Want more chapters right now? đ„
Get access to 220+ bonus chapters across all my stories.
đ patreon.com/Mr UmU
https://www.patreon.com/Mr_UmU
_______________
Chapter 39: He is...
The owner's memory was unexpectedly good.
He pulled out the patrol officers who had been sent off that night one by one, and finally found that Sam was missing.
The owner's expression changed drastically.
He sent away the bewildered patrol officers with a grim face, then sat down in front of Theodore and Bernie. He first poured himself a glass of wine, then grabbed the bottle and gulped it down.
Putting down the wine bottle, the owner exhaled a strong smell of alcohol as soon as he spoke.
"It was too busy that night, and I, hiccup, drank too much."
Bernie patted his shoulder and went out to call a patrol officer who wasn't far away, asking him to take the owner to rest.
On the way back, Bernie told Theodore that the owner used to be a detective at the precinct and was a Silver Star member of the FOP.
The owner's two sons and seven grandsons were also detectives at the precinct, and all of them died in the line of duty.
That bar was bought for him with donations from everyone as his retirement gift.
The owner treated them like his own children, and everyone respected him greatly.
After listening, Theodore began listing clues in his notebook.
Bernie saw this action and became nervous again.
He prayed inwardly that Theodore would not reveal the killer's characteristics.
Theodore suddenly asked, "Do you think it's related to the oil company?"
"What? Oh, you mean the oil company?"
Bernie instinctively wanted to say 'no', but he quickly remembered case 600113 and fell silent.
With the safety hazards of the derricks exposed, the oil company had to agree to purchase safety insurance for every worker, which was a significant expense.
This bill was originally supposed to be charged to Roy, but Roy was dead, so it naturally fell to Sam, who had been relentlessly pursuing the cold case.
Theodore looked at the silent Bernie and said, "Whoever took Sam was familiar with the rules of the Old Gun Bar and even knew that he wouldn't be asked for identification."
Bernie did not respond, just drove in silence.
Theodore continued talking to himself.
"The killer knows the Old Gun Bar very well, and knows the owner very well."
"He knew the owner would ask the on-duty patrol officers to send drunk detectives home. He specifically put on a police uniform, drove a police car, and waited there."
"He even connected his walkie-talkie to the police channel."
"He knows the operations of the Patrol Department like the back of his hand."
As Theodore described this, Bernie's cheekbones bulged high on both sides.
"Do you think he was specifically waiting for Sam, or just waiting for anyone, and that person happened to be Sam?"
Theodore asked.
He directly considered someone impersonating a patrol officer and did not consider internal police involvement.
The reason was simple: the shift change procedures in the Patrol Department were very complete, and the duty records were not as casual as attendance records.
Whoever was on duty that day had to sign the summons he issued. This made faking it completely impossible.
Therefore, the person who took Sam could only be an impersonator of a patrol officer.
Bernie was silent for a long time, and just when Theodore thought he wouldn't answer, he slowly spoke.
"Is there a difference?"
Theodore nodded seriously. "Yes."
"If this person was specifically waiting for Sam, "
"This person is very familiar with Sam's life; he knew Sam would go to the Old Gun Bar that day to celebrate with us."
"This requires him to be an acquaintance of Sam. Observation and surveillance alone are not enough to understand Sam so well."
"Someone who is very familiar with Sam, and also very familiar with the operations of the police force, but is not a police officer, can get a uniform and equipment that are realistic enough to pass for real. He can infiltrate the police channel. He is familiar with the patrol officer's response mechanisms and habits."
Theodore paused, spread his palms, and said, "I don't think there are many such people in Sam's life."
During police training, a set of professional call and response mechanisms is taught, but this set of mechanisms is too official and hardly used by patrol officers.
During actual duty, patrol officers have their own response habits, and each is unique.
Bernie's lips moved, but he ultimately didn't ask the question 'Did he tell you all this?' Instead, he asked, "Where are we going now? Sam's place?"
Theodore nodded. "I think we should go talk to his neighbors."
As for the other 'if', neither of them mentioned it.
When they returned to the Mexican community, it was already noon.
Bernie stopped Theodore, who was determined to go straight into the apartment, and led him to a food stall by the street to buy two burritos filled with vegetables and meat, covered in 'Mexican Secret Sauce.'
The owner of the food stall was also of Mexican descent. Perhaps he'd caught a cold from not paying attention to the weather changes, and he was wiping his nose with the back of his hand while making the burritos for them.
Bernie paid without changing his expression, grabbed a burrito, and took a big bite.
Theodore hesitated, and finally took a small bite under Bernie's repeated gestures.
Then he told Bernie that he suspected the burrito contained rat meat because it was a taste he had never experienced before.
Bernie took a big bite, tasted it carefully, and confidently told Theodore it wasn't rat meat.
Theodore looked shocked.
Bernie chuckled, grabbed the remaining half of the burrito, and started chatting with the owner.
He chatted skillfully, starting with the business, then moving on to recent prices, the security situation in this community, how the nearby patrol officers were, and finally got to Sam.
He told the burrito stall owner that he had a colleague named Sam Latimer who seemed to live nearby, and he was here to look for him.
He said that he and Sam had a very close relationship, that they almost became partners, and that he had invited Sam to his home several times, but Sam had never invited him. He knew nothing about Sam's situation.
Under Bernie's chatter, they quickly learned from the stall owner that Sam had a lot of prestige in this area, and everyone would come to him with any problems or disputes.
Everyone respected him greatly.
But Sam actually didn't have many friends; only someone named Carlos who lived on the apartment rooftop was considered his friend.
When Carlos was mentioned, the owner's expression changed.
What surprised Theodore was that Bernie's expression was also very strange.
He even gave up his pretense and directly asked the owner where Carlos was.
After getting the exact address, Bernie didn't even bother with pleasantries and ran directly toward the apartment.
Theodore chased after him, following him up the stairs and asking, "Do you know that person named Carlos?"
"His name is Carlos Mendoza," Bernie's breathing was steady, and he moved like the wind, running even faster than on level ground.
Theodore followed closely behind.
If it weren't for his recent training, he really wouldn't have been able to keep up with Bernie.
Even so, if this were a building with more than ten or even dozens of floors, he definitely couldn't climb faster than Bernie.
"You might know him, you just haven't seen him in person, so you can't recall."
"He participates in the police academy selection every year. But he can never pass the physical fitness test."
"He particularly admires the police, and admires Sam."
"His grandfather was also a detective and participated in suppressing the 1917 Great Strike and the Great Depression Great Strike."
He turned back and asked Theodore, "You know about these two great strikes, right?"
Theodore nodded. "Yes, I do."
In 1917, Mexican-American oil workers initiated a strike due to excessively low wages and discriminatory treatment, which was brutally suppressed, resulting in countless casualties.
In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, Mexican-American workers launched another labor movement. This time they had union organization and were quite large-scale, but they faced joint suppression from multiple parties, resulting in countless casualties.
"Later, his grandfather was retaliated against and became paralyzed in bed. His parents were also stabbed to death."
"He grew up under the care of Sam's family. Later, with Sam protecting him, he and his grandfather were able to continue living in this community."
"Didn't you say that the person who took Sam is both an acquaintance of Sam and knows the police force inside out?"
He stopped in front of the iron door leading to the rooftop and said softly, "That's him."
_____________
New week, Everyone!!
New GoalÂ
Goal:Â 150 â Remaining: 45 = 2 Bonus Chapter