Let's Go On a Trip, Jack!

"I agree. We must find Nitte." Bob says.

Bob has a bad feeling about "preserving" dead animals she hunts. He is sure, it is just another way for her to say she is preserving dead people she and Keith killed. But why does she need to do that? Because she is trying to make... mummies? Bob should have a word with Jack. Who has Jack been fooling around with?

"Don't make any more of the glue-like or syrup-like thing, you hear me?" Leif puts his face closer to his chemistry teacher. Leif wasn't loud, but he spoke with a threatening power.

"OK. I won't. " Mr. Anthony says.

*** ***

The next morning, Jack opens his apartment door to go to work, and is surprised to find Bob standing outside, seemingly about to knock on his door.

"What the hell, Bob?"

"Oh. I was about to knock."

"Why? We can talk in the office."

"No. I'm going to speak the medical examiner about the murder case. And then I am going to ask a few days off to try to find Nitte."

"What? Why?"

"You should take a few days off and come with me. Gosh. You've been a good employee these days that you have been suspended."

"Why do you need to find Nitte all of a sudden?"

Bob explains, "First of all, Nitte is doing something odd. I will explain to you later. Second, Nitte knew she was being set up by someone, but not by Rosanne. But I think by Keith. I think Keith killed the two people in Hell's Kitchen. My theory is, Keith killed them somewhere else. After killing them, Nitte was in an animal form when she was tricked by Keith to move them somewhere, and then Keith moved them again to Hell's Kitchen to set Nitte up. I am going to ask the medical examiner only to see if there was anything else about their death and hopefully to see if my theory could be corroborated by the autopsy findings."

Bob and Jack then rush over to the medical examiner's office. Bob's theory was proven to be correct. The gunshots were the fatal wounds. Bullets were specially made. Could be foreign made, even. The dead bodies were placed somewhere on some dirt for a while, which explained some dirt on their backs, which Bob didn't see when he was on the scene, since he didn't move the bodies around.

Then, the animal bite marks were clearly done post-mortem. Meaning, the marks were left only after the two people died. Bob is glad to learn, there is no glue-like liquid on them anywhere. Looks like, Nitte really didn't spend much time on these two bodies other than moving them in the dirt.

After leaving the city forensic office, Jack quickly takes a few breaths. "I feel like, so far, Keith is trying to set many people up. Or at least, setting a lot of smoke screens up."

"That's why I think you need to contact Keith and told him you wanted to go track Nitte down."

"Actually, Keith already gave me an account number and pin for a credit card that can be used solely for traveling for the assignment he gave me after I told him the missing PhD student might be connected to some radical movement. He was pleased with my answer."

"So the question was like a test. Trying to see if your mind would go to national security and radicals and whatnot." Bob asks.

Jack nods, "It had to be. Right around the time Kasim Bashar was arrested. Keith must be trying to create a theme... a fear for people of their ethnicity of something. After I answered that, he then just said to keep watch on Nitte for now. I obviously haven't done a very good job. I have no idea where she is." Jack scratches his head, but then he opens his mouth, "Shit! Wait. I do know where she is. She must have been going to Las Vegas with Jie Ai! She said she was going to bury the Fox Tail."

"Well, you use that credit card and book your flight. I will see if I could get the police headquarter to book me a flight to Vegas." Bob seems excited now, he is starting to run a little, trying to run back to the office.

Jack and Bob have booked the flights to Las Vegas. Even though they used two separate accounts, they get the same itinerary. Keith or NYPD don't have to know they are going together. And also kind of separately.

Jack is excited, because he actually has never traveled to other parts of the country. This would be his first.

As they wait in Newark Airport, Bob confesses that he had to fib to get NYPD to purchase the tickets. "I said I need to locate a suspect for the double homicide case in Hell's Kitchen."

"It's not a lie, Bob." Jack laughs, "Nitte is definitely suspect. Potentially a witness, too. And maybe you can get Nitte to testify against Keith. And we capture Keith. End of story."

"Right, since we can't positively prove that it was Keith who shot the two. We do need witness statement. But what I really try to say is, I am not really on this trip to solve the homicide case. We just need to speak to Nitte and form a better plan."

"What plan?" Jack asks.

And with that, Jack looks past Bob's shoulder and see a very tall blond guy walking towards them. In one split second, Jack thought it was Keith Hutchins. Because Keith is also tall and blond.

But this guy is a lot younger looking.

Bob turns around and waves at the tall blond man, "That's Leif Eiriksson. He is looking for Nitte as well. He is coming with us."

"Wow! Wait a minute. Who is paying for his plane tickets, then?"

Leif is now standing closer to them, "I am paying for the tickets, don't you worry."

"Hello. We haven't met. I'm the descendent of the legendary Icelandic explorer, Leif Eiriksson. I'm named after him. He was my great, great, great grand father times 1,000 times, times another 1,000 times probably. I am a descendent of him."

"That's cool. I have heard of Leif Eiriksson. What an honor to have meet his descendent." Jack says and looks at Bob, not sure why Bob hasn't told him about a third traveler on this trip.

Leif speaks with an accent, "Yes. And I have my own money from my family who owns the biggest businesses in Iceland."

"Yes, so Leif has some business with Nitte, and it's complicated. You'll see once we all meet Nitte."

It's complicated? What does that mean? Leif Eiriksson does look to be about Nitte's age. Late teens or early 20s?

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Coming up next: Another surprise travel mate will show up!

And, we will find out soon why Leif Eiriksson wants to locate Nitte! (Not just because of the chemical glue thing. But something else, too!)

Please go to Bio.link/PageTurner (all lower case is fine) to read the complete novel without continuously buying coins!

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