I returned my English to my HS teacher o.o
Pushing open the door, Arthur walked into the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The creak and whirl of electric fans, the air gave a feeling of solemness — it was filled with the smell of ink, paper and printing press. Everyone here worked methodically, and the men, dressed in identical black suits, seemed as if they were mass produced from the same assembly line. They worked using the latest, state-of-the-art computers, filling Arthur with a sense of novelty.
Arthur suddenly felt grounded, finally taking accepting that the floor beneath his feet did indeed belong to that of the Federal Bureau of Investigation*, the FBI — the direct subordinate to the Department of Justice, the heart of America’s law enforcement; the President’s Right Hand; renown in the history of the Federal branch of the government of the United States.
* This was in english and repeated in chinese, followed by the abbreviation to fully express the reverent feeling
Even the dust in the office drifted arrogantly.
As a newcomer, Arthur couldn’t help but be nervous as he cautiously found his way to the Homicide Investigation Unit he was supposed to report to.
Arthur knocked twice and someone finally answered, telling him to enter.
A man who looked to be about 40 raised his head from behind a mountain of files. He was baby faced but had a head of greying hair and the glasses propped on his nose were practically sliding off.
Arthur presented his resume. “Hello Mr. Stephen, I am the new recruit, Arthur Brel.”
Detective Stephen pursed his lips, expression serious, as he removed his glasses and set them in the front pocket of his suit. With a careless glance from him, Arthur subconsciously squared his shoulder and raised his head, forcing himself to maintain his composure.
Stephen directly handed a file to him and nodded, “You came at the perfect time, lets go.”
Arthur received the file, “Go? Go where?”
Stephen answered, “The interrogation room.”
Arthur stared blankly for a moment before quickly opening the file to find an investigation report for a case that was already stamped with “Case Closed”.
Eh? What is this?
The first thing to come into view was a photo of the victim: he was a very elegant youth, fair-haired with blue eyes, wearing a navy blue suit-style school uniform, and his gaze was gentle as he smiled lightly. The corners of the photo were already yellowing.
Name: Bertrand Emilio Ferro
Time of Death: June 6, 1965 12:31:07 AM
Cause of Death: Suicide by jumping from a building
A case from 20 years ago??
Arthur hurriedly skimmed it as he kept pace with the older detective’s steps, summoning up the courage to ask, “May I ask what this is about?
Detective Stephen replied, “Your first job.”
……Re-investigation of an old case? Arthur surmised.
Stephen brought him to stand outside the interrogation room and Arthur saw the suspect standing inside. It was actually someone he recognized——
Wasn’t this the popular candidate for the upcoming S city election for mayor, Allen? Not even 50 yet, Allen had a dignified appearance and came from a political family—his father and grandfather were both officials while he took the amicable, pragmatic route, not only showing concern for the vulnerable minority groups, he also fundraised to sponsor impoverished children to go to school and even supported the homosexual community in their fight for equal rights. His open-minded, generous philosophy won him the support of many and his reputation was excellent so his support for the election was very high.
Stephen quickly introduced the course of investigation to him. “Have you finished reading the materials?”
Arthur nodded, “I’ve read them.”
There was basically nothing written in the files, clean like a fresh slate—a bit too clean. Coupled with the attached autopsy, it seemed quite abnormal.
Other than the injuries from falling, there were numerous traces of blunt force trauma, both new and old, on Bertrand’s body. The forensic doctor determined that these injuries were not the cause of death and were not caused by falling. At the time, however, the police actually didn’t investigate further! Although it was not the direct cause of his death, it could have had an indirect effect.
Considering that era though, the world was quite different.
How does this relate to Mr. Allen?
Arthur still didn’t really understand. He looked down at the file, then at mister mayor candidate behind the glass, and lastly at his superior.
Stephen spoke, “Have you not watched TV recently? It was exposed that Mr. Allen is suspected to have been involved with numerous crimes in his youth and his criminal records had been wiped by his father. The case in your hands is one of them; his fingerprints had been discovered on the victim’s body, therefore, the role he played in this case needs to be re-investigated
Arthur listened seriously and finally understood.
Stephen asked, “Do you understand now?”
Arthur nodded, “I understand.”
Stephen spoke, “Then go?”
Arthur stared blankly, “Go whe…” Halfway through his sentence, he finally reacted, “You want me to go interrogate him?”
“Didn’t you learn how to interrogate someone during training?” Stephen questioned.
“I did…”
Stephen gave him a meaningful, “then why aren’t you going?”, glance.
Arthur swallowed and braced himself before walking to the door of the interrogation room. He hesitantly turned to look at Stephen, like a chick looking to its mother.
Old detective Stephen was merciless and without the slightest pity.
Arthur immediately resigned himself. Knowing that he couldn’t back out anymore, he took a deep breath and walked into the room——
TL’s Note:
Ahhh Ferro *screams because I put too much time in trying to find an English (Italian??) counterpart of 费尔罗 (Fei Er Luo)* Long story short, I spent like an hour looking into mafia stuffs and then, to my despair, the author changed the last name next chapter.
Counting Aries Translations 