1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 232 The forensic doctor from the Third Precinct also agreed with my point of view!

Bernie put away his notebook after Walter Pritchett determined that the last prostitute's nickname was 'not found'.

Theodore checked the time.

It's been almost half an hour since I spoke with the professor.

We didn't even see a shadow of the professor.

Theodore was not at all surprised by this.

Billy Hawke pulled a notebook out of his pocket and read out a few nicknames.

Walter Pritchett provided a brief introduction from the side.

These names were what they got from Eddie's bar.

Including the names Bernie has, they now have a total of 5 pimp names and 17 prostitute names.

After waiting a while longer, it was almost 3:30.

The professor was nearly twenty minutes late, and still hadn't shown up.

Theodore decided not to wait any longer.

They crossed Main Avenue toward rows of drab, five-story office buildings, only to be stopped by guards at the entrance.

After Theodore showed his identification and explained his purpose, the group, led by the duty officer, walked through a corridor filled with the sounds of radio calls and the smell of coffee, and arrived at the office next to the operations center, where they met the duty officer of the operations center, Major Michael Andrews.

The major was about 6 feet tall, with rough skin and a burly build. He had short hair shaved close to his scalp, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.

Bernie knew the major; they had a mutual friend, the director of campus security at Emily College.

The major is also a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific theater as an officer on a landing ship, responsible for amphibious support missions.

The two hugged and laughed, patting each other's backs loudly.

Theodore grinned as he watched.

He suspected that if someone thinner had gone up there, they would have been overwhelmed by the camera just from greeting them.

After letting each other go, Bernie introduced them:

“This is Agent Theodore Dixon Hoover. We were partners in Felton.”

"This is Agent Billy Hawke, formerly of the Marine Corps at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina."

"This is Walter Pritchett, a detective from the 7th Precinct's Vestibular Unit, who is assisting us in investigating a murder case."

The major greeted everyone, but when it came to Billy Hawke, his gaze turned strange.

Billy Hawke didn't even need to look to know what the major was thinking.

The major withdrew his gaze, turned around, and asked Bernie directly:

"What's going on, Bernie? Do you need help?"

Theodore likes this direct approach:

"Major Andrews, we are investigating a murder case and need your troops' assistance in underwater salvage operations."

"The target was a rope 0.5 inches (about 1.2 centimeters) wide, with a weight tied to the other end, heavy enough to drop a body to the bottom of the river."

The Coast Guard is very familiar with assisting law enforcement agencies in evidence retrieval operations.

He nodded, without asking any questions related to the case, and immediately turned around to take down the navigation map of the Potomac River from the wall and spread it on the table:
"Location?"

Theodore made a quick assessment, then traced the area the professor had described on the phone onto the map with his finger.

The major stared at the waters, which stretched for miles, in silence for a moment:

"The area is too large, can you narrow it down a bit?"

He pointed to that area on the map:

"I can send you a maximum of three salvage teams."

Even so, it would take five to seven days of continuous work, day and night.

“If we encounter bad weather, it may not only take longer, but it may also wash away the evidence you need.”

"It's already May, and the weather can change in an instant."

"It would be best to be more precise."

Bernie shrugged: "Michael, believe me, if we could, we would have done it already."

He paused for a moment, then explained the professor's idea of ​​narrowing down the search area while simultaneously conducting the salvage operation.

The major was skeptical.

It's not that I don't believe Bernie.

He had worked in the Coast Guard for so many years, and this was the first time he had ever heard of such a method.

If Bernie hadn't mentioned that the person who proposed this method was a professor at George Washington University, he would have suspected that Bernie had been scammed.

The major asked Bernie:
When will your 'professor' arrive?

Bernie checked the time:
"At the latest, half an hour."

The major nodded, picked up the walkie-talkie, and gave the order to the duty officer in the operations center:
"Notify 'Chesapeake', 'UTM-41' and 'UTM-43' to remain on standby, refuel, check equipment, warm up engines, and prepare for underwater salvage mission."

After receiving a "received" from the walkie-talkie, the major contacted the diving team supervisor:

"Have your people check all diving equipment and underwater communication devices, and prepare to depart with the salvage vessel for underwater towing and salvage operations."

"Go and see if 'River Mouth Guy' is there, and have his squad sail with the ship."

The major succinctly explained in one sentence:
"'Hekoulao' is one of our diving captains, he's very skilled."

He then contacted logistics to have the sonar and other equipment transported to the dock for loading onto the ship, and notified the salvage team to give a mission briefing at the dock in 15 minutes.

While waiting, Bernie borrowed the phone from the major and contacted Stan Watson, the head of the Seventh Precinct's Vestiblings Unit.

Bernie read out the names of the pimps and prostitutes he had and asked Stan Watson to take them to the archives.

Stan Watson agreed without asking any questions.

After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the professor finally arrived late.

He pulled a map from his pocket and spread it out, revealing dense contour lines, arrows indicating ocean currents, and a bunch of incomprehensible markings.

Bernie spoke up before Bernie could launch into a lengthy explanation of the principles:
"Professor, the ship and salvage team are ready. Now we just need your area to begin operations."

"We need to hurry."

He adopted the major's theory and applied it:
"June is just around the corner, and the weather could change at any time."

The professor nodded in agreement:

"That's right, so we need to speed things up."

"To save time, I felt I should go with the salvage vessel."

"This allows us to adjust the salvage direction at any time based on the situation on site."

Theodore asked him:
Which ship are you planning to join?

The professor didn't understand and looked at him with a puzzled expression:
"what?"

Theodore pointed to the major:
"Major Andrews is preparing to send three salvage vessels to assist in the salvage operation."

The professor looked at the major with some surprise.

The major shook his head:
"No matter how many salvage ships I send to you, non-professionals are not allowed to board them."

He explained:

"The salvage operation is not as safe as you might imagine, especially considering the time constraints, which may require nighttime operations."

"None of you can get on the ship."

The professor no longer had time to worry about the three salvage teams:

"Major, I have been conducting follow-up research on the Potomac River for several months."

“I come to the river every day to record data.” “I know the Potomac River like the back of my hand.”

"And I have experience in salvage operations on ships."

The major interrupted him:
“Since you know the Potomac River, you should know that it is not as docile as it seems.”

"Moreover, allowing civilians to sail on board is against regulations."

He pointed to the ground:
"You can stay here."

"The salvage vessel will report back here at regular intervals."

The professor was still not giving up, shaking his head and saying that things were different here than on the ship.

The major stared at the professor and offered a rebuttal:
"Believe me, you won't get the information here either, you won't get it on the ship."

If the professor hadn't been a professor at George Washington University, and if he hadn't been a river expert consultant that Bernie had brought in, the major would have had him thrown into the water long ago.

The professor paused for a few seconds, then nodded.

The major nodded in agreement.
"Very good, now let's determine the salvage area and salvage boundary."

The professor laid out the map next to the navigation chart and began to explain based on the markings on it.

The major then took a pen and revised the scope that Theodore had pointed out.

The professor only mentioned a few landmarks on the phone, and the area circled by connecting them does not equal the actual salvage area he derived.

The actual salvage area is a complete, irregular closed geometric shape, with jagged edges due to the complex hydrological conditions of the Potomac River.

After discussing with the professor, the major decided to divide the salvage area into three zones, each to be handled by one of the three salvage boats.

The first area is located on the southwest side of the Tidal Basin, and salvage vessels will operate along the shoreline of the southwest section of Ohio Avenue.

The second area covers the entire shoreline of East Potomac Park, and salvage vessels will begin their search from the north side.

The final area is located on the Alexandria side. The salvage vessel will depart from downstream of the Slater Port docks, pass the Alexandria Shipyard, head south, and eventually reach the area upstream of Jones Point Park.

…………

At 4:30 p.m., the Chevrolet drove onto 10th Street.

Prostitutes have started working on both sides of the street.

Bernie drove around asking about the situation on Walter Pritchett Street.

Walter Pritchett shook his head, indicating that he was also unfamiliar with the place.

He told everyone that this place used to be very lively, especially around 7 or 8 p.m., when the streets would be lined with girls for customers to choose from.

Billy Hawke pointed ahead with a strange expression and asked him:
"An 'old maid' like this?"

A dozen yards ahead of them, a prostitute in a red, tight-fitting dress was leaning against a streetlamp waiting for business.

Walter Pritchett shook his head:

"Back then, this place was mostly frequented by young women."

Billy Hawke pressed further:

"So how did it turn out like this?"

Walter Pritchett paused for a moment before giving his answer:

"I am not sure as well."

Bernie and Theodore both looked at him.

Walter Pritchett avoided their gazes:
"Later, the city hall (the Commissioner's Committee of the District of Columbia) started building buildings everywhere, and a large number of construction workers poured into the southwest of DC. The girls on this street all went to work near the construction sites for the convenience of their businesses."

"Those who remain here now are basically people that even construction workers don't want to hire."

Bernie didn't give Walter Pritchett a hard time; he pulled over to the side of the road and prepared to make contact with the prostitutes there.

This action immediately attracted the attention of several prostitutes nearby.

The closest person to the Chevrolet was the prostitute in the red dress.

She jogged over, clung tightly to the car window, and eagerly tried to sell herself to Bernie:

"Hey handsome! Alone? Want to find someone to relax with?"

She spoke quickly, her smile forced yet professional, revealing slightly yellowed teeth:
"I'm very cheap, I can do anything, just ten dollars... no, five dollars! Just five dollars!"

She peered into the car, paused for a moment, and her face creased with wrinkles:
"Four people? Four people is fine, but it will cost extra."

Bernie reached into his pocket and turned to look at Theodore.

Theodore stared at him for a moment, then took out a few banknotes and handed them over.

The prostitute became even more excited upon seeing the banknotes, and her speech quickened once more.

Bernie picked out the smallest denomination bill and handed it over.

The girl in the red dress hesitated for a moment before reaching for the banknotes:
"Two dollars won't do, two dollars can only..."

Bernie quickly interrupted her:
"We're not here to have fun."

The woman paused for a moment, then looked at him warily.

Bernie handed the banknotes out:
"I'm looking for someone; if you can provide any information, it's yours."

He pointed with his other finger at Walter Pritchett in the back seat, warning the woman:
“This is Detective Pritchett from the 7th Precinct’s Adultery Unit in DC. If you dare to lie to me, I’ll let him talk to you.”

Walter Pritchett leaned forward cooperatively and even pulled out his badge to show the woman.

The woman hesitated before letting go of the car window.

Bernie described the deceased's information and waited quietly for the woman's reply.

The woman hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"Sorry, I've never seen her before."

Bernie wasn't disappointed and pulled out two five-cent coins to hand over.

The woman put away the coins and left reluctantly.

The other prostitutes who hadn't yet taken her thought Bernie was dissatisfied with her and immediately rushed over.

Bernie repeated his usual lines for dealing with women over and over again.

These women are more honest and timid than one might imagine.

Bernie walked around, stopping frequently, spending dozens of coins, but no one had ever seen the dead man.

I returned to the Department of Justice building just in time for the end of the workday.

Billy Hawke breathed a sigh of relief, and without even entering his office, he greeted Theodore and Bernie in the parking lot and dashed out like the wind.

Bernie glanced toward the exit and whispered to Theodore:
"I bet he went on a date."

Theodore glanced at him and shook his head:
"No gambling."

The two returned to their basement office and received the autopsy report from the Third Precinct.

The autopsy report contained a large number of photos, which were three or four inches thick.

The report maintained the consistent style of the Third Precinct, being comprehensive and extremely detailed.

Theodore stared at the photo of the deceased's neck for a while, then handed it to Bernie.

Bernie looked at the photo and then at Theodore, puzzled.

Theodore raised his arm and gestured with his elbow:
"The deceased was strangled to death by the murderer with his arm."

Bernie looked at the photo again, still puzzled.

Theodore pointed to the marks on the photo:
"If the murderer used a strap-shaped weapon to strangle the victim, the ligature mark should be horizontal and completely encircle the neck."

He found photos of the deceased's neck from the side and back:
"The cable trench should not be interrupted here (at the back of the neck)."

He paused, then flipped to the section on the analysis of the cause and manner of death in the report and pointed it out to Bernie in a serious manner:
"The forensic pathologist from the Third Precinct also agrees with my point of view!"

(End of this chapter)