1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 158 More Than Just Car Thieves
Bernie asked Moreno for the addresses of his two friends.

Moreno hesitated for a moment.

Frank Moreno answered for him, giving two addresses, down to the house number, and briefly introducing the two companies.

Although he didn't see who was with Moreno that night, he could guess.

His friends and colleagues lived at those two addresses.

Moreno Jr. grew up with the children of both families and were always inseparable.

The three of them were most likely the ones who stole the car to go for a "drive".

Bernie asked Moreno Jr.:
"Is it them?"

Under Frank Moreno's watchful gaze, Moreno, who had initially intended to cover for his friend, could only nod in agreement.

Theodore asked Frank Moreno:

Is anything missing from your car?

Frank Moreno shook his head, but his expression was not good:
"No, but that damn car thief wrecked my car!!"

He takes good care of the car and cleans it every week, wiping it inside and out until it's spotless.

But when he received the car that day, he almost couldn't recognize it as his own.

The whole car reeked of a foul odor, like a garbage can that hadn't been emptied for a week.

Something was spilled on the car seat, leaving brown, sticky circles.

Two empty glass Coke bottles lay on the ground, and several half-smoked cigarettes were stuck on the center console, leaving round burn marks on them.

Ash, food scraps, and dirt were everywhere.

Bernie, thinking of the 7-Eleven convenience store he'd seen that morning, asked Frank Moreno, "What brand of cigarettes are they?"

Frank Moreno blurted out, "Chesterfield!"

He was certain it was Chesterfield cigarettes, because the brand was cheap and strong, making it a favorite among blue-collar workers.

He smoked this when he was young, and many workers on his construction site still smoke it. He also carries this cigarette with him to make it easier to interact with the workers.

He was very familiar with Chesterfield cigarettes.

Theodore and Bernie went to see two of Moreno's friends.

Unlike Moreno, the two were not so lucky; they were caught red-handed by their parents on their way back from a "drive-by" that night.

Frank Moreno's car was stolen while his parents were keeping a close eye on him.

After finishing questioning the two people, it was almost time to leave work.

The rain had stopped sometime ago, but the dark clouds hadn't dispersed, leaving the sky still gray and gloomy.

Theodore and Bernie drove back to the Department of Justice building, and almost got stuck in traffic on Capitol Hill.

Fortunately, it was already close to evening, and the most congested period had passed.

When they returned to their office on the basement level, Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley had just returned as well.

They obtained the caller ID number from AT&T.

Because it was an interstate call, the search process went very smoothly.

Bernie stopped Billy Hawke's presentation:

"Interstate call?"

"The call wasn't from near the abandoned car location?"

Billy Hawke nodded:
"No, the call was made through a public phone booth in Northwest DC, in front of a grocery store next to George Washington University."

"Unless this person has superhuman vision, they can't see from the northwest of DC to Maryland."

Detective O'Malley glanced at him and continued:
“We went to the phone booths; they're right on the street, and many people use them. It's very difficult to investigate.”

“We asked the grocery store clerk, and he told us that at least a hundred students use that phone every day.”

The three of them looked at Theodore.

Theodore was not surprised by this:
"The car was stolen in the early hours of the 8th, and it was found on the afternoon of the 8th."

"The person who called the police accurately reported the location of the abandoned car over the phone."

"But the abandoned car location is very remote and actually very difficult to find. Even if we get the address, it will be very difficult to find it."

"Moreover, almost all the stolen vehicles we saw at the Maryland State Police showed signs of having been dismantled."

"The state police have also mentioned that almost all people who call the police will dismantle their cars until there is nothing left to dismantle before they choose to call the police."

"But the person who reported the theft did not dismantle the vehicle; instead, the car was towed back by the state troopers intact."

Theodore paused for a moment:
"The person who called the police is very likely the car thief."

A brief silence fell over the office.

This is a significant discovery.

Although the case is still small at present, the car thief only stole two cars, drove them around for a while, and then abandoned them and left.

He would even call the police on his own initiative.

But with Theodore making such a big fuss, this small car theft case seemed to have turned into a major case.

Bernie broke the silence.

He also recounted the progress of his investigation with Theodore.

Theodore elaborates on the analysis:

“4月1日晚11：30到11：40之间，偷车贼盗走巡逻警车，开至马里兰州罗德尼路尽头，弃车离开。”

"In the early hours of April 8, a car thief stole a black civilian Chevrolet and drove it to the banks of the Anacasta River, where it was abandoned."

"The car keys were on the car when the second car was stolen, similar to the situation when the patrol car was stolen."

"The car thief may not have mastered the skills to steal cars."

Bernie interrupted his analysis:

"Stealing a car is actually very simple."

Seeing everyone looking at him, Bernie paused for a moment and then explained to them how to steal a vehicle.

All you need is a clothes hanger and a piece of wire.

He also commented on this method of theft:
It's simple to operate and easy to learn. The success rate may be low at first, but it will increase dramatically once you get the hang of it.

Detective O'Malley and Billy Hawke looked at him with strange expressions.

While it's normal for police officers to be familiar with some common illegal methods, Bernie's excessive knowledge is a bit unusual.

Detective O'Malley had begun to scrutinize Bernie with an inquisitive gaze, occasionally glancing at Billy Hawke.

Theodore was not at all surprised that Bernie knew these things.

He revised his analysis:

"The car thief may not have mastered the skills of stealing cars at the time, or he may have been unfamiliar with the methods, which forced him to choose a car with the keys to drive away."

"The car thief was probably committing his first crime when he stole the patrol car. He was very nervous and felt very excited. He drove the car to the end of Rodney Road and then immediately abandoned it and left."

"But he was much more composed when he stole the second car."

"The car thief spent quite a while in the car, leaving behind a lot of trash, before calmly leaving."

“He did not clean the car, and even contacted the Maryland State Police on the afternoon of April 8 to report the exact location of the stolen vehicle and guide the police to the police car.”

"The car thief wasn't worried at all about the police finding him. He even secretly hoped the police would get close to him." He emphasized, "This is a significant psychological shift."

"Before this, car thieves would simply steal the vehicle, experience the thrill of the crime, and then immediately leave the scene to avoid being caught by the police."

"But after that call to the police on the afternoon of April 8, the car thief's mindset had changed."

“Ordinary crimes are no longer enough for him; he needs the police to get close to him.”

"He believed he could stand up to the police."

"He even thought the police couldn't beat him."

"He needs the police to discover his criminal activities so that they will take notice."

"He needs the police to keep getting closer to him and tracking him down, to give him a more intense sense of excitement."

“He wanted to tell the police that he was different. He was more capable than other criminals.”

"This is a car thief with a strong desire to perform. He craves attention and recognition. He hopes to become the focus of the police."

Bernie had already taken out his notebook and started taking notes.

Billy Hawke was a step behind, writing furiously as he tried to catch up with Theodore's narration.

Detective O'Malley frowned.

He couldn't understand at all what Theodore was describing the car thief doing.

He felt that this person was mentally ill.
If what Theodore analyzed is true, this person is probably a madman.

Theodore paused, giving Billy Hawke and Bernie ample time to react.

Detective O'Malley hesitated for a moment, then suggested another possibility:
He believes the car thief may have regretted abandoning the car and was afraid of being caught by the police, so he called the police.

Theodore shook his head:
"If the car thief feels guilty, he should just drive the car back to the owner."

"If car thieves are afraid of being caught by the police, they should be even less likely to call the police. Or at least return to the abandoned car location before calling the police, clean up the trash on it, and avoid leaving any more clues for the police."

“The distance from where the car was abandoned to George Washington University is not far, and the 911 call was made that afternoon. He had enough time to think things through.”

“The act of calling the police was definitely not a momentary impulse on the part of the car thief.”

Billy Hawke, having finished taking notes, asked Theodore curiously:
"Are you implying that the person who called the police was the car thief when you asked us to investigate this emergency call?"

Theodore nodded:

“Calling the police, sending letters to the police, or publicly announcing the news in newspapers and other media are the most common methods used by criminals with histrionic personality traits.”

He concluded:

"He will definitely continue to commit crimes, and his methods will quickly escalate."

“If law enforcement agencies cannot provide him with a satisfactory response, he will quickly lose control.”

Detective O'Malley remained silent.

He felt that Theodore's conclusions were absurd and ridiculous.

He felt like he was making a mountain out of a molehill, much like those people who recently thought the Soviets would attack.

But Theodore's explanation didn't seem to have a problem with it.

Aside from the parts of the analysis that I couldn't understand, such as the performative aspects, the rest of the analysis seemed to make a lot of sense.

This made Detective O'Malley somewhat waver.

But the thought that a car thief could suddenly transform into a criminal who dares to provoke the police still felt unreal to him.

Theodore found a map and marked the locations of the two car thefts and the abandoned car.

The locations where police cars and private cars were stolen from were far apart, and apart from both being in the northeastern part of DC, they seemed to have no connection.

The locations where the cars were abandoned were both along the Anacasta River, although the two places were nearly a mile apart.

Theodore stared at the map for a moment, then marked the 7-Eleven convenience store he had visited that morning.

Detective O'Malley looked up and reminded him:

"We have no evidence yet to prove that this robbery is related to the car theft."

Theodore neither agreed nor disagreed, but suggested that a search be conducted along the Anacasta River the following day.

Detective O'Malley simply gave him a deep look and did not say anything to stop him.

Based on today's findings, there is much work to be done tomorrow.

The group listed them out, distributed them, and then dispersed.

Theodore and Bernie didn't drive straight back to Georgetown; instead, they went to Arlington to check on the progress of the house renovations.

When the car reached the road in front of the State Council, it was stopped by a row of patrol cars parked across the middle of the road.

Police officers were directing traffic, shouting that traffic control was in place ahead and asking vehicles to detour.

This appeal was ineffective.

There were many cars parked directly on the road ahead, and the drivers were sticking their heads out of their cars to look behind the patrol officers.

Reporters on both sides of the road were holding cameras, excitedly pressing the shutter button and refusing to let go.

A series of clicking sounds of cameras taking photos filled the air.

The patrol officer ran over in a fit of rage, snatched the reporter's camera, ripped out the film, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it several times.

He wanted to smash the camera on the ground, but reason stopped him.

He eventually just held it high, then threw it back into the reporter's arms, and loudly warned that no photos were allowed.

The reporter didn't have time to argue with the patrol officer; he quickly snatched the spare camera from his assistant and moved to another spot to continue taking pictures.

Shortly after the UN's accusations against Emilyka were made public, more than 200 international students from George Washington University, Emilyka University, and other universities gathered here.

They held up signs that read "Stop bombing my homeland," sang the national anthem loudly, and demanded that the Secretary of State stop lying.

They were unaware that the Secretary of State had genuinely believed that Emily had not carried out any attacks.

Later that evening, exiles and anti-government students from various countries rushed to the scene.

The two sides then entered into a standoff.

The standoff quickly escalated into a war of words, and then rapidly turned into a brawl.

Nearby patrol officers were the first to arrive to provide support, but they were too few in number and lacked equipment to intervene.

They could only set up a perimeter cordon to prevent the situation from escalating further.

The DC Police Department's main force arrived quickly.

They quickly intervened.

With the help of wooden sticks and tear gas, the two sides that were fighting were separated.

The battle ended quickly with 12 people arrested and the demonstrators dispersed.

The reporter took countless rolls of film photos of the scene, and, satisfied, pulled his assistant into a taxi and hurriedly returned to the embassy.

The patrol officers are still maintaining order at the scene.

The State Council building was covered in ink stains on its doors and walls, and the windows of several offices were smashed.

The place was a mess.

Theodore and Bernie were trapped in the middle and unable to move forward or backward, forced to witness the entire riot.

By the time the vehicles ahead finally started moving, it was already dark.

(End of this chapter)