1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 125 Another Green Package

Thorson was not present, and Theodore and Bernie were nominally under the Department of Investigations.

Therefore, Bernie needs to report to Alex Rosen, the head of the investigation department.

Before reporting to his supervisor, Rosen, Bernie made a phone call to Wenner.

After receiving the call, Wenner immediately went to find Kahor.

Kahle directed the patrol officers in Bernie's neighborhood to conduct an inspection.

No one was home at Bernie's house.

No one was kidnapped.

The patrol officers learned from the neighbors that Mrs. Sullivan had gone out early in the morning to meet with a real estate agent.

It is said that a buyer from the East End is very interested in their property.

Little Sullivan ate breakfast at his neighbor's house and was taken to school with the neighbor's children.

The neighbors witnessed the two children walking into the school.

Bernie's daughter, Gerty, also lives with the neighbors and is being looked after by them.

When the patrol officers arrived, the little guy was crawling around on the floor with the neighbor's child.

After learning that Bernie had received an extortion call, the neighbors offered their help.

He helped contact the real estate agency and confirmed that Mrs. Sullivan had just signed a contract with the buyer half an hour earlier and was now being escorted by the property manager to complete the relevant formalities.

To ensure everything went smoothly, the Felton West Precinct also contacted Sullivan's school.

It was confirmed that at the very moment of the call, Sullivan Jr. was indeed on campus.

Instead of being kidnapped.

Bernie breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that his family was alright, and expressed his gratitude to his former colleagues.

Theodore pointed in the direction of the supervisor's office, and the two went to report to Supervisor Rosen.

Supervisor Rosen listened patiently, glanced at the time, and then made a call to the DC First Division.

From a jurisdictional standpoint, this case should fall under the jurisdiction of the DC Police Department's First Precinct.

But obviously, the FBI wouldn't report it to the DC Police Department.

It might require a procedural step at the First Precinct, going through a roundabout route before returning to the FBI.

This case will definitely remain with the FBI.

The First Precinct was very easy to talk to and readily handed over control of the case, agreeing to handle the case first and then supplement the procedural documents later.

Supervisor Rosen summoned two teams of agents and sent them to Union Station.

Trains bound for Pittsburgh will stop at Union Station.

The exact time was 3 p.m.

Two teams of FBI agents will, as instructed by the kidnappers, place Western Union Telegraph's special green package into the train car and pose as passengers to keep watch.

Once the kidnappers show up, the agents will swarm them.

This is a very simple operation; a single team of agents is sufficient to handle it.

Given that it was Friday, Supervisor Rosen specially dispatched an extra team of agents to ensure everything went smoothly.

Two teams of agents split into three vehicles and set off for Union Station.

The operation was overseen by Senior Agent Vincent R. Lombardi.

Theodore rode in a black Chevrolet sedan with Bernie and Agent Lombardi.

Nine out of ten official FBI vehicles are Chevrolets; even the gift Tolson gave to Theodore was a Chevrolet.

On the way, Agent Lombardi gave a brief briefing on the mission. One group of agents boarded the vehicle, while the other group remained at the station.

The train to Pittsburgh will stop at Union Station for 25 minutes. That's plenty of time; the kidnappers will have enough time to get on the train, pick up the package, and get off.

He could even disguise himself as a passenger and sit in the car.

The Department of Justice building is very close to Union Station, only 1 mile (about 1.7 kilometers) as the crow flies. It takes less than ten minutes to drive there.

Union Station has a history of nearly sixty years and is a comprehensive station that integrates railway, long-distance bus and subway services.

With over 200 daily departures, it connects major cities such as New York, Chicago, and Miami, making it an important transportation hub on the East Coast.

The daily visitor flow here is very large. A dozen or so detectives are sent out, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.

Around 3 p.m., the train bound for Pittsburgh pulled into the station.

Theodore and Bernie followed the flow of people onto the platform, weaving through the crowd.

They were assigned to the platform team and, as instructed by Agent Lombardi, were to guard the exit of carriage number four.

Agent Lombardi, disguised as a passenger, boarded the train from carriage number four with the flow of people, giving the two men a slight nod as he passed them.

A few minutes later, he returned and solemnly asked the two men, "Are you sure the kidnappers on the phone asked you to put the money in the Western Union Telegraph Company's green package?"

He was carrying a rectangular green package.

This is a special parcel designed by Western Union specifically for government and banking communications.

Package dimensions are strictly limited to 12 inches × 8 inches × 4 inches (approximately 10 cm) to ensure compatibility with railway safes.

Unlike civilian brown parcels, these parcels can be transported directly after registration, enjoy exemption from inspection, and are stored separately.

Government employees often use green parcels to send items, which not only greatly reduces the probability of lost items but also ensures that the contents remain intact and undamaged.

This is a hidden benefit for government employees. Although green packages are not officially allowed to mail personal items, the railway does not strictly check the mailing procedures; they simply deliver the packages.

Bernie glanced at the green package in Agent Lombardi's arms and nodded in confirmation.

Agent Lombardi lowered his voice: "There's more than one green package in the car."

This means the scammer may have scammed more than just Bernie.

Agent Lombardi looked serious, told the two men to guard the exit, and then went back inside.

He held the green package, stood behind the other two people, handed the package to the flight attendant, and then, imitating them, took out two banknotes and handed them over.

The flight attendant discreetly put the banknotes into his pocket and quietly asked Agent Lombardi about the destination of the package and the person to be handed over to.

This is a flight attendant's 'side job'.

According to standard procedures, green packages will be registered one hour before departure and stamped with "WU Priority".

After registration, the package will be handed over to the railway freight supervisor, who will personally deliver it to the temporary storage area in the postal car or passenger car.

Once the package arrives at its destination, the railway freight supervisor at the destination station will personally verify and collect the package and deliver it to the registered destination.

The flight attendants will not handle the packages throughout the entire process; they only have supervisory authority.

In theory, train attendants should not even have keys to the temporary storage area or the postal car; the keys should only be held by the railway freight supervisor.

However, the formal procedures are too cumbersome, and train keys are often just the universal "T" key.

The flight attendant did not have the key to the temporary storage area, but he had the key to other areas.

They not only help transport private green parcels, but also parcels that are inconvenient or impossible to transport through other formal channels.

Such a mode of transportation is covert and efficient, making it a natural breeding ground for criminals.

Many gangs engaged in gray or even black business will specifically train their subordinates to join the railway transportation department, so that goods can be sent to various places in this way without anyone noticing, and law enforcement agencies may never find out.

This chapter is a supplement; there will be more tonight.

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(End of this chapter)