy sat down with a smile and watched Kevin sitting down and opening the box on the coffee table in front of him. His previous inquiry was just a casual one, "Wow, Romanee-Conti, you are serious, it's still from 1990."
Nia's grandfather suddenly spoke, "Boy, where did you come from?"
Jimmy didn't seem right to what he said. He remembered what Nia had said about the old man's participation in the Klan, and carefully replied: "Little Rock, Arkansas, currently working in New York."
Kevin: "Okay, Dad, I've investigated it and he's fine."
The old man didn't say anything more, but he still didn't look like he was smiling. However, Deputy Director Kevin was quite enthusiastic. His brother Mark also said a few words, and finally the atmosphere was not so tense.
While they were chatting, Nia's mother and aunt also left the kitchen and came over. Jimmy greeted them and presented the cake he brought. When they knew it was made by Jimmy himself, they opened the box and tasted a piece, and praised Jimmy for his good craftsmanship.
Of course, Jimmy knows that his cooking skills are definitely not as good as those of housewives who deal with family matters all year round, but even a compliment is not bad.
Today was Nia's family gathering, but her uncle Mark's children couldn't come because they had something to do, so after they all came to the restaurant and sat down, the conversation basically revolved around Jimmy and Nia.
Before he knew it, Jimmy had been asked almost all the questions about his personal situation. He was not a young man who had just graduated. Although he was a little nervous at first, he almost relaxed after chatting for a while.
Because both father and daughter in Nia's family are from the police department, it is inevitable that they will also be interested in what Jimmy, an FBI agent, does. The reputation of the FBI is not very good, and it is different from the positive images in movies and TV series. A lot of people actually don't like them that much.
Nia also tried hard to add points to Jimmy, and specifically mentioned one or two major cases that Jimmy had done. Of course, Jimmy told her about it, such as the depressing bomb terrorist attack case.
As the topic gradually unfolded, Jimmy learned about the situation at Nia's home. The old man once served as a state senator for two terms. Although he was not as good as a congressional senator, he was still considered a prominent figure in the state. As for her Uncle Mark, he is the director of a private university and also owns a large company. This family does not seem to be fuel-efficient.
After dinner, Jimmy was called to the study by Kevin, and the two sat on the two single sofas placed against the wall. Kevin opened the cigar box on the small table in the middle, took a cigar and handed it to Jimmy. He also took one, cut the head and tail and lit it. Jimmy also took the cigar cutter and cut it and lit it.
Dividing cigars is a good sign, which means that at least Kevin feels that the conversation between the two will not be too short, and he is obviously in a good mood now.
Kevin: "Jimmy, I have been investigating you for a long time, and frankly speaking, I was not satisfied with you at the beginning."
Jimmy turned to look at Kevin. He did not rush to answer, but waited for Kevin to continue.
Kevin: "Nia is an uneasy child. I once thought she would become a painter or musician, but she signed up for the police station and participated in police academy training without our knowledge. I didn't find out until she was admitted.
I don't want her to become a police officer, because this profession is still very dangerous, but things have become like this. I can only let her leave the patrol and enter the detective bureau as soon as possible to stay away from danger.
I originally thought she would choose an ordinary person as a partner, whether it is a company employee or an artist, but who knows that she actually chose an FBI agent who is more dangerous than her profession.
I'm sad and worried. You are all police officers. I am very worried about whether any accidents will happen in her life and whether she will be able to live a stable life in the future.
I also know that you and Nia have been together for a long time. She likes you very much and has often talked about you at home. So, I asked you to come and meet us at home.
I am a very realistic person, and I will not blindly agree with you because of my daughter's preferences. However, I won't stop you from being with Nia, as long as you can prove that you are a good choice for her. "
This was the first time Jimmy heard this story. He had always thought that Nia became a police officer because she had a police father and a well-educated family. He never expected that she signed up privately, which actually went against her parents' expectations.
Jimmy: "Don't worry, I will protect Nia. She will never be harmed by my side. I think she is very happy being a police detective now, and you don't have to worry about her life. I think I still have the ability to provide her with better living conditions."
Kevin: "You are alone and have no family, right? Nia is my only daughter and I love her very much. How do you make me believe that you can make her live a happy life?"
Jimmy: "I don't think that's a problem. It's embarrassing to say it, but I have a company and my own bar, and the annual income is enough to support my family.
I had an apartment on the Upper West Side, which is where I live now. As for the FBI, that's my interest. In fact, I don't live on this salary.
Please believe me, I will try my best to give her a better life. "
Kevin frowned. When he investigated Jimmy, he only looked up basic information. It was impossible for him to get the complete FBI information. After hearing what Jimmy said, how could an ordinary orphan have it? "How is that possible? What...did you do?"
Jimmy stretched out his hand and waved: "Don't worry, these are all legal, and the FBI knows everything. There are no illegal issues. Believe me, I can't use this publicly available information to deceive you and Nia. of."
Kevin: "Well, I will investigate. I hope you didn't lie to me. Hey, who made her like you? This is the first time she has brought a man here, since high school."
Jimmy: "I also hope that I am the last man brought by Nia. I will not let down Nia's feelings."
Kevin: "OK, treat Nia well and don't let us down."
Kevin and Jimmy chatted some more about Jimmy, then put down the half-remained cigar, and the two returned to the living room.
Nia looked at the expressions of both of them and found that they were both relaxed and not tense, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Nia's family was chatting happily in the living room, and there were fruits and snacks on the coffee table, including brownie chocolate cake made by Jimmy. Jimmy and the others also joined in, listening to them talk about some things in life and some stories about Nia's childhood. The chat atmosphere was very good.
When it was time to leave, Nia sent Jimmy downstairs, the two hugged each other and said goodbye. Jimmy started the car and left Nia's house.
(I have to work overtime on weekends, so I’ll stick to one update a day for the time being. I can’t handle the extra update because I don’t have enough sleep.)
(End of chapter)
