1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 239 What Association?
The next morning, on the fifth floor of the Department of Justice building, in the FBI laboratory.

A researcher named Martin Joseph Cronin is analyzing forensic results for Theodore Trio:
“We analyzed the knotting methods and basically confirmed that all the knots you sent were made by the same person.”

Martin Joseph Cronin spread out a dozen or so photos of knots on the table and showed them to everyone.

The photos were taken in a laboratory, and the knots in each photo have been cleaned up, with a ruler placed next to them.

Bernie and Billy Hawke leaned closer to examine it closely, then both looked at Theodore.

Theodore picked up several photos and put them together:
"Tying knots is a learned behavior, and different people tie knots differently."

"Just like a person's handwriting or walking posture, it forms unique and stable habitual characteristics."

Martin Joseph Cronin glanced at Theodore with some surprise, then nodded:

“The skill level in tying the knot, the length of the rope end, the way the rope end is handled, the tightness of the knot, or the number of wraps, the order, the crossing method, etc., can all be used to identify whether the knot was tied by the same person.”

He took the photos from Theodore, looked at them, and then arranged them together to show Bernie and Billy Hawke:

"These sailor's knots all cross from left to right."

Martin Joseph Cronin rummaged through the pile of photos and found a few pictures of anchor knots:

"The direction of these anchor knots is counterclockwise, with three turns of the same length, and each knot has a half knot tied at the end of the rope for fixation."

He pointed to one of the photos:
"The length left at the end of the rope is very short, the shortest is less than 1 inch."

"This requires very high knot-tying skills. It would be difficult for most people to tie an anchor knot for fixation when the remaining length is so short."

"The way the rope end is handled is also the same. The movable end is tied to the main rope with wire. This makes the knot more secure and less likely to come loose."

"These knots are all very neat and the tightness is just right. The person who tied the knots was very skilled and smooth when tying them."

After a pause, Martin Joseph Cronin continued:
“We took a small sample of the rope and found that its fibers were pale yellow, long and thick.”

Theodore asked him:
"Manila Ma?"

Martin Joseph Cronin nodded in confirmation:
"That's right, it's Manila Ma."

Theodore continued to ask:

"Where should we turn it?"

Martin Joseph Cronin's tone was light and cheerful:

"S-twist, all of them are S-twist. Judging from their thickness, they don't look like cables. They should be ropes used for traction or hoisting."

"The rope shows signs of wear and has undergone simple anti-corrosion treatment, likely soaked in tar..."

Bernie interrupted their conversation:
"Wait a moment."

What is Manila hemp?

Billy Hawke also asked:

What does "扭向" mean?

Martin Joseph Cronin stared at Bernie for a moment, then turned to Theodore, remained silent for a few seconds, and then offered his explanation:

There are three main raw materials for hemp rope: dahlia hemp, sisal hemp, and Manila hemp.

"The fibers of ramie are soft yet strong. The woven ramie rope has a smooth surface, soft texture, and moderate strength, but it is prone to rotting when soaked in water for a long time."

"Sisal hemp fibers are short, coarse, and brittle, resulting in ropes with low strength, a rough surface, and a tendency to rot easily, but they are inexpensive. Half of the farms use hemp ropes woven from sisal hemp to tie their crops."

"Manila hemp fibers are long, thick and tough."

"The hemp rope woven from it is extremely strong, has a rough surface, and is expensive."

Theodore picked up the conversation:
"Manila hemp is naturally resistant to salt water and microbial corrosion. After anti-corrosion treatment, its corrosion resistance is greatly enhanced, and it is widely used in the maritime industry."

"Many ships use Manila hemp rope as their mooring lines."

Martin Joseph Cronin gave Theodore an approving look, then explained:

"Twist direction refers to the direction in which the hemp rope is woven."

“If you lift a hemp rope vertically, the twist direction of the rope is from the upper left to the lower right, which is an S twist, and from the upper right to the lower left, which is a Z twist.”

Bernie understood:
"We're looking for someone who lives on a ship, a sailor or crew member?"

He asked Martin Joseph Cronin if it was possible to trace the origin of the hemp rope, and ideally find the buyer.

Martin Joseph Cronin glanced at Bernie:
"This is just a regular Manila hemp rope. It is indeed much more expensive than silsa hemp or dah hemp rope, but not to the extent you think."

"This is just a standard-sized tar-treated Manila hemp rope, a commodity sold in countless docks, marine supply stores, and hardware stores."

"Stores in Alexandria and Southwest DC sell several bundles every day."

Bernie felt that Martin Joseph Cronin's gaze was familiar, and he couldn't help but look at Theodore.

Theodore, oblivious to Bernie's gaze, asked Martin Joseph Cronin:

"Where's the waterproof tarpaulin?"

Martin Joseph Cronin shook his head:

“A piece of waxed cotton canvas is very common; you can see it almost everywhere.”

"It can be used for sails, hatch covers, sailor bags, cargo bags... and some truck tarpaulins too."

He opened the drawer, rummaged through it, and pulled out three crumpled pieces of paper:

"The key point is the gears you delivered."

"After cleaning the rust off the gear, we conducted a thorough inspection and found this on the gear hub."

The center of the paper was blacked out with a pencil, and several darker areas could be vaguely discerned in the center of the black.

Martin Joseph Cronin handed Theodore the clearest one from the bottom.

It says "APCo P/N 84-7B" on it.

Theodore looked at Martin Joseph Cronin.

Martin Joseph Cronin shook his head:
"The other two are so badly corroded that the serial numbers are not clearly visible, but the APCo numbers are consistent."

"I don't know what this string of marks represents either."

“We measured and photographed the gear dimensions, and sent them along with the tooth profile sketch, material information, and these markings to the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA).

"They will help us identify the purpose and origin of the gears."

Theodore asked him:
"how long?"

Martin Joseph Cronin checked the time:
"Today is Sunday, they are not working, the package will not be delivered to the expert until tomorrow, and we expect to receive a written response on Tuesday or Wednesday."

"If something comes up on their end, it might be delayed even further."

After a pause, he changed the subject:
“I consulted a friend of mine who works at AGMA on your behalf.”

"He told me that gears of this size are often used in large shore-based lifting equipment or auxiliary machinery on older ships."

"The designation 'APCo' is generally considered to be a common abbreviation for the Alexandria Port Company."

"As for P/N 84-7B, he said that should be the part number. When you go to the shipyard, the engineering department will tell you what these represent."

Bernie recalled that when investigating the complainant, an employee of the Potomac River Cruise Company had mentioned the shipyard, and looked at Theodore. Theodore, failing to grasp the meaning in Bernie's eyes, met his gaze for a moment in confusion, then turned to Martin Joseph Cronin, asking if there was any more information.

Martin Joseph Cronin shook his head, ending the analysis:

"These are the basic findings; the official report won't be available until tomorrow."

…………

After leaving the laboratory, the three drove to the Alexandria Shipbuilding Company.

Towering barbed wire fences, huge cranes, and docks came into view.

The air was thick with the combined smells of rust, paint, and river water, and the deafening sounds of riveting and hammering filled the air.

Bernie went up and spoke with the doorman.

The two shouted at each other for a while, then Bernie pulled out his ID and handed it over.

After a thorough inspection, the security guard did not allow them to pass.

He shouted a couple of sentences into the walkie-talkie, then waved to Bernie, telling them to wait a moment.

About five minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a shirt and trousers jogged to the door.

The middle-aged man was not tall, had a protruding belly, and was roughly the shape of an oval. He introduced himself as the administrative supervisor of the shipyard.

He wiped the sweat from his brow, waved to the gatekeeper, and ushered Theodore and his men into the shipyard.

A middle-aged man led the way, guiding them toward the administration building, constantly recounting the shipyard's glorious past along the way.

The content was almost identical to what the staff at the Potomac River Cruise Company had given them.

Theodore asked him curiously:

"Was the Alexandria Shipbuilding Company acquired by Marina Industries?"

The administrative supervisor nodded and offered an explanation:

"This acquisition is not due to the shipyard's poor performance, but rather to seek further advancement."

He pointed towards the dock:
"Last month, we just secured a naval order, and now the whole factory is working overtime to meet the demand."

“Our shipyard has a very good foundation for cooperation with the Navy. Sometimes the Navy will specifically request our shipyard to be built…”

The administrative supervisor lauded the shipyard, saying it was thriving.

The group was led to a noisy office filled with cigarette butts.

Bernie produced a photograph of the gear, along with a rubbing of the markings from the gear's rim, and asked the administrative manager:
"Are these gears from your shipyard?"

The administrative supervisor glanced at the photo and shook his head warily.

"I am not very sure."

“I am not in charge of production management and I am not very familiar with the situation on site.”

What's wrong with this gear?

Theodore did not answer the question, but instead suggested that workers from the engineering department come and identify it.

The administrative supervisor hesitated for a moment, then got up and walked out of the office:
"Wait a moment, I'll go find someone."

A dozen minutes later, a large group of people rushed in, quickly filling the not-so-spacious office to capacity.

The administrative supervisor stood at the door and greeted everyone:

"Let's talk in the conference room."

The group then moved to a small conference room.

After Theodore and his two companions sat down, the large group of people all sat opposite them.

The administrative supervisor then introduced both parties in turn.

Sitting opposite Theodore and his group were a lawyer representing the Alexandria Shipbuilding Company, a union representative, a lawyer hired by the union representing the workers, and two workers, one young and one middle-aged.

After a long and rambling pre-declaration, the photos and rubbings were finally delivered to the two workers.

The two workers made their judgment with just a glance:
"This does look very much like the counterweight gears used on our old-style quay cranes. The material and casting process are the same. Look at this tooth shape, it's the standard we used about ten years ago."

The middle-aged worker pointed to the rubbing marks and explained to the crowd:

“APCo is the property mark of Alexandria Shipbuilding Company, indicating that the part is an asset of Alexandria Shipbuilding Company.”

"The following is the part number."

“P/N 84-7B represents the 7th component of the dock gantry crane, which is the second gear in the secondary gearbox of the traveling mechanism.”

A young worker chimed in:
There's a whole bunch of these in the scrap yard.

The union representative immediately reached out and pulled the man back into his chair, giving him a glare.

The young worker gave an awkward smile and quickly looked at the lawyer hired by the union.

The group huddled together and whispered among themselves.

The administrative supervisor immediately added:

"Yes, we gradually phased out this model of machine a few years ago. The old parts that were dismantled were piled up in the waste dump in the South District, waiting to be sorted and recycled or auctioned off."

Billy Hawke asked him:

"Do you have scrapping records and procurement records?"

The administrative supervisor spoke first:
"Yes, we strictly record every instance of a part being damaged or scrapped and conduct a review."

"However, gears, especially gears in the secondary gearbox, are very easy to wear out and become unusable. They need to be replaced very frequently, and the amount of scrap is very large."

“We generally do not register these parts individually; we only register the scrapped parts.”

He pointed to the paper with the rubbings on the table:

"This mark actually represents the second gear in the secondary reduction gearbox of the dock gantry crane's traveling mechanism, rather than a specific gear."

Bernie looked at the two workers:

"Is that right?"

The two workers looked at the union representative, who in turn looked at the union lawyer. Only after the union lawyer nodded did the two workers nod in agreement.

Bernie was somewhat disappointed and asked the worker again:
Is there a registration system for entering and exiting the waste disposal area?

"Do I need to register if I want to take waste out of the waste storage area?"

The workers looked at the union representative again, and the union representative looked at...

The administrative manager looked at the lawyer representing the shipyard. After the lawyer nodded, the administrative manager answered first:
“The management of the waste storage room is not that strict. Although the regulations require that people and things entering and leaving the waste storage room must be registered, it is filled with waste materials, and it can only be sold as scrap if left there.”

"Occasionally, workers will collect small scraps to take home and make something, and we won't stop them."

"Usually, you just need to greet the security guard. Whether they register or not is entirely up to them."

(End of this chapter)