1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 188 Landing, Sowing Seeds

Bernie and Billy Hawke were very efficient.

They completed the screening of all 417 fire accident investigation reports in just one day.

The bald firefighter received 120 reports that required his verification.

His efficiency here is much slower.

After a whole day, I had only read about thirty documents.

The main problem is that the quality of the reports varies greatly, and many reports are almost meaningless. This requires him to communicate with the firefighters who signed the reports to understand the actual situation on the ground before making a judgment.

This greatly reduced his efficiency.

The following afternoon, Detective O'Malley arrived.

The Fourth Precinct had not given up the search for Frank Kowalski, but still found nothing.

They conducted a full social relations investigation of Evelyn Shaw and her son.

Evelyn Shaw is from Port Annapolis, Maryland. Her father and brother were both fishing boat mechanics, and her mother was a nurse.

Eight years ago, one summer, she fell in love at first sight with a naval soldier who was on board a ship at a bar in her hometown.

After the two tasted the forbidden fruit, the fleet left port, and the naval soldier disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only the pregnant Evelyn Shaw.

Evelyn Shaw's entire family are Catholics and they find it completely unacceptable that she had given birth out of wedlock, such a huge scandal.

Her mother demanded that she give her child up for adoption, her father ignored her, and her brother tried to introduce her to a husband so that she could get married before giving birth.

Evelyn Shaw became a laughingstock in the community and was considered a disgrace by her family.

Unable to bear it any longer, she brought Frank Kowalski, who was still an infant, to DC alone.

The Navy soldier had told her in bed that his home was in DC.

However, she never found the naval soldier named Kowalski.

Evelyn Shaw, unwilling to go home, settled in DC and became a nurse.

Evelyn Shaw had a tough time as a single mother.

As Detective O'Malley recounted his story, everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and listened intently.

Evelyn Shaw had a very simple social network.

Apart from the colleague she stayed with, she had almost no friends.

Because she had to take care of her son, and due to the nature of her profession as a nurse, she rarely participated in social activities.

Detective O'Malley looked at Theodore:

“We contacted the Port Annapolis Police Department. Evelyn Shaw’s parents passed away three years ago.”

"Her only living relative is her brother Harold Shaw."

“Harold Shaw sold his assets last year and left Annapolis Port City, and his whereabouts are unknown.”

“We suspect that Harold Shaw may have come to DC, met his sister Evelyn Shaw, and burned her alive.”

If the arsonist was indeed Harold Shaw, then it was a case of itinerant crime, and the case should fall under the jurisdiction of the FBI.

After a pause, Detective O'Malley continued:

"We are still investigating both lists."

"The residents near the crime scene have been checked. It was too late at the time, and most people were asleep."

"They were awakened by the subsequent on-site investigation and had no idea what had happened."

Theodore asked him:
"Is anyone interested in the case itself?"

Detective O'Malley looked at him and asked, "You mean...?"

Theodore gave an example:
"They inquired about the case, especially the circumstances of the deceased, and became curious about the progress of the investigation."

"A stronger curiosity than that of ordinary residents, and a deeper pursuit of the details of the case."

Detective O'Malley took out his notebook and wrote it down, intending to go back and ask him about it.

He told Theodore that they had now identified Harold Shaw as their prime suspect.

Harold Shaw is the only person they've identified so far with a motive to kill Evelyn Shaw.

Moreover, he is still missing. Theodore neither confirmed nor denied this.

He did not intend to join the investigation into Harold Shaw.

He will continue to study his fire accident investigation report.

This left Detective O'Malley somewhat disappointed.

He asked Theodore:

"You don't think Harold Shaw is the murderer?"

Theodore hesitated for a moment, then analyzed:
"Indeed, some arsonists regard fire as a ritual to purify impurities."

“They view the victims as unclean, and burning the victims is seen as cleaning the world.”

"These arsonists are often influenced by myths and legends and consider themselves devout believers."

"But in essence, they are simply portraying themselves as ultimate arbiters who are above religion."

Detective O'Malley asked him curiously:

"Isn't this exactly what Harold Shaw is doing?"

He looked to the others for support:
"He always regarded Evelyn Shaw as a disgrace to the family, and burning Evelyn Shaw to death was exactly the purification effect he wanted."

The bald firefighter also joined the discussion.

He did not agree with Detective O'Malley's statement.

He unequivocally expressed his support for Harold Shaw:

"You just said that Evelyn Shaw's brother, father, and mother were all devout Catholics."

"After learning that she was pregnant out of wedlock, they thought of getting her married before giving birth or giving the child up for adoption after giving birth, rather than having her have an abortion."

He explained to everyone:

"That's because abortion is equivalent to murdering an innocent person, which is an unforgivable sin. After death, one will go to hell and will never be able to go to heaven."

"Having a child out of wedlock is a violation of the Sixth Commandment, which prohibits adultery. It is a grave sin, but it can be forgiven through repentance."

Theodore and the others couldn't help but look at him.

The bald firefighter said in a deep voice:

"Dousing people with gasoline and then burning them to death is a cruel and extreme act that violates human dignity and is a desecration of the image of God."

“A true Catholic would never do that!”

Bernie sided with Detective O'Malley:
"It's been seven years since Harold Shaw and Evelyn Shaw separated. Who knows what he's become now?"

"Besides, his parents are dead, and he might blame Evelyn Shaw for it, thinking she's the one who caused his parents' deaths."

The bald firefighter suspected Bernie was making excuses.

Billy Hawke, however, thought Bernie and Detective O'Malley were right:
"What if he changes his faith?"

The bald firefighter shook his head in defense of Harold Shaw.

He believed that Harold Shaw was a true Catholic, whose faith must be steadfast and would not easily change.

He told everyone that he believed Harold Shaw was not the murderer who burned Evelyn Shaw.

Theodore was puzzled by the bald firefighter's method of reaching a conclusion, but he agreed with the conclusion:

Harold Shaw needs time.

"A year is not enough time for him to achieve the same level of skill as the arsonist in this case."

He looked at Detective O'Malley and asked:
Did Harold Shaw have a history of arson?

Detective O'Malley, who had previously communicated with the Port Annapolis Police Department, shook his head upon hearing this.

Theodore continued to ask:

Does he have a history of other violent crimes or criminal records?

Detective O'Malley shook his head.

Theodore shrugs:
Harold Shaw was not the arsonist.

(End of this chapter)