Chapter 163: Closing In
The young man handed over the ledger, his finger on a line in the middle. "She bought a Winchester M1912 and ammunition. Twelve-gauge shotgun shells and revolver rounds."
The ledger didn't record transactions directly; instead, it was filled with letters and digits that looked like code at first glance. This was completely different from the second-hand store owner's accounting habits. That man's records were almost transparent: date, transaction content, transaction amount, all clearly written. The code this young man used was likely only comprehensible to himself.
Bernie flipped through it, glanced at Theodore, then returned the ledger and asked about the specific transaction process.
They weren't investigating illegal gun sales. They didn't care about the ledger.
The young man received it back, visibly relieved.
He recalled: "She didn't initially want to buy a shotgun. She asked me if I had a BAR rifle and a Chicago Typewriter."
BAR, the Browning Automatic Rifle. A powerful military automatic rifle that could unleash massive firepower in a short time, causing severe damage to vehicles and cover.
The Chicago Typewriter, the Thompson submachine gun. One of the gangsters' favorite weapons. High rate of fire, powerful at close to medium range, perfect for car chases and robberies.
The BAR and Thompson were key weapons Bonnie and Clyde had used. They'd obtained two BAR rifles by robbing a National Guard armory. The BAR's firepower was a significant factor in their ability to engage in intense shootouts with police and escape multiple times.
A classic photo from that era showed Bonnie with a Chesterfield cigarette in her mouth, her left hand on her hip, and her right hand resting on a BAR rifle.
Bernie thought of this immediately. He looked back at Theodore, then his gaze drifted to the ledger in the young man's hand.
The young man shifted the ledger to his other hand and shook his head. "I don't sell automatic weapons or heavy weapons here. The most powerful weapon you can buy from me is the Winchester M1912."
Theodore was curious why the young man hadn't initially recalled this unusual female customer.
The young man said this customer wasn't unique at all. He encountered people like this often.
His last customer had wanted to buy a bomb to blow up the person who stole his girlfriend.
These people understood neither the power nor the price. They knew nothing. In most cases, they were just temporarily angry, heard from others that he sold weapons, and rushed over to buy whatever they'd heard of, whatever they believed was the most powerful.
The young man's tone was weary: "Even if I had them, they couldn't afford them. And even if they could afford them, they wouldn't know how to use them."
Bernie pulled the conversation back. "What else did she say?"
The young man shook his head. "I gave her the gun and ammunition. She gave me money. Then she left."
He didn't know anything more about this customer.
Theodore suggested he come to the Third Precinct tomorrow to help draw a portrait.
The young man seemed very resistant, but after a long silence, he nodded.
Bernie glanced at Theodore, took the ledger, and wrote Detective Thomas's phone number on it. After a moment's thought, he added the office number, then patted the young man's shoulder. "Go early tomorrow. Don't be late."
Outside the apartment, Bernie asked Theodore: "Why didn't you have him go to the Department of Justice Building?"
"Too far," Theodore replied.
Bernie looked at him, not understanding what kind of answer that was.
Theodore asked: "Do I really not need to drive tomorrow?"
Bernie shook his head quickly. "No, no."
He hurried forward, pulled open the driver 's-side door first, got in, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, then quietly sighed with relief.
Back in Georgetown, Bernie contacted Detective Thomas and asked him to arrange for a sketch artist.
Thomas's voice was still languid. He didn't ask a single extra question and readily agreed.
The next morning, both teams met in the basement office of the Department of Justice Building and exchanged updates on their investigations from the previous afternoon.
After Billy Hawke and Detective O'Malley met with the president of George Washington University, they briefly introduced the case. The president expressed deep concern and immediately offered to cooperate fully.
However, yesterday was Sunday. Professors and students were all off and couldn't be reached. Aside from obtaining student lists for English Literature and History majors, they accomplished nothing.
The two planned to return to George Washington University today to show Theodore's profile to professors, which should yield results soon.
Bernie recalled the treatment he and Theodore received at American University yesterday and felt the disparity was too significant.
He introduced the progress of his and Theodore's investigation. He emphasized the suspected female culprit's attempt to purchase a BAR rifle and a Chicago Typewriter and stressed the connection between these weapons and Bonnie and Clyde.
Bernie was convinced the female customer was the culprit they were looking for. Her attempt to purchase high-firepower weapons perfectly matched Theodore's profile.
Billy Hawke agreed.
Detective O'Malley focused on the weapons themselves. He believed that if the two culprits obtained such heavy firepower, the consequences would be dire.
Bernie thought it would be tough for them to acquire them. Theodore's profile inspired this. According to the profile, these two had virtually no prior contact with the criminal justice system. The campus agent should be the only channel they can find to purchase firearms.
The young agent had made it clear he didn't sell automatic weapons or heavy weapons. They had no means of purchase. Even if they had the money, they couldn't buy them.
However, he agreed with O'Malley's suggestion that they should treat these two culprits with greater caution.
The telephone rang, interrupting their discussion.
The call was from an AT&T technician. He rattled off twenty-seven numbers to Bernie in one breath.
These were all the numbers dialed from that public phone on the 15th. Ten of those numbers were dialed in the morning, the remaining seventeen in the afternoon.
The emergency call was the first call made in the afternoon. Nearly five minutes passed before the second call was made.
This was very bad news.
No one would linger by a public phone after making a call.
[End of Chapter]