1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 97 You really know how to fight for things
The questioning of Detective Brown continued to be unsuccessful.

He responded with silence, refusing to answer questions.

The only clue they got from him was that the two dead might be linked to illegal activities by higher-ups.

This coincides with Theodore's suspicion that the killer saw himself as an enforcer of justice.

Around noon, the forensic department delivered a .38 lead-core bullet.

At Theodore's request, the medical examiner compared the bullets found in the skulls of the two victims and confirmed that the scratches on the bullet surfaces were similar.

It is highly likely that these two bullets were fired from the same gun.

Theodore asked the forensic pathologist who brought the comparison results about the autopsy report, and the pathologist fled in panic.

In the afternoon, detectives brought in the investigation report for the property where the second victim was found at the scene. The property was registered under the name of an acquaintance of Theodore.
Anthony Howard II.

The Howard family is a long-established family in Felton, and is particularly influential in the police force.

Upon seeing this name, everyone immediately thought of Detective Brown's silence.

Supervisor George looked at Ricky, and seeing that Ricky was looking at Theodore, he also turned his gaze to Theodore.

Theodore, oblivious to their gazes, reminded Ricky to summon Anthony Howard II.

Two hours later, Howard and his son appeared together at the East Precinct.

Following behind them were a lawyer and a staff member of Congressman Howard.

The advisor was not Keller, but a stranger.

Congressman Howard is having a tough time.

In the battle between Senator Miller and Senator Santos, he took the wrong side.

Congressman Howard, with a serious expression, was personally received by the Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Director Garcia went to headquarters to lobby Director Adams to buy time for Theodore and his team.

Howard Jr. entered the interrogation room accompanied by his lawyer.

He seemed to know his way around well. After entering, he sat directly in the suspect's seat, sat upright, and spoke quietly with the lawyer.

Theodore and Ricky were acquaintances of Dwight Howard Jr., and the two of them were responsible for questioning him.

Upon seeing Theodore and Ricky enter, Howard Jr. stopped talking and asked why they had been summoned.

He spoke at a measured pace, his eyes fixed on Theodore and the other man, his expression calm, like a carbon copy of old Howard.

Ricky showed the property register and asked if the property belonged to him.

Howard Jr. paused for a moment, then turned to look at his father's aide, who was chatting with Director George outside the interrogation room.

He nodded slightly: "It's mine."

According to him, he bought it from a friend with his saved pocket money, specifically for hosting parties. No one lives there normally, and many people have keys to it.

Outside the interrogation room, Director George, who was chatting with his staff, fell silent after hearing these words.

Inside the interrogation room, the lawyer turned his head to look at Howard Jr., then looked across at the other side.

Ricky, looking perfectly normal, was asking Howard Jr. if he knew Mark Ramirez (the second victim).

Howard Jr. looked puzzled.

Ricky gave a brief description of the appearance of the second victim, and Howard Jr. suddenly understood and nodded.

Since the Teddy Santos case, Howard Jr., deeply saddened by the tragedy, decided to make some new friends. This led him to meet the second victim and a group of others.

That villa was bought specifically for their use.

After saying all that, he hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What happened to him?"

Howard Jr. had been here more than once and knew that Ricky and Theodore were both detectives in the homicide squad.

Hearing his friend's name from the two of them made him uneasy.

Ricky looked at Theodore.

Theodore opened the folder and laid out the photos of the second victim on the table.

Howard leaned over for a look, his eyes widening as he stared blankly at Theodore and Ricky.

After Ricky confirmed it, he looked at the photo again and turned pale.

After arranging the photos, Theodore straightened the few that had been knocked askew by Howard Jr.

Ricky answered Howard Jr.'s question: "We received a report this morning that he had been killed."

"The murderer tortured him cruelly."

"The killer believed he was a sexual predator."

After a pause, Ricky suddenly asked Howard Jr., "Do you know he's a sex offender?"

Howard Jr. was still in shock, looking blankly at Ricky.

The experienced lawyer next to him interrupted the questioning, reminding Ricky Howard that he was simply cooperating with the investigation.

Ricky raised his hand, softening his tone, and asked Howard Jr. how much he knew about the second victim.

Howard Jr. knew absolutely nothing about the second victim.

He only knew the name of the second deceased, what he looked like, and where he worked part-time.

That's it.

His understanding of the friends he had made in the past few months was limited to this.

They would throw parties every now and then and invite him to join. He would go if he had time, and if he didn't, they would send people to help with the setup, food, drinks, and venue.

Ricky was speechless for a moment.

He asked Howard Jr., "Are you still in touch with your old friends?"

"James Carter? John Davis?"

Howard Jr. shook his head.

Their small circle tried to get together twice after Paul Miller was arrested, but everyone felt awkward and the group gradually fell apart.

He even got rid of John Davis, his lackey.

Ricky looked at Howard, who was still a little dazed, and suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

Theodore glanced at the silent Ricky with a puzzled look, got up, put the photos away, and asked Howard Jr. for a list of his friends.

Howard Jr. looked at his lawyer, and after receiving the lawyer's approval, he took the pen and paper and scribbled down a list of 27 people.

The list had names and nicknames, it was a mess.

He tried his best to help, writing down everything he knew.

Ricky took the list and glanced at it; sure enough, he didn't recognize any of the people on it.

He got up, opened the door to the interrogation room, and handed the list to Supervisor George.

Supervisor George took it to the patrol department.

The patrol supervisor will mobilize detectives to help identify the person and try to bring them back.

After seeing Howard and his son off, Ricky remarked on the tremendous changes in young Howard.

Supervisor George had heard of the case that changed the political landscape of Felton, and felt that it was normal for Howard Jr. to change as well.

It would be abnormal if things didn't change after your childhood best friend killed another best friend.

…………

Before the people on Howard Jr.'s list were brought back, Ricky got a second-generation list from the patrol department.

This is a list of second-generation individuals that the patrol officers had seen appear with the second victim.

After reviewing the list, Ricky and his supervisor George abandoned their idea of ​​starting the investigation with the second generation.

The resistance is too great.

Even Chief Garcia might not be able to withstand it.

Even the fact that Ricky managed to get onto this list is already quite remarkable.

Theodore glanced at the list curiously and noticed that Director Garcia's son was also on it. But he wasn't the most conspicuous one.

Many of the children of high-ranking police officers are on this list.

Theodore even saw a young man named Flores on it.

The fact that the second victim had no criminal record suddenly becomes easy to understand.

The list was put down by Theodore, then torn to pieces by Supervisor George and thrown into the trash.

A detective came to inform them that the first friend of young Howard had been brought back and was being registered.

The three immediately got up and went to the interrogation room.

A moment later, a tall, thin young man was brought in, looking bewildered and fearful.

Ricky asked him if he knew Mark Ramirez (the second victim).

The young man shook his head.

Ricky asked him how he met Howard Jr.

The young man said he met the party's host, Howard Jr., while attending a party with friends.

Ricky asked a few more questions and discovered that the young man was a bookworm. Apart from occasionally being dragged to parties by his friends twice, he was either working part-time or reading.

Howard Jr.'s friends were brought back one after another.

Soon, someone confirmed that they knew the second victim and mentioned seeing him laughing and talking with two other people at the party.

The names of the two men were revealed during the subsequent interrogation.

Their names are Brooks and Kenneth.

According to Howard Jr.'s friends, they had seen the three of them together on many occasions.

Based on the information they provided, Kenneth and Brooks were taken to the police station one after the other.

The two men were very familiar with the police station and were not nervous at all. They even kept greeting the detectives as they walked, showing that they were quite familiar with the place.

But none of the detectives responded to their greetings.

Ricky stood at the end of the corridor, arms crossed, silently watching and noting down the names of the detectives who had greeted the two men.

After the two men were taken to register and sent to the interrogation room, Ricky went to the patrol department and picked out all the detectives who had been summoned.

They got to know these two people in the same way they got to know the second deceased.

In the interrogation room.

Theodore sat on one side with Supervisor George, while the tall, muscular young man named Brooks sat on the other.

He was very casual, showing no signs of nervousness. He sat back casually, one arm draped over the back of the chair, the other on the table, his fingers tapping idly. He tilted his head and made eye contact with Theodore and Supervisor George.

His legs were spread apart under the table, and his thighs were shaking.

Like someone with ADHD.

Theodore went out and retrieved the photographs of the second victim, then laid them out on the table without a word.

The patient with ADHD peeked at the photo, exclaimed, and reached out to push it away, but Supervisor George grabbed his wrist.

After Theodore finished arranging the photos, he sat down and asked the man if he knew Mark Ramirez (the second victim).

The patient with ADHD seemed not to hear him and was still arguing with his supervisor, George.

Supervisor George looked a bit overweight and had a timid and cowardly appearance, but at this moment he had a long face, reached out and squeezed the wrist of the person with ADHD, and just stared at him without saying a word.

Under the watchful eye of Supervisor George, the ADHD patient's voice grew softer and softer until he finally fell silent.

Supervisor George asked him in a deep voice, "Do you know Mark Ramirez?"

The person with ADHD nodded and stole a glance at the photo.

Supervisor George released his wrist and looked at Theodore.

The person with ADHD rubbed their wrists, hissing and laughing. Just as they were about to speak, they were met with a glare from Supervisor George and immediately fell silent.

After a few simple, polite questions, Theodore got down to business and asked if the second victim had sexually assaulted anyone.

The person with ADHD glanced cautiously at the photo and shook their head.

Theodore pushed the photo forward: "The people who killed him believed he was involved in a sexual assault."

People with ADHD turn their heads away.

Theodore simply handed the photo to him.

That was a photo of victim number 2, a panoramic view taken by the forensic doctor at the scene, encompassing all the wounds on the victim's body and the blood from his genitals.

The photos were in black and white, and Theodore felt they weren't gruesome enough, so he described the scene to him.

However, his description was not vivid; it was dry and lifeless, like he was writing a case report.

Supervisor George quickly interrupted, taking over the description and adding Theodore's analysis of the scene.

The more ADHD patients listen, the more silent they become, and the lower their heads droop.

He showed obvious signs of nervousness when he heard that the killer would soon continue committing crimes.

After George finished speaking, Theodore asked him, "You were also involved in that sexual assault, weren't you?"

After a long silence, the person with ADHD nodded.

Supervisor George pressed impatiently, "Where? To whom?"

The patient with ADHD turned to look out of the interrogation room.

Theodore and Supervisor George also looked outside.

The interrogation room door was opened.

Ricky waved to them, led them into the interrogation room next door, and closed the door before lowering his voice to say:
"The patrol detectives mentioned that the second victim and these two men were with Richard Garcia II."

Theodore paused for a moment before realizing that Richard Garcia was the name of the East Precinct Chief.

Garcia Jr. is the son of the East District Chief.

Supervisor George also lowered his voice and recounted the ADHD patient's admission of participating in sexual assault.

The two then fell silent.

Theodore glanced at Ricky, then at Supervisor George, and tentatively asked, "Shall we go back now?"

The two looked at each other with hesitation.

Theodore shook his head, walked past the two men, opened the door, and left.

The two followed him out and met Chief Garcia and a senior police inspector at the entrance of the interrogation room.

Director Garcia shook his head at them regretfully.

The senior police inspector paused for a moment:
"You've been transferred away from this case."

Theodore pointed to himself and, after receiving confirmation, asked, "Why?"

“This case is too heinous.” Chief Garcia, not wanting to put the senior superintendent in a difficult position, explained on his behalf, “This is a decision made by headquarters. We fought for it for you.”

He pointed to his wrist: "Your last time is before you leave work today."

Theodore looked up at the time; it was just time to leave work.

Supervisor George pointed towards the interrogation room: "He has already admitted to participating in the sexual assault with victim number 2."

"We'll be able to catch the killer and close the case soon."

Chief Garcia glanced into the interrogation room but did not react.

Theodore asked Chief Garcia and the Senior Superintendent in bewilderment, "What are you planning to do? Pray that the killer will stop killing?"

Ricky, standing behind Director Garcia, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Theodore looked intently at Director Garcia:
"You said this morning that you would buy us some time."

"Thanks to your efforts, 72 hours has been reduced to 48 hours."

Thank you Jiraiya for the donation!
Thank you, boss~~（づ￣3￣）づ╭～

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(End of this chapter)