Most women who experience such trauma, due to psychological reasons, immediately try to cleanse themselves, erasing the "dirty" marks on their bodies and even disposing of the clothing they wore during the incident. This habit creates enormous challenges for evidence collection. On top of that, some officers are biased, or perhaps it's just that there are so many of these cases that they receive little attention. Cases like these are often disregarded unless the victim is particularly prominent or "special," much like a stolen bicycle in Ceres—rarely getting the attention it deserves.
In a strange way, perhaps Robin was fortunate. She managed to leave Central Park and make her way into a crowded public space, where she was immediately in front of two FBI agents. Robin and her father, while not at the very top of the social ladder, had status well above the average middle class. This was also why Dana Moje allowed her two agents to spend their time on this case.
Since Beckett had no further progress, Jack and Hannah left the federal building and headed to the CSI lab.
It was Hannah's first time there, and she looked around, curious and wide-eyed. They circled the lab until they found Mike Taylor in a room, busy with a liquid chromatography machine.
Jack pulled two white lab coats from a nearby rack, handed one to Hannah, and the two of them donned them before entering.
"Welcome, and thanks for the steak last night—it was great." Taylor greeted them warmly but quickly got to the point. "Unfortunately, I have some disappointing news for you both. We ran into an issue with the suspect's fluids."
Jack and Hannah exchanged surprised glances. How could there be an issue?
"We couldn't extract sufficient DNA. The suspect has a physiological condition; his 'little swimmers' lack the necessary genetic material."
Taylor continued, "On top of that, I ruled out the busboy from the steakhouse. I found something interesting on the stains on Robin's clothing." He placed a walnut on the table.
"A walnut? You found that in the stains?" Hannah asked, utterly baffled.
"Ground walnut powder, used for cleaning sculptures," Taylor explained, giving the FBI agents a quick lesson. Rainwater is typically slightly acidic, which can corrode stone sculptures over time. Walnut powder, which is mildly alkaline, is used to neutralize this acidity when cleaning sculptures.
"We didn't see any statues on our route last night, so the walnut powder wasn't something Robin picked up herself. It must have transferred onto her when the assailant attacked her," Jack reasoned.
"Exactly. I just found out that a crew cleaned the statues on the park's south side yesterday. This is a significant lead." Taylor smiled.
Hannah, however, couldn't help but sigh. "But even if we find those cleaners, there's no DNA for us to match. We're at a dead end."
Jack nudged her shoulder with a grin. "Look on the bright side—we may not have all the evidence we need, but we can at least eliminate some suspects."
After leaving the lab, Jack and Hannah headed to the hospital, while CSI was tasked with collecting fluid samples from the cleaning crew. Even if they identified a suspect with the same condition, there still wasn't enough evidence to bring the case to court. Their best hope was to find additional clues from the victim.
Today seemed doomed to be an unlucky day. At the hospital, they ran into Stella, who had also come seeking clues. Judging by her expression, it was clear she hadn't had any success.
"Just as you suspected, Robin left work early yesterday to make it on time to the book signing. She went home, showered, changed into her evening dress, and called a cab. But due to traffic, she asked the driver to let her out near Central Park and tried to cut through to the other side. That's when it happened."
"But she refuses to recall anything about what followed. Considering her current mental state, there's not much I can do." Stella looked dejected, feeling both sympathy for the girl's ordeal and frustration at the lack of progress. Hannah looked equally troubled, and Jack found himself at a loss for words to comfort them.
As they prepared to leave, Robin's father appeared before them. The sorrowful middle-aged man had been keeping vigil outside his daughter's room. Seeing the trio, he looked at them with a pleading expression.
"She says she doesn't remember anything. Is that normal?"
"Given the head injury your daughter sustained, short-term memory loss is quite common. And it's not unusual for the body to employ self-protection mechanisms, blocking out traumatic memories," Jack answered, choosing his words carefully.
"Do you have any suspects?" Mr. Peacock asked urgently.
"We're still investigating. The police are—" Stella began, but he cut her off sharply.
"I don't want some official response." Realizing his tone was harsh, he softened, clasping his hands together in a gesture of pleading.
"Please, I'm her father. I don't want to learn about this case through the media."
Jack looked around, then led Mr. Peacock to a secluded corner. "First, please trust NYPD's professionalism, especially Detective Beckett and CSI, who are putting in their best effort. No one will release details to the media. I can assure you of that as an FBI agent. Second, we've already ruled out one suspect, and the investigation is moving forward. What you need to do right now is to stay with your daughter and help her recover."
Mr. Peacock looked at the three of them, his eyes welling with tears before he slumped against the wall, sliding down to the floor. He buried his face in his hands, his voice breaking.
"I raised my daughter alone. To her, I've always been the invincible father, and I thought so too. But now, I'm helpless. I can't do anything but watch her like this."
"I don't think that's true." Hannah, who had been silent until now, knelt down and spoke earnestly to the grieving father. "Robin is strong. Last night, Stella and I examined her injuries together. Your daughter nearly lost her life, but she fought back with everything she had. She's covered in bruises; her nails are worn down to the quick. But in the end, she got up and walked out of that park. I don't know what kind of willpower carried her through, but I do know that her only thought at that moment was to see you, her father, again."
Jack extended a hand, helping the man to his feet and adjusting his clothes. "Trust us. We'll do everything we can to bring the perpetrator to justice. For now, the only thing you need to do is be there for your daughter."
On the third day, the CSI lab reported even more disappointing news. The samples from the four cleaning workers were all normal, ruling them out as suspects.
Jack was starting to feel the weight of frustration. No security footage, no witnesses at the scene, and every potential suspect had been eliminated. Was he really about to stumble on such a straightforward case without the help of his BAU team?
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