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Chapter 54: The Final Move
"Even if you beg Paul Miller for mercy, he won't agree," Theodore said, returning the favor with a similar phrase.
"Escalating from arson and assaulting a police officer to murder is a very obvious criminal progression," he explained. "He can no longer derive pleasure from ordinary crimes. He needs murder to feel the thrill of destruction."
"But this thrill will quickly fade."
"To repeatedly experience it, he will continue to commit crimes. If you don't catch him this time, your district will have a madman who keeps killing."
Theodore's voice grew more intense. "Moreover, he is a smart person. His killing efficiency will get higher and higher, his actions will become more and more concealed, and it's very likely that if you miss this chance, you'll never be able to catch him again."
Theodore finally closed his notebook, turned sideways, and said with finality, "The decision is yours, Mr. Cullinan."
Outsiders had no way of knowing how Ricky was struggling internally. They only saw him standing there, his expression constantly changing, before he nodded in agreement just as Helen Bennett returned from the restroom.
However, Helen Bennett's attitude had drastically changed during her brief absence.
She refused Theodore's suggestion to alleviate her guilt by helping bring the killer to justice. Despite Ricky, Keller, and Bernie taking turns using both soft and hard tactics, Helen Bennett refused to budge.
She even refused to sign the statement, repeatedly insisting that she hadn't said what was written there.
The entrapment plan failed before it even began.
Before leaving, Theodore tidied the statement she had denied, his voice unusually calm. "How do you think he will view your guilt? Will he praise you as a good girl with a conscience?"
"Will he applaud you? Or will he treat you as just another Teddy Santos?"
Theodore took a step forward, coming beside Helen Bennett. "Do you think you are the new generation of Bonnie and Clyde?"
"He might be Clyde, but you are not Bonnie, and certainly not his Bonnie."
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were famous outlaw lovers from the 1930s, talented and beautiful, cruel and bloodthirsty, truly a legendary pair. Many people in America were fans of this outlaw couple, thinking they were cool.
Helen Bennett's eyes flickered. She rushed out of the interrogation room with her head down, fleeing the police station like the wind.
Bernie was puzzled by the sudden change in Helen Bennett's attitude.
Theodore explained, "Confession is to alleviate guilt, but betraying Paul will intensify self-loathing, making her think, 'I am as guilty as him.'"
"She views the crime as a unique bond between the two of them. Betrayal is equivalent to self-destruction."
He finally said, "It's okay. We will ask for her consent, but Paul might not."
Upon returning home, Helen Bennett immediately tipped off Paul Miller.
Paul Miller, however, didn't take it to heart at all. Instead, he asked her out to play in the afternoon, his voice as charming as ever.
For a moment, Theodore's words surfaced in her mind, but they were immediately crushed by Paul Miller's sweet talk. She readily agreed, then felt secretly ashamed after hanging up the phone.
They had done so many things together, how could she think of him that way?
They shared so many common secrets, so many common memories.
She thought that police officer was right, they were the contemporary Bonnie and Clyde. Bonnie wouldn't betray Clyde, and neither would she. Clyde wouldn't deceive Bonnie, and neither would he.
Theodore didn't expect feedback so quickly.
News came at three in the afternoon: Helen Bennett had just left home, driving alone.
The four immediately reacted, setting off in two separate cars. Ricky instructed the detective to follow Helen Bennett and report their location at all times.
Soon, the detective reported that Helen Bennett had met up with Paul Miller and they had entered the Central District together.
Further pursuit would involve cross-district law enforcement.
Bernie grabbed the walkie-talkie. "Ricky."
"...Keep pursuing! I'll inform the Central District."
"Also, call me Supervisor Cullinan or Mr. Cullinan!"
Bernie burst out laughing. "Yes, sir!"
They chased them all the way from the East District to the Central District, and then from the Central District into the West District.
After entering the West District, Bernie contacted a few familiar detectives for help, and the movements of this outlaw couple immediately became clear.
Bernie grabbed the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Supervisor Cullinan, you can tell the guy who's following to stop!"
"Tell him to wait for us at the station! Just say it's Bernie Sullivan and Theodore Dickson from the Homicide Team telling him to go! Haha!"
Putting down the walkie-talkie, Bernie found Paul's impatient actions incredible.
Theodore pointed to his head. "He can't control himself and needs to immediately eliminate the unstable factors to regain a sense of control."
"In reality, he can't even control his own emotions."
Bernie asked curiously, "Is that what you called the identifying mark?"
Theodore nodded. "It already surprised me that he could spend a year planning the murder of Teddy Santos."
"People like this usually don't have that much patience."
Bernie looked at him, thinking, I didn't see you looking surprised at all.
With the help of the West District detectives, the distance between the two sides was further shortened.
Soon, the final report came over the walkie-talkie. The two of them, along with another car with license plate number FA-0613, had driven into Petroleum Street.
The walkie-talkie was silent for a moment, then Keller's dry voice came through: "Why is Anthony here?"
"FA-0613 is Anthony's car!"
Theodore quickly located the three cars. They were parked casually outside an abandoned house, as if their owners had simply stopped for a casual visit.
When the officers burst into the room, Paul was holding a gun, forcing Helen to attack Little Howard, who was tied to the bed.
Helen was crying, her whole body trembling, as if she hadn't recovered from the shock of her outlaw dream being shattered. She couldn't believe that the police officer was right, Paul really intended to kill her!
Clyde was going to kill Bonnie!
Seeing people burst in, Paul panicked for a moment. He hadn't expected them to come so quickly.
Seeing the gun in his hand, Bernie stepped forward, drew his weapon and fired in one smooth motion. The bullet hit Paul's right hand holding the gun.
Ricky stepped forward to subdue Paul, who was clutching his hand and screaming, and took him away with the patrol officers from Petroleum Street.
It wasn't until Keller also took Little Howard away that Helen reacted, bursting into loud sobs.
After a while, Ricky returned and helped Helen leave the scene.
The room finally became quiet.
Bernie put away his gun, looked around, and felt a bit unreal about what had just happened.
"It ended just like that?"
Theodore looked up at him, not understanding the question.
Bernie spread his hands. "It just feels..." He pondered for a long time but couldn't think of a suitable adjective, finally just shaking his head.
"This was just a kidnapping, at most attempted murder," Theodore said, taking out his gloves and briefly examining the scene. "For the other case, we still have no cards to play."
The forensic team from the West District Branch quickly arrived and took over the scene. Theodore felt relatively confident in Samuel's students and returned to the police station with them.
Because it involved cross-district investigation, Ricky had to go to the West District Branch first to communicate and coordinate. Fortunately, he knew the Deputy Police Chief of the West District Branch, so this part wasn't particularly difficult.
While waiting, Theodore and Bernie learned from other detectives that the suspect in the Homicide Team's case had been apprehended, and they were handling the wrap-up work.
They subconsciously glanced toward the Deputy Police Chief's office, wondering what this meant for their own investigation.
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