1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 94: They're on our side, fire now! (Please subscribe)

The game between the West Precinct and the East Precinct was held in the West Precinct.

The East End is an affluent area; it has golf courses, tennis courts, and shooting ranges, but no rugby field.

The West District is different.

This place not only has a rugby stadium, but also an underground casino and a red-light district...

In short, the West District is rich in resources and has a vast area, so hosting a small rugby match would not be a problem.

The competition is free to detectives and their families, who are welcome to attend and watch.

The chiefs of the East and West Precincts, the deputy police superintendents, the heads of various departments... everyone who had time came. And they brought their families.

Chief Widek and East District Chief Richard Garcia sat in the front row, behind their respective teams' coaching benches.

These two are usually very composed people, but less than a minute after the game started, they stood up from their seats.

Led by the two bureau chiefs, the competition became intense from the very beginning.

The family members in the audience were relatively reserved, but the detectives didn't care about such things at all and started yelling and wailing at the top of their lungs.

The West Precinct had Kahor, a powerful weapon, which gave them an overwhelming advantage over the East Precinct.

Bernie, who was on the sidelines, heard Carhorse's loud voice, turned around and gave him two thumbs up.

Kahuel took two gulps of beer, laughed loudly, and yelled at the other side, "Die, East End guys! East End guys, die!"

The scene was quiet for a few seconds, and then both Chief Garcia and Chief Widek on the sidelines looked in his direction.

Kahor shrank back.

The next moment, all the detectives from the West Precinct stood up and shouted in the other direction:
"Kill those East End bastards!!!"

"Die, you East District bastards!!!"

Not to be outdone, the detectives from the East District quickly abandoned their East District reserve and stood up to shout at the West District as well:
"Go to hell, you West End bastards!!!"

"Kill the West End bastards!!!"

The detectives in the West End were furious.

This is what East Side guys are like!

Even their insults are copied!
They shouted even louder.

The detectives in the East District also raised their voices.

Unfortunately, they didn't have a loud voice like Kahor, so they were always a bit weaker in terms of momentum.

The detectives from the West Precinct won in the stands and their victory spread to the stadium.

The West Division ultimately won the first game 18-15.

The scene was filled with jubilation.

Chief Widek raised his hands on the sidelines, punched Chief Garcia three times in the air, walked onto the field, hugged his subordinates who were covered in mud and grass, and laughed happily.

No large-scale riots occurred on the sidelines.

In fact, after the game, Director Garcia even went to Director Widek's office for a while and had two glasses of whiskey before leaving.

The entire West Division was immersed in joy after the first victory.

That night, the detectives gathered at the Old Gun Bar and drank until late into the night before dispersing.

Many people were late the next day, but the internal affairs detectives had already taken attendance, and the supervisors turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.

in the afternoon.

Theodore was called away by Wenner.

The two arrived at Chief Widek's office.

There are four people in the office.

In addition to Chief Widek, Senior Superintendent Flores and Chief Ricky Cullinan of the Eastern District Homicide Unit were also present.

The last one was a middle-aged man named George Rivera, who, according to Wenner, was the head of the South District homicide squad.

Chief Widek's expression was grave. He said directly, "Go to the South District and help investigate a case."

"Our own people were killed."

…………

Since Bernie is now Sullivan's head coach, Theodore can only accompany Ricky to the East Division on his own.

On the way, Ricky gave Theodore a brief explanation of the situation.

The East District Patrol Unit discovered that Patrolman Michael Johnson was absent from duty. After checking his performance record and confirming that there was no leave request, they contacted the South District Division to send a patrolman to Michael's home. They found that Michael had died at home.

Theodore glanced sideways when he heard that attendance was being checked.

Ricky seemed to think Theodore had a question. After waiting a while and not hearing Theodore's question, he looked at Theodore with a puzzled expression and continued:
Michael was found in the master bedroom, right next to the bed.

"He was wearing a police uniform, his hands were handcuffed behind his back, and he was executed in a kneeling position."

"The killer took Michael's badge and service weapon."

The patrol officers reported to the branch office, and the South Branch Office quickly dispatched personnel to the scene. After confirming the identity of the deceased, they immediately contacted the East Branch Office.

After receiving the case, Ricky went to the scene and then went directly to the West Precinct to ask Theodore for help.

The person killed was one of their own, and they also lost their badge and service weapon; this is a very serious matter.

After hearing the case briefing, Theodore thought for a moment and suggested going to the scene to take a look.

Ricky had worked with him before and wasn't surprised by the decision.

Although the deceased, Michael, worked in the East End, he did not live there. This was a common occurrence in Felton.

The East District is an affluent area; even detectives below the rank of supervisor can't afford to live in the slums of the East District.

However, the South and North areas, where middle-class residents are concentrated, are the preferred choice for most Felton residents.

As for the West Side, it's generally inhabited by prostitutes, con artists, drug addicts, gang members, Black people, Mexican Americans...

The deceased's family lived in a middle-class neighborhood, which has now been cordoned off by the police.

Although the details of the case are currently kept confidential and have not been made public, the resourceful community residents have already made their own guesses.

When they arrived, many people on the street were looking in their direction.

Theodore was recognized.

Then, within just five minutes, news of the homeowner's murder spread throughout the community...

Theodore stood in front of the deceased's house, looking around.

This community consists of uniform two-story detached wooden houses with front and back yards, surrounded by wooden walls, and then a lawn.

The courtyard was cramped, with front and back doors, each with a lock.

The deceased's home was located on the eastern edge of the community, in a remote area.

The house is separated from the road by a wall to the east, and the houses on the west, south, and north sides are selling well.

This is a newly developed community this year, and because it is located in the suburbs, the prices are cheap.

The deceased was from a certain county, who came to Felton City alone, lived alone, and was unmarried.

Theodore's gaze lingered on the lawn for a moment.

There were obvious signs of trampling and cigarette butts on it.

Just as he was about to observe further, a detective from the South District walked across the lawn and casually threw the cigarette butt from his mouth onto the ground.

Theodore paused, shook his head slightly, and walked into the courtyard.

He asked Ricky, "How many people have been inside the site?"

Ricky looked at Supervisor George. Supervisor George silently calculated in his mind: "A dozen or so, I guess."

Theodore didn't react much, standing in the courtyard surveying his surroundings.

The Southern Precinct had considered transferring Theodore there and forming a special task force around him, which was no secret within the police force.

Ricky couldn't help but glance at Supervisor George. He thought to himself, "With this kind of roster in the South, you think you can hire Theodore?"

Although their East District is also lackluster, and the forensic pathologist was specifically criticized by Theodore, at least they know how to protect the crime scene.

Manager George, feeling puzzled by Ricky's stare, also looked in Ricky's direction.

He was a very old-fashioned and traditional detective who had climbed his way up from the bottom through sheer hard work. After learning the victim's identity, he wanted to hand the case over to the East Precinct.

When Ricky arrived, he showed no intention of taking over the case. Instead, he suggested going to the West Precinct to ask Theodore for help.

He fully agreed.

He had already decided to let the two of them take the lead in solving the case, while he would just handle the logistics and fulfill his duties as a host.

After a brief observation, Theodore confirmed that he could not tell whether the marks in the yard were left by the detectives, the murderer, or the deceased.

He asked Supervisor George for gloves and shoe covers before entering the room.

Supervisor George stared blankly at Theodore's outstretched hand.

Ricky coughed and beckoned a detective to fetch gloves and shoe covers from the car.

Ever since working on a case with Theodore, he has discovered the benefits of crime scene protection and has mandated that his men wear gloves and shoe covers when entering and leaving crime scenes. He himself always keeps them in his car.

In addition to gloves and shoe covers, he also thoughtfully helped to bring in the actual person in charge of the case, the patrolman who was the first to enter the deceased's home.

The deceased's home was very empty, with very little furniture. On the first floor, there was only a simple sofa and a table, and the kitchen only had basic cooking utensils.

This makes the interior space feel very empty.

Going up to the second floor, most of the rooms were empty, with only the bathroom, walk-in closet, and master bedroom showing signs of life.

The deceased had already been removed, leaving only traces of the deceased in the master bedroom.

There were many footprints on the ground, mostly left by detectives.

The blanket on the bed was half lifted, the sheets were wrinkled, and there were bloodstains on the edge of the bed.

The deceased's bedside table drawer was opened, revealing a key inside; the keychain was a standard issue from the East District Police Station.

According to police practice, the police badge should be placed next to the keys, and the service weapon should be placed in the same drawer or the lower drawer.

Theodore pulled open the lower drawer, which contained several pairs of socks and underwear.

His guess was proven correct.

Theodore walked around the deceased's house and found that there were no signs of ransacking; except for the bedside table being opened, everything was as it was.

He pulled out the drawer, carefully put it in a paper bag, and prepared to take it back to collect fingerprints.

At the request of the FBI, detectives who pass the assessment to become trainee officers will have their fingerprints collected and sent to the FBI fingerprint database for archiving.

If the murderer opened the drawer with their bare hands, they might have left fingerprints.

However, judging from the cleanliness of the scene, Theodore didn't have high hopes.

After leaving the scene, the group headed to the South District Police Station.

Upon arrival, Theodore and Ricky, led by Supervisor George, headed to the medical examiner's office, while the senior superintendent went to find the South Precinct Chief.

The forensic pathologist from the South District Police Station has completed the basic examination of the deceased and is preparing for an autopsy.

Theodore asked him about the preliminary autopsy results.

The forensic pathologist had long heard of Theodore's renowned reputation, and his conclusions were very cautious:
"The rigor mortis was fully formed throughout the body and had not subsided, suggesting that the time of death was more than 24 hours ago."

"The cornea is cloudy and grayish-white, and the preliminary judgment is that the time of death is between 24 and 36 hours."

"The fatal wound was a gunshot wound to the back of the head, 0.3 inches in diameter, suspected to be from a single shot."

"The deceased's wrists showed signs of restraint. There were superficial ligature marks on the back of both wrists, but no abrasions or subcutaneous bleeding, and no signs of struggle."

The forensic doctor paused for a moment, then took out the handcuffs and showed them to everyone.

The handcuffs are standard police handcuffs.

The forensic doctor continued, "The deceased was wearing a police uniform, which was intact and undamaged, and his clothes were neat and tidy."

Although no one had ever heard of highly ritualistic murders, after listening to the forensic doctor's explanation at the scene, they all felt that the symbolism was particularly obvious.

This was specifically targeting law enforcement.

This is a provocation against the police force!

Supervisor George took a half step back, increasingly hoping that one of the two men in front of him would step forward and take over the case.

Theodore handed the drawer to the forensic pathologist and explained his suspicions.

The forensic doctor was in a dilemma.

Making fingerprint cards is easy; the difficulty lies in fingerprint matching.

They didn't even have a target for comparison.

After leaving the forensic lab, the assistant director led everyone to a small conference room.

Just like when they went to the East District Police Station to investigate the case, this place will serve as their temporary office.

Supervisor George watched the assistant director leave, feeling so wronged he was almost in tears.

After a short wait, the senior police superintendent arrived in a hurry.

He brought the latest instructions from headquarters:
Chief Adams personally issued the order to solve the case within 72 hours.

Manager George's expression changed slightly.

Ricky's chubby face jiggled as he went over and patted Theodore on the shoulder in apology.

Theodore, who was deep in thought, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

The small meeting room fell silent for a moment.

The senior police inspector had to break the silence: "How's it going at the forensic lab?"

Ricky looked at Supervisor George, who stared back at Ricky.

Ricky looked away and briefly recounted the preliminary autopsy results from the forensic pathologist.

After listening to the wiretap, the senior police officer immediately thought about the huge public outcry that would result if the case were leaked.

Based on past experience, keeping it a secret is almost impossible.

He explained the rationale behind Chief Adams's order to solve the case within a limited time from this perspective.

Both Ricky and his supervisor George remained silent.

These words might fool Theodore, but they're not worth saying to the two of them.

Theodore felt the three were wasting their time, and he bluntly said, "Maybe we can wait here for the killer to come to us."

The senior police inspector immediately changed the subject, asking, "Did you find anything?"

Theodore nodded: "This was a premeditated murder."

"The killer quickly took control of the situation after entering the room."

"The murderer forced the victim to kneel by the bed, executed him quickly, and then left."

"The whole process was swift, decisive, and had a clear objective."

Supervisor George suggested one possibility: "A gang executioner?"

Theodore did not deny it, and continued: "The killer was very familiar with the victim's habits and got his sidearm first, which made the victim completely unable to resist."

Supervisor George was unusually proactive, adding, "I also usually keep my service weapon and badge in the drawer of my bedside table."

Ricky nodded and said, "Most frontline detectives have this habit."

After he finished speaking, the meeting room fell silent.

The two of them looked at Theodore, their eyes filled with shock.

The senior police superintendent had no frontline police experience and was a bit slow to react. It wasn't until he remembered that he kept a handgun in his bedside table that he looked at Theodore.

He said in a deep voice, "Are you sure?"

The accusation that a detective within the police force killed another detective is a very serious matter.

This is even more serious than the highly ritualistic execution of a police detective!
Theodore thought about it carefully and nodded: "Yes, I confirm."

Don't run!

There will be another chapter in the early morning.

Updates will resume at midnight from now on.

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(End of this chapter)