1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 238 The Possibility of Committing Another Crime

Seventh Precinct, Deputy Superintendent's Office.

Police Inspector Frank Cassidy is still alive.

Theodore paused for a moment when he saw him, then took out the list containing more than forty people and handed it to Deputy Inspector Doherty.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty took the list and looked at Theodore with some confusion, not understanding what was going on.

Theodore said earnestly:
"The identity of the first victim has been confirmed; she was a prostitute named 'Cherry'."

“The first victim lived with another prostitute named ‘Chocolate’.”

"According to 'Chocolate's' confession, the first victim left his residence at around 6 p.m. on May 18 to solicit customers, and then disappeared."

"The autopsy results showed that the first victim died within 2-3 hours after his last meal."

“推测1号死者的死亡时间为5月18日晚8-9点。”

Inspector Frank Cassidy raised the following questions:

Why is it specifically May 18th?

Theodore looked at him, puzzled:
"Why not?"

Inspector Frank Cassidy tapped on the table:
"I remember the autopsy report stated the time of death as 'between the evening of May 17th and the early morning of May 19th'?"

"Victim Number 1..."

He wasn't quite used to this way of addressing him.

"She went missing on May 18. The killer may have kidnapped her that night, but did not kill her immediately."

Bernie, who was writing furiously, looked up at Theodore, somewhat worried that he might say something shocking.

Theodore denied this speculation:

“如果凶手5月18日绑架了1号死者，5月19日才将人杀死并抛尸，在这期间1号死者应该会反抗或逃跑。”

"However, the autopsy results of the first victim showed that, apart from the ankles of both feet, no other restraint injuries were found, nor were there any serious defensive injuries, and the results of routine toxicology tests were all negative."

"This basically indicates that the first victim was not kidnapped."

Theodore paused, then looked back.

Bernie and Billy Hawke are taking notes.

Walter Pritchett stood between the two, his gaze meeting Theodore's, looking somewhat flustered.

He looked around, reached into his pocket, and pulled out only a thin, palm-sized shorthand notebook. Holding the pen, he didn't know what to write down for a moment.

But writing nothing at all seems a bit off.

Walter Pritchett moved to a corner, lowering his head and pretending to be busy taking notes.

Theodore was fairly satisfied with the result, but then brought up another possibility:
"The murderer may have lured the first victim away by deception and then killed him a day later."

Inspector Frank Cassidy and Deputy Inspector Doherty couldn't help but nod.

After a pause, Theodore shook his head:
“The murderer could deceive the victim under the guise of business, but it would be difficult to deceive the victim for too long using the same excuse.”

“But the first victim was a professional prostitute who had been in the business for several years. After leaving the protection of her ‘sweet dad’ recently, she started working on her own and would only become more vigilant.”

After confirming that Inspector Frank Cassidy had no questions, Theodore turned his attention to Deputy Inspector Doherty.

After a moment's hesitation, Theodore changed his story:
"I need the duty log for May 18th."

"We also need to question the patrol officers on duty based on their duty records."

"Please help arrange a meeting room."

He had intended to ask the 7th Precinct to inquire with the patrol officers on duty, but considering Deputy Commissioner Doherty's previous performance, especially the list of more than forty people, he decided to ask them himself.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty glanced at Superintendent Frank Cassidy.

Inspector Frank Cassidy was staring straight at him.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty readily agreed and called his assistant to help make the arrangements.

Theodore nodded, reminding him before leaving:

"It would be best to deploy more patrol teams tonight, in areas with high concentrations of prostitutes such as M Street and 7th Street, as well as in more secluded areas such as Maine Avenue, 10th Street, and the riverside area."

Deputy Superintendent Doherty frowned and asked Theodore for the reason.

Theodore shrugs:

“The pier in the southwest of the Tidal Basin is where the murderer dumped the body. The Coast Guard’s salvage boats have been operating there continuously and have been patrolling back and forth on the Potomac River. This would definitely have alerted the murderer.”

"The murderer should already know that the location where he dumped the body has been discovered."

"The exposure of secrets will make the murderer feel extremely uneasy and put great psychological pressure on him. The murderer needs a way to release this pressure."

"At the same time, the murderer urgently needed a new place to dump the body, a place that would make him feel at ease, a secret place like a dock, known only to the murderer himself."

“After finding this place, the killer will likely verify the secrecy of the new body disposal site to ensure that the new location will not be discovered like the dock.”

"This means that the perpetrator is likely to break the cyclical pattern, shorten the cooling-off period, and commit another crime in the near future."

"Arrange enough patrol officers so that there is an opportunity to arrest him directly."

Inspector Frank Cassidy and Deputy Inspector Doherty exchanged bewildered glances.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty nodded politely to Theodore, thanking him for the reminder and indicating that he would make the necessary arrangements.

Theodore was skeptical.

Theodore always harbored suspicions about Deputy Superintendent Doherty because of his criminal record.

The deputy superintendent's assistant quickly returned and informed them that the meeting room had been arranged.

Theodore and his two companions were taken there.

The assistant left for a few minutes and then brought back a duty log sheet.

Theodore took it and flipped through it.

Unlike any duty log he had ever seen, the duty log of the Seventh Precinct was very neat, without any curled edges or rough corners, and without any dark fingerprints or stains such as coffee or grease.

This duty log looks like it has never been used.

Inside, individual names were neatly registered, without even a scratch.

Theodore began to doubt the authenticity of the duty log.

The deputy superintendent's assistant returned, bringing with him the first pair of patrol officers on duty.

They were old acquaintances, Officer Murphy and Officer Riley.

The two were very enthusiastic and cooperative, and gave a brief introduction to the patrol arrangements of the Seventh Precinct.

The Seventh Precinct's jurisdiction is divided into 13 patrol zones, with patrol officers working in pairs, and divided into three groups per day.

Considering the area covered by the Seventh Precinct, their police force is indeed somewhat strained.

Theodore inquired about the duty log.

Officer Riley told him that the duty log was genuine and valid, and that the reason it was so clean was entirely at the request of Deputy Commissioner Doherty.

They put the duty log sheets in two paper bags, and every time they returned from duty, they would wash their hands first before filling out the forms. Riley and Murphy answered many of the questions, but they did not see 'Cherry' on May 18th.

The duty schedule of the Seventh Precinct is very strange. Some of the patrol officers who were on the night shift on May 18th are off today, some are on the day shift, and some are on the morning shift.

This caused Theodore and his team to continue their questioning intermittently until after 5 p.m.

Only one patrol team has seen 'Cherry'.

The time was around 7 p.m. on May 18, on the southwest section of Maine Boulevard, near the Coast Guard Region 5 headquarters.

According to the patrol officers, they were on break when they saw 'Cherry' walk by and shouted at her twice.

Cherry was startled, thinking they were detectives from the moral depravity squad who had come to arrest her to make up the numbers.

But the patrol officers simply called her over and asked her to go ahead and buy two packs of cigarettes and two cups of coffee.

The patrol officers even paid for it, which was unusual for them.

After 'Cherry' ran the errand, she left in a hurry.

Theodore asked 'Cherry' which direction it had gone.

After recalling the incident, the patrol officers confirmed that the car had been traveling northwest along the southwest section of Maine Avenue, and they guessed that 'Cherry' was probably heading to 10th Street.

According to the patrol officers, 'Cherry' was heading towards Seventh Street.

After the conversation ended, Bernie went out and found the two patrol officers, had a friendly chat with them, and then returned to tell Theodore that 'Cherry' must have gone to Fifth Street that night.

Theodore pulled out a map, looked at it, and then looked at Bernie with a puzzled expression.

Fifth Street is east of Maine Boulevard, in the opposite direction to what the two patrol officers had given them.

Bernie pointed to the spot where the patrol officers were resting:
"I guess they probably asked 'Cherry' to provide them with free fast food that day."

Theodore stared at him, and asked in confusion:
"How did you know?"

Bernie shrugged:
"Police officers will ask prostitutes to buy them cigarettes, but very few will ask them to buy them coffee or food unless they have a very good relationship."

"It's highly unlikely that a patrol officer would pay a prostitute to help him buy something."

"A more common practice is to make the prostitute pay out of her own pocket, and the next time she does something, as long as it's not too serious, the patrol officers will pretend to turn a blind eye and let her off the hook."

Theodore hesitated for a moment, then chose to believe Bernie.

He circled off the area around Fifth Street:
“They met the first victim around 7 a.m., and the first victim died between 8 and 9 a.m.

"Taking into account the possible conversations, bargaining, and the time required to attract other customers, and even the time required to provide services after a successful attraction."

"The victim, number 1, likely encountered the killer on his way to Fifth Street after providing free services to the two patrol officers."

“The murderer approached the victim as a customer, and may have even negotiated with the victim, number 1, before the deal was finalized.”

Theodore paused, then pointed along Fifth Street all the way to the dock on the southwest side of the Tidal Basin:
“The stretch from Main Avenue to Fifth Street is not remote.”

"The murderer must have had a car."

"He suggested going to a more remote place to conduct the transaction."

“This place should not be far from this road, which is why the victim number 1 was convinced that it was a deal and followed the murderer away.”

"The murderer may have made a deal with the first victim, and after the deal was completed, he suddenly strangled the first victim from behind."

Billy Hawke finished taking notes first, then hesitated for a moment before asking a question:

“'Cherry' infected the X-ray to the street family on Fifth Street, and 'Sweet Daddy' had to pay a lot of money for it.”

“Because of this incident, Cherry’s own life was completely ruined.”

Why would she go to Fifth Street?

"Aren't you afraid of running into that street gang?"

Theodore pointed to the spot where the two patrol officers had parked:
"'Chocolate' said that the first victim had all his savings stolen, which means that the first victim was likely penniless, and whether he would go hungry the next day depended entirely on the business situation the day before."

"The first victim was old and faded, so business wasn't as easy for her as it was for a young prostitute."

"They must seize every opportunity to close as many deals as possible in order to make enough money."

"The time of the first victim was extremely precious."

“Seven o’clock is the prime time for business, and during this period, her success rate in making transactions will increase significantly.”

"But on May 18, she provided free fast food for the patrol officers during this period."

"This means that the first victim not only failed to make money during the time he should have been making money, but also wasted a lot of energy."

Bernie and Billy Hawke both looked up at Theodore.

Theodore remained calm.
"After providing services to the two patrol officers, the deceased number 1 must get to a suitable place to start business as soon as possible and make up for the lost time."

Billy Hawke glanced at the map and couldn't help but retort:
"But the closest street to her should be Seventh Street."

"Next up is Tenth Street."

"Fifth Street is actually a longer route."

Bernie Theodore replied:

"But she was just beaten up by her colleagues on 10th Street and robbed of all her savings."

"Seventh Street is an important area. Most of the businesses here are run by young and beautiful women, and the customers who come here are also looking for young and beautiful women."

"She probably won't have any business on Seventh Street."

He paused, then continued:

"Moreover, the lighting is dim at night, so 'Cherry' will be hard to recognize unless she runs into that street family head-on."

“The street families are not as powerful as you imagine. They usually only have a few or a dozen people. Fifth Street is so big that it's hard to bump into them head-on.”

"Even if she gets bumped into and recognized, 'Cherry' will at most get a beating. Compared to not making any money, it's a risk worth taking."

This was Bernie's area of ​​expertise, and he spoke with great certainty.

Theodore nodded in agreement.

He glanced at the time and told the two to return to the Department of Justice building.

Bernie and Billy Hawke were both somewhat taken aback.

They assumed Theodore would take the opportunity to analyze the situation and then release a profile.

The two thought about it all the way, but still couldn't figure out what kind of contraband Theodore was up to.

Back at the Department of Justice building, Billy Hawke sent the 'Chocolate' dress to the lab, asking them to help reconstruct the body of victim number 1 more accurately based on the dress.

This was a request made by Theodore.

He believes that the physical characteristics of the first victim may be related to the killer's preferences.

Bernie then dialed the Coast Guard Operations Center to inquire about the search situation.

The major told him that the full search of the salvage area was expected to be completed in half an hour, and so far, nothing had been salvaged except for a large amount of rusty, muddy junk.

(End of this chapter)