1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 135 What's wrong with the detectives in this third precinct?

The forensic team at the Third Precinct was very efficient; the autopsy has been completed, but the autopsy report has not yet been generated.

The autopsy was conducted by a professor from Howard University School of Medicine.

Professors at Howard University School of Medicine provide forensic pathology services to DC law enforcement agencies on a long-term and frequent basis, forming the core academic force of DC's forensic work.

The professor led everyone to the morgue and pulled out the deceased:
"Corpse number DCME-0086".

"Female, 5.34 feet tall, weighing approximately 146 pounds, with a plump figure."

“DCME-0086 long reddish-brown hair with brown roots.”

The time of death was around 7 a.m. on Tuesday.

The professor put on gloves and parted the deceased's hair.

Theodore and Bernie leaned closer to examine it, and the color of the hair roots did indeed seem a little different.

Fearing they might not be able to see clearly, the professor thoughtfully handed them a magnifying glass.

Under a magnifying glass, the color difference at the roots of the hair becomes particularly noticeable.

Reddish-brown and brown are two similar but not identical colors. The former leans towards red, while the latter leans towards brown.

Theodore asked Detective Thomas:
What was the deceased's occupation?

Detective Thomas put down his magnifying glass and shook his head: "We haven't had time to investigate yet."

This is also normal.

Theodore was already surprised that the Third Precinct was able to complete the autopsy in one day.

He recalled Agent Lombardi's assessment of the Third Precinct and felt that those words were somewhat biased.

A brief silence fell over the room.

The professor looked around, pointed to the location of the skull fracture, and continued his explanation:
“DCME-0086 Full-thickness comminuted fracture of the occipital bone, measuring 4.7 inches × 3.9 inches, with brain tissue spilling out, and the fracture line extending to the parietal bone.”

He loosened the hair, lifted the left side of the corpse, exposing its back:
"Extensive abrasions on the skin of the left scapular region and back."

"The fractured end of the 6th rib on the left side pierced the lower lobe of the left lung, the right lobe of the liver was shattered, and the spleen was ruptured through the lung."

Up to this point, the professor had been saying that the deceased's death was consistent with the characteristics of a fall from a height.

Theodore didn't rush to ask further questions.

He could tell that the professor was very capable and couldn't possibly have only achieved so little.

The professor calmly pulled the deceased out completely, pointing to the deceased's hands and feet:

"DCME-0086 shows circumferential subcutaneous hemorrhages on both wrists and ankles, each 0.47 inches wide, accompanied by epidermal abrasion."

After a pause, he offered a more straightforward explanation:
"This is a binding injury. DCME-0086 was bound by a rope about 0.47 inches wide before his death."

The professor grabbed the deceased's right hand and showed it to them:

"DCME-0086 has broken fingernails on the right index and middle fingers and a contusion on the left rib area."

"These are defensive wounds. She struggled violently after being tied up."

Theodore glanced at the deceased's fingers but didn't linger; instead, he was drawn to the deceased's palm.

The deceased's palms were smooth, unlike those of someone who had done heavy physical labor.

No cracks, no calluses, smooth and delicate, excellent maintenance.

Theodore turned to look at the body of the deceased.

Because the deceased fell from a height and broke through glass before the fall, his skin was extensively damaged, with few intact areas.

After the autopsy, the forensic doctor thoughtfully did some simple embellishment of the deceased's appearance and sutured the large wounds.

This makes the deceased look like a porcelain doll that has been shattered and then glued back together, covered in cracks.

Through these cracks, you can see many scars. Some have faded to the point of being just a dark line, while others have just scabbed over, and still others are mixed in with falls and bruises, making them difficult to distinguish.

The professor lowered the deceased's right hand and went to the lower half of the body:

"DCME-0086 has numerous fresh nail-scratching and biting wounds on the inner thigh, and multiple fresh tears in the vaginal canal and vulvar mucosa."

He lifted the white cloth and showed the group the scratches and bite marks he had described:

"In addition to fresh wounds, there are also a large number of old wounds on the inner thighs."

J fluid was detected inside the vagina and on the inner thigh.

The professor covered the deceased with the white sheet again, picked up the registration form beside him, made the entry, and finally said:
"DCME-0086's blood alcohol concentration was 0.04%. He had consumed alcohol before his death, but was not intoxicated."

"She was probably drinking the bottle of red wine you brought back."

The professor was about to push the deceased back into the morgue when Theodore stopped him.

Theodore went back to the deceased's head, asked for a pair of gloves, and carefully moved the head to examine it closely.

Due to the fall, most of the deceased's face was a mangled mess of rotten flesh, with only the lower right cheek remaining intact.

Theodore took a tissue and wiped it on the uninjured side of the deceased's face, then wiped the deceased's lips.

The remaining lipstick and some unknown white cosmetics were rubbed off and stuck to the tissue.

The deceased was wearing makeup, and the makeup was very thick; some residue could still be found after rinsing on the autopsy table.

Her skin was a little loose, but not rough; like her hands, it was delicate and smooth.

Theodore went back to his lower body and lifted the white cloth to observe.

The inside of the deceased's thighs was a gruesome sight, with many scars in that area.

In addition to the scratches and bites the professor mentioned, there were also a large number of strange scars.

The scars here are similar to those on his body, some old and some new.

This made Theodore look at the dead man's head again.

The condition of the deceased's private parts suggests that her lifestyle may have been quite different from that of Anne Halleck, as described by Agent Lombardi.

Theodore asked the professor if it was possible to estimate when these scars formed.

The professor pushed the body back into the morgue and shook his head.

Theodore asked him when the autopsy report would be completed, and the professor silently calculated it before telling him it would be finished by noon the next day at the latest.

This speed reminded Theodore of an old friend.

After leaving the medical examiner's office, Theodore asked Detective Thomas for the case file of the assault case from ten years ago.

While waiting for the archives to search for the files, Bernie made a call to Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The call was answered by Thomas's colleague from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, who told Bernie that Thomas had been in a fight and had been taken to the hospital.

After Bernie inquired about the hospital's location, he called Ronald's acquaintance at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and asked him to help check Robert Miller's incarceration record.

After hanging up the phone, Bernie looked at Theodore:

"Let's go visit Thomas after get off work."

"The Federal Bureau of Prisons."

Theodore nodded and then asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Bernie paused for a moment: "He was beaten up and ended up in the hospital."

He paused, then emphasized, "I was beaten up by the plumber and ended up in the hospital."

Theodore was somewhat surprised: "Why would he fight with the plumber?"

He still remembered Thomas and felt he could beat Thomas with one hand.

Bernie shook his head and sighed, patting Theodore on the shoulder: "He probably saw something and got carried away by anger."

Theodore disagreed: "No matter how angry he is, he should have made a basic assessment before taking action."

"It's obvious he's no match for the plumber."

"Rushing up to fight the plumber at this time is just asking for trouble."

After a pause, Theodore continued:

“He should take photos as evidence to prepare for the divorce proceedings later, so that his wife won’t get a single penny.” Bernie was somewhat surprised: “You know that?”

Theodore looked at him strangely: "I'm not stupid. It's just that his wife cheated on him with the plumber."

He continued the previous topic: "Or if he really can't suppress his anger, he should first find a knife or a gun."

Bernie opened his mouth.

Theodore: "Then he yelled that a thief had broken into the house and shot at the plumber."

Bernie shut his mouth, his gaze toward Theodore becoming complicated.

He couldn't quite tell whether Theodore was joking or genuinely analyzing the situation.

A certain conversation came to mind again.

"Aren't you the same!"

You're just like me!

Why won't you help me!

Bernie patted Theodore on the shoulder again, leaving Theodore completely bewildered.

…………

Detective Thomas quickly brought the case file over.

Theodore looked at the pristine-looking files and became curious about the preservation techniques used in the Third Precinct's archives.

The files from ten years ago are still well preserved, without any signs of contamination or damage, and there is not even a trace of mold.

The case file contains Anne Halleck's description of the assault.

According to Anne Halleck's account, Robert Miller followed her to her home, and as she opened the door, he suddenly stepped forward, pressed a knife against her lower back, and forced her into the house.

Robert Miller took Anne Hallecker to the bedroom, bound her hands and feet with a belt, and assaulted her.

The case file contains a medical examination report on Anne Halleck's body issued by the forensic department.

The report shows that Robert Miller acted very roughly during the assault.

It caused multiple scratches and bites to Anne Halleck's chest, abdomen, and groin.

After the assault, he punched and kicked Anne Halleck, leaving her bruised and battered before leaving, satisfied.

The case file records that Robert Miller used highly insulting terms such as "bitch" and "xxx" to refer to Anne Halleck during the assault.

Throughout the assault, Robert Miller did not attempt to cover Anne Halleck's eyes or his own face, nor did he threaten Anne Halleck to keep the secret.

He seemed completely unprepared for Anne Halleke to call the police and recognize him.

The report concluded with six invalidated testimonies.

They came from other victims who had been assaulted by Robert Miller.

These victims initially chose to report the incidents to the police, but upon learning that they might have to appear in court to identify the perpetrators, they collectively chose to withdraw the charges.

The description of Robert Miller's assault in the testimony is not much different from that of Anne Halleck.

Their modus operandi can be basically summarized as follows:

He followed the victim to her home, threatened her with a knife, and bound her hands and feet with a belt before assaulting her.

The assault was extremely brutal, accompanied by verbal abuse and physical violence.

They will leave without hesitation after the assault is over.

After reading the case file, the three men reacted differently.

Detective Thomas was the first to share his thoughts on the case.

He expressed optimism about the case's prospects, believing the killer was already quite obvious:

"The killer must be Robert Miller!"

He found a close-up photo of the deceased's wrist:

"Ten years ago, when Robert Miller committed his crimes, he liked to use a belt to bind his victims' hands and feet."

"The deceased had marks of binding on both hands and feet."

He then found photos of Anne Hallecker's injuries in the case file and placed them alongside photos of the deceased's injuries taken yesterday:
"Ten years ago, Robert Miller left numerous scratches and bite marks on the victim's body."

“Anne Halleke had numerous scratches and bite marks on her inner thighs.”

Detective Thomas eventually found a photograph of the deceased taken from above:

"Ten years ago, Robert Miller was violent and would often punch and kick his victims."

“Anne Hallecker was pushed off the building.”

He gave his motive:
“Anne Halleke is the only victim to identify Robert Miller.”

“If it weren’t for Anne Halleke, Robert Miller would never have gone to jail.”

“He’s getting revenge on Anne Hallecker, the one who put him in jail.”

After listening to Detective Thomas's analysis, Bernie recalled what Agent Lombardi had said.

He thought it made a lot of sense when he was in the car, but now, comparing it to Detective Thomas in front of him...

Where does that make sense?

What's wrong with the detectives in this third precinct?

This analysis is fantastic!

Bernie silently cursed Agent Lombardi for talking nonsense.

Theodore also looked at Detective Thomas with surprise.

He also increasingly felt that Agent Lombardi's assessment of the Third Precinct was biased.

In the afternoon, an acquaintance from the Federal Bureau of Prisons dictated Robert Miller's incarceration record over the phone.

Robert Miller served time in Virginia State Prison and was paroled in 1955.

His parole officer, Theodore, recognized the name Richard Mason.

Theodore and Bernie went to the Federal Parole Board to find Richard Mason and ask for Robert Miller's address.

Richard Mason was a lean, but very sharp-eyed middle-aged man.

He hadn't forgotten about Henry Thompson, and when he saw the two of them appear in the office, he immediately became alert.

He provided a guarantee for Henry Thompson and introduced him to bank escort work, which resulted in Henry Thompson almost robbing Riggs National Bank.

Bernie approached him and struck up a conversation, mentioning that they had dealt with each other in the post office robbery case.

Richard Mason became more vigilant:
"Yes, I almost got fired because of that."

Bernie was a little embarrassed.

Richard Mason shook his head and asked him, "Which prisoner has caused trouble this time?"

He hadn't been in DC for nothing all these years; he had already found out that the silent young man in front of him was named Hoover.

Richard Mason had no intention of causing trouble; he just wanted to get rid of the person as soon as possible.

Theodore looked up and gave Richard Mason a deep look.

This is one of the few people who caused Bernie to fail.

Richard Mason shifted his position and urged tactfully, "A parole period or a name is fine, or even a case number will do."

Bernie was a little embarrassed: "A sex offender from ten years ago, who was paroled in 1955, was named Robert Miller."

Richard Mason looked in the cabinet behind him and took out a red document.

He opened it and glanced at it before handing it to Bernie.

Robert Miller lives in the Southwest District of DC, and his apartment is only 1 mile from the Riverside Hotel.

Bernie asked Richard Mason, "Does he still live here?"

(End of this chapter)