1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 199 A Good Father

Theodore also remembered how Bernie had expressed his feelings about the Moores.

The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with a strange expression.

A brief silence fell over the carriage once again.

Upon arriving at DC Children’s Medical Center, the two first met with the director.

The dean recognized Theodore and gave them great assistance.

Sean Cowan was transferred to the Children’s Medical Center of DC, located at 1731 Michigan Avenue in Northwest DC.

DC Children’s Medical Center was founded in the 1870s and was originally a children’s home for abandoned infants.

It gradually developed into a well-known children's hospital in DC.

The hospital has profound expertise in pediatric diseases, and its research on many diseases is at the forefront of the world.

The wealthy and powerful children who suffer from illnesses at DC often choose this hospital for treatment.

The DC Children's Medical Center charges exorbitant fees, and Terence Cowan's financial situation made it impossible for him to afford the treatment.

In 1958, the Children's Medical Center of DC established the Center for Pediatric Neuromuscular Diseases to conduct research on a range of conditions, including spinal muscular atrophy.

The study requires volunteers to participate in the experimental treatment.

This type of treatment is almost free and includes top-notch nursing care; the only requirement is that patients sign a series of liability waivers.

On April 26, 1958, Terence Cowan learned that the Children's Neuromuscular Disease Center was recruiting volunteers and hurriedly arranged for Sean Cowan to be transferred to the hospital.

He wanted to send Sean Cowan for experimental treatment.

However, Sean Cowan was not selected to participate in the experiment.

Research isn't charity; it just needs to be about spinal muscular atrophy.

The research center set clear requirements for the volunteers' physical characteristics, and only volunteers who met the requirements were allowed to participate in the experiment.

Sean Cowan is still some distance from passing.

He was taken to DC Children’s Medical Center, underwent a round of free physical examinations, and then sent away again, without ever receiving any treatment there.

The researchers handed Sean Cowan's medical records from that time to the two men:

"He was too thin and severely malnourished."

"His condition progressed very quickly; he was not even six years old when he began to show signs of respiratory weakness."

Theodore glanced at the medical record, which contained many words he didn't recognize.

He returned the medical examination records to the researchers and asked:

Has he been here recently?

The researchers shook their heads:
“His name is not on our list of test subjects.”

“You can check the rejection register in the archives. If they came here, it should be there.”

He told the two that DC Children's Medical Center would assess a patient's condition before admitting them.

This facility only admits patients with an expected survival of more than 6 months.

Following the researchers' directions, Theodore and Bernie indeed found Sean Cowan's name in the rejection register.

The registration records show that Sean Cowan came for treatment on February 18, 1961.

The hospital assessed that his life expectancy was less than two months, which did not meet the admission criteria.

Bernie looked at Theodore:
How do you know he came again?

Theodore offered an explanation:
"Sean Cowan's condition has progressed to the terminal stage, and he could die at any time."

“In this situation, Terence Kwan will definitely seize any opportunity to try.”

“There’s a children’s neuromuscular disease center here, which is exactly what Sean Cowan’s condition is, so he can’t possibly not come and give it a try.”

Bernie paused for a few seconds, then asked Theodore:
"Is it possible that he would set the house on fire after being refused service?"

Theodore did not answer the question.

He patted the rejection logbook and asked Bernie:
"Three years ago, did Terence Cowan really want Sean Cowan to be selected by the research center to participate in experimental treatment?"

Bernie found the question rather baffling.

He looked at Theodore, puzzled, and asked him in return:
"Isn't it?"

Theodore shook his head:

"You've seen Sean Cowan's medical examination results from back then."

"The doctor said he was severely malnourished, and his physical indicators were far from being up to standard."

"Regardless of where Terence Cowan got the news about the research center recruiting volunteers, he should know that Sean Cowan would have a very difficult time being selected."

Bernie didn't understand what Theodore was trying to say, and he emphasized:

"But he still brought Sean Cowan with him."

Theodore looked at him:

"Did Terence Kwan bring Sean Kwan to participate in the experimental treatment for his own sake, or for Sean Kwan's?"

Bernie was even more confused.

Theodore explained to him:
"Terrence Cowan was trying to reassure himself and convince himself that he had done his best, and that the responsibility for Sean Cowan not receiving better treatment was not his, but rather that Sean Cowan himself did not meet the admission criteria."

"Or is it really to provide Sean Cowan with better treatment?"

Bernie understood this time.

He looked at Theodore with some concern, recalling the words Paul Miller had shouted at Theodore before being taken away. (Case VI, Chapter 43)
Bernie shook his head, disagreeing with Theodore's point of view:

"He can't just not give it a try, can he?"

"What if I get a chance to be selected?"

"After all, this is an opportunity."

He took the rejection register, copied down the rejection records, and changed the subject:

"Let's go back and look for it."

"I bet he went and set it on fire."

"Maybe it was the very night Sean Cowan was rejected."

After leaving the archives, the two went to see the doctor who had refused Sean Cowan.

Unfortunately, this doctor probably had to turn down many people every day, and he didn't remember Sean Cowan at all.

After leaving the hospital, the two drove back to the Department of Justice building to check the fire records closest to the time when Sean Cowan was refused admission to the children's hospital.

The investigation reports on the fires that occurred in the Northeast region over the past three years are all kept in the office on the basement floor.

Back in the office, the two quickly found their target among the pile of reports.

Bernie's words proved prophetic.

A fire broke out in an old apartment building at 177 Brentwood Road in the early hours of February 19.

The report concluded that the accident was caused by aging electrical wires.

This almost perfectly matches the arsonist's arson pattern.

Bernie put down the report and asked Theodore:
"Does he release him every time Sean Cowan is hospitalized?"

He pointed to the report on the ground:

"How much of this was done by him?"

Theodore shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

He glanced at the time and instructed Bernie to notify the Fourth Precinct to arrest Terence Cowan.

Bernie hesitated.

He picked up the receiver and looked at Theodore again:

"Michael's side might not have even found a single report yet." "Detectives Billy and O'Malley's side might not have finished their screening either."

"Should we wait a little longer?"

Theodore shook his head:

"Sean Cowan could die at any moment."

"Terrence Kwan was waiting for Sean Kwan's death."

Before Bernie could even ask, Theodore offered the explanation:
"Terrence Cowan was powerless to help Sean Cowan in his situation."

"Being under this sense of loss of control for a long time led him to believe that he was responsible for everything."

He considered himself an incompetent father.

"To avoid this realization, and to prove that he is not an incompetent father, he needs to do everything he can to take care of Sean Cowan."

"So Terence Cowan's entire life revolved around Sean Cowan; he lived for Sean Cowan."

“He regarded Sean Cowan as his icon of suffering.”

"The better he treats Sean Cowan, the more he suffers because of Sean Cowan, the better he feels inside."

"Because this proves that he is a qualified father."

"But Sean Cowan suffers from an incurable disease, and no matter what he does, he can't stop Sean Cowan's condition from deteriorating day by day."

"No matter what he does, Sean Cowan is not going to get any better anytime soon."

"This reality completely contradicts Terence Cowan's understanding."

“In his mind, he had done everything, so Sean Cowan should have changed for the better. Only when Sean Cowan changed for the better could he prove that he was right and that he was a good father.”

"This conflict between perception and reality becomes particularly acute each time Sean Cowan's condition worsens."

"This is a form of learned helplessness."

"In Terence Cowan's understanding, the only way to temporarily escape this state of learned helplessness is through arson."

"He couldn't control Sean Cowan's illness, but he could have complete control of the situation when he set the fire."

"The more ingenious the arson design and the more thorough the fire destruction, the more he can experience a sense of absolute control."

"Arson became Terence Cowan's compensation for his sense of control."

"Therefore, whenever he was tormented by this learned helplessness to the point of being unbearable, he would release the stress by setting fires, briefly gain a sense of control, prolong his life, and continue to maintain the image of a good father."

"Sean Cowan's condition has now progressed to the terminal stage, and he is about to die."

“Once Sean Cowan dies, it means that Terence Cowan’s cognitive cycle will be permanently broken. He will no longer be able to prove himself to be a good father through care.”

"At this point, he will only have two options."

"Either Terence Cowan, filled with guilt and self-blame, chooses to end his own life, admitting that his long-held belief that 'I am a good father' has completely failed."

"Either Terence Cowan, unable to bear the torment of guilt and self-blame, chooses indiscriminate arson, transforming his collapsed self-worth into an indictment of society, blaming the death of Sean Cowan on the entire society."

"The former seeks destruction internally, while the latter seeks destruction externally."

"Whichever it is, he hopes for destruction, utter destruction."

Bernie opened his mouth, shook his head, and smiled bitterly:
“Then I hope he can hide in the closet and die peacefully.”

He did sympathize with Terence Cowan, but that didn't mean he could understand or condone anything Terence Cowan did.

Bernie dialed the fourth precinct and notified them to arrest Terence Cowan.

After hanging up the phone, Bernie looked at Theodore:

"Shall we go to the fourth precinct now to prepare for the interrogation?"

Theodore hesitated for a moment:
"I want to visit Terence Cowan's house."

Terence Cowan lived at 125 Brentwood Road, northeast end.

It was a dilapidated four-story apartment building.

The exterior walls of the apartment have completely peeled off, revealing the red bricks underneath.

A crack appeared in the red brick side wall, extending all the way to the roof.

The entire apartment building had only two residents: Terence Cowan and his son, Sean Calvino.

When Theodore and Bernie arrived, Terence Cowan had already been taken away by detectives from the Fourth Precinct.

There was also a patrol car at the scene, and two police officers were guarding the entrance.

Several community caregivers lifted Sean Cowan, who had been unconscious since returning from the hospital, into a car and took him to the community clinic.

Sean Cowan will receive care at a community clinic.

Bernie stepped forward to help, while Theodore stood on the side of the apartment building, looking up at it.

Sean Cowan was taken away.

Bernie greeted the patrol officers guarding the scene and then invited Theodore into the apartment.

Theodore stood at the door, somewhat hesitant.

He waved his fist in front of Bernie's eyes, then turned and pointed towards the side wall:
"The cracks in this apartment building are big enough for me to shove my fist in."

"We'd better act quickly and spend as little time inside as possible."

Bernie was both amused and exasperated:

"They lived here for so long and it didn't collapse. How could it be such a coincidence that it collapsed as soon as we went in?"

The two entered the apartment.

Perhaps because there were few people, or perhaps because of the cracks in the wall, the apartment was very cool.

Bernie had already checked with the patrol officers and learned that Terence Cowan lived on the first floor.

The two took out gloves and shoe covers, put them on, and went inside.

The room felt very empty, except for a cabinet and a table.

The drawers on top of the cabinet were open, and they were also completely empty.

This was done by the detectives who came to take Terence Cowan away earlier.

They took the items from the cabinet as evidence.

Theodore opened the lower cabinet door and found two identical Sears grey work clothes and a sweater with frayed cuffs and collar.

Bernie leaned over to take a look, shook his head, and let out a sigh.

Theodore stuffed these into the evidence bag, and Bernie took out a pen to mark them.

The two then headed towards the bedroom.

One of the bedrooms was empty, without even a bed, and the floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, clearly indicating that no one had been in there for a long time.

The other bedroom contained a bed, a chair, a table, and a cabinet opposite the bed.

There was a faint smell of excrement in the bedroom.

Opening the cabinet, I found several sets of children's clothes, both inner and outer garments, in various sizes.

These clothes are all very new; they look like they've only been worn once or twice at most.

They were folded neatly and stacked together.

Bernie sighed repeatedly and put them into the evidence bag.

Theodore sat in a chair, looking out the window.

He discovered that from where he was sitting, he could see an apartment building that was half collapsed.

There are still signs of fire on the exterior walls of the apartment.

That's apartment number 121.

That is, the apartment building where Alan Brennan and his family lived.

(End of this chapter)