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Chapter 56: Justice and Politics
To avoid Santos's enthusiastic kiss, Theodore quickly diverted everyone's attention by showing them Paul Miller's detailed confession.
Paul meticulously corrected every detail error in Bernie's earlier description, including his plans to murder Little Howard and Helen Bennett.
He even explained to Bernie exactly how he had tricked Teddy Santos into the attic,
It was devastatingly simple: he had quietly told Teddy Santos that the attic was empty, so Teddy had taken Teresa up there for privacy.
Paul had stayed outside the door during this time. After Teresa left, he immediately went in, killed Teddy Santos with a deer hunting knife he had hidden beforehand, and then hung a sock on the doorknob to make it appear someone was having sex inside.
To prevent any accidents, he had even locked the door. Then he went downstairs to change the record, came back up, unlocked the door, and stayed by the attic entrance, blocking any drunken partygoers looking for a place to fool around until Little Howard arrived.
The whole process had gone exceptionally smoothly.
Councilor Miller's face turned ashen, and the expressions of Keller and the other staff members changed dramatically as the implications sank in.
Councilor Miller kicked his son, who was being supported by someone, and approached Santos with desperate urgency. "Santos, I...Woo~"
Santos didn't want to hear him say another word and punched away all of Councilor Miller's superfluous explanations.
"Spineless wimp!" Santos pointed at Miller, who was covering his bleeding nose, and cursed. "Wait to be investigated!"
Afraid that he would assault Councilor Miller again, everyone quickly separated the two men.
Councilor Miller ignored his bleeding nose and jumped up and down, shouting frantically, "Grab it! Grab it!"
"Go! Hurry!"
Before Theodore had produced his son's confession, Miller had been the hot favorite for the next Mayor of Felton. Families like the Howards, various oil companies, and other power brokers had all placed their bets on him.
But after today, he would become a pariah, a rat crossing the street that everyone wanted to exterminate.
Santos would not let him off the hook. His actions would likely lead to him losing the support of voters and becoming a target for those seeking retribution.
The forces that had bet on him before would also come calling, demanding their principal and the interest they had failed to receive. They would drain his entire family dry.
The only way to prevent this catastrophe was to snatch that damned confession and turn the ironclad case into mere rumor!
Except for Councilor Miller's staffers and assistants, everyone else hesitated, standing rooted to the spot.
"Hurry up!" Councilor Miller shrieked and personally stepped forward in desperation.
Ricky and Burton easily controlled his assistant, while his staffer was pinned to the table by Bernie. Theodore took out handcuffs and secured him. Another punch from Santos knocked down Councilor Miller himself.
Santos took advantage of the chaos to viciously kick Miller's stomach and groin, muttering to himself in a mix of English slang and Spanish, cursing with extraordinary foulness.
Deputy Inspector Burton handcuffed the assistant, coughed officially, and announced that all three would be detained.
He turned to the lawyers and remaining staffers and assistants, asking politely if they wanted to "try their luck."
Everyone quickly shook their heads and made hasty farewells.
Even an idiot could see that Councilor Miller's ship was sinking fast. They were busy rushing back to report the news and quickly distance themselves from the wreckage. How could they incline to "try"?
Councilor Miller and his two associates were left at the West District Branch, while Theodore and Bernie escorted Paul Miller back to the East District with Ricky.
Bernie's feelings towards Deputy Inspector Burton were particularly complex now. His performance today made it difficult for Bernie to dismiss him like he had Cahill simply.
In addition, the things Paul Miller had shouted at Theodore made Bernie even more curious about his partner's background.
He secretly observed Theodore the whole way back, and the more he looked, the more he felt that Theodore and Paul Miller shared certain unsettling similarities.
The impact of Councilor Miller's attack on the police station's interrogation room was not diminished by the fact that his son was a murderer and his cover-up had failed.
The entire Felton Police Department saw his actions as an unprecedented provocation against law enforcement itself.
Chief Weideke, who had been on vacation, quickly ended his time off and returned to the station at eleven o'clock that night, his mood thunderous.
Chief Weideke was furious, giving Deputy Inspector Burton, Wenner, and Cahill a severe dressing down that echoed through the building.
These three were scolded in the Chief's office for a full hour, emerging pale and shaken.
The West District Branch filed over thirty charges against Councilor Miller overnight, including endangering public safety, assaulting a police officer, and possessing prohibited items.
There was complete evidence and full confessions for these charges, an airtight case.
At 2:00 a.m., these charges were submitted to the prosecutor. At 3:00 a.m., the judge approved both the search warrant and the arrest warrant.
At four in the morning, Councilor Miller, who had been held in the detention room, was transferred to the county prison.
When the sun rose, Councilor Miller found himself trembling as he faced three imposing Black inmates who had been convicted of multiple violent crimes.
It was allegedly too dark, and the prison guard had "accidentally" made a mistake, assigning Councilor Miller to the section housing the most dangerous inmates.
Theodore and Bernie had slept in the East District Branch office the previous night.
The East District Branch had no tradition of working overtime, so their office accommodations were exceptionally poor, leaving both men with sore backs and stiff necks.
When Ricky arrived at the conference room precisely on time for work, Theodore and Bernie had almost finished organizing all the case documents.
Ricky had ample experience with paperwork and completed the comprehensive case report in just one day, his efficiency impressive despite the complexity.
After a final check, they submitted the case report, and the investigation officially came to an end.
If nothing unexpected happened, Theodore and Bernie wouldn't need to return tomorrow.
As they prepared to part ways, Ricky asked Theodore if he would come again the next time there was a case requiring his expertise.
Theodore thought about it and felt that the cases in the East District were genuinely troublesome and somewhat exhausting to handle, given all the political complications.
Bernie chimed in diplomatically, "That depends on whose case it is. If Supervisor Cullinan personally invites us, we can still come."
Ricky laughed heartily, hugged them both goodbye, and they parted ways with mutual respect.
Nothing unexpected happened with the case's conclusion.
The next day, Theodore received a call from Ricky at the West District Branch, reporting that their report had been approved and the case had been officially transferred to the prosecutor's office.
Ricky informed Theodore that the prosecutor was preparing to indict Helen Bennett along with Paul Miller.
Theodore guessed that this prosecutor must have developed a close relationship with Councilor Santos, justice and politics dancing their eternal dance.
Just as he was thinking about Councilor Santos, the man's interview began broadcasting on television.
"Yes, I have confirmed my participation in the next mayoral election. My staff is currently forming a campaign team," Santos said, looking directly into the camera with conviction.
"I am running for Teddy. My son's experience made me realize that I cannot continue to be a bystander. I must take responsibility for this city's future."
"The city of Felton stands on the verge of moral collapse. Justice almost lost to raw political power."
"Here, I must express my profound gratitude to Detectives Theodore Dickson and Bernie Sullivan of the West District Branch, and Supervisor Ricky Cullinan of the East District Branch."
"They are truly good people, heroes, really. Our entire family owes them an enormous debt of gratitude."
"Detective Dickson proved that justice in Felton does not belong to the powerful elite; it belongs to everyone who fights courageously for the truth!"
"If I don't stand up now, there may be more Teddys in the future. They won't have a Councilor for a father, nor will they be fortunate enough to meet a detective like Dickson..."
Councilor Santos spoke with passionate eloquence on television, his words carrying the weight of both personal grief and political ambition.
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