1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 52: Such a thick criminal record! (Please continue reading!)
Theodore looked away, not answering the question, but instead asking Ricky for Paul Miller's file.

There were some questions he couldn't figure out, but that didn't stop him from being confident in his profiling.

He was all too familiar with antisocial killers.

Ricky thought Theodore himself didn't have the answer, and was a little disappointed, so he went out to retrieve the files for Theodore.

He not only retrieved Paul Miller's file, but also brought back the files of other suspects, including Helen Bennett, whose profiles matched the description.

Theodore didn't understand what he was doing and just took Paul Miller's file to study.

The other three then flipped through the files one by one.

Almost every one of these young people has a criminal record.

Alcohol abuse, fighting, theft, possession of contraband, and assaulting police officers are the most frequent offenses.

But that's it.

Theodore tossed Paul Miller's file on the table and asked Ricky if he could unlock the underage file.

Ricky pointed to a large pile of files on the table and asked him, "Do you mean one, or all of these?"

Theodore gave him a strange look and handed him Paul Miller's file. "I only need this one. You can add the others if you want."

Unsealing files from a minor's time is quite difficult.

For someone from a family like Paul Miller's, the challenge is even greater.

Theodore still hadn't received the file he wanted by the time he left work.

…………

The atmosphere at the West District Police Station was unusually tense today.

The 72-hour time limit for solving cases no longer seems to apply.

The homicide squad remains in the 'special task force' status.

When they returned, Wenner was being criticized, and the roar of Deputy Superintendent Burton echoed throughout the corridor.

"Why is there absolutely no progress?!"

"How am I supposed to explain this to headquarters?!"

"The killer is right there! He's mocking us all!"

"I got the entire police station to cooperate with you! And this is how you do it?"

"You have let everyone down!"

Theodore and Bernie wanted to help out with the homicide squad, at least to get a better understanding of the case and help analyze it.

But before the two could even enter the main office, they were called away by the assistant to Deputy Superintendent Burton.

After Deputy Superintendent Burton finished reprimanding Wenner, the two were taken to his office.

Deputy Superintendent Burton seemed somewhat tired.

He first expressed his optimism about the two men, and then kindly inquired about the progress of the case in the Eastern District.

Then he inquired about all sorts of random things, and finally told the two of them that it was getting late and they should go home and rest early.

Bernie had his back to the deputy superintendent's office, muttering curses under his breath.

Theodore also frowned deeply.

Can't we just focus on solving cases properly?
………………

The next day.

With Howard Jr. confined to his home, Keller, the babysitter, was freed.

But he was not happy.

Bernie and Ricky offered him some limited comfort before going back to their own business.

Around noon, Ricky somehow managed to get Paul Miller's underage file into Theodore's hands.

Everyone was stunned by the thickness of the file.

Flipping through the files, it starts with beating up classmates, then progresses to truancy, disrupting classes, assaulting teachers, bullying classmates, animal abuse, and even arson, arrest, and assaulting police officers...

It's practically an encyclopedia of juvenile delinquency.

He committed every crime that teenagers could commit, repeatedly, multiple times, and frequently.

The record left the group speechless. Ricky and Keller checked the names repeatedly to make sure they hadn't made a mistake.

They never expected that the seemingly shy young man would have such a side to him.

After reading the thick stack of records, all three of them were confused.

Theodore felt the date on the criminal record looked familiar and compared it with Helen Bennett's record.

He recorded Paul Miller's criminal record chronologically on a whiteboard. Then he compared it with Helen Bennett's record.

The group quickly discovered that the two were practically inseparable. Their criminal records overlapped significantly.

Faced with this outcome, the group fell silent once again.

They were a little taken aback; the introverted young man was actually the murderer.

Theodore noted that Paul Miller was virtually invisible at Emily's birthday party.

He was invisible not only at his birthday party, but also in the eyes of his friends.

He was like a ghost.

At the birthday party, everyone was busy, but he was completely aimless.

Bernie, recalling how he had repeatedly come and gone from the location after the incident, mingling with so many police officers, immediately suggested that he arrest Paul Miller.

This was met with Ricky's objection: "No evidence! We need evidence!"

Bernie felt that the words sounded familiar, and looked him up and down strangely, feeling that the fat man looked increasingly familiar.

Ricky raised the same old question again: "He doesn't have a medical background, so how did he manage to puncture so accurately?"

Bernie, still furious at being tricked, sneered, "You learned it from someone else! Or you practiced on your own, specifically practicing stabbing hearts."

"Who knows what he's been up to behind the scenes!"

Ricky thought Bernie's approach was a bit extreme and advised him to rely on evidence.

Bernie slammed the criminal record down, making a loud thud. "The evidence you wanted! This is the evidence!"

Theodore, thinking of Helen Bennett's disappearance after the incident, interrupted their argument and reminded Ricky to increase surveillance on her.

Everyone is puzzled.

Theodore said in a deep voice, “Not everyone is indifferent to death; most people will feel guilty.”

"Some people feel that if they had done better, perhaps the death would not have happened."

"Some people might even wonder why they weren't the ones who died."

Bernie, who had just been arguing fiercely with Ricky, suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

“But there’s another group of people with problems here.” Theodore pointed to his head. “They’re only angry at the guilt their companions show.”

"They considered it a betrayal."

To make it easier for them to understand, Theodore chose a typical case from the past as an example.

He asked Bernie, "Do you remember Carlos Mendoza?"

Bernie, of course, would not forget that bastard, and he recounted the details of Sam's disappearance to Keller and Ricky through gritted teeth.

Actually, he didn't need an introduction. Theodore became famous within the system precisely because of this case, and Ricky had even studied all the cases Theodore had been involved in.

Theodore pointed to his head and said
"Some people are sick here; they can't control themselves and have to do certain things."

"Just like Carlos Mendoza had to wear a police uniform to patrol the area."

"I call this an identification mark."

"By finding stable, distinctive characteristics that differentiate criminals from their usual methods and demonstrate their unique personalities, we can understand what they are thinking and what they will do next."

Bernie didn't quite understand and asked, "You found Paul Miller's identification mark?"

"I think so."

"What is it?"

“Control,” Theodore said. “Helen Bennett disappeared after the incident, not because she fled, nor because she ran away from home after arguing with her family.”

"She is avoiding guilt."

"If the murderer finds out about this, he will not let her go."

(End of this chapter)