1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 44 "The Birthday Party Attic Murder"

Ricky enthusiastically recommended a roadside restaurant that wasn't open yet to Theodore.

"The roasted venison at this restaurant is delicious; you must try it."

As he passed a dessert shop with an extravagant design, he said again...

"You must try their pies, especially the blueberry pie, it's even better than the Oak Club pie."

"This shop is owned by the pastry chef of the Oak Club."

Bernie felt like he was born to a stepmother and was extremely uncomfortable in the car.

Throughout the journey, Ricky enthusiastically introduced Theodore to delicious food and fun activities, just like a tour guide.

Upon approaching the crime scene, Ricky briefly explained the situation.

"Yesterday was the birthday of Emily Grant, the daughter of Congressman Grant."

“Teddy Santos, the son of Congressman Santos, died at a party.”

"The suspect is Anthony Howard II, the youngest son of Congressman Howard."

Ricky rattled off three congressmen in just three sentences, all of them powerful figures, leaving Bernie and Theodore reeling.

Theodore opened his mouth, thinking to himself, "No wonder this is a wealthy neighborhood; a murder case has implicated three councilors."

Ricky smiled at Theodore and said, "Don't be nervous, this is the East End!"

The car was about to enter a residential area when it was stopped at the entrance.

Ricky showed his badge and identification to the security guard, who carefully checked them before letting him through.

As they passed through the gate, it felt as if they had entered a forest. The road wound its way through the woods, with villas, some rustic and some modern, nestled among the trees, creating a picturesque scene.

The car stopped in front of a small, typical American country-style villa.

Several police cars were parked on the roadside in front of the villa, and detectives had set up a checkpoint at the entrance, but most of them were chatting idly.

They only stood in twos and threes after seeing Ricky's car, pretending to inspect it carefully.

After passing through the checkpoint, Theodore and Bernie followed Ricky into the villa.

The villa's door was wide open, and the mess inside could be seen from afar.

Bottles, food, and clothes were everywhere, colorful debris littered the ground, and birthday balloons were stuck to the large glass windows.

Ricky pointed to the messy interior and said to Theodore
"This is the crime scene. I know your habits—"

"After the incident, the police arrived at the scene and immediately cleared everyone out. After removing the body, they did not move it again."

He summoned a detective, asked him to bring shoe covers and gloves, gave them to the two men to put on, and then went upstairs, explaining the case as he went.

At least a hundred people attended the party yesterday, most of whom the party's host, Emily Grant, did not know.

Police arrived at the scene quickly after receiving an emergency call around 2 a.m., by which time many people had already left.

Ricky felt helpless about this.

Theodore shook his head, unconcerned.

“The killer must be among those who stayed behind,” he explained. “Most killers return to the crime scene.”

"That would allow him to relive the process of committing the crime and also keep track of the police investigation's progress."

“A chaotic environment can give a killer the illusion of safety, making them think that it is safe.”

Ricky turned around in surprise. Behind him was Bernie, and then Theodore. Bernie grinned at him.

He shook his head and continued his story, slightly out of breath.

Police deduced that the incident likely occurred around 11 p.m. last night, during the most chaotic period of the party.

James Carter and Paul Miller witnessed Dwight Howard Jr. killing Teddy Santos from the attic.

The screams from the two witnesses attracted a larger crowd. After watching the spectacle, these young people got into another heated argument about whether to call the police or help Howard Jr. cover up his whereabouts.

It wasn't until at least two hours later, at 2 a.m., that the South District Police Station received the report.

After walking down three floors, Ricky pushed open the attic door, covered his nose, and said, "This is what it looks like."

The three of them went into the attic, which was very spacious; even Bernie could stand up straight.

The floor is covered with solid wood flooring, which creaks when you walk on it.

The attic was divided into two rooms by a false wall. One room was covered in bloody footprints, and the other room was covered in blood.

There were obvious signs of vandalism on both sides. There was also vomit mixed in with the blood.

The smell here is unpleasant, but fortunately the attic is well-sealed and there aren't many flies.

Ricky stood to the side, giving up his spot entirely to Theodore and Bernie, and told them that Howard Jr. had insisted he was innocent after his arrest.

He claimed that when he went up to the attic, the deceased was already lying on the ground. He turned the deceased over and found a knife stuck in his chest.

Ricky also mentioned that, according to Emily Grant and other friends of young Howard, the knife was a gift from the deceased to him on his birthday this year.

According to them, Howard Jr. and the deceased had gotten into a fight last week over a girl in a bar.

At the time, Howard Jr. intended to use this knife to stab the victim to death, but was stopped by others. He then vowed to kill him one day.

Upon hearing this, Bernie couldn't help but ask him, "Is there still any need to investigate this?"

Ricky shrugged. "That's why I asked you to come and investigate."

Bernie grinned and turned to look at Theodore.

Theodore bent down and crawled through the doorway in the fake wall into the crime scene.

There was a large pool of blood on the ground, with drag marks on it and dozens of bloody footprints around it. There were also clear fingerprints and smear marks on the wall.

As Theodore observed, he asked, "Have you extracted the fingerprints from the knife handle?"

Ricky immediately replied, "A fingerprint card was made and compared with Anthony Howard II's fingerprints; they matched."

Theodore paused, then asked, "What about the wounds on the deceased?"

Fearing he might not understand, Theodore explained, "People of different heights and builds exert different amounts of force, and the angle of penetration will also differ."

Ricky shook his head, took out his notebook and wrote down, "We'll notify the medical examiner to conduct tests when we get back."

This fat guy is a completely different person when he's working and when he's not.

Theodore walked around twice and felt that if the murderer was Howard Jr., the scene would be too chaotic.

If the murderer is someone else, the crime scene is far too clean.

He tried to simulate the crime scene, but as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could see were rows of footprints and a group of drunken youths who looked like zombies swaying in front of him.

This piqued his interest.

A few minutes later, Theodore came out. Ricky glanced at him curiously and led the two out of the villa.

At the door, Ricky waved to the detectives. The detectives, who had been waiting outside, put on shoe covers and gloves and began collecting evidence.

They rushed in carrying paper bags, stuffing whatever they saw into their pockets, while another group of people were carrying piles of evidence bags out of the doorway.

The two were once again dumbfounded by this display.

The return journey was quiet; Ricky focused on driving and didn't disturb Theodore's thoughts.

Halfway there, Ricky received a notification through the police channel that Congressman Howard was waiting for them at the police station and was asking when they would be returning.

Ricky grabbed the walkie-talkie, set a time, and started speeding up.

(End of this chapter)