1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 168 Why aren't you worried about your son?

Bernie mentioned the time of the two criminals' previous crimes:
"April 1st was a Saturday, and they stole the patrol car."

"On Saturday, April 8, they stole Frank Moreno's Chevrolet and robbed the Esso gas station."

"On Saturday, April 15, they stole a Plymouth, robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store, and finally burned the car by the river."

He pulled over the whiteboard and listed the dates, then circled them:
"If this pattern holds true, they should be there next Saturday..."

He looked at the calendar on the table.

Billy Hawke added, "The 22nd."

Bernie nodded: "Rob a bank on the 22nd?"

Theodore dismissed his guess:

"The timing of the first three crimes was constrained by school hours, which explains the pattern."

"Linda Susan Parker started skipping classes on April 1, but not to the point of being completely absent from campus like she is today. She only skipped some classes."

"Before today, Linda Susan Parker identified more with her identity as a student; she needed to attend classes and maintain her previous routine."

"Car theft and robbery are types of crimes that are carried out covertly on weekends."

"But she has never shown up at school today; she may have abandoned her student identity."

“Now she identifies more with herself as a criminal than a student.”

"She will no longer follow the students' schedule and commit the crime on Saturdays."

Detective O'Malley understood this time.

He remarked, "She really thinks she's Bonnie!"

Theodore looked at him strangely.

They consistently referred to Linda Susan Parker as "Bonnie" and the male criminals as "Clyde."

Moreover, the two criminals fantasized that they were Bonnie and Clyde in 1961, wasn't that already said?

Detective O'Malley offered his own opinion, suggesting that the two criminals might have moved the robbery earlier than the 22nd.

Theodore agreed with this.

The group then discussed the task assignments for tomorrow.

Theodore believed there was no longer any point in going to Emily College.

The only thing they can do now is to set up surveillance and wait for Linda Susan Parker to return to her apartment to retrieve her scrapbook.

They decided to travel together to George Washington University tomorrow to expedite the investigation into the male offender.

On his way back to Georgetown, Theodore was looking through Linda Susan Parker's scrapbook.

Bernie glanced at it and asked Theodore what he had figured out.

Theodore shook his head:
"Linda Susan Parker believes that Bonnie and Clyde represent the spirit of freedom and rebellion."

"She envied Bonnie and Clyde's life and hoped that she could live such a life."

He closed the notebook: "She'll be living with us soon."

Bernie thought for a moment and said:
She was dissatisfied with her current situation.

"I'm bored with the stable life I've had since I was a child."

"She longed for something different in her monotonous and repetitive life."

"She wants to live an exciting life."

He pointed to the scrapbook in Theodore's hand:

"She dared not tell these words to others, so she could only write them down."

“She used to be all alone, but now she has her own ‘Clyde’.”

"They can now freely share secrets and do things together that they wouldn't have dared to do before."

"They probably can't tell the difference between attending a cheap beer party and skipping class, or between stealing a car and robbing someone."

Theodore looked at Bernie:
"You seem to know a lot."

Bernie focused on driving, seemingly oblivious to everything he heard or said.

Theodore: "They can distinguish what is a crime."

Bernie didn't say anything more.

Theodore took out his notebook, wrote down Bernie's analysis, and then showed it to him:
“You have just completed a supplementary profile of Linda Susan Parker.”

Bernie turned around, somewhat surprised and hesitant.

He wasn't sure if he was right.

Theodore put away his notebook and added:
"Except for the last sentence."

Bernie chuckled twice and changed the subject:

Do all college students attend parties like that?

Theodore had just reopened the scrapbook, ready to continue reading.

Hearing this, he looked up: "What?"

Bernie thought of the party Cindy had mentioned, and the description of it:

"It's basically a group of guys inviting a group of girls for drinks, and then if they like each other, they do... well, you know."

Theodore thought for a moment:

"more or less."

Bernie hesitated before asking him, "You participated too?"

Theodore shook his head: "We're usually the organizers."

Bernie turned and stared at him for a moment, a worried look on his face:
"Right now, all I can think about is my daughter, Gerty."

“The thought of her going to college and being taken to these kinds of messy parties like ‘Bonnie’ terrifies me.”

Theodore looked at him: "Why aren't you worried about your son, Carl?"

Bernie immediately relaxed.

the next morning.

Before setting off, Billy Hawke retrieved a fingerprint report from the lab.

The lab extracted several fingerprints from Linda Susan Parker's cup and compared them with fingerprints found inside the stolen police car.

Linda Susan Parker's fingerprints matched those on a Coca-Cola bottle under the passenger seat.

Billy Hawke handed the report to Bernie:

"This is a 'Bonnie' who loves to drink Coke."

The four drove to George Washington University.

With the school's cooperation, they quickly found the first beer party organizer provided by Cindy.

Bernie showed his identification and asked who he had brought to the beer party in January.

The initiator thought for a while, then asked Bernie uncertainly:
Which party are you talking about?

"I think I attended seven or eight parties in January."

Bernie glanced at Theodore:

"It was co-organized with the sorority of America University and held in the basement of an apartment near America University."

The organizer was reminded of the beer party.

Bernie repeated the question, asking who he had brought with him.

The initiator pondered for a moment, then mumbled a few names.

Bernie turned to look at Detective O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley put down the list and shook his head at him.

These people are not on the list.

The initiator seemed to realize what was happening at this point, waving his hands to clarify to Bernie:

“We were just drinking at the party, nothing else.”

Theodore asked him:
"There was a girl from Emily College at the party named Linda Susan Parker."

“She was led there by Cindy.”

Bernie described Linda Susan Parker's outfit that day.

The initiator quickly remembered:

"I remember her."

"It must be her first time at a beer party; she's been sticking close to the person who brought her in." He realized what was wrong and asked hesitantly, "What's wrong with her?"

No one answered this question.

Bernie pressed him about Linda Susan Parker's behavior at the party.

The organizers told them that many guys at the party wanted to date her.

He even made a bet with his friends to see who could win Linda Susan Parker's heart.

"She rejected everyone who approached her."

The initiator shrugged:

"After that, no one went to look for her anymore."

Bernie pressed further, "Who was she with at the party?"

The organizer shook his head, indicating that time was tight that night, and seeing how difficult Linda Susan Parker was, everyone went to find other targets.

He caught a girl's attention with a joke, and the two chatted happily before leaving the party midway through.

Detective O'Malley wasn't giving up, so he described the male criminal profile again and asked the initiator if he had seen it.

The initiator gestured with his neck:
"That's too short. There shouldn't be anyone that short at the party."

"Even if there were, they would be overwhelmed by the crowd."

"Nobody will notice someone that short."

Bernie asked him if he knew any of the other party organizers.

The initiator hesitated for a moment, then nodded, confirming that he was not lying.

Bernie pulled him out of the room and made him lead them to find the others.

The initiator repeatedly shook his head in refusal.

He told Bernie that once he led them there, he would be seen as a traitor and ostracized by everyone.

He only had one option left: to drop out of school.

Bernie didn't make things difficult for him, and took out a notebook to ask him to write down the addresses of the others.

After writing down the address, the organizer repeatedly instructed Bernie not to tell them that they got the address from him.

His words went unanswered.

Bernie flipped through the addresses; the nearest initiator was downstairs, named Henry.

Henry was a boy who was slightly taller than Theodore, with a square face, short hair, and a strong physique.

Bernie showed his ID and asked the same questions as upstairs.

Henry thought about it, but wasn't quite sure:

"Are you talking about Gary? What happened to him?"

Bernie pressed, "Who is Gary? What's his name?"

Henry hesitated and fell silent, offering no reply.

Bernie turned to look at Detective O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley is quickly searching the list for names containing "Gary".

Billy Hawke asked him directly:

"Calvin Gary Walls?"

"Gary Marvin?"

"Gary William Mitchell?"

Detective O'Malley looked up in surprise, glancing first at Billy Hawke, then nodding to Bernie.

Henry paused for a moment, glanced back at his roommate, and lowered his voice:
"Gary William Mitchell."

"What's up with him?"

"Don't say I said that."

Henry was smart; he knew that Bernie and his group had already figured out Gary William Mitchell's physique and appearance, and that even if he didn't say anything, Bernie and his group would be able to find the right 'Gary'.

He told Theodore and the others that Gary William Mitchell had helped him, and that he was returning the favor by taking Gary William Mitchell to a beer party in January.

Unlike Gary William Mitchell, Henry was very popular. He was surrounded by several girls as soon as he arrived at the party, and left with a few girls shortly after the party officially started.

He didn't return to school until the afternoon of the following day.

He had no idea what Gary William Mitchell had done at the party, or even that he had seen Linda Susan Parker.

"But I heard them mention that Gary apparently hooked up with a girl at the party."

"It's said that the girl rejected more than a dozen men."

Bernie asked Henry about the recent situation of Gary William Mitchell.

Henry shrugged: "I don't know him very well."

Billy Hawke couldn't help but ask him, "Aren't you friends?"

Henry shook his head: "We're not friends. Gary helped me, and I brought him to that party to repay a favor."

He clarified, "I just brought him to the party, I didn't do anything else, and I left a long time ago."

Billy Hawke suppressed the "ha!" that was about to escape his lips and simply turned his head away, refusing to look at Henry.

Bernie asked Henry:
Do you know where he lives?

Henry nodded and whispered an address.

Bernie then asked him, "Does he live alone?"

Henry wasn't quite sure: "He seems to have a roommate."

Bernie asked him a few more questions and discovered that Henry indeed knew very little about Gary William Mitchell.

He put away his notebook and solemnly instructed Henry not to mention the conversation or its contents to anyone else.

The four then headed towards Gary William Mitchell's residence.

Gary William Mitchell wasn't there; only his roommate was fast asleep.

He was a tall, thin boy who sat up after being woken up and reached out to grope around on the headboard.

Billy Hawke picked up the glasses and handed them over.

The tall, thin boy politely said thank you, then looked blankly at the four burly men who had appeared in the bedroom, unsure of what to do.

This apartment is only about 450 square feet in size, and its layout is the same as Linda Susan Parker's, like a scaled-down version.

The bedroom was small, and it felt especially cramped after two large men squeezed in.

Bernie described the male criminal in his profile and asked if he was Gary William Mitchell.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then shook his head to indicate that he was not quite sure.

Bernie paused for a few seconds, then asked if he had any photos of Gary William Mitchell.

The boy shook his head again.

Bernie asked him if Gary had come back yesterday.

The boy thought for a moment, then shook his head again, indicating that he didn't know.

He told the two that he rarely spoke to Gary William Mitchell because their schedules were completely different.

Gary had a normal schedule, while he, because he had to do experiments, almost always went out late and returned early.

The two of them barely exchanged ten words throughout the entire school year.

All he knew about his roommate was that his name was Gary William Mitchell, and almost nothing else.

The group conducted a thorough search of the apartment but found neither a gun nor bullets.

Theodore checked the bedroom; his bedside table was empty, and the wardrobe was nearly empty as well.

Billy Hawke found the military green jacket and jeans that the Esso gas station clerk had mentioned in the laundry basket.

This essentially confirms Gary William Mitchell's status as a male criminal.

Bernie packed up Gary's toothbrush and water glass so he could take them back for fingerprint verification.

Detective O'Malley was somewhat incredulous:
"They're robbing a bank today?!"

He looked at Theodore: "Why?"

"Why so fast?"

Bernie and Billy Hawke couldn't understand it either.

Even if they didn't know about the cooling-off period for committing a crime, they still felt that the time was too short and somewhat unreasonable.

The two criminals last committed a crime on April 15th, and today is only April 18th!
(End of this chapter)