1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 2: The deeper you dig, the more unresolved the issues will be.
Theodore approached Bernie, but Bernie was reluctant to help, feeling it was a waste of time, yet curious about what Theodore was up to—ultimately, he was still not satisfied with the case.

Bernie eventually helped Theodore check the records and found the officer on duty.

Theodore paid for coffee for the two of them in exchange for five minutes.

He asked directly, "Do you remember the murder that happened in xx community at noon on April 3rd?"

The older officer answered, "I remember. That area has always been very safe, with only occasional thefts, but this is the first time someone has died there."

Theodore continued, "Were you the first to arrive at the scene?"

The officer thought Theodore was referring to the emergency response time and looked a little annoyed, but for the sake of coffee and a break, he reluctantly replied, "It's us."

“It was lunchtime, everyone was eating, and the roads were congested. Besides, that community has always been very safe, so we focused more of our efforts there,” he explained.

Theodore didn't care about that and asked again, "Do you remember what the scene was like? Can you describe it?"

The officer's expression returned to normal. He took a sip of coffee, thought for a moment, and said, "There were quite a few people gathered at the scene, but they were all on the edge of the lawn. An ambulance had arrived, but the doctors were taking care of another woman. She was crying terribly, vomiting as she cried, and there was another woman next to her taking care of her while wiping away her tears."

"Later, the woman who was crying so hard fainted and was taken away by ambulance."

Theodore frowned and asked, "Did you see a teenage girl with the same hair color as the deceased?"

The officer was lost in thought, while Bernie frowned and stared at Theodore, adding, despite his confusion, "His hair was very short; he must have gotten a buzz cut."

The officer and Theodore both looked at Bernie with surprise.

A girl with a buzz cut was somewhat unusual in the conservative Felton community.

"No," the officer replied confidently. "If it had, I would have noticed it."

"Are there really girls with buzz cuts?" A young police officer couldn't help but interject, only to be shoved by an older officer.

Theodore was about to finish his questioning when he asked one last question: "Did you see a bearded man wearing a hat and an orange jacket? He might be mixed in with the crowd."

The veteran officer shook his head. "No."

"Are you sure?" Bernie pressed.

The veteran officer, somewhat displeased by the questioning, said, "Of course, I'm not an idiot. It was a very hot day; who would wear a jacket, especially an orange one? It's too conspicuous. If there had been such a person, I would have definitely noticed."

Bernie and Theodore exchanged a glance, then said goodbye and left.

On the way to the scene, Bernie couldn't help but ask Theodore, "You just asked Anna—are you doubting Anna?"

Theodore circled Anna's name and shook his head, saying, "I just find it strange. She had breakfast with the deceased this morning but didn't attend the morning party, and she wasn't at the scene when the incident occurred. I can only guess that she wasn't home at the time."

Bernie shook his head and said, "It can't be her. Although she had a big fight with the deceased a week ago over her hairstyle, they made up quickly, and the little girl was very sad and kept crying."

Theodore looked at him with surprise, his eyes seeming to say, 'You still believe in this?'

Bernie said seriously, "You're still young. You'll know what it's like when you have kids."

Theodore thought to himself, "That's because you're inexperienced. Once you've seen a world where perverts roam the streets and lunatics are as common as dogs, you won't be so 'naive' anymore."

However, he did not refute Bernie's statement, nor did he believe that Anna was the murderer. If it were Anna, she should have done it at home, which would have been more discreet and less likely to be seen.

There were no direct eyewitnesses in this case; it was just a fluke for the murderer. Imagine committing murder in the street in a densely populated community—how incredibly reckless would that be? Anyone with a modicum of common sense wouldn't do such a thing.

The main reason is that teenagers' minds are not yet mature. If it were Anna, she wouldn't be able to conceal it so well; she should have fled in a panic after the murder. Unless she has an antisocial personality. But that contradicts the idea of ​​killing someone in the street.

He just found Anna's intermittent behavior strange.

…………

The deceased lived in a mid-range neighborhood. Bernie parked his car in front of the deceased's house, rang the doorbell, and a haggard-looking man came to open the door shortly after. The man hugged Bernie and let them both into the house.

This man is the deceased's husband.

Bernie had suspected him, but later testimony from a timber merchant confirmed that he and his son, Sit, were a hundred kilometers away at the time of the incident. After sitting down, Bernie explained the purpose of their visit: "We'd like to learn more about the details of the case."

Brian cooperated and called out "Anna" into the room.

Soon, a girl with a buzz cut came out, wiped her hands on her apron, and stood in the doorway. Brian patted the sofa next to him, but the girl didn't sit down; instead, she crossed her arms and kept her distance from the three. Brian's face immediately darkened.

The young man following behind the girl gave her a push, quickly walked over to Brian, sat down next to him, and greeted him quietly.

Brian's gloomy expression brightened, and after glaring at the girl, he looked at the two of them.

Bernie looked at Theodore, who shook his head slightly, indicating that Bernie should ask the questions. Bernie, unsure of Theodore's intentions, began to ask.

Anna's eyes were red, but her answers were very organized. Theodore had read her statement and found that her logic and accuracy of expression were higher than others, which matched her current performance.

Her answer remained unchanged, and Bernie quickly finished asking his questions and looked at Theodore.

"Where were you when the incident happened?" Theodore asked directly.

Anna's face paled, she bit her lower lip and didn't answer, her eyes glancing towards the sofa. Theodore stood up, blocking her view, and asked...

"Your buzz cut is a very avant-garde hairstyle. Weren't you punished?"

In Theodore's eyes, the relationship between these three people was very typical.

Brian is a typical leader; he is assertive and controls everything about his children. In this family, he represents absolute authority.

Anna, the daughter, is challenging her father's authority, using everything from her position to her hairstyle as a means of rebellion.

The son, Sid, is a subservient follower of authority, trying to reconcile the relationship between his sister and father. However, he seems to be still adjusting to this role, and Sid's efforts to reconcile them are not going well; the atmosphere remains tense and oppressive.

It turns out that the mediator in this family should be the deceased. Mrs. Brian's death caused the family relationships to become unbalanced and unreconcilable, and the conflict between Brian and Anna became increasingly sharp, while his domineering side became more and more prominent.

Such a controlling person would not possibly let Anna's avant-garde hairstyle go unpunished.

Anna hugged her arms tightly, not answering, but her eyes kept sneaking glances towards the door.

Theodore walked toward the door. Influenced by him, Brian and Sit stood up together, and then Bernie stood up as well. He not only stood up, but also reached for his gun holster.

Theodore seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere behind him. He walked to the bottom of the stairs by the door, stomped his feet a few times, and heard a hollow sound.

"Is there a basement down here?" Theodore asked, turning around.

Anna hugged her arms tightly, trembling all over.

Her brother, Sid, couldn't sit still any longer. He ran to Anna, hugged her, and tried to take her back to her room.

Theodore lifted the carpet and looked at Brian.

“He locked me up in there as punishment!” Anna said, her voice trembling with tears.

Brian immediately retorted, "It's all because you went too far! Who would go to a party with a buzz cut and a top that shows their belly button and thighs like you? You're more slutty than the cheapest prostitute on Rose Street! You've brought shame to this family! How could I have a daughter like you! You should have been born on Rose Street!"

Rose Street is Felton’s most famous street, and the entire street is associated with sex-related industries.

Sit waved his arms excitedly, seemingly unable to contain himself any longer. His voice trembled as he shouted, "Shut up! If you hadn't been trying to sell Anna to that pig, Anna wouldn't have done such a thing!"

"You locked Anna up there down there like a slave!"

"You!" Brian took two quick steps forward and raised his hand to slap him.

Sit immediately shielded his sister behind him, raised his head, and struck a pose of recklessness. "Go ahead and hit me! Go ahead and hit me! We're all your slaves anyway! Now that Mom is dead, kill us all! Then go find that bitch and have another litter of slaves!"

Theodore tugged at the lock, interrupting the argument, "Where's the key?"

Brian, his face tense, opened the door, pointed outside, and yelled, "Get out! Get out! It's over! It's all over! You're not welcome in our house! Get out now! Leave my house!"

(End of this chapter)