1. Serial intimidation
On this day, when Detective Jim returned to the police station after finishing his business outside, his partner Pete said to him: "At 1:30 p.m., the city middle school received another threatening phone call, saying that the bomb was about to explode on the campus. The principal was afraid that if it was true this time, he had to evacuate all the teachers and students of the school again. The superior ordered us to rush over with the explosion protection team at once. ”
Half a month ago, the city middle school received the first bomb intimidation call, and the other side warned that a bomb would explode in the school in 15 minutes. But after the evacuation of all the staff and the police search, not even the ghost of the bomb was found. The caller's voice was muffled, and it could be heard that it was a man. After the police tracked it down, they found that the phone was dialed from a public telephone booth in the city.
At 10:30 this morning, the same thing happened again, causing the police to make another move in vain. Unexpectedly, not long after the second threatening call, the third threatening phone call came again.
By the time Jim and his partner arrived at the middle school with an explosion-proof team, all the teachers and students had been evacuated to the playground. Jim's son, Dave, also attends the middle school, and he sees Dave and a few of his friends chatting against the fence.
An hour later, the police search was completed, and nothing was found, and it appeared that the third threatening phone call was also a prank. The principal ordered the students to go back to class and took the two officers to the office himself.
Jim asked the headmaster, "Did you recognize the man's voice?" ”
The headmaster sat down behind his desk: "No, as before, it feels like the other person is covering his mouth with something, and his voice is not clear. I've sent someone to check attendance records. Do you still think some student did it? ”
Pete explains, "This kind of thing is usually done by students. He may hate school, or he may just take it as a joke. ”
The secretary sent the attendance records into the office, and the principal browsed them and handed them to the two police officers: "A total of 91 students are absent from work, which is about the same as usual." ”
Pete went through his attendance records and compared them to the list in the survey notes and concluded: "Bob, Lester, and only these two students were absent from work when three threatening phone calls came. From the record, Lester often skipped class, just a standard poor student. In my opinion, the investigation can be concluded. ”
2. Door-to-door inventory
Jim and Pete drive to Lester's house, where Lester's dad came to open the door.
Pete said: "We're police officers and want to talk to your son. Lester didn't go to school today, was he sick? ”
Lester's dad stammered, "Hmm... He had a cold, but he had just gone to the grocery store to buy soda. ”
Pete continued to ask, "So is it possible for him to go to a public telephone booth outside and make threatening phone calls?" ”
Lester's dad shouted, "No way, I've been watching my son at home today, and he's just been out." ”
Pete nodded, and then a blonde teenager walked in in with swim trunks and a towel, and it must have been Lester.
Lester's father saw that his lie was punctured on the spot, and his face turned blue and white.
Pete asked Lester, "Where did you go today?" We know you didn't go to school. ”
Lester swallowed his spit and said, "I felt bad this morning, so I stayed at home, and then I felt better, so I went swimming in the nearby river and basking in the sun." ”
"Can anyone testify for you?" Jim asked.
"I went alone, no one else." Lester asked nervously, "Are there threatening phone calls again?" ”
Pete said, "That's right, and you're the suspect." ”
Lester blushed and hurried to explain: "I admit that today I pretended to be sick and did not go to school, because there was a civics class test in the morning and a history class test in the afternoon, and I knew that I would definitely fail the test." ”
Lester's dad defended his son: "My son loves to skip school, but he doesn't make bomb scare jokes." Why do you keep staring at him? ”
Pete explained: "The police believe it was a student who made those threatening phone calls. All calls come during class hours, which means only absent students can make those calls. The first call came half a month ago, when 96 students were absent from the city secondary school, 62 of whom were boys. The second threatening phone call came at 10 a.m. this morning, and our investigation revealed that only three male students were absent from work during both calls. ”
Lester's dad asked, "Did you investigate the other two male students?" ”
"We were getting ready to investigate, but another threatening phone call came this afternoon to save us trouble," Pitt said. One of the three suspects had already returned to school in the afternoon, making it impossible to make threatening phone calls. Another student went on a weekend trip with his parents and contracted scarlet fever and is still lying in a hospital out of town. But the threatening phone calls were made from the city's telephone booths, so he also cleared the suspicion. ”
Lester's father heard this and turned to look at his son. Lester looked miserable and said, "Daddy, I didn't do it." ”
"Son, I believe in you." Lester Dad said, but his voice wasn't as firm.
Pete stood up and handed out a business card: "I want you to have a good chat with your son, and I believe you can educate him more effectively than we do." Hopefully, when we come back tomorrow, we will hear the truth from you. ”
On the way back to the police car, Jim hesitated: "What if we are wrong?" ”
Pete said emphatically, "You and I know that there's a 99 percent chance that the student named Leicester did it." ”
3. Father-son communication
In the evening, when Jim was leaving the police station, Dave asked, "Dad, did you find out who made the threatening phone call?" ”
Jim said, "Well, I found a boy named Lester, do you know him?" ”
Dave frowned and said, "Of course I know. Did he admit to making threatening phone calls? ”
"Not yet."
"So how did you narrow down the suspect to him?" Jim explained to his son the exclusions they used.
Dave continued to ask, "So will Lester be punished?" Jim replied, "Maybe you'll be punished for probation." ”
Dave thought for a moment and said, "Maybe he's just kidding?? ”
Jim said solemnly: "Bomb scare calls can cause panic and many people may be injured as a result, and this is no joke." ”
Dave was silent for a moment and then said, "Dad, did you know that I didn't go to school the day the school received the first threatening phone call?" And I was absent from work this morning. ”
"Yes, I know." Jim said, "We had three suspects at the time, but there was a boy lying in a hospital bed out of town, and it was impossible to make threatening phone calls. Then there are two suspects left, namely Lester and you. ”
Dave barely managed to squeeze out a smile: "I'm really lucky, right?" When the third threatening call came this afternoon, I was at school, and the suspect was left with poor Lester. ”
Then Dave licked his lips and asked, "Is Lester's dad on his side?" ”
Jim said, "Of course, every father would do that. ”
Dave bowed his head and sighed after half a moment, facing his father, "Dad, I think you'd better take me to the police station." Lester didn't make those threatening phone calls, I made them, I just wanted to make something new. But, Dad, I only made the first two phone calls, not this afternoon. ”
Jim was relieved to hear his son's words, so he also told the secret that he had hidden until now: "I know, because I made the threatening phone call." ”
Dave's eyes widened in surprise: "Dad, are you trying to cover for me?" ”
Jim smiled wearily, "As a policeman, I shouldn't have known the law like this, but as a father, I was messing around with my son." I had been hoping that, in the end, the facts would prove that Lester had done it. ”
Dave burst into tears and said, "Dad, I'll tell the police that I made all the threatening calls." I don't want to get you in trouble. ”
Jim shook his head, "Thank you, son. You are a son who makes me proud, and I want to be a father who makes you proud of me. ”