Police in America

Jane Banner felt like she was losing her mind. She had been struggling to drive through the blizzard for two hours, but everything felt like a dream.

A native of Fort Lauderdale, someone who had lived on the warm east coast all her life, growing up on the sunny beaches of Florida—this was the first time she had ever seen a live blizzard.

She had never been to such a cold place before, nor had she ever seen so much snow that it completely obscured the view ahead. Why was she suddenly sent here?

Jane Banner was just a rookie FBI agent who had only been on the job for a few months. During "Volunteer Night" at the FBI Academy, she could still vividly recall the cheers of her classmates when she loudly announced "Las Vegas" on stage.

Everything had happened so quickly. Initially, she had just come to the Riverton courthouse in Fremont, Wyoming, to submit a testimony. Then, she received a phone call.

The call was from her supervisor, who said there was a suspected murder case at the Wind River Reservation and that she should go check it out because she was the closest FBI agent to the scene.

Jane Banner didn't have time to think it over. She didn't even have time to return to Cheyenne (Wyoming's capital) to request a proper vehicle. Instead, she hastily rented an SUV and rushed to the destination.

As the warmth from the car's heater began to fade, a sense of despair slowly crept into her heart, making her question whether joining the FBI had been the right choice.

She reflected on her short career at the FBI, trying to recall if she had somehow unintentionally offended her strange, balding boss, who had an odd habit of collecting Captain America trading cards.

With her outgoing personality and good looks, she had always managed interpersonal relationships well, whether at the FBI Academy or in the Las Vegas office. She had deftly handled any unwanted advances from a few overly self-confident guys, knowing that this wasn't the past, where a woman had to smile after being slapped on the rear in the office.

As the blizzard outside grew worse, making the road ahead completely invisible, Jane Banner let out a sigh of frustration and slumped over the steering wheel, wallowing in self-pity. Was this all just a coincidence? Was she really just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Everything felt like a dream. One moment she was in the scorching desert of Las Vegas, and the next, she was thrown into this frozen hell with temperatures below minus 20 degrees.

"Am I going to die?" An indescribable sense of dread filled her heart. Even though the car engine was still running and the heater was still on, Jane Banner felt an overwhelming sense of despair.

A knock on the window startled her. Reflexively, she reached for the window control but hesitated for a few seconds before finally deciding to roll down the window just a crack.

Even with just a small opening, the cold wind rushed in, instantly dropping the car's interior temperature below freezing.

"Is your car stuck? Need help?" The voice outside was familiar, making Jane Banner almost unable to believe her ears.

"Jack, is that you?" She pressed the window down further in disbelief, revealing a familiar handsome face.

"Jane?" Jack didn't expect to run into someone he knew here. This girl, who looked exactly like the Scarlet Witch from the Marvel movies, had left quite an impression on him back at the academy.

"Aren't you with the BAU?" Jane Banner raised her voice to be heard over the howling wind.

Jack, noticing how the girl was shivering in her thin down jacket, didn't answer her question but instead shouted back.

"Can your car still move?"

Jane Banner seemed to realize this wasn't the time for catching up. She quickly nodded, "Yes, but the snow is too heavy. The GPS says the destination is just ahead on the left, but I can't see anything."

Jack nodded. "I have a local guide in my truck. Just follow us."

He gestured for her to close the window.

A Ford F150, with its hazard lights flashing, pulled in front of Jane Banner's SUV. She hurriedly released the handbrake and carefully followed behind.

After a grueling 20 minutes, the two vehicles arrived at a wooden farmhouse. Three bundled-up figures were waiting outside.

As the cars stopped, one of the figures, a middle-aged man wearing a cowboy hat and a uniform with the Fish and Game Department badge, approached them.

An Indian girl jumped out of the F150's passenger seat and threw herself into the man's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Jane Banner turned off the engine and hesitated for a moment as she watched the heavy snowfall outside. Finally, she mustered the courage to tighten her thin coat around her and quickly walked toward the farmhouse.

The icy wind, laden with large snowflakes, hit her face, and the biting cold made her breathing quick and shallow. It felt like if she took a deep breath, the freezing air would completely freeze her lungs.

"I'm Jane Banner from the FBI."

Jane Banner reached the farmhouse and shook hands with a stout old man in a thick police jacket.

"Did you come here alone?" The old man withdrew his gaze from the SUV she had arrived in and asked expressionlessly.

"Uh, yes, it's just me."

Jane Banner wasn't entirely sure. She had indeed come alone, but she didn't know what to make of Jack, whom she had encountered halfway, who supposedly worked with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit.

"I'm Ben Shoyo, Chief of the Tribal Police." The old man introduced himself, watching the pretty FBI agent shiver in the snowstorm.

"That's Cory Lambert, a registered hunter with the Fish and Game Department. He's the one who found the body." Chief Ben Shoyo nodded toward the middle-aged man who was comforting the Indian girl.

"And this is his father-in-law, Dan, the owner of this farm."

Chief Ben Shoyo looked at the elderly man beside him, with silver hair and two traditional Indian braids hanging down his chest, his face full of wrinkles, and continued his introductions.

Jane Banner shuffled her feet. She had only been out of the car for five minutes, but she was already losing feeling in her toes. In this cold, her cursed canvas shoes were as good as wearing nothing at all.

"I'm sorry we're meeting under these circumstances. Uh, so, is it convenient to go see the body now? I don't mean to be rude, but I'm freezing, so the sooner, the better."

Bundled up tightly, Jack appeared behind her without her noticing. "Jane, while I admire your dedication, are you really not going to put on some warmer clothes?"

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