Jimmy returned to the police station and immediately called the dispatch center to inquire about progress, then hung up the phone, disappointed. They hadn't worked overtime that evening; he would just have to wait until tomorrow.

Because he was still responsible for the case, Jimmy wasn't on patrol these past two days, and his squad car had been driven off by someone else. Taking advantage of the investigation's delay at the dispatch center, Jimmy rested in the break room for a while, then was summoned by Chief James.

"Jimmy, the new police lights are getting good feedback all around, and you need to contact the manufacturer as soon as possible. I've already spoken to the county government committee, and the council members will hold a hearing on this procurement case next month."

"Thank you, Chief, that really is great news. Will this be for all of our police cars?" Jimmy was thrilled, as this would be the first order to improve his livelihood; then his smile faded. "But, Chief, Cage just handed off a murder case to me, and I don't have time to go to the factory right now."

Chief James was a bit speechless; he couldn't very well say to drop the case and handle the procurement first.

"Handle the case first. There's almost a month until the hearing, so you should have enough time." With that, the Chief returned to his office, leaving Jimmy by himself.

Jimmy felt helpless. He truly wanted to drop the case and get the business going, but he was already halfway through the investigation. He was just waiting for the dispatch center to come through with a lead before continuing. If he put it aside now, who knew when it would be resolved.

The dispatch center was quite efficient this time, producing results in just over two hours.

The last recorded location of the blue sedan was on the route to Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Due to the lack of cameras beyond that point, surveillance was not possible. Moreover, based on the timing from various traffic cameras, it seemed the car didn't stop for a rest on the way.

Jimmy scratched his head; the lack of camera coverage was something he hadn't anticipated. If he wanted to continue the investigation, he'd have to go there in person and ask around. If the suspect's car continued along Highway 300, it would have left Plaskey County, necessitating contact with other police stations for information. This kind of cross-jurisdictional coordination would require the Chief to intervene personally, or it should be submitted directly to the State Police.

As a rookie, Jimmy was totally unfamiliar with personnel from other police stations. Having just confronted the Chief once, seeking him out now was a bother. It would be dreadful if he, still angry, botched the police lights deal.

After some thought, Jimmy remembered someone. He took out his phone and found Frank Moses's number.

"Hi, Moses, it's me, County Police Jimmy."

"Hey, Jimmy, what's up?"

"Yeah, I remember you have a friend who is a ranger at Pinnacle Mountain, right? He was also at the barbecue last time."

"That's right, Pat Bright. Is there something wrong? What's up?"

"It's like this, I'm working on a case here, and the suspect's car is believed to have gone towards Pinnacle Mountain. I was hoping he could help out."

"OK, take down this phone number."

Jimmy got Pat Bright's phone number and called immediately. Since it was a landline, Pat might have been on patrol in the park as no one was answering.

Jimmy waited another half hour, redialed, and this time someone picked up.

"Hi, this is Plaskey County Police. May I speak with Mr. Pat Bright?"

"Yes, what can I do for you, officer?"

"Hey, Bright, I'm Jimmy, we met a while back at Frank Moses's gathering."

"Oh, I remember you, the young Asian guy, Jimmy."

"That's me. I got your number from Moses. I need your help with something."

"Go ahead."

"The day before yesterday, we had a murder case here. The suspect drove a blue sedan with a fake license plate, heading towards Pinnacle Mountain. I was wondering if you had noticed this car? Could you help me check the surveillance there?"

"I don't recall a blue sedan, and about the surveillance, it isn't working properly now, the cameras at the intersection are just for show."

"All right, thanks for your help, goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Jimmy hit a dead end and had no choice but to knock on the Chief's office door.

"Chief James, the murder case has new leads, but now it's impossible to proceed."

"Explain the details."

"Right, I went back to the scene of the murder yesterday. Since some neighbors were not questioned the day before yesterday, I went back today to follow up. Then one neighbor provided a new lead; he noticed a Caucasian man getting into a blue sedan at the intersection.

The dispatch center provided the video tapes. Yesterday, we found three cars matching the description, two with real license plates and one with a fake. I focused on the car with the fake plates.

The dispatch center gave the latest investigative findings today; that car was last seen near Pinnacle Mountain. I asked a friend, and there is no camera footage from the area. The next camera-covered location along Highway 300 is already out of jurisdiction, giving us no authority to continue the investigation."

"What's your suggestion?"

"I would like to ask the Chief to contact Perry County Police to see if they can provide the route of this sedan."

"Even if the route is discovered, we can't follow up. If all the current leads in the case are centered on this car, then what we should do is submit it to the State Police for handling. Do you understand?"

"Okay, I'll get the materials ready for the State Police to take over."

Jimmy left the Chief's office and returned to his desk to organize the materials, including his own report on the case, the video tapes provided by the dispatch center, and the records from subsequent intersections the vehicle passed through.

After organizing everything, Jimmy filled out a form to transfer evidence and got the Chief's signature. He would then wait for the State Police to arrive before taking out the evidence they found from the evidence room.

Little Rock is the capital of Arkansas and also the capital of Plaskey County. The State Police arrived promptly at the station, and Jimmy assisted in transferring all the materials. This case was no longer related to him.

Jimmy actually felt a bit dejected; this was the biggest case he'd received since becoming a police officer. He'd been pursuing the suspect from the start, but now, due to jurisdictional limits, his efforts were wasted.

Jimmy was lost in his thoughts at the station when his phone rang.

"Hi, this is Zhuoyue Lighting Company from Nebraska, may I speak with Mr. Yang from Atlas?"

"Yes, what can I do for you?"

"We found that one of your patents has just been approved, and we would like to schedule a meeting with you to discuss it."

"OK, how about next Tuesday afternoon in Little Rock?"

"Our representative will be there on time."

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