1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 253 Bernie: Remember to give your statement when you're done.

Inside a red Ford pickup truck.

The 'canary' opened her fur coat, fanned herself with her hand, and revealed a professional, sweet smile:

"Good evening, sir. My name is Canary. What's your name?"

Although she hasn't been in the industry for long, she has a strong work ethic.

The customer was very generous, paying a deposit of $25. 'Canary' felt she had to keep the customer satisfied and hopefully turn him into a regular customer!
Just one or two guests like that are enough for her to live comfortably with her 'daddy'.

John Doe did not answer immediately.

He turned his head, his facial muscles twitched a few times, and he gave a slightly awkward smile:

“John, just call me John.”

'Canary' adjusted her skirt to reveal more of her thighs.

She looked at John Doe with a slightly adoring gaze:

"What a reliable name! He's definitely different from those greenhorns; he's steady and generous."

"Mr. Marino praised you as a true gentleman."

John Doe glanced at it, then immediately looked away, focusing his gaze straight ahead:
"Thank you, you're worth the price."

'Canary' noticed John Doe's subtle movements, but pretended not to notice:
"John, you're such a smooth talker!"

She turned to face John Doe directly, placing one hand naturally on his thick forearm as he gripped the steering wheel, her fingers gently rubbing together.

"You looked really cool handing money to Marino just now."

"I was thinking, I have to do everything I can tonight, I can't let you go home disappointed."

John Doe seemed a little uncomfortable with such close contact; the muscles in his arms tensed the moment 'Canary' touched him.

'Canary' boldly touched the muscles on John Doe's arm and exclaimed in admiration:

"You're really strong!"

She tossed her hair:

"Where shall we go tonight? I know a few good hotels with soft pillows, freshly changed sheets, and very clean rooms, plus hot water."

“We can go there to take a bath, and then properly develop our ‘little paradise’…”

John Doe turned to look at her and shook his head:

“The walls of those hotels are too thin. I’m afraid your noise will attract the police.”

'Canary' was amused by John Doe's words:
"Oh, John! You're so naughty!"

She patted John Doe's strong arm:
"Where are we going? Are you going to take me back to your house?"

John Doe shook his head:

"I'll take you to a better place, by the river."

"Just the two of us, the stars, the sound of the river... it's a hundred times better than any run-down hotel room."

“I also have a boat in the back of my truck, which I made myself. We can go boating on the river.”

His voice unconsciously softened.

"Canary" is not a newcomer to the industry; she knows how high the risks are.

Going to remote places is risky.

She recalled the rumors circulating on the streets in recent days, as well as the warnings from Detective Pritchett of the Vestibulars Unit.

This made her hesitate.

But then she remembered her father Marino's instructions: "Take good care of this gentleman."

Moreover, John Doe had already prepaid $25.

That's $25!

If we can satisfy him, we can develop him into a regular customer...

'Canary's' hand slid down to John Doe's thigh:

"On a small boat? John, you're really something!"

"I can't wait to see just how 'strong' you really are."

John Doe's expression shifted, but he remained silent.

'Canary' keenly sensed the change in John Doe's emotions.

She had no idea what she had done to offend this generous guest.

She tried to change the subject, but John Doe seemed to have already finished and showed no interest in her, focusing only on driving.

This made 'Canary' wonder if he was just strong in appearance?

The red Ford pickup truck drove south and stopped on the riverbank on the southwest side of the tidal lake.

This place is some distance from where the Coast Guard recovered the bodies, but not far; you can even see tents on the shore.

The 'canary' strained to maintain all her professional demeanor, looking around and praising the beauty of the river view.

John Doe gripped the steering wheel and remained silent for a moment before speaking:

"Tonight, the FBI came to my house."

The 'Canary' was about to go over and check its 'strength' when it was startled by this sentence.

John Doe grabbed 'Canary's' arm and pushed her back, continuing on his own:

"They went to investigate an accident."

"That accident happened two years ago."

'Canary' is experienced and has seen all kinds of guests.

She is 'Ant' Marino's trump card, and her price tag is quite high.

Only customers who are willing to pay a dollar or two will go straight for the task without saying a word.

She quickly adjusted her position, put away her inappropriate flirtatious smile, and acted as a competent straight man:

Two years ago?

John Doe nodded:
"Yes, two years ago a cargo ship from New York came to the shipyard for maintenance."

The 'canary' asked a timely question:

"You work at a shipyard?"

John Doe paused:
“Yes, the Alexandria Shipbuilding Company, I worked there for 25 years.”

The canary let out an exaggerated "wow" and exclaimed in admiration:
"Then you must be very amazing!"

John Doe waved his hand dismissively, a hint of smugness in his expression:

"I'm the best boiler repairman in the shipyard. I can solve all the problems with the boilers. They often need to consult me ​​about complicated boiler issues, like..."

He went on to explain several high-tech problems, which the 'Canary' couldn't understand at all. She didn't even understand the technical terms, but she pretended to understand and looked at John Doe with admiration, nodding frequently.

John Doe was in a good mood, reached out and shook 'Canary's' hand, and then steered the conversation back to the accident:
"That day happened to be the day when one of my apprentices was able to perform repairs independently."

“He was a very good young man, I treated him like my own child.”

“Really, I often invite him over for meals, and I paid half for the motorcycle he bought…”

He went on and on about all the good things he had done for Danny Brown before slowly getting back to the main point:

"I wanted him to be able to complete the maintenance work independently as soon as possible, so I gave him the ship."

"He was a little uneasy, always feeling that his skills were not yet good enough to complete the maintenance work independently."

"After much persuasion, he finally agreed and submitted an application to the shipyard."

"With my guarantee, his application was approved very quickly."

"But when we got to the boiler room door, he regretted it."

“I was very disappointed, so I changed the signature sheet and decided to carry out the repairs myself.”

At this point, John Doe gripped 'Canary's' hand tightly and fell silent.

'Canary' felt a little pain in her hand, but didn't struggle. She obediently leaned over, patted John Doe's arm, and asked softly:

"and after?"

John Doe's expression was complex:

"I was very angry at the time and didn't notice that the pressure gauge was broken, so I opened the valve directly." "The valve was only half turned when high-temperature steam shot out."

"Steam immediately enveloped him."

"I ran out, and I don't know how much time passed before I heard his scream."

"I looked inside, and it was all steam; I couldn't see anyone at all."

"That's when I realized what had happened."

“I put his signed sheet back first, then tore up the work record for that day, copied it again, and changed the signature of the maintenance personnel for the last ship to his.”

“I also modified the inspection form, imitating his handwriting to make it look like the one he was in charge of inspecting.”

'Canary' swallowed hard, making a loud noise in the quiet carriage.

John Doe looked down at her and continued:

"By the time I finished doing all that, the boiler room had quieted down."

"That's when I went to find someone to help me drag the person out."

He died that very night.

"Both the shipyard and the union investigated the accident afterward."

"I am the only one present and still alive."

“I told them that he was in charge of the maintenance, and I was just in charge of supervision.”

"It was his negligence that prevented him from noticing that the pressure gauge was broken."

"I tried to warn him, but he was too fast; it was too late."

"After the accident, I immediately went out to find someone to help."

He leaned forward, buried his head in 'Canary's' arms, and began to cry.

He repeatedly expressed his guilt and regret.

He said he didn't know what was wrong with him; after the accident, instead of saving people, he chose to modify the records.

The 'Canary' seemed somewhat at a loss.

Finally, John Doe cried for more than ten minutes before slowly stopping his tears.

He straightened up and released 'Canary's' hand:
Thank you for listening to me.

The 'canary' smiled and shook the picture:

"It's nothing. If it were me, I would also be unable to bear keeping such a big secret in my heart and would want to talk to someone about it."

Thinking of the rumors circulating on the street, she quickly assured them:

"Don't worry, darling, I'm very tight-lipped. I will never let a second person know your secret."

John Doe remained noncommittal:

"Okay, let's go to the river."

The 'Canary' secretly breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and smiled sweetly.

She thought to herself, "Finally, we're getting to the point! We've finally reached the part I'm familiar with!"
As she turned to open the car door, an arm suddenly wrapped around her neck.

She could clearly feel the muscles bulging in her arms.

She had felt that strong and powerful feeling not long ago.

John Doe tightened his grip on his arms, his expression contorted with rage, cursing incessantly.

'Canary' struggled, but compared to John Doe, she was too weak, and with John Doe behind her, she couldn't exert any strength at all in this position.

Compared to John Doe, her strength was less than that of a kitten.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the car window, and then the window was smashed.

John Doe looked up, saw who it was, and was stunned.

His mind went blank, with only the FBI badge he had seen at his doorstep a few hours earlier flashing repeatedly and quickly filling his head.

Billy Hawke opened the car door, pried John Doe's arm off, and rescued 'Canary'.

Bernie on the other side pulled the man out of the car, pinned him to the hood, and handcuffed him.

He skillfully turned the person over and began searching them.

After confirming John Doe's safety, Bernie shoved him into the Chevrolet and asked Theodore:

"Should we send him to the Seventh Precinct? Or take him back to the station?"

Theodore looked toward the seventh precinct:
"Bring back."

"Sending it to the Seventh Precinct may require a letter of invitation for cooperation."

Bernie twitched his lips and reminded him:
"Should we contact Deputy Superintendent Doherty and Superintendent Cassidy?"

Theodore was puzzled:
Why contact them?

"This case is ours; they are just assisting with the investigation."

Bernie was speechless.

He actually found some truth in what Theodore said.

After a moment of silence, he proposed:
"At least they should be notified."

He then asked Theodore:

"Will the trial be tonight?"

Theodore shook his head.

Bernie breathed a sigh of relief:

"I promised Carly (Little Sullivan) this morning that I would tell him a bedtime story tonight, and it will be too late if I don't go back soon."

Theodore checked the time and asked him:
"Will it be possible to make it back in time? It's already ten o'clock."

Bernie wiped his face:

"hope so."

He pointed towards the red Ford pickup truck, changing the subject:

"Should we take her back too? Should we take her statement tonight or tomorrow?"

Theodore looked in the direction he was pointing.

'Canary' had her arms wrapped around Billy Hawke's neck, her head buried in his chest, and her legs wrapped around his waist. Her body was still trembling, as if she were sobbing.

Billy Hawke seemed to be trying to tear her off, but the 'Canary' held on to him firmly and refused to let go.

Theodore hesitated for a moment and did not go over to help, but instead went to the back of the pickup truck.

Bernie shouted at Billy Hawke, "When you're done, remember to give your statement," and then, with a flashlight in hand, he and Theodore inspected the back of the pickup truck.

…………

The next afternoon.

The interrogation room is located on the second basement floor of the Ministry of Justice building, at a corner.

John Doe was brought in.

His steps were slow and sluggish, his head bowed, like a puppet being manipulated by the agents.

Sitting opposite him were Theodore and Billy Hawke, with Bernie sitting behind them.

Theodore will preside over this trial, with Billy Hawke assisting and Bernie taking notes.

Billy Hawke was a little nervous, sitting up straight and constantly glancing at Theodore.

Theodore sorted through the documents in his hand, found the autopsy photos of the four deceased, arranged them one by one, and tapped on the table.

John Doe heard the noise, looked up, his gaze quickly sweeping across the photograph before he quickly looked down, covered his mouth, and gagged.

Theodore pushed the photo of victim number 1, 'Cherry,' forward, in front of John Doe.

John Doe turned his head away, unable to look at the photo.

Theodore then pulled out 'Canary's' statement and handed it over.

John Doe kept his head down, not even glancing at him.

He seemed determined to maintain his silence.

(End of this chapter)