1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 176 The Living Saint Revealed One Foot

Robert Hayes was also an apartment resident, living in room 102, across from the landlord, Walter Reed.

He wasn't just an electrician; he was the maintenance worker for the entire apartment building.

According to the testimony obtained by Detective O'Malley, he was on the third floor when the fire broke out, helping Henry Crawford, who lived in room 301, fix a water pipe.

Theodore glanced at him and asked:

When did you discover the fire?

Walter Reed shook his head:

"I'm not sure about the exact time."

“I live in room 101, near the stairwell.”

"I smelled smoke, and at first I thought someone was burning something outside."

"But the smell of smoke got stronger and stronger, and it even seeped in through the crack in the door."

"I opened the door and looked into the hallway, and saw thick plumes of black smoke billowing out from the crack in the basement door."

"I didn't expect the fire to be so big and so fierce."

He recalled what had happened that night and shuddered:

“I went there to see what had happened.”

Walter Reed opened the basement door, but before he could even see what was inside, he was forced to close his eyes by a burst of hot smoke and flames.

If he hadn't felt the heat wave coming towards him and instinctively taken a few steps back, he might have been burned to death.

The basement door was opened, allowing more oxygen to enter, and the fire immediately intensified, spreading out of the basement along the passageway.

The thick smoke began to disperse.

Walter Reed tried to rush into the basement to put out the fire, where there were fire extinguishers, right next to the electrical box.

But he failed.

The basement was completely engulfed in flames, resembling a high-temperature incinerator, making it impossible to enter.

Walter Reid then realized the gravity of the situation and abandoned his plan to put out the fire.

He went to remind Robert first.

Walter Reed pounded on the door and shouted inside, "Robert! Fire! Get out here!", but there was no answer.

Seeing that the fire had spread out of the basement and was about to reach the first floor, Walter Reed gave up knocking on the door.

"I went back home and gathered the money and some valuables."

Walter Reed shook his head and smiled wryly:
"In just a minute or two, when I opened the door again, the outside was filled with thick smoke and flames."

"The entire corridor was on fire."

"I'm trapped in the room."

“I wanted to jump out of the window, but the windows on the first floor had new railings installed in January of this year.”

"It was Allen who helped me install it."

"Those damn railings are keeping me inside!"

"I heard firefighters outside, so I shouted at them as fast as I could."

The firefighters heard his shouts and reassured him, telling him not to panic.

Under the guidance of firefighters, Walter Reed wet a towel, covered his mouth and nose, and crouched in the corner of the living room, holding a large cloth bag and waiting for rescue.

Thick smoke began to fill the entire room, and flames soared into the sky outside.

Walter Reed thought he was going to die there.

Just when he was completely in despair, the door was chopped open.

Bathed in the orange glow of the flames, one could see a firefighter in full protective gear.

Walter Reed paused, then pounded his chest forcefully:

"Thank God!"

"The moment I saw him appear, I knew I was finally saved."

“God heard my prayers and sent him to save me.”

"After he found me, he immediately covered me up."

"That's how we rushed out of the fire."

After Walter Reed finished speaking, he patted his chest, still feeling lingering fear.

After a long silence, he continued:

"When I came out, many people had already come out."

“I heard them say that Allen hasn’t come out yet, and neither has Henry from the third floor.”

"The young man who carried me out, along with two other young men, rushed back."

"But they only brought Henry and Robert with them."

"They wanted to go in to find Allen, but the fire was too big, and they couldn't get in."

Walter Reed pursed his lips and sighed:

"After the fire was extinguished, the firefighters rushed in to look for Allen."

“We wanted to go in and help, but they stopped us.”

"We are praying for Allen outside."

"But we all knew in our hearts that with such a huge fire, it would be very difficult for him to survive."

"But we still hope he survives. What if?"

After another moment of silence, Walter Reed continued:
"Firefighters came out quickly and said they had found Allen."

“But we didn’t see Allen in the crowd. When we asked them where Allen was, they all had tense faces and didn’t say a word.”

"They blocked the doorway, preventing us from entering or leaving."

"Actually, we already had a guess in our hearts at that time."

He glanced at Detective O'Malley:
"Several police cars arrived quickly and separated us..."

He paused, then concluded:

"Alan is a good man, God will send him to heaven."

Theodore asked him:
"Who were the residents who had already been rescued when you came out?"

Who did you see?

Walter Reed thought for a moment and then said:
“There’s Ed from room 401, Cecilia from room 402, and Alan’s wife Martha with his son Tommy.”

"And Evelyn from room 302, and her son Frank Jr."

He shrugged: "They've all basically come out."

Billy Hawke was somewhat puzzled:

"Don't you live on the first floor? Why were you the last to come out?"

Walter Reid explained:

"The firefighters told me that the flames blocked the first-floor corridor, and putting out the fire wasted a lot of their time."

He proactively clarified for Theodore:
"That's all I know."

"I was in the room when the fire started, and I was rescued from there."

"I don't know anything else."

He looked at Detective O'Malley again:

“I already told Detective O’Malley about this.”

Detective O'Malley met his gaze for a few seconds, nodded to Theodore, and confirmed that Walter Reed's statement matched his previous testimony.

Theodore neither confirmed nor denied this, and instead brought up another matter:

"The apartment building has no back staircase or fire escape staircase, only a central staircase, and the stairwell is full of clutter."

"Once a fire breaks out, people have nowhere to escape."

"Have any residents reported these issues to you?"

Walter Reed shook his head and sighed:
"Everyone does it."

“I told them not to pile up clutter in the hallway, but nobody listened.”

"That's how everyone here does it."

Theodore looked at him: "Where is the dead?"

Walter Reed was silent for a moment:

"Allen said he had warned everyone that this would create a fire safety hazard."

"But it's no use."

“When Allen talks about it, everyone listens, but before long, the stairwell will be piled with all sorts of mess again.” “Gradually, Allen stopped talking about it and started cleaning up the trash himself whenever he had time.”

Theodore pressed further: "Did the deceased have any arguments with anyone because of these things?"

Walter Reed shook his head.

Bernie also confirmed with him:
"Has no one complained about Allen being nosy?"

Walter Reed continued to shake his head:
“They also know that it’s wrong to pile up clutter in the hallway, and Allen is cleaning up the clutter to ensure everyone’s safety.”

"Even if there is no fire, clearing these things out is still helping them."

"How could anyone blame Allen for meddling?"

He emphasized again that Alan Brennan was a good man, everyone loved him, and no one disliked him.

Theodore interrupted him:

What about the annual fire safety inspections?

Walter Reed fell silent.

Theodore pressed further:
"Your apartment uses a wooden electrical box, and the wiring is old and worn out."

"There is no fire escape route, and the corridors are filled with debris, obstructing passage."

"The stair railings are old and rusty, and they'll collapse at the slightest touch."

"The exterior wall of the apartment is peeling off and there are cracks in the wall."

He looked at Walter Reed and asked, "How did you pass the fire inspection?"

Walter Reed remained silent.

Detective O'Malley, standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief and gave the answer:
“This area in the northeast is full of old apartments and row houses like these.”

"Such situations are common."

He pointed outside, then pointed to himself:
"If the inspections are carried out strictly according to the requirements, half of the people in the Northeast region will be homeless."

“The situation in my community is similar to that here.”

"During fire safety inspections, if there are professional safety officers in the community, the inspection can be passed."

"The focus of the inspection is to ensure safety, not to kick people out of their homes."

Detective O'Malley glanced at Walter Reed:
"Safety officers within the community are usually firefighters or police officers."

"I am the safety officer of our community."

“I have to check every single household every week.”

Theodore looked at Detective O'Malley strangely:

"So the deceased was the building's internal security guard?"

Detective O'Malley didn't say anything more, but instead looked at Walter Reed with him.

Walter Reed nodded:

"Alan serves as a safety officer and can help with fire inspections."

"As a token of my gratitude, I waived his rent."

Theodore asked him, "How long?"

Walter Reed asked, puzzled, "How long?"

Theodore: "How long will you waive the deceased's rent?"

Walter Reed hesitated for a moment: "One year."

"He helped me with an inspection and waived a year's rent."

He added:

"He was just doing me a favor."

"He also helps maintain the apartment regularly."

Theodore turned to Detective O'Malley: "When was the last fire inspection?"

Detective O'Malley's face darkened as he stared intently at Walter Reed:
"last month."

Theodore asked Walter Reed:
"Did the deceased handle the fire inspection for you last month?"

Walter Reid and Detective O'Malley exchanged a glance for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes."

Theodore then asked him, "Did the inspection pass?"

Walter Reed paused for a moment, then shook his head:
"There are a few minor issues that need to be addressed."

He emphasized:

"He's already taking care of it for me."

Detective O'Malley was still staring at him: "What questions?"

Walter Reid looked around, then got up and retrieved the documents.

Detective O'Malley snatched the document, glanced at it, and handed it to Theodore.

The document lists many items:
The apartment's lead water pipes hadn't been replaced, the septic tank was overflowing, the air-raid shelter lacked ventilation and supplies, the floorboards were rotten, the load-bearing walls were cracked, there were no smoke detectors, and the stairwells were cluttered... a whole host of problems.

Almost all the problems with the apartment were listed.

This isn't just a few minor issues that haven't been addressed; it's that not a single issue has been resolved.

Walter Reid quickly pulled out two more documents and explained loudly:
"He's already taking care of it for me! Really!"

One document shows that the stair railings and handrails have been reinforced and the stairwell has been cleared of debris; the other document shows that the floorboards have been replaced.

Theodore put down the file, glanced at Detective O'Malley, and asked:
Why didn't the deceased let you pass the examination from the beginning this time?

Walter Reed was sweating.

He said somewhat anxiously, "There's a little misunderstanding between us, just a small one."

“I waived his rent, and he helped me re-process the inspection documents.”

Theodore asked again, "What misunderstanding?"

Walter Reid glanced at Detective O'Malley and whispered:
"Because of Rex."

Theodore looked blankly at Detective O'Malley: "Who is Rex?"

Detective O'Malley felt that Walter Reed was insulting Allen.

He also believed that Walter Reed might be the murderer who killed Alan.

He had no idea what the motive was for the nine suspects before, but now Walter Reed had told him.

He explained:

"Rex is Allen's dog."

Walter Reed nodded:

"Rex barks all day long, it's so annoying."

"Everyone hates it!"

"Because of it, all the residents of room 202 have moved away."

“Other residents have also threatened to move out if this issue isn’t resolved.”

"And they also demanded a reduction in rent."

"This month alone, it scared away three potential tenants who came to view the apartment! That's why room 202 has been vacant ever since!"

"If it keeps barking like this, my whole apartment will be empty!"

He was both angry and aggrieved.
“I went to talk to Alan Brennan.”

“He always agrees readily, but within ten minutes, that damn dog will start barking again.”

“I pointed out the quiet enjoyment clause in the lease to him and told him that if he didn’t take care of Rex, I would kick him out.”

"I received the results of the fire inspection the very next day."

He pushed a large pile of problem files on the table.

The apartment building failed a fire safety inspection and was ordered to make rectifications, otherwise all residents would be forcibly evicted.

“I went to Alan Brennan, hoping things would be as they were before. He told me he would help resolve these issues.”

"We also talked about the dog."

“Alan Brennan told me that he had really tried everything, but Rex just kept barking and he couldn’t do anything about it.”

Walter Reid emphasized:

"While Rex's problem remains unresolved, my issue with Alan Brennan has been resolved. We have resumed our previous relationship."

Detective O'Malley did not believe Walter Reed's explanation. He pulled out handcuffs and prepared to take Walter Reed back to the police station.

Theodore does not believe that Walter Reed is the murderer.

However, he did not stop Detective O'Malley.

(End of this chapter)