1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 70 The Rain Keeps Falling (Please Read On)

Theodore was quite nonchalant.

He knew that the original owner of this body had met Jack.

But Jack did not reveal his identity.

He didn't even mention DC.

Regardless of what they were thinking, Jack's original purpose in bringing them here was to have them campaign for tomorrow's election speech.

What he needs is the Twin Detectives, Theodore Dixon, not the eldest son of the Hoover family.

Jack's campaign team was well-prepared; they had researched Theodore and Bernie.

He began by praising the two men, flattering them by calling them brilliant detectives who solved cases with lightning speed.

The praise had no effect; Theodore remained calm, simply staring at him, while Bernie even pursed his lips.

After chatting for a while, Jack extended an invitation to the two of them, but was refused.

Jack tried to persuade them several times, but to no avail, so he had to give up. After exchanging some polite words, he saw the two off.

The following day, in addition to Lyon, his running mate who rose to prominence in Texas, he chose Representative Santos as his running mate.

The third campaign speech was an unprecedented success.

Those die-hards may not support Jack, but they absolutely support Santos.

After the speech, Jack invited Santos to stay in his hotel room until dark. Only after Jack's brother repeatedly reminded him did the two reluctantly end their conversation.

This disrupted their original plans, forcing them to set off overnight to reach the next city.

…………

September weather is very difficult to endure.

Theodore and Jack, two DC characters, are the most qualified to speak on this point.

By this time, the afternoon temperature in Felton had already exceeded 35°C, and the sticky, humid feeling made one want to soak in the water forever.

Even though it was past closing time, all the members of the homicide squad were still in the large office of the West District Police Station.

The detectives were all hunched over the table, enjoying the breeze from the electric fan.

They planned to wait until the weather cooled down before leaving.

I don't know who started it, but they began talking about the recent weather forecast.

The radio and television have been saying it would rain for the past two days, reminding citizens to be careful, but the sky has been overcast every day and the rain just won't come.

Just then, a rumbling thunder suddenly came from outside.

Before anyone could react, it started raining heavily.

The police station immediately erupted into chaos as everyone scrambled to get out.

Felton experiences very little rainfall during the summer and autumn, and when it does rain, it's usually heavy or torrential.

If we don't go home now, we might never be able to go back.

Theodore mingled in the crowd, rushed into the car, but found he couldn't get out.

Sitting in the car, all I could see outside was a vast expanse of white; I couldn't even find the road.

The rain poured down as if a hole had been punched in the sky.

The group of rough-looking men who had stayed up late were soaked to the bone and rushed back to the police station.

Theo counted, and including the officers on duty, there were more than thirty people stranded. Half of them were from the homicide squad.

These thirty-odd people were stranded at the branch office for a whole night. Fortunately, they were used to working overtime and there were plenty of beds available, unlike in the East District where two people couldn't even get a place to sleep.

After the torrential rain, the entire western district resembled a vast, marshy lake. Sewage flowed across the streets, making it impossible to walk. Many low-lying apartments had their ground floors completely submerged.

The emergency call line at the West District Police Station kept ringing.

Last night's heavy rain hindered patrol officers from carrying out their duties, but it couldn't stop crimes from happening.

Among these, shop thefts were the most common.

The entire police station was in a flurry of activity; even the homicide squad was temporarily pulled in to handle a theft case.

Theodore dislikes rain, especially torrential rain.

Rain can render eyewitness testimonies unreliable and wash away a lot of evidence, potentially turning a simple case into a very difficult one.

Of course, the rain wasn't all bad. In the afternoon, Theodore and the others were called back to the precinct, where Wenner, holding a folder, convened a briefing.

We received a report at 2 p.m. that human skeletons had been washed out and were floating in the river where Billy was found in the 19600610 (oil field case).

After briefly introducing the case, Wenner did not announce the immediate filing of a case or the establishment of a special task force. Instead, he asked everyone to stand by.

He glanced at the crowd, selected Theodore and Bernie, and ordered them to lead the team to the scene.

He asked the two men to provide a preliminary conclusion as soon as they arrived at the scene.

Theodore and Bernie didn't linger and headed straight out, but were stopped by Wenner.

He pointed in the direction of the forensic room and told them to wait and set off with the forensic doctor.

The two waited in the car for more than ten minutes when several young forensic doctors rushed out in a flurry, loading boxes into the car while apologizing repeatedly.

After they set off, Bernie mentioned Sullivan's recent situation.

Despite his doubts about Theodore's instructions, Bernie did as he was told.

The effect is obvious.

He didn't understand psychology and couldn't articulate the specific changes, but he could sense that the old Sullivan had finally returned.

Bernie mentioned that he was taking Sullivan hunting in the mountains this weekend and invited Theodore to come along.

They then discussed the case again.

It cannot be called a case yet.

Because what floats in the river might have come from some grave.

Bernie has been reading the Star a lot lately, and quite intensely, coming up with a whole bunch of conjectures that make Theodore wonder if the two of them live in completely different worlds.

Upon arriving at the scene, Bernie, who had been talking the whole time, fell silent.

Before them lay a surging, rushing river.

The river water was churning and extremely turbid.

Due to yesterday's heavy rain, muddy water flowed down the mountain and merged with the sewage river.

The shallows where Billy was last found have been completely submerged, with the river at least three feet deep and some areas even overflowing the road.

It's hard to say whether the scene was preserved or anything can be discerned from it.

They've already done a great job by responding to the call.

The skeleton was discovered by a pair of students who were playing in the water by the roadside when their companion pushed them into the river. When they got up, they were holding a skull in their hands.

The two young men screamed in fright and were taken back to the city by a passing truck driver who called the police.

The patrol officers had been waiting for them there since they arrived.

There was no way to protect the scene, nor was there any need to protect it.

The river flows swiftly downstream, and it's impossible to know how many bones were washed away.

Bernie brought over a patrolman, who handed him a paper bag containing the discovered skull.

Theodore glanced at it briefly, and after confirming that he couldn't see anything with his limited forensic knowledge, he handed it to the dumbfounded young forensic doctor standing to the side.

The young forensic doctors stood on the shore without moving after getting out of the car.

They looked completely bewildered, having no idea what they were supposed to do.

After receiving the skull, they were overjoyed and the five of them huddled together, chattering excitedly as they examined it.

A few minutes later, unsurprisingly, they hadn't figured anything out.

The forensic pathologist who had been yelled at by Samuel was chosen to step forward and stammered to Theodore that they needed to take it back to the lab for further research.

Theodore was puzzled and asked him if he could get the result by taking it back?

The young forensic pathologist said that their new head of the forensic department was a professor at Felton University with a long list of titles, and was specially hired by headquarters.

Theodore glanced around the scene again, feeling there was nothing of value to be gained, and decided to go back with everyone.

"and many more."

Bernie called out to him, rushed into the river, and pulled a small skull out of it.

He placed the skull on the shore, plunged into the water, and quickly surfaced, holding several bones tangled with rope in his hands.

(End of this chapter)