1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 153 Challenging Authority
Theodore requested that Detectives Taylor and Whitman accompany them to the crime scene to help reconstruct what happened that night.

After a moment's thought, the deputy police commissioner agreed.

The two detectives, who were thoroughly exhausted by the paperwork, almost cheered on the spot.

The two men led the way in a patrol car, taking Theodore and his two companions to the crime scene.

The crime scene was quite complex.

It was a crossroads.

There's a very conspicuous convenience store at the intersection, the one mentioned in the briefing.

Detectives Taylor and Whitman frequented this store.

Not only them, but the patrol officers in this area almost regard this place as a fixed supply point.

Like the patrol officers in Felton, the patrol officers in the Fourth Precinct also have fixed patrol routes.

This convenience store has a great location, right in the center of the patrol area, and can directly cover the entire patrol area.

The convenience store is located at a crossroads, with convenient transportation, making it easy to respond promptly in case of police incidents or other emergencies.

The patrol officers are used to returning here after completing their patrol and taking a short break.

You can go to a convenience store to buy some food to replenish your energy.

In winter, patrol officers sometimes go into the store to warm up, and occasionally they will take shelter in the store when they encounter heavy rain or other extreme weather.

When Theodore and his team arrived, a patrol car was parked in front of the convenience store.

The patrol car was still running, the passenger door was open, and a middle-aged police officer was sitting in the driver's seat.

The patrol officer honked his horn, leaned out of his car, and greeted Detectives Taylor and Whitman.

They should be very familiar with each other.

The patrol officers even joked with them, asking if the two had finished their paperwork.

Detective Taylor pointed behind him.

The middle-aged patrolman glanced in that direction but saw nothing.

Detective Taylor briefly explained the situation.

The patrol officer patted his arm, honked his horn, and shouted towards the convenience store:
"Damn it! Are you giving birth in there?!"

As soon as he finished shouting, a short detective came out of the convenience store, carrying coffee and cinnamon rolls.

The short detective looked surprised to see Detective Taylor, hugged the two of them, and then complained to his partner:
"Thank God! I thought the Soviets were coming to take you away!"

The middle-aged detective reached out, took the coffee, and gulped down a large mouthful: "Yes, thank you for letting me have this cup of freedom coffee before I was taken away!"

The short detective rolled his eyes at him.

The alarm on the walkie-talkie interrupted the four men's conversation; a robbery had occurred two blocks away.

The short detective waved to them, got into his car, and hurriedly drove away.

Detective Taylor and Detective Whitman stood together, gazing in the direction the police car had disappeared, a hint of envy in their eyes.

They waited a while longer before the Chevrolet finally arrived.

Bernie was driving.

Billy Hawke got out of the car and put his arm around Bernie: "Hey buddy, give me the keys, I'll drive from now on, okay?"

Bernie, imagining the look of enjoyment on his face, firmly shook his head and refused.

Billy Hawke continued to reassure him, "Trust me, I'm a very good driver."

Bernie just shook his head, quickened his pace, and caught up with Theodore.

Billy Hawke looked at Theodore and Bernie side by side, recalling the two journeys from the Department of Justice building to the Fourth Precinct, and from the Fourth Precinct to here, and shook his head.

Detective Whitman and Detective Taylor led them to the convenience store entrance, then walked a short distance east and stopped.

They parked their car here that night.

The parking spot wasn't directly opposite the convenience store, but it wasn't too far off either.

Theodore stood still, looking around.

The intersection was open, and there were no utility poles or billboards to block their view; everything was clearly visible.

There's a bar across the street, but it's closed; it probably hasn't opened yet.

Across the street was a secondhand general store, somewhat similar to the largest illegal gun dealership in the Northwest that Agent Ronald had taken them to, except this one was much larger.

Next to the convenience store was a restaurant and another shop whose name I couldn't identify; the other shop had no sign and was closed.

Detective Whitman briefed Theodore on the specifics of the day.

He and Detective Taylor were longtime partners, and they agreed to take turns buying coffee.

On April 1st, it happened to be Detective Taylor's turn to buy coffee.

Detective Whitman was driving that day. After they finished their patrol, they returned and parked the car where they were standing.

Detective Taylor got out of the car first and went into the convenience store to get coffee.

Detective Whitman suddenly felt a little hungry.

He looked outside and saw no one on the street. Thinking that his car was parked right in front of the store and it was only a few steps away, he didn't turn off the engine or remove the key. He got out of the car and walked into the convenience store.

Detective Taylor, who was getting coffee, was surprised to see him and glanced outside. The car was still parked there in perfect condition.

The two of them, one carrying coffee and the other holding a cinnamon roll, went to the cashier to pay.

When I came out of the convenience store, the car was gone.

Bernie asked him, "Why not use a walkie-talkie?"

In such situations, patrol officers usually communicate using walkie-talkies.

Detective Whitman had clearly considered this issue beforehand, shaking his head and smiling wryly:

"I don't know what I was thinking at the time. Instead of notifying Taylor via walkie-talkie, I insisted on going in by myself."

This answer left everyone speechless.

Detective Taylor patted his partner on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

Theodore glanced at the two men and walked toward the convenience store, wanting to hear what the clerk had to say.

There were no customers in the convenience store at the time, and the clerk was listening to the radio while leaning over the checkout counter.

The broadcast was a radio talk show where listeners were discussing with the host whether Emily had lost the Cold War and when the Soviet Union would invade.

The shop assistant listened intently, staring at the radio with a look of utmost concern.

It was as if the Soviets were about to pop out of the radio at any moment.

Bernie knocked on the counter and showed his identification.

The shop assistant quickly turned off the radio and stood up.

His gaze fell on Detective Whitman and Detective Taylor.

Seeing these two appear with the FBI, and recalling what they had just heard on the radio, the store clerk turned slightly pale.

He asked Bernie nervously, "Have the Soviets attacked?"

Bernie, who was about to verify the information with him, was both amused and exasperated: "Even a hundred years from now, the Soviets won't invade. Don't worry."

Given Bernie's status as an FBI agent, his words should be credible.

The shop assistant breathed a slight sigh of relief: "I thought the Soviets had attacked."

Billy Hawke asked him, "What would you do if the Soviets attacked?"

The shop assistant moved his lips and gave an awkward smile.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Theodore asked the clerk for the duty log and discovered that the clerk was the same one who was on duty on the night of April 1st.

The clerk recounted the events of that night, albeit haltingly, and the account largely matched what they already knew. He also didn't see the police car drive away; Detective Whitman and Detective Taylor were blocking his way from the checkout counter.

After leaving the convenience store, Theodore and his group headed to the site where the car was abandoned.

Detective Whitman contacted the Maryland State Police via walkie-talkie, explained the situation, and then the group met up with the State Police at the state border.

The car was abandoned at the end of a deserted dirt road.

The state police helped to recreate the scene one-to-one.

He mistook Detective Whitman's patrol car for the stolen one and parked it at the end of the dirt road.

The car was tilted to one side, looking like it was about to drive into the woods by the roadside. The front wheels were stuck in a ditch, and both doors were open with the keys in them.

The state troopers eventually found a bottle and stuffed it under the passenger seat, using it as a Coke bottle.

Theodore stood by the car and looked around; all he could see were trees.

He asked the state police about the situation in the area.

According to the state police, heading south through the woods leads to the Anacostia River, while heading north through the woods and over a small hill leads to a community.

That's the closest community to here.

Theodore asked them if they had searched both sides, to which the state troopers fell silent.

This case has never received much attention from the beginning, and now that it's in this state, it's even harder to get anyone to take it seriously.

The state police were puzzled by Theodore's high regard for the case.

This case wouldn't exist if it weren't for a colleague's negligence.

It wasn't just the state troopers who were puzzled; Detective Whitman and Detective Taylor shared the same question.

Theodore simply shook his head and turned to walk toward the Chevrolet.

He did not request a search of the woods on both sides.

Two weeks have passed, and it even rained in between. Even if the car thief left any traces, they would have been washed away long ago.

Back at the Fourth Precinct, the Deputy Superintendent came over to inquire about the investigation results.

Upon learning that there was no progress, the deputy commissioner wore an expression that said, "Just as I expected."

He was silent for a moment, then called his assistant and had the assistant bring over a detective named Patrick O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley was a burly man, about the same size as Bernie, with a square jaw, a bulbous nose, and gray-blue eyes. He walked with his left shoulder slightly tilted, as if he had been injured.

The deputy commissioner told Theodore that Detective O'Malley would be specifically responsible for contacting them and cooperating with their investigation.

After leading the group to a conference room, the deputy police commissioner left.

There was a brief silence in the meeting room.

Detective O'Malley broke the silence and asked Theodore directly why he was taking the case so seriously.

He believed that Theodore was wasting his energy on this case, which was a waste of resources.

Bernie and Billy Hawke were both stunned.

They never expected that this seemingly dull, big man would be so outspoken.

Theodore likes things to be straightforward.

He put down the evidence report and asked Detective O'Malley:
How many cases of police car and equipment theft have you encountered?

Detective O'Malley shook his head.

He had never met him.

Theodore looked at Billy Hawke, remembering that he used to be a Marine, then turned his gaze to Bernie.

Bernie tried to recall, his expression turning serious: "Once."

Billy Hawke also chimed in: "I've encountered thieves who steal things from camps like this when I was at Camp Lejeune."

Theodore simply ignored him:

"The police naturally represent authority."

"When a police officer puts on his badge and uniform and begins his patrol, he represents justice."

"Thieves are afraid of people in police uniforms, and criminals run away when they see police officers."

"What they fear is the authority and justice that the police represent, and the law and the rules."

Theodore steered the conversation back to the case itself:

"In this case, the car thief chose a police car as his target, which was a great risk. The consequences of being caught stealing an ordinary vehicle are completely different from those of being caught stealing a police car."

Detective O'Malley and Bernie both nodded in agreement.

Don't be fooled by the fact that all parties are currently indifferent to this case; it's because no losses have been incurred, and they feel that continuing the investigation would be a waste of manpower.

This doesn't mean they have no thoughts about car thieves.

If the car thief gets caught now, he'll definitely not have an easy time.

If he's comfortable, all the detectives in the Fourth Precinct will be uncomfortable.

"Nevertheless, the car thief still chose the police car."

"After taking a huge risk to steal the police car, the thief did not sell the car or deal with it through other channels. Instead, he drove it less than five miles away and abandoned it in a deserted area."

"Car thieves do not steal cars for economic gain, nor for convenience or any other purpose."

"He had absolutely no purpose."

"The car thief's only purpose in stealing the police car was to steal a police car."

Detective O'Malley was puzzled by Theodore's analysis.

He couldn't help but interrupt Theodore's analysis:
"According to your analysis, the car thief has no reason to steal cars at all, because the stolen police car is of no use to him."

"If it's useless, why would he steal the car?"

He suspected that Theodore had no idea what he was talking about.

According to Theodore's analysis, the car thief had absolutely no motive for committing the crime.

Where would a case come from if there were no motive?

This conclusion is completely inconsistent with the facts!
Theodore shook his head: "The stolen police car is meaningless to him."

"But stealing the police car was significant to him."

"The car thief doesn't want the police car itself, but rather the act of stealing it."

"This is a challenge to the law and the rules."

"So the car thief simply drove the police car less than five miles away and then abandoned it without doing anything to the police car itself."

Detective O'Malley shook his head, indicating he still didn't understand.

Bernie frowned and asked Theodore, "You mean the car thief stole the police car just to satisfy his desire to provoke the police?"

He asked Theodore, puzzled, "Why did he do that?"

Theodore returned the same puzzled look: "A challenge to authority."

Detective O'Malley just kept shaking his head; he couldn't understand a word Theodore was saying.

Theodore ignored him and continued his analysis:
A glass Coke bottle was left in the police car…

Bernie: "Is this a kind of identification mark?"

Theodore paused, then shook his head:
"It's also possible that the murderer was too nervous and accidentally left it behind."

He looked at Detective O'Malley: "Have there been any similar cases in the Fourth Precinct's patrol area recently?"

Detective O'Malley countered, "Do you mean attacking police officers?"

(End of this chapter)