1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 171 I was just saying it offhand
Theodore's friendship with Russell Fleming has a long history.

They were friends in high school.

They later attended the same university.

After graduating from university, Theodore devised a plan to run away from home.

Russell Fleming played a significant role.

He provided Theodore with a substantial amount of financial support.

This funding allowed Theodore to settle comfortably into life in Felton and to get through his penny-free police training period and later his meager police probationary period.

The dinner was held in a private club, ensuring a high degree of privacy.

The club is located near DuPont Circle and is well-known among young people in DC.

Theodore used to be a member here, but he hasn't paid his dues for two years and has likely been expelled.

There were only a dozen or so guests at the dinner.

Moreover, they were all young people of similar age.

This made the atmosphere at the banquet relatively relaxed.

Russell Fleming was pleased with Theodore's presence.

They hadn't seen each other for over two years.

Since Theodore returned to DC last December, he has kept a low profile.

His few appearances in formal settings were always alongside Hoover, moving among a group of old men.

Privately, he never contacted any of his friends, nor did he host or attend any parties.

He was completely out of touch with his DC peers.

This is not a good sign.

Russell Fleming had a lot to say to Theodore, but today he was the host of the banquet and needed to take care of all the guests.

He could only arrange with Theodore to talk after the banquet.

Theodore hesitated for a moment, then agreed.

Russell Fleming looked back and whispered to Theodore if he wanted to go with him to greet the guests.

Theodore shook his head and refused.

Russell frowned and stared at him for a while, somewhat puzzled:
"Why do I feel like you're different from before?"

Theodore thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Russell didn't delve into it, simply assuming that his experiences over the past two years had changed his personality.

He glanced at the time, told Theodore to wait for him after the banquet, and then went to greet the other guests.

Theodore observed silently.

The atmosphere at the banquet was pleasant, with guests chatting in small groups, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

Even the son of a diplomat came over and struck up a conversation with Theodore.

Several young people who knew Theodore had unconsciously stopped talking and silently looked over.

Theodore introduced himself honestly and shook hands politely with the other person:
"Hello, I am Theodore Dixon Hoover, and I work for the FBI."

The diplomat's son looked bewildered, awkwardly shook hands with Theodore, chatted briefly about the weather and such, and then made an excuse to leave in a hurry.

Several young people who had been looking over looked away and chuckled softly.

Theodore glanced over there, calmly sat down, and continued eating and drinking.

Several more unfamiliar faces came over to greet Theodore and try to get to know him.

Without exception, they all left soon after hearing Theodore's self-introduction.

An FBI agent, whose last name was Hoover.

Talking to him is like dancing on a minefield.

It was too exciting; they couldn't handle it.

Russell quickly noticed Theodore's situation and came over to ask quietly if there was anything that had not been done well in terms of hospitality.

Theodore looked at him questioningly and shook his head:
“They came over wanting to get to know me, and I told them my name was Theodore Dixon Hoover and that I worked for the FBI.”

Russell turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the crowd, but he couldn't find those unlucky guys.

He turned his head, his expression somewhat strange:
"I always feel like you've become a different person."

“It’s been almost half a year since he returned to DC, and he hasn’t contacted us or shown his face.”

"Looking at you now, you're still the same as before, you haven't changed at all."

"When I meet someone I don't want to talk to, I start emphasizing that my surname is Hoover."

“If others don’t realize it, you can steer the conversation toward Director Hoover and tell them that Director Hoover is your uncle.”

"Now you've added another one, starting to introduce yourself as an FBI agent, right?"

Theodore shook his head in denial: "It was just a normal self-introduction."

Russell patted him hard on the shoulder and nodded in agreement:
"Yes, yes, in the future, when I meet someone I don't want to talk to, I will introduce myself by saying, 'Hi, hello, I am Russell L. Fleming, a credit officer at Riggs National Bank.'"

“They’ll assume I’m there to sell loans and they’ll immediately lose interest.”

After saying that, he laughed out loud, patting Theodore on the shoulder as he laughed.

This joke made Russell feel that the distance between him and Theodore had been greatly reduced, and that sense of unfamiliarity had disappeared considerably.

Theodore thought about it seriously for a moment, then reminded him:
“You should only mention Riggs National Bank or only Fleming’s last name; both will immediately bring to mind Mr. Francis V. Fleming.”

Russell considered it for a moment and agreed that Theodore made a good point:

“You’re right, then I won’t mention Riggs National Bank.”

He pointed to the guest opposite him and asked Theodore:
"Would you like to come over and talk?"

Theodore glanced in that direction and shook his head.

Russell nodded, then whispered a message to Theodore:
"Don't even think about leaving halfway through!"

"After we're done, let's go to a bar for a couple of drinks."

After confirming Theodore's agreement, Russell got up and went to greet the other guests.

Theodore continued to sit in the corner, eating and drinking.

The banquet didn't last very long; it ended just after 10 p.m.

This time is normal for a dinner party mainly attended by middle-aged and elderly people, but it's a bit early for a dinner party attended by young people.

After seeing everyone off, Russell took out his car keys, thought for a moment, and asked Theodore:
Do you know a bar in Arlington called L&O?

Theodore nodded.

Russell suddenly became interested, as if he were plotting something, and asked in a low voice:
"I heard that the bar is only open to FBI agents and you need to show your credentials to get in."

"Do you have your FBI agent identification with you?"

"How about we go to their house?"

"Can you take me inside?"

Theodore nodded, recalling the time Ronald took him and Bernie there before Ronald left DC.

Russell was excited and pulled Theodore out. They got into the car and sped off, heading straight for Arlington.

Theodore glanced at Russell, hesitated for a moment, and didn't remind him that the bar was actually quite boring.

Russell found the address effortlessly without Theodore even needing to give directions; clearly, he had been eyeing this place for a long time.

The car stopped in front of the bar, and Russell followed Theodore nervously, keeping a close eye on him.

Theodore glanced back at him, took out his ID and handed it to the security guard at the door, then pointed at Russell:

"He was with me."

The security guard carefully checked his identification, nodded to him, and waved him through.

Upon entering the bar, Russell looked around, somewhat disappointed.

He thought the interior design would be unique, with an FBI-style aesthetic.

The result was just an ordinary, unremarkable bar.

Theodore was somewhat surprised: "You've never been here even once?"

Russell shook his head: "The checks here are very strict."

"Fake documents simply cannot get in."

"The only person I know who could have brought me in here is you."

Theodore was silent for a moment, then asked him, "How many FBI agents do you know?" Russell pointed at Theodore.

Theodore fell completely silent.

The two found a place to sit down.

Russell asked Theodore:
"I've heard that you're working overtime on weekends, investigating cases?"

Theodore nodded.

He had called Mr. Francis V. Fleming while investigating the phone scam, but working overtime on weekends had become somewhat of a routine for him.

He thought about it and realized that it seemed like the recent cases were all investigated over the weekend.

The two chatted about their experiences over the past two years.

Russell was mainly doing the talking, and Theodore was listening.

He seemed to have been holding back for too long and couldn't stop.

He poured out his grievances to Theodore, telling him about how he helped Theodore run away from home.

Theodore's deeds were exposed not long after he left DC.

Francis V. Fleming was furious and sent him directly to the branch office on the northeastern border of the state.

He worked at that branch for six months before being transferred back to the Northwest region to continue working as a loan officer.

Russell's father, Francis V. Fleming II, also started as a credit commissioner.

Francis V. Fleming II spent five years as a credit commissioner before being promoted to head of the trust department, and then another nine years before becoming a senior bank executive.

Many families choose this method of training successors by starting from the bottom.

Theodore was one of them.

For the next half hour or so, Russell complained to Theodore about how stressful his work was.

Mr. Francis V. Fleming has been using Francis V. Fleming II's past achievements to pressure Russell.
This made Russell feel like he was going crazy.

Fleming wasn't the only one who started as a credit officer.

Because he helped Theodore run away from home, he was six months behind others.

This resulted in him failing to meet requirements in every aspect.

He's hosting this dinner tonight to ask these people for their help.

Theodore expressed skepticism.

How could a group of people who don't even have the courage to talk to him possibly get involved in this kind of thing?

He asked Russell, "Have they agreed to help?"

Russell shook his head and began to repeat to Theodore the excuses those people had given for refusing.

After saying that, he remembered Theodore's identity as an FBI agent and hoped that Theodore could help him investigate other Flemings.

Theodore was somewhat embarrassed.

He thought about it carefully, remained silent for a few seconds, and then said earnestly:

"This is too much trouble."

Russell was somewhat disappointed.

Theodore continued:

"I can teach you a method that can solve all your problems at once."

"I can help you plan a murder."

Russell didn't take it seriously; he thought Theodore was talking nonsense and went along with it:
"How to do it?"

Theodore straightened his posture and began his analysis:
"Based on the motive, you are one of the suspects."

Therefore, it is impossible to completely rule out suspicion.

"What you need to pay attention to is physical evidence."

"First of all, we must rule out hiring someone to commit murder."

"This is an efficient and simple method, but it is also easy to find."

"Secondly, avoid making unnecessary movements."

"Remember that your goal is to kill your target, not to vent your emotions."

"In a murder case, the degree to which the killer can control their emotions directly affects the ease or difficulty of solving the case."

Russell's eyes widened, and he sobered up considerably.

He quickly waved his hand to interrupt Theodore:
"what are you saying?"

Russell looked around, then lowered his voice:
"I didn't mean to kill anyone!"

He thought Theodore was joking, but he didn't expect him to actually start analyzing things so seriously.

The way he looked at Theodore was different now:

"I just want you to investigate them."

"I didn't mean to kill anyone!"

What have you been doing these past two years?

Theodore did not answer, but instead confirmed with Russell:

Are you sure you don't want to listen?

“If you do as I say, no one but me will be able to investigate you.”

"Even if the investigation leads to you, as long as you follow my instructions, you will not be convicted."

Russell swallowed hard, shook his head with difficulty, and quickly changed the subject:

"And you? Where have you been?"

Theodore was uninterested, which can be summarized in one sentence:

“I worked as a police officer in Felton for over a year, then returned to DC for selection training, and after passing it, I became an FBI agent.”

He paused for a moment, then asked Russell:
"Are you really not going to think about it?"

"You don't need to do much."

"All you need to do is take down the one in front of you in line."

Russell shook his head repeatedly, continuing to try to change the subject:

Where is Felton?

Theodore answered casually:
“North-central Texas, an oil city.”

He admitted:
"You've fallen behind others because you helped me, so I should help you catch up."

Russell shook his head and told Theodore with a serious expression that he had only said it casually, asking Theodore to investigate those Flemings.

Theodore looked at him and nodded:
"I was just saying it offhand."

Russell was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

Theodore pointed to himself:
"I'm an FBI agent, why would I help you plan a murder?"

Russell laughed and cursed "fxxk," then patted his chest.
"This joke is not funny at all."

"You almost scared me to death."

"I thought you'd become a hitman instead of a cop these past two years."

Theodore smiled and asked him:
"If they won't help you, I probably can't help you either, unless you're really planning to kill them."

"What are you going to do?"

Russell shook his head, indicating that according to Francis V. Fleming II's training trajectory, he still had more than a decade to go.

He was confident he could catch up with them.

He felt it was a bit strange to continue the discussion, so he changed the subject:

"Tell me about yourself, what did you do at the Felton Police Station?"

He emphasized that:

"You need to explain carefully and clearly, otherwise I'll really think you're going to become an assassin."

Theodore selected a few cases he could talk about and talked about them, and Russell listened attentively.

The two chatted until the bar closed, and Russell seemed reluctant to stop talking.

He thought it would be great if a newspaper could record Theodore's experiences and compile them into a story.

(End of this chapter)