1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 218 Ah Piao
May 20th, Saturday, noon.

In southern DC, at the confluence of the Anacasta and Potomac Rivers, two speedboats are floating on the waterway.

Five Virginia state troopers were on the speedboat to the west.

Apart from the detective in charge of steering the boat, the rest of the state troopers were all lying on the east side of the boat, staring intently at the river.

Less than five yards from the Virginia State Police's speedboat was another speedboat.

The speedboat carried detectives from the DC Police Department's 7th Precinct.

There were five people in the same boat, with one person in charge of steering and four others lying on the west side of the boat, keeping a close eye on the river.

The detectives would turn around from time to time to urge the detective at the helm to operate the ship, giving him instructions all at once.

If they talked too much, the detective at the helm would impatiently yell at his colleagues to shut up, then look up at the boat opposite, maneuver the speedboat to turn, and push against the current.

Whenever one boat does this, shouts and commands immediately come from another boat, and soon the boat will also turn, pushing the river water to offset the waves from the opposite side.

Between the two boats, a corpse was drifting slowly down the river.

This morning, the DC Police Department received a report of a body found in a river near Washington National Airport.

The DC Police Department assigned the incident to the 7th Precinct.

When detectives from the 7th Precinct arrived at the scene, they found the body in the waters where the Potomac River and the Anacastia River meet.

This body of water happens to be the border between Virginia and DC.

The body was very close to the shore and was almost stranded.

Several detectives from the DC 7th Precinct exchanged glances, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then prepared to quietly push the body back, all the way to Virginia soil.

They arrived in a speedboat, boarded it, and immediately began pushing the body with wooden sticks. This scene was witnessed by Virginia State Troopers who happened to be passing by.

Virginia State Troopers immediately realized what the detectives from DC's 7th Precinct were doing.

They quickly found a speedboat and followed.

With state troopers present, detectives from the 7th Precinct in DC had no choice but to stop and follow the body downhill, secretly praying that it would land safely on Virginia soil and not linger on DC soil.

Upon seeing signs that the body was approaching the shore, the detectives of the 7th Precinct in DC panicked and quickly used a speedboat to push the body back into the river.

Virginia State Troopers followed suit and learned to use speedboats to propel the water and, consequently, the bodies during transport.

The two sides fought like this from morning until noon, still enjoying themselves immensely.

Unlike the harmonious atmosphere of cooperation and mutual assistance between the DC 4th Precinct and the Maryland State Police.

The relationship between the Virginia State Police and the DC 7th Precinct, which are neighbors, is not good.

Both sides frequently try to sabotage each other, shifting blame and hindering one another.

The specific reasons are no longer known.

After using the speedboat to push the body back into the river as it was about to reach the shore, the speedboat from DC's 7th Precinct slowly came to a stop.

Along with the detective at the helm, the five men lay on the gunwale, staring intently at the corpse.

After the body had drifted about ten yards away, the five men straightened up and cheered.

The body drifted beyond the Virginia-DC state border, and further downstream lay the Virginia-Maryland state border!

Maryland state police received the news early on, and the Clippers were already waiting nearby.

They had the same tense expressions as the Virginia state troopers.

While detectives from the DC 7th Precinct upstream were still cheering, state troopers from the two states downstream were already glaring at each other, accelerating towards one another.

The relationship between these two groups is even worse than that between the DC 7th Precinct and the Virginia State Police.

The body in the middle of the river was propelled by the turbulent current, flowing faster and faster.

The two speedboats drew closer and closer, soon almost touching.

The people on the boat glared at each other as if they were about to start a fight. Behind them, the DC 7th Precinct's speedboat slowly followed.

The detectives from the branch office relaxed and watched the excitement.

But things soon took an unexpected turn.

The body began to float back.

The Potomac River is a typical tidal river, and its water level and flow direction are significantly affected by the Atlantic tides.

At noon, the river began to flow in the opposite direction, northwest, due to the rising tide.

The body quickly returned to the area between DC and Virginia.

Now it's the Maryland state troopers' turn to join the fun.

After a tense and exciting series of attempts, the body was finally stranded at the southernmost end of Jones Point Park.

The three groups of people stopped their boats and came ashore, surrounding the corpses that had been carried ashore by the tide, and remained silent.

This place happens to be located at the junction of DC, Virginia, and Maryland.

Detectives from the 7th Precinct in DC were the first to react, suggesting that the body had started floating on the river in Virginia.

Maryland State Police immediately echoed this sentiment.

Virginia State Police countered that the state border between DC and Virginia on the Potomac River runs right up to the bank, and if the body had truly drifted out of Virginia, it would have been stranded on the shore long ago.

The body had been floating in the water for so long, clearly indicating that it had been tossed back and forth many times by the tides.

Counting north from the Potomac River estuary, Maryland clearly occupies a wider section of the river.

The body is believed to be from Maryland.

Maryland State Police objected, arguing that the initial call was handled by the 7th Precinct in DC, meaning the caller was within the 7th Precinct's jurisdiction when they saw the body, and therefore the body should belong to the 7th Precinct.

The three groups argued incessantly around the stench-filled corpse, each directing their respective colleagues to sail back and fetch reinforcements.

The small Jones Point Park quickly became lively.

…………

Monday, April 5th.

Bald firefighter Michael Francis Kelly walked into his office on the basement floor of the Department of Justice building, carrying a thick stack of fire incident investigation reports.

He is here to fulfill his duties as an expert advisor.

Theodore is preparing a record of the arsonist case.

According to the conservative estimate given by the two internal affairs detectives upstairs, the case closure report will take at least two months.

Theodore will only stay here longer.

He not only needs to review and study all the cases committed by the arsonist, but also needs to collect relevant information about the burned-down buildings.

The bald firefighter can provide Theodore with expert advice, which can shorten the time.

After handing the report to Theodore, the bald firefighter brought up the situation of arsonist Terence Kwan and his son Sean Kwan.

Last Friday, Sean Cowan's life came to an end.

He was taken to the hospital due to pneumonia and multiple complications, but died despite all efforts to save him.

Upon receiving the news, Terence Cowan became extremely agitated and attempted suicide several times.

This news left Bernie, a father, deeply saddened.

The bald firefighter shared the same sentiment.

Theodore reacted calmly, handed the report to the bald firefighter, and asked him a technical question.

(End of this chapter)