1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

The plot starts to explode in Chapter 30!
"The deceased's left skull showed a V-shaped indentation with sharp edges and a regular shape, consistent with an active strike."

Theodore took out a close-up photo from the autopsy report and showed it to the two men.

“We just saw several workers up there, and the hammers, axes, pipe wrenches and other tools they were carrying on their waists could cause similar injuries.”

"The wound is on the left side, which means the killer is right-handed."

"The deceased was physically strong, had no injuries or illnesses at the time of the incident, and had not consumed alcohol, which requires that the murderer must also be very strong."

“The crime occurred at night, and although there were night watchmen around, no one witnessed it, which requires the murderer to be familiar with the environment.”

Theodore said slowly, "I think this must have been a premeditated murder."

"The murderer was familiar with the victim's whereabouts, knew that the victim would stay to gamble that night, and may even have been the one who invited the victim."

"The murderer knew that the workers would gather together to gamble during the night watch, so he would never patrol under the oil derrick."

"The murderer hid under the derrick, waiting for the victim to pass by."

"The deceased stayed to play a couple of rounds, and when the time came, he went out to keep his appointment."

"The deceased met with the murderer, but the two could not reach an agreement. Suddenly, the murderer attacked and used a tool on his waist to kill the deceased, making it look like an accident."

Bernie raised his hand to ask a question.

"and many more."

"You said it was a premeditated murder, so why didn't the killer just kill the victim directly? How do you know the two had talked?"

Theodore pointed to the photo of the body and said, "If the killer intended to kill from the beginning, he should have attacked the victim from behind, and the wound should be on the back of the head."

Bernie nodded, it was unclear whether he understood or not.

Theodore glanced at Sam, and seeing that Sam had no questions, put away the case file. "I think we should first carefully examine the deceased's financial situation."

Seeing Sam and Bernie's confusion, Theodore explained, "The deceased had no debt disputes, so he doesn't seem like a gambling addict."

After he reminded them, Bernie and Sam realized that they hadn't heard of anyone going to Hank's house to collect debts after his death, nor had they heard that he owed any workers money.

A gambling addict who would rush to the casino as soon as he got paid and was willing to stay up all night to gamble, surprisingly didn't incur any gambling debts.

This is indeed somewhat unbelievable.

Sam said in a low voice, "Do you think the killer murdered him for money?"

Theodore shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I have a guess about it."

After a brief discussion, the three decided to split up and act separately.

Sam returned to the oil field to get Hank's pay slip from foreman Roy and to re-screen the workers who had gambled that night.

Theodore and Bernie went to the casino and the bank to investigate, and if time allowed, they also wanted to visit the deceased's home.

On the way, Theodore curiously asked Bernie Sam about his partner. Bernie explained that he had been sent to FBI training and would be back soon.

Bernie scoffed at Sam's partner, saying, "That guy's obsessed with joining the FBI. He's failed the test three times in a row."

"He wanted to join the FBI, but the FBI didn't think much of him, hehe."

Theodore thought to himself that if the July appointment wasn't fulfilled and he was taken away by FBI agents sent by Hoover, he wondered if Bernie would think he was also going to join the FBI...

The two went to the bank first.

Not wanting to cause trouble, the bank manager readily invited the two into the VIP lounge and quietly obtained the deceased's account statements.

The deceased's account balance was $3.07.

In January, before the incident, there were no abnormalities in the account withdrawals and deposits.

The two then went to the casino.

The casino is right next to Rose Street, not far from where Holt was arrested in the last case.

As they were about to enter the casino, they ran into several women from Rose Street.

The young woman wasn't afraid of them. She waved to them from a distance, and then they started laughing and joking together when they looked over. One of the bolder ones walked straight up to them and asked if they wanted to come up and sit down.

When the two refused, the woman boldly invited, "You two can come together, just come up and sit down, it's free."

With this young woman taking the lead, the other young women quickly mustered their courage and surrounded them, chattering and inviting them to come up and sit down.

The women recognized Theodore and Bernie, and they were very grateful to them.

Prior to this, Felton had never had a murderer arrested for killing prostitutes.

Theodore and Bernie barely managed to break through the encirclement and rush into the casino, finally escaping with their lives.

The two men flashed their police badges, and soon the casino manager appeared.

He was a guy with a fierce look, about the same size as Bernie, and with bulging eyes like a bullfrog.

To avoid misunderstandings, Bernie first explained his purpose to Mr. Bullfrog. Although reluctant, Mr. Bullfrog answered their questions to avoid unnecessary trouble and conflict. He even called over the clerk at the chip exchange window and the casino's finance manager.

They all confirmed that Hank was a regular here, coming to gamble every month on payday, but he had never won.

The waiter mentioned that the deceased was a big spender, and once he lost three or five hundred in a row without changing his expression.

The two visited several gambling dens and got similar results: the victims were generous spenders with terrible luck and never won, but they had good gambling etiquette and could pay off their debts quickly.

As people left work, the casino was packed with people, and Bernie even spotted some of the workers he had seen on the derrick during the day.

There were five or six workers who came together.

The workers saw Bernie and excitedly crowded around him.

They told Bernie that it was payday and many workers would come to the casino to gamble after receiving their wages.

After saying goodbye to the enthusiastic workers, the two hesitated for a moment before going to the deceased's home.

As it turned out, they encountered the deceased's friend, Old Tom, who was on leave.

Old Tom, wearing only shorts, lay on the sofa with a toddler on his belly, and the two were having a great time playing together.

The deceased's wife was busy in the kitchen, glancing at the sofa every now and then, her eyes filled with happiness.

When Theodore and Bernie rang the doorbell, they heard, "Honey, Tom, go open the door."

Then I saw old Tom come over happily, holding the child, to open the door.

Seeing Theodore and Bernie, old Tom's happy smile hadn't faded, but he asked them with a hint of wariness, "Who are you looking for?"

Bernie frowned, his gaze lingering for a moment on old Tom's right foot in a cast, before flashing his badge and asking, "Is this the Hank Wilson house?"

Old Tom became serious, and the happy smile on his face disappeared.

He held the child protectively in his arms, turning sideways warily, and said, "He's already dead."

Footsteps came from inside the room, and a woman in pajamas with her hair down walked in, looking somewhat anxious.

"Who are you? He's already dead."

Old Tom held the woman in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.

Bernie was starting to disapprove of the two men's behavior.

Even though the deceased was a gambling addict and probably wouldn't treat his wife and children well, is it right for you to just openly move into your friend's house like that?

Your good friend has only been dead for six months!
"We are here to investigate your husband's death."

Bernie emphasized the words "your husband" and showed the badge again.

Mrs. Wilson showed no embarrassment. She simply repeated, "He is dead," and took the child inside.

Old Tom was somewhat embarrassed. He awkwardly invited the two into the house, then limped back to the sofa and turned to call out...

“Darling, um, Mattia, get me some clothes.”

Mrs. Wilson brought over a shirt, helped old Tom put it on, and then turned his face towards her and gave him a big kiss.

With a snap, they separated, and Mrs. Wilson went back to her room to take care of the children, feeling quite pleased with herself.

Old Tom's face was flushed, his expression conflicted, a mixture of shame and happiness.

"What's wrong with your foot?" Theodore asked.

Old Tom lifted his right foot. "One of the apprentices didn't hang his tools properly, and they fell and hit him."

"When did this happen?"

“About seven or eight days ago,” Old Tom recalled. “After I left the hospital, Mattia saw that it was inconvenient for me to live alone, so she invited me to come and stay with her and take care of me.”

He spoke very softly afterward, but Bernie heard him and sneered, "How will you take care of me?"

Old Tom mumbled something but didn't say anything.

"Are you friends with Hank?" Bernie asked again.

Old Tom wasn't sure if the question was mocking him or a serious one, so he didn't answer.

Theodore asked, "Someone saw you fighting with Billy and Hank before the incident. What was the reason?"

Old Tom glanced towards the bedroom, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

"Because he found out you slept with his wife."

Bernie answered for him with a cold laugh.

"He not only slept with his wife, but the child isn't even his."

(End of this chapter)