1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 170 I really wasted my breath talking.
Theodore was inspecting the red Dodge parked in front of the apartment.

He examined it very carefully, as if he were at a murder scene.

Detective O'Malley escorted Gary to the street corner, put him in the police car, waited a while, and then drove off.

He didn't quite understand Theodore's behavior.

In his view, Gary and Linda had been caught red-handed, and there was nothing more to investigate.

Once you go back, write the case closure report, and hand over the person, the case is considered closed.

Theodore neither confirmed nor denied this, but silently took out a map and handed it over.

The map is for the northeastern part of DC, and it's covered in lines and looks messy.

Detective O'Malley stared at it for a moment, then turned to Gary and asked:

"Are you planning to rob the bank in front of the police station?"

"What do you think?"

"This bank is right in front of the police station, and it has never been robbed since it opened."

Gary huddled in the corner of the back seat, glanced at the map, and whispered something.

Detective O'Malley leaned back, but couldn't hear what he said.

He didn't seem to care, just shook his head and put the map away.

In addition to the robbery map, Theodore also found their planned escape route.

It was a map of the entire state of Maryland, with many road lines drawn along the highways on it.

These lines intertwine, like a tangled mess.

Clearly, Gary and Linda hadn't fully decided how to escape.

Or, even if someone else finds the map, they wouldn't know how they planned their escape route.

Theodore asked Detective O'Malley for the evidence bag and put the Chesterfield cigarettes and glass Coke bottles from the car into it.

He finally opened the trunk and found Gary's suitcase inside.

The suitcases were placed to one side, leaving space next to them.

That must be space reserved for Linda's suitcase.

Theodore glanced at Gary, who was huddled in the corner, and carefully opened the suitcase to inspect it.

It was filled with clothes.

After inspecting the red Dodge, Theodore and Detective O'Malley returned to the Department of Justice building.

Bernie and Billy Hawke haven't come back yet.

The two interrogated Gary.

The interrogation went smoothly.

Just as Detective O'Malley believed, Gary had no way to deny the overwhelming evidence.

And Gary didn't try to argue his way out of it.

He resolutely admitted to all the crimes.

This quick confession caught Detective O'Malley somewhat off guard.

Theodore didn't ask about the details of the crime directly, but instead started by asking about the beer party in January.

This surprised both Detective O'Malley and Gary.

Gary straightened his back, and the tremor in his voice gradually disappeared.

His tone began to rise, and he relaxed his posture.

He was happy that someone was interested in their story.

Gary admitted that he and Linda did meet at a beer party in January.

They had a great time chatting at the party.

But they didn't become friends immediately, as Henry had said.

In fact, they didn't even exchange contact information after the party ended.

Almost a month passed after their first meeting at the party before they met again.

That was in an independent bookstore next to Union Station.

At the time, Gary was engrossed in reading a newly arrived book about 30s gangsters.

He was watching Bonnie and Clyde's story.

The book not only compiles the stories of these two people, but also includes their photographs and illustrations.

Linda happened to pass by and called out Bonnie and Clyde's names.

This surprised Gary.

The two quickly recognized each other and started talking about Bonnie and Clyde.

Gary mentioned Clyde's experience at the Eastm ranch, while Linda spoke of Bonnie's longing for Hollywood and the car accident.

They discovered that the other party not only knew about the doomed couple, but also knew many details.

At this point, Gary felt a little thirsty and asked Theodore for a cup of coffee.

Theodore stopped Detective O'Malley's reprimand, went out to pour him a cup of coffee, and came back to continue listening and taking notes.

Gary was pleased with Theodore's attitude, took a couple of sips of coffee, and continued his story.

This chance encounter quickly brought the two closer.

They started arranging to meet and chat on weekends.

At first, their conversation mainly focused on Bonnie and Clyde.

They would exchange the newspaper clippings they had collected and analyze their escape routes and robbery strategies.

They would also discuss how media reports at the time portrayed the couple, what was true and what might have been exaggerated.

As their conversation deepened, their discussion began to subtly shift.

The two no longer simply studied historical figures, but incorporated their own emotions and dissatisfaction with reality.

Gary complained about papers and exams, as well as his future job, and expressed deep envy for Clyde's complete destruction of order and sense of control.

Linda complained about the difficulty of her studies, her parents' indifference towards her, and how hard it was to be a "good child," while expressing her envy of Bonnie's bold pursuit of freedom.

But it was just complaining.

On April 1st, the two of them were drinking at a bar in the Northeast District, chatting as usual.

As they left the bar, they saw a police car with its engine still running.

The two men exchanged a glance, then drove off in the police car.

Gary recounted the entire crime in detail.

This also includes the bank robbery plan that was supposed to take place this afternoon.

He even described in detail how he felt while committing the crime, what he was thinking, and how he felt afterward.

After saying all this, he snapped out of his excited state and fell silent.

After the interrogation, Gary was taken away.

Detective O'Malley seemed to want more.

He compiled Gary's statement and felt somewhat moved:
"If only all criminals were like him."

Theodore glanced at him and nodded in agreement.

He also felt that it would be great if all criminals were as cooperative as Gary, proactively describing their feelings and thoughts before and after committing the crime.

Bernie and Billy Hawke returned shortly after Gary's interrogation ended.

Bernie first inquired about the interrogation of Gary.

Theodore gave him Gary's statement.

Detective O'Malley, please help answer:
"They were very cooperative, answering all the questions and admitting to all the cases."

"If only all criminals were like Clyde."

He remarked with a sigh, then turned to Bernie and asked:

How is 'Bonnie'?

Bernie shook his head: "Things aren't looking good."

“I called Ben Parker, her father.”

“Her father had no idea what she had done. When he heard that she was still in critical condition, he was frantic and said he would drive over.”

Detective O'Malley glanced at the time:

"It takes at least six or seven hours to get from Pittsburgh to DC."

Bernie shrugged: "Detectives from the Third Precinct are watching over things at the hospital."

Detective O'Malley recalled his colleague who had been carried away by Billy Hawke:
"How's that injured guy? He looks pretty bad." Bernie pointed at Billy Hawke.

Billy Hawke shook his head: "It's nothing serious."

"He looks scary, but he was actually shot in the shoulder, and the bullet didn't even get lodged in."

"He should be bandaged up by now, have gone back to the police station to ask for sick leave, and have gone home to rest."

Detective O'Malley glanced at Theodore and asked him curiously how he got injured.

Billy Hawke smiled first before introducing himself.

This is not much different from Theodore's analysis.

When Gary and Linda opened the door, there was a detective in the bathroom.

Another detective, thinking Linda was alone, was shot in the shoulder by Gary from behind.

After being knocked down, the detective decisively opened fire, hitting Linda in the abdomen.

The scene was a bit chaotic at the time.

Linda curled up in a ball, rolling on the ground and crying out in pain. The injured detective tried to control the situation, but was afraid that Gary would continue to shoot, so he could only hide against the wall.

When the detective in the bathroom heard the commotion and came out, he scared Gary and Linda away.

After checking his partner's injuries and confirming that they were not life-threatening for the time being, the detective gave chase.

Because of this delay, Linda and Gary had already run up to the stairs.

Billy Hawke shook his head as he spoke.

Detective O'Malley shook his head as he listened.

Theodore kept glancing at Bernie.

Bernie had probably already been shaken at the hospital, and was now calmly reviewing Gary's statement.

After Billy Hawke finished speaking, he posed a question to Theodore:
"Boss, why did 'Clyde' surrender?"

This is different from the profiling results given by Theodore.

Theodore's analysis suggests that the two criminals were seeking destruction and would certainly be seeking death.

But in reality, Gary chose to surrender after being surrounded.

Detective O'Malley swallowed the words he was about to use to criticize the Third Precinct and looked at Theodore.

He had been curious about this issue for a long time, but it wasn't convenient for him to ask.

Bernie looked up from his statement: "Because he wasn't the real Clyde; he was just imitating Clyde."

Theodore glanced at Bernie with some surprise:
“That’s right, disillusionment was the main reason Gary William Mitchell surrendered.”

“Gary William Mitchell is essentially an imitator, not a professional criminal, and his Bonnie and Clyde fantasies rely on Linda Susan Parker’s cooperation.”

"Linda Susan Parker's condition after being shot in the abdomen was completely unrelated to Bonnie's."

"This directly stripped him from his fantasies about Bonnie and Clyde."

"His survival instinct made him realize that the person he was holding in his arms was not Bonnie, and he himself was not Clyde."

"They are not legendary criminals, just two ordinary college students."

"Surrender became the only option. Only by surrendering could they survive."

Detective O'Malley asked:
"You mean, if 'Bonnie' hadn't been shot, they wouldn't have surrendered even if they were facing all five of us?"

Theodore nodded:

"At that time, they were still living in Bonnie and Clyde's fantasy."

"Rather than surrendering, they are more likely to turn their guns on us and seek destruction, just like Bonnie and Clyde."

Detective O'Malley thought about it carefully and came to the following conclusion:
"They're all mentally unstable."

Theodore glanced at him, feeling as if all he had said was in vain.

Bernie read the statement and handed it to Billy Hawke.

After Billy Hawke finished reading it, he took it upstairs along with the other documents.

Detective O'Malley then took Gary away.

At this point, the Bonnie and Clyde imitation case is essentially over.

Theodore glanced through the remaining case briefings and then put them back.

He took out his notebook and began to organize the details of the case.

After get off work in the afternoon, I returned to Georgetown.

Bernie received a package from Felton.

Inside was a huge pile of documents that Sullivan needed for his transfer, as well as a copy of the Felton Star.

Bernie opened the newspaper and glanced at it; a huge headline caught his eye:
The latest installment in the "Twin Detectives" series: Twin Detectives vs. the Red Ghost!

Thankfully, nothing has changed.

Bernie breathed a sigh of relief.

He called a friend at the Felton West Precinct to talk about the Felton Star, and heard that it had been acquired by a mysterious buyer.

This made him very worried that the Twins series would be canceled.

Everything seems to be the same as before.

This puts him at ease.

Bernie hastily arranged his transfer documents, made a phone call to schedule a review appointment for the next day at noon, and then opened the newspaper to read.

He was completely absorbed in watching it.

The new version has a wonderful story and is much longer, taking up an entire page.

What pleased him most was a message at the end of the page saying that they were in talks with DC about comics.

Bernie glanced at Theodore furtively, then carefully folded the newspaper and tucked it into his scrapbook.

…………

Friday, September 4st.

In the afternoon, near the end of the workday.

The case closure report has been released.

Theodora took Bernie to report to Supervisor Rosen.

He hadn't been to Director Rosen's office for a week, and the article he was preparing hadn't even finished a single page.

He had been eagerly awaiting the case closure report for a long time.

Bernie noticed that Director Rosen was busy, so he chose to use the most concise language to give a highly summarized account of the case, trying not to waste Director Rosen's time.

Supervisor Rosen originally only wanted to hear about the process and then sign the case closure report.

However, this case is truly bizarre.

What started as a simple case of a stolen police car escalated into a robbery, car theft, and ultimately, a bank robbery.

Even criminals have to buy bars!

There were even police officers injured!

He felt as if he were listening to a story.

Supervisor Rosen took the case closure report and flipped through it.

He's just too busy; otherwise, he would definitely ask more about such an interesting case.

In just a short while, two detectives were waiting outside to report on their work.

Supervisor Rosen left behind a case closure report and waved to end the presentation.

Theodore was lost in thought, having only just begun to conceive his article, when Bernie pulled him away from the manager's office.

He glanced at the time and looked at Bernie with some dissatisfaction.

How come such a complex case was solved in less time than before?

After get off work, Bernie drove Theodore's car away.

He was going to visit the home of the campus security director at Emily College, a visit that had been arranged long ago.

Theodore changed into a dress that Ms. Gandy had somehow gotten her hands on.

At noon, he received a last-minute notification from Ms. Gandy that he needed to attend a dinner party.

The dinner was hosted by Russell Fleming, grandson of Francis V. Fleming, and was a private affair.

Russell Fleming had another identity.

He was Theodore's closest friend.

(End of this chapter)