1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 290 You don't need to explain so clearly!
After leaving the clinic, the group returned to the police station.

After taking a flashlight and checking my pistol and ammunition, I headed to the back hill of the school.

Led by Sheriff Hawkins, they quickly found the entrance to the mountain road.

Sheriff Hawkins stood at the entrance and gestured briefly:
"This road was created by lumberjacks to make it easier to get up the mountain."

“Start from here, go up the mountain, walk all the way to the halfway point, then head west and walk down the Blackwater Creek to get back to the town.”

He instructed everyone:
"There are many forks in the road, don't get separated, stay close together."

"The mountain paths are like a maze. If you take the wrong path, remember to head back down the mountain immediately. Never try to follow the path or go back the way you came."

The four of them nodded in unison.

The mountain road was much easier to travel than expected.

The road up the mountain was a bit steep, but after that section, the road became flat and wide, almost indistinguishable from the roads in the town.

Sheriff Hawkins walked at the front, not very fast, carrying a stick and carefully parting every branch along the way.

He told everyone that nighttime is when snakes are most active, and the copperhead viper on the mountain will lie motionless in the middle of the road, looking like a piece of wood, until it is stepped on, at which point it will quickly come to life and bite the calf.

It only takes a few minutes to poison a person to death.

The team fell into a brief silence.

Billy Hawke, hunched over with his muscles taut and clutching a dagger, followed closely behind Sheriff Hawkins.

His head was constantly turning back and forth, like a searchlight.

After walking for about ten minutes, we started to hear the sound of water, which became increasingly clear.

Theodore could feel that the air around him was humid.

Sheriff Hawkins whispered a reminder:
Watch your step, don't slip.

The wide mountain road begins to narrow downhill.

The march of the column slowed down.

A pungent smell, a mixture of damp earth and decaying plants, wafted towards us.

We've finally arrived at Blackwater Creek.

Sheriff Hawkins stopped and shone his flashlight across the riverbed:

"This is Blackwater Creek."

"The widest part is 50 feet (about 15 meters), and the deepest part can reach 10 feet (about 3 meters)."

Theodore expressed skepticism.

He shone his flashlight across the stream to the other side.

The water flow here is not gentle; in fact, it is quite rapid.

The riverbank was covered with sharp-edged pebbles and boulders covered with slippery moss. When a flashlight swept across it, several pairs of bright eyes immediately lit up in the darkness.

Before we could see what it was, it was accompanied by a rustling sound and quickly disappeared.

Sheriff Hawkins shone his light in the direction of the noise:

"It should be a raccoon or a rabbit."

Billy Hawke stretched his tense muscles:

"It doesn't look that wide or that deep here?"

Sheriff Hawkins nodded:

"The widest part I'm talking about has to go all the way down, at least 4-5 miles."

"The deepest part is downstream, where there is a pool."

"The water here isn't very deep; the deepest part is only about 5 feet (1.5 meters)."

The group continued walking along the riverbed.

The mountain road became narrower and continued downwards, approaching the riverbed.

This is the most difficult part of the road; the stones on the road start to increase, covered only by a thin layer of soil.

Instead of providing any anti-slip effect, the soil turned into a muddy mess under the moisture, making it extremely slippery to walk on.

Later on, the mountain road merged completely into the riverbed.

Sheriff Hawkins stopped again:
"If you keep going and cross this riverbed, you'll be back on the main road."

“If you go east along the main road, you’ll reach Luke’s house; if you go west, you’ll reach John’s house.”

On the riverbank in front of them, several 5-6 foot (about 1.5-1.8 meters) rocks stood out abruptly, forming a slope on their backs.

When Theodore got closer, he found that the slope was not only free of moss, but its surface had been worn smooth.

Sheriff Hawkins touched the stone:

“When we were kids, we also liked to climb up from here and play at the top.”

“During the high-water season, sometimes the river water overflows to this level, and we even jump down from above.”

He seemed to have thought of something bad, and subconsciously touched his arm.

Theodore went around to the front of the rock, where it was overgrown with weeds. He pushed the weeds aside and found only rubble underneath.

His gaze toward Sheriff Hawkins was filled with admiration.

Sheriff Hawkins also came over:

“John jumped down from here when he was a child and hit his head, bleeding a lot.”

“We were terrified, but we didn’t dare let the adults know, so we asked Dr. Jack to go home and steal some medicine and bandages, and we just wrapped him up haphazardly.”

Theodore asked him:
"Has no one come looking for Danny Morrow since he disappeared?"

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head:

"Of course I've been here."

"John and I first looked for places near the town where these children often went."

Theodore pressed further:
"Did you search together or separately?"

Sheriff Hawkins glanced at him:
"Of course we searched for them separately."

He suddenly stopped, his expression shifting rapidly:
"John found the whole Blackwater Creek area."

Theodore confirmed with him:
"Have you been here again?"

Sheriff Hawkins shook his head with a grim expression.

He and John Cartwright searched the area around Lone Pine but couldn't find Danny Morrow. After that, they organized a search of the entire town, going deeper and deeper into the mountains, and never looked back at the area around the town.

Theodore went around to the back, climbed up the slope onto the rocks, and looked down.

After getting off the rocks, the group crossed the riverbank and climbed a small hill before returning to the main road.

Theodore stood by the roadside and looked back. It was pitch black, and his view was completely blocked by the trees. He couldn't see the riverbank at all.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards Luke Morrow's house.

On the way, Bernie whispered to Theodore, "Was Danny Morrow the one who fell from those rocks?"

Theodore gave him a strange look and shook his head:

"Nobody knows what happened between Danny Morrow and the third victim after Leo left."

"The only thing that can be confirmed is that Danny Morrow's disappearance is definitely related to the third victim."

"After Leo left, the two likely had a conflict, or it may have accidentally led to an accident involving Danny Morrow."

"Falling off a rock is one possibility, as you mentioned."

Luke Morrow's house wasn't far away, and they arrived quickly.

The weeds in the yard blocked the view, making it impossible to see if the lights were still on inside.

The five people entered the courtyard, which was quiet.

Sheriff Hawkins went up and knocked on the door.

The room was quiet.

Theodore and his three companions drew their guns, turned off the safety, and hid on either side of the door.

Billy Hawke quietly gestured to Sheriff Hawkins.

Sheriff Hawkins was also getting a little nervous.

He swallowed hard, nodded slightly, and knocked on the door again.

A few seconds later, the door opened a crack inward.

Luke Morrow showed half his face, looking warily at Sheriff Hawkins:
"Will? What's up?"

Sheriff Hawkins swallowed hard, glancing instinctively at Theodore:

"Luke, we need to talk again."

Theodore stepped out from behind Billy Hawke and stood next to Sheriff Hawkins.

Luke Morrow looked at Theodore:
"I'm already asleep. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Theodore shook his head:
"You will be leaving Lonely Pine Town tomorrow morning."

Luke Morrow stared at Theodore for a moment, said nothing, and silently opened the wooden door.

He was wearing an old shirt, standing barefoot to the side, holding a hunting rifle in his arms.

Theodore and his men entered the house.

The room was dark, with no lights on.

The interior layout was as simple as ever, with only a wooden table and a few chairs.

The backpacks, packed during the day, were placed under the wooden table, which was covered with a half-open blanket.

Before entering the room, Theodore did not consider it an ideal interrogation environment.

This is Luke Morrow's home.

This place will make Luke Morrow feel more at ease, comfortable, and relaxed.

Although he didn't stay there for more than a few days.

But once inside, Theodore immediately felt that this place seemed quite nice too.

Billy Hawke was the last to enter the house.

He didn't go inside, but stood at the doorway, staring intently at Luke Morrow.

Luke Morrow smiled at him, handed him the shotgun he was carrying, turned on the light, then walked to the wooden table, put on his shoes, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Theodore:

Have you contacted the Pineville Police Department?

"And the state forestry bureau."

Theodore nodded and pointed to the blanket on the wooden table:
"You sleep here?"

Luke Morrow nodded in agreement:

"I don't come back often. The bedroom is too dirty, and no one cleans it."

He checked the time:

"It's almost nine o'clock, and I still have to go up the mountain tomorrow."

Theodore met his gaze:

Why don't you clean it up?

He pointed outside:
"And these weeds in the yard."

Luke Morrow paused for a few seconds:

“I don’t stay here often; I only come back to stay for a day or two each month.”

"I live in the mountains most of the time."

He paused, then continued:

“I know you were hired by Will to investigate the case.”

"But I have nothing to do with this."

"I've already said everything I needed to say this morning."

“Since you contacted the Pineville Police Department, you should know that I used to be from Pineville and I don’t know them at all.”

"The patrol records from the state forestry bureau should be able to prove that I was on the mountain on July 11, 1952, not in the town."

"How could I kill someone when I wasn't even here?"

Theodore hesitated for a moment, then reminded Luke Morrow:

“You provide us with information about Pineville’s past to prove that you had no prior grudge against the deceased’s family.”

"You only met the deceased after you came to Lone Pine Town."

“During these three years, you maintained a close friendship with the deceased.”

"This proves that you had no motive to commit the crime."

"Providing patrol records from the state forestry department will prove that you did not have the time to commit the crime."

"Both of these methods can exclude you from the list of suspects in this case."

"No need to explain so clearly, I understand."

After he finished speaking, he looked uncertainly at the others.

Sheriff Hawkins looked at Theodore with suspicion, opened his mouth as if to speak, then turned to Luke Morrow.

The smile on Luke Morrow's face disappeared.

He stared at Theodore with a stern face and no expression.

(End of this chapter)