1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 267 New Members

The following day at noon, the six members of the team gathered in the restaurant on the first basement floor to discuss the upcoming training and competition arrangements.

Bernie announced some bad news:

"This morning, I ran into my colleagues from the Criminal Investigation Department in the elevator."

"I asked them if they wanted to train together after get off work this afternoon, and they declined."

"The reason is that two of their colleagues have cases that have reached a critical point and they have to go back to work on those cases. The remaining team members can only practice alone and can't team up to play training matches like before."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, and a brief silence fell over the table.

Theodore wanted to say that if a 5 vs 5 practice match couldn't be played, they could still play 4 vs 4.

Martin Joseph Cronin spoke before Theodore could:
"Last night we beat the pretty strong Human Resources Department of the Administration Department, which has alerted many teams. They no longer see us as just there to make up the numbers, but have started to take us seriously."

"The Criminal Investigation Department's refusal to cooperate with training is just the beginning; there are many more tricks waiting for us."

Theodore, Billy Hawke, and Bernie were puzzled.

Agent Lombardi nodded solemnly in agreement.

Agent Bourne shifted his position and nodded in agreement:

"Yes, that's true."

Theodore looked at Agent Bourne, just as Agent Bourne was looking in his direction.

Their eyes met, and Agent Bourne quickly looked away, glancing down at the tablecloth before looking up at the others.
“I’ve heard Ronnie (Ronald Scott) mention it; he said the bowling league is like…”

He pointed north, then pointed to his feet, gesturing as he spoke:

"...We are the same as the Soviet Union."

"The FBI Recreation Association and the department do not prohibit actions other than causing bodily harm."

Agent Lombardi added:

"That's right, so in order to win, each department will use any means necessary."

He glanced at Theodore, hesitated for a moment, and did not say the following sentence, "The department may be encouraging about this."

He still vividly remembers Director Hoover watching the entire second half of the game last night.

In the past, even when Director Hoover made an appearance, he rarely watched the entire game of a particular team, let alone sit in the rest area behind the players' bench like ordinary family members.

Director Hoover would usually just show up briefly, walk around, get a general idea, and then leave.

Agent Bourne nodded vigorously, glanced at Theodore, and, finding Theodore still looking at him, shifted his position further.
"From initially sending spies into the opposing team, to later deliberately assigning tasks to the opposing team's best players before the match, such as inviting them to drinks and getting them drunk..."

Agent Lombardi kept shaking his head, looking as if he couldn't bear to recall the past.

Billy Hawke asked curiously:

"Assign tasks? How do you assign them? Aren't teams organized by department? How can tasks be assigned across departments?"

Agent Bourne paused for a moment, then shook his head:
"I don't know either, I heard it from Ronnie."

Agent Lombardi offered his explanation:
"For example, if a field operations department encounters a logistics department, and the best technical member in the logistics department happens to be in charge of equipment registration, they can list a huge amount of equipment that needs to be retrieved the day before the competition, plunging the logistics department's best member into the vortex of equipment registration, leaving them no time to spare."

"Sometimes they'll even involve other departments."

Martin Joseph Cronin provides further elaboration on Agent Bourne's example:

"If they encounter those departments in the identification department, they will usually use a large number of fingerprints to prevent their entire team from having time to prepare for the competition."

He pointed towards the Department of Justice building:

"The lab's opponent next week will be the identification department."

The identification department is primarily responsible for managing the FBI's nationwide fingerprint database.

Since the advent of fingerprint technology, this department has hardly had a break and is constantly busy.

Every day, there are a large number of fingerprint query applications from all over the country, as well as an even larger number of fingerprint entries and verifications.

Everyone looked at Martin Joseph Cronin. Even Theodore looked at him.

Martin Joseph Cronin and Theodore stared at each other for a moment, then Cronin pulled out a rough-edged notebook and opened it:

"It's okay if we don't have cooperative training with the Criminal Investigation Department; we can train ourselves."

Bernie reminded him:
“I just contacted DuPont Bowling Centre, and they are still overcrowded; it’s impossible to book a lane.”

Theodore stared at Agent Bourne and shook his head:
"The lanes in the center of DuPont bowling are not necessary."

Martin Joseph Cronin helped explain:

“That’s right. Theodore and I have already built the framework of the data model. The next step is data collection and processing.”

"We can first exclude factors that are temporarily unavailable, such as the venue, and collect data that can be collected in other stadiums."

Bernie confirmed with Theodore.

Theodore nodded to him and continued to stare at Agent Bourne.

Agent Bourne shifted his posture and adjusted his sitting position repeatedly, actively participating in the conversation while controlling his gaze from Theodore.

Martin Joseph Cronin's good news brought things back to normal at the dinner table.

The group then began discussing last night's match.

Martin Joseph Cronin, with a rib in his mouth, flipped through his curled notebook, earnestly analyzing the pros and cons of each goal from last night, and how they could have done better.

Bernie glanced at his notebook and suspected it could automatically extend indefinitely; otherwise, how could it have been used for so many days and written so much without being finished?
To prevent Martin Joseph Cronin from continuing his analysis, the others tacitly changed the subject, discussing some outrageous things that had happened in past bowling leagues.

Agent Bourne brought up an incident that Ronnie supposedly experienced firsthand.

In retaliation, the logistics department packed all the clothes, pants, and shoes that Ronnie had prepared for the game into a package and sent it back to Ronnie's home.

Ronnie thought his clothes were lost.

The package wasn't delivered to his home until a week after the competition.

The group agreed to meet in the parking lot after get off work, go to the bowling alley for practice, and then finish lunch.

Martin Joseph Cronin fell behind and pulled Laciodor.

Theodore withdrew his gaze from behind Agent Bourne and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Martin Joseph Cronin leaned closer to him and whispered:
"I've thought about it."

Theodore was puzzled.

Martin Joseph Cronin paused for a few seconds, then reminded him:

"You said before that you wanted me to join you."

Theodore suddenly realized.

Martin Joseph Cronin looked at Theodore, his feelings somewhat complicated:

"I will submit the application to my supervisor on Monday."

"I estimate that I will be transferred there soon."

Back in the office, Bernie came over:

"What happened to Bourne?"

He pointed upstairs:
“You kept staring at him while we ate.”

Theodore's simple explanation:
"He might be a spy sent by the Criminal Investigation Department."

Bernie and Billy Hawke, who was passing by, looked at him in surprise.

Theodore nodded seriously and asked the two:
"Martin Joseph Cronin is joining us. Where would be a good place for him to sit?"

Bernie and Billy Hawke looked at each other in bewilderment.

(End of this chapter)