1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 181 How did you know you weren't home?
A young police officer appeared at the door and informed them that there was a phone call for Bernie.

The call was from Ed Warren.

Half an hour ago, Robert Hayes came to his door, intending to stay at his house for two days until he found a new place to live.

Ed Warren made an excuse to go out to buy cigarettes and used the convenience store phone to dial the number Bernie had given him.

Robert Hayes is currently fast asleep at home, conserving his energy for the night shift.

Detective O'Malley contacted the patrol officers in the precinct where Ed Warren's apartment was located.

Twenty minutes later, the patrolman brought Robert Hayes back.

He remained calm, obediently registered, and was taken to the interrogation room.

Robert Hayes is somewhat similar to Ed Warren; he's short and stocky.

When he saw Detective O'Malley, he smiled and waved, as if to say hello.

Detective O'Malley, with a stern face and without a word, took Robert Hayes from his colleague and slammed him into the chair.

Robert Hayes grimaced but didn't say anything, just continued to wear a fawning smile as he looked at Detective O'Malley.

Detective O'Malley remained silent, walked to the door, and stood against the wall with his arms crossed.

Bernie tapped the table, drawing Robert Hayes's attention.

He took out his identification, spread it out on the table, and pushed it towards the table.
"FBI Agent Bernie Sullivan."

He gestured to Theodore beside him: "This is my partner, Agent Theodore Dixon Hoover."

He then pointed to Billy Hawke: "Agent Billy Hawke."

Robert Hayes looked at the documents.

Bernie continued:

"We are now handling the case of the murder of firefighter Alan Brennan."

Robert Hayes looked somewhat frightened.

He nodded repeatedly and looked at Detective O'Malley for help:

"I've told you everything I know."

Bernie nodded noncommittally and asked him:
"Where were you on April 23rd when the fire broke out? What were you doing?"

Robert Hayes said fluently:
"I'm fixing the water pipes for old Crawford."

Without Bernie asking, he began to tell the story on his own initiative:

“Old Crawford told me the day before that his water pipes were broken.”

"He didn't want to keep bothering Allen, so he came to me and asked me to fix it for him."

"Walter Reed hired me to help repair the apartment, which was part of my job."

“I went to his house to fix his water pipes, and he even chatted with me for a while.”

"We chatted until about 11:30."

"If we kept chatting, I'd be late for work, so I ended the chat."

"I had just stepped outside when I smelled smoke and discovered that there was a fire downstairs."

“I helped old Crawford into his wheelchair. When we went outside, the fire was already raging, and there was thick smoke everywhere. We couldn’t see anything.”

"We almost choked to death, but luckily we met firefighters who rescued us."

He let out a long breath, as if he was still feeling lingering fear.

Theodore and Bernie listened quietly and took notes.

No one interrupted him, and no one asked any questions.

A brief silence fell over the interrogation room.

This made Robert Hayes somewhat uncomfortable.

He shifted his position, his voice becoming somewhat deep:
“After we came out, they kept asking us if we had seen Allen, saying that Allen had gone to the third floor to rescue us.”

He shrugged: "We didn't see Allen at all."

"On the third floor, there were only two people, Henry Crawford and I."

"After the fire was extinguished, they found Allen in the second-floor stairwell."

Robert Hayes stopped again.

Still, no one spoke.

He sighed deeply: "Allen is a good man."

"He has helped me many times."

He proceeded with his usual tales of Alan Brennan's good deeds. Everyone listened quietly.

This made him extremely uncomfortable.

He adjusted his posture, leaning slightly forward, his face sincere:
"I have a bit of a petty thieving habit."

"Allen has caught me many times."

"He didn't call the police or tell anyone else."

"He kept encouraging me and even helped me find a job."

"It was Allen who introduced me to Walter Reed, who was able to hire me to repair his apartment to pay off the rent."

"Without him, I probably would have been unable to pay my rent and evicted from my apartment long ago."

As he spoke, he wiped the corner of his eye.

Bernie waited a moment and then asked him:
"Finished?"

Robert Hayes nodded.

Bernie nodded, then looked down at the thick stack of documents in his hand, found a sheet of paper filled with writing, placed it on top, and looked up to ask him:
Why did you go to fix the water pipes right before you had to go to work?

"Aren't you worried that it won't be able to be fixed, or that it will interfere with your work hours?"

Robert Hayes paused for a moment, then explained:
“I work the night shift, which is the opposite of your shift.”

"I need to rest during the day, so I only have time at night."

Bernie asked him:

"Aren't you afraid of disturbing Henry Crawford?"

Robert Hayes paused for a moment, then said:
"This is the only time I have to do repairs."

"And old Crawford often had trouble sleeping."

He paused for a moment:
Did you know that Allen's family has a dog?

Bernie and Theodore exchanged a glance, signaling him to continue.

Robert Hayes lowered his voice and said:

"That dog is always barking, keeping everyone in the building awake."

"No matter when I go to fix it, old Crawford is always awake."

He relaxed and his voice returned to normal.

"Besides, fixing a water pipe doesn't take long, and it's enough time to get it fixed before I go to work."

Bernie nodded, neither confirming nor denying it.

Theodore asked:

How did you discover the fire?

Robert Hayes was taken aback, then said directly:
"I smelled smoke, and there were flames in the hallway."

Theodore pressed further, "You saw fire?"

Robert Hayes hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

Theodore continued to ask him:
How did you determine that there was a fire?

"And how is the severity of the fire determined?"

"How did you determine that an evacuation was necessary, instead of using a fire extinguisher to put out the fire?"

"Didn't you think of going over to check? What if the fire wasn't too big and could have been put out?"

Robert Hayes opened his mouth:

"I...I saw fire and thick smoke."

He gestured with his hands, his voice rising:
"With that much thick smoke, it must be on fire!"

Theodore nodded, then asked:
"You judged that the fire required evacuation, so you planned to escape with Henry Crawford, right?"

Robert Hayes glanced at Theodore, thought for a moment, and nodded.

Theodore immediately asked, "Why don't you go and call Evelyn Shaw from Room 302 to run away with Frank Kowalski?"

Robert Hayes blurted out, "They're not home!"

Bernie: "How did you know they weren't home?"

Robert Hayes glanced at Theodore, Bernie, and Billy Hawke, then turned to Detective O'Malley, and completely relaxed.

(End of this chapter)