1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 78: Who exactly is the bait? (Please continue reading!)

After receiving assurances from Theodore, the joint operation was quickly finalized.

The next day, a joint search team consisting of thirty detectives, three forest rangers, and five hunting dogs entered the mountains.

At Theodore's repeated requests, he was allowed to join the search.

Before setting off, based on the information provided by Bernie, Theodore released a brief profile of the killer:

The perpetrator was a white male, aged between 50 and 60.

“凶手身高约5'10“-6'2“，身形偏瘦，体重在150磅左右。”

"The assailant had knife wounds on his left shoulder, chest, and left arm. They may have been simply bandaged or treated with herbal remedies to stop the bleeding."

"The murderer rejected modern tools."

"The murderer was extremely skilled at hunting and knew the territory very well. He was adept at setting traps and was ruthless and cold-blooded."

Theodore repeated what he had said to Bernie one last time before returning to the group and setting off together.

He saw the old county policeman in the county police force, but the four round-faced young men did not participate.

With the help of the forest rangers, they drove their car into the mountains and chose another, shorter route.

The group had only been traveling a short distance when Theodore called them to a halt.

He found the wreckage of a car in a valley.

The wreckage was severely corroded. Even the vehicle's model number was no longer recognizable.

The car windows were smashed, the wheels were missing, and the car was overgrown with weeds.

Theodore carefully scratched the license plate and could vaguely make out that it was a Dallas license plate.

Someone immediately reported this to the outside world.

They hadn't gone very far and were still able to contact the outside world.

Theodore also found a photograph in the car.

The photo shows three people. You can vaguely make out a tall, strong man with one arm around a woman and the other holding a seven or eight-year-old boy. There is also a large dog lying at his feet.

The big dog was panting with its tongue lolling out, and the family of three was all smiles.

Besides the photos, there was also a camera, but it had been smashed and the film had disappeared.

A backpack containing sunglasses, a flashlight, and other miscellaneous items.

They piled these up aside, expecting detectives to come and collect them later, and then continued on their way.

The old county policeman leaned over and whispered to Theodore whether the two skulls they had retrieved belonged to the same family.

Theodore couldn't be sure, but he thought the guess was reasonable.

After walking uphill for about two hours, the group stopped in front of the valley.

On the ground, you can still see the marks where Bernie fell down while fighting with the murderer; there was a large patch of fallen plants.

Theodore looked around but couldn't find the noose around Bernie's neck.

This made him even more certain that the murderer was within his territory.

He informed everyone of the news, and the detectives first checked the valley and the cabin. After confirming that no one was there, they used the valley as a base and divided into five groups, spreading outward in a fan shape.

Theodore, on the other hand, led a team to stay in the valley to collect evidence.

Following Theodore's example, they first took photos of the cabin inside and out, then put the hides and knives into separate bags and labeled them with notes.

The time soon came to afternoon.

Apart from a few traps, the search team found nothing.

The teams on the edge have even searched up to the neighboring mountain.

They suspect the killer has either fled the area or is already dead.

As the sun was about to set, the search ended, and the search teams gradually returned, creating a somewhat somber atmosphere.

Many people looked at Theodore with strange eyes.

Half of the people here have only heard of the Twin Detectives but have never actually seen them.

Now that I see it, it's a case of being unworthy of its reputation.

As darkness fell, a campfire was lit in the valley.

As per Theodore's request, they will stay here for another day and will not leave until the afternoon of the third day.

They couldn't understand why, after confirming the target wasn't there, they should continue wasting time.

Theodore was unable to explain to them the importance of a sense of control to a killer.

Being injured, especially by their target, is a serious matter for them. This means that they do not have absolute control over their target.

In order to regain control, he must launch an attack as soon as possible to get everything "back on track".

The exact duration depends on the serial killer's intelligence and patience.

Even disregarding the fact that the forest killer is very territorial, Theodore and the old sheriff's presence would draw him back.

After dinner, everyone took turns keeping watch and rested around the campfire.

Before going to bed, Theodore approached the old county sheriff, hoping he could join him on the operation the next day.

After some hesitation, the veteran county policeman agreed.

…………

The following day, the search team set off again, continuing to expand the search area.

Theodore then led the old county sheriff and several others to the rocks downstream of the creek.

They're going to retrieve the bones.

The group of people who were with Theodore were shocked by the pile of white bones in the cave. Even after Theodore told them that it wasn't all human bones, their shock did not lessen.

They spent the entire day scooping out bones.

The bones that were fished out were piled up to the side, as tall as a person, like a small mountain.

This scene shocked the search team.

They knew there were many bones in the cave, but they didn't expect there to be so many.

Theodore asked them about the search, and the county sheriffs exchanged complicated glances.

They told Theodore that the hounds had dug half a hare out of the ground.

Theodore came to inspect the hare and found that it was already showing signs of decay, but not serious. There were faint bite marks on the hare's bones.

Most importantly, this is a live wild rabbit.

In addition, the hounds dug up some crushed medicinal residue, which the rangers identified as hemostatic herbs.

This proves that Theodore's judgment was correct; the murderer was indeed in the vicinity.

What's infuriating is that they've doubled the search area, but still haven't found anyone!
Theodore returned the rabbit and the dregs of the medicine to them, telling them to go back first. He and the others would fish for a while longer, and they should be able to finish before dark.

The search team members passed by them one after another, greeting Theodore as they went.

Many people wanted to stay and help them retrieve the bones, but Theodore refused them all.

Not only that, but seeing that the last search party had returned, Theodore sent half of his own team back to help process the prey.

During the day, the search team would catch some prey while searching and prepare it as food.

The detectives at the Felton Police Department were uneasy; they had been ordered to protect Theodore before they arrived.

Theodore pointed to the stream not far away, where several detectives were cleaning their prey.

They weren't far apart.

The detectives hesitated before leaving.

After retrieving the last bone, Theodore sent a few more people back to get the bags.

At this point, only the old county policeman was left by his side.

The detectives washing their prey by the stream not far away had also left.

The woods suddenly became quiet.

The two squatted in front of the bone mountain, sorting through human bones.

They waited for a while, and even though the detectives who had retrieved the bags were about to return, nothing happened.

The old county sheriff leaned over and whispered to Theodore what to do.

Theodore thought for a moment and then told him to leave as well.

The old county policeman hesitated, unwilling to leave. This wasn't what they'd agreed on!
Theodore figured that the other person was injured and unable to receive treatment, and could only eat raw food, so he probably didn't have much strength left.

The old county policeman was skeptical, and slowly walked towards the valley.

Theodore stood on the rock and looked around.

He watched the old county policeman's retreating figure, saw him meet the detectives who were retrieving the bags, and watched the detectives start running this way.

Theodore exhaled and was about to jump off the rock when a rope flew out and looped around his neck.

A tremendous force pulled him backward.

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Thank you so much!
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(End of this chapter)