1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 117 The person who called the police: Should I have seen this?
Crawford stared wide-eyed at Theodore, panting heavily.

This made Theodore suspect that the old man might pass out at any moment.

He loudly denounced Theodore for talking nonsense, accusing him of bringing shame to the police force, damaging its honor, and violating its traditions.

Theodore did not raise his voice, but his tone was firm:
"What are you referring to as police honor and police tradition? Is it about knowingly remaining silent or even helping to cover up a colleague's murder?"

Crawford's chest heaved even more, and he rebuked Theodore in an even louder voice:

"I've been a police officer for forty years! I know better than you what a real police officer should do!"

Theodore earnestly asked, "What should a police officer do?"

Crawford: "Keep your partner's secrets! Learn to shut up!"

He pointed at Theodore with a hint of disdain: "During Prohibition, a cop like you would have been hung on a lamppost the next day!"

"No one will protect you or avenge you! Because you are a traitor! You betrayed your comrades who were protecting you!"

Crawford then turned and warned Bernie:
"You need to find a new partner, or you'll regret it sooner or later."

He pointed at Theodore: "He'll sell you for a good price."

From the moment he first met Theodore and Bernie, Crawford, with his forty years of police experience, immediately formed a basic assessment of the two men.

He liked Bernie. He could sense a familiar, old-school cop vibe in Bernie.

They are loyal, silent, reliable, and do more than they talk; they are always the most trustworthy partners.

Unlike that kid across from me, who was cunning, sly, and glib, exuding an aura of lying, like a fox in human skin.

A brief conversation further confirmed that his feeling was correct.

Bernie quickly steered the conversation back to the case.

Instead of asking Crawford directly, he inquired about Coleman.

Crawford seemed very willing to share these things with Bernie, and he talked a lot about Coleman.

In his words, Coleman had become the beacon of the police force, so upright that even God would bow down to him.

Theodore felt that if he didn't intervene, Crawford could keep talking to Bernie until next Christmas.

Bernie glanced in his direction and asked before he could, "Does Coleman know Clarence Earl?"

Crawford paused, seemingly calmed down by the twenty-odd minutes of reminiscing, or perhaps because the question was posed by Bernie rather than Theodore. He gave his answer with a slight smirk:

“I don’t know. As far as I know, Coleman doesn’t know anyone with the surname Earl.”

Bernie then asked, "Where's Hayes?"

"Is Coleman related to Hayes?"

Crawford did not answer.

Bernie recounted Detective Ross's assessment of Hayes and asked him for confirmation.

Crawford paused for a moment, then sighed: "Coleman does know Hayes."

Fearing Bernie might misunderstand, he immediately emphasized, "They just know each other. Hayes is a gang leader, and whether we like it or not, we have to know them."

Bernie presented evidence of Hayes' territory being largely annexed over the past month and also mentioned the person who reported the incident.

However, Crawford stubbornly denied it, resolutely upholding Coleman's sacred and glorious image, so much so that even God would have to bow down to him.

He even subtly accused Bernie of being influenced by Theodore after spending too much time with him, thus losing his purity.

He reminded Bernie that he should support the police force, and that only his brothers in the police force were his most reliable partners.

Bernie stared at him for a moment, then turned to look at Theodore.

He didn't know what to say to Crawford.

For an old man who lived through the Prohibition era, his insistence was not wrong.

But it's no longer the Prohibition era, yet he's still stuck in that chaotic time and hasn't been able to move on.

Theodore, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately stepped in when Bernie was defeated.

"Coleman had long been in cahoots with Hayes and was providing him with protection."

Crawford roared, "You liar!"

Theodore ignored him and continued, "Coleman helped Hayes deal with pressure from the police, and Hayes provided Coleman with money."

He looked at Crawford: "You weren't involved, but you sensed it a long time ago."

Crawford asked Bernie, "Your partner's gone mad! He's started talking nonsense!"

Theodore: "Every time they come to collect the debt, you make up excuses to be absent, and you pretend you don't know anything."

"The same thing happened that night."

Crawford checked the time and said to Bernie, "My wife is coming back; you should go."

Theodore paused for a moment, feeling as if he had heard those words somewhere before.

He discovered that people in DC like to shoo people away when asked about core issues as a way to avoid the question.

Theodore, of course, wasn't going to leave, and he continued:

"You knew they were going to collect the debt, so you took leave early, making an excuse that something had happened at home."

"Coleman, Hayes, and his men kicked down the door of Clarence Earl's house."

"They don't need to worry about calling the police at all, because the detectives on duty that night were there."

“Even if something unexpected happens, he can make sure he’s the first one to arrive and that he can keep the case under his control.”

Theodore asked the silent Crawford, "If Coleman is so prejudiced against Black people, why does he still have so many cases involving Black victims?"

"How many of the unsolved cases he handled were solved by him alone, or with you?"

"Enough!" Crawford shouted, interrupting Theodore.

Before he could continue, the door opened, and a slightly plump elderly woman carrying a bag walked in.

"Darling, tonight...who are you?"

This is a Black man, the kind of Black that you can only see in the dark, his teeth.

Bernie stood up in surprise, looking at the elderly black woman in front of him, and then at Crawford.

His expression of shock was impossible to conceal.

The old lady seemed to be used to it all along. She came over, hugged Crawford, kissed him on the cheek, and then carried the bag into the kitchen.

She poured water for the two of them, then brought out a plate of her own baked cakes to serve them, before sitting down next to Crawford.

Crawford had a stern face, seemingly displeased.

He grasped his wife's hand and said, "You should leave now."

"I've said everything I needed to say."

The old lady thought they were her husband's colleagues who had come to visit Crawford.

She slapped her husband's thigh reproachfully and enthusiastically urged Theodore and Bernie to stay.

Bernie looked at Crawford.

Crawford paused for a moment, then told his wife that he had work to discuss with Theodore and Bernie.

The old lady cooperated and left.

There was a moment of silence in the living room, then Bernie asked him softly, "You were a patrolman for forty years, just because..."

Crawford interrupted Bernie with a cold expression: "That's right."

Bernie glanced toward the kitchen and asked Crawford, "Are you still going to protect Coleman?" Crawford remained silent.

Bernie laid out the photos of the scene one by one in front of him, explained the reasoning behind the crime, and finally told Crawford that in Coleman's eyes, his wife was no different from the corpse in the photos.

Crawford glanced at the photos and pushed them aside: "I have nothing to tell you."

He pointed at Theodore and said to Bernie, "Don't expect me to be a traitor like him!"

"I will never betray the police force, never!"

Bernie looked at Theodore.

Theodore stepped forward, put away the photos, and began to profile Crawford:

“You don’t dare admit that you know what Coleman did on those nights you missed. That’s because admitting it would be tantamount to admitting you’re a coward.”

“You avoid Coleman’s crime scene by taking leave, using non-participation to alleviate your guilt.”

"Coleman chose to partner with you precisely because of this quality."

"Not only will you not get involved in his affairs, but you will also keep his secrets and not share any of his money."

He pointed towards the kitchen: "You crave respect, but you are ostracized by the mainstream police force because of your marriage. You try to uphold the so-called traditions of the police force, yearning to integrate into it, yet you cannot do without the emotional support your wife provides."

“Now that you’re paralyzed, you have to keep this a secret even more, and you dare not do anything that you consider a betrayal of the police force, because you’re afraid the police force will abandon you.”

“You’ve told us enough, Sergeant Crawford.”

After saying that, Theodore packed up his file bag, stood next to Bernie, and looked at Crawford.

Crawford looked up at Theodore, his expression shifting with each word he spoke.

Surprisingly, he did not refute it.

After a long silence, Crawford's tense body relaxed.

Bernie and Theodore exchanged a glance and sat back down on the sofa.

Crawford's lips trembled, opening and closing several times before he began to speak in a low voice.

Contrary to Theodore's analysis, Crawford was not entirely unaware of Coleman's actions.

Coleman was indeed protecting Hayes, and they would indeed use Coleman's duty time to do some special things, and then use Coleman's first arrival at the scene and his authority to take charge of the case as a cover.

But Hayes was not Coleman's collaborator.

When he and Coleman first met Hayes, Hayes had been arrested for theft and was almost beaten to death.

Shortly after Coleman took the man away, when he saw Hayes again, Hayes was dressed to the nines.

Having said that, Crawford waved wearily. "I have nothing more to say. Can you leave now?"

As Bernie left Crawford’s house, he gave Theodore a thumbs-up.

He thought Crawford would refuse to budge.

Theodore got into the passenger seat and shook his head: "He'll definitely tell you."

Bernie asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Theodore pointed to the file folder in his hand: "Coleman couldn't have sent this case to the FBI for help himself."

Bernie glanced at the file folder, sighed, and remarked that Crawford had made the right choice after all.

Theodore disagreed: "He only sent the case to the FBI on a whim."

"My analysis of him was correct. He is a coward."

"Both he and Hayes were being controlled by Detective Coleman."

Bernie started the car, then suddenly thought of Detective Ross and asked Theodore, "Where's Ross?"

Theodore shook his head: "He's just like Crawford."

“Detective Ross had a vague idea of ​​what Detective Coleman had done; he probably figured it out from Detective Coleman’s work.”

He further explained:
"His attitude toward Detective Coleman was the same as that of Detective Crawford, so on the one hand he cooperated with our investigation, but on the other hand he was very resistant when we investigated Detective Coleman."

Bernie was puzzled: "If Ross wasn't involved, what was the person who called the police afraid of?"

The answer to this question was quickly found.

When they rushed back to the Fifth Precinct, they happened to run into Detective Ross bringing the person who made the call back.

The person who called the police was trembling like a leaf, as if they were going to an execution ground rather than a police station.

As Detective Ross half-dragged him inside, he pleaded in a low voice with Detective Ross to spare his family.

Detective Ross greeted them and then dragged the person who reported the incident to register.

A dozen minutes later, Theodore and Bernie met the person who made the report in the interrogation room.

Upon seeing Theodore and Bernie, the caller pleaded with them, saying he would do anything to spare his family.

Theodore and Bernie exchanged a glance. Bernie opened his notebook and asked the person who reported the incident what they had seen on the night of the crime.

The person who called the police cautiously replied, "I didn't see anything?"

Bernie paused.

The person who called the police, sensing the situation, immediately changed their story: "I saw it, I saw it."

“I saw someone come out of the Clarence house.”

Bernie asked him, "Who are they?"

The person who called the police tentatively replied, "Hays?"

Seeing that Bernie didn't respond, the person who called the police became increasingly uneasy and blurted out two names.

Bernie noted them down and asked a few more questions. The person who called the police was unusually cooperative, almost to an excessive degree.

He constantly observed Bernie and Theodore's expressions, ready to change his tune at any moment.

Even Theodore couldn't tell which of the caller's statements were true and which were false.

Such a statement is completely unusable.

Bernie tried to tell the person who called the police that he didn't need to be afraid and assured them that no one would harm his family.

The person who called the police just nodded repeatedly, looking as if they would believe you if you said the eggs grew on a tree.

Bernie was at a loss and looked at Theodore.

Theodore immediately abandoned the person who called the police and ended the interrogation.

The fear of the person who called the police was not directed at Detective Coleman or individuals like Hayes, but rather at a despairing perception of the entire social environment.

Changing this perception is extremely difficult. Even if it could be changed now, he would soon regret it.

The interrogation room in the Fifth Precinct is very similar to that in the Felton West Precinct; you can hear what's happening inside from outside.

Detective Ross was waiting outside the interrogation room. When he saw the two of them come out so quickly, he went up to them and asked if they needed any help.

Theodore glanced at the person who had called the police in the interrogation room, declined Detective Ross's offer of help, and said that the person could leave.

The person who called the police felt like they had been granted a pardon and stumbled out of the room.

Detective Ross put the handcuffs away and asked Theodore what he needed to do next.

With the cooperation order in place and the branch chief and deputy commissioner personally involved, Detective Ross was very proactive.

Theodore thought for a moment and told him to bring Hayes back.

(End of this chapter)