North American detective: From scoundrel to god among men

Chapter 11: Violent Gangster Detective and Fierce Female Detective

The night wind was biting. Steve turned around and delivered a powerful punch, knocking the doorman to the ground!

The surrounding tourists gasped in surprise!

Steve crossed the road to the other side of the street. The doorman, filled with shame and indignation, tried to chase after him, but was stopped by passing vehicles.

Fiona and Vivi turned around in surprise, letting out a huge sigh of relief. Across the driveway, they laughed and cursed the security guard as an "idiot."

Steve even pulled down his pants and slapped his butt, mocking him relentlessly!

Steve felt extremely comfortable.

The gatekeeper could only watch helplessly as they disappeared around the corner.

Titus naturally fled with them.

He certainly had other options, but he didn't want to spoil everyone's fun.

Such a beautiful night, a grand escape under the cover of darkness—this is a rare opportunity.

After running quite a distance, Steve stopped and looked excitedly at Fiona. Fiona looked back at him, their eyes met, and they smiled at each other.

He then looked at Titus and Little Vie, their four eyes meeting as they breathed in the marijuana-scented air of the South District with delight.

Titus thought that for many years to come they would never forget this pleasant night, their first encounter.

Overall, he thought Steve was pretty good.

Unfortunately, they didn't end up together on screen, but now Titus wants to try to bring them together.

……

The following morning, Titus arrived at the FBI and noticed that the people there were looking at him strangely.

His colleague told him that he was now the center of attention and gestured for him to pay attention to the radio and the news.

Just then, the daily news was playing on the TV screen in the lobby, and Titus made himself a cup of coffee and watched it with great interest.

But soon, he almost spat out his coffee.

On the central projection screen was his handsome photo, the one of him holding up his ID and ordering "Everyone back off," with Starling standing behind him, pressing down on one person with one hand and pointing at a group with a jack.

This photo is of a very high artistic standard, with a cool color tone, at least several degrees lower. A light rain is falling from the sky. Titus is wearing a black uniform and gloves, holding up his badge. The car headlights pierce the night, illuminating half of his cheek and his sharp features, giving him a tough guy vibe. Meanwhile, Agent Starling behind him has a fierce look on her face, and is pretending to smash someone with a jack.

If this were a gangster photo, then without a doubt, Titus is the BOSS, and Starling is the black glove responsible for carrying out the deed.

The reporter then began broadcasting: saying that he used force to threaten and even violently beat the reporter, and also showed several photos of the male reporter's injuries.

Titus was certain that the wound had been aggravated; at most, he had caused a minor abrasion, which was due to proper procedures for protecting the scene.

One moment it's FBI agent Gallagher wielding absolute power, disregarding the law and violently assaulting a journalist; the next it's FBI agent Gallagher condoning his female subordinate's violent acts.

When another reporter covered the story, since they hadn't taken any photos, they exaggeratedly claimed that Agent Gallagher had made a pact with a devilish man to obtain the lead.

He called Titus an accomplice of evil and spoke at length about the incompetence of the FBI.

"Violent Enforcer Titus", "The Lawless FB Agent", "The Violent Gangster Agent", "The Gallagher Agent Who Made a Deal with the Devil".

He was given numerous titles in a short period of time.

The FBI has remained silent, seemingly intending to downplay the matter.

There was much discussion within the FBI, with many speculating whether Titus would be brought down by this.

Titus is quite famous in the group. On his first day, his boss asked him to investigate a major case. He usually just sits in the group.

The manager hadn't assigned him any tasks, and all orders were given directly by SAC Crawford, leading many in the group to speculate that he had powerful connections.

It was John, a fellow detective in the violent crimes unit and a colleague of Titus, who alerted Titus to the news.

John's workstation was next to Titus's, so they would occasionally exchange a few words.

John joked,

"You're really making waves, Agent Gallagher! I remember the last time someone was this in the spotlight was a guy from the next station named James Gordon. I heard he's been promoted pretty fast."

Titus felt the name sounded familiar.

"The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind; don't laugh at me."

John shook his head.

"I believe you, really. I heard from them that you did it to protect the scene, so the department won't make things too difficult for you."

Just then, Titus's landline rang, and he picked it up.

Crawford's cold voice came through the microphone:

"Come to my office."

Titus guessed that Crawford was in a terrible mood at the moment. The cases of Buffalo Bill and Hannibal were already overwhelming him, and now the newspapers were using him as a pretext to launch a massive attack.

To make matters worse, John also told him that Crawford had a wife named Phyllis Bella, and that Ms. Bella had cancer, lung cancer.

Titus pushed open the door to the SAC office.

"Detective Gallagher."

"Yes."

"I've reviewed the Hester Mofet warehouse murder report. There's been no breakthrough with the suspect in the car. Try talking to Dr. Lecter; after all, he provided the lead, and he's willing to talk to you."

Dr. Lecter often responded to visitors with silence, refusing to communicate, and harboring indifference and contempt from the bottom of his heart, thereby creating invisible oppression and social obliteration.

Titus speculated that Hannibal's main reason for contacting them was to use the opportunity to plan his escape, which is exactly what he did in the original story.

Crawford smoked one cigarette after another. On his desk was a photograph of his wife Bella when she was healthy, with a beautiful tan.

"Is there anything else, Officer Gallagher?"

Titus was surprised that Crawford hadn't mentioned public opinion, shook his head, and left the office.

He and his partner Starling went to the mental hospital again to visit Dr. Lecter.

On the way, Starling told him:

"What is Crawford thinking about those comments in the newspapers?"

Titus replied:

"He didn't mention that matter, and now he's assigning us tasks, probably hoping to let it go and move on."

"I didn't sleep a wink all night because of this, you know? When I saw that photo, it was absolutely awful, damn it! The media kept saying Ms. Starling wasn't ladylike enough, but what do I, a detective, need to be ladylike? And they called me a 'fierce and beautiful detective,' am I trying to get into Hollywood?"

"It's all in the past now."

"Come on, you're not much better. Let me think what they said about you? 'A violent gangster detective.'"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Starling immediately realized her lapse in composure. She didn't know what was wrong with her; she always had so much to say to Titus.

She admits she's a chatterbox, but she only talks to herself, preferring to talk to herself in her mind. Now she's let it all out, and undeniably, it feels surprisingly good.

Perhaps because of her earlier rudeness, Starling blushed and quickly said:

"Before I came here, my instructor, the one who taught our shooting class, told me: 'Crawford made it clear at a critical moment that we were there to protect the scene.'"

During their conversation, the two returned to the mental hospital's "dungeon"...