1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 131 The Feeling of Flying
The road conditions were excellent on Sunday night.

It takes 27 minutes to get from the Department of Justice building to Georgetown.

The journey from Georgetown back to the Department of Justice building takes only ten minutes.

A brand-new black Chevrolet was parked in the underground parking lot of the Department of Justice building, with the passenger door open.

Bernie scrambled out of the car, trembling as if there were demons inside.

A few seconds later, the driver's side door opened, and Theodore stepped out with a satisfied look on his face.

Bernie rushed over, snatched the car keys, and stuffed them into his pocket.

Meeting Theodore's gaze, Bernie gave a fake smile: "I'll drive. I'll drive from now on."

"How can we let you do this kind of work?"

"Look at you, you've been driving all the way here, and we haven't even had time to analyze the case."

"That's not good."

"Just like before, I'll drive, and you analyze the case."

"I'll drive from now on."

To increase credibility, Bernie brought up the example of the lesson he gave in the car last night:

"Just like last night, there are still many things I haven't figured out, and I can ask you for advice on the way."

Theodore stared at him for a while, somewhat regretfully.

In order to enable Bernie to master the skills of criminal profiling as soon as possible, a small sacrifice had to be made.

Under Bernie's tense gaze, Theodore nodded reluctantly.

Bernie breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like he had come back to life.

Fearing that Theodore might change his mind, he hurried toward the elevator.

The two went upstairs to get their toolbox and came back down. Bernie jogged to the driver's seat, watched Theodore get into the passenger seat, and then quickly started the car and headed towards Union Station.

The feeling of driving on land made Theodore, who had just experienced low-altitude flight, feel very uncomfortable.

Fortunately, the Department of Justice building is not far from Union Station, just a few minutes away.

The two put on gloves, took out powder and brushes, and vigorously brushed the phone receiver and buttons, obtaining 17 fingerprints, some incomplete and some complete.

The following day, Monday.

Seventeen fingerprint cards were sent to the laboratory for comparison with the fingerprint database.

Theodore specifically reminded the laboratory to focus on comparing employees of the General Services Administration's Communications Technology Division.

The lab responded that results are expected in three days.

FBI cases receive preferential treatment.

This is why it often takes several months for local police stations to receive fingerprint verification results.

After leaving the lab, the two went to the outsourcing company to retrieve the order records of the fourteen suspects from the previous night.

Marino Jenkins, being the only worker who hadn't taken any orders after 9 a.m., quickly became the focus of Theodore and Bernie's attention.

Despite the outsourcing company's explanation that Marino Jenkins' equipment was broken and possibly under repair.

Theodore decided to bring him back to the interrogation room for a face-to-face interview.

Marino Jenkins' registered address with the outsourcing company was not far from Union Station and fell under the jurisdiction of the First Precinct.

Bernie called the First Precinct and asked them to bring the person over.

A dozen minutes later, a message came from the other end that no one was home at Marino Jenkins' house.

According to his neighbors, he left home early in the morning with his equipment.

Bernie looked at Theodore: "He didn't run away, did he?"

Theodore shook his head: "No."

"He couldn't get through to you on the phone last night."

Last night, AT&T not only notified customers of the J-7 malfunction reports, but also provided them with the corresponding phone numbers for the three J-7 malfunction reports.

They sent someone to deliver the corresponding cards early this morning.

Ever since Theodore and his team began investigating the outsourcing company, AT&T has become unusually cooperative.

Bernie was puzzled: "What does he want by calling me?"

He could understand that the two phone calls he made to the flight attendant were to confirm whether the stolen money had been placed in the coin locker number 103 as planned.

Should I call him?

He couldn't understand.

Theodore: "Because in his eyes, you represent the FBI, you represent authority."

“The fraudster is not simply after money; he wants to overcome authority.”

"But he didn't achieve either of those."

After a brief pause, he explained:
"The outsourcing company boss once said that the telecommunications technician circle is small, and news travels very fast."

"This also means that our investigation progress is not a secret to the fraudsters."

"The fraudster made two phone calls to the flight attendant last night, but both calls went unanswered, which made him realize that the flight attendant had likely already been arrested."

"All the stolen money was on the flight attendants, and their arrest means the money has fallen into the hands of law enforcement."

"The fraudsters neither got the stolen money nor achieved their goal of defeating law enforcement."

Theodore said with certainty, "He will not leave."

Bernie was scribbling away in his notebook when he looked up and saw Theodore picking up the car keys.

He immediately put down his pen and stared warily at Theodore: "Where to?"

Theodore took the keys and walked out: "To the main branch."

Bernie quickly put away his notebook and chased after Theodore, snatching the keys from his hand and stuffing them into his pocket in one swift motion.
"The main branch isn't far; you can walk there. No need to drive."

To prevent Theodore from continuing to think about the car keys, he quickly changed the subject: "Since he didn't run away or go to pick up work, where did he go?"

Theodore: "Didn't the outsourcing company's staff say that his equipment was broken?"

Bernie was incredulous: "He went to fix the equipment?!"

"At this time?" Theodore: "Yes."

"he……"

Bernie was momentarily speechless.

He felt he couldn't understand it.

The elevator arrived, and Bernie rushed up and pressed the button for the first floor.

The two walked to the main branch and handed Marino Jenkins's information to the branch manager.

He was quickly recognized by a senior-looking employee.

According to a senior employee, he wanted to apply for a $3000 loan, but was rejected because he did not have a stable income.

Bernie asked him to confirm, "Are you sure it's him?"

The senior employee was certain: "It's him."

“I’ve worked at Riggs National Bank for eight years, and this is the first time I’ve seen an outsourced worker so confident.”

"They don't even have a stable income, nor can they provide any collateral, yet they dare to ask for a loan of $3000!"

Bernie looked at him suspiciously: "How do you know he's a contractor?"

The senior employee brushed his fallen hair back over his head: "He was carrying a toolbox and some old-fashioned equipment."

"I've seen many people like that."

"They were employees of the Communications Technology Section, which was laid off by the General Affairs Bureau two years ago."

"The bank specifically downgraded the credit scores of these individuals..."

The branch manager coughed, waved to a senior employee, and asked, "Do you need any further assistance?"

"We can help you retrieve this customer's account details."

The senior employee pursed his lips, seemingly still wanting more.

The assistant retrieved Marino Jenkins' account information.

According to account information, Marino Jenkins was indeed a government employee who was laid off two years ago.

In the month he was laid off, he took out an $800 loan from Riggs National Bank, which he just paid off last month.

The branch manager put down the documents and explained carefully:
“His repayment ability is insufficient to pass the assessment. Our employee was right to refuse his loan request.”

"Even if he weren't laid off, his credit rating would be lowered in our internal assessment because..."

Theodore interrupted his explanation: "We need a copy."

The branch manager nodded and handed the documents to his assistant.

While waiting for the copy to be issued, the branch manager talked to Bernie about his loan:

"Agent Sullivan, our bank recently launched a premium customer benefits program for federal employees. After system screening, your occupational risk rating and credit history meet the upgrade requirements."

He glanced at Theodore, stood up, took out a document, unfolded it, and handed it over:

"Priority customer benefits mainly include a minimum annual loan interest rate of 3.99%, waiver of prepayment penalties, and a complimentary homeowner's insurance policy with a coverage of US$2.3."

"This is the upgraded loan optimization plan; you can take a look."

The main branch manager introduced in a low voice:

"The new loan program mainly adjusts the repayment period and repayment method."

"The repayment period has been adjusted from 20 years to 15 years, with only interest payments made for the first five years."

He flipped to the last page of the document and gently tapped the signature column.

Bernie stared at the document in front of him for a while, then politely declined.

The head of the branch looked at Theodore.

Theodore met his gaze without speaking.

He began to doubt the intelligence of the branch manager.

It was Bernie who took out the loan, not him. What's the point of this branch manager not looking at Bernie and only looking at him?
Theodore thought to himself that he should call Mr. Fleming that night to remind him that the branch manager probably had some mental issues.

The main branch manager had no idea what Theodore was thinking.

He exchanged a glance with Theodore for a moment, and, confirming that the other had no intention of accepting the new proposal, felt somewhat disappointed.

He casually put the documents away and then introduced some financial products to the two of them.

The assistant quickly delivered a copy.

The branch manager stopped the conversation at the right moment and handed over two handwritten business cards:

"You can contact me directly if you need anything in the future."

Theodore hesitated before taking the business card, staring at him for two seconds before leaving.

As Bernie walked out of the main branch, he declared with certainty, "The fraudster is Marino Jenkins!"

The two returned to headquarters and went straight to the laboratory, proposing to directly compare the 17 fingerprints extracted from DC-1708 with Marino Jenkins' fingerprints.

Before leaving get off work, the lab delivered a report.

Of those 17 fingerprints, five belonged to Marino Jenkins.

Three are from the earpiece, and two are from the buttons.

Bernie went to the legal counsel's office to consult with his helpful colleague and confirmed that the evidence he had was sufficient to apply for an arrest warrant for Marino Jenkins.

Having handled many cases with Theodore that required obtaining confessions from criminals, he was somewhat unaccustomed to this case where the evidence was sufficient for conviction.

The only question now is, where exactly is Marino Jenkins?
On his way back from the legal counsel’s office, Bernie ran into Agent Lombardi.

Agent Lombardi is here to reassign manpower.

He took on a new case this afternoon that requires the cooperation of the entire investigation team, which may require the removal of detectives stationed at Union Station.

This contradictory behavior made him feel very embarrassed.

Bernie felt awkward when he saw Agent Lombardi.

After the fingerprints were extracted from DC-1708 yesterday, the surveillance at Union Station can be lifted.

But he and Theodore were busy all day and completely forgot about the security deployment at Union Station.

(End of this chapter)