1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 157 Don't go!

Maryland State Police divides the state into multiple geographic jurisdictions, with one headquarters and multiple duty stations within each jurisdiction.

The headquarters is equivalent to a regional branch office, responsible for patrolling, law enforcement, and case response within its jurisdiction.

Duty stations are where state police officers change shifts and store equipment.

The meeting point that Theodore and his group had arranged with the state police was a duty station.

They are now heading to the headquarters in Area C.

Area C is the capital region, including Prince George County, Montgomery County, and other areas surrounding Washington, D.C.

This place stores case files for all areas covered.

The C District headquarters is located in Silver Spring, just 2.5 miles from the state border and 3.8 miles in a straight line from the convenience store where Theodore and his friends started.

However, because the Anacasta River and the Army base were separated by a buffer zone, Theodore and his team had to take a detour of nearly 10 miles.

It was a large L-shaped single-story red brick house, covering an area of ​​3600 square feet, with an open space in front of the houses filled with all kinds of vehicles.

Some looked brand new, while others were just a metal frame.

This looks more like a used car market.

State police stated that these vehicles were involved in the case.

Their daily law enforcement scope mainly covers state highways and surrounding areas, while county and city police have their own jurisdiction.

This means that the cases they encounter most often are all kinds of traffic-related cases.

Theodore stared at the cars for a moment, then asked the state troopers, "Do stolen vehicles also come here?"

The state trooper nodded and pointed to the far end of the vertical line of the L-shape: "That's where the stolen vehicle is parked."

He further explained to Theodore:
“Most abandoned vehicles have been reduced to just a frame by the time we arrive after receiving a report, like this.”

The state troopers pointed to a nearby vehicle that was clearly burned, leaving only a blackened shell:
"Sometimes even the skeleton is dragged away, and all we have left are some fragments or tire tracks."

"We will register the vehicle information, mainly the license plate number and the basic appearance and model of the vehicle, and send the information to the local police station in the surrounding area. The local police station will then match the information with the vehicle information registered in the vehicle theft case."

"If a match is found, the local police station will notify the owner to come here to complete the registration process and retrieve the vehicle."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged bald man and a state trooper walked out of the red brick building.

The state trooper, holding a registration form, searched around: "Check if this is your car, then sign here, and you can drive it away."

They eventually stopped in front of a car that had lost all four wheels and two doors, and even the seats had been removed.

The bald man stared blankly for a moment, then turned his head and met the gaze of the state trooper beside him.

The state trooper glanced at the registration form and nodded to the bald man:

"That's right, N X-1234, a 1958 black Chevrolet Bel Air, that's it."

"This was all there was when we found it."

He also kicked the license plate: "N X-1234".

The bald man wiped the rain off his face and shook his head rapidly: "No, this isn't my car."

State police have seen many such victims; they simply put the form back in their pockets and walked away.

The bald man hurriedly chased after him.

The state trooper who brought Theodore and his group saw Theodore looking at him, shrugged, and pointed to the stolen vehicles that were missing parts:

"There was nothing we could do. When we arrived at the scene, that's how they were already."

"Stealing a car is a serious crime, but stealing wheels and seats is not."

“If these cars weren’t dismantled, they would never have reached our hands.”

Theodore confirmed with the state police: "Are all stolen vehicles being sent here?"

The state trooper nodded: "As long as it's discovered."

Led by the state troopers, they first went to see the supervisor there.

The supervisor was a middle-aged man with obvious Germanic ancestry, high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and a strong build, exuding a fierce and menacing aura.

Theodore glanced at the supervisor, then turned his gaze to Bernie.

These two look so alike!

The supervisor is fierce, but he's very warm-hearted.

He not only prepared temporary offices for everyone in advance, but also provided Theodore with fingerprint cards of all the people involved in the case this month.

The state police have extensive experience working with the FBI and have a clear understanding of the FBI's main technical methods.

Fingerprints are currently the FBI's primary tool for solving cases.

There are more than seventy fingerprint cards, and each card is numbered.

The attached list allows you to find the case with the corresponding number.

Theodore had Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley take the fingerprint cards back to the Department of Justice building and hand them over to the lab to match them with the car thief's fingerprints.

They were driving Detective O'Malley's patrol car.

The two did not exchange a single word and walked in silence for nearly 10 miles.

As we approached the Capitol Building, the roads began to become congested.

News of XX accusing Emily of launching the airstrikes has spread.

The lobbying firms, which had just been active, have become active again.

Military industrial enterprises of all sizes also took action upon hearing the news.

The most active groups and organizations are exiles of xx, xx, xxxx, and xxxxxx, and they are already organizing related activities to protest/support the action.

They are also key targets of FBI surveillance.

Unlike the Soviets who went to space, most Emilia residents, apart from the aforementioned individuals, reacted relatively calmly to this event.

Detective O'Malley's driving skills were mediocre, and despite driving a police car, he didn't receive any special privileges near the Capitol.

He could only obediently follow along with the slow, inching movement.

After realizing he had only advanced less than 100 yards in ten minutes, Billy Hawke decisively abandoned Detective O'Malley, took off his jacket under O'Malley's incredulous gaze, carefully wrapped the fingerprint card tightly, and began to sprint at full speed.

When Detective O'Malley drove up to the Department of Justice building, Billy Hawke had already changed his clothes and was getting ready to have lunch.

He hesitated for a moment, then called Detective O'Malley over to join him.

Detective O'Malley, his face tense, silently drove the car into the underground parking lot of the Department of Justice building and walked into the restaurant with Billy Hawke.

It was already afternoon.

Shortly after returning to his office on the basement level from the restaurant, Billy Hawke received a notification from the laboratory.

The lab has just matched one fingerprint, and is currently comparing the remaining fingerprints.

Billy Hawke immediately notified Theodore.

He gave Theodore the fingerprint card number and then told him what he had heard from the newspaper and his colleagues, which was met with silence from the other end.

Billy Hawke recalled Theodore's performance during the selection training and thought that the boss might be a little mentally unstable.

He deliberately changed the subject and asked Theodore:
"Boss, should I go over there?"

Theodore thought about it and decided to let him stay in DC.

Before hanging up, Billy Hawke hesitated for a long time and asked again:
"Boss, where's Detective O'Malley?"

…………

After ending the call, Theodore located the corresponding case based on the number on the fingerprint card.

This is a car theft case.

On the afternoon of April 9, the Maryland State Police received an emergency call.

The caller reported finding an abandoned car on the east bank of the Anacasta River. When state police arrived, they found a black Chevrolet with its front end tilted, as if it were about to plunge into the river.

The target vehicle had a DC license plate, and the door was wide open with the key inserted.

Because of the remote location and the cover of the woods, the vehicle had not been dismantled, and the state police were able to tow it back intact.

The car thief's fingerprints were extracted from the Chevrolet steering wheel.

The state police sent the vehicle registration information to the DC Police Department, which then located the owner after comparing the information.

"Yesterday afternoon, the owner came and drove the car away."

State troopers looked through the registration forms and helped Theodore find the owner's registration information:

"The owner's name is Frank Moreno, and he lives in the northeastern part of DC..."

He gave Bernie an address, which Bernie took out his notebook and wrote down.

Theodore then asked the state troopers to help him contact the operator from that day.

Unfortunately, the operator had no recollection of that emergency call.

Theodore borrowed a phone to contact Billy Hawke and asked him to retrieve the call records from AT&T for the 4 emergency call in District C, Maryland, on the afternoon of April 9.

He and Bernie then set off for the abandoned car location and the owner's home to check.

The abandoned car site is located on the banks of the Anacastia River. The road is not difficult to travel, but it is very remote. There is a river on one side and a dense forest on the other side. You need to drive a long distance along the riverbank to get there.

The place doesn't even have a name; instead, it's described as "500 yards north of xxx road."

These descriptions are copied from the case file and are the original words of the person who reported the incident.

Bernie drove to the abandoned car location, got out, looked around, and asked Theodore:
"Who would drive here?"

Theodore got out of the car, pointed at Bernie, and then at himself.

He circled around twice but found nothing of value.

Even if there were any, they were all washed away by the state police tow trucks and today's rain.

The two were almost soaked to the bone and hurriedly returned to their car.

Bernie muttered to himself as he backed up:
"Only a fool would come here!"

Theodore looked up and took the initiative to clarify: "You were driving, not me."

Bernie choked for a moment, then immediately retorted, "It was you who suggested going to the abandoned car location to check."

Theodore shook his head in denial: "I didn't mention it, you copied the address."

Bernie paused for a moment: "That's what you think."

Theodore was speechless.

Bernie grinned victoriously and sped up his reversing.

The scenery here is actually quite beautiful, but Theodore and Bernie had no time to appreciate it.

If Theodore were replaced by Mrs. Sullivan, Bernie would probably have some leisure time.

With Theodore, Bernie just wanted to get to the bottom of who was the idiot.

After finally managing to back out from the riverbank, the two set off for the owner's house.

Frank Moreno is a construction worker with modest wealth who lives in a mid-range neighborhood in the Northeast.

He happened to be off work today, and when Theodore and Bernie knocked on his door, he was disciplining his son.

His son was the "bastards" that Detective O'Malley was referring to.

Bernie showed his credentials and gave a brief introduction.

Frank Moreno turned and gave his son a "good luck" look, followed by a "this isn't over" look, before turning to invite Theodore and Bernie into the house.

He was puzzled by the arrival of two FBI agents:
"Gentlemen, is there something you need?"

Theodore inquired whether a black Chevrolet was registered under his name, which was stolen on April 8 and recovered yesterday afternoon through the Maryland State Police.

Frank Moreno, unsure of Theodore and Bernie's motives, cautiously gave his answer:

"Yes, the Maryland State Police said I've completed all the registration procedures. What's wrong?"

Bernie asked him, "When did you find out your car was stolen?"

Frank Moreno: "That morning. I went out to get my car and found it was gone."

He pointed towards his son's bedroom: "At first I thought it was my son sneaking out for a 'drive' again."

Bernie asked in confusion, "A drive?"

Frank Moreno explained, "These bastards often break into other people's cars, drive them around, and then drive them back."

They call this "going for a drive".

At first, Moreno vehemently denied it, but when his father dragged him from the bed to the yard, he admitted that he had indeed gone for a "drive" the night before.

But he assured that he brought the car back around 11 p.m. and parked it outside the yard.

Frank Moreno then dragged his son outside into the yard, pointed to the empty road, and asked him, "Where's the car?"

Moreno Jr. was dumbfounded.

He pointed to the open space and looked around frantically, explaining to Frank Moreno that he had indeed driven the car back yesterday and parked it outside the yard.

Frank Moreno nodded as he dragged his son into the house, beat him up, and then called the police.

He hadn't held out much hope, but a few days later he received a call from the police station asking him to come and claim his car.

This is not much different from the case record.

The current situation is that the stolen vehicle has been recovered, but the thief has not been caught.

The situation is very similar to the police car theft case.

The difference is that not a single Maryland state trooper made a mistake with the documents.

Once the car was recovered, the case was closed.

This case doesn't even exist in the Fourth Precinct.

Theodore asked about the specific time and circumstances of Moreno's return home.

Frank Moreno called his son out.

According to Moreno Jr., around 4 p.m. on April 7, he saw that the living room lights were off and his parents' room was also dark, so he secretly slipped out of the room, grabbed the car keys, and drove away.

He picked up two good friends, drove around the neighborhood twice, and even went to Union Station. It was almost midnight when he returned.

He parked the car where it was and tiptoed through the window into his bedroom.

Theodore asked him, "You didn't take the car keys?"

Young Moreno looked at his father with some panic.

Frank Moreno was already glaring.

Little Moreno quickly shook his head in denial: "I took it!"

He pointed to the door: "I left the key there!"

"I couldn't find my car keys that morning either."

"When I went to the Maryland State Troopers to pick up my car, the keys were still in the ignition!"

He grew angrier as he spoke, glaring fiercely at little Moreno.

Moreno looked at Theodore with pleading eyes, then at Bernie.

He hoped those two FBI agents would never leave.

(End of this chapter)