1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 45: A whole soap opera-like incident of youthful campus idol drama

They met Congressman Howard in a waiting room at the East Precinct.

The East District Police Station has ample funding, and its waiting rooms are decorated like VIP rooms, with individual cubicles specifically designed to provide families with private spaces for communication.

Theodore disliked Senator Howard, but liked the news he brought.

Congressman Howard told Theodore that they didn't need to worry about external factors; they just needed to find out the truth of the case, and no one would make things difficult for them.

The Howard family is deeply entrenched in Felton, especially within the police force, where they wield considerable influence.

Congressman Howard stated unequivocally that he was meeting Theodore as a father, not as a congressman.

Theodore stated bluntly, "Based on the initial investigation at the scene, Anthony Howard II is highly likely to be the murderer."

“Mr. Howard, I may end up only finding more evidence of Howard Jr.’s crimes.”

Congressman Howard fell silent, and Ricky, walking towards the door, nearly tripped over himself. Bernie, standing nearby, almost clapped his hands in approval.

He sighed, "I am, after all, a father."

Theodore glanced at him in surprise, unable to tell if it was true or false.

“I understand,” he said dismissively, not wanting to waste any more time with him. He stood up, gave him a slight nod, and then said to Ricky, “Mr. Cullinan, let’s go to the medical examiner’s office together.”

He was very distrustful of forensic doctors of this era. If Samuel hadn't gone to Oregon for some wedding, he would have demanded that the body be sent back to the West End for autopsy.

Ricky looked at old Howard with some difficulty.

Howard Sr. stood up and shook hands with each of the three men. "I have other things to do, so I won't bother you any longer."

He beckoned to his staff, pointed at him, and said, "Keller, stay and cooperate with your investigation. Tell him if you need anything."

Keller was very modest; after greeting the group, he stood behind them.

After seeing Howard off, Ricky frequently glanced at Theodore with admiration in his eyes.

After confirming that the forensic expert could handle trace evidence analysis, the four of them went to a conference room led by Ricky.

This is the temporary office that the branch office prepared for Theodore.

Right now, we're mainly waiting for the forensic report.

If the stabbing was within Howard Jr.'s height range and the force was natural, then there's basically no need to investigate the case.

If the stabbing was not within Howard Jr.'s height range, or if the force was abnormal, then it means that what Howard Jr. said might be true, and the culprit might be someone else.

To be fair, Theodore has a slight chance of being the latter.

He came back from the scene and felt that the site was very clean and challenging. If it were just the former, it would be a bit of a waste.

Theodore didn't want to waste time waiting, so he suggested to Ricky that he interrogate Howard Jr.

Howard Jr. was quickly taken to the interrogation room.

He showed obvious nervousness, panic, and restlessness, but tried to remain polite due to his upbringing.

He visibly relaxed when he saw Keller.

Theodore noticed this and asked Ricky to give up his seat for Keller, so that Keller could sit with them opposite Howard Jr.

Howard Jr.'s tension eased somewhat.

With Keller present, the interrogation of Howard Jr. went smoothly.

Howard Jr. planned to confess his feelings to Emily Grant last night.

He asked his friend and follower John Davis to keep an eye on Emily and notify him when Emily was alone.

Around 11:00 AM, he received a note from John Davis asking him to go to the attic. When Howard Jr. arrived at the attic, he saw the deceased Teddy Santos lying on the floor. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that the man was dead, with a knife protruding from his chest.

It was exactly the same birthday gift the deceased had given him this year.

He pulled out the knife, and blood sprayed all over him, which was witnessed by Paul Miller and James Carter.

With Keller's help, Theodore met John Davis again after lunch.

John Davis is the third in line to the Davis Department Stores. He and Howard Jr. were childhood friends, and he was specifically sent to Howard Jr.'s side to maintain their relationship.

Howard Jr.'s last visit to Rose Street cost him a share of the prostitutes' fees.

Such playmates were not uncommon in Emilyka; Theodore had several before him.

John Davis brought them clues about the whole city that were not favorable to Howard Jr.

A month ago, Howard Jr. made a bet with the deceased that the loser would have to give up his pursuit of Emily.

The competition was to see who could catch up with their classmate Teresa first.

The very next day, Teresa became the deceased's girlfriend.

The deceased humiliated Howard Jr. in a bar, and the two got into a physical altercation before being separated by others.

Then Theresa proceeded to belittle Howard Jr., and the deceased not only did not stop her, but also laughed along.

This caused Howard Jr. to completely lose his mind. He drew his knife and tried to stab the victim, but was stopped by the crowd and driven out of the bar.

In addition, at the time Howard Jr. received the note, John Davis was monitoring Emily at the back door of the villa.

He saw Emily secretly hiding in the backyard with a few girls, smoking weed. He only followed out of curiosity after seeing the crowd heading upstairs. What he found was young Howard in the attic, covered in blood…

John Davis's testimony was corroborated by Theresa.

The reason why Teresa was able to be "taken down" by the deceased so quickly is simple - the deceased gave her 1000 yuan, bought her as his girlfriend, and promised to protect her during college.

The reason she belittled Howard Jr. was simple: Howard Jr.'s face seemed to say, "Say yes to me, and I'll dump you to pursue my goddess."

Teresa also led the deceased to discover Emily using marijuana and engaging in promiscuous behavior, causing the deceased to lose interest in Emily and successfully taking over her position.

Ricky had the detective verify the list of girls using marijuana provided by John Davis, which was quickly confirmed.

It was no secret at school that Teresa had become the deceased's girlfriend, and this was quickly confirmed.

With some time left before the end of the workday, the group discussed the case in the meeting room.

The whole case seems to have turned into a crime of passion committed by young people out of jealousy and rivalry.

What's unusual is the identity of the people involved.

This view was unanimously agreed upon by Ricky, Bernie, and even Keller.

Keller neither explicitly agreed nor objected.

Theodore chose to abstain and quietly reminded Bernie that making premature and subjective conclusions about the case would affect his own judgment.

Before leaving get off work, several people went to the forensic lab to check on the progress of the trace evidence analysis. The forensic lab told them that the results were expected to be available the next afternoon.

As I left the forensic lab, it was time to leave work.

There is no tradition of working overtime in the East District.

Ricky immediately switched to leisure mode, packed up to leave work, and before leaving, reminded Theodore to try the restaurants and dessert shops he recommended.

Keller also had to report the progress to Congressman Howard. They parted ways in the parking lot and agreed to meet again in the conference room the next day.

(End of this chapter)