1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 115 What do you think?

Theodore and Bernie did not return to Georgetown, but instead went to the Fifth Precinct to find Detective Ross.

Bernie hopes Detective Ross can provide some shelter for the person who called the police.

After hearing the findings of the two investigators, especially Bernie's speculation that "Detectives Hayes and Coleman may both be involved," Detective Ross found it completely unacceptable.

He cited a series of accolades Detective Coleman had received as a rebuttal, and even dragged the two men into the police station to show them what Detective Coleman did.

Detective Ross was clearly not quite in the right place at Detective Coleman's place yet; his desk and chair were covered in files, which even spilled onto the desk of the detective opposite him.

He admitted that Detective Coleman looked down on Black people, treated them badly, and was extremely perfunctory in handling police cases, but it hadn't reached the point of killing them.

Besides, Detective Coleman has been a police officer for so long, he knows exactly what he can and cannot do.

Theodore wanted to tell him that there was no necessary connection between the two, but Bernie beat him to it.

Bernie, fearing that Theodore might say something else surprising, quickly changed the subject and asked Detective Ross about the progress of his investigation.

Detective Ross was silent for a moment, then took out a well-worn notebook and opened it.

This is the patrol log of the area where the crime occurred.

Records show that Detective Coleman was indeed on duty on the night of the incident.

Bernie glanced at Detective Ross and asked, "Where's his partner?"

Detective Ross pointed to the table opposite him, which he had taken up most of: "Still recovering at home."

"The bullet hit his spine, and he will never be able to stand up again."

Bernie patted him on the shoulder.

Detective Ross glanced at Theodore and continued, "I've questioned the detectives who arrived at the scene that night."

"The scene is exactly the same as in the photos."

Bernie pulled out the photos and handed them to Detective Ross. Detective Ross flipped through them and found Clarence Earl:
"He was shot at least four or five times in the chest."

Theodore asked him, "Was Mabel Earl lying on the ground when they arrived at the scene?"

Detective Ross nodded.

Theodore pressed further, "Was Detective Coleman the first to arrive at the scene?"

Detective Ross returned the photos to them and nodded.

Bernie: "Where does Detective Coleman's partner live?"

Detective Ross: "Coleman was the only one on duty that night."

Theodore glanced at the duty log, where Detective Coleman and his partner's signatures were clearly visible.

Detective Ross put away the duty log: "He had something to do at home that night."

Theodore asked him about the circumstances of Detective Coleman's death.

Detective Ross told them that Detective Coleman had died in a street fight.

The two groups suddenly started fighting, and stray bullets hit them.

When the police arrived, Detective Coleman's partner was leaning against the front wheel, holding the already lifeless Detective Coleman in his arms.

Theodore, recalling Bernie's analysis of Hayes, asked Detective Ross, "Does Hayes have connections to gangs?"

Detective Ross nodded: "Hays is one of the most law-abiding members."

He gave Theodore and Bernie a general overview of the gang activity within the Fifth Precinct's jurisdiction.

There are dozens of gangs of varying sizes here, which mainly make a living by selling contraband, smuggling contraband, extortion, robbery, theft and other illegal activities.

"Hays has nothing to do with any of that."

"He's passionate about business," Detective Ross said.

"Unless absolutely necessary, Hayes generally dislikes conflict with other gangs. He will negotiate with them first and obtain their permission before entering their territory to do business."

Bernie, recalling the shops flanking the real estate agency, asked Detective Ross, "What kind of business do they run? Real estate agencies? Bakeries and grocery stores?"

Detective Ross gave Bernie a skeptical look and shook his head: "If that's all they do, they're not a gang."

"Their main business is lending money."

"Of course, Hayes is also keen on running legitimate businesses, like the ones you mentioned, such as real estate agencies, bakeries and grocery stores, secondhand stores, and the like."

Bernie breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely afraid of hearing that Hayes was actually doing legitimate business; that would challenge his worldview.

Detective Ross: "Hays really enjoys being the owner of the brokerage firm; everyone knows to go to his shabby office if you want to see him."

Theodore asked him for more information about Hayes, but Detective Ross knew very little about it.

It was past 8 p.m. when Theodore and Bernie parted ways with Detective Ross.

Before parting ways, Bernie repeatedly instructed Detective Ross to make sure to keep a close eye on the person who called the police.

The atmosphere during this farewell was relatively harmonious, unlike the stiff atmosphere at noon.

The next day.

Theodore and Bernie were called to the office of Alex Rosen, the head of the investigation department, to inquire about the progress of the case.

After listening to Bernie's report, Supervisor Rosen brought up something completely unrelated: "You all write a work summary and submit it to me every day."

He pointed at the two of them: "You two only need to submit one copy."

Bernie sensed a strange malice.

Supervisor Rosen then brought up another matter: "Did you apply for access to St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital yesterday?"

Bernie explained, "Harty Earl's body was taken to St. Elizabeth's Hospital."

“If her body was dissected there, we hope to get the autopsy records. Just like with Mabel Earl.”

Supervisor Rosen nodded, steer the conversation back to the case.

He asked Theodore and Bernie, "What do you think? Do you believe Hayes and Coleman are the murderers?"

Bernie looked at Theodore.

That's what he thought.

Theodore updated his reconstruction of the incident based on the information he had.

He began by stating his conclusion: "This is an escalation of crime from 'planned threat' to 'out-of-control violence'."

"There were at least two murderers, one of whom was armed with a .38 pistol."

"The killer broke into Earl's home at night and gathered the Earl family together in the living room."

"The killer clearly knew the Earl family; they didn't immediately clash but instead engaged in conversation. However, the outcome of that conversation may not have satisfied the killer."

“One of them attempted to assault Hattie Earl, but was met with resistance.”

"Her resistance angered the killer, who grabbed her by the neck and strangled her to death."

"This unexpected event caused the situation to spiral completely out of control."

"Clarence Earl and Mabel Earl, who had been obediently enduring and cooperating, began to rebel."

"The other perpetrator first shot the more threatening Clarence Earl, and then finally shot and killed Mabel Earl."

Director Rosen interrupted Theodore's analysis, asking, "Why did Hattie Earl die first, and then Clarence Earl?"

Theodore glanced at him: "Hays likes to play the role of a real estate agent; he likes to be in control."

"He only chose families with children, as these families are easier to control."

"The Earl family must have met Hayes's selection criteria to be able to move into 3221 Anacostia Road."

Supervisor Rosen: "What does this have to do with who died first?"

Theodore stopped and looked at Bernie, who was writing furiously in his notebook and didn't notice Theodore's gaze.

Supervisor Rosen shifted his position, feeling somewhat uncomfortable for some reason.

Theodore paused for a moment, then explained in more easily understood language:
“For the sake of their families, Hayes chose residents who were more tolerant of bullying. When bullied, they didn’t think about fighting back, but rather, ‘Just bear with it.’ They were afraid that fighting back would bring retaliation on their families.” “So the conflict needed an accident, an accident that was beyond the Earls’ tolerance.”

"Whether Mabel Earl or Clarence Earl dies first, it will instantly escalate the conflict."

“Harty Earl should have died in front of the sofa, with her parents, instead of being dragged behind the sofa and having her clothes torn off.”

"Only if Hattie Earl died first would her body be placed in the same position as the scene."

"Hatty Earl's death was an accident for the killer, which caused the situation to spiral completely out of control."

"In order to regain control of the situation, the killer had no choice but to shoot the Earls."

“Detective Ross learned from the first detectives to arrive at the scene that Clarence Earl had been shot multiple times, which was a typical emotional outburst.”

"This is the gunman's venting of anger at losing control of the situation."

“There was a gap between the killings of Hattie Earl and Clarence Earl, during which time another killer took control of Mabel Earl.”

"Her fracture in her right forearm was likely caused by the violent struggle at that moment."

"During this time, the gunman was likely arguing with the other perpetrator who caused the situation to spiral out of control, and they ultimately shot and killed Mabel Earl."

"The person who called the police mentioned that the perpetrator had an argument on the street, which should have been the gunman blaming his accomplice for causing the situation to get out of control."

One idea after another to refute Theodore kept popping into the head of Supervisor Rosen.

This reminded him of how he felt when he listened to Ronald's report last week.

He felt that Theodore's analysis was like a riddle, with too many flaws.

This made him even more curious about Theodore's sources of analysis.

Supervisor Rosen asked Theodore why he made such an analysis.

Theodore was in a dilemma.

He felt he had explained it very clearly, so why did Supervisor Rosen still not understand?
If he can't even understand this, how can he possibly understand a systematic explanation of criminal psychology?

Theodore was skeptical.

Not receiving a response from Theodore, Director Rosen looked at Bernie.

Bernie put away his notebook: "Theodore said it's a skill that can be learned."

Supervisor Rosen was very skeptical of this claim.

Rather than a skill that can be learned and mastered, he prefers to think of it as some kind of special ability.

He didn't press further and waved for the two to leave.

Director Rosen called the CIA to request Hattie Earl's detailed autopsy report, and then went to the director's office.

The reason why St. Elizabeth's Hospital has access restrictions is simple: it is one of the CIA's research centers.

…………

After leaving the manager's office, Bernie asked Theodore, "Why did Hayes kill the Clarence Earl family?"

Theodore didn't have an answer to this question either.

He thought of the overflowing filing cabinets in Hayes' office and asked Bernie, "How many properties does Hayes rent out?"

Bernie didn't understand.

Theodore offered an explanation.

He believes that if all the documents in Hayes' office are contracts, the number of properties Hayes owns would be incalculable.

If Hayes really owned that many properties, he wouldn't need to hang around in the Southeast District anymore.

He can finally live the elite life he envies in the Northwest region.

Theodore believed those documents needed to be examined.

The two ran to the legal counsel's office, and after explaining themselves, they received strange looks from the detectives.

The agent scrutinized Theodore from head to toe, and even considered asking if Theodore's name was 'Theodore Dixon Hoover'.

But in the end, he only told the two of them:

“That’s an illegal brokerage firm run by black people. You can just make up any excuse to get in.”

The detective advised the two, "You can go to the Fifth Precinct for help. Just tell them you need the documents from that office. They'll take care of it."

He simply helped Theodore contact Bernie at the Fifth Precinct, identify himself, state his request, ask the documents to be delivered to headquarters, and hung up the phone—all in one smooth motion.

The detective checked the time: "It should be delivered by the afternoon. The Fifth Precinct is more efficient than the Sixth Precinct. If it were the Sixth Precinct, it would probably be close to closing time."

After leaving the legal counsel's office, the two walked in silence for a while before Bernie spoke up:

"It seems we've wasted a lot of time."

Inspired by that agent, Bernie reviewed his approach with Theodore over the past two days, drawing on his experience working with Ronald on cases. He felt that neither of them had fully adapted to their roles as FBI agents.

For example, when they need to find Mrs. Freeman, the person who called the police, or Hayes to understand the situation, they can simply wait at the station and have the Fifth Precinct send the person over.

For example, when dealing with incomplete case files, one could communicate with the Fifth Precinct as an FBI agent, rather than getting entangled with Detective Ross privately.

Theodore thought about it carefully and agreed.

The methods they use for investigation are not much different from those used in Felton.

But they are with the FBI now.

As Ronald said, the resources they have at their disposal are incomparable to those of local police departments.

Having realized this, the two changed their plans.

Bernie contacted the Fifth Precinct to formally notify the other side to reopen the investigation into the Earl family murder case.

Bernie was contacted by the deputy superintendent of the Fifth Precinct.

The deputy police commissioner was somewhat taken aback and prepared to decline.

He chuckled and asked Bernie what help he needed, then recommended Detective Ross to him.

Bernie wasn't fooled and reminded the other party that the federal-local law enforcement cooperation order would be delivered soon, and this call was just to let them know in advance.

The deputy commissioner paused for a moment, then asked if the case could be resolved through private cooperation. He stated that going through official channels was far too cumbersome and troublesome, generating a mountain of unnecessary paperwork.

Bernie rejected the proposal.

After hanging up the phone, Bernie returned to the legal counsel's office and consulted with the detective who had previously given them instructions.

With the detective's guidance, Bernie filled out the case reopening application form and went to Supervisor Rosen for approval.

The deputy commissioner was right when he said that going through official channels generates a lot of paperwork and is quite tedious.

This case falls under the category of cases where local law enforcement agencies submit requests for FBI support, and the case was submitted six months ago.

This is now considered a reopening of the investigation.

This requires them to first fill out a case reopening request form, and after approval by the department head, the FBI headquarters will send a federal-local law enforcement cooperation order to the DC Police Department through the Department of Justice's regional office.

After receiving the cooperation order, the DC Police Department will copy it to the Fifth Precinct.

After receiving the cooperation order, the Fifth Precinct Chief countersigned the cooperation confirmation letter, agreeing to provide support in terms of files, personnel, or venues.

Only then were Theodore and Bernie able to go to the Fifth Precinct to request formal cooperation.

This whole process will take at least a week.

But Bernie believes that even waiting a week is necessary.

Supervisor Rosen had just returned from the director's office and glanced at Bernie with surprise upon seeing the form.

He hadn't received the form before and thought the two of them were trying to bypass the tedious paperwork and conduct their investigation privately.

Supervisor Rosen glanced at the form, signed it, watched Bernie leave, and then dialed the number in the Fifth Precinct Chief's office.

He was very curious to know what the Fifth Precinct Chief was thinking.

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(End of this chapter)