1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Why is it Riggs National Bank again in Chapter 166?

Ben Parker is Linda Susan Parker's father.

He had no idea what was going on, and his voice was filled with confusion and wariness of strangers.

Bernie's self-introduction did not immediately convince him.

Bernie's guard reached its peak when he mentioned Linda Susan Parker and vaguely inquired about her, citing her connection to several cases the FBI was investigating.

He suspected Bernie was a fraud.

He receives such calls every year.

He asked Bernie to provide proof of his identity and mentioned that he knew many high-ranking officers in the Pittsburgh police force.

His words carried a strong warning tone.

Bernie paused for a moment and then gave his warrant number.

The warrant number is printed on the inside right side of their credentials, similar to a police badge number.

However, it is not publicly disclosed; only the FBI can verify the ID registration number.

Therefore, stating the appointment certificate number will not have any practical effect.

If Ben Parker wants to verify the authenticity of the information, he needs to call the Department of Justice's main switchboard and wait at least two business days for a response.

This is an open verification channel; even the corresponding phone number is listed in the Yellow Pages.

But it's rarely used.

Most people would choose to believe it after hearing this authorization number.

Ben Parker was no exception.

After confirming Bernie's identity as an FBI agent, concerns arose about his daughter's safety.

He thought Linda Susan Parker might have been robbed, or witnessed a robbery or something similar.

In his memory, Linda Susan Parker had always been a very sensible and well-behaved child who never caused him or his wife any worry.

The last time I contacted my daughter was two months ago.

He knew nothing about his daughter's situation.

Bernie's questions were almost always answered with "I don't know".

All he knew was that Linda Susan Parker hadn't called home recently and that she didn't have $1000 in her bank account.

His assistant would deposit $500 into Linda Susan Parker's bank account at the beginning of each month as living expenses.

If Linda Susan Parker has any additional expenses, she will call him to discuss them separately.

After answering the question, Ben Parker pressed his daughter for details about what had happened.

He sensed something amiss in several of the questions Bernie asked.

Bernie thought for a moment and then briefly revealed some information.

He did not tell Ben Parker the full details of the case, only saying that Linda Susan Parker was seen at several crime scenes and suspected that she might be involved in the crimes. It is not yet determined whether she was coerced or participated voluntarily.

Bernie warns Ben Parker not to contact Linda Susan Parker, as doing so could put her in danger.

He also reminded Ben Parker to inform him immediately if Linda Susan Parker contacted him.

He gave Ben Parker the office number.

Bernie put down the microphone and shrugged:

"It seems she hasn't received the funds to buy a BAR rifle yet."

The campus security supervisor secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The principal asked Theodore how the school would need to cooperate next.

He genuinely wanted to cooperate with the investigation.

Bernie and Theodore exchanged a glance, puzzled as to why the principal had suddenly changed his attitude.

While the threat of firearms is a valid reason, the threat has been present since yesterday afternoon.

The principal wasn't so easy to talk to yesterday afternoon.

Theodore thought for a moment and asked the principal:

"I need a student group registration list."

The principal was puzzled but didn't ask further. He pointed to the head of campus security:
"You take them there."

He specifically instructed the campus security director to ensure full cooperation from all departments.

After saying that, the principal nodded to Theodore.

With the full cooperation of the school, Theodore quickly obtained the student group registration list.

Emilyka University has a wide variety of student organizations, with more than forty registered ones.

Most of these groups are not loose organizations; they have clear organizational structures, their own programs, membership requirements, and backup member lists.

Some even register a whole host of information, such as contact details, address, and emergency contact person.

In short, some groups have registration information that is even more detailed than student records and police registration records.

They had previously conducted a top-down investigation through the school, which only confirmed Linda Susan Parker's identity, but they couldn't find her or even where she lived.

Theodore now plans to start his investigation with the students, getting even closer to Linda Susan Parker.

Their investigation quickly yielded results.

A sorority student named Cindy recognized the portrait.

Linda Susan Parker was not a member of the sorority, but rather Cindy's classmate.

They were both students majoring in international relations.

Cindy recalled:

“In January of this year, after the New Year holidays, we co-hosted a beer party with George Washington University.”

“She must have just come back, carrying this big suitcase by herself. I met her in the hallway and helped her carry the suitcase back to her apartment.”

She paused, looking at Theodore and Bernie, trying to say a few good words for Linda:
"She's a bit eccentric, but she has a great personality."

After thinking for a while, she added:
"Linda is very naive and easily deceived."

Theodore and Bernie didn't say what they wanted to do with Linda Susan Parker, but Cindy sensed that things seemed serious.

The two remained unmoved.

Theodore asked her:
Do you know where she lives?

Cindy nodded: "Mm."

"We live in an apartment building."

Bernie immediately stood up: "Take us there."

Cindy hesitated.

He dawdled, leading the way while continuing to try to speak well of Linda Susan Parker.

Theodore interrupted Cindy's rambling and asked her about her connection to the beer party she mentioned earlier in January and Linda.

Cindy paused for a few seconds, seemingly trying to recall where she had left off:

"After I helped her move the boxes, I remembered the beer party in the afternoon, so I asked her if she wanted to come."

Linda Susan Parker initially refused.

She had never attended such an underground party before.

She has a natural fear of these parties, as if attending them would turn her bad.

But she couldn't help being curious about the party and kept asking Cindy about it.

Seeing that she was interested, Cindy tried to persuade her again.

She told Linda that she could go and take a look first, and if she wasn't satisfied, she could leave at any time, and no one would stop her.

Linda was skeptical, flustered, anxious, and somewhat expectant.

She opened her wardrobe and asked Cindy what the dress code was for the party, preparing to dress up.

Cindy told her that she didn't need to dress up specially, and that what she was wearing would be fine.

"She was extremely nervous! She kept breathing in and out. I could feel her heart was about to jump out of her chest."

Cindy recalls that day vividly:
"When I took her there, she held my hand the whole time."

Cindy led Linda to an old apartment building. Instead of going upstairs, they went down the dark, dirty staircase to the basement.

Cindy knocked on the basement door, gave the code, and the door opened.

The basement was not large, less than 1000 square feet, but it was crammed with forty or fifty young men and women.

Linda clung to Cindy like a lamb caught in a wolf pack, looking around with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Cindy led her around, and soon boys started approaching Linda to strike up conversations.

Her timid demeanor was very attractive, and almost all the boys became interested in her.

Cindy joked that she had to stay away from Linda, otherwise no man would even notice her.

Linda was very nervous and stood there helplessly.

Cindy comforted her again and earnestly told her that she could leave at any time if she didn't want to stay.

"And then I never saw her again."

"I left halfway through the party."

"But I heard that she stayed until the very end of the party before leaving."

"They said she seemed to be having a good chat with a guy from George Washington University."

Cindy shook her head, expressing her confusion:
"But I never heard of her having a boyfriend after that."

"It seems like they met once at that party."

Theodore thought to himself, "They've met more than once."

They just didn't meet through you.

He asked Cindy, "Is there a list of people attending the party?"

Cindy shook her head: "That was a private party we had among a few people, not a party organized by a club."

She only knew the original few organizers; most of the rest of the people were like Linda, who came to the party with the original organizers.

Bernie pulled out his notebook: "Who were the original initiators?"

George Washington University.

Cindy named a few names, then pointed ahead: "This is the building."

"She lives on the top floor."

She already sensed that the party and Linda might be in big trouble.

She doesn't even say anything nice about Linda anymore.

She just wanted to get them to Linda's apartment door and then leave quickly.

The group fell silent and climbed to the top floor, then walked along the corridor to the very end.

Cindy pointed to the room on her right and couldn't help but lower her voice: "This is Linda's room."

Bernie reached out and shoved Cindy behind him, then pulled out his sidearm with his other hand, released the safety, and leaned against the wall.

He hunched over slightly, looking at Theodore and the campus security chief across from him.

Although the supervisor had gained weight, he was still very fast.

He and Theodore had a slight disagreement when they were positioning themselves, which caused a two-second delay.

Theodore, having identified the supervisor as a civilian, took the initiative to stand at the front and tried to pull the person behind him.

The supervisor also considered Theodore a target who needed protection.

The two nearly bumped into each other while vying for the front seats.

Cindy covered her mouth and quietly backed away.

After confirming that Theodore and the supervisor were in place, Bernie reached out and knocked on the door.
"Linda Susan Parker! FBI! Open the door!"

There was no movement inside.

Bernie knocked again and asked again.

Still no movement.

Bernie put away his gun, took out a lock pick, and poked at it twice.

The door opened.

Bernie went in first, followed closely by Theodore.

The two quickly searched the room to make sure no one was there before putting away their guns.

Bernie left the room and asked the supervisor and Cindy to stand guard at the stairwell in case Linda Susan Parker returned.

He and Theodore changed into shoe covers and gloves and went back into the room.

This is a very spacious apartment, which was originally supposed to be a room shared by two people.

Upon entering, you'll find the living room, furnished with a sofa and a television. Further inside are the dining table and kitchen.

The bathroom is on the left, and the two bedrooms are on the right.

The apartment was a bit messy, but it had a very homey feel.

Several dresses were draped over the sofa, a few pairs of shoes were scattered on the floor, and the trash can was half full.

There was a cookie tin on the table, open, with several half-smoked cigarettes stuck inside.

Theodore picked one up and handed it to Bernie.

Bernie shook his head at him and took a pack of Shesterfield cigarettes from a drawer under the television.

"It seems to be her."

As he spoke, he pulled a paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Theodore.

Theodore went to the bathroom and found only a toothbrush; there were no razors or other men's hygiene products inside.

He rummaged through the trash can again; it was full of common household waste.

Bernie went into the bedroom facing the hallway.

She quickly came out with a pair of baggy blue cargo pants and a red polka-dot skirt.

He reached into his pocket, then placed them on the table:
"I'll go get the bag."

Theodore nodded to him, walked into the bedroom by the window, and went straight to the bedside table.

The bedside table was crammed full.

In the upper drawer, there was a notebook that looked just like Bernie's scrapbook, filled with articles cut out from newspapers or magazines.

It's all about Bonnie and Clyde.

Each article also includes its source and date.

Theodore skipped over the earlier clippings and kept flipping through them, which were filled with adoration and praise for Bonnie.

The wording is simple and straightforward.

He then opened the lower drawer, which was a bit messy inside.

There are maps of each district in DC.

There were also newspapers, but they weren't the latest ones; they were old newspapers that had been found somewhere.

There were also magazines, but not complete books, just magazine pages.

Theodore took them out, spread them on the ground, and examined them closely.

Bernie retrieved the evidence bag, and standing at the door, stuffing clothes into it while asking:

"what is this?"

Theodore handed over the notebook from the top drawer, then picked up a page from a magazine:
"They look like they're planning to rob a bank."

The magazine featured a half-length portrait of Francis V. Fleming with a bank in the background.

This is an article reporting on Riggs National Bank and Francis V. Fleming.

The content of the article is not important; what matters is the big X marked on it.

Bernie took the book and looked at the pages.

Theodore then handed over the second page.

This is a picture clipped from a newspaper.

The image is in black and white, but it is still faintly recognizable that the main subject is the main branch of Riggs National Bank.

There was a big X drawn on it.

There are many more pictures like this, all marked with an X.

Theodore finally picked up the map.

The map was drawn messily and had wrinkles, as if it had been crumpled.

Bernie stared at the map for a while, then asked Theodore:
"Why is it Riggs National Bank again?"

(End of this chapter)