Blood Brook, Robert F. Clifton [books for 20 year olds txt] 📗

think you know who you're talking to, Captain. I'm the top law enforcement officer in the county”.

“And, that's debatable. I hear the same thing from every prosecutor. You were appointed by the governor. The Sheriff was elected by the people. Not that it matters because while you might be the head of law enforcement in the county I'm the head of this investigation. You asked for me, so there must be a reason why. I'm thinking it's because of the success my squad has had in the past. Now, as an educated man I'm sure you're familiar with the adage about the horse being led to water. If not, let me explain. Place me under you thumb and force me to do things your way, then don't expect results. Allow me to operate like I'm use to, then maybe, just maybe together we can solve these cases”.

“I see. It appears that we have a conflict of interest Captain”, said Gallagher with a red face flushed with anger.

“Only if it's a conflict of who is in charge of the investigation”.

“Very well. What do you propose?”

“ I investigate using my squad. They know what and how to do things as a result of experience. If you want your investigators involved I want Maria Donahue. Her role will be to work with Detective Myers and at the same time keep track of any overtime accrued by our personnel associated with the investigation. In addition I use the Nautilus Beach Police Departments Forensic Unit. I will brief you at the end of each working day allowing you to be able to talk to the news media. You know what to say and not say. That's my proposal”.

“What's so special about Maria Donahue?”

“She is one that was sent to the police academy. I trained her. I know her capabilities”.

“And, my other investigators?”

“Not interested”.

“Alright, we'll do it your way, but this is just between you and me”.

“No problem. Now, if I may use your telephone I want to speak to Sergeant Stiles. What is the address of the latest victim?”

“Number one, Tabernacle Road”.

“Thank you”.

At eleven forty five Sergeant Stiles, Carol Myers and Tom McKenna met on the front porch of the house belonging to Dorothy Timberlake.

“Alright, these two cases are assigned to me and when I say me I mean us.

I want to start with the most recent and work our way back. I don't know what we'll find inside. In fact I'm not even sure the two crime scenes were protected. Nonetheless, we'll treat it just like it was new and go from there. Here we go”, Wallace said as he opened the front door.

As he stepped inside the first thing he saw was what appeared to be blood stains on the living room wall paper at a point ten feet from the front door. Looking up he saw the same pattern on the ceiling. He took three steps into the living room and noticed the dark stain on the rug. “I'm assuming this is where her head was when she died. The stains on the wall and ceiling were caused by the striking motion, probably on the second and third blows. Frank, make sure our forensic team gets photos and swabs for human blood in those stains”, said Wallace.

“Got it Cap”, Stiles replied as he wrote notes in his notebook.

“Carol, their will be a Prosecutors investigator assigned to us, Maria Donahue. When she gets here I want both of you to go through the victims personal effects. Look through her clothing, then bills, receipts notices. If you come across jewelry make an inventory list and safeguard it, Donahue can turn it over to her boss and he can give it to any next of kin”.

“Yes sir. I know Maria. It will be nice working with her”.

“Tom, I want you outside. See what you can find, marks on doors or windows, cigarette butts anything unusual”.

“On the way Cap”.

Wallace turned at the sound of a car door being slammed. He went to the front door and saw Maria Donahue. She walked to the front porch where she saw Captain Wallace standing. “Hello Maria, how have you been?”

“Fine Captain. I want to thank you for requesting me to work on this case. I appreciate it”.

“No, problem. I figured that rather than filing papers and counting paper clips you would like to do some real live police work”. Let me introduce you to Sergeant Stiles. If and when I'm not here, he's in charge. I believe you know Carol. You two will be working together. She'll tell you what I want done. Your other duties are keeping track of all overtime for our squad members, you and anyone else I might assign to this investigation. Tom Mckenna is out back when he comes in you can meet him”.

“Nice to meet you”, said Stiles.

“Hi Maria. We finally get to work together. Come on, we might as well get started. We'll start in the bedroom. I'll tell you what the Captain wants us to do”, said Myers.

Wallace went back inside. Standing in the middle of the living room he carefully surveyed the room. Once again he looked at the blood stains.

Then at the furniture. Everything was arranged neatly. There was no sign of a struggle. He turned and looked at the front door again. Walking up to it he saw would could be blood stains.

“Find something Cap?”, asked Stiles.

“Possibly. It appears that the killer stood just inside the open front door. When he struck the victim his first blow probably caused a laceration of the skull. Since the skin in the scalp is thin, blood began to ooze or flow.

There must have been more than a single blow. When the killer struck the victim a second time the murder weapon gathered some of the blood from the victims head. Then, while raising the weapon swiftly in order to strike for the third and final time blood droplets were thrown off of the weapon.

The blood drops flew in the air. The blood here on the door are a result of being deposited on the back swing. The stains on the wall and ceiling were from the fast, forward motion of the third impact.”. Wallace slowly walked around the dark stain on the living room rug. Standing between the door and the stain he raised and lowered his arm quickly three times reproducing the killers actions. “It appears the suspect stood here, a few feet from the doorway. Make a note of that, will you Frank?, asked Wallace as he removed a piece of chalk from his trouser pocket and made a large, X on the floor where he thought the killer had stood.

“How do you know that the killer struck her three times?”, asked Stiles.

“I don't actually know. I'm basing my theory on the findings of Doctor Wescoat who found three crescent shaped wounds in the head of Greta Shoemaker. You and I will examine Mrs. Shoemaker's body later”.

Detective Myers entered the room. “Captain we are going to be a while. Dorothy Timberlake had a lot of jewelry, most of which appears to be expensive and I would guess them to be antique as well. We are making a list of everything we found, but to be on the safe side I'd like to have photographs of each individual piece. That way each piece will coincide with each photo”, She said.

“Good idea. Frank call headquarters and have our crime scene investigators come out here”.

When Myers returned to the bedroom and Stiles went outside to use the radio. Wallace noticed a large package wrapped in brown, wrapping paper on the sofa. He went to it and noticed what appeared to be three, dry, dark blood stains on the brown paper. He also read the handwritten name and address on the parcel, Dorothy Timberlake, #1 Tabernacle Road, Blood Brook, N.J.

“Odd,” he thought to himself. “There's blood on the package, yet the package is here on the sofa. Someone evidently moved it”. Wallace made a note of his findings. He then went to the black, walnut desk situated in the coroner of the living room, took a seat and then after opening the large drawer began going though all of the papers and envelopes he found.

Frank Stiles walked back into the house. “Lieutenant Campo is on the way. She wants to know what has top priority, this crime scene, the Shoemaker home or any rape, robbery or homicide that might occur in Nautilus Beach?”, he said.

“She has a good point. If that happens she can ask Chief Monahan or Mr. Gallagher”, Wallace answered.

“Is there anything you want me to do?”, asked Stiles.

“Check on McKenna outside”.

When Stiles left, Wallace looked at a stack of paid bill receipts from the Atlantic City Electric Company, New Jersey Bell Telephone and Gas-Pro along with bank statements from the Guarantee Trust. He didn't find anything out of the ordinary. He then opened a large envelope and found one thousand dollars consisting of twenty dollar bills. Still. He had the feeling that he was missing something. He found a folded paper yellowed with age at the bottom of the pile unfolded it and read, “You are hereby notified that you have been selected for jury service in the State Trial Courts of Atlantic County, State of New Jersey. You are ordered to report on”. The rest of the wording as unidentifiable, the words faded and obliterated by damage caused over time by repeated folding and unfolding. He could make out part of the court case number, 4971 and the first name of the defendant, Adam.

About an hour later the Crime Scene Investigative Unit arrived from Nautilus Beach. Wallace walked outside and stood on the porch waiting for Lieutenant Campo. June Campo seeing Wallace said, “Don't I have enough work to do and now I have to do the county's work too?”

“You and me both. Hell, I'm trying to go on vacation”. Wallace answered.

“Good luck with that. Now, show me what you want so I can get on with it and get out of these woods. I'm a city gal”.

“Follow me.

Once inside Wallace pointed to the blood stains on the door, wall and ceiling. “ First of all I need proof that those stains are actually human blood. I'll worry about blood type later with the medical examiner”. Walking to the sofa he pointed to the wrapped parcel. “I'd like a photo of that handwritten name and address. Also dust it for latent prints. I doubt if you'll find anything other than the victims prints, but you never know. If the killer made a mistake handling the package he probably did it touching the box inside. Lastly, Detective Myers is taking inventory of the victims jewelry . She suspects that much of it is valuable and antique. She needs the photos matching each piece with the inventory. I also want a photo of the cash I found. I'll register the serial numbers on each bill later. Other than that unless Stiles and Mckenna find something outside I can't think of anything else you need to do”.

“O.K. let us get started”, Campo replied.

Wallace then went outside and walked to the backyard. There he found Sergeant Stiles and Detective McKenna in an old weathered garage. “Find anything?”, Wallace asked.

“Lots of chicken wire and wooden egg crates”, Stiles answered.

“ After World War Two some Jewish refugees came into this area and established chicken farms. Dorothy Timberlake's husband might have been in the business of supplying those farms.”, Wallace replied.

“Did you find anything inside Cap?”, asked McKenna.

“It's safe to say the motive wasn't robbery. Myers found what appears to be valuable jewelry and I fond a stash of twenty dollar bills amounting to a thousand dollars”.

“Looks like Mrs. Timberlake didn't believe in banks”, said Stiles.

“On the contrary, she had two accounts with Guarantee Trust. A savings account as well as checking”, said Wallace.

“Then why the stash of twenties?”, asked McKenna.

“I don't know yet”, Wallace replied.

“What's next Captain?”, asked Stiles.

“Except for forensics,