1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 85 So the killer is white? (Please continue reading)
Bernie was deeply moved to receive such trust at such a time.

Theodore cut to the heart of the matter: "They trust the media's portrayal of us, not the real you and me."

Bernie's emotional moment came to an abrupt end.

After a long silence, Bernie abandoned his philosophical reflections and began discussing the case.

Theodore was surprised by his assessment of quarterback Leroy and the deceased Emos.

Bernie attributed the Freedom Fighters' victory to luck, believing that while their tactical setup was perfect, their execution was chaotic, and that Leroy, considered a hero, turned a sure-win game into a narrow victory.

He believed that the core of the dead's tactics was to use public opinion's expectations of the conquerors to overwhelm them.

Because public opinion demands that the conqueror not only win, but win spectacularly.

According to the deceased's plan, the Freedom Fighters were to keep the score close in the first three quarters, which would make the Conquerors impatient. If they changed their offensive rhythm in the fourth quarter, the Conquerors would likely be completely overwhelmed.

By the time they realized what was happening, the game was already over.

Leroy failed to keep the score close in the early stages, allowing the Conquerors to play with great ease. In the third quarter, he changed the pace early, giving the Conquerors ample time to adjust. In the end, they could only rely on Marie-Laurent to turn the tide.

His analysis was very logical, and Theodore also thought it made a lot of sense, but he didn't understand why he was so certain.

Bernie said with a touch of pride, “I’m the football coach for our precinct, and this is the tactic I used against headquarters last year.”

Felton Police Department holds a rugby tournament every November, with six teams from the five districts plus headquarters playing one game a week, finishing just before Christmas.

Theodore was slightly surprised.

He always thought Bernie was just an ordinary enthusiast.

Bernie was pleased with Theodore's surprise and told him about many of their branch's great achievements.

Theodore listened, then suddenly interrupted, "So the entire Freedom Fighters team knew Emos's tactical intentions, and understood that Emos wanted to win, not throw the game."

"But Leroy said Emos was a 'traitor, a cheat, and a betrayer of their trust,' which is not about the game."

"He and Emos have other secrets."

Bernie slammed his hand on the steering wheel: "I knew it! There was definitely something wrong with him!"

Theodore glanced at him: "The deceased, Emos, left the court in the second half of the third quarter to go to the locker room to treat his wounds. That was the last time he appeared in public."

"There were less than 30 minutes left in the game at that time."

“These 30 minutes were the time the deceased was alone, and also the time the murderer committed the crime.”

"In a normal game, players would return to the locker room after the game, and the perpetrator would lose the opportunity to commit the crime."

"The killer could not have known in advance that Leroy would incite a riot among the audience, which would then lead to chaos."

"Leroy has been on the pitch all this time. He couldn't possibly be the murderer."

When the conversation turned to the case, Bernie became serious and asked, "So, anyone who might have entered the locker room within those 30 minutes is a suspect?"

Theodore shook his head, giving a more precise time: "If the deceased was not killed, he should have returned to the field immediately after treating his injuries."

"The killer must have committed the crime before the victim entered the changing room and had their injuries treated."

He asked Theodore, "How long will it take to treat a nosebleed?"

Bernie thought for a moment: "Three to five minutes?"

Theodore nodded: "Considering the remote location of the away team's locker room, the murderer likely had been watching the victim for a while, and after seeing the victim alone, immediately followed him into the locker room to commit the crime."

"The killer used a football belt in the locker room to strangle the victim, dragged him into the bathroom, stuffed him into a stall, and quietly left." Bernie said in a low voice, "That day, Oak Estate School expelled black people; they were kicked out of the school."

Theodore nodded: "The only Black people on campus were the team members, but they were all on the field at the time of the incident."

This means that the murderer was a white man.

Given the frenzy last night, Bernie could already imagine the uproar this news would cause once it was released.

Theodore, seemingly oblivious, continued his analysis: "Due to the competition, Oak Manor High School had relatively strict campus security yesterday."

“Only ticket holders, a few members of parliament and their entourage, school security guards, teachers and students, board members and reporters from various media outlets were on campus; Black people and those without tickets were all kept outside the school.”

Bernie glanced at Theodore, who was scribbling in his notebook again, and fell silent.

Reducing the scope from hundreds of thousands to thousands is also a kind of progress... right?

The silence was quickly broken by the walkie-talkie.

News came from the scene that the electrician had already installed the power lines, and the forensic team had arrived at the school to collect evidence.

Bernie quickly told them to wait for them.

Bernie put down the walkie-talkie and asked Theodore a question he hadn't considered: What are they now?

They refused to participate in the East District theft case and refused to take leave, insisting on joining the investigation, but no one agreed or objected.

Wenner didn't assign them any tasks, and they didn't know the progress of the homicide investigation.

They demanded cooperation from the site, and the site staff obediently cooperated.

Theodore put down his notebook, thought carefully for a moment, and then gave his guess.

He believes this was intentional on the part of Wenner and others, and whether they can be considered the organizers of the case depends on the murderer.

The car fell silent again.

This silence continued until Oak Estate Middle School.

When they arrived, several vehicles with "Southern Star Catering Service" printed on them were parked at the school gate, and more than a dozen porters wearing uniforms with the words "Southern Star Catering Service" were loading ingredients and tableware onto the vehicles.

Bernie learned from the school security guard that, according to the school's arrangements, a celebratory dinner would be held in the sports stadium next to the sports field after last night's game.

The dinner was hosted by Southern Star Catering Service.

The company arrived at the school around 2 p.m. yesterday and began setting up.

Southern Star Catering Services not only handles the setup of banquet venues, but also provides banquet staff and post-banquet cleaning services.

In other words, Oak Manor Middle School wasn't as strictly controlled as they had thought yesterday.

Theodore asked the company for the employee list from last night, but Bernie refused.

Bernie pointed to the busy movers going in and out and told Theodore that more than half of them were temporary workers. The name tags on their name tags did indeed identify them as company employees, but even their employers didn't know who the people wearing those tags were.

They don't need names, as long as they can work. They receive their wages by showing their work badges when the work is done.

To prove his point, Bernie stopped a porter named Anthony Tarbert.

The mover's name tag showed a bald, middle-aged man, but she herself was a woman with black hair.

(End of this chapter)