1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 60: Who knows what we might find if we dig deeper?

Back in the car, Bernie asked Theodore, "What do we do now?"

He frowned, looking somewhat troubled.

“Why don’t we split up?” Theodore thought for a moment, then said seriously, “You’re neighbors with Cynthia Moore, so you know her well. Come back this afternoon and ask her. I’ll go find Dr. Martinez.”

Bernie turned around and chuckled twice. "I'm not very familiar with her either, but I am with Dr. Martinez. Why don't you finish asking your questions, and I'll go find Dr. Martinez?"

After a brief silence, Bernie asked Theodore, "Why are you investigating Dr. Martinez?"

Theodore shook his head and said, "Don't go find Dr. Martinez, go find the nurse who cared for the deceased."

He said, "In addition, we also need to go to the oil workers' union to see if the union provides subsidies for the deceased."

Upon hearing that he didn't need to go to Cynthia's house, Bernie breathed a sigh of relief, and as if afraid that Theodore might change his mind, he hurriedly drove to the clinic.

This time they waited for half an hour before seeing Dr. Martinez, who was treating the little boy they had seen before.

The little boy came out with his mother and saw Theodore and Bernie. He was overjoyed, and Bernie knelt down and hugged the little boy.

His mother followed behind, quietly wiping the corner of her eye and giving a smile.

Theodore went over to inquire and learned that the little boy had leukemia.

After the mother and son left, Theodore told Bernie the news, and Bernie fell silent. He found it hard to believe.

Theodore told him to be careful with little Sullivan's toys and not let him come into contact with any random things.

With such a vivid example right before his eyes, Bernie listened much more attentively this time than before.

The two met Dr. Martinez again, and with his help, they met Nurse Mary.

Mary is one of the community caregivers; she needs to look after three patients at the same time, compared to four when David Moore was alive.

Mary looked disgusted when David Moore was mentioned.

She told Theodore that David Moore had the worst temper she had ever seen in a patient.

He not only frequently beat and verbally abused his wife Cynthia, but also treated the caregivers the same way. He would spit, throw things, and yell. Every caregiver who had looked after him experienced this.

If it weren't for Cynthia's sake, no one would be willing to take care of David Moore.

According to Mary, David Moore was very reluctant to cooperate with the treatment.

"It's better that she's dead; it's a relief for Cynthia."

Mary felt that David was not good enough for Cynthia.

Theodore asked her whether David was uncooperative with treatment from the beginning or if his behavior changed later.

Mary, who had long cared for patients, immediately understood Theodore's meaning.

She told Theodore that David Moore deserved it; he just went from being rude to being ruder, and then to being rudest.

She said that once, the father and son were having a good time when David suddenly started yelling, which scared the child so much that he cried loudly.

From then on, the child never dared to get close to David Moore again, and even dared not enter David Moore's ward.

He even preyed on children.

After saying goodbye to Mary, Bernie told Theodore, "I suspect that the person she's talking about isn't the same person I know at all."

In Bernie's memory, David Moore was a very kind person.

“We used to send little Sullivan to his place until a year ago when little Sullivan started school, at which point we no longer needed him to watch over him.”

This is nothing like the David Moore that Mary described.

Theodore shook his head and said, "Her assessment of the dead is inaccurate. She's had enough of serving the dead, and even if the dead treat her kindly, her assessment of them won't change." Bernie was simply moved by the stark contrast between others' evaluations of David Moore and his own.

He asked Theodore, "Where do we go next?"

Theodore took out his notebook and drew out the layout of the Moore family's rooms from memory.

“We should first confirm whether what Cynthia Moore said is true.”

Bernie suggested going to his house, since all the houses in that row were basically the same.

The two went to Bernie's house to conduct an experiment, but Mrs. Sullivan and little Gertie were not home.

After a series of wailing and screaming, the experiment yielded results.

You can hear the screams in the bathroom, but they are very faint. They are completely inaudible with the slightest noise in the bathroom.

This seems to confirm Cynthia's explanation.

The two then went to the oil workers' union to confirm the compensation for the deceased.

They were warmly welcomed by the oil workers' union.

It wasn't just because of Senator Santos; the oil workers also had a particularly good impression of him personally.

They believe that the two men's ability to withstand such immense pressure in their pursuit of the truth truly embodies the cowboy spirit—fearless of authority and dedicated to fairness and justice.

A union director dispersed the workers surrounding the two men, led them to the office, and, after learning their purpose, called in relevant personnel to answer their questions.

David Moore's accident was recognized as a work-related injury with the help of the union, which paid him $4000 in compensation and a short-term relief payment of 50% of his salary for six months. The oil company also provided corresponding compensation with the union's assistance.

Along with these three payments came a disclaimer requiring the worker to waive their right to further claims.

This was a very generous compensation offer at the time, and the union did the best it could for David Moore.

During the two debridement surgeries in 1955 and 1958, the union also provided a reduction in some of the surgical fees.

These are not mere words; the union has produced relevant archival evidence.

The council members eventually told them that on the day of David Moore's funeral, the union gave his wife a funeral allowance of $400.

…………

After leaving the union, the two found a restaurant for lunch.

After dinner, Theodore and Bernie visited a pharmacy in the neighborhood, focusing on the medications Cynthia Moore had recently purchased.

They quickly found the purchase record they were looking for at a pharmacy half a mile away.

She bought a sleeping pill commonly known as 'Red Devil' ten days ago.

It is a red capsule, and its main ingredient is secobarbital.

'Red Devil' works quickly and is very effective. It can easily make people sleep like a log, the kind of sleep that won't wake them even if the sky falls. And one pill can last for 6-8 hours.

'Red Devil' is a prescription drug, and Cynthia registered it not under her own name, but under the name of the deceased David Moore.

Upon seeing the name 'David Moore' on the pharmacy's purchase record, Bernie described Cynthia's appearance to the pharmacist, but the clerk denied it.

After thinking for a moment, Theodore described Mary's appearance to the shop assistant, who confirmed it this time.

Bernie was stunned and looked at Theodore.

Theodore didn't explain, but scrolled back and quickly found the purchase records for 'David Moore' again.

He finished flipping through a record book and then asked the clerk if 'David Moore' had ever purchased 'Red Devil' or other prescription drugs under other names.

(End of this chapter)