1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 182 Thief
Robert Hayes told Bernie that it was related to his petty theft habit.

He had observed every resident in the apartment and was very familiar with their routines and lifestyles.

To prove this, he began to recount his observations to the crowd:

“The richest person in the apartment is Cecilia Flynn.”

"She had a jewelry box filled with valuable jewelry."

"She also received a considerable inheritance from her two husbands."

"However, she almost never goes out, and when she does, she carries her jewelry in a bag with her."

"Her money is also in the bank."

"Ed Warren spends most of his time either at work or sleeping, and rarely goes out."

"Moreover, there was nothing in his house except for the original furniture in the room, and only some clothes and bedding."

"He saved all the money."

"The only valuable thing in his house was a radio."

"Old Henry has a lot of valuable things at home, but he has difficulty walking and rarely goes out."

“Almost all of the household items in his home were bought with the help of Allen’s wife, Martha.”

Bernie asked him, "What about the others?"

Robert Hayes hesitated for a moment, then continued:
“Walter Reed was often out, but I wouldn’t dare steal from his house.”

“He told me that if his house was burglarized, I would be held responsible.”

“He will kick me out of the apartment.”

He paused, then said in a somewhat complicated tone:
"The same goes for the Allen family."

"He can make me a target of everyone's hatred with just one sentence."

Bernie pressed, "What about Evelyn Shaw?"

Robert Hayes looked at him:

“Evelyn Shaw goes to work at six or seven in the morning and often doesn’t come back until seven or eight at night, sometimes until the early hours of the morning.”

"Her get off work hours are exactly the opposite of mine."

“She wasn’t home when I was home.”

"And she's a woman with a child."

Bernie raised questions:

“Evelyn Shaw’s night shift schedule isn’t fixed. How did you know she was on the night shift on April 23rd?”

Detective O'Malley lowered his arm and added:
"Even if Evelyn Shaw was on the night shift, how did you know she wasn't home when the fire started?"

Robert Hayes opened his mouth, wanting to give a reasonable explanation.

He thought of several, but they were either contradictory or completely unreasonable.

Ultimately, he chose to remain silent.

Bernie glanced at Theodore.

The criminal's shift from being eloquent to falling silent marks a crucial turning point.

Theodore was not going to give Robert Hayes any time.

He took over the question from Bernie:
Have you ever stolen anything?

Robert Hayes looked bewildered: "What?"

He was still thinking about how to explain knowing Evelyn Shaw wasn't home the night of the fire.

Theodore repeated and explained:

"Have you ever stolen? Broke in apartments. Stole from Evelyn Shaw or anyone else?"

Robert Hayes instinctively shook his head, then nodded hurriedly:
"Stolen".

He had previously mentioned that he had a habit of petty theft, and that Alan Brennan had discovered it.

This issue was within his comfort zone, which made him relax a little.

Theodore continued, "Does Walter Reed know?"

Robert Hayes hesitated, unsure how to answer.

He finally nodded: "I understand."

“He warned me that if he found out I had stolen from others again, he would kick me out.”

"So I stopped stealing after that."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "I won't steal from the apartment building anymore."

Theodore pressed, "How did he know?"

Robert Hayes tensed up again.

He remained silent for a while before answering, "Allen Brennan told him."

He quickly explained, "Allen Brennan recommended me to Walter Reed as the apartment maintenance worker."

He believed it was necessary to let Walter Reed know the truth.

"Walter Reed didn't want to use me, and even wanted to kick me out of the apartment. It was only after he spoke up for me that Walter Reed agreed to use me."

"He has helped me a lot, how could I possibly kill him!"

As he finished speaking, his voice rose, and he became somewhat agitated.

Theodore ignored him and continued asking, "Who have you stolen from?"

"Residents of the apartment building."

Robert Hayes paused for a few seconds, as if recalling something:
“When I helped unclog the drain in room 202, I took one of their rings.”

He recounted his experiences of burglary in the apartment.

He stole from everyone except the Walter Reed and Alan Brennan households.

Theodore nodded and asked him:
How did the deceased discover your theft?

Robert Hayes thought for a moment and said:

“Once I stole money from old Crawford, and he found out. He told Alan Brennan about it.”

Theodore immediately pressed, "When?"

Robert Hayes claimed he couldn't remember.

Theodore looked at Bernie.

Bernie understood and stood up, saying:

“I’ll contact Henry Crawford to verify the situation.”

Robert Hayes looked up at Bernie, but when Bernie actually walked out of the interrogation room, he changed his story:
“I robbed Allen Brennan’s house, and he caught me.”

He said somewhat urgently:

“Alan was very angry, but he didn’t call the police; he wanted to help me.”

"He asked me why I stole things and even helped me get a job as an apartment maintenance worker."

He spoke earnestly: "Allen Brennan is a good man! He has helped me many times! I would never hurt him!"

"I really didn't see him. If I had, I would have definitely rescued him!"

Theodore neither confirmed nor denied this; he continued to ask questions:
"Have you stolen anything since then?"

Bernie stood in the doorway and reminded Robert Hayes that he would verify everything.

Robert Hayes fell silent again.

Theodore said in a deep voice:

"You haven't stopped, have you?"

Robert Hayes did not refute, but simply lowered his head and remained silent.

Theodore continued:

"You were burglarizing on the third floor when the fire broke out, right?"

Robert Hayes abruptly looked up at Theodore.

Theodore didn't continue the conversation, but changed the subject.

He asked Robert Hayes:
Did you replace the fuse in the distribution box?

Robert Hayes was very wary:

"It's me. I'm the apartment maintenance worker and also an electrician. What's wrong?"

Theodore seemed completely oblivious to his wariness:
"What did you replace the fuse with?"

Robert Hayes answered cautiously:
"Iron nails".

He immediately added:

"Walter Reid made me change it. He said the fuse was too expensive."

Theodore asked him, "Do you know that this could cause a fire?"

Robert Hayes fell silent again.

Theodore: "If you hadn't replaced the fuse with a nail, this fire would never have happened."

Robert Hayes looked up at him, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Theodore continued:

“You’re the apartment maintenance worker, but you haven’t fulfilled your responsibilities at all.”

Robert Hayes looked up at Theodore again.

Theodore met his gaze:

"You caused the fire."

Robert Hayes said in a low voice, "Walter Reid told me to change the nails."

Theodore shook his head: "But you are the apartment's maintenance worker and electrician. Your job is to ensure the apartment's electrical safety. You can absolutely refuse him."

Robert Hayes wanted to argue, he opened his mouth but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Theodore continued his efforts:
"The fire station has already submitted the fire assessment report, and Walter Reed will soon know that you caused the fire."

He will sue you.

“Other residents will also seek compensation from you.”

"That would be an astronomical figure."

Can you afford it?

Robert Hayes finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He countered:

"You'll have to ask Alan Brennan about that!"

"He's the apartment building's security guard!"

"His safety is his responsibility!"

Bernie glanced up at him, then continued to silently take notes.

The suspect's shift from silence to finally speaking up again marked another significant turning point.

Theodore immediately followed:
"But you are the electrician, and you are responsible for the electrical safety of the apartment!"

Robert Hayes wanted to remain silent, but these familiar words made it impossible for him to hold back:
"You expect me to pay out of my own pocket to replace the entire apartment building's aging wiring?!"

Theodore remained calm, even mimicking Bernie's gesture by shrugging his hands:

"You should at least remind the apartment's security guard and manager."

Robert Hayes immediately retorted:
How do you know I didn't warn you?

He was filled with grief and indignation, his hands resting on the table as he leaned forward.
“I told them that those damn old wires are completely worn out, and the circuits are constantly short-circuiting, which could easily cause a fire!”

"Walter Reid still wants me to replace the fuse with a nail!"

"He also told me that if I insisted, he would make me get out of the apartment immediately!"

Theodore seemed to be deliberately picking a fight:
"Then you should tell the apartment security guard."

Robert Hayes looked mocking:
“I thought Alan Brennan was an honest man, so I told him about it, hoping he could persuade Walter Reed.”

Do you know what he said?

Before Theodore could answer, he asked and answered himself:
"He told me to buy a fire extinguisher and put it next to the electrical box."

"If a fire breaks out, use a fire extinguisher to put it out."

He said he was a firefighter! He's a professional in that field!

"He told me to mind my own business!"

He asked Theodore, "Is this meddling?"

Theodore shook his head:

"Was this the same argument you had when the fire broke out?"

Robert Hayes did not answer.

Theodore continued:

"Is he planning to shift all the blame onto you?"

Robert Hayes looked up.

Detective O'Malley, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore.

He wanted to interrupt, to loudly refute Theodore.

But reason made him swallow back the words that were about to come out.

He lowered his arm and stood somewhat helplessly by the table, his eyes even more bewildered than Robert Hayes'.

He felt that the Alan Brennan mentioned by Theodore was somewhat unfamiliar.

Detective O'Malley looked at Robert Hayes.

He desperately hoped to get a negative answer from Robert Hayes.

Robert Hayes lowered his head again.

Silence fell over the interrogation room.

Theodore had no patience to wait any longer.

He found the firefighter's statement and handed it over.

Robert Hayes picked it up, looked at it, and then put it down.

He was semi-illiterate and didn't recognize many words.

Theodore laid out the testimonies, explained them one by one, and then arranged the times of everyone's entry and exit:
"Firefighter Paul saw the deceased and firefighter Carter walk towards the third floor."

"Firefighter Carter saw the deceased stop on the third floor."

"At this moment, only you and Henry Crawford are on the third floor."

"You said you hadn't seen the dead person."

"Where did he go?"

Robert Hayes glanced at the confession, then looked at Theodore.

Theodore met his gaze calmly and pushed his statement forward slightly.

Bernie looked up:
“Even if you don’t say it, Henry Crawford will.”

"How long do you think Henry Crawford will keep your secret?"

"Would he risk committing a crime by continuing to give false testimony for you?"

"Do you two have such a good relationship?"

"Hey buddy, save us some effort."

He glanced at Theodore, his tone somewhat complicated:

"Besides, you didn't intend to kill Alan Brennan."

"You tried to save him and bring him out of the fire with you."

"It's not your fault."

Robert Hayes placed his finger on the confession and slowly lowered his head.

His voice came out muffled:

"I didn't mean to kill him!"

"He's the one who's been threatening me!"

At the time of the fire, Robert Hayes was burglarizing Evelyn Shaw's house.

When Alan Brennan arrived on the third floor, he saw that Evelyn Shaw's door was open.

He had seen Evelyn Shaw outside the apartment and knew that no one was home, so he immediately thought of Robert Hayes.

This made him extremely angry.

He rushed into the house, grabbed Robert Hayes by the collar, and dragged him out.

Alan Brennan was very disappointed in Robert Hayes, believing that he had betrayed his trust.

Especially in such a critical moment, instead of thinking about escaping, he was stealing.

He angrily hurled insults at Robert Hayes and threatened to settle the score with him once they got out.

He was going to tell all the residents about Robert Hayes' theft and was planning to have Walter Reed inform the apartment manager he knew so that he could be evicted from the area.

Robert Hayes looked up, his face filled with grief and indignation:

"He also said that the fire was all my fault, that I caused it."

"He said he would include my replacement of the fuse with a nail in the investigation report and make me responsible for the fire."

Fueled by anger and fear, and influenced by his surroundings, Robert Hayes grabbed a baseball bat and smashed it down.

Alan Brennan collapsed instantly.

This scene was witnessed by Henry Crawford, who had just opened the door to escape from room 301. Henry Crawford was so frightened that he closed the door again.

Robert Hayes was also stunned, standing there blankly for a while until he heard movement from the stairwell.

Those were Carter and Ed Warren on the fourth floor.

Robert Hayes suddenly realized what was happening and quickly dragged the man into room 302, closing the door behind him.

It was at this moment that he discovered that Alan Brennan was not dead, but had simply passed out.

This relieved him, and he quickly opened the door and dragged the person out.

As soon as he dragged the man out, he ran into Henry Crawford again.

"Old Crawford wanted to go back, but I stopped him."

"The two of us dragged him downstairs together."

His face was sincere, and his words were earnest:
"But he was too heavy, and there was thick smoke all around us. Flames were shooting up below, and the whole corridor was like an oven. Old Crawford and I quickly ran out of strength."

He spoke with unusual urgency:

"I didn't give up on him on purpose."

“I also wanted to rescue him, but if I continued to carry him, old Crawford and I would both be burned to death.”

"We have no choice but to give up on him."

Theodore nodded:

“But when you meet the firefighters on the second floor, you can tell them that Alan Brennan is upstairs.”

"You don't have it."

“You pretend you know nothing.”

(End of this chapter)