1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 159 has the aura of a newbie!

Theodore and Bernie changed their plans at the last minute.

According to yesterday's plan, the two of them were supposed to go to George Washington University today.

But a phone call last night from the Maryland State Police summoned them to the banks of the Anacostia River.

The state troopers led them inside while explaining the situation:

“Around 3:40 pm yesterday, we received a call from someone who reported seeing thick black smoke on the riverbank.”

"After the rain stopped, we searched the area near the location indicated by the person who reported the incident and found the wreckage of a car."

"The supervisor thought this might be related to the case you are investigating, so he asked us to contact you."

As they spoke, the three arrived at the crime scene.

The car's overall frame is still clearly visible, but it has been deformed to some extent due to the high temperature.

The hood was arched and curled upwards, one door was dented inwards, and the other door was hanging crookedly, looking like it was about to fall over.

The original paint on the steel plate of the car frame has long since disappeared, and it is covered with a thick layer of soot mixed with rainwater, occasionally revealing the iron gray color caused by burning and oxidation.

There was a lot of water inside the car, and the water dripped down the chassis and onto the ground, washing away the black ash that covered the ground, and flowing into the low-lying areas with colorful oil slicks.

Countless tiny, irregular glass beads mixed in with the soot, scattered on the car seats and the muddy ground outside, like a layer of dirty diamonds.

The interior of the car was severely burned.

The seats, headliner, carpets, and other interior components were completely carbonized. Only the spring frames remained of the seats, and the carpets were burned away, exposing the rusted steel floorboards.

The plastic parts, such as the dashboard, steering wheel, and door panels, were completely deformed under high temperatures and have now reformed into strange, charred black nodules.

Apart from that, the main metal components such as the engine, transmission, and radiator were well preserved, only covered with soot.

The surface of the four tires has formed a hard shell, and there is a certain degree of deformation.

Theodore glanced around briefly and asked the state trooper, "Is the engine number still there?"

The state trooper nodded: "Number P58 1234567."

The engine number is a unique number that the manufacturer stamps on the engine block.

As long as the vehicle has not been modified, the owner can be found by tracing the engine number.

The state troopers, who frequently handled such incidents, understood Theodore's purpose in asking the question, and led the two men to the back:

“There’s something more convenient than engine number.”

The black grime on the back of the car had been wiped away, revealing the license plate underneath.

The license plate indicates that the vehicle is from Maryland.

State police pointed to the license plate:
"We have tracked the license plate, but have not yet found a vehicle that matches the reported lost vehicle."

"The car owner may not have realized that the car has been stolen, or the car was stolen elsewhere."

Theodore looked around and asked the state trooper:

How far is this from the 7-Eleven convenience store that was robbed yesterday morning?

The state trooper thought for a moment: "Less than a mile."

He pointed upstream:
"The convenience store is over there. You can drive straight here from the convenience store."

Theodore and Bernie exchanged a glance.

The state police continued:
"Vehicles that are burned usually have license plates that are difficult to find."

"This car thief must be a novice; he didn't have enough gasoline."

He explained to the two in detail the amount of gasoline needed to burn different cars, and what the car wreckage should look like after a complete combustion.

This strange knowledge opened the eyes of Theodore and Bernie.

Bernie asked him, "How did you determine that the car thief used gasoline?"

The state troopers smiled rather smugly:

"Usually, burning cars usually uses gasoline, which is readily available and cheap."

He paused, then pointed to the woods beside him:

"And we also found gasoline cans over there."

He gestured with his hands: "The oil drum isn't big; I estimate it would only hold about 5 gallons when full."

"Five gallons is absolutely not enough to completely burn up a Plymouth Fury. Besides, it was raining all day yesterday."

"Considering the effects of the rain, it would take more gasoline than I just mentioned to completely burn this Plymouth."

He began to think seriously, as if he were actually calculating the exact amount of gasoline needed.

Bernie asked the state trooper:
"Have you found the car keys?"

The state troopers snapped out of their calculations about gasoline consumption and shook their heads.

Bernie turned to look at Theodore.

Theodore was crouching at the spot where the state troopers had indicated the location where the gasoline can had been found.

He took out his gloves and put them on, then picked up a half-smoked cigarette from the ground.

State police came over for a look and identified the cigarette brand:
Chesterfield.

Theodore asked the state trooper curiously, "How did you identify it?"

This half-smoked cigarette had no filter and no brand printing; it was just a damp, half-smoked cigarette.

The state trooper grinned:
"Even just by looking at the cigarette ash, I can recognize it."

Theodore stared at him, suspecting he was exaggerating.

Bernie glanced at the state trooper and offered to explain on his behalf:
"If you regularly smoke the same brand of cigarettes, you can definitely tell the difference."

State police nodded:
“We smoke this all the time, you can tell at a glance.”

He took the cigarette, cut off a small section, and showed the two of them the tobacco strands:

"Chesterfield tobacco is dark brown and cut finer than other cigarettes."

As he spoke, he took out a box of Chesterfield tobacco from his pocket, took out a cigarette, opened it, and placed the two small pinches of tobacco side by side for comparison.

Theodore asked the state troopers, "Did you leave this here yesterday?"

The state trooper shook his head, his expression somewhat serious.

He stated that they had cooperated with the FBI many times and were well aware of the FBI's requirements for on-site operations; they would never smoke or litter on-site.

He raised his gloved hand:

“Our police force’s on-site training is conducted in accordance with your on-site requirements.”

Theodore stared at him for a moment, then asked him:
"The FBI's new round of selection training is about to begin. Are you interested in participating?"

He began to feel that this state trooper was a talented individual.

It can tell you the amount of gasoline required for different types of vehicles to burn to different levels, calculate the changes in gasoline consumption under different weather conditions, and even identify cigarette brands by the tobacco.

Moreover, he understands the FBI's on-site requirements!
The FBI's investigation department needs this kind of talent!

State police shook their heads:
"I'm too old."

The FBI's selection and training program is not something you can just attend casually.

There are age restrictions for field agents.

Bernie was the only trainee over 35 years old in the selection training session that Theodore participated in.

Theodore felt a little disappointed.

Bernie took the half-smoked cigarette, first feeling around in his pockets but finding no paper bag. He then took out a glove, opened it, and put the half-smoked cigarette inside.

The three continued searching around and found two more cigarette butts.

Unlike the half-smoked cigarette Theodore found, these two cigarette butts were in a state of normal burning out.

After identification by the state police, they were confirmed to be Chesterfield brand.

Apart from that, no other discoveries were made.

Bernie resigned from his post and he and Theodore were going to visit the C District headquarters.

The discovery of the burned-out Plymouth Fury changed the nature of the case.

The state troopers did not go with them.

He has to stay here and wait for the tow truck to come and take that car skeleton back.

The manager of Zone C is still very busy, but also very enthusiastic.

Theodore asked to see the operator, and the supervisor readily agreed, quickly bringing the operator over.

The operator was a burly middle-aged man, half a head taller than Bernie, whose voice boomed like that of a giant beast.

Theodore asked him for details about the 911 call.

The operator told Theodore that the person who called the police was a woman, and that she sounded very young.

The person who called the police sounded a little nervous, much like most people when they call the police for the first time. Their speech was somewhat incoherent, and they had to go through a lot of trouble to explain what they were talking about.

Bernie asked him:

"She told you directly where the car was burned?"

The operator shook her head:

"She only said to go straight along Rodney Road, from the intersection to the Anacostia River."

"I asked her for the exact location, but she couldn't say. She only said that she saw thick black smoke coming from the riverbank when she passed by."

"She didn't seem to know the area very well; she couldn't tell which road was which."

"I asked her how she knew the black smoke was caused by a burning car. She got a little anxious and kept telling us to go and check it immediately."

"When I was about to register the caller's information and asked for her name, she was silent for a few seconds and then hung up the phone."

Theodore inquired about the exact time of the call.

After finishing his conversation with the operator, Bernie borrowed the phone to contact his AT&T technician friend and asked him to help locate the caller's phone and the owner's information.

Going through official channels is too slow.

The reason Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley were able to investigate so quickly yesterday was because Bernie had given them advance notice.

At noon, Theodore and Bernie went to the 4th Precinct in DC.

They had agreed yesterday to meet here at noon today to exchange the results of their morning investigation.

As originally planned, Theodore and Bernie were to search along the river this morning, while Detective O'Malley and Billy Hawke were to cooperate with the local police department to question 7-Eleven employees.

When they arrived at the fourth precinct, the other team had not yet arrived.

The deputy police commissioner called them into his office and handed them a document.

This is a case briefing on a robbery.

The robbery was quite ordinary; it was just a gas station that was robbed in the middle of the night.

Such cases are all too common.

The reason he showed it to Theodore and Bernie was because, according to the robbed gas station clerk, the robbers were driving Frank Moreno's Chevrolet.

Early on April 8, an Esso gas station on Maryland Avenue was robbed.

At 1:15 a.m. that day, Frank Moreno's Chevrolet was driven into a gas station and remained there for a long time without moving.

At the time, a large truck was refueling outside, while another truck driver was buying cigarettes and coffee at the convenience store attached to the gas station.

A few minutes later, the truck filled up with gas and drove away, and the doors on both sides of the Chevrolet opened, and two people wearing ski masks got out of the vehicle.

One man, armed with an Ithaca .37 shotgun, and the other with a Harrington Richardson revolver, charged toward the convenience store.

This gas station is located near the Maryland state border in a remote area, and its employees, like those at 7-Eleven convenience stores, have extensive experience dealing with robberies.

He also hid a shotgun under his cabinet.

But when he reached for it, the cabinet door got stuck.

After this delay, the two robbers rushed up to him, and he had no choice but to surrender.

Unlike the 7-Eleven convenience store clerk, the gas station attendant remembered the two robbers' clothing and build, as well as the content of their conversation during the crime.

According to the store clerk's statement, the robber with the shotgun was a man, wearing a military green jacket and jeans, about 5.5 feet tall, and thin.

The other robber, armed with a Harrington Richardson revolver, was a woman, dressed in dark blue overalls and a men's shirt. She was petite, standing only about 5 feet tall.

The two robbers were in a state of high excitement.

After the male robber subdued the store clerk, the female robber did not immediately carry out the robbery. Instead, she wandered around the store, occasionally picking up food and drinks from the shelves to taste.

If she found one she liked, she would share it with the male robbers.

Soon, a large pile of opened food and drinks was stacked in front of the counter.

The two dawdled for at least ten minutes before finally remembering they were going to rob someone.

Under duress from the male robber, the clerk opened the drawer, and the female robber grabbed the banknotes and stuffed them into her pocket.

They had just gotten down to business when they heard the sound of a large truck engine outside.

Thinking they were about to be discovered, the two robbers hurriedly stuffed two handfuls of banknotes into their hands and left in a panic.

The female robber ran out the door, took a few steps, then turned back and pointed her gun at the clerk through the door, demanding that the clerk give her a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes.

By this time, the clerk had already touched the shotgun, but considering the price of Chesterfield cigarettes, he didn't make any rash moves and obediently gave two packs to the female robber.

The female robber only took one box, then reached into her pocket, pulled out a banknote, handed it over, and told the clerk not to give her change.

The two robbers jumped into the Chevrolet and drove off erratically into the night.

The store clerk then called the police.

After counting, the robbers stole a total of $127 in cash and a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes.

The food and drinks that the female robbers had opened totaled more than $10 in value.

After Theodore and Bernie finished reading the briefing, they both looked up at the deputy commissioner.

Neither of them saw the report when they were going through the files here on Friday.

If this report had existed at the time, it would have been impossible for it not to have been found.

It fully meets the screening criteria given by Theodore in every aspect.

The deputy superintendent didn't offer much explanation and had his assistant summon the lead officer for the case.

He was a rather young police officer, probably not even as old as Theo.

Bernie, being experienced, immediately sensed the rookie nature of the officer.

He could tell at a glance that this was a police officer who had just come from police training and might not even have finished his probationary period yet.

He glanced at the deputy police superintendent, then at the neatly prepared case report, and understood.

The young police officer stood nervously and awkwardly at the door, head down, glancing furtively at the deputy superintendent.

The deputy superintendent gave a brief introduction to both sides, and then admitted that it was due to the negligence of their officers that the report was lost, which led to them spending the whole day on Friday searching for documents without finding anything.

(End of this chapter)