1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 231 Professor: Wait for me for half an hour!

After finishing their meal, Theodore and Bernie stayed in the booth for a while longer until no more notes were delivered before they got up and left.

After leaving the terminal bar, the two headed to Martha's Laundry to meet up with Billy Hawke and Walter Pritchett.

Walk west along M Street, past Sixth Street, and about 200 yards further on, and you'll see a small alley between a hotel and a general store.

The alley was filthy, with greenish sewage always flowing on the ground, emitting a foul odor.

Martha's Laundry is located in this alley.

Theodore stood at the alley entrance, looking at Walter Pritchett and confirming with him again and again.

He was very skeptical as to why the laundry room would be located in such a dirty place.

Walter Pritchett confirmed this with certainty and led the way into the alley.

After walking for a while, Walter Pritchett stopped and pointed to a crooked old sign with faded lettering in front of them.

The sign reads "Masha Laundry".

The laundry room was locked, and the glass in the display window was grimy, probably not cleaned in a long time; you had to lean over to see what was inside.

Bernie rubbed the glass with his hand, wiping away the dust. He could vaguely see several unopened bags of laundry detergent and a few discarded laundry baskets piled up behind the window.

Walter Pritchett told him that the clinic's entrance was inside the laundry room, and that closing the laundry room meant closing the clinic.

Billy Hawke tugged at the lock on the door, getting his hand covered in rust.

He opened his palms:

"It seems the laundry and clinic have been closed for some time now."

Walter Pritchett repeated what team leader Stan Watson had said:
“The ‘goat’ has been targeted by the IRS.”

Bernie asked him:

Do you know where the 'goat' lives?

Walter Pritchett patted the laundry room door:

"This is the laundry room."

“Martha is ‘Goat’s’ wife, and sometimes she helps out at the clinic, acting as a nurse.”

Theodore suspected that 'Goat' might have been arrested by the IRS and planned to contact the IRS to inquire about the situation after returning home.

Even after leaving the alley, Walter Pritchett was still not giving up and went to the shops on both sides of the alley entrance to inquire about the situation.

Theodore and his two companions waited in the car.

Billy Hawke kept sniffing himself and asked Theodore and Bernie if he still smelled bad.

Theodore told him that the smell would dissipate in a little while if the wind blew it away.

Billy Hawke immediately got out of the car, stood by the roadside to enjoy the breeze, and occasionally sniffed to see if the smell had dissipated.

Bernie's gaze toward him grew increasingly strange.

Walter Pritchett returned, shook his head at Bernie and the others from afar, and then asked Billy Hawke curiously what he was doing standing in the street.

Billy Hawke stretched out his arm and asked him:

Do I still smell bad?

Walter Pritchett instinctively stepped back and then shook his head.

He pointed to the alley behind him:

"The stench is coming from there."

Billy Hawke pulled his arm back, sniffed it, and remained skeptical.

Bernie honked the horn, urging them to get in the car, and prepared to head to 10th Street.

That was the last location provided by Stan Watson.

Walter Pritchett checked the time; it wasn't even four o'clock yet.

He reminded Theodore and the other two:

"It's not time yet."

Bernie started the car, but didn't rush to drive off. He asked him:
"Can't we go now?"

Walter Pritchett shook his head.

Theodore asked him curiously:

"why?"

Walter Pritchett thought for a moment and explained:

"You should have seen quite a few girls at the terminal bar."

"They usually get up at 2 p.m., and after getting up, they are taken by pimps to have 'breakfast'."

"After breakfast, the pimps would drive them to the street and start soliciting business."

Billy Hawke looked on with suspicion:
"They can't possibly spend two hours eating a meal, can they?"

Theodore and Bernie thought about what happened at the terminal bar and didn't say anything.

Walter Pritchett shook his head:

“They don’t just eat; at the table, the pimps will give a lecture, summarizing yesterday’s business, who didn’t make enough money, and who performed well.”

"Girls who don't earn enough money will be scolded."

Bernie raised questions:

"Just a reprimand?"

Walter Pritcher nodded:

"The Terminal Bar has rules: fighting is not allowed inside, and anyone who breaks the rules will be kicked out."

He paused, then continued:
"Besides giving lectures, pimps would also tell each girl how much money she should earn that day and when she should get off work."

“The girls will also chat with their close friends, put on makeup, or ask if they need anything. If their pimp is in a good mood, they will bring it up at this time.”

Billy Hawke raised questions again:

"Don't those pimps urge them? Are they just letting them drag things out?"

Bernie looked at Billy Hawke, then at Theodore.

It's suspected that Billy Hawke has been spending too much time with Theodore.

Walter Pritchett shook his head:

"These two hours are the girls' own time, and pimps rarely interfere unless a girl makes a mistake."

"The girls' 'work time' is 4 p.m.

"After they finish eating at the terminal bar, they usually stay there for a while and chat."

"They wouldn't leave the terminal bar until almost four o'clock, and the girls would be driven to the street."

"The period between four and five o'clock is when it's almost time to get off work. Whether the girls are managed by pimps or work on their own, they all come out around this time."

He pointed to his wrist:
"At this hour, even the hotels on 10th Street won't be open."

Bernie nodded in agreement.

This perfectly matches his experience.

Billy Hawke glanced at the time, feeling somewhat anxious:
"What should we do then? We can't just sit here and wait, can we?"

Walter Pritchett said he was powerless to help.

Going out too early will almost certainly result in getting sunburned and tanned, and you'll hardly attract any business.

Unless it's a holiday, most customers are at work at this time and won't be on the street.

Billy Hawke looked at Theodore, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He didn't want to work overtime.

I don't want to today.

Theodore thought about it and decided to contact that unreliable professor at George Washington University first.

If the professor has already narrowed down the search area, this is the perfect time to contact the salvage team. Walter Pritchett pointed ahead:
"Go straight ahead, turn left at that intersection, there's a public phone booth there."

Bernie drove over and contacted the professor using a public phone.

He first dialed the professor's office, but no one answered.

Theodore took the receiver and dialed the principal's office.

This time the call was connected very quickly.

The person who answered the phone was the principal's assistant.

Theodore asked the principal's assistant to help him contact the professor.

A few minutes later, the public phone rang.

The professor's excited voice came through the receiver:
"I've already figured it out!"

"Although it didn't achieve the accuracy I initially expected, I have built a reliable initial model!"

"Based on tidal data, current velocity, and the sighting location of the body, I deduced the possible drift path over a period of 36 to 72 hours..."

The professor began to switch into academic explanation mode, babbling in a language Theodore couldn't understand.

The receiver was very loud, and everyone around could hear it.

Bernie looked at Theodore with a smile.

Theodore met his gaze for a moment, then interrupted the professor, demanding the specific geographical area.

A brief silence fell over the receiver:

"The core area is on the southwest bank of the Tidal Basin, extending eastward to Potomac Park, with its furthest downstream boundary reaching the riverbank opposite Washington National Airport. The focus is on the south bank of the river from the Tidal Basin outlet to Cape Haynes at the top of East Potomac Park."

Theodore didn't even need to ask; the professor took the initiative to explain:
"The logic is this: the body was found at Cape Haynes, where the Potomac and Anacasta rivers meet, a complex waterway. But based on its decomposition and ability to flow against the tides, it could not have come from a distant upstream or downstream area."

"My model shows that it most likely entered the river from this section in our city center, and after several ebbs and flows, was pushed to the discovery point. This section of the riverbank has many docks and hiding spots, which matches your..."

Bernie and Billy Hawke were exchanging knowing glances, barely able to contain their laughter.

Theodore glanced at them both and interrupted again:

"Coordinates or prominent landmarks".

The professor fell silent again for a brief moment:
"Detective, do you have a map with you?"

Theodore shook his head:

"No."

The professor became excited again:
"Wait a minute, where are you? I'll come find you!"

"It's hard to explain without a map!"

"And I assured you that I would stay at the salvage site and adjust the search area based on the salvage results until the correct location is reached!"

Fearing Theodore might refuse, the professor immediately added:

"And I need on-site feedback from the salvage team!"

"This will help me calibrate the model and further narrow down the scope."

“I need to be on site, Detective. You have to understand, what I’ve drawn up right now is just a preliminary, very rough sketch. It’s several miles long!”

"It will take at least a week to salvage such a long stretch of the river!"

"My model is now basically complete. It only needs minor adjustments based on the river conditions. The range it provides will become increasingly accurate, which will save you a lot of time!"

"I have to be there!"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line.

Theodore told the professor that if his model was correct, they would need to contact the USCG Coast Guard in America for salvage, and they could meet at the Coast Guard's base.

"Half an hour! Wait for me for half an hour! I'll be right there!"

After ending his call with the professor, Theodore contacted the FBI lab to inquire about the results.

Given the deceased's profession as a prostitute, Theodore believed that the dress she was wearing was likely a tight-fitting style, while the ominous sign might have been a loose-fitting one to accentuate her figure and increase the success rate of a transaction.

Based on the directions provided by Theodore and the skeletal remains provided by the autopsy results, the laboratory estimated and reconstructed the deceased's physique.

Theodore had previously done similar work in the medical examiner's office at the Felton East Precinct (Case 8, Chapter 43), where they spent an afternoon reconstructing the killer's height based on the stab wounds on the body.

The FBI lab has more advanced equipment and more manpower than the Felton East Police Department, but this is the first time they've done this, and out of caution, they haven't yet produced any results in just half a day.

After ending the call with the researcher, the group set off for the Coast Guard base.

The Coast Guard base is located on the southwest section of Main Avenue in Southwest DC, next to 7th Street, not far from their location.

Even with Bernie driving, it only took less than five minutes.

Park the car across the street and wait for the professor to come and meet us.

Bernie pulled out his notebook and asked Walter Pritchett:

Who is Sweetheart Daddy?

The first note they received at the terminal bar read "Sweat Papa".

After some research, Theodore and Bernie deduced that she must have written "Sweet Papa".

Walter Pritchett paused for a moment:
"Leroy Jones?"

"What do you want with him?"

Bernie was somewhat surprised:

"Do you know his real name?"

Walter Pritcher nodded, without explaining why:
"Sweetheart Daddy likes to dress in flashy clothes and calls himself the 'dad' of all girls."

"All the girls working for him are Black."

He paused, then realized what he meant and shook his head, saying:

"He got into a conflict with someone, and someone threatened to kill him. He got scared and ran to the southeast district."

Theodore pressed further:
"when did it happen?"

Walter Pritchett thought for a moment:

"It seems like it was two months ago."

"He was cornered in his car and beaten until he was covered in blood. I heard his jaw was almost ripped off. If the hotel owner hadn't called the police, he would have died that night."

"He ran away the next day and never came back."

Bernie made a mark next to the name and then asked:

"Where is the 'priest'?"

Walter Pritchett thought for a moment, then shook his head:

"The 'priest' only accepts white girls, and only if..."

He gestured:
"...or he's a dwarf."

“Once the girls he had were over the age limit, he would transfer them to other people.”

Bernie circled the name 'Father', crossed it out, and continued to ask Walter Pritchett about other names.

Most of the notes they received at the terminal bar were nicknames.

Some were pimps, and some were prostitutes.

In addition, some provided details of her whereabouts, such as "she got on a truck," "she went with a dockworker," or "she went to Baltimore."

Many of these messages are contradictory, and some even appear to be just a random combination of letters, making them completely incomprehensible.

After discussing it with Bernie, Theodore decided to first ask Walter Pritchett to help verify the authenticity of the information.

Walter Pritchett was reluctant to discuss much about pimps.

He simply introduced who the person was and then quickly provided information that would help him make a judgment.

Just like he did with the 'priest,' he directly stated that the girls the 'priest' had were younger and all white.

This actually saved a lot of time.

(End of this chapter)