1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 228 Safe Zone

Stan Watson fully respected Bernie's wishes.

Bernie fully respected Theodore's wishes.

So, after Theodore finally nodded, Stan Watson went out and came back with four young officers.

These four officers, along with Detective Murphy and Detective Riley, will search the three filing cabinets in front of them to identify targets that match or closely resemble the deceased's characteristics.

After leaving the archives, Stan Watson found a young police officer and introduced him to Bernie:
"This is Walter Pritchett, a great guy in our group."

He patted the young officer on the back:
"Don't let Walter's fact that he's only been with the weathering team for a year fool you; he already knows every street in our area like the back of his hand. Sometimes even we old folks need his help to find our way around."

Walter Pritchett was a young man with just a few hairs growing around his mouth, and he looked to be no more than twenty years old.

He nervously rubbed his palms repeatedly on his pants.

Bernie looked Walter Pritchett up and down, his gaze as if he were selecting livestock at a market.

Then he reached out his hand to the nervous Walter Pritchett, a genuine smile on his face:
“Walter, is that you? Great! We need an expert like you who knows the streets well. I’m Bernie, this is Theodore, and that’s Billy. We’ll have to trouble you to show us the way.”

Theodore gave Bernie a suspicious look.

He had hardly ever seen Bernie like this.

Billy Hawke was also staring at Bernie in surprise, as if he were looking at a stranger.

Stan Watson, however, was not surprised at all.

In his view, Bernie should be just like that.

He laughed heartily, patted Walter Pritchett on the back, and praised him repeatedly.

Stan Watson seems to genuinely want to help.

He called everyone into his office, took a map from a drawer, spread it on the table, and began to poke and draw circles on the map with his large fingers.
“The girls in our jurisdiction are mainly concentrated in the dock area, M Street, 4th Street, and 7th Street.”

"Of course, the city hall (referring to the Commissioner's Committee of the Special Administrative Region) has recently approved a large number of new buildings, making the area full of construction sites."

"Many girls hide in these buildings that are slated for demolition."

"There are also those who entertain guests at home, and these are impossible to calculate."

“Our jurisdiction is near the Potomac River and has a dock, which makes the environment in the area very chaotic.”

“Construction workers, fishermen at the docks, boatmen, as well as tourists, sailors, soldiers... roam freely in the area, and many places are not as safe as they seem.”

“I know you’re not afraid of these things, but to avoid trouble, I think you need to find out in advance which places are completely unnecessary to go to and which dangers are not worth taking.”

He looked up at Bernie and offered his sincere advice:
"Guys, you're here to find someone, not to clean up street trash, right?"

Bernie looked at Theodore.

Theodore remained unmoved.

Bernie looked away and nodded in agreement.

Stan Watson smiled:

"very good."

His finger circled a small circle on the map:
“From 10th Street to Riverside Road, this area is considered a ‘friendly zone’.”

"Most of the girls here are self-employed. They are old and sick, but they still follow the rules."

He ordered a bar:
"The bar owner is 'good-natured Eddie,' he likes peace and quiet, so no one dares to cause trouble on his turf."

"You can start asking questions from here."

Stan Watson's gaze swept over everyone in turn, pausing briefly on Walter to make sure they had taken notes before moving his finger to the other side:
See this 'Good Luck' motel?

"Stay away from it."

"The boss is a lunatic. He always carries a loaded, broken gun in his pocket and hates the police the most."

Theodore asked him curiously:

"why?"

Stan Watson looked at Theodore, paused for a moment, and then explained:
“His wife used to run a business in a hotel. We arrested her several times. Later, his wife contracted an STD and died. He believed that we were the ones who caused it.”

"Of course, this is not the most dangerous part."

"His wife passed the disease to him."

"He'll save his excrement, and once he recognizes you as police officers, he'll..."

He picked up the water glass on the table, took a sip, then made a throwing motion and gave Theodore a strange smile:

"Believe me, you don't want to be covered in shit and pee."

Stan Watson took a sip of water and continued:

"This 'Violet' club is owned by 'Smiling Joe'."

"If you go to him, he'll invite you into his office, serve you top-quality whiskey, and then spout a bunch of nonsense that you won't hear a single useful word. It's a complete waste of your time."

"If you really want to get some information, you can go to the 'Terminal Station' bar."

He checked the time:

"A little later, the pimps will meet there for a drink."

"Have Walter buy you a drink, and just sit back and listen. Maybe you'll hear that someone has a girl they haven't seen in a while."

"And there's 'Martha's Laundry' deep in this alley, behind which is an underground clinic where 'Goat' Hawkins gives injections."

"If he were still here..."

"...I heard last month that the IRS was looking for him."

“If you can find him, he might remember which girl was particularly ill.”

After introducing several places that were both accessible and inaccessible, Stan Watson rolled up the map and looked at Walter:
“Walter, take the agents to these places.”

"Be smart and keep an eye on the time. The girls in the 'friendly zone' don't start 'working' until four or five in the afternoon. If you go too early, you won't get anything."

"Don't try to be clever, and don't think about taking the detectives to some 'new place' to explore and show off."

"Just follow the route I told you, understand?"

Walter nodded seriously.

Stan Watson stared at Walter for a moment before looking away.

He looked at Bernie apologetically, his face full of sincerity:

"Dude, I'd be happy to help you."

"But as you can see, we are indeed very busy right now."

"I simply can't find the time."

"Dude, I'm sorry."

After a pause, he said again:
"But you can contact me anytime. If you have any difficulties, man, I'm serious, any help you need, just contact me anytime."

Bernie was not disappointed at all, just as Stan Watson believed, he truly understood Stan Watson.

He knew very well that this was the maximum help Stan Watson could offer.

A person like Stan Watson would never casually ride in the same car as the FBI on the street.

Unless it was the day he was arrested.

Bernie reciprocated with the same sincerity:
“Stan, honestly, thank you so much.” “I know you’re busy, this is the most help you can offer.”

"I'll remember this favor, buddy."

The two shook hands first, then hugged each other and patted each other on the back.

After letting go, Bernie naturally draped his arm over Walter's shoulder:
“Come on, Walter, you’ll have to tell us a good story about the local customs and culture along the way.”

Stan Watson was pleased with Bernie's understanding.

He believes he made the right choice in judging people.

After leaving the morale squad office, the group headed to the deputy superintendent's office.

Inspector Frank Cassidy asked Theodore:

"How did things go?"

Theodore briefly explained the situation.

Inspector Frank Cassidy glanced at Walter Pritchett and then asked Theodore about his next plans.

Theodore is going to pair Bernie with Walter Pritchett and begin the investigation now.

He then went with Billy Hawke to the Alexandria Police Department to communicate.

Bernie hesitated before suggesting that driving a police car with Walter Pritchett would be too conspicuous, and hoped that the Chevrolet could be left for them to drive.

Billy Hawke and Theodore both agreed with him, finding his point valid.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty readily agreed to lend Theodore a police car.

Bernie thought about Billy Hawke's test drive when he bought his car and suddenly realized that his suggestion might not have been a good one.

After leaving the deputy commissioner's office, Bernie thought it over carefully and decided that it would be better to have Billy Hawke drive.

At least he was just driving fast, he didn't actually take off.

Bernie patiently gave him instructions and followed him all the way to the parking lot.

Theodore took the car keys from the support officer and, in front of Bernie, forced Billy Hawke, who was about to get into the driver's seat, to the passenger seat, and got in himself.

Theodore started the police car as Bernie uttered the first syllable of a word.

The Plymouth's powerful engine roared to life.

To the astonishment of the support officers, the classic black and white car emitted a plume of smoke, and the cherry blossom lights on the roof spun and lit up.

Theodore honked the horn twice, then sped off, nearly crashing into a passing brown Ford.

The Ford driver leaned out and was about to yell at them, but after realizing it was the police station, he pulled back in.

Bernie looked out onto the street and realized that the police car had disappeared in the short time that had passed.

He looked away, patted Walter Pritchett on the shoulder, led him to the Chevrolet next to him, started the car, and slowly drove off.

The logistics officer stood there, watching the Chevrolet leave, and shook his head.

He found it hard to understand how two such diametrically opposed people could become partners.

…………

The Alexandria Police Department is located at 200 North Pitt Street in Alexandria, sharing an office building with the City Hall.

This location is approximately 8.5 miles (about 14 kilometers) from the 7th Precinct.

The Plymouth was already a powerful vehicle, and the chassis, braking system, and engine of the police car version underwent special treatment, making it fully capable of withstanding Theodore's abuse.

He arrived at his destination in less than half an hour.

The Plymouth police car had DC license plates and "MPD" (Metropolitan Police Department) painted on the hood, making it very conspicuous.

The 7th Precinct in DC has a strained relationship with the Virginia State Police, which in turn affects its relationship with the Alexandria Police Department, located across the river.

The appearance of the police car immediately attracted the attention of the officers.

Theodore got out of the car and waited a moment before the passenger door opened, and Billy Hawke stepped out with a strange expression that was both frightened and pleased.

Theodore showed his identification and was led to the chief's office by an older officer.

They received a warm welcome here.

The Alexandria police chief treated Theodore very politely.

Theodore may not know him, but he knows Theodore.

The Alexandria Police Department has a very close working relationship with the FBI.

When Henry Thompson was murdered in prison, the case should have been handled by the Alexandria Police Department, but the FBI simply made a phone call and took control of the investigation.

After hearing Theodore's account, the chief immediately summoned the deputy commissioner without saying a word.

In Theodore's presence, the Commissioner gave orders to the Deputy Commissioner, demanding that the entire police department fully cooperate with the FBI's investigation.

The chief's full cooperation was different from that of the Seventh Precinct; he genuinely wanted to cooperate.

They brought in the patrol department supervisor and the archives administrator.

The archives administrator will organize staff to screen arrest records within the jurisdiction.

Theodore handed over the deceased's identification information to the patrol chief.

The patrol supervisor will distribute information about the deceased to the patrol officers, who will then conduct investigations during their patrols.

The Alexandria Police Department exhibited a completely different attitude from the Seventh Precinct.

Theodore didn't even need to ask; they offered all the help they could.

The director also asked Theodore if any further cooperation was needed.

Theodore thought for a moment and shook his head.

The director wrote down his office number for Theodore, sincerely indicating that he could contact him at any time if there were any further discoveries or developments, or if their cooperation was needed.

Theodore solemnly accepted the number.

This is one of the few numbers he received on his own.

After leaving the Alexandria Police Department, Theodore and Billy Hawke quickly "flew" back to the Seventh Precinct to meet up with Bernie and Walter Pritchett.

Bernie and Walter Pritchett had just come out of the Violet Club and were waiting for them at the club entrance.

After they reunited, Theodore inquired about the progress.

Bernie simply shook his head, indicating that the deceased had never been to the Violet Club.

Stan Watson did not deceive them.

"Smiling Joe" from the Violet Club was full of nonsense. He didn't want to answer any of Bernie's questions and kept inviting them upstairs for a drink.

Bernie readily agreed and followed 'Smiling Joe' upstairs into a private room. Then, he grabbed 'Smiling Joe' by the collar and slammed him onto the table.

'Smiling Joe' only had time to let out a scream before Bernie stuffed a bottle into his mouth.

Bernie pressed the bottom of the bottle down and pushed it into 'Smiling Joe's' mouth, warning him to answer his question obediently.

'Smiling Joe' nodded repeatedly, but Bernie didn't let go immediately. Instead, he pushed hard twice more before pulling the bottle out, pressing the man down into the chair, and asking the question again.

This time, 'Smiling Joe' was very cooperative.

(End of this chapter)