1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Once Chapter 9 starts explaining, it's impossible to stop.
Then I couldn't hear anything anymore.

Anna cried even harder. "Mom said she would secretly let me out at noon and teach me how to bake a cake, but Mom didn't come back. I knew something had happened to Mom, so I kicked the door hard and screamed inside, hoping someone would hear me."

"But there's no one here."

“It wasn’t until evening that Sit let me out. He told me that my mother had been murdered.”

Anna wiped away her tears, her voice filled with resentment, "I know she killed my mother."

“I wanted to confront her, but my father thought I hadn’t taken good care of my mother and wanted to keep me locked in the basement as punishment. I had no chance to go to her at all.”

“Until you took him away.”

Theodore and Bernie exchanged a glance, and Theodore asked, "Does Sit know?"

Anna shook her head. "He doesn't know."

She said, "I slipped out after he fell asleep that night. I rang her doorbell. She was already asleep and was surprised to see me. Then she warmly invited me in."

She even brought me a baked cake and apples. My mother taught her how to bake the cake.

“I questioned her about whether she killed my mother, but she denied it and said that my mother was promiscuous and seduced strangers, which is why she was killed.”

"I want her to apologize..."

"...After I saw you discover the body, I was afraid of being discovered, so I secretly burned my clothes."

Confessing is like having diarrhea; once it starts, it's unstoppable.

Anna didn't need Bernie or Theodore to guide her; she finished speaking on her own.

Later, she calmed down and her story became more logical, but she didn't stop; she finished telling the whole story.

After the interrogation, Anna will be temporarily detained in a holding cell until she is formally handed over to the prosecutor tomorrow.

Before leaving, she asked to be locked up with her brother, Sit.

Bernie paused for a moment, then agreed.

The two men obtained the statements and went to report back to Wenner. As soon as they opened the door, they found all the team members gathered outside.

They were either sitting or standing, all looking at the two of them.

It's unclear who started it, but applause began to erupt one after another, quickly becoming a continuous burst of applause.

Wenner walked over, picked up the statement, flipped to the last page, confirmed Anna's signature, closed it, and said with a smile, "Alright, everyone go home and rest. You don't need to go to work tomorrow morning!"

"yeah!"

"Long live the boss!"

"Long live Bernie & Dixon!"

………………

The next morning.

Despite still feeling a bit sleepy, Theodore got up.

Around 7:40 a.m., he arrived at the police station and saw Wenner waiting at the entrance to the chief's office.

They closed the case within the stipulated time, and Wenner kept his promise and blocked the chief's door.

Back in the main office, as expected, none of the homicide squad members were there.

Theodore tidied up his desk and then organized the information for cases 600403 and 600511. It was already ten o'clock.

Wenner hasn't returned yet.

Theodore took out his notebook and began to record the investigation process of the two cases.

He plans to record all the cases he has been involved in.

Team members didn't start arriving until noon. In less than 12 hours, these listless guys were full of energy again.

Theodore guessed it was just that people were in high spirits because of good news. But soon he felt that although nothing seemed to have changed, something seemed different. A bearded man was dividing up small cakes baked by his daughter, grinning smugly; a long-haired hulking man was standing on a table singing loudly into a paper tube, prompting many people to beg him to spare their ears.

The entire murder squad seemed to be on vacation.
The guy in front of Theodore was complaining about being scolded by his wife last night, while another lamented how difficult women really are.

Bernie proudly showed them his new tie, saying that his wife had tied it for him before he left home that morning.

They didn't shy away from talking about Theodore when they said these things, and even mentioned that their wives had a good friend who was currently single and they could introduce her to him.

This was the first time he had heard anything outside of work.

Bernie quietly explained to him that everyone was very grateful to him.

“Normally we have to work three all-nighters until the case is transferred to an individual. You provided an important clue and saved everyone from three all-nighters, so of course we have to thank you.”

Theodore felt it was more than that. He felt as if he had just become a member of the homicide squad.

Although he had been transferred to the homicide squad, and everyone was friendly, it was just a distant politeness. No one treated him like one of their own, including Bernie.

He was accepted by the homicide squad only after cases 600403 and 600511 were completed.

Strangely, he didn't do anything special, yet his identity underwent a miraculous change.

The atmosphere in the office was great, very pleasant. Everyone was either leaning back in their chairs or chatting at their desks, a stark contrast to just a few hours earlier, and even more so to just a day ago.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the supervisor Wenner, who had gone to report, finally returned. His face was beaming with a genuine smile, and his plump body moved as swiftly as the wind, his steps light and quick.

When the group members saw him return, they all stood up.

Wenner walked up to the two whiteboards with a smile, and his team members spontaneously followed and gathered around him.

“This morning, Anna Bryan was handed over to the prosecutor, and case 060403 has been closed and filed,” Wenner said with a smile, looking around.

He erased the bottom two lines of the Cold Case, moved them to the right, and rewrote them with a black pen.

Without needing to say anything more, his gesture immediately drew applause from the office.

The applause continued until the copying was finished, then it gradually subsided.

Wenner's gaze lingered on each group member, he paused briefly, then raised his hand and smiled.

See you at Old Gun Bar tonight!

"yeah!"

Whistles immediately filled the entire office.

Theodore had never heard of Old Gun Bar, so he looked at Bernie.

Bernie explained in a low voice, "It's a bar run by a retired policeman. It's really unique. Sometimes we go there to celebrate after we solve a case."

Wenner didn't linger in the main office; instead, he called the two of them back to his own office.

As is customary, the entire homicide squad will be on hold for the entire day today. Everyone needs to celebrate, release stress, and rest. Significant lateness is expected tomorrow morning, and things won't return to normal until the third day.

With Wenner in the office, the team members were somewhat wary and didn't dare to blatantly slack off.

"I called you two over to discuss your respective partners."

Wenner's voice was amiable, lacking the excitement he displayed outside, yet also not overly serious.

Theodore and Bernie exchanged a glance, and Theodore saw a hint of tension and unease in each other's eyes. This puzzled Theodore.

The homicide squad usually operates independently, but when a new case arises, it becomes a collective task force operation. Having a partner or not doesn't really make a big difference. He really didn't understand Bernie's obsession with having a partner.

Despite not understanding, Theodore was still quite satisfied with Bernie, and the two nodded to Wenner together.

"it is good"

Wenner opened his briefcase and pulled out two paper bags, which he then threw onto the table.

Without his instruction, Bernie had already reached out and opened one, taking out a bunch of vouchers, coupons, gas coupons, laundry coupons... a whole bunch of miscellaneous items.

(End of this chapter)