1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 271 Beware of Wild Animals!

Pushing open the thick wooden door, a mixture of smells—stewed food, tobacco, firewood smoke, and alcohol—wafted out.

The tavern's interior space was small, and the ceiling was blackened by years of cooking smoke.

The walls were made of roughly planked wooden boards, decorated with animal heads obtained from hunting and a few faded commercial advertisements.

Two electric lights, one inside and one outside, illuminated the entire tavern. The wires were casually draped over the beams, with the excess tied in a knot for securement.

Perhaps due to unstable voltage, the light bulb flickers from time to time.

The bar counter and chairs, made of solid wood, have a glossy sheen.

Several guests were playing cards under the light at the back.

Theodore glanced over there; the battle must be fierce, and the noise was deafening.

A young man in an old jacket stood up, slammed a few cards on the table, and excitedly began talking and gesturing to the others at a rapid pace, speaking with the same accent as Sheriff Hawkins.

The young man saw Sheriff Hawkins at the door and waved to greet him.

The others also paused their card game and greeted Sheriff Hawkins.

After exchanging greetings, their gazes fell on Theodore and his men behind Sheriff Hawkins.

Sheriff Hawkins made no attempt to introduce them, simply waving his hand and tapping on the bar.

The guests sat down again, and the young man hesitated for a moment before sitting back down as well.

They were still arguing, but their voices were much lowered, as if they were discussing something in hushed tones.

Hearing the noise, Anne came out from the kitchen.

She was a sturdy woman, wearing a not-so-clean apron, with her unkempt brown hair tied in a ponytail.

Sheriff Hawkins leaned against the bar, sideways to make room for Theodore and his group to pass, then waved to Anne.

The two chatted at the bar for a while, then Annie turned around and went back to the kitchen, bringing out a basket of bread and a dish of jam.

The bread is homemade whole-wheat bread, with a hard crust and a dense interior, which is very filling.

The jam is homemade wild berry jam, sweet and sour, and tastes great spread on bread.

A few minutes later, Annie brought out another large pot of stewed venison.

The venison is preserved by marinating it with a lot of salt and spices, making it somewhat dry and tough. It contains a lot of potatoes, carrots, and local wild onions, and after being stewed for a long time, the broth becomes very thick and is perfect for dipping bread.

Sheriff Hawkins wasn't in a hurry to discuss the case; instead, he enthusiastically began to tell Theodore and his team about the history of Lone Pine.
“In the 1980s and 90s, exploration teams from several large timber companies went upstream along the Blackwater Creek and found this beautiful valley full of white pines and oaks.”

"They named this valley Lone Pine Valley after the huge white pine tree at the entrance of the valley."

"Later, the timber company set up a logging camp here. They recruited loggers, coachmen and blacksmiths from all over the country to come here."

“They cut down giant trees and transported the timber to the stream via a makeshift slide. When the snowmelt water was plentiful in the spring, the timber was then floated downstream to the sawmill.”

He stuffed a piece of bread thickly covered in jam into his mouth, leaned back, and the handcrafted wooden chair creaked as he sat on it.

"At first, this was just a simple workers' camp, but later peddlers started bringing their goods here to sell."

Sheriff Hawkins pointed towards the kitchen, then towards the door:
“Annie’s grandfather came here and opened a tavern.”

“Old Jack’s grandfather kidnapped the farmer’s daughter, ran away to this place, and built a makeshift hospital.”

"Old Tom's grandfather came here and opened a small restaurant."

He waved his arms with a hint of regret:

"It's a pity you've come at the wrong time. Old Tom's daughter is getting married, and he's gone to the wedding."

"You really should try Old Tom's cooking! His game is especially delicious! He's mastered his grandfather's skills perfectly!"

He shook his head and continued:
"Later, the loggers brought their families over and began to settle here."

"Churches and primary schools were also built one after another."

At its peak, Gusong Town had a population of over a thousand.

"More than 20 years ago, the high-quality timber that was easy to mine near the valley was all cut down. Coupled with the effects of the Great Depression and the war, the timber company eventually shut down its operations here and withdrew all its machinery and personnel."

"Most people left, leaving only a small number of residents who chose to stay."

Because of the sharp decline in population and the loss of economic value, this place was never officially established as a town.

The name Gusong Town is simply passed down orally.

Theodore picked up a piece of bread, scraped it against the plate to gather the soup, smeared it on the bread with his knife, put it in his mouth, and chewed.

He stared at Sheriff Hawkins and asked him:

"So the residents of Lone Pine Town actually knew each other since their grandparents' generation?"

Sheriff Hawkins nodded:

“They all came here around that time, but then the timber company left, and no new people have settled here since…”

He paused, then corrected his answer:

"That's how most of the people in Lone Pine Town came to be."

"Except for Luke."

Theodore was puzzled.

Sheriff Hawkins explained:
“Luke Morrow, he’s a ranger, he came a few years ago.”

"Luke is the only new face in Lone Pine Town in the past twenty years."

"He's not a talkative person, especially..."

Everyone looked at him.

The tavern suddenly fell silent.

It seemed that the people playing cards at the table behind me had also stopped playing.

Sheriff Hawkins gave a wry smile:
“He became even more taciturn after his son went missing a few years ago.”

“He usually lives in the mountains and rarely comes back.”

Theodore pressed further:
When did they go missing?

Sheriff Hawkins paused for a moment:
"Nine years ago, Luke was already a forest ranger."

“He wasn’t home at the time; he was patrolling the mountain.”

“His son Danny went to play in the mountains after school and never came back.”

"The town organized several searches, but they couldn't find Danny."

"We believe he may have been attacked by a wild animal."

He tapped the table, shook his head, and said in a low voice:
"This is the Blue Ridge Mountains."

Sheriff Hawkins gave everyone a briefing on the dangers of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are scenic, but also fraught with danger.

The mountains and forests are home to a large number of black bears, wild boars, cougars, and coyotes.

These ferocious beasts pose a great threat to humans.

Besides large predators, there are also seemingly insignificant but deadly threats such as the copperhead viper, the wood rattlesnake, and the black widow spider.

Lynxes, foxes, and golden eagles are also frequently seen.

These are far too dangerous for an 11-year-old child.

Provoking either of them could cost him his life.

Sheriff Hawkins also recounted two incidents of children in the town being attacked by wild animals as case studies.

He solemnly reminded everyone not to wander off.

The Blue Ridge Mountains are home to wild animals; humans are the outsiders.

The same applies to Lone Pine Town.

Almost every year, wild boars, black bears, and other animals are reported to have entered Lone Pine Town.

Martin Joseph Cronin nodded solemnly, indicating that he remembered and would never wander off without permission or act alone.

He didn't want to be attacked by wild animals for no reason.

Theodore, Bernie, and Billy Hawke exchanged glances, but hesitated. Billy Hawke and Bernie even seemed somewhat eager to try.

Bernie patted his holster and assured Sheriff Hawkins:

"Don't worry, we're safe."

"If we do encounter them, we guarantee to draw our guns and fire immediately."

Billy Hawke and Theodore nodded in unison.

Sheriff Hawkins listened in silence.

Bernie changed the subject, asking Sheriff Hawkins:
Are there any hotels in town?

Sheriff Hawkins shrugged:
“No outsiders have come to the town since the timber company left more than 20 years ago.”

"Even if there were hotels, they should have closed down long ago."

He pointed towards the kitchen:
"I've already spoken to Annie, so you'll be staying at her place for now."

"She has rooms upstairs in her house."

Theodore and his three companions looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sheriff Hawkins stood up abruptly and called out to the kitchen:

"Anne! Anne!"

His greeting silenced the entire tavern, and everyone turned to look at him.

Annie appeared quickly at the kitchen door.

Sheriff Hawkins pointed at Theodore and his group.

Anne quickly understood:

"Bob's up there, you can take them up directly."

She smiled at Theodore and the other three:

"I heard you were coming, so I made some special preparations. I hope you'll find it comfortable and won't mind the changes."

Bernie and Billy Hawke waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that they were fine as long as they had a place to stay.

Theodore and Martin Joseph Cronin looked at each other in silence.

Sheriff Hawkins nodded to Anne and led Theodore and the others inside.

Upon reaching the innermost part, a steep and narrow staircase came into view.

Theodoro was at the very back, and could faintly hear whispers like "from DC."

The stairs are made of wooden planks, and they look quite old. There are obvious dents in the middle, and they creak and groan when you step on them.

Climbing the steep wooden stairs to the second floor, the space did not become more open; instead, it appeared even more cramped and narrow.

Sheriff Hawkins struggled through the corridor, shouting:

"Bob! Old Bob! Where did you go?!"

After shouting for a while, a wooden door opened, revealing a middle-aged man with his upper body bare.

He tilted his head slightly, pointed one eye at the group, stared at Theodore and his companions for a few seconds, and then looked at Sheriff Hawkins:

"what's up?"

His voice was so hoarse it sounded like he had swallowed a handful of sand; it was extremely unpleasant to hear.

He had large scars all over his body, which stretched down to his face, making him look wrinkled and terrifying.

Combined with the perfectly dim lighting, it looked like a demon crawling out of hell.

However, Theodore and his companions were already used to seeing corpses and didn't react much to this.

Sheriff Hawkins then remembered Bob's scars and turned to look at him, only to find that Theodore and the others were calm, without any signs of being frightened, disgusted, or repulsed.

Theodore was even looking Bob up and down with a curious expression.

Sheriff Hawkins quietly breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at Theodore and his three companions:
"They're from DC, FBI agents, helping with the Cartwright family case."

"You know what the situation is like where I live; there's simply no room for anyone."

"Let them stay at your house for now."

Bob glanced at Theodore and the others again:
Didn't we talk about that last time?

He tried to move his facial muscles as if he wanted to smile, but in the end he only made himself look more terrifying.

Perhaps aware of his grotesque appearance, Bob pointed to the two rooms opposite:

"Annie cleaned it yesterday."

After saying that, he closed the door.

Billy Hawke curiously asked Sheriff Hawkins about the origin of Bob's injuries.

Sheriff Hawkins glanced at the closed door and lowered his voice:

"He encountered a black bear in the mountains, and the wounds on his body and face were from the black bear's claws."

He stretched out his arm and patted it:
"A large chunk of flesh was torn off here by a black bear."

"At the time, we all thought he wouldn't survive."

He looked serious.
"So you must be careful not to wander off."

"Not everyone is as lucky as Bob."

Theodore asked him:
How did she survive?

Theodore had just roughly assessed Bob's injuries and didn't believe that someone injured like that could still defeat a black bear.

Sheriff Hawkins remained silent for a few seconds:
"It's Luke."

"He met Luke, who chased away the black bear, rescued him, and took him down the mountain."

As they spoke, they arrived at the door of the first room.

Sheriff Hawkins pushed open the wooden door.

The room was very clean, and although the sheets were old, they were washed very clean.

The only problem is that there's only one double bed in the room.

He then led everyone to see another room.

This room is slightly smaller than the previous one, and contains two single beds with a handcrafted wooden bedside table in the middle.

Sheriff Hawkins took two steps back into the corridor and checked the time:
"It's too late, you can rest here for the night."

"Come to the police station tomorrow, and I'll take you to the Cartwright's house."

His final words of advice:
"Never go out alone at night."

After Sheriff Hawkins left, the four of them quickly divided up the rooms.

Martin Joseph Cronin and Theodore were assigned to a double room, while Billy Hawke and Bernie shared a single bed.

But Billy Hawke was too big; when he sat on the single bed, the bed immediately screamed under his weight.

Bob handcrafted these two single beds, mainly for his two grandsons to stay in during holidays, without ever considering that they would one day have to support more than 200 pounds of weight.

Bernie weighed about the same as Billy Hawke. He carefully sat down on the bed, but the bed did not respond.

He breathed a sigh of relief and slowly sat down, but the bed still didn't respond.

It only makes a creaking sound when it makes a movement.

The four had to be reassigned, with Billy Hawke and Martin Joseph Cronin sharing a double bed.

The double bed wasn't wide enough, so the thinnest man, Martin Joseph Cronin, had to share it with others to make room.

If it were any other pair, they could only hug each other and sleep in each other's arms.

Martin Joseph Cronin glanced at the well-proportioned Theodore, then at the hulking Billy Hawke, and sighed silently.

Billy Hawke pointed downstairs:

"I'm going to make a phone call."

(End of this chapter)