1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 192 Fire!
Theodore made no demands:

"On the night of the incident, April 30, the arsonist cleaned up the scene in just ten minutes and disappeared without a trace."

“且对1号死者的尸检结果显示，其左腿存在轻微骨裂，高度为17.7-19.7英寸（大约45-50cm）。”

"This height and width are exactly in line with the front bumper of the car."

He provided an analysis of the incident:
"The arsonist knew something about the first victim. He lay in ambush by the roadside, waiting for the first victim to appear, and then ran him over with his car."

"Then he got out of the car, poured the gasoline he had prepared earlier on the body of the first victim, and set it on fire."

"After we discovered them, they immediately drove away."

"Only a small amount of gasoline residue was found at the scene. No containers containing gasoline or ignition tools were found."

Theodore pointed down again:

"The forensic department has just released the preliminary autopsy results for victim number 2. The time of death of victim number 2 is the same as that of victim number 1."

"This suggests that the arsonist likely killed victim number 2 on the spot, put the body in a car, and transported it to the Anacasta River to dump the body."

He looked at the deputy superintendent and offered his advice:
“You can try to investigate eastbound traffic at the time of the incident, especially vehicles heading towards the Anacastia River.”

He reminded the deputy police commissioner:

"This vehicle is the only physical evidence we currently have that exposes the arsonist. Finding it will allow us to directly identify the arsonist."

The deputy police commissioner nodded solemnly in agreement.

He believes this is a good direction for investigation.

Just like Theodore said, if we keep investigating, we can catch the arsonist once we find his car.

He asked Theodore:
"Can we catch the arsonist before he strikes again?"

Theodore shook his head, answering with absolute certainty:

"it's out of the question."

He offered an explanation:
“We can investigate by checking the vehicles or searching the location where the body of the second victim was dumped, but this is a very time-consuming task.”

"For the arsonist, the urge to set the fire grew exponentially with each passing day, and he simply couldn't wait until the investigations from both sides yielded results."

He paused, then emphasized:

"If he could do that, he wouldn't have become an arsonist."

The deputy police commissioner was somewhat disappointed.

After leaving the fourth precinct, Theodore and his two colleagues returned to the Department of Justice building, just in time for their workday.

The bald firefighter hadn't left yet.

He opened the brand-new notebook:

“I’ve called several fire stations in the Northeast region to ask.”

"From April 30th to today, there have been three fires in the Northeast District."

Upon hearing this, Theodore and the other two stopped and turned to look at him.

The bald firefighter turned the pages of the book, introducing each item one by one:
"The first fire occurred at approximately 3:15 AM on May 1st."

Jefferson Auto Repair Shop, located at the intersection of 8th Street and Benning Road in the Northeast District.

Bernie immediately went to find the map, but was stopped by the bald firefighter.

He took out a map he had prepared beforehand, spread it out, and pointed to the locations marked with red circles on it for everyone to see.

This place is quite far from where Evelyn Shaw was burned alive, but it's closer to the Anacasta River.

Bernie asked him:

"Was it an accident?"

The bald firefighter nodded:

"The night shift apprentice at the repair shop violated regulations by using a welding torch to cut the fuel tank. The fuel tank was not cleaned properly and there was still residual gasoline inside."

"The fuel tank exploded, knocking over the kerosene drum next to it."

"Ket oil was spilled all over the ground, and fire was spreading everywhere along with the kerosene."

"When the firefighters arrived at the scene, the entire repair shop was almost burned down."

He paused, then continued:

"This was confirmed by the apprentice himself at the scene of the fire."

The bald firefighter then described the second fire:
"The second incident occurred around 21:40 on May 3."

"A fire broke out at the St. Mark's Church shelter on the East section of Maryland Avenue due to a short circuit."

"The investigation revealed that the short circuit was caused by a homeless person illegally connecting the church's electrical wiring."

He looked up at the three of them and added:
"It was also confirmed by those homeless people themselves."

Billy Hawke asked, "How many?"

The bald firefighter nodded: "At least seven people have illegally tapped into the church's electrical wiring."

“I spoke with the on-site commander of the fire, and he said he was very certain that it was caused by these people haphazardly connecting electrical wires.”

Theodore, skeptical of the skills of a complete stranger, asked the bald firefighter:
What's your judgment?

The bald firefighter vouched for his colleague:
“I haven’t seen any photos of the scene, and the report hasn’t come out yet, but he joined the fire station in the same year as me.”

"He won't make a mistake."

Theodore neither confirmed nor denied this.
"Age does not equate to skill."

The bald firefighter thought for a moment:

“After listening to his description of the scene, my judgment is the same as his.”

Theodore did not raise any further questions.

The bald firefighter recounts the last fire:
"The last incident occurred yesterday afternoon, around 14:20 PM."

“An Italian family restaurant at 198 H Street was burned down.”

"I went to the scene and saw that it was probably a fire in a frying pan that ignited the grease buildup on the inner wall of the exhaust duct."

He closed his notebook and summarized:

"The causes of these three fires are all clear and have nothing to do with the arsonist we are looking for."

Theodore, recalling the profiles in the 15 reports, agreed with the bald firefighter's conclusions.

He glanced at the calendar.

Today is May 5th, five days since the arsonist burned Evelyn Shaw to death.

The bald firefighter asked him with some concern:

"Could the arsonist have set fires in other places?"

"Now that many people have heard that we are investigating the fire, could the arsonists have also heard about it?"

Theodore dismissed his guess:

"The Northeast region is the arsonist's comfort zone."

“Cross-regional crimes will expose arsonists to many problems and could very likely lead to their exposure.”

"The arsonist chose a location where Evelyn Shaw was burned to death that was not far from your fire station, and there was an apartment building right next to it."

"This location is easy to spot."

"He could have easily taken the person to a safe place and calmly carried out the burning."

"But he didn't do that; he still chose to burn it on the spot."

"He would feel confident and in control in the Northeast region."

The bald firefighter breathed a sigh of relief:
"That's good."

“I’ve already told them that they will notify me immediately if a fire breaks out.”

Bernie reminded the bald firefighter to remember to contact him after receiving the notification.

After seeing the bald firefighter off, Theodore and Bernie drove to Arlington.

Bernie's house has been renovated.

When they arrived, the renovation company staff were already waiting at the door.

He was still that seemingly dull and old-fashioned middle-aged man.

He handed the renovation plan to Bernie, led the two of them on a tour of the building, and gave a concise explanation:
"This is the fireplace, made according to the renovation plan you provided."

"This is the stair railing. The first version of the renovation plan used metal railings and walnut handrails, but you later modified the plan."

"This is a chimney..."

"This is the bedroom..."

"This is the kitchen..."

He only speaks more when the FBI makes requests regarding the agents' residences.

After viewing the house, the middle-aged man handed the keys to Bernie and reminded him:

"Remember to change the door locks."

"If there is anything that does not meet the requirements, please contact us for improvement."

The house is all renovated, and Felton's furniture will arrive tomorrow. We were supposed to move in this weekend, as planned.

The plan has now had to be put on hold.

Not only will the moving plan be put on hold, but Mrs. Sullivan and her son Sullivan's arrival in DC will also be postponed.

It's all because of the arsonist!
Back at his apartment, Bernie called his wife to renegotiate the time.

The two hadn't seen each other for half a year and missed each other terribly, chatting sweetly on the phone.

Theodore reminded him that continuing to have the line busy might prevent the bald firefighter from getting through, thus missing the opportunity to arrive at the fire scene as soon as possible.

Bernie reluctantly said goodbye to his wife for more than ten minutes before hanging up the phone.

After ending the call, he slumped onto the sofa, muttering:

"Hopefully the arsonist will set the fire tonight, the fourth precinct will be able to find the car he was driving tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow they will arrest him."

Theodore looked up and pointed towards the bedroom:
"Go to bed if you're sleepy."

Bernie sighed and secretly took out Felton Star to retaliate against Xi.

Laughter soon erupted from the sofa.

11:30 am.

Theodore was just getting ready for bed when the phone rang.

The call was from the bald firefighter.

Five minutes ago, Fire Station 13 received a report of a fire at apartment 209, northeast section of Brentwood Road.

After ending the call, Theodore grabbed his car keys first, then went to wake Bernie.

The two sped along the road and arrived at the scene in just over half an hour.

The streets of DC are deserted late at night.

Apartment 209 is almost identical to the apartment where Alan Brennan lived.

There are old four-story apartments like this all over the neighborhood.

When Theodore and Bernie arrived at the scene, the fire had not yet been extinguished, and the bright flames could be seen from afar.

Above the flames, thick smoke billowed into the sky.

However, the thick smoke was not very noticeable under the cover of night.

The scene was very lively.

A large crowd of onlookers had gathered around the outermost perimeter.

These people are all residents living nearby.

Blocking these people were officers from the Fourth Precinct.

They arrived much earlier than Theodore and Bernie.

The two presented their identification and were granted permission to pass.

They passed the police car and found Detective O'Malley directing the operation.

Detective O'Malley had just finished reporting the situation to the deputy commissioner via a public phone.

Seeing Theodore and Bernie, he quickly walked over.

Bernie asked him:

"what's the situation?"

Detective O'Malley shook his head:

"Around 11:20, the fire station received an alarm."

"This place is quite far from the fire station. By the time the firefighters arrived, the fire had already started."

He pointed behind the two of them:

"After we arrived, we found the person who called the police."

"He is a resident of this apartment building. He called the police after smelling the thick smoke."

Theodore and Bernie turned around and saw a dozen people isolated together.

They were wearing all sorts of coats, most of them only wearing pajamas underneath. Some were hugging each other, while others were silently weeping as they looked at the burning apartment.

These people are all apartment residents.

Detective O'Malley asked Theodore:
"Do you want to go and talk to him?"

He further identified the person who reported the incident:

"It's the one over there wearing my coat."

Theodore shook his head.

Bernie looked around and asked Detective O'Malley about the whereabouts of the bald firefighter.

Detective O'Malley pointed to the burning apartment:

"He's leading his team to put out the fire."

Bernie looked in that direction, but couldn't make out the shadows clearly.

The steam and thick smoke were mixed together, and it was good enough if you could even see a person's silhouette.

Theodore reminded Detective O'Malley:

"The arsonist was a repeat offender, and there was a high probability that he would blend into the crowd and watch the fire."

Detective O'Malley pointed to the crowd:
"I've already had someone register it."

Several people in police uniforms were weaving in and out of the crowd, occasionally chatting with those around them.

Detective O'Malley looked at the crowd watching the commotion and said in a deep voice:
"It would be best to scare him away."

He patted his gun holster:
"He'd better start running."

Theodore looked at him, then at the crowd.

The distance is estimated to be at least fifty meters.

He highly doubted that Detective O'Malley had such good marksmanship.

Unless he intends to shoot indiscriminately at the crowd.

A commotion arose in the crowd, and then a tall, muscular figure broke through the police cordon and ran towards them.

It's Billy Hawke.

He glanced at the apartment engulfed in flames, then at Theodore and his two companions standing together, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

The bald firefighter not only called Theodore and Bernie, but also Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley.

Theodore waited at the scene for nearly half an hour until the flames finally weakened and the fire gradually subsided.

The crowd that had gathered outside had gradually dispersed.

Most of the people living here are blue-collar workers. It's fine to watch the excitement for a while, but not all night.

They have to go to work tomorrow.

The bald firefighter walked over, wearing a bulky black firefighting suit.

His body was covered in black ash, but his face and head were clean, with water droplets still faintly visible.

It must have just been rinsed.

One side of his face turned an unnatural red, probably from being burned.

The bald firefighter greeted the group and then plopped down on the ground.

He waved his hand and pointed in the direction of the apartment:
"I told them not to go in to investigate after the fire is extinguished."

"Waiting for you all to come together."

He paused, took a couple of breaths, and looked up at Theodore, asking:
"So? Was it the arsonist who set the fire?"

During the wait, Theodore's gaze remained fixed on the crowd.

He watched a woman carrying a child leave as she came out to watch the commotion, then turned around and shook his head.
"I don't know."

"We need to investigate the cause of the fire first."

He looked around and asked the bald firefighter:
How far is it from here to Alan Brennan's apartment?

The bald firefighter silently did some calculations:
"About five or six hundred yards."

"what happened?"

Theodore did not answer, but simply looked at the apartment, which was faintly tinged with orange.

The orange-red color gradually faded and eventually disappeared.

Firefighters are conducting a final check to ensure there are no open flames.

The bald firefighter, having rested enough, stood up from the ground:
"Let's go."

"I'll take you in."

Theodore, Bernie, and Billy Hawke followed behind him toward the apartment.

Detective O'Malley beckoned to a young officer, gave him a few instructions, and followed him.

(End of this chapter)