1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 257 How far has the case progressed?

Today is May 30th, Remembrance Day for Emily.

At that time, Memorial Day had not yet been moved to the last Monday in May, but was fixed on May 30th of each year.

The date was changed 10 years later.

Remembrance Day originated from the tradition of laying flowers and decorating the graves of fallen soldiers after the Civil War, and it carries a strong sense of mourning and commemoration.

On this day, memorial services are held at cemeteries throughout Emilyka.

DC's memorial service is held at Arlington National Cemetery and is usually presided over by the president himself.

This is President Jack's first Memorial Day since taking office.

At nine o'clock in the morning, members of the public, veterans, and families of fallen soldiers began to enter Arlington National Cemetery to find seats and spots.

A crowd gradually gathered at the amphitheater and the surrounding lawn.

Military personnel, including the honor guard and military band, who were to participate in the ceremony, entered their designated positions in advance to make final preparations.

Government officials, dignitaries, and members of diplomatic missions arrived and took their places one after another.

Shortly after 11 a.m., President Jack's motorcade arrived at Arlington National Cemetery.

Accompanied by senior military officials, President Jack was seated on the dais in the amphitheater.

The ceremony officially began at 11:30.

First, the band played, then prayers were offered, then wreaths were laid, and the entire audience observed a moment of silence.

Next came the speech segment.

President Jack delivered the opening speech.

He possesses superb oratory skills, speaking with great emotion and eloquence, and can talk for more than twenty minutes straight without the audience finding it particularly difficult.

After President Jack finished his speech, it was the Secretary of Defense's turn, followed by the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

By the time all the political figures had spoken, it was almost one o'clock.

The military band played music again, announcing the end of the memorial ceremony.

President Jack and the Secretary of Defense, along with many other dignitaries, left first. After a quick lunch and a short rest, they were scheduled to preside over and participate in a memorial ceremony at the Allied Forces Memorial on the National Mall in DC in the afternoon.

The public and other participants then rushed toward the exit.

Police Inspector Frank Cassidy, dressed in a police uniform, mingled in the crowd and slowly moved outwards.

He didn't go to the Seventh Precinct today.

He's very busy today. After attending the memorial ceremony here, he has to go to the National Mall to attend the memorial ceremony in the afternoon.

Inspector Frank Cassidy was just an inspector in the Criminal Investigation Division of the DC Police Department headquarters; even their chief wasn't qualified to speak, let alone him.

Not only that.

The president and the other dignitaries who were speaking had time to have lunch and rest, while the others had to stand there hungry and then hurry to the National Mall.

The afternoon memorial ceremony usually starts promptly at 2 p.m. Including the time spent evacuating from here, traveling in between, and entering from the National Mall, they only have one hour in total.

With a stern face, Inspector Frank Cassidy parted ways with the main group at the amphitheater exit, quietly turning onto a secluded path beside it.

The path leads directly to the parking lot, giving them a head start.

If you're lucky, you might even be able to buy a pizza on the way.

Every year during the memorial service, the DC Police Department tries to subtly place its officers near the trail to ensure it remains undiscovered by outsiders.

Following the winding path, the group quickly arrived at the parking lot.

Inspector Frank Cassidy and three other familiar colleagues set off in one car before the main force arrived.

If we're any later, the whole road will be completely blocked.

They bought a pizza on the way and shared it, and each had a cup of coffee. After arriving at the National Mall, they even had time to go to the toilet.

The memorial ceremony at the National Mall began on time at 2 p.m.

The afternoon commemorative ceremony was simplified compared to the morning ceremony.

After the flowers were laid, the dignitaries who had not spoken in the morning began to speak.

These people spoke longer than President Jack, but lacked his superior oratory skills, making the audience drowsy.

Police Inspector Frank Cassidy stood slightly at the back, and all he could see were various styles of back heads, making it impossible for him to see who was speaking in front of him.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the time.

3:20 PM.

Based on past experience, we'll have to stand for another hour or so.

Inspector Frank Cassidy subtly shifted his feet to relieve the soreness in his leg muscles.

He looked straight ahead, his face solemn, listening intently to the speech.

After finally enduring until the military band played their music again and announced the end of the ceremony, it was already past five o'clock.

Inspector Frank Cassidy and his colleagues gathered together, looking relaxed and exchanging hushed conversations.

When passing by officers from the DC Police Department, they would nod, pat on the shoulder, or exchange a few words.

After driving back and forth for a while, it was already past closing time by the time I finally got back to headquarters.

Inspector Frank Cassidy loosened his tie, preparing to take a break before leaving.

The phone on the table rang.

It was the bureau chief calling.

The bureau chief asked him directly:
"The case of the body that floated down the river has been sent to the FBI, right?"

Inspector Frank Cassidy pondered the chief's intentions and responded calmly:

"Yes, sir, there's a jurisdictional dispute in this case..."

He explained the whole story.

After listening, the bureau chief remained silent for a while, then suddenly asked him:
Did the Seventh Precinct request a letter of invitation to cooperate from the FBI?

Inspector Frank Cassidy paused for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes."

He immediately explained, "This case is being handled by FBI Agent Theodore Dixon Hoover and two of his colleagues."

"Agent Hoover came to headquarters with an invitation to cooperate, hoping to gain our cooperation."

"I accompanied them to the Seventh Precinct to coordinate cooperation between the two parties..."

The bureau chief interrupted him and asked:
"How far has the case progressed?"

Inspector Frank Cassidy thought for a moment:
"The last thing we received was that they had just identified the body that had floated down..."

He was interrupted again.

The director's voice suddenly rose:
"They've caught him! Did you know that!"

"The criminal has confessed! Did you know that!"

"Just last night! Right in the jurisdiction of the Seventh Precinct!"

"The perpetrator was caught red-handed while committing the crime!"

After a pause, the director continued:

“Alex Rosen just finished a phone call with me.”

"He asked me if we would need to prepare a collaboration invitation letter in advance for any future collaborations between our two departments."

"Cassidy! Tell me, will we need to prepare a cooperation invitation letter before we cooperate with the FBI in the future?"

Inspector Frank Cassidy did not directly answer the question:

"Sir, I am deeply sorry for this."

"I just finished a full day of commemorative duties, so the information is delayed."

"Regarding the specifics of the case's resolution, I have not yet received official notification from the FBI or the Seventh Precinct." This is a difficult question to answer.

The invitation to collaborate is a formal procedural requirement, and Inspector Frank Cassidy cannot simply answer that it is not needed.

But the director clearly didn't mean for him to answer 'yes'.

Inspector Frank Cassidy then changed the subject:
"There are some things I need to report regarding the collaboration invitation letter."

"On that day, Agent Hoover came to headquarters with an invitation to cooperate, and the procedure was completely compliant."

"My understanding is that the FBI proactively prepared this invitation to ensure clear processes and responsibilities in cross-departmental collaboration, which in itself reflects their emphasis on the cooperative relationship."

“I accompanied Agent Hoover to the 7th Precinct primarily to coordinate cooperation and ensure the smooth progress of the investigation.”

"At the time, Deputy Superintendent Doherty did raise issues regarding the procedures for the cooperation invitation letter..."

He hummed in agreement, then remained silent for a moment, as if carefully choosing his words:

"Yes, some extra attention."

"But my personal role, and the position of headquarters, has always been to fully support the investigation of the case and ensure that the DC Police Department can provide any necessary assistance to the FBI."

Police Inspector Frank Cassidy stopped there:

“Director, I will immediately learn the full details of the case and the subsequent legal proceedings. I will ensure that we internally review the process of this cooperation and produce a report that clarifies each step to avoid similar misunderstandings in the future.”

The director's voice has fully returned to normal:

"Come to my office tomorrow morning to give a report."

"Also, remember to call Charles Ambrose Dougherty along!"

call ended.

Instead of immediately contacting Deputy Commissioner Doherty, Inspector Frank Cassidy dialed the number Theodore and his associates had left.

Deputy Superintendent Doherty is not yet qualified to participate in the memorial ceremony.

In other words, he has a whole day to learn about the latest developments in the case.

Inspector Frank Cassidy wanted to see when Deputy Inspector Doherty would remember to notify him.

…………

Theodore and his two companions emerged from Rosen's office.

Supervisor Rosen called them over, learned about the entire investigation process in detail, and then kicked them out.

The three had a clear division of labor in the supervisor's office.

Theodore and his two companions are reporting to Supervisor Rosen.

The three had a clear division of labor: Bernie was responsible for reporting, Billy Hawke for supplementing, and Theodore for daydreaming.

Theodore, still somewhat reluctant to leave, turned back to look at the supervisor's office, looking lingeringly at the end.

Billy Hawke checked the time, exclaimed in surprise, waved to Bernie and Theodore, and jogged towards the elevator.

Bernie pointed to Billy Hawke's retreating figure and made a bet with Theodore:

"I bet he's going on a date."

Theodore looked over there; Billy Hawke had already disappeared into the crowd.

Everywhere I looked, there were dark suits and white shirts.

It was already rush hour, and the elevator was crowded with people.

Billy Hawke was a big guy, but at the FBI, guys like him were commonplace.

Theodore withdrew his gaze and shook his head:

"No gambling."

He looked at Bernie:

"Or I'll bet on him going on a date, and you bet on him not going on a date."

Bernie and Theodore looked at each other, and Bernie asked him:
"Are you serious?"

Theodore nodded seriously.

Bernie was speechless.

The two followed the crowd and waited for a while before squeezing into the elevator and returning to their office on the basement floor.

Bernie quickly packed up, grabbed his car keys, and left.

He had plans to attend a small party tonight with the director of campus security at Emily College.

The gathering was private and was organized by several civilian World War II veterans' organizations.

This is their memorial ceremony.

Theodore was left alone in the office.

He took out his notebook and began to organize the cases, preparing to record them.

Police Inspector Frank Cassidy called:
"Good evening, Agent Hoover, this is Frank Cassidy."

Theodore looked at the receiver with a puzzled expression, wondering why Inspector Frank Cassidy was calling at this hour.

Inspector Frank Cassidy asked Theodore:

"I heard you've already caught the murderer?"

Theodore hummed in agreement, thought for a moment, and then explained simply:
"The perpetrator attempted to commit another crime last night but was apprehended on the spot."

Inspector Frank Cassidy immediately congratulated Theodore.

Theodore still didn't understand the purpose of the call.

He hesitated for a moment before thanking him and preparing to end the call as soon as possible.

Seemingly sensing Theodore's intentions, Inspector Frank Cassidy quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic:
"I just got back to the office after finishing my full day of Memorial Day duty and learned of this good news while organizing my work log."

"But I've only received some preliminary fragments of information. I'm thinking perhaps I could get a more authoritative and concise explanation from you?"

Theodore hesitated.

He glanced at the time and silently did some calculations.

If we go home now, there might be some traffic on the way, and we might not be able to take off completely.

Given that today is Remembrance Day, traffic congestion may last longer than usual.

Theodore organized his thoughts:

"The killer's name is John Doe, from the Alexandria Shipbuilding Company. He was a boiler repairman and was laid off from the shipyard last month."

Inspector Frank Cassidy immediately grasped the key point:

"Is he from Alexandria?"

"He lives in Alexandria?"

Theodore nodded, briefly explained the case, and told him that John Doe had pleaded guilty that afternoon.

Inspector Frank Cassidy exclaimed in admiration:

"The killer was from Alexandria. He was looking for targets on 5th and 7th Streets in southwest DC. He committed the crime at the Tidal Basin pier and dumped the body in the Potomac River."

"The complexity of this case far exceeds our expectations."

"To solve such a case in less than two weeks, Agent Hoover, you guys are really amazing!"

Theodore didn't find the case complicated.

The complexity of this case lies in the jurisdictional issue; the case itself is not actually difficult.

Inspector Frank Cassidy ended the fairy tale after expressing his desire to work with Theodore again.

Theodore glanced at the receiver and silently shook his head.

He still didn't understand what Frank Cassidy's purpose was in making that phone call.

(End of this chapter)