1960: My uncle is the FBI Director

Chapter 72 Mr. Flores said it was okay

Theodore had no idea how good Bernie's grandfather was at making specimens, or where he ranked in Felton.

Bernie told him that Felton was an oil city, and there were no hunting guilds or professional hunters there; people hunted simply as a hobby. All hunting skills were passed down within families from generation to generation.

The same applies to making specimens.

Some people may have excellent skills, but only their family and friends know about them, and they never show them to outsiders in their entire lives. They don't make a living from it.

Therefore, based solely on the knife marks on the skull, eye sockets, and cheekbones, it is impossible to deduce the killer's profession.

At first glance, the case seems to have few clues, but upon closer examination, it appears to have many clues. However, upon further scrutiny, it is discovered that these clues are all fictitious.

They didn't know if the large and small skulls were related; they didn't know if the forearm bone belonged to the same person as the large skull; they didn't even know if the rope was originally wrapped around the forearm bone!
More importantly, he was unable to accurately profile the killer!

The killer could be seeking personal revenge, a cold-blooded serial killer, or a madman performing a mysterious ritual.

These three conclusions lead to three completely different directions.

Theodore needs more clues.

He needs more bone fragments, preferably to find the dumping site, or at the very least enough to identify the deceased, determine the cause of death, and know what they went through before they died.

Otherwise, his profiling would be completely useless.

Bernie suggested setting up a net in the shallows of the river to try to catch bone fragments washed down by the river.

They then went to the archives to check the missing persons files in an attempt to identify the two skulls.

They first borrowed two young forensic doctors from Mr. Uncertain to set up the interception network.

"Mr. Uncertain" was a nickname Bernie gave Gary because of his previous rigorous answers; Bernie suspected that asking Gary anything would only result in an uncertain answer.

Gary not only agreed to lend it to them, but also showed great interest in setting up the interception network.

Wearing a three-piece suit and carrying a toolbox, he replaced a young forensic pathologist and went to inspect the interception net himself.

Bernie bets Theodore that Mr. Uncertainty won't last until tomorrow.

After returning from the forensic lab, the two went to the archives to look up the missing persons files from 1954 to 1955. They discovered that 80% of the records were of women and children.

The registration and management of these files were as chaotic as their registration.

Some records include photos and detailed descriptions of clothing, physique, and even personality, while others only contain basic information such as name and gender.

Some missing persons have been found but are still in the missing persons file, while others only have the name of the person who reported them but no address.

Theodore even found several blank record sheets inside.

The two spent the afternoon in the archives room with nothing to show for it, but they did help organize a lot of files.

Shortly after getting off work, Gary returned from setting up the interception net. He dragged back a coyote carcass, and his previous stoic demeanor vanished, replaced by a somewhat agitated expression.

Theodore noticed that the coyote carcass seemed lighter than a normal carcass.

Bernie immediately saw through it all: "That's a specimen!"

Gary greeted Theodore and the others while carrying the coyote specimen, then hurried towards the forensic lab.

Theodore and Bernie followed.

Gary carefully cut open the specimen, peeled away the skin and fur, and exposed the bones inside.

This is quite different from typical fur specimens, which usually have the skull removed, leaving only the skin and stuffing, with the eyes replaced by glass.

However, the coyote specimen did not have its skeleton removed; the skeleton was used directly for internal support, and the eyes were empty. It is unclear whether this was the original shape or if the filler was lost.

According to Gary's observations, the skinning knife marks on the coyote specimens were parallel cuts along the cheekbone to the mandible, with similar entry angles and spacing to the knife marks on the supraorbital margin of the skull, suggesting they were made using the same technique.

Furthermore, the width of the remaining knife marks on both blades is similar, indicating that they are both single-edged thin knives.

This is a coyote specimen that appears to have been made using a similar technique to the two skulls, with the same tools.
Theodore asked Gary when the coyote specimen was made. Gary said he couldn't guess the exact time, but suggested taking it back to the university and having a professor friend in the agricultural college study it.

He put down the mangled coyote specimen and looked at Theodore.

The coyote specimen provided many clues, giving Theodore a general idea of ​​the killer.

But what he needs most right now is the victim's body! And the crime scene!
Theodore did not profile himself; he suggested that he visit the oil workers' union the next day.

This highly improbable proposal left Bernie and Gary completely baffled.

"Why?" Bernie asked him.

Theodore told them that the killer needed a hidden location to hide his loot, such as a house, a secret warehouse, a secret hideout known only to himself, a basement, an abandoned workshop, and so on.

This hiding place was within the killer's control and close enough that he could relive the killings at any time through the spoils.

Gary spread out a map, circled the upper reaches of the river, and found that the left bank of the upper reaches was basically occupied by oil wells, while the right bank was mountainous forest.

Theodore told them that their search would focus on abandoned oil wells and that they would need to consult with veteran oil workers for suitable hiding places.

He also mentioned that the killer maintained his psychological control through the trophies, which served as a psychological placebo when he was unable to commit the crime, alleviating his urge to kill.

The heavy rain has washed away the murderer's loot, which may spur him to commit another crime.

…………

The next day.

Theodore and Bernie went to see Wenner before they set off.

They briefed Wenner on the progress of the case, and Wenner was concerned that the killer might strike again.

Wenner divided the homicide squad into two groups: one to work with Theodore and Bernie to investigate case 600911, and the other to be personally directed by him to investigate the current case.

This morning, the homicide squad received a report of a new case.

Bernie led the detectives to the oil workers' union.

They ran into Gary in the parking lot.

Gary changed into a brown three-piece suit, wore a hat and a bow tie, and climbed into the back seat of the car with his toolbox.

“You’re the head of the medical examiner’s office,” Bernie reminded him. “The medical examiner’s office has a lot of work to do.”

Gary put down his toolbox and sat up straight. "It's okay, they'll handle it."

On his first day, he tested the young forensic doctors in the forensic department and found that they had very solid basic skills and none of them were just there to coast along.

This is much better than the students he taught at university.

Bernie looked at him speechlessly, and Gary smiled back.

He said, "Mr. Flores told me that I could work with you, including on-site investigations."

"Who is Mr. Flores?" Theodore suddenly asked, as he began scribbling in his notebook again.

Bernie looked at him in surprise. "Daniel Flores, Senior Superintendent."

"Oh."

Theodore had dealt with the senior police inspector many times, but this was the first time he had ever heard his name.

Bernie was somewhat speechless, then turned to Gary and asked, "Have you been qualified to go on field missions?"

Gary: "Mr. Flores said yes."

Bernie "..."

(End of this chapter)