American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop

Jack and Emily successfully found an elderly Mexican man at the camp. His head was full of white hair, and his face showed the wear of age, making him appear at least sixty or seventy years old. He reluctantly admitted that he knew Armando Salinas, his younger half-brother.

The old man's name was Arturo Torres, and he had taken his mother's surname, which is why Garcia's investigation hadn't connected the two of them. 

Jack and Emily took him back to the station. On the way, they learned that this "old man" was actually just fifty years old. 

"When was the last time you saw your brother?" Jack asked in Spanish, offering Arturo Torres a bottle of water as they sat him down in a private room.

"A few months ago, in Tehachapi." Arturo Torres had been anxious the whole way to the station, and now that they were there, he seemed even more uneasy. Although Jack and Emily were kind, the mention of his brother made him even more uncomfortable.

Emily did her best to soothe him before continuing with the questions. "Did you know that he's been following you all this time?"

"Yes... yes, he would call me now and then, asking where I was headed next."

"Why was he secretly following you? Why did he leave your gang and stop working with you all?"

"He was never someone who could work steadily or follow the rules. Because of him, we lost a big job in Tehachapi. The guys in the gang all wanted him gone."

"So you forced him out?" Jack finally started piecing together the origins of this series of killings. This seemed to be the spark that set everything in motion.

"Yes, I had no choice. Everyone has families to feed, and we only have a few months each year to make money. I had no other option." 

As Arturo Torres spoke, he nervously wrung his hands. His fingers were thick and calloused, the skin rough and cracked, with veins bulging across the backs of his hands. 

"What did he do? Can I see him? He listens to me; I could talk to him." The prematurely aged Mexican farmer didn't seem to be aware of the extent of his brother's actions.

Jack and Emily exchanged glances, and after a sigh, Emily revealed the truth. "Your brother has been wandering near your gang, breaking into homes and killing people in every city he passes. We're trying to track him down."

Arturo Torres visibly wilted before their eyes. 

"Oh my God... So that's how he's been getting his money..."

The Mexican farmer shakily pulled a bulging letter from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I found this in the camp this morning. It's from Armando."

Jack glanced at the time. It was almost 10 p.m. "You guys continue, I have to go."

He stepped out of the office, where Detectives Hotchner and Lehman were gathering the police force. Freshly printed wanted posters were being distributed to each officer. 

Hotchner addressed the officers, explaining, "Armando Salinas, 38 years old, Mexican national. We believe he is currently hiding in one of the small towns surrounding Rockford. 

He has no vehicle and targets homes within one mile of the railroad, particularly those without porch lights, alarm systems, or dogs."

Due to the large area they needed to cover, Hotchner was worried they might not have enough manpower. Everyone except Emily and Reid was sent out on patrol.

Jack gave his car to JJ and Jane, both of whom were capable in combat, or at least had decent shooting skills. 

The Wolf brothers had reinforced the doors of the three "Mammoth" SUVs they had purchased, adding Kevlar linings and importing bulletproof glass from Ceris. While the vehicles couldn't withstand close-range AK fire, they were still far safer than regular police cars, which usually only had steel plates added to the driver and passenger doors.

Jack got into a Suburban with Rossi in the passenger seat. After putting on their bulletproof vests and checking their firearms, they started searching along the railroad in a fan-shaped area.

As midnight passed, Rossi checked his phone, which showed updates from Emily on the interview notes.

"The two brothers grew up in poverty. Arturo Torres was 14 when their father died, forcing him to become a child laborer. Armando Salinas was only two at the time. 

Despite the hardships, the brothers had a close bond. Arturo worked hard to support the family, but they couldn't escape poverty. Armando, with no one to guide him, was always in trouble and in and out of prison.

After Armando was released one more time, Arturo brought him along, hoping to teach him how to earn a living. It seems Armando tried but couldn't succeed. 

He didn't fit in with the camp and couldn't follow the rules."

"Anything else that matches our profile?" Jack asked.

Rossi nodded. "Arturo said that Armando never had a proper bed. As a child, he slept on the floor, and in prison, he slept on the floor too. He always told his brother that he wanted a house of his own, with a bed of his own. 

That's why he kept giving Arturo money, constantly repeating that if he couldn't fulfill this wish, he hoped his brother's kids wouldn't have to suffer like he did."

Jack felt a lump in his throat. Here was another poor soul driven mad by desperation. But the tragedy was that he had chosen to harm innocent people. 

"How have you managed to get through all these years?" Jack asked Rossi as he turned his head. 

They had discussed facing the abyss many times before, but this was the first time Jack asked so directly. 

Rossi was momentarily surprised, then smiled and replied, "Do good and let good be done."

"Doing good without worrying about the outcome, huh?"

It seemed that Eastern and Western cultures shared a similar outlook on accepting fate. Perhaps it was a result of natural selection — those who had endured too much suffering either learned to cope or were eliminated. 

Just as Jack was lost in thought, Reid's voice came over the radio. Jack quickly put on his headset. 

"The suspect messed up. A resident reported waking up in the middle of the night and seeing a man standing outside with a shovel. She screamed, scaring him away, and then called the police. The address is in the 400 block of Pear Blossom Avenue."

"Are you sure it's not a false alarm?" Rossi asked.

"It doesn't seem like it. Officers just arrived at the scene and found the shovel outside, taken from the backyard."

Jack glanced at the tangled lines on the electronic map and made a quick decision. "Reid, I need you to find the nearest freight station, along with any curves or switches that might slow down a train. He might jump onto a slow-moving train and vanish."

Before he finished speaking, his phone buzzed with a message, and Reid's voice continued in his earpiece. 

"I've sent it to you. The nearest freight station is right ahead. Emily is contacting the railroad police, and the others are on their way to assist."

"Great job. We really can't do without that brilliant brain of yours," Jack said, turning on the siren. The Suburban's lights flashed as they sped toward the freight station Reid had marked.

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