1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 142 I like to get straight to the point! (Bonus Chapter)

News came from the FBI lab.

Their fingerprint matching is progressing much more smoothly than expected.

Besides the congressional stenographer who initially left his fingerprint on the mirror, they matched five more fingerprints.

Three congressional stenographers, one government employee, and one law student interning in the prosecutor's office.

Theodore categorized the fingerprints found in room 511 into three types:

Hotel staff, past guests, and people involved in the case.

When the forensic doctors from the Third Precinct were collecting fingerprints at the scene, they also collected fingerprints from hotel employees.

Back in the forensic lab, they first selected the fingerprints belonging to the hotel employees. Then they processed the extracted fingerprints, removing duplicates and leaving seventeen unknown fingerprints, which were sent to the FBI lab.

Later, at Theodore's request, another fingerprint of the deceased was added.

In other words, the fingerprints in the FBI lab belonged either to past guests or to people involved in the case.

Logically, by comparing the personal information corresponding to these seventeen fingerprints with the guest registration information of the Riverside Hotel, it would be possible to identify who are hotel guests and who are related to the case.

But with the deceased using Anne Halleke as the hotel registration name and Dennis using another hotel address as the hotel registration address, Theodore and Bernie really didn't know how much of the hotel registration information was true.

Theodore even felt that registering guest information at the hotel served no purpose other than wasting paper.

They tacitly ignored this convenient method and chose to speak with them in person.

This is the method Theodore dislikes the most, but Bernie excels at.

The interviews weren't just about randomly selecting people and talking to them one by one.

Based on the information on these six individuals, Theodore decided to start with government employees.

It's quite reasonable to find a stenographer and an intern in a single room like room 511 at the Riverside Hotel, which faces the street.

They are the main residents of this type of room.

In comparison, middle-aged government employees with stable incomes and many years of service seem somewhat out of place.

This government employee, Raymond White, worked in the Communications Technology Division of the General Services Administration and was a mid-level manager.

Theodore and Bernie drove to the General Services Administration building and met Raymond White.

He was cold and indifferent, offering no small talk or opportunity for introductions, and went straight to asking them:

"I am Raymond White. What do you want with me?"

Bernie turned around and met Theodore's gaze.

Raymond White's age and skin color were consistent, and he appeared physically strong enough to throw the 146-pound victim out of the window.

Moreover, his tone was harsh, and he didn't seem like someone who knew how to handle interpersonal relationships.

Theodore likes Raymond White's direct way of talking.

He also chose to get straight to the point:

“Mr. White, we found several of your fingerprints at a murder scene. You are now the prime suspect in this case.”

He paused, then asked Raymond White:
"Where were you and what were you doing between 10 PM and 6 AM on Monday, April 3rd?"

Raymond White appeared displeased with Theodore's interrogative questioning.

With a stern face, he retorted to Theodore, "Why are you asking this?"

Theodore ignored his question and continued to ask:

Have you been to room 511 at the Riverside Hotel?

He also thoughtfully provided him with options:

“If you don’t want to answer here, you can come back to the interrogation room with us to answer.” Raymond White felt threatened.

He wanted to say something, his gaze lingering on Theodore's face for a moment, but in the end he just pursed his lips and remained silent.

Theodore Dixon Hoover is a very famous figure. Who in DC doesn't know him?
He understood the saying that loose lips sink ships.

Theodore repeated the question and stared at him.

After a moment of silence, Raymond White reluctantly nodded.

Raymond White admitted that he went to room 511 for services on Monday night, or more precisely, a little after 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

He admitted that he did spend $150 on special services that day.

Raymond White met the deceased through a friend and did not know her name, only that she was called 'Anne Halleke'.

According to him, the special services provided by the deceased required advance booking.

The deceased will arrange the time and place and notify the client.

Customers simply need to arrive at the agreed location on time to enjoy the service.

That day was the first time he had purchased such a special service. He was very nervous and a little embarrassed, so he bought a bottle of red wine to take with him when he passed by a convenience store.

He did not know the guests ahead of him in line.

The deceased notified him around 2 a.m., and he arrived on time. Apart from the deceased, he did not see anyone else.

However, Raymond White said he did realize that he was not the only customer who purchased the service that night.

As he spoke, he unconsciously lowered his voice and kept glancing towards the door, as if afraid that more people would discover his secret.

He wanted to plead with Theodore and Bernie not to spread his secret, but he felt a little embarrassed when he remembered his attitude when they first met.

Bernie asked him to provide the names of the friends who had introduced the deceased to him, but he refused.

Raymond White was very firm this time, showing no sign of backing down.

Bernie, as a second choice, hoped that he could contact his friend to get the deceased's name and other information.

Raymond White hesitated for a moment, then stood up:
"I can help you, but you have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this!"

"I will not appear in court to testify!"

Bernie and Theodore exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

Raymond White breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softened considerably, and he even smiled slightly.

He left for nearly half an hour before returning and handing Bernie a note.

Bernie took it, glanced at it, and handed it to Theodore.

It had a name written on it: Anne Halleke.

If it weren't for the address below, Bernie would have thought Raymond White was playing a trick on them.

The address is located in the southwest area, very close to the Riverside Hotel.

Bernie used the General Services Administration's phone to contact Detective Thomas of the Third Precinct, asking him to help contact the patrol officer in that area and wait for the two of them to meet up.

After yesterday's setback, Detective Thomas had completely lost his enthusiasm for solving the case, and was slow and listless throughout.

After ending the call, Theodore and Bernie exchanged glances, both recalling Agent Lombardi's assessment of the Third Precinct.

In this light, those assessments are indeed quite apt.

Bernie shook his head and thanked Raymond White for his cooperation.

(End of this chapter)