1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 74 The Hunt! The Hunt! (Please continue reading!)

Walter Jenkins lay on the ground sunbathing with his eyes closed.

It's rare to get any sun in prison.

Such places are usually occupied by gang leaders, so there's no way a 57-year-old man like him would get a chance.

But he lies here, and no one dares to approach.

The other prisoners were walking around him. He lay there, his eyes closed, and even the sound of basketball being played on the other end seemed to quiet down.

All of this happened after he nearly ripped the jaw off the person who was trying to kick him out.

The last one was two and a half years ago.

He grabbed the lion cub by the scruff of its neck with one hand and pried open its mouth with the other. Just as he was about to exert force, the lion cub was so frightened that it peed itself.

If the prison guard hadn't arrived in time, he really would have torn its jaw open.

Since then, no one has competed with him for the space.

They assumed that the place belonged to him.

Several gang members secretly tried to recruit him, but he refused.

Once they confirmed that he was truly neutral and just wanted to sunbathe, the gang members gave up on trying to recruit him and treated him as if he didn't exist.

He was imprisoned four years ago on charges of grievous bodily harm.

Simply because he tried to smash an oil tycoon's head open.

He regretted his impulsive behavior.

He didn't know what was wrong with him at the time; as a hunter, he was so impatient.

It actually ran down the mountain and, without observing the surroundings at all, charged straight at the prey as soon as it saw it.

He lost his patience and was punished.

During his four years there, he constantly missed his home, his jungle, his traps, and his spoils.

He couldn't sleep during thunderstorms in summer and autumn.

He worried about his family, but even more so about his spoils.

"Walter Jenkins!"

The prison guard interrupted his recollection, which made him very unhappy.

He looked up at the warning sign, his eyes cold, as if he were looking at a turkey.

"Come with me to complete the formalities."

"you can go now."

He slowly stood up and followed the prison guard.

The surrounding prisoners spontaneously gathered around and applauded to celebrate for him.

His gaze slowly swept over these people, as if he were looking at a flock of quacking wild ducks.

He was led to a room where the loudly spinning electric fan made him feel very uncomfortable.

After he signed a large pile of documents as required, the prison guards removed his handcuffs and shackles and returned his clothes and personal belongings.

The prison guards continued to read out the requirements incessantly.

He was required to report to the county police station weekly and was prohibited from engaging in any work involving knives...

He didn't hear a single word.

He couldn't wait to escape this cage, rush into the forest, and run towards nature.

He wants to hunt!

He wanted to hunt to his heart's content!
…………

The main structure of the log cabin is built from roughly processed logs, with the gaps filled with mud mixed with straw.

The owner of the log cabin was very meticulous; he covered both the inside and outside with a layer of straw and mud to keep it warm.

The homeowner had great taste, using mud to draw mountains with trees, animals, wind, and the sun.

Although the painting is ugly, it has a unique, rugged, and primitive flavor.

The roof of the wooden house was made of layers of stone slabs and pine branches, which provided both rain protection and insulation. However, due to years of disrepair, a large part of it had collapsed. The interior of the wooden house was simply furnished. Directly opposite the door was a row of collapsed wooden shelves, and several cracked wooden bowls were scattered on the ground, filled with rainwater.

On the left is a single bed covered with animal skins.

There is a tool rack on the right, and a wooden table under the rack.

Theodore walked to the wooden table, counted the tools on the tool rack, and slowly frowned.

The knives displayed here are large knives like machetes, not the small knives needed for making specimens.

Under the table were bundles of vines, ropes, and other trap-making tools such as wooden spikes, but most of them were already rotten.

Theodore found no human skeletons or specimens here.

This is the killer's residence, but not the crime scene!

Bernie suspects the killer is dead and asks Theodore for his opinion.

Theodore stopped, somewhat hesitant.

So far, all the clues they have are from five years ago, and there is no trace of the killer's activities within the last five years or even recently.

As a hunter living deep in the mountains, too many unexpected things can happen.

"If he were still alive," Bernie continued, "would he still commit the crime?"

This time, Theodore did not hesitate: "The killer collects trophies to satisfy his sense of control, and losing the trophies means losing that sense of control to him."

"He will not only commit crimes again, but he will commit crimes in a frenzy."

Bernie nodded and signaled the county sheriffs to emerge from the valley and continue the search.

They soon found a washed-down wooden house by a stream not far away.

After a brief observation of the surrounding terrain, they confirmed that the stream had not previously flowed through this area.

The heavy rain must have altered the terrain, causing the stream to flow around the cabin, and the cabin was washed away as the water level rose.

County police officers lifted the roof of the wooden house and retrieved a large number of tools and several rotten specimens from the river.

Bernie found a pit filled with bones in front of a boulder below the stream.

The pit was filled with water, but the stream was no longer as turbulent as it had been at the beginning of the storm; it could only disturb the surface of the water, while the white bones at the bottom remained motionless.

The bones at the bottom of the pit were not all human bones; they were mixed with a lot of animal bones.

This should be a 'garbage dump'.

The murderer took the captured prey to the cabin to process it, throwing the bones into the pit and taking the meat back to cook.

Theodore stood in front of the pit, looking back at the cabin.

He was certain that this was the crime scene.

However, the crime scene had already been cleaned up countless times by the merciful nature, leaving not a single hair behind for him.

The county police had gradually gathered around, whispering among themselves as they pointed at the pit full of bones.

They didn't know how many human skeletons were in the pit, but even just one was appalling!
The mountains are usually cooler in autumn, but at this moment they felt a chilly wind blowing through the forest, as if they were being watched by wild animals.

One of the county policemen scratched his neck and suggested sending two people back to report, while the rest waited on the mountain.

This forest area falls under the jurisdiction of Nashville County, and cases occurring within this area naturally fall under the jurisdiction of the Nashville County Sheriff's Office.

After such a heinous case, the county police became more serious.

Someone has already been secretly keeping an eye on Theodore and Bernie.

These two are the ones who brought this case to light, so it's not unreasonable to ask them to cooperate in solving it, right?

After a brief discussion, the county police selected two men to go back and deliver the message.

Before setting off, the two of them consulted Theodore and Bernie.

Theodore and Bernie have no law enforcement authority here and have no jurisdiction over the county sheriff, so naturally they have no objections.

It takes at least half a day to get to the county police station from here. Even if the county police station receives the news and immediately organizes personnel to come, it will still be late at night.

The remaining county police, led by an older detective, suggested taking stock of the supplies and sending a few men out to hunt some game.

Including Theodore and Bernie, there are seven people left on the mountain.

(End of this chapter)