The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 301 Pick-up
"You're too nervous, Kimmy. This is an airport, there are people everywhere." Amanda noticed the change in Kimmy's expression, sighed helplessly, and tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry, he doesn't know exactly which building we live in. The Marais district is huge."

That makes some sense. Kimmy looked around warily again, making sure the man who called himself Alexander had disappeared into the crowd before she breathed a sigh of relief and rolled her eyes at Amanda.

"If I hadn't reacted quickly, you probably would have blurted out your cousin's house number!"

"Okay, okay, it was my carelessness, alright?" Amanda waved her hand, her tone revealing little genuine remorse.

"So what do we do now? Is Eric still coming or not?"

"He'll definitely come! He's probably stuck in traffic!" Jinmi took out her phone again.
"I'll call and ask."

-

A crowd had already gathered in the Versailles Hall on the second floor of the Maurice Hotel.

At the end of the corridor, Eric watched as Tifa turned around and secretly blew him a kiss, a focused smile playing on her lips.

"I'm in."

"Ah."

Eric nodded and made a phone gesture: "Contact me before it's over."

Tifa smiled and nodded, then went inside.

Eric watched her figure disappear from sight, then turned and walked towards the elevator lobby, going directly down to the underground parking lot.

He didn't really have any specific schedule before Tifa concluded the seminar.

I thought that coming to Paris would allow me to experience a different atmosphere and exotic scenery.

But now it seems that's all there is to it.

I don't know if it's because he's too boring, or if he just doesn't have a romantic soul.

Of course, he didn't come to Paris for anything else; he simply wanted to spend time with Tifa and go out together to relax when he had some free time.

However, this will have to wait until Tifa finishes the seminar, since it seems quite important.

But Eric knew that for Tifa, getting gilded was probably not her main goal; learning was.

This is Tifa.

Eric shook his head inwardly, perhaps this was one of the qualities that outstanding people possess.

The elevator doors opened, and Eric walked toward the parking space where his car was parked, glancing at his watch to check the time.

He calculated the time; if he set off now and the road conditions went smoothly, he would arrive at Charles de Gaulle Airport just in time for Kimmy to collect his luggage.

Eric walked to his black Audi A6 Avant parked in the corner, deftly opened the door, and got into the driver's seat.

The engine was started, and the car silently slid out of its parking space, leaving the hotel and merging into the traffic heading towards the airport.

Along the way, Eric would occasionally glance out the window, but would quickly look away, his heart remaining largely unmoved.

These typical Parisian neighborhoods held no appeal for him whatsoever.

Aside from specific people and events, it seems difficult for anything to truly capture his lasting interest.

Eric stepped on the gas and drove onto the A1 highway leading to Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The city landscape is gradually being replaced by functional suburban buildings and warehouse areas, offering a wider view and making the sky seem higher and farther away.

However, on this highway, the traffic flow unsurprisingly began to become congested, and the speed of the vehicles slowed down.

Eric glanced at the time and frowned slightly. Just as he was estimating the delay, the screen on the center console suddenly lit up.

It was Jinmi's phone call.

"They're already out?" Eric squinted and pressed the answer button.

"Hey?"

“Eric!” came Kimmy’s voice from the other end of the phone: “Have you arrived yet? We’ve collected our luggage.”

The voice sounded normal, but Eric could still detect a subtle hint of tension.

Eric's gaze swept over the slowly moving traffic ahead: "We're stuck in traffic. We'll be a little later than expected."

At this point, Eric still asked, "Did everything go smoothly?"

There was a half-second hesitation on the other end of the phone, then Jinmi's voice rang out again: "Smooth! Very smooth! We're waiting at the T2 arrival hall entrance as you said, right next to the pillar on the street."

Eric said, "Okay, I'm almost there. Stay put and keep an eye on your luggage. I'll contact you when I arrive."

“Okay.” Jinmi seemed relieved.
"Then we'll wait for you."

Eric hung up the phone, his gaze returning to the congested road ahead, still feeling a little hesitant.

The main reason was that I remembered my conversation with Tifa in the early hours of last night. Most of the disappearances in Paris started with a chance encounter on the street.

"Should be fine?" Eric wasn't entirely sure.

"After all, they're all grown up now."

With that in mind, Eric pressed the accelerator slightly harder, and the car's forward speed quietly increased a bit through the limited gaps in traffic.

-

"What did he say?" Amanda asked, leaning closer as she saw Kimmy take off her phone.

“He said there was a traffic jam and he would be a little late, so he told us to wait here.” Kim repeated Eric’s words, but his eyes involuntarily scanned the surroundings again, as if afraid that Alexander might suddenly pop out from behind some pillar.

She concealed the incident from earlier, but her heart was pounding like a rabbit's.

"It should be alright, right? Just like Amanda said, the Marais district is quite large," she thought to herself.

Amanda breathed a sigh of relief and started fiddling with her phone, but her attention was quickly drawn back to the bustling airport.

"Once he arrives, we can head straight to the Marais district. I can't wait to try authentic French croissants!"

Jinmi absentmindedly hummed in response, not saying anything, but just looking at the traffic on the road, her gaze constantly shifting.

Just as she looked at the intersection again, a low-profile black Audi smoothly cut into the lane and suddenly stopped on the side of the road not far from them, catching her attention.

Eric sat in the driver's seat and did not get out of the car immediately. Instead, he quickly scanned the area at the entrance of the T2 arrival hall through the car window.

Finding nothing amiss, they then turned their attention to the two girls standing on the street and their luggage.

There was no one else around them.

Kimmy's expression was clearly wary, while the short-haired girl next to her seemed much more carefree, looking down at her phone; this must be Amanda.

Things seem to be going okay?
Eric was undoubtedly pleased with Kimmy's wariness; it seemed Bill had taught him a lot, except that Amanda, who was beside her, looked a bit naive and innocent.

Eric pushed open the car door and got out briskly.

At the same time, a familiar tall figure appeared, and Jinmi's gaze suddenly froze.

For some reason, after not seeing Eric for so long, when Kimmy saw him again, she felt as if her heart had been gently squeezed, and then it began to beat even harder.

"Be more assertive, Kimmy!" Kimmy cursed herself for her lack of ambition, knowing that including this time, she had only met Eric twice.

But she still remembered the fact that she had sent so many text messages, which made her so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into a hole.

“Amanda,” Kimmy gently touched her friend’s arm, her voice trembling slightly.

"he came."

"Huh? Where?" Amanda looked up from her phone screen, following Kim's gaze. Her eyes lit up when she saw Eric walking towards them.

"Wow." Amanda exclaimed softly, nudging Kimmy gently with her elbow, her tone filled with undisguised admiration and a hint of teasing.

"Great, Kimmy, no wonder you've been thinking about this for so long! He's way more handsome than that Alexander from before!"

Kimmy's cheeks flushed slightly, and she replied softly, "Don't talk nonsense." But her gaze couldn't leave Eric.

Eric walked up to them and pretended not to hear or see the interaction between the two girls.

His gaze lingered briefly on Kimmy's face before turning to Amanda, where he gave a slight nod as a greeting.

"Have you been waiting long?"

"No, we just came out not long ago," Jinmi quickly replied.

Eric glanced at the luggage at their feet. "That's all?"

“Yes, just these two boxes.” Jinmi nodded quickly.

Eric didn't say anything more, and easily lifted the two suitcases, one in each hand.

"The car's over there, let's go." He turned around succinctly and walked towards the car first.

Kim followed closely behind, while Amanda curiously sized up Eric, blinked, and whispered quickly in Kim's ear.

"Wow, he looks pretty cool."

Kimmy sighed and gently nudged Amanda's arm, signaling her not to talk nonsense.

Eric carried the luggage ahead without turning around, but he could clearly hear the whispers of the two girls behind him. He twitched his lips, opened the trunk of the car, and put the luggage inside.

Compared to Kimmy, Amanda was clearly less reserved; she wore a bright smile and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

“Hey Eric, thank you for coming to pick us up! I’m Amanda, Kimmy’s good friend.”

Eric closed the trunk, glanced at Kimmy, and replied, "You're welcome." He then gestured.

"Let's get in the car first; we can't stay here for too long."

"Okay." Jinmi quickly and obediently climbed in, and Amanda followed suit and sat in the back seat, still curiously looking around the car.

Eric went back to the driver's seat, fastened his seatbelt, glanced at the rearview mirror, started the engine, and steered the car away from where it was.

The car drove smoothly along the highway leading to the city. After a brief silence, Amanda, seemingly unable to contain her curiosity, leaned forward slightly, gripping the back of the front seat, and asked:

"Eric, are you in Paris for work or tourism?"

This caught Jinmi's attention.

Eric kept his eyes focused on the road ahead and did not ignore her question:
"It's kind of like a trip, accompanying people."

"Oh~" Amanda drawled, glancing quickly at Kimmy beside her, who seemed to be admiring the view outside the window but was actually listening intently, with a hint of mischief, before continuing to ask.

"So you'll be in Paris for the next few days?"

“It depends,” Eric replied somewhat reservedly. He glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror and caught Kimmy looking down nervously, so he naturally changed the subject, asking casually:

"Your itinerary is set? Are you going straight to the Marais district?"

“Yes!” Amanda was immediately swayed and became excited.

"After we put our luggage away, we decided to go explore the area! We heard there are lots of interesting vintage clothing stores there!"

“Hmm, the Marais district is nice, easy to walk in, and has lots of cafes,” Eric casually remarked while steering the wheel. Although he had never been to Paris before, he had done his usual research beforehand.

"However, be mindful of your belongings in crowded places."

"Don't worry, we're very careful!" Amanda said confidently.

Jinmi felt a little more relaxed after listening to their conversation.

Eric's attitude reassured her; he neither embarrassed her nor made Amanda feel awkward by creating awkward silences. He struck the perfect balance.

However, neither the three people in the car nor the two girls who were immersed in the joy of their first impression of Paris noticed that shortly after they left, in Terminal 2, the man who called himself Alexander put away his sunny and shy smile.

He stood under the U2 concert billboard, looking like an ordinary music fan, but his head was down, rapidly typing information on his phone.

"Two young American girls took photos on the U2 billboard; they were probably there to see the concert."

She's probably under twenty years old, traveling alone, and staying in the Marais district, at her cousin's house. You could keep an eye out for her and see if there's any opportunity.

The man sent the secretly taken photos and the message successfully, then turned off the screen and walked back to the nearby rest area to sit down.

-

Following Amanda's directions, Eric parked his car on a relatively quiet street in the Marais district.

A typical Ottoman-style apartment building stands before you, with off-white stone walls and carved wrought iron balconies, looking quite stylish, and the environment is relatively clean and orderly.

“This is it, thank you, Eric!” Amanda jumped out of the car first, pointing excitedly to the building entrance.

Jinmi got off the bus behind them, looking at the apartment building with satisfaction.

Eric was the last to get out of the car, helping them with their luggage while his eyes subtly and quickly scanned the surroundings.

The streets are clean and there aren't many people, but the typical layout of old Paris means that the alleyways are complex.

Eric's gaze lingered on the entrance to the apartment building for two seconds longer.

The access control system looked old-fashioned, not the most advanced electronic locks. Eric glanced up again at the floor plan, the style of the balconies and windows, and the possible locations of surveillance cameras on both sides of the street.

Unfortunately, there really wasn't a single camera, except for one at the end of a street corner. Is this what Paris is like?

"Do you need help carrying your luggage upstairs?" Eric asked, glancing at the old-fashioned apartment lobby.

"No need, no need!" Amanda quickly waved her hand, excitedly dragging her suitcase over. "We can manage on our own!"

Kimmy took her suitcase and said softly, "Thank you, Eric."

Eric nodded, no longer insisting. He glanced at Amanda again. He had come to understand her along the way. Amanda was a typical American naive and innocent girl, while only Kim, who was two years younger than her, was more mature.

Of course, it might also be due to Bill's intensive training.

"Be careful. If there's any emergency, you can call me. Bill should have told you, right?" Eric said earnestly to Kimmy.

“I already said that,” Jinmi nodded.

"That's good." Eric took one last look at the apartment building. He had done what he needed to do and provided the reminders he could.

Excessive interference would be overstepping boundaries, and besides, he's not a nanny.

Eric said no more, nodded slightly to the two girls, then turned around, opened the car door, got back into the driver's seat, and drove away.

He still wants to go back and see Tifa.
Jinmi watched the black Audi smoothly drive away from the roadside until its rear disappeared around the corner before she looked away with a sense of loss.

The icy touch of the suitcase handle in my hand is still there, but I feel empty inside.

She could tell that Eric really didn't have any special feelings for her.

"Stop looking, they're all gone." Amanda nudged Kimmy with her shoulder and teased him with a wink.

“There will be another chance to meet!” Amanda said excitedly, then pulled up her suitcase, took out her key, opened the door, and went inside.

Jinmi nodded and followed closely behind.

(End of this chapter)