Peter was not in the office, but Ruiz was there, and he did not refuse; he leisurely made his way to Jimmy's office. Although Ruiz had never had pure tea before, only English-style milk tea, he did give face and didn't outright say that the tea Jimmy prepared was terrible. Jimmy had also tasted a cup himself and indeed, it wasn't that great.

Actually, the tea leaves themselves were alright; he had bought a packet for a dozen or so dollars, almost half a pound. Jimmy didn't understand tea and had casually inquired and learned a bit when buying them. It wasn't overly terrible, but definitely not as good as what Mary or the tea shop owner made.

The main purpose was really to chat and to inquire about Chris's situation, to see if Ruiz knew someone named Vince. Of the people Jimmy knew, it seemed Chris's matter was the only one where he could potentially lend a hand. Although Hughes and Chris both told him not to get involved, it was no harm to gather more information, just to be prepared.

As for Ruiz, he was worried at the moment. A few months ago, he and Jimmy had been tailing Reina Franjes of the Dixie Family. Jimmy had killed several people, but Reina had escaped. Afterwards, it seemed like the Dixie side had gone quiet for a while, but recently an informant mentioned they had resurfaced, yet no specific leads had been found. Reina had lost several of her men to Jimmy back then; whether the Dixie Family was letting Reina continue with their plans was uncertain, and if it was her, might she be entertaining thoughts of retaliation?

Jimmy remembered this matter as well, but what he paid attention to was not the drug trafficking criminal record of the Dixie Family, but Reina herself. He hadn't forgotten that when he had asked James about her case before, James had been very annoyed discussing it. Reina was already on his blacklist, but since she got away last time, he hadn't seen her since then.

Now, the Dixie Family was resurfacing, indicating that their period of laying low was over. It was uncertain if Reina was still involved, but unfortunately, Jimmy couldn't offer any help at this early stage. Intelligence gathering was not his expertise, so it was best to wait until Ruiz had other leads.

It had just been over a month since Christmas and New Year's, and many activities were not very intense. Ruiz seemed rather relaxed, mainly because their investigation's main force was on the ahead personnel.

After chatting for over half an hour, Ruiz left Jimmy's office and went back. Jimmy took a trip to the restroom and continued reviewing documents upon return. Speaking of which, New York Fashion Week was coming up in a while; he could join in on the festivities if he had the time.

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It had been two whole days, and Chris had yet to return; he hadn't even made a phone call. Jimmy only knew the man was named Vince; beyond that, he had no clue, as the system was no use for such a common name. Right now, he was clueless about what Chris and his team were up to and what he could potentially do.

There was very little happening with the emergency unit, and the alert light above the door had yet to light up. Jimmy had spent these days daydreaming in the office, extremely bored, but he dared not look into any cases. When he had spoken with Chris before, Chris had told him to take a break; it'd be terrible if he really became psychologically deranged.

Speaking of psychological issues, perhaps he should have a chat with Mary? It had been a long time since he had seen her, and he wondered how she and Jenna were doing. However, going over during work hours wasn't ideal since their group was down to a sole member; with his absence, no one would be on duty. It looked like he would have to plan for a weekend visit instead.

While he was contemplating this, the phone on Jimmy's desk rang. Picking it up, he heard Hughes's voice, "Jimmy, come over." That was all he said before hanging up.

Work had come his way, so Jimmy immediately hung up, grabbed his coat, and made for Hughes's office.

Hughes: "Jimmy, there's an event at NYPD that needs our support. Head over there."

Jimmy: "What event?"

Hughes: "The Dwight High School shooting commemoration ceremony, tomorrow morning at 10, followed by a press conference on the shooting."

Jimmy swallowed: "Won't I be giving myself away if I go? It hasn't been announced yet that I was the one who shot the gunman."

Hughes: "That's exactly why you're going. You don't need to speak, just need to take a photo for NYPD's remembrance. Don't worry, they will handle the release properly."

Now Jimmy understood Hughes's point: "Oh, I got it. I'll head directly there tomorrow morning."

Hughes waved his hand, and Jimmy left the office. NYPD likely needed to manage their public relations, especially since a school shooting's impact was significant—although campus shootings happened every year in the United States, most didn't result in fatalities. This time in New York, two students died, which was too damaging.

Cooperating with the act was something he could do, as long as NYPD blurred out the details in their publicity, there wouldn't be a problem. Since Hughes was confident enough to send him, he would certainly handle it well.

The next day, Jimmy specifically dressed in an all-black suit: shirt, tie, blazer, and leather shoes. On the way, he bought white carnations and a boutonniere to pin on his chest, completing his outfit.

Upon arriving at Dwight High School, very many people had already gathered in front of the building where the shooting occurred, including students and parents. Jimmy saw about a dozen NYPD officers clustering nearby and walked over to them. After showing his badge, he joined their ranks. The precinct had prepared thoroughly, including the boutonniere and the flowers he held. Had he known, he would have come directly.

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