1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 278 Differential Treatment
Theodore stared at Sheriff Hawkins for a moment:

"I need a list of armed people in town."

He particularly emphasized:
"The list at the time of the incident."

Sheriff Hawkins paused, then turned his bewildered gaze to Bernie.

He didn't understand; they had just been talking about Luke Morrow, how did he suddenly jump to the list of armed persons?

Bernie handed over the notebook, pointing to the description of the killer recorded inside:
"Theodore just released a profile of the killer, who is from Lone Pine."

"This means that all residents of Lone Pine Town will be on the list of suspects."

"Afterwards, we will screen the list based on these profiling criteria, exclude people who do not match the murderer's profile, and narrow down the list."

"If the final list includes not one person, but several, we will conduct a detailed investigation to identify the final culprit."

“Luke Morrow is on the list too, but don’t worry, if he’s really not the killer, he’ll be ruled out soon.”

Sheriff Hawkins was skeptical.

He asked Bernie:

What if I make a mistake?

"Or what if everyone is eventually eliminated after the screening process?"

Martin Joseph Cronin looked up at Theodore.

He also wanted to know the answer.

Bernie smiled at Sheriff Hawkins:

"We've never encountered this situation before."

Sheriff Hawkins remained suspicious.

Theodore glanced at him, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

He had previously introduced criminal profiling to Sheriff Hawkins, and the entire process of this case, from crime scene analysis to the creation of the killer's profile, was presented to Sheriff Hawkins in its entirety.

But Sheriff Hawkins didn't take notes.

Theodore suspected that even if he said it a thousand times, Sheriff Hawkins would still not understand and would have similar doubts.

Bernie glanced at Theodore and spoke before he could:
“Criminal profiling is a new investigative method invented by Theodore, and he has never made a mistake.”

“Theodore and I became partners last year, and we have used this method to investigate more than 20 cases, both current and old.”

“You should have seen it in the Enforcement Gazette; Theodore listed the cases we’ve handled in that article.”

Sheriff Hawkins paused for a moment, then shook his head at Theodore:

"I don't have a list here."

"Almost every household in town has a gun."

“This is deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where there are many wild animals. Wild animals often come to the town to hunt for food. They even break into houses and attack people.”

"Guns can be used not only for hunting, but also for self-defense."

"Without a gun, there's no way to protect yourself and your family."

Billy Hawke looked at the close-up photos of the heads of the two adult victims, hesitated, and then leaned closer:

"This wound was likely caused by a pistol."

"Shotguns and rifles will blow your head off."

Theodore looked at him:

Can you tell what model it is?

Billy Hawke examined the photograph closely, but it was so poorly taken that he could only shake his head in the end.

"It should be a .38 or .45 caliber pistol, fired at close range."

"It's unlikely to be a small-caliber pistol like .22, .25, or .32."

He gestured:
“Even if these small-caliber pistols are fired at close range, they will only leave a small hole and will not cause such a wound.”

"Larger-caliber handguns can cause similar effects to rifles, resulting in larger wounds and potentially even smashing the entire head."

Everyone looked at Sheriff Hawkins.

Bernie asked him, "What about those with pistols?"

Billy Hawke added:
"There are also some non-standard products that could be involved, such as homemade pistols."

Sheriff Hawkins continued to shake his head:
"The same goes for pistols; almost every household has one, especially experienced hunters who may have several."

"In the past, we mostly used homemade firearms."

"It's just that homemade guns are not as powerful as those bought from gun shops, and their stability is also much worse. Only in recent years have people gradually started to buy guns from gun shops."

Bernie glanced at the autopsy report on the table and asked Sheriff Hawkins:
"Can you get in touch with the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office and the County Medical Examiner's Office?"

Not all local law enforcement agencies have their own forensic labs like the DC precinct.

In places like Shenandoah County, forensic clinics are often shared with the county's funeral home.

Sheriff Hawkins looked at him, puzzled.
Why contact them?

Bernie picked up the two close-up head photos:
"The autopsy was performed in Shenandoah County, where the Shenandoah County Sheriff's Office was also involved in the investigation, and the case is still ongoing."

"They may still have some evidence."

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head:
"Even if they did, they would have thrown them away long ago."

Thomas works at the county sheriff's office. I've asked him several times already, and he said they only found an empty box with nothing inside.

He paused, then explained:

“Thomas is my son. He works at the Shenandoah County Sheriff’s Office.”

Theodore and Bernie looked at each other in bewilderment.

Sheriff Hawkins pulled over the old-fashioned telephone and skillfully dialed a number.

The call was quickly connected, and the person who answered was a police officer who sounded very young.

Bernie took the receiver and spoke with the other party.

He first identified himself and then asked for evidence related to the Cartwright case.

The young police officer was surprised, and even his voice became restrained.

He immediately said he would help look for it and asked for the address.

Sheriff Hawkins' expression wasn't good, but he still reminded Bernie:
"Driving to pick it up is much faster than mailing the package."

"The mailman only comes once a week, on Mondays."

Bernie nodded to Sheriff Hawkins:
"Thank you, no need to mail it. I'll pick it up directly from the county police station. Just let me know when you find it."

Sheriff Hawkins pointed to the corner of the table, where a piece of paper was stuck on, with several numbers written on it.

Bernie found the number for the Lone Pine Police Department, gave it to the young officer, and asked him to help find other materials related to the Cartwright case as well.

The young police officer readily agreed.

After ending the call, Sheriff Hawkins angrily slammed his fist on the table:
“I contacted them several times, asking them to give me everything related to the case, but they kept telling me that this was all they had!”

Bernie glanced at the time and changed the subject:

"It's almost midnight, let's go eat first."

The group drove to Annie's pub.

This is one of only two places in Lone Pine Town that offer meals; the other is the restaurant run by Old Tom across the street.

When Theodore and his companions arrived at the tavern, a young man across the street was shouting the name of the grocer.

The young man was strong and his voice was powerful, each shout louder than the last, carrying a unique mountain accent.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar Chevrolet, the young man's voice immediately lowered. Standing at the entrance of the grocery store, he curiously examined the Chevrolet and the four people who got out of it.

Sheriff Hawkins pointed to the pub and asked him:

Are you looking for Ted? Is he inside?

The young man nodded.

Sheriff Hawkins pushed open the wooden door of the tavern and called Ted out for him.

(End of this chapter)