1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 189 Why didn't you call for help?

Detective O'Malley was skeptical of Theodore's assessment.

He told Theodore that Harold Shaw was Evelyn Shaw's only known living relative.

He was also the only suspect they had a motive for committing the crime.

In any case, they have to find Harold Shaw.

He paused for a moment, then steered the conversation back to Frank Kowalski.

Frank Kowalski has disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

By questioning people who saw Frank Kowalski at hospitals and schools on the day of his disappearance, they obtained the clothes he was wearing.

She wore a blue and white striped knit sweater with a "Penney's" label on the neckline.

Brown corduroy overalls with brass buckles engraved with "Sears 1960".

This is a classic style from Sears' children's line, popular among low- and middle-income families.

He was wearing a pair of white high-top canvas shoes with cracked toes.

He was carrying a blue backpack with a space rocket pattern printed on it.

Frank Kowalski's outfit is a trendy style for the season.

Many children of the same age have this outfit.

This makes the search more difficult.

The Fourth Precinct has begun mobilizing volunteers to search the community.

Still no results.

Detective O'Malley has also handled kidnapping cases.

Each time such a large-scale search is conducted, what is often found in the end is a corpse.

This is a rather heavy topic.

A brief silence fell over the office.

Detective O'Malley stood up and said goodbye.

Before leaving get off work in the afternoon, Theodore was called to Rosen's office.

Supervisor Rosen stared at Theodore for a while, feeling a bit of a headache.

He's been very busy lately, and before he knew it, Theodore had taken on a child kidnapping case.

Kidnapping, robbery, and other politically sensitive cases are absolutely off-limits to Theodore.

This was personally instructed by Director Hoover.

Rosen's supervisor directly informed Theodore:
"Tomorrow, hand over all the information you have on the child abduction case you're currently investigating. I have other cases to discuss with you."

Theodore was the only one summoned, which made him a little uncomfortable speaking directly with Supervisor Rosen.

He corrected him earnestly:

"This is not a child abduction case."

"Frank Kowalski was dealt with that very night."

"It was an arson case."

Supervisor Rosen waved his hand: "No matter what the case is, this case is no longer under your jurisdiction."

Theodore asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Supervisor Rosen looked at him, feeling a little tired.

It's even more mentally exhausting than managing the agents under my command.

He was about to kick them out:

"No reason why. Okay, it's time to get off work. Go home quickly and avoid traffic jams."

Theodore was unwilling to give up on the case:

"This case is considered by the Fourth Precinct to be closely related to the death of firefighter Alan Brennan."

"They are currently investigating the two cases together."

"I was in charge of the Alan Brennan murder case, and I should be in charge of this case as well."

Supervisor Rosen regretted his actions and asked, "Are the two of them related?"

Theodore shook his head:

"There is little connection."

Supervisor Rosen shrugged and glared.

Theodore insisted on not transferring the shares.

The last case Theodore investigated started as a simple police car theft, but it gradually developed into a Bonnie and Clyde copycat case.

Even BAR has appeared.

Supervisor Rosen began to become curious about the case.

Theodore gathered his thoughts briefly and began to recount the case.

He spoke very objectively, without adding any subjective factors, just like reading a story from a book, dry and straightforward.

Supervisor Rosen frowned as he listened.

Based on his experience, he judged that this case would most likely remain unsolved.

The arsonist left almost no clues, and the police had no way to investigate beyond Evelyn Shaw's social connections.

The police have now conducted a thorough investigation of Evelyn Shaw's social connections and have not found any other suspects besides her brother.

That makes it even more crucial that Theodore doesn't touch it!
Supervisor Rosen listened to Theodore's story while staring at him.

He really wanted to ask Theodore why he was so interested in this kind of case and why he was so fixated on it.

Theodore continues to lead the investigation into the case.

Supervisor Rosen sighed silently and waved for Theodore to leave.

Theodore didn't leave; he looked at Supervisor Rosen.

He left only after confirming that he still had control of the case.

Supervisor Rosen sat in the chair for a while, took a newspaper from the drawer, and walked towards the director's office.

Director Hoover is not here.

Recently, Director Hoover has been working on his communications security bill, which is based at the Capitol.

Supervisor Rosen handed the newspaper to Ms. Gandy.

This is a sample copy of a third-rate tabloid, which differs from newspapers published in the market.

DC has a thriving newspaper industry, and these small newspapers are as numerous as hairs on a cow.

Newspaper front page headline:

A 26-year-old veteran detective leads investigation into the disappearance of a seven-year-old child, but the case remains unresolved after several days.

The article begins with Theodore's name, first introducing his status as the FBI director's nephew, then listing his past work in DC, before finally getting to the main topic.

He mentioned that an investigation into the recent disappearance of a seven-year-old child is under his leadership.

However, the police have made no progress in the past few days.

The article also mentioned that, according to sources, Theodore spends all his time hiding in his office looking through documents.

The report concludes by posing a question:
"Can you find missing children by simply looking through files in an office?"

Ms. Gandy looked serious after reading the report.

Supervisor Rosen told Ms. Gandy that the sample copy had been intercepted by an agent and that the newspaper was currently under investigation.

The journalist who wrote the report is also under investigation by the FBI and is currently on the second basement level.

In the evening, the newspaper was delivered to Hoover by Ms. Gandy.

Also delivered was information about Theodore's current situation.

Hoover finished reading the newspaper, snorted, and handed it to Clyde.

After reading it, Clyde concluded that it was specifically targeted at Hoover.

Theodore was just a ladder.

If this article is published, the next follow-up report may target Hoover.

This indicates that some people do not want the communications security bill to pass.

The two agreed.

Hoover's face showed a hint of anger.

He was angry that someone had dragged Theodore into this.

But when Clyde asked whether Theodore should be transferred away from the case, he fell silent.

After a brief moment of thought, Hoover shook his head, looked at Clyde, and snorted:
"Should we transfer him away from this flimsy case and then send him to the countryside?"

He tapped the newspaper sample on the table:

"Have Alex Rosen thoroughly investigate this newspaper."

"The actions of this newspaper have threatened national security."

The two then began discussing President Jack.

President Jack delivered a speech to Congress on April 25, announcing a goal of landing on the moon within a decade and launching a series of initiatives.

According to NASA, Emilyka will also conduct a manned spaceflight test two days later, in the early morning of May 5th. This launch test will be broadcast live to boost morale and reverse the decline since April.

This places very high demands on the FBI.

What if the flight fails?
Are you inviting the whole world to watch human fireworks?
Mentioning Hoover always brings a barrage of complaints.

He was very unhappy with President Jack’s love of being in the media spotlight.

the next day.

Supervisor Rosen received instructions from Director Hoover.

The main objective is to thoroughly investigate third-rate newspapers that endanger national security and to find out whether they receive funding from foreign forces, especially from the north.

Theodore was not mentioned at all in the instructions.

Supervisor Rosen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

…………

Offices on the basement floor of the Department of Justice building.

The bald firefighter closed the report in his hand and placed it on his right.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath.

He was delighted to receive a call from the FBI inviting him to be a fire expert, and he was even a little smug.

He even called his friends to brag about it.

This is the FBI, and an expert advisor at that!

This is an acknowledgment of his abilities!
Of the more than 1500 firefighters currently on duty in DC, how many have had such an experience?

For him, this is not only an honor, but also a source of tangible help.

He barely managed to get through those three days by gritting his teeth.

He felt that reading reports was even more painful than physical training.

it's good now.

After more than 80 hours of hard work, all 120 reports delivered to him were finally checked.

The ordeal is finally over!
His commotion attracted the attention of Bernie and Billy Hawke.

Bernie asked him:

"You've read them all?"

The bald firefighter stood up and nodded vigorously.

The group looked at Theodore together.

After he reviewed them, a total of 15 reports were delivered to Theodore.

Theodore heard his reply, but still asked him to confirm:
Are there only fifteen portions?

The bald firefighter was about to blurt out, "Of course."

He suddenly realized that he was assisting in the investigation of a heinous murder case, and that he was an expert consultant hired by the FBI.

The bald firefighter felt he should be more cautious!
He pointed with a serious expression to the reports scattered there:

"That's all I can confirm."

"There might be some that I didn't recognize."

Theodore nodded, not surprised.

These past few days, listening to the bald firefighter explain why every report was attributed to human error rather than an accident, Theodore and his two companions have almost learned how to create accidents.

Yesterday at lunch, Billy Hawke asked the bald firefighter if he were the arsonist, could he disguise the fire so that no one could detect it?

The bald firefighter was reluctant to answer the question, but he still gave an answer.

He told everyone that he could do it not only in one way, but also in more than one way.

The bald firefighter looked at Theodore with some concern:
Will this have any impact?

He couldn't understand how Theodore would identify the arsonist from these reports.

He even suspected that Theodore might pull out a crystal ball and perform a divination on the spot.

Theodore shook his head:

"I don't need all the arsonists' crimes."

The bald firefighter breathed a sigh of relief.

in the afternoon.

Detective O'Malley is here again.

He brought the freshly completed autopsy report.

Theodore took the autopsy report and quickly flipped through it:
The deceased's thyroid cartilage was partially melted and deformed, and the mucous membrane was completely carbonized and peeled off.

The trachea was filled with black carbon particles, and the submucosal vascular network was exposed.

The surface of the lungs was charred and hardened, and the cut surface showed bronchial ash plugs.

The heart's blood is cherry red, and Hopkinson's reagent shows a rose-red reaction.

The right ventricle is dilated, and there are petechial hemorrhages under the endocardium.

The liver capsule was shrunken, and the cut surface showed a boiled meat-like appearance, indicating thermal coagulative necrosis.

The stomach contents were semi-liquid and contained undigested bread and beef fibers.

There is a minor fracture in the left leg, with a height of 17.7-19.7 inches (approximately 45-50 cm).

The tall, thin forensic doctor determined the cause of death to be deep burns complicated by hypovolemic shock, which resulted from extensive fluid loss from the body surface combined with high-temperature inhalation burns.

The autopsy report was accompanied by the FBI laboratory's test results on numerous physical evidence samples.

Theodore focused on the detection of combustion accelerants and the detection of grayish-white molten beads.

Upon comparison, the grayish-white molten beads remaining on the deceased's legs and at the scene were confirmed to be residue from nylon stockings.

The combustion improver has been identified as gasoline.

Whether it was a tip-off from Detective O'Malley or not, the autopsy report from the tall, thin medical examiner was detailed and comprehensive, with cautious and professional wording.

This is a standard autopsy report.

Moreover, it's a very comfortable read.

But it's of no use.

The report content is basically just repeating and verifying known information.

The previous anatomical findings of the respiratory system, circulatory system, and other organs all support the conclusion that death was caused by live incineration.

The autopsy report even included the deceased's blood type: A Rh positive, which matched Evelyn Shaw's registered blood type at the hospital. This further confirmed the body's identity as Evelyn Shaw.

The only thing that caught Theodore's attention was the fracture in the corpse's left knee.

A few days ago, during the external examination of the body, the tall and thin forensic doctor discovered subcutaneous bleeding in the left knee and right arm of the deceased.

Theodore compared the heights and asked Bernie and the others:

"Is this about the same height as a car's front bumper?"

During this period, the functionality of bumpers was far less than their decorative value.

The primary function of a bumper is to enhance its appearance and symbolize a sense of power; its design should primarily prioritize aesthetics.

Because car owners are allowed to design their own bumpers, the shapes are incredibly diverse.

Theodore has seen all sorts of bizarre bumpers on the road.

However, although the designs of the bumpers vary, their locations are basically the same.

The bald firefighter knew the vehicle well; after gesturing for a moment, he nodded.
"Most family cars have bumpers that are about this height."

Detective O'Malley looked at Theodore:

"You suspect Evelyn Shaw was in a car accident before she died?"

Theodore was looking at him too:
"I suspect the arsonist ran her over with his car."

He explained:

"If the car accident occurred before she was attacked by the arsonist, she should have been near the hospital at that time."

"This kind of injury can be treated with simple bandaging at the hospital."

"But no dressing was found here during the post-mortem examination."

He analyzed:

"The arsonist may have been lying in ambush on the road beforehand, and after the victim appeared, he drove his car to run him over, then got out, poured gasoline on the victim, and set him on fire."

"He stood there for a brief moment admiring the view, but was disturbed by the three of us, so he drove away."

He said with certainty:

"The arsonist drove there that night."

Detective O'Malley raised the following questions:
Why didn't she rush towards the arsonist, but instead ran away from him?

"She didn't call for help either."

"She can run, so why didn't she call for help?"

Theodore glanced at him:
"Because of Frank Kowalski."

"He is in the hands of the arsonist."

(End of this chapter)