1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 282 He might not have been born in the stables.

Anne, who was following Billy Hawke, called out to the group who were about to return to their rooms.

She took out several small, hand-sewn cloth bags and distributed them to everyone:
"I made this myself. It's filled with dried catnip and cedarwood shavings. It's very effective at repelling mosquitoes and other insects."

"You can just put it next to your pillow or hang it by your bed when you sleep."

"If you want to open the window, you can hang it on the window, but I don't recommend you do that. It's very cold in the mountains at night, especially in the middle of the night. If you're not careful, you'll catch a cold the next day."

Billy Hawke opened it and looked inside. In addition to what Annie had described, there were a few bay leaves, some dried lavender, and a plant he didn't recognize.

Anne explained:

"This is lemon verbena, it will help you sleep well."

“I heard from Will that you guys were kept up by mosquitoes until midnight last night and didn’t get any sleep at all.”

"This helps with sleep."

She then pointed to the two rooms assigned to Theodore and his three companions:

"Bob already fumigated you with cedar and pine needles this afternoon."

"If you don't mind the smell of smoke, you can fumigate again before going to bed; that will make it even more effective."

Recalling the night before when they were dominated by mosquitoes, Theodore and Martin Joseph Cronin nodded decisively.

Bernie and Billy Hawke remained unmoved.

Anne thought they were afraid of the smoke and comforted them:

"Don't go to sleep right after you're done fumigating. Open the windows for a while, and it will still have the same effect, but the smell of smoke in the room won't be as strong."

She called downstairs twice, and old Bob came up carrying some wood shavings and pine needles.

Anne returned to her room and brought back several handmade tin cans.

Old Bob stuffed wood shavings and pine needles into a jar, distributed them to each room, then lit the pine needles and smothered the flame with a piece of wood.

After the lid was put on, white smoke quickly spewed out from the holes on the can, like a homemade smoke bomb.

Smoke quickly filled the room, and a peculiar aroma of grease began to permeate the air.

The second floor quickly became a world of white smoke, looking like it was on fire from the outside.

Anne invited everyone to wait downstairs and brought out a plate of wild fruit:
"These were just picked from the mountain today, you should try them."

The plate contained some wild blueberries and wild strawberries, as well as a few freshly ripened mulberries and black raspberries.

Old Bob hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked:

"I heard that the killer who murdered John and his family is back?"

Everyone was stunned.

Theodore looked at him:

"Who said that?"

Annie, who was wiping the bar, replied:

That's what everyone says.

"It's spread all over town."

She looked at everyone with some surprise:

"Don't you know?"

Theodore and his three companions looked at each other and shook their heads in unison.

Old Bob was somewhat surprised:
"Didn't you come to arrest him because the serial killer is coming back?"

Theodore looked at him and shook his head in denial:

"No, the case is still under investigation."

Old Bob was skeptical.

Billy Hawke asked him curiously:
"What are people in town saying?"

Old Bob looked at everyone and became interested.

He pulled out a chair and sat down, then began to tell the crowd the rumors circulating in town:

“They all say that the murderer sent you a letter, telling you that he will be back here in July, and that he even sent you his photo.”

Bernie shook his head:

“We came here after receiving the Cartwright family’s case files; we did not receive any letters or photos from the killer.”

Old Bob let out a sigh of relief, mixed with disappointment, and muttered under his breath things like "damn Ted" and "he's lying again."

Theodore asked him:
"Did Ted tell you that?"

Old Bob hesitated for a moment, then remained silent.

Anne answered for him:

"That's what he said!"

"He also said that he got the information from you, that he heard it from you himself, and that he also said..."

Old Bob interrupted Anne:
"Get your work done! Is it clean?"

Annie tossed the rag onto the bar counter:
"I've finished wiping it all! It's cleaner than yours!"

She then looked at Theodore and the others, speaking rapidly:
"He also said that the serial killer roams the country and kills someone every month. You have been hunting him for a long time but have not been able to catch him."

After a pause, Annie added:
"That's what Popper said too."

Old Bob glared at him:

"What nonsense are you talking about! After you finish wiping the bar, go clean the kitchen!"

Anne was not afraid of her husband. She met his gaze and raised her voice:
"Is there anything you can't say?"

"That bastard Ted comes to the store every day to eat and drink for free! When we ask him for money, he just tells us to write it down!"

"How much money do you have? Tell him to remember!"

Old Bob frowned, trying to reason with him:
"He helped us."

Anne was still dissatisfied:

"Just because he lent us money and helped us once ten years ago, does that mean we have to feed and drink him for the rest of our lives?"

Old Bob waved his hand:
"Didn't he pay off all his debts from last year?"

"Go clean up the kitchen right now!"

Anne glanced at Theodore and his three companions, realizing she couldn't argue in front of the guests, and picked up a rag to head to the kitchen.

Bernie felt a little embarrassed.

Theodore asked old Bob:
"The time you mentioned borrowing money from Ted, was it the time you were attacked by the black bear?"

Old Bob nodded.

Billy Hawke was somewhat surprised:

"Didn't you borrow the money from John Cartwright?"

Old Bob looked at him with a puzzled expression:
"How did you know I borrowed money from John?"

Then he thought of Sheriff Hawkins, who had been with him all day, and it dawned on him:

"Will told you that?"

Billy Hawke was about to nod when he stopped and looked at Theodore.

Theodore was staring at old Bob.

Old Bob felt a little uncomfortable, shifted his position, and offered an explanation:
“At first, she borrowed money from John, but later it wasn’t enough, so Annie went to John to borrow money, but he said he didn’t have any money either.”

“We just borrowed some money from Ted.”

"Nobody knows about this except us and Ted."

That attack nearly cost him his life.

After being taken to the hospital, the simple suturing and cleaning alone cost more than two hundred dollars.

The subsequent anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications cost another hundred dollars.

At first, he didn't plan to take the medicine, thinking he could get through it.

If his injuries hadn't been so severe that he couldn't move, he would have gotten out of bed and jumped off the building.

Then you have to add nutritional supplements, meat, and other miscellaneous items.

I spent nearly five hundred dollars on him alone.

Such a large sum of money was clearly not something a family running a tavern in Lonely Pine Town could afford.

Adding John Cartwright wouldn't work either.

Bernie glanced at Theodore and asked old Bob:
"How did John Cartwright reject you?"

Old Bob was reluctant to talk about it. After a moment of silence, he pursed his lips.
He said he had no money left.

Bernie pressed further:

"and after?"

Old Bob chuckled: "He said he was broke. I can't exactly go to his house and ransack it, can I?"

He pointed to the kitchen, which was making a constant crackling sound:
“Back then, I even had difficulty getting out of bed, and I had to ask her for help every time I needed to urinate.”

"Even if I wanted to steal it, I wouldn't have the ability."

Those were the most difficult days for old Bob.

The family's savings were all spent, and Annie and her children were even going hungry.

Anne, in particular, not only had to take care of him and the children, but also had to work alongside the men.

He could only watch helplessly, finding it difficult even to get out of bed.

Every night, his wound would burn like fire, and he could only grit his teeth and endure it until dawn.

They had long since run out of painkillers, and the whole family couldn't scrape together a single dollar.

Everyone looked at each other.

This is vastly different from the information provided by Sheriff Hawkins.

Old Bob glanced towards the kitchen and lowered his voice:

"The day after Anne went to John to borrow money, John came to me wanting to buy the pub for five hundred dollars."

He gently patted the table:
“Anne’s grandfather came here with the timber company and established this tavern.”

"At first, it was just a tent, and the drinks were brought in from outside by horse-drawn carriage."

"Later, when the price of alcohol outside became outrageous, Anne's grandfather started making wine from wild fruits from the mountains."

“Even the big shots in Shenandoah County often sneak over here to buy wine.”

"The shops in Lone Pine Town were all built around this tavern."

“A manager at the lumber company once offered three thousand dollars to buy the pub from Anne’s grandfather, but her grandfather refused.”

"John only wants to spend five hundred dollars now."

Theodore told the truth:
"At that time, there were lumberjacks from timber companies, as well as various people who served the lumberjacks, gathered here. It is estimated that there were thousands of people, as well as buyers from the town of Shenandoah. The tavern was relatively valuable."

"But now the timber companies have left, the loggers have moved away, and you can buy all kinds of wine in Shenandoah County, more wine than you can drink. The taverns have lost most of their original value."

Everyone turned their heads to look.

Old Bob also looked over at him, wanting to say something, but when he saw Annie come out of the kitchen, he fell silent.

Annie glanced over, grabbed a broom from behind the bar, and went back to the kitchen.

Old Bob lowered his voice even further:
"Annie doesn't know about this yet, so don't tell her."

Theodore and the other three nodded in agreement.

Old Bob continued:

"I kicked him out."

“Ted came to see me in the afternoon and secretly slipped me some money.”

"He learned the news from Dr. Jack, when I hadn't taken any painkillers for almost two weeks."

"The medicine I was given to me by Dr. Jack was selling it to me at half price, or even giving it to me for free."

“I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to pay it back, so I didn’t dare to accept it. He joked with me, saying that if I couldn’t pay it back, he would come to the tavern every day to eat and drink for free.”

"He lent me a lot of money later on, which came to more than $150."

Billy Hawke asked him:

"Have you paid off all that money?"

Old Bob was somewhat proud:
"Three years."

"It took us three years to pay off all our debts."

“Luke and Will took good care of me. They would hire me to help with the forest trails whenever they needed to clear them.”

“In my spare time, I would go hunting in the mountains and sell the hunted animals in the town of Shenandoah.”

"I gradually paid off all the money I owed."

Theodore suddenly asked him:
Did the deceased actively demand payment from you?

Old Bob shook his head:
"No."

"He's busy preparing to open a shop with someone in Shenandoah County."

"He was even planning to move his family to Shenandoah County at that time."

The group looked at each other again.

This is quite different from the information provided by Sheriff Hawkins.

Bernie confirmed with him:

"When did this happen?"

Old Bob thought for a moment:

"It must have been nine years ago, around April, when he was drinking at a tavern with someone from the county of Shenandoah."

“He told me that himself.”

"But later, I don't know what happened, he didn't open a shop in the county town, and he didn't move his family there either."

Sheriff Hawkins didn't say that.

Bernie glanced at Theodore and asked old Bob:
Did that person come back later?

Old Bob recalled for a moment, then wasn't entirely sure:

“He seemed to have come once after John’s family was killed.”

Bernie pressed further:

Do you remember what he looks like? If you saw a photo or saw him in person, would you recognize him?

Old Bob wasn't very confident, so he gestured:
"He was wearing a gray trench coat, leather gloves, a wool sweater underneath, and glasses. He was a little taller than me and quite thin."

After a pause, old Bob checked the time, stood up, and walked inside:

"It's almost time. I'll go upstairs and let the smoke dissipate a bit more before I go to sleep."

He quickened his pace and limped up to the second floor.

Billy Hawke looked away and shrugged at Theodore:
“Boss, you’re wrong. John Cartwright wasn’t born in a stable.”

Everyone was amused.

Theodore put away his notebook:

"When you get back later, don't forget to give Bob that confidentiality agreement."

Bernie asked Theodore:

Should we add Bob to the list?

Theodore shook his head:
"Bob's mobility was limited, making it impossible for him to fight the second victim for so long without being at a disadvantage."

Bernie asked again:

"Where is the person who approached John Cartwright to partner with on opening the store?"

Billy Hawke also asked:

"Is he the same county councilman that Sheriff Hawkins mentioned?"

"The county councilor's assistant?"

Before Theodore could respond, Billy Hawke shook his head, contradicting himself:
"It has nothing to do with them."

Theodore looked at him with some surprise.

Billy Hawke looked at Theodore uncertainly:

"If the killer came from Shenandoah County, he must have planned to kill the John Cartwright family long ago."

"This is inconsistent with your analysis of the situation, boss."

Theodore agreed.

Old Bob soon appeared at the stairs and waved to Theodore and the others:

"The cigarettes have been lit enough, you can come up now."

Without waiting for a reply, he withdrew.

When they went upstairs, old Bob had already entered the room and closed the door.

Billy Hawke took a confidentiality agreement and went to see old Bob.

Theodore and Bernie returned to their bedroom.

The spiderweb in the corner is still there, but the spider is gone.

The buzzing mosquitoes that had been relentlessly attacking the area also disappeared without a trace.

Theodore hung the sachet Anne had given him above his bed and also hung one on the door.

(End of this chapter)