1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 160 B&C 61!

In the afternoon, Detective O'Malley returned to the Fourth Precinct with Billy Hawke, bringing further information about the 7-Eleven robbery.

Early yesterday morning, after the robbery, the store clerk did not immediately call the police. Instead, he took $20 from the drawer and put it in his pocket.

To cover up this behavior, he further processed the scene.

According to the store clerk, this convenience store had been robbed more than once.

He had dealt with the police many times and was very familiar with their methods of on-site investigation and the issue of testimonies.

Although he didn't know the specific operation and principles of fingerprint technology, he knew that the places the robber touched would leave marks, and the police could use these marks to find the robber.

So the shop assistant used a damp cloth to repeatedly wipe the areas the robber had touched.

It was at this time that he discovered the "B&C 61" mark left by the robbers.

He had intended to erase the marks left by the robbers, but considering that fresh scratches would be difficult to explain if discovered, he placed the radio there to cover the marks.

Only after completing these procedures did the store clerk call the police.

He thought the police would arrive immediately, but due to the weather at the time, the patrol officers were two hours late.

In the presence of patrol officers, the store clerk tallied the losses and falsely claimed that the robbers had stolen $89 in cash.

The robber actually stole only $69; he overstated the amount by $20.

This isn't the first time he's done this.

But he was still extremely nervous when facing patrol officers.

Since the amount of the loss was not large, the patrol officers did not take the case too seriously and left after taking a statement as usual.

The clerk breathed a sigh of relief and immediately began cleaning, making the convenience store spotless.

He thought the matter would end there. Unexpectedly, two FBI agents and state troopers arrived at dawn.

The shop assistant was terrified, thinking he had committed a serious crime.

He was both afraid that his theft would be exposed and wanted to keep it from the police, and worried that the police might have some unknown means to investigate the matter thoroughly.

He wanted to tell the whole story, but he was also worried that his actions might jeopardize the police's pursuit, cause significant losses, anger the police, and invite retaliation.

After much deliberation, the shop assistant decided to stick to her guns, insisting that she hadn't seen or heard anything, and that she was just incredibly nervous at the time.

The store's internal situation was covered up by citing convenience store regulations and the fact that the police had already investigated.

The only problem is the markings left by the robbers.

After some internal struggle, the shop assistant finally decided not to hide it.

At this point, Billy Hawke's face showed an indignant expression.

Detective O'Malley picked up the thread:
"The staff's statements weren't all lies."

"He did have his head pressed against the robber's, and then he kept his head down to avoid seeing the robber's face."

"But when he was ordered by the robbers to turn around and face the wall, he briefly saw the figure of one of the robbers."

"The robber covered the lower half of his face with a gray cotton triangular scarf, wore overalls and a thin tie, and was thin."

Bernie asked him, "What about height? Did he have any idea of ​​the robber's height?"

Detective O'Malley looked down and flipped through his notebook.

Billy Hawke glanced at him and replied:
He said it was about 5.5 feet.

Detective O'Malley also found the record. He glanced at Billy Hawke before nodding to Bernie and Theodore:
"It's 5.5 feet."

Bernie looked at Theodore.

This matches the build of the male robber in the robbery case that the deputy police commissioner showed them.

He asked the two of them:

"Where's the other robber? Have you seen him?"

Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley shook their heads together.

The shop assistant said they only saw one.

After a brief pause, Detective O'Malley continued:

"The robbers were not wearing high heels, and the determination of their gender was not based on the sound of high heels, but on the fact that they had a conversation during the robbery."

"The shop assistant heard the robbers' voices and determined that one of the robbers was a woman."

"During the robbery, the two robbers had a conversation, and he remembered part of it."

According to the store clerk, when the robber rushed into the convenience store and pointed a gun at him, he yelled, "Don't move! Hands up! Lie face down against the wall! Now!!"

After the shop assistant turned to face the wall as the robbers demanded, another robber said, "Clyde! He...he obeyed!"

Bernie interrupted again: "She called for Clyde? The kidnapper's name is Clyde?"

Detective O'Malley looked at him: "That's what the clerk said."

Bernie nodded, wrote down the male robber's name, and gestured for Detective O'Malley to continue.

The armed robber immediately urged his accomplice, "Quick! Bonnie! Money! All of it! And cigarettes! Chesterfield! Look carefully!"

Bernie had to interrupt again, feeling somewhat incredulous:
"He called out his companion's name? Her name is Bonnie?"

He looked at Theodore, then his gaze lingered between Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley:

"Bonnie and Clyde?!"

When he first heard the name Clyde, he assumed it was the name of a male robber.

But when another name appeared at the same time, he realized he might be wrong.

Bonnie and Clyde!

As a Texan, when those two names were put together, the first thing that came to his mind was that infamous criminal couple.

This pair of notorious thieves are arguably among Emily's most infamous criminals.

They were all from Texas and were active during the Great Depression, more specifically, between 1932 and 1934.

Bernie was already a teenager when these two were active.

At the time, the media was full of reports about them, it was overwhelming.

People around them also talked about them a lot.

It's fair to say that Bernie grew up listening to their stories.

Hearing those two names again now gives him a wonderful feeling, like a story coming to life.

Before Detective O'Malley could answer, Bernie waved his hand, signaling him to continue.

Detective O'Malley paused briefly before reading the last part:
"When the robbery ended, the two robbers counted their loot. The armed robber marked 'B&C 61' on the counter before the two left."

He closed the notebook.

Theodore looked at Bernie.

Bernie gathered his thoughts and gave a brief account of the burned vehicle they had discovered that morning, along with the case briefing the deputy commissioner had given them.

Finally, he said in a complicated tone:

"There is a photo of Bonnie Parker with a cigarette in her mouth."

"She's carrying Chesterfield in her mouth."

Billy Hawke was somewhat surprised and asked Bernie, "Isn't it Old Gold? I heard it was Old Gold."

He didn't know Bonnie and Clyde, and had no interest in either of them.

He was just born when these two men were killed. But they were so famous that, amidst the overwhelming media coverage, they were imbued with a tragic romanticism, firmly etched into the minds of that generation of Emilykas, and became a part of history.

They are regarded as the symbol and representative of "lovebirds on the run," becoming a cultural symbol.

It's hard not to know them.

Bernie shook his head: "It's Chesterfield."

He emphasized, "I've read the reports, and all the reports say it was Chesterfield."

"Most of the fans of this doomed couple also believe that Bonnie Parker was carrying Chesterfield in her mouth."

Detective O'Malley testified in Bernie's defense:
“It is indeed Chesterfield.”

He looked at Theodore, his expression somewhat complicated.

As it turns out, Theodore's judgment was correct all along.

From concluding that the car thief would commit further crimes, to believing that the 7-Eleven robbery was related to the car thief, and then to believing that the convenience store clerk was covering something up, he has always been right.

Even the choice to review the case files at the branch office was correct.

Detective O'Malley couldn't understand how he did it.

Theodore glanced at Detective O'Malley with a puzzled look and steered the conversation back to the case itself.

He first defined the case:
"This is a series of copycat crimes."

"The two criminals were imitating Bonnie and Clyde; they were likely Bonnie and Clyde's admirers."

Bernie remembered leaving a "B&C 61" mark at the 7-Eleven convenience store and asked Theodore:
"Does that 'B&C 61' mark represent the names Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow?"

Theodore nodded, then shook his head:

"Not only that."

"B&C also represents the two criminals themselves."

Billy Hawke asked him, puzzled:
"Are the first letters of these two criminals' names also B and C?"

Theodore did not completely dismiss his guess:
"Possibly. But this mark doesn't represent their names."

He explained:

"The last number 61 represents the year, 1961."

"B&C stands for Bonnie and Clyde, and also for the two robbers themselves."

"Both of their robberies involved a particular fondness for Chesterfield cigarettes."

Chesterfield cigarettes were also found at both abandoned vehicle sites.

"Chesterfield cigarettes are the brand of cigarettes that Bonnie Parker was holding in her mouth when she took photos. Smoking Chesterfield cigarettes makes them feel closer to their idol, or even become their idol."

"They don't care about the actual proceeds from the robbery; as long as they can steal money, even a penny is enough to satisfy them."

"The money obtained through robbery allows them to be certain that they are doing what their idols have done."

“They are imitating Bonnie and Clyde, and aspire to be Bonnie and Clyde.”

Bernie and Billy Hawke quietly took out their notebooks and began taking notes.

Detective O'Malley looked around, then sat down at one end of the table and took out his notebook to take notes.

Theodore starts his analysis from the beginning:
“4月1日深夜11：30-11：40，两名罪犯盗走了未熄火的警车，一路开到罗德尼路尽头，弃车离开。”

"In those brief few minutes when the police car drove away, they felt their idol, as if their idol was right beside them."

He emphasized, "Collecting reports about idols is much closer than simply studying written texts; it even feels like you've become the idol yourself."

"They had never been so close to their idols before. The feeling captivated them."

"After a brief period of trepidation and unease, they decided to imitate their idols and relive that feeling."

"They decided to commit robbery."

"In the early hours of April 8, the two men stole Frank Moreno's Chevrolet and drove to the Esso gas station, where they robbed the station."

“They were prepared; they made plans in advance.”

Detective O'Malley interrupted Theodore's analysis and asked him:

"But their behavior during this robbery was like that of novices."

After thinking for a moment, he corrected his statement:

"No, not even as good as a novice."

"There is absolutely no sign that they were prepared."

Theodore shook his head:

"They purchased weapons in advance and carefully selected the remote Esso gas station."

"After choosing the remote Esso gas station, they stole another car beforehand to use as a means of transportation."

"These are all the preparations they made in the early stages."

“They have no criminal record, and the people around them probably have no criminal experience either, at least not robbery.”

"They didn't know what preparations were needed for a robbery."

"We can only follow the written records of our idols' deeds in a very rigid and meticulous manner."

“They don’t even know what to do during a robbery. This is different from a typical robbery that is aimed at economic gain. Their goal is not monetary gain at all, but the process of robbery itself.”

Having answered Detective O'Malley's questions, Theodore continued his analysis:
"The two criminals were inexperienced during the robbery, but their unexpected success greatly encouraged them."

"They felt as if they had truly become idols."

"They have never been this close to their idols before."

"The two criminals made a brief stop on the banks of the Anacasta River, perhaps to reminisce about their crimes, or perhaps to plan their next robbery."

Bernie keenly sensed something amiss and raised a question:

You mean they don't usually spend time together?

Theodore glanced at him, nodded, and made his judgment:

Bernie's IQ is at its peak again.

He felt that since returning to DC, Bernie's IQ had been stagnating at its peak for more and more of the time.

“Yesterday afternoon, Maryland State Police received a call from a female criminal who spoke only during the entire call.”

“A week ago, on the afternoon of the day the Esso gas station was robbed, the male perpetrator also called the Maryland State Police.”

“They need police involvement to complement their performance and create the same tension that Bonnie and Clyde faced back then, to increase their immersion.”

"But the act of calling the police itself allows them to become more immersed in playing the roles of Bonnie and Clyde."

“If they lived together, it’s impossible that there wasn’t a male criminal’s voice on the phone yesterday afternoon.”

“None of them would miss an opportunity to increase immersion.”

Detective O'Malley felt like he couldn't understand it again.

He raised the following question:
"These two called the Maryland State Troopers to get their attention and have them arrested?"

Theodore thought for a moment and nodded: "That's part of the reason. The more fundamental reason is their dissatisfaction with the lack of attention they've received."

“They need the police to arrest them like they arrested Bonnie and Clyde, the media to report on them like they reported on Bonnie and Clyde, and people to talk about them like they talk about Bonnie and Clyde.”

“They need an external environment that is similar to the Bonnie and Clyde era in the 1930s to satisfy their sense of immersion and make them more convinced that they are Bonnie and Clyde.”

(End of this chapter)