Chapter 297 The Desperate Reservation (Part 2)

Chapter 297 The Desperate Reservation (Part 2)

"Yes, I can't rule this as murder." The medical examiner said as if he had expected this reaction from you.

Jane was in disbelief, "She was raped several times and was beaten during the process. Don't these on-site circumstances need to be taken into account?"

"It's your domain to judge the situation on site, not mine. Let me uh... let me explain it to you."

"No, I don't need such an explanation."

Seeing that Jane was about to argue with the medical examiner, Jack was about to say something to stop her from being so calm, but the medical examiner stood up directly.

He didn't confront Jane because of her aggressive attitude, he just raised his voice slightly.

"All this evidence can be used to prosecute murder. It's obvious that she wouldn't have been running in the snow if she hadn't been attacked, but it's not my job to speculate, do you understand?"

"There is no way I can characterize this case as murder!"

Jane looked devastated, "If the case cannot be classified as murder, I can't let the FBI send people to the reservation to investigate. Do you understand?"

"I don't have the authority to take charge of this case. I'm just here to confirm the cause of her death, write a report, and then ask the higher authorities to send someone who has the authority to handle the case."

"For example, this guy next to me." Jane said and looked at Jack, who was acting innocently. She seemed to understand why this guy emphasized that he was on vacation from the beginning.

"Neither the Rip case nor the assault case falls under the jurisdiction of the FBI. These are all managed by the BIA."

This is a chicken-and-egg problem. If the medical examiner states in the death certificate that the deceased died of direct causes such as shooting, strangulation, violent beating, etc., the FBI can directly gain jurisdiction.

But the problem now is that although there is a pile of evidence to prove that this was a murder, on the death certificate, the medical examiner can only write pulmonary bleeding in the cause of death column.

In this case, the case will be transferred to the BIA, which will confirm whether it will be handled by the local tribal police or seek help from the FBI.

If the BIA was a government department with efficient administration, strong execution, and truly serving the Indians in the reservation, then Jane and Jack would not see so many upside-down stars and stripes on the way to the police station.

To make an inappropriate comparison, the smallest state in the federation is called Rhode Island, with a total area of ​​4,000 square kilometers, which is almost the same area as the Wind River Ridge that the tribal police department where veteran Sheriff Ben Shawy works for has to govern.

Not long ago, when Jack and Jane walked into this tribal police station, there were only seven photos of police officers hanging on the wall.

In other words, rounding up, old Sheriff Ben Shaw and his six men are equivalent to being responsible for the security of a state.

This is just an exaggeration, but they also see how poor this tribal police station is. In such a large jurisdiction, they don't even have a helicopter.

Obviously, without the intervention of the FBI, with only the resources of the tribal police station, I am afraid that after the initial few days of investigation work, this case would have become an unsolved case and be permanently included in the files.

"We all know this is a murder." Forensic examiner Randy Whitehurst spread his hands, indicating that he really couldn't help.

"I would be happy to provide testimony as long as federal prosecutors approve it, but I cannot put it on the death certificate."

"Forget it." Jane looked frustrated, bowed slightly to him, thanked him with a sarcastic tone, then turned around and left the autopsy room angrily.

The old sheriff hurriedly chased after him, but Jack took his time and stretched out his hand to shake the forensic doctor's hand.

"DR. Whitehurst, it can be seen that you are a very professional forensic examiner. I have a few unofficial questions to ask you. As far as you know, over the years,"

When Jack got some data as he wished and left the autopsy room with a satisfied smile, he saw Jane leaning on the chair in the corridor and sulking, with the old police chief accompanying her.

"Agent Banner, I admire your work ethic. Normally, it's not like I meet those FBI agents, but Randy is on our side."

The implication of the old sheriff's words was that Jane's temper was directed at the wrong person.

Jane let out a long breath and shook her head slightly, "If my superior sees this autopsy report, he will immediately send me back to Vegas. I can't help with anything. I am just a person, and... "

Seeing her looking at him, Jack still kept smiling and looked at the messages on his phone, but the words in his mouth were sarcastic.

"So, you're just going to give up? Should I congratulate you, Agent Jane Banner, for reaching a compromise with this old and rotten bureaucracy?"

After Jack finished taunting and completely ignored someone's murderous gaze, trying to open a few holes in his body, he turned to ask the old sheriff.

"I don't know much about the case-handling process of the tribal police station. Usually at this time, the police should visit the victim's family to learn about the victim's situation."

"Yes, shall we go now?" The old sheriff seemed to have received some kind of hint, and his eyes looked at Jack with a little more meaning.

"I remember that yesterday we met a hunter who is familiar with the victim's family. Chief Xiao, would you mind informing him to arrive? Maybe this can increase mutual trust between the two parties."

Logically speaking, with Aaliyah here, these are not problems, but Braxton just sent news that the young couple are currently locked out by Aaliyah and Natalie's father, Mr. Hanson, and are already in the snow. The ground has been frozen for more than an hour.

"Of course, there are some things to arrange in the bureau. Give me some time. We will set off in 20 minutes. I will call Corey on the way." The old police chief said and left in a hurry, as if he was suddenly full of energy again.

Although he knew that the old police chief might have some misunderstandings, it didn't matter. As long as the real murderer could be found and the case solved, Jack believed that the dedicated reservation policeman would understand.

Feeling a slight kick on his calf, Jack looked back at Jane, who was a little unhappy. The girl's eyebrows were tightly knitted together.

"You said that I am the one who is responsible for everything."

Jack sighed heavily, feeling helpless, "So you figured it out?"

Jane blinked innocently, seemingly not understanding what he meant.

Jack showed an expression of hatred, "You know what? When you are in a bureaucracy and you have no way out, what is the right thing to do?"

"Persistence. Faith?" Jane answered hesitantly because she didn't know what the other person wanted to express.

"Even if you can only do errands every day in Las Vegas, you should have come into contact with many departments, right?"

Jack said angrily, "Do you know how long it takes for the FBI crime lab in Las Vegas to issue a formal autopsy report on a corpse?"

"Uh, a week?" Jane seemed to understand what he meant.

"What do you mean? I can have a week to continue the investigation without worrying about being recalled directly from above."

"No, tomorrow you will receive a call from your boss asking you to go back to Las Vegas. Because you offended the only licensed medical examiner here, he decided to work overtime and submit the official report today. "

Seeing Jane's frightened expression, Jack smiled as if he had succeeded in his mischief.