Chapter 156: Driving the Tiger to Devour the Wolf
The 7-Eleven robbery reminded Bernie of the case they handled when they first arrived in D.C.
On the way, Bernie joked with Theodore:
"Why do I feel like Henry Thompson, Fernando, and Javier did it?"
Before Theodore, who had just pulled out his notebook to write or draw something, could react, Billy Hawke leaned forward from the back seat.
"Who is Henry Thompson? And who are Fernando and Javier?"
Bernie looked back at Billy Hawke and recounted the post office robbery.
The more Billy Hawke listened, the more familiar it sounded, and he suddenly remembered that this was the case study from the very first case analysis class during their selection training!
He asked Bernie for confirmation.
Bernie paused, then nodded in admission.
Billy Hawke slapped the back of his seat. "No wonder none of you participated in the discussion back then! So, this case was investigated by you!"
Bernie chuckled twice, thinking, not only was our case used in the first case analysis class, but it was also used in the subsequent exams.
He settled back in his seat before continuing. He explained the entire sequence of events of the post office robbery, adding many details not mentioned in the case analysis class, and then compared the two cases:
"The amount stolen in both of these cases wasn't high."
Billy Hawke also leaned into the gap between the driver's and passenger's seats, joining in the discussion.
"Fernando and Javier also started by robbing convenience stores and gas stations."
"And they also used a shotgun."
"Both involved two people working together."
The more he spoke, the more similar the two cases seemed.
"Could the robbers be another pair of Fernando and Javier?"
Bernie could also feel the similarities between the two cases, but he also noticed the differences.
He shook his head. "Fernando and Javier's main goal in robbing was economic gain. The reason they chose convenience stores and gas stations was that these places were easy targets."
"The reason the amount they robbed wasn't high was that they didn't want to attract police attention."
"If possible, they would even hope to wear an invisibility cloak to rob, preferably without anyone noticing them."
Theodore looked up at him.
The latest issue of a certain third-rate tabloid Bernie brought back was about a case involving someone committing crimes while wearing an invisibility cloak.
He had intended to remind Bernie, but then he remembered that the certain third-rate tabloid would no longer write those outrageous stories, and this might be the last issue, so he lowered his head again and continued to write and draw in his notebook.
Bernie thought there was something wrong with what he said and paused, but Theodore's correction never came.
He glanced sideways at Theodore, uncertain. He felt slightly puzzled, while continuing to speak:
"But in this case, the robbers specifically left the 'B&C61' mark. They seem to want to attract attention more."
Theodore stopped writing and drawing and looked at Bernie again.
Billy Hawke in the back seat noticed Theodore's movement and asked for his opinion.
Theodore agreed with Bernie's view, but he had a deeper analysis. "Leaving a mark at a crime scene is a typical identifying sign."
"It's a more obvious signature behavior than an identifying mark."
"This signature behavior has different meanings in different cases."
"In this case, the robbers' signature behavior indicates their desire to be identified and remembered, even anonymously."
"The mark left by the robbers indicates a strong desire for expression, a typical histrionic personality trait."
"They fantasize about being unique and hope to be identified and remembered by specific groups of people, such as accomplices, admirers, or the police."
"If there could be extensive media coverage, and writers to write books about them, even if they were asked to surrender to the police immediately, they would seriously consider it."
"Moreover, this type of criminal often commits continuous crimes, and they will leave the same mark at every crime scene, just like signing a document."
After Theodore finished speaking, the car was quiet for a few minutes, then Billy Hawke's voice sounded.
"Boss, what is a histrionic personality trait?"
Bernie also had this question.
Theodore looked back at Billy Hawke.
"It means excessively seeking attention, desiring to be noticed, and wanting to be the center of attention at all times."
This was not an accurate popular understanding of histrionic personality traits, but what Theodore wanted to convey at this moment was "the robbers crave attention."
Billy Hawke seemed to understand, yet not fully.
Bernie turned to look at Theodore.
He had spent enough time with Theodore to understand him well enough.
Although he also didn't know the exact meaning of histrionic personality traits, he instinctively felt that this explanation was not quite right.
Theodore pointed forward, reminding Bernie, "We're about to go into the woods."
Bernie quickly looked at the road.
His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. Theodore pulled out a psychology journal from his bag.
"If you want to understand in detail what histrionic personality traits are, you can start with this book."
Bernie's mouth twitched, and he remained silent, focusing intently on the road ahead.
Billy Hawke first looked at Bernie, then became wary, and also remained silent.
Theodore offered the journal backward, and seeing Billy Hawke not taking it, he put it back somewhat disappointedly.
Bernie caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and interjected:
"So, the robbers want the police's attention?"
He asked Theodore, "Is this considered a provocation to the police?"
Billy Hawke also leaned over again. "This is just like your analysis of the car thieves, boss!"
"The car thieves were also provoking the police!"
"The robbers are also provoking the police!"
Theodore was noncommittal about this.
Billy Hawke thought of the situation in the convenience store and asked Theodore:
"Was that clerk intentional?"
"If the clerk hadn't wiped off the fingerprints, we would only need to collect the fingerprints and compare them with the fingerprints from the police car to know if the car thieves did it!"
One didn't need criminal profiling, knowledge of criminal psychology, or even law enforcement experience. Anyone with normal intelligence could see that the clerk was problematic.
Bernie answered Billy Hawke's question.
"The clerk probably falsely reported the stolen amount during his statement, fearing that if the two robbers were caught, his theft would be discovered."
Billy Hawke asked him how he knew.
Theodore also looked at him.
He knew the clerk was problematic, but no physical evidence existed. The clerk said that his cleaning was in accordance with convenience store regulations, and if he didn't clean the store by the time, his salary would be docked.
He also said that he didn't do it on purpose and didn't know that the police could collect fingerprints.
Everyone knew he was lying through his teeth, but they had no evidence.
Bernie: "When I was a patrol officer, I encountered many situations like this, where the reported amount from the robbed store simply didn't match the amount the robbers claimed."
Billy Hawke was somewhat envious of such experiential knowledge.
He then raised questions about the truthfulness of the clerk's testimony and whether the clerk was still concealing anything.
Bernie and Theodore both agreed that his testimony was most likely reliable, but regarding the specific details of the incident, he should still be concealing something.
Billy Hawke was unwilling, feeling that if the clerk cooperated, there might be unexpected breakthroughs.
Theodore nodded in agreement.
"So, I'm going to contact the IRS and the local police department to investigate him."
"That convenience store is in a remote location, making it an ideal target for robbery."
"He shouldn't be doing this for the first time."
The rain was getting heavier.
The CIA Director, the FBI Director, President Jack, Vice President Lyon, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a host of other people gathered at the White House.
The people here almost represented the top military power of America.
They were not here because of the Soviet Union's space launch.
This event continued to have an impact on the outside world, but for them, it was already a thing of the past.
They were here for a plan that had been in preparation for three years, starting from the General President era.
Yesterday, President Jack approved the action plan.
Early this morning, eight American-made B-26 bombers, in two waves, air-raided three major air force bases of the southern neighbor.
This airstrike should have completely destroyed the southern neighbor's air defense capabilities, or at least most of it, turning the southern neighbor's airspace into America's air force backyard.
Before the attack was launched, the intelligence projection provided by the CIA did indeed show this.
But the reality was that this attack only destroyed a small number of old fighter jets, far from the predetermined goal.
The unfavorable start left America in a dilemma.
If they continued to execute the plan, the airstrike's failure to achieve its predetermined goal would add incalculable risks to subsequent actions, and the possibility of mission failure had now sharply increased.
If they terminated the plan, it would appear even more anticlimactic and would dampen morale.
Especially at this critical juncture of bipolar competition, no one could bear the consequences of such behavior.
Moreover, they had already launched the attack. It was foreseeable that the Soviet Union would not miss this opportunity and would certainly stir up public opinion internationally that would be severely detrimental to America.
At this time, they were discussing whether to continue executing the plan.
The external intelligence support for this operation was handled by the CIA, while domestic public opinion monitoring was handled by the FBI.
Logically speaking, the FBI only needed to be present as an observer and did not need to speak.
This meeting, besides being available for consultation, had little to do with the FBI.
But Director Hoover did not intend to remain silent.
Before the meeting began, he submitted a report to Attorney General Robert, accusing the CIA of dereliction of duty in its intelligence work.
The report mentioned that he had previously submitted a memorandum to the White House, warning the White House that the exiles recruited by the CIA included double agents, and that according to the FBI's intelligence projection, the people of the southern neighbor would not revolt.
The situation was not as optimistic as the CIA's intelligence indicated.
But his warning was dismissed by the CIA Director as "Hoover only wants to expand the FBI's sphere of influence."
The CIA Director strongly persuaded President Jack to continue executing the plan, ultimately leading to his warning being disregarded by the White House.
Robert finished reading the report and thought that the CIA Director's accusation was not without reason.
He sternly asked Hoover what he meant by submitting this report.
Hoover's expression was normal, stating that it was just a routine work report, the FBI's summary of the current situation.
He pointed to the door, reminding his direct superior that the meeting was about to begin.
Robert looked deeply at Hoover, picked up the report, and left.
His footsteps echoed in the hallway as he moved away. He did not go to the meeting hall but took the report to President Jack.
There, he met the CIA Director.
While Hoover was acting, the CIA Director was not idle either.
He also prepared a report and submitted it directly to President Jack.
The CIA Director was a legendary spy who had single-handedly orchestrated the infamous Operation Sunrise.
He had a high degree of similarity to Hoover, having single-handedly brought the CIA, which was an amateur private club, to its current level.
He directly pointed the finger at the FBI and Hoover, accusing Hoover in the report of refusing to open the domestic counterintelligence database to the CIA during the plan's execution and preventing FBI agents from joining the CIA joint action team, obstructing the plan's execution at every turn.
He knew very well that Hoover would certainly not miss this opportunity to put him to death.
He had to counterattack in advance.
The CIA Director's report greatly appealed to President Jack, who was almost ready to join in angrily denouncing the FBI and Hoover for disregarding the bigger picture.
Robert's appearance interrupted President Jack's inclination.
After the CIA Director left, Robert handed Hoover's report to President Jack.
President Jack held both documents, his eyes moving from one to the other. With two reports before him, President Jack looked at one, then the other, momentarily experiencing some difficulty in choosing.
He had never experienced such a blissful moment!
The meeting hadn't even started, and the secret operation had only just completed its initial strike, but America was already fighting among themselves.
Because of these two reports, the meeting was delayed by fifteen minutes from its scheduled time.
This directly led to the Secretary of State being called away by his assistant just as the meeting began.
The assistant brought the latest international news.
The foreign minister of the southern neighbor accused America of planning aggression at an emergency UN meeting.
The America delegation, having received no warning from the White House, angrily denounced the southern neighbor's slander at the meeting and confidently stated that no such thing had occurred.
However, the southern neighbor's foreign minister then presented photos of the downed B-26 wreckage, which still had America military serial numbers on its wings.
The southern neighbor's foreign minister offered to transport the wreckage to the meeting hall if necessary.
America was embroiled in a diplomatic fraud scandal.
The Secretary of State returned to the meeting room with a solemn expression and reported the latest news he had received.
A brief silence fell over the meeting room.
Hoover, positioned at the far end, raised his head and surveyed the space. His gaze passed over President Jack, Attorney General Robert, and the CIA Director before settling downward. He didn't need to do anything now.
The meeting went more smoothly than expected.
Considering the international public opinion impact of the southern neighbor's actions at the UN, with the CIA Director's intelligence, whose veracity was unknown, and after a brief discussion, everyone quickly reached a consensus.
Now they were already committed. They had to proceed.
The meeting ended, and the CIA Director was asked to stay by President Jack.
Hoover made a brief stop at the White House before returning to the Department of Justice Building by car.
Pennsylvania Avenue, which had just returned to normal, quickly became even more congested.
Soon after, the Associated Press and United Press International released breaking news:
"Accusation of America Planning Airstrikes."
At noon, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other mainstream newspapers urgently printed extra editions, with headlines directly hitting the core:
"Evidence Presented to Accuse America of Airstrikes, American Representative Flatly Denies"
"America Plunges into Diplomatic Fraud Vortex"
The extra editions published close-up photos of the B-26 wreckage containing American military serial numbers, questioning the government's concealment and raising the question:
"Who is providing false intelligence to America's UN representative?"
[End of Chapter]