1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 174 A Good-natured Man?
Detective O'Malley walked over.

He hugged the bald firefighter and then introduced Theodore and his two companions.

Detective O'Malley knew the people here well; it was clear he wasn't a first-timer.

He is good friends with Alan Brennan, and all the firefighters here know him.

The bald firefighter nodded to them, then asked somewhat impatiently:

"How's the investigation going? Have you caught that bitch's boyfriend yet?"

Detective O'Malley shook his head.

The bald firefighter looked somewhat disappointed, and after a few seconds of silence, asked them:

"So, what brings you here this time...?"

Detective O'Malley glanced at Theodore:
"Has the cause of the fire been found?"

The bald firefighter, puzzled, nodded nonetheless.
"Found it, the 'Fire Origin Report' submitted this morning."

Theodore asked him, "Was it arson?"

The bald firefighter glanced at Detective O'Malley, then shook his head:
"No."

"The fire was caused by a short circuit in the electrical wiring."

The fire department conducted a preliminary investigation of the fire scene.

They found a large number of hot, molten electrical arc beads near the electrical distribution box in the basement.

Upon opening the distribution box, one could see that a large portion of the wires inside had melted and were tangled together like a spider web.

The bald firefighter recounted the events of the fire to them:
"A short circuit occurred in the electrical distribution box, and the resulting high temperature ignited the insulation material of the wire sheath."

"The insulation material ignited the electrical box, and the fire quickly spread throughout the basement and up the stairs."

Theodore asked, "Light the distribution box?"

The bald firefighter nodded: "Yes, the apartment's electrical box is made of wood."

Theodore then asked him:

How did the short circuit occur? Is it possible that it was caused by human intervention?

The bald firefighter shook his head, still somewhat uncertain:

"Aging wires, overloading of electrical circuits, and improper use of fuses can all cause short circuits."

He pointed outside:
“There are a lot of old apartments and row houses in the northeast area, and the power lines here are basically like this.”

"One-third of the fires we receive each year are caused in this way."

"Many apartments still use aluminum wires installed in the 1930s. The rubber insulation layer has long been brittle and cracked, and the wires are directly exposed."

"Just two of these wires connected together will cause a short circuit."

"These wires should have been phased out long ago."

"They often malfunction, causing the fuses to blow."

“Some apartment maintenance workers are impatient with frequently replacing fuses, or the building manager is unwilling to spend money to buy fuses frequently, so they will use copper coins instead.”

"Even if all the wires are connected together, the fuse will not blow."

Theodore asked if he had found a copper coin to replace the fuse.

The bald firefighter shook his head:

"It's not only copper coins that can be used to replace fuses."

"Their purpose in doing this is to prevent the fuse from blowing."

"I've also seen ones made with iron nails and ones made by twisting tin foil together."

“These things are everywhere in the basement.”

Theodore then inquired about Alan Brennan's work at the fire station.

The bald firefighter seemed to understand what Theodore wanted to ask and shook his head repeatedly.

“Alan is one of the most senior firefighters here.”

He pointed behind him: "The firefighters here are basically all trained by him and me."

“Alan is strict during training, but no one holds a grudge against him for it.”

"We are facing fires and all kinds of dangers. If we don't endure hardship during training, we may lose our lives when we go on a mission."

“Alan is responsible for everyone’s life.” Billy Hawke nodded firmly, deeply moved.

Theodore glanced at him and asked if anyone had recently had a conflict with the deceased.

The bald firefighter shook his head without hesitation:

"Allen is a kind-hearted man; everyone here has received his help and care."

He listed a long list of examples of Allen's helpfulness to others, and then summarized:

"Everyone likes him, and no one would have a conflict with him. That's simply unimaginable."

As he said this, he looked at Detective O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley nodded in agreement.

The bald firefighter then continued:

"Allen has also saved many lives."

“In January, one of our team members had his legs trapped in the fire. Allen risked his life to rush in and carry him out.”

“We all consider him family; we would never hurt our own family.”

As he said this, he turned around and glanced behind him.

The firefighters who trained with him were also watching this side, whispering among themselves.

The bald firefighter turned around, hesitated for a moment, and lowered his voice:

"Reed and the others would never hurt Allen."

"Reed's mother was sick, and it was Allen who helped take her to the hospital."

“Alan saved Paul at least four times! Without Alan, Paul would have perished in the fire during his first mission two years ago.”

“And Carter.”

“Carter respected Allen almost like a father. He would rather die himself than harm Allen in the slightest.”

He looked at Detective O'Malley and said sternly:
“They have no reason to do this, Patrick.”

He was referring to the three firefighters who were taken away.

Patrick refers to Detective O'Malley, whose full name is Patrick O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley didn't answer, he just patted him on the shoulder.

The bald firefighter wanted to ask more questions, but then stopped and just shook his head.

Theodore interrupted:

"Is Alan Brennan on duty on April 23?"

The bald firefighter thought for a moment, then turned around and called over a young man, asking him to fetch the duty roster.

After delivering the registration form, the young man didn't leave immediately. Instead, he asked Theodore and the others:

"Did you catch that damn bitch's son?"

Detective O'Malley shook his head.

The young man looked disappointed: "It's been four days, how come you still haven't caught anyone?"

The bald firefighter kicked him, chased him away, and handed the registration form to Theodore.
"It was his shift."

Theodore took the registration form and flipped through it, discovering that Alan Brennan was on duty significantly more often than the others.

The bald firefighter explained that sometimes the person on duty happens to have something else to do that day and will ask a colleague to cover for them. If no one is willing to cover, Allen will often volunteer to help.

Theodore asked him who could see the duty log or knew that it was Alan Brennan on duty that day.

The bald firefighter told Theodore that the registration form was right there on the table, and anyone could see it.

Moreover, Alan Brennan is a kind-hearted person; everyone knows he often covers for others, and if he's not at home, he's usually at the fire station.

Theodore asked a few more questions and then ended the inquiry.

The bald firefighter and Detective O'Malley gave each other a tight hug:
"I hope you can catch that bitch soon."

Detective O'Malley nodded vigorously: "It definitely will."

The bald firefighter nodded in agreement and looked at Theodore:
"If you need any cooperation, feel free to contact us anytime. We will do our best to cooperate, as long as we can catch that bitch!"

(End of this chapter)