1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 280 Luke Morrow is back!
Bernie asked Sheriff Hawkins:

"Among these people on the list, is there anyone who has had a conflict with John Cartwright?"

"Especially in the period leading up to the incident."

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head with a confident expression:
"no!"

"John and Eleanor are both kind-hearted and never argue with anyone."

Theodore glanced sideways, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Bernie glanced at Theodore and asked again:
"Did anyone borrow money from him before the incident, or did he borrow money from anyone else?"

Theodore turned his gaze to Bernie.

Sheriff Hawkins thought about it carefully, then shook his head:

"John is the best carpenter of animal heads in town. There is a councilor in Shenandoah who is very fond of his carpenter heads and goes to him every year to buy carpenter heads."

“I heard John mention that one year the congressman spent more than two hundred dollars to buy a deer head specimen that he had made.”

“Other specimens can also sell for tens of dollars.”

“The councilor comes to buy two or three times a year.”

Bernie silently did the math: with a pint (about 470 ml) of jam costing only thirty to forty cents, the John Cartwright family was not only not poor, but probably one of the wealthiest families in Lone Pine.

Sheriff Hawkins continued:

“Every summer and autumn, when the firebreaks need to be cleared, Luke would always give John a section of them.”

"I have never heard of him borrowing money from anyone."

“Some people in town have borrowed money from him, and John has never made things difficult for anyone. He will lend money as long as it is for a legitimate purpose.”

Billy Hawke asked him curiously:
"Didn't he ever think about opening a taxidermy shop?"

Sheriff Hawkins paused for a moment:
“John mentioned to me that the county councilor who had been buying animal head specimens from him had once advised him to open a shop in the county town.”

"That congressman also said he could help him pay part of the money."

"But John refused."

"He doesn't want to leave the town."

“Even if you open a specimen shop in town, not many people will buy from it.”

Theodore pushed the list toward Sheriff Hawkins and asked him:
Are the people who borrowed money on the list?

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head and picked up his notebook to look at each name one by one.

He quickly pointed to Ted's name:

“I remember it was the summer of 1950 when Ted’s wife fell ill and he urgently needed money. He borrowed a lot of money from John.”

"But he paid it back the following year."

“When we went to Shenandoah County to pick up John and the others, Ted also drove there.”

According to Sheriff Hawkins, John never asked for the money back, and even asked several times if he had enough.

Ted was always grateful to John Cartwright, even though the money couldn't save his wife.

Theodore circled Ted's name.

Sheriff Hawkins stared at the circle for a moment, then looked up at Theodore.

Theodore pointed to the list, indicating that he should continue looking.

Sheriff Hawkins hesitated for a moment, then pointed to old Bob at the tavern:
Bob also borrowed money from John.

"He went to town to buy beer, and while walking in the dark, he got into a car accident. All the beer barrels rolled down the mountain, and he almost fell down as well."

“John lent him some money and bought a few more barrels. At that time, Bob was injured and bedridden and couldn’t drive, so John borrowed my car to help transport them back.”

"That car accident nearly emptied Annie and Bob's savings."

"Bob was injured, and his car was totaled."

Theodore, unconcerned about the plight of Anne's family, interrupted him and asked:

"Have you paid back the money?"

Sheriff Hawkins nodded:

"Eleanor often went to help out at the tavern, and managed to keep things afloat."

"They paid back a little each month, and it seemed like it took more than three years to pay it all off."

“John always said no, and even joked that Anne could just buy us drinks for free.”

He paused, pointed to himself, then pointed outside:
“John, me, and Luke, the three of us.”

Sheriff Hawkins then pointed to several other people who had borrowed money from John Cartwright but had all paid it back.

Theodore asked Sheriff Hawkins if any family in town urgently needed money before the incident.

Sheriff Hawkins thought for a moment, then shook his head, indicating that he wasn't sure either.

He looked at Theodore, quickly realizing the purpose of Theodore's question, and continued to shake his head:

“If anyone wants to borrow money from John, he will lend it to them if he has it.”

He spoke to the crowd about John Cartwright's kindness.

In his description, John Cartwright was a kind-hearted man who often helped others, never held grudges, never spoke carelessly, and was honest and hardworking.

Everyone in the town got along well with him, and no one ever had a bad experience with him.

In short, everyone loves John Cartwright.

Theodore shook his head and asked Sheriff Hawkins:
Was the second victim born in the stable?

Bernie and Billy Hawke were taken aback.

Martin Joseph Cronin also looked up at him.

Sheriff Hawkins paused, gestured to his chest, and shook his head earnestly in denial:

"John is certainly not a saint, but he has never made enemies or had any disputes with anyone, let alone over things like money."

Sheriff Hawkins' attitude toward money surprised Theodore.

Theodore took back the notebook and highlighted the names of several people who had borrowed money from John Cartwright, as pointed out by Sheriff Hawkins.

Bernie checked the time, then looked at Theodore:
"It's past six o'clock. Let's call it a day and go back for dinner?"

Theodore nodded.

Sheriff Hawkins glanced outside.

As the sun set and the sky grew dark, the temperature in the mountains dropped rapidly.

A figure, like a ghost, appeared silently at the doorway.

He wore a construction helmet and had a rifle slung across his shoulder; the mountain wind made his shirt rustle.

Sheriff Hawkins looked surprised, then broke into a genuine smile.

He walked around the table, past Theodore and the others, strode to the door, and pulled the man inside:
"Luke!"

Luke Morrow glanced at the unfamiliar faces and nodded to Sheriff Hawkins.

Theodore stared at Luke Morrow.

He was wearing an olive green work shirt, and above the breast pocket, a dark-colored state forestry department badge was faintly discernible.

The shirt had faded from washing and the fabric was somewhat worn, with the hem neatly tucked into a pair of dark olive green khaki trousers.

On his feet were a pair of sturdy brown leather high-top work boots, the laces of which were speckled with mud.

He was carrying a .30-30 lever-action rifle on his shoulder; the stock was oily from years of use.

His palms, neck, and face—all the exposed skin—were a glossy bronze color.

This makes him look more like a Latino than a white person.

His face was deeply lined with wrinkles, making him look even older than Sheriff Hawkins.

Sheriff Hawkins introduced the group to the crowd:

"This is Luke."

He then eagerly began to introduce Theodore and the others:
“This is Agent Hoover.” “This is Agent Sullivan, Agent Hawke, and Agent Cronin.”

"They are FBI agents from DC."

He winked at Luke.

A few weeks earlier, he had stumbled upon Theodore's article in the Law Enforcement Gazette at his son Thomas's place, which sparked the idea of ​​sending the case there.

He had told Luke about this.

At the time, Luke thought Sheriff Hawkins was wasting his time and didn't believe that detectives in big cities had the time to deal with cases deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Bernie extended his hand:
"I've heard Sheriff Hawkins mention you a lot."

Luke glanced at Bernie's outstretched hand, shook it, and remained indifferent.

He turned to look at Sheriff Hawkins:

"On the eastern section of the state forest road, near the old logging road, several trees have been blown down by the wind and are lying across the road."

"On the northern slope of the state-owned forest, near the boundary marker, a section of the road is blocked by fallen rocks. We need to find someone to clear it tomorrow."

After reporting his work, he nodded to Sheriff Hawkins, glanced at Theodore and his three companions, and turned to leave.

Sheriff Hawkins called him over:

"We're just about to go eat, why don't you come along?"

Luke stood in the doorway, half-turned around, and looked at the people inside.

Sheriff Hawkins continued to call out:
"Let's go. Your place has been unoccupied for so long. We'll have to cook for ourselves, and who knows when we'll actually get to eat it."

Luke nodded slightly.

The group set off for the tavern for dinner.

Luke was pulled into the pickup truck by Sheriff Hawkins, while Theodore and his three companions drove the Chevrolet behind.

By the end of the day, the Chevrolet's situation had worsened.

The loud noise not only didn't disappear, but it actually intensified.

The car will suddenly sway twice without warning.

Bernie and Billy Hawke both agreed that the territory had definitely been scratched and damaged.

Martin Joseph Cronin finally put the notebook away, pointed to the gas station across from the police station, and suggested sending it there for repairs.

The gas stations in Gusong Town also function as repair shops.

Not only cars, but also motorcycles, agricultural machinery, and even radios can be repaired.

Martin Joseph Cronin had been engrossed in the questions he had marked since the morning's analysis, and had barely said a word.

Billy Hawke looked at him in surprise:
"Have you finished your homework?"

Martin Joseph Cronin adopted the same indifferent expression as Luke Morrow, showing no interest in acknowledging Billy Hawke, the academic underachiever.

The two cars quickly arrived at the tavern entrance.

Bernie parked the car sideways, walked over familiarly to Sheriff Hawkins, and started talking about the condition of the Chevrolet.

Sheriff Hawkins glanced back at the Chevrolet.

The Chevrolet was covered in a thick layer of dust, turning its black body into a dusty gray.

There are also several messy scratches of varying depths and small white dots of different sizes on the car body.

The scratches were caused by tree branches scraping against the road, while the white spots were caused by pebbles splashing around.

This makes the latest Chevrolet look rather pathetic.

Sheriff Hawkins felt a little embarrassed, recalling his confident assurances over the phone that he could drive any car.

He offered the same advice as Martin Joseph Cronin, and told Bernie that the repair shop had been there since the lumber company was still in existence, and its skills were no worse than those of the repair shops in the county.

He reiterated his assurance that he could definitely fix the car, and at a price that was absolutely unavailable elsewhere.

He will personally negotiate and guarantee to negotiate the lowest possible price.

Bernie was delighted and they started discussing car repairs.

The group entered the restaurant and encountered a similar situation to what they had experienced at noon that day and last night.

The tavern was packed with customers, almost full.

This is a rare situation.

Except for the cold winter days, the tavern is rarely full.

Anne and her husband Bob are already extremely busy.

The two not only had to cater to the guests' dining needs, but also had to deal with the questions that would occasionally pop up about the front page of Lone Pine Town.

The case and the soon-to-be-returned killer are naturally the focus and core of the discussion. The FBI agents from the big city, their words, actions, preferences, clothing tastes, cars, and items they use are also things that the townspeople of Lone Pine are curious about and concerned about.

They eagerly inquired about everything from the agents' temporary landlord.

Upon seeing Theodore and his group enter, the guests greeted Sheriff Hawkins and Luke Morrow, glanced curiously at the headlines of the town, and then turned back to continue chatting with their friends.

They don't stare at it all the time.

Sheriff Hawkins responded warmly, occasionally exchanging a few playful banter with guests he was close to.

Luke Morrow remained expressionless throughout, nodding slightly and barely speaking.

Several guests voluntarily gave up a table and shared it with another group of familiar guests.

Bernie and Sheriff Hawkins' discussion had expanded from car repair to mechanical maintenance.

Billy Hawke soon joined in.

Martin Joseph Cronin couldn't help but correct several of Billy Hawke's material errors, and was soon entangled by Billy Hawke and forced to participate in the discussion.

Only Theodore and Luke Morrow remained silent, watching the other four engage in a lively discussion, occasionally exchanging glances.

Whole wheat bread and stewed venison were served quickly, followed by some dishes that we hadn't had yesterday.

The topic of mechanical repairs was temporarily put aside, and Sheriff Hawkins then introduced the food on the table.

He pointed to a bowl of salad that had just been served and confidently stated:

"I bet you can't get a salad like this in DC."

The group crowded around to take a look and found that they didn't recognize many of the leaves.

Theodore suspected that Anne had simply picked a few leaves from the mountain, mixed them together, and served them.

Sheriff Hawkins introduced several items, all of which were wild vegetables from the mountains.

He then changed the subject, putting his arm around Luke Morrow:

"Don't let my upbringing fool you; when it comes to identifying these things, I'm nowhere near as good as Luke."

"Luke can recognize all the plants in the Blue Ridge Mountains."

"As long as he can see it on the mountain, he can tell what it is, whether it is edible, and what it is used for."

He patted Luke Morrow on the shoulder and raised his head slightly.

Theodore glanced at him, then at the calm-looking Luke Morrow.

Bernie expressed his disbelief and used a fork to put a few unfamiliar leaves on a plate, then pushed it to the center of the table.

Luke Morrow glanced at it and succinctly stated:

"Indian cucumber".

Wild pea sprouts.

"Miner's lettuce".

After identifying the bread, Luke Morrow stuffed most of it into his mouth and chewed vigorously.

This was one of only two things he said at the dinner table.

The other sentence is a few minutes later:
"I'm full, so I'll go back first."

After saying that, he glanced at Theodore again, waved to Sheriff Hawkins, and got up to leave.

(End of this chapter)