1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 146: Furious
Bernie raised his voice slightly: "Now?"

He thought Theodore meant that Charles Anderson was currently with Mrs. Anderson.

Based on what they had learned from Mrs. Anderson, Bernie did not believe that Charles Anderson had gone to help Mrs. Anderson move.

Theodore shook his head: "No, he's not ready yet."

Bernie asked, puzzled, "Prepare what?"

Theodore thought for a moment, then instead of answering immediately, he brought up his analysis of the scene again:

"The murderer smashed the lamp, broke the wine bottle, and pushed the victim out the window."

"The murderer was filled with rage."

"This anger is not directly directed at the deceased himself."

"The killer used the victim as a substitute for the target of his anger."

"The killer was not ready to commit a crime against the target of his anger."

Bernie understood what Theodore meant:
"You mean, Charles Anderson's anger is directed at Mrs. Anderson?"

"He originally intended to kill Mrs. Anderson?"

Bernie recalled Barbie Joe Carter and Mrs. Anderson, then shook his head:
"The two of them are so far apart."

These two are completely unrelated, both in appearance and age.

Theodore also shook his head, denying Bernie's statement:
"In the killer's eyes, they were very similar."

"They are all prostitutes."

He emphasized: "This is not a simple misidentification."

"The killer knew very well that the victim was not Mrs. Anderson."

"The killer simply used the victim as a substitute for Mrs. Anderson, venting his anger on her."

Theodore further explained:
"Many serial killers do not directly vent their anger on the people they resent."

"They will take their anger out on others first."

"The people they choose often have similar traits to the people they resent, especially the source of their resentment."

"This is more like a rehearsal to achieve the ultimate goal."

“They would commit crimes against other people again and again, adjusting their methods and upgrading their techniques.”

“When they think it’s time, they will take action against their targets.”

"The other type of serial killer never actually lays a hand on their target."

After a pause, Theodore added:
"Some serial killers also collect trophies and give them to the person they hate and fantasize about killing, claiming that they found them or bought them themselves."

"When a person wears a trophy, he will experience a renewed sense of excitement and thrill from killing, and at the same time, he will want to dominate and control again."

Bernie stared at Theodore with a strange look.

Theodore looked up and met his gaze.

He didn't understand what Bernie's look meant, but he did figure out a pattern.

This look only appears when he's stating some summary rules.

Bernie withdrew his gaze and concluded:
"Therefore, Charles Anderson harbored resentment towards Mrs. Anderson."

“He’s practicing on Barbie Joe Carter, and if we don’t intervene, he’ll find even more people to practice on.”

“He will only make his move on Mrs. Anderson once he feels he has practiced enough.”

"Or perhaps he'll practice his whole life?"

Theodore thought it over carefully, and after confirming that what he meant was basically the same, he nodded.

Bernie, with mixed feelings, muttered to himself:

"Then we might as well go directly to Mrs. Anderson."

It took the two more than twenty minutes to reach their destination.

The patrol officers from the Third Precinct were already waiting at the hotel entrance.

The patrol car was parked right across from the hotel.

Bernie greeted the patrol officer and then entered the hotel with Theodore.

The hotel business isn't very good, and it can't compare to the booming popularity of the Riverside Hotel.

There were only three or five guests in the lobby, carrying their own bags, gathered around the front desk and talking about something.

The doorman and security guard were huddled together, pointing and whispering towards the front desk, as if they were watching a commotion.

The two did not disturb the front desk, but called over the doorman who was watching the commotion and revealed their identities to him.

The manager was quickly summoned.

Bernie asked the manager if a man named Charles Anderson had come in for a job interview that afternoon.

The manager nodded, puzzled as to why an ordinary employee would attract the attention of FBI agents.

He even began to doubt the authenticity of Theodore and Bernie's FBI agent identities, and never considered Charles Anderson.

Bernie asked the manager to describe Charles Anderson's appearance, confirming that the person who came to apply was indeed Charles Anderson.

Despite their strong suspicion, and even their near certainty, that Charles Anderson was the murderer.

But until now, all they have is Charles Anderson as described by others.

They didn't even have a single photograph of Charles Anderson, let alone have ever met him in person!

Bernie then inquired in detail about the application process.

The manager, puzzled, hesitated for a long time before deciding to tell the truth and not hide the fact that the two had been discussing the murder case at the Riverside Hotel.

Theodore, who had been scribbling in his notebook, became interested and asked the manager in detail about what Charles Anderson had said.

Especially noteworthy are his assessments of the deceased, and the tone and wording he used in narrating the case.

The manager had noticed the two men's attitude and began to be more careful with his words.

After Bernie repeatedly confirmed with him that Charles Anderson had indeed promised to come to work the next day, he informed the manager of his suspicions about Charles Anderson.

They also hoped that the hotel would cooperate in setting up surveillance and arresting Charles Anderson.

The manager was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses, his expression complicated.

Bernie looked at him with a slightly sympathetic gaze and repeated the question.

The manager nodded somewhat blankly, agreeing to cooperate.

After a moment of silence, he hurriedly stood up:
"Sorry, I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to take care of..."

…………

Saturday, 7:00 AM.

The hotel was deserted, and the lobby was quiet.

Apart from the staff, there wasn't a single customer.

Next to the hotel's main entrance, the doorman Theodore and the security guard Bernie were huddled together, whispering to each other, just like the doorman and security guard yesterday.

Bernie: "Do you know why business is so bad here?"

He pointed to the ground: "I bet the lobby of the Riverside Hotel is packed with people right now."

"Look around here, there's no one here."

"It's not just that the location is not as good as the Riverside Hotel."

"Most importantly, it's the hotel manager!"

He whispered, "Whatever the Riverside Hotel manager says, the manager here just believes it."

After discussing the differences between hotel managers for a while, Bernie steered the conversation back to the renovations.

These past two evenings, Bernie has been discussing renovations with his wife when they return to their apartment.

The renovation plans that seemed perfect the day before are now becoming increasingly unappealing after these two days of reflection.

Bernie muttered to Theodore about the things that needed to be adjusted and asked for Theodore's opinion.

Theodore knew nothing about interior design and couldn't understand the differences or effects of the wood and colors Bernie was talking about.

After discussing the renovation, Bernie seamlessly transitioned to his weekend schedule.

They had originally planned to go bowling together with Edward from the Veterans Affairs Bureau this weekend.

But the case is not yet closed.

If the operation goes well, it would be best to begin interrogation immediately after capturing Charles Anderson.

Bernie silently considered the evidence in his hand and asked Theodore if he wanted to reschedule his meeting with Edward for another day.

Theodore stared at him. He noticed that Bernie had a particular fondness for rambling on and on before taking action.

They did the same thing when they set up surveillance at the bank last time.

This time it took longer than last time.

Bernie has been talking for almost an hour.

Isn't he tired? How can he talk so much?

Theodore thought this to himself and shook his head:
"It won't take long."

"The murderer answered almost all of the manager's questions about the case and proactively shared his views on the deceased."

"The murderer had a strong desire to share."

"The murderer went to great lengths to belittle the victim. He did not believe he was wrong."

"He will likely plead guilty soon."

Bernie nudged him lightly, glancing outwards:

“Charles Anderson has arrived.”

Theodore looked outside.

A man dressed in gray overalls was walking towards the hotel.

He was not tall, about 5.6 feet, and had a strong build.

Theodore began performing his duties as a doorman.

He walked to the door, opened it for him, and reached out to take the man's bag.

Charles Anderson stood in the doorway, stunned for a moment, then shook his head at Theodore after realizing what was happening:

"I'm here to work."

He peered inside: "The manager told me to come to work today..."

His gaze lingered on the receptionist for a moment, then shifted to the security guard, and finally to Theodore, looking somewhat confused and puzzled.

He remembered that yesterday's doorman was a middle-aged man with gray hair, the security guard was a burly man with red hair, and the receptionist was a man and a woman.

Why has everything changed today?
Theodore blocked the door with his foot, his body poised to strike.

Behind him, security guard Bernie walked over and asked:

"what's your name?"

“Charles Ann…”

The two men rushed forward and pinned Charles Anderson to the ground.

Charles Anderson struggled twice, but when Bernie pulled out handcuffs and cuffed his hands, he seemed resigned to his fate, obediently lying on the ground and ceasing his struggle.

Detectives disguised as receptionists and elevator operators rushed over and helped escort Charles Anderson out.

Back at the Third Precinct, the detectives involved in the operation escorted Charles Anderson to register, while Theodore and Bernie went to find Detective Thomas.

Detective Thomas was chatting with his colleagues while holding a cup of coffee when he saw the two of them and waved and greeted them with a smile.

He told them that the Tucson Police Department had called and that the deceased's parents had left the previous night to come to DC to claim the body.

Detective Thomas had no interest in the deceased's parents and no curiosity whatsoever about the process of identifying the deceased.

He was like a merciless answering machine, automatically relaying messages.

Bernie asked him:

Aren't you curious about the progress of the investigation?

Detective Thomas shook his head with a serious expression:
"Not curious."

He said, "I believe in your abilities; you will definitely catch the murderer."

Bernie was speechless.

He had seen people who lacked ambition, but he had never seen anyone so unambitious.

The Third Precinct was very efficient; Charles Anderson was quickly registered and taken into the interrogation room.

Before Charles Anderson could sit down, Theodore asked directly:
"On the morning of April 4th, a guest in room 511 of the Riverside Hotel was pushed downstairs. Did you do it?"

Charles Anderson was stunned for a moment, then shook his head in denial after realizing what had happened.

Theodore pushed the photo of the deceased towards him and continued asking:
"Did you know the deceased?"

Charles Anderson glanced at the photograph, then looked at it again, and picked it up to examine it.

He looked at the photo again and again before reluctantly putting it down and shaking his head: "I don't recognize him."

After a pause, he added:

"I only remember that she checked in around 9 p.m. the night before."

"I had just finished cleaning the room when she checked in, and that's when I ran into her."

Bernie confirmed with him:

Are you sure you don't know her?

Charles Anderson picked up the photo again and examined it closely, finally shaking his head: "I don't recognize it."

Theodore found the manager's statement and handed it to Bernie.

Bernie asked him, "Since you don't know her, why did you tell the hotel manager she was a prostitute during your job interview yesterday afternoon?"

Bernie, holding the manager's statement, read aloud Charles Anderson's assessment of the deceased, word for word:
"How do you know this?"

Charles Anderson fell into a brief silence:
"I just said it casually."

He argued:

"I don't know what she does. I've only heard from others that she's a prostitute."

Bernie pressed, "Who told you that?"

He raised his voice slightly as he took the photo:

"She checked in around 9 p.m. that night, and apart from a few people such as the hotel receptionist, doorman, and elevator operator, no one saw her at all."

“We asked all the staff at the Riverside Hotel who had seen her, and none of them mentioned that she was a prostitute.”

Theodore looked up at Bernie.

Throughout Bernie's entire statement, apart from the fact that the deceased checked in around 9 a.m., not a single word was true.

Charles Anderson fell silent for a long time.

Bernie then handed over the fingerprints:
"Your fingerprints were found on the cabinet, the lamp, the window, and the headboard in room 511."

Charles Anderson argues:

“I’m a cleaner, so it’s normal to find my fingerprints in these places.”

“My fingerprints are in every room.”

Bernie pulled out the fingerprint on the wine bottle: "What about this one?"

Charles Anderson lowered his head and fell silent again.

Bernie slowly collected the deceased's photo and fingerprints.

Theodore put down his pen and suddenly said:

“We have met your mother, Mildred Anderson.”

Upon hearing Mrs. Anderson's name, Charles Anderson, who had been looking down, immediately raised his head and looked at Theodore.

Theodore repeated Mrs. Anderson's words:
"She said she wasn't surprised at all that you would kill someone."

Charles Anderson lowered his head again.

Theodore: "She also said you were born a bad seed."

"You were still wetting the bed when you were nine years old, so you were deliberately trying to torment her, make her suffer."

Charles Anderson glanced up at Theodore quickly, a cold smile on his face.

Theodore relayed Mrs. Anderson's words at a leisurely pace. His tone drew frequent glances from Bernie, who was standing nearby.

He never knew Theodore had such an infuriating side.

That tone of voice made him want to punch someone.

To avoid being implicated by Charles Anderson, Mrs. Anderson went to great lengths to distance herself from him and denigrate him.

These words were excellent kindling, effectively helping Theodore ignite Charles Anderson's anger and make the fire burn brightly enough.

Wang lost his mind and reverted to the state he was in when he committed the crime.

(End of this chapter)