622 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
622 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
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Prints of the City
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by G. Daniel Flower
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Detective Greg Phillips looked at the body of the
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woman sprawled on the bedroom floor. Her nightgown was
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bunched around her waist, and her panties were in
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tatters. Her face was battered and bruised.
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His new partner, Jim O'Meara, was busy being sick
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for the third time. He wondered how someone so young
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could be assigned to homicide, conveniently forgetting
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that he had only been two years older than O'Meara
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when he had been assigned to the squad.
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The neighbors all claimed to have heard nothing
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out of the ordinary, and reported seeing no strangers
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in the area. Evidently the victim's only friend in the
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apartment building was Jan Owings, the person who had
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discovered the body. She had expected the victim to
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give her a ride to work, and when she had failed to
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show up at the appointed time, Owings had gone up to
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check on her.
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The only bright spot in the investigation so far
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was the fact that the knife the murderer had used had
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been left at the scene with two clear latents on it.
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Phillips popped a couple of antacid tablets as he
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watched the men from the coroner's office load the
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body on the stretcher. O'Meara walked back into the
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room, his face pale and sweaty.
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"You gonna be all right, kid?" Phillips asked.
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"Yes, sir. I think so."
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"Good, I'd hate to have to explain to the Chief
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how I could lose a partner on his very first case. By
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the way, don't call me sir. It makes me feel old. If
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you have to call me anything, my first name is Greg."
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"Yes, si..., I mean Greg. What do we do now?"
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"We go back to the squad room and fill out a
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preliminary report. Then we look through the M.O.
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file to see if this is part of a series. Tell me what
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you think happened here."
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"Uh, it looks like a burglar entered the
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apartment, found Miss Reese in bed, had a little fun
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with her, and then killed her. After that he took any
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valuables he could find and then left."
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"Maybe, but I doubt it. There's no sign of forced
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entry, and nothing of value appears to be missing.
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There is also the evidence presented by the body.
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Don't wait for the coroner to give you all the
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answers. What was unique about the body?"
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"I don't follow you."
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"What was missing that should have been there?"
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"Her jewelry?"
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"No. Normally when a person is being knifed he
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will hold his hands up in an attempt to fend off the
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blows. This results in cuts to the hands and forearms.
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Reese was only stabbed in the chest, there were no
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cuts on her arms. She could have submitted timidly to
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rape, if she saw a weapon and she was scared enough,
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but she would have tried to defend herself as soon as
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she realized what the killer intended to do. The will
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to live is strong. So, what does that tell you?"
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"That she knew who killed her?"
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"Possibly, If that's the case he set the scene
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up to look like this in an attempt to put us on the
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wrong trail. Did you notice any personal letters
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around here?"
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"Yeah, her mail is over on the desk."
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"No, the mail on her desk are bills and junk
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mail. I mean letters from friends and relatives."
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"I didn't notice any. Does that mean anything?"
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"It could. Most people keep personal letters
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around for awhile. My wife still has every letter
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that I wrote to her while I was in the Navy. Maybe
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Reese was the type of person who threw personal
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letters away after she was through with them, but it
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is something to keep in mind. If she kept them
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somewhere, and we should be able to find out from her
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friends if she did or not, then they are missing.
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Maybe the murderer took them for some reason. Well,
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enough gabbing. Let's go to the squad room and get to
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work."
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After spending an almost sleepless night
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Detective Phillips arrived at the squad room the next
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day bleary eyed. O'Meara was all ready at his desk.
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Phillips briefly mourned his lost youth, then poured
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himself a cup of coffee.
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"Morning, Greg. Have a rough night?"
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"Yes, I did. Did you get in touch with Miss
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Owings yet?"
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O'Meara nodded and said "She's not going to work
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today and said we could stop by any time after ten."
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"Okay, any reports come in yet?"
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"Nope, haven't seen any."
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"How far have you gotten this morning?"
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"Well, I've looked through Reese's appointment
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book for the last six months and made a list of the
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names that were in it. The list is on your desk. I
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marked the names that showed up in her address book,
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too."
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"Good. Now tell me what we do next."
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"Well, we have to talk to the people she knew so
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we can find out why she was killed. We have to find
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out were the people on that list work so we can talk
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to them."
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"Okay, who do we talk to first?"
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"I don't know, I guess we start at the top and
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work our way down."
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"How can we do this without wasting a lot of
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time?"
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"I don't know."
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"We all ready know who her best friend is,
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right?"
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"Yeah."
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"So we start with her. Since she won't be
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available until after ten we can go down to the lab
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and see if they have any preliminary findings for us."
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After visiting the lab, the two detectives drove
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to the apartment building and took the elevator up to
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Owings' floor. Phillips knocked on the door and heard
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a muffled "hold on a sec". After a short wait the door
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opened to disclose a blood-shot eyed Jan Owings, with
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her blonde hair still wet from a recent shower.
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"Good morning, detectives. Please come in."
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"Thank you, Miss Owings."
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They walked into an apartment which, with the
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exception of the furnishings, was a carbon copy of
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Miss Reese's. After entering the living room, Miss
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Owings indicated the couch and said "Could I get you
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gentlemen a cup of coffee?"
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"No, thank you." Phillips said.
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Miss Owings sat in an overstuffed chair and said
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"I hope you'll excuse my behavior yesterday. Ellen was
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one of my best friends."
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"We understand, Miss Owings. We'd like to ask you
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some questions now, and some of them will be rather
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personal, but we need the answers in order to catch
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the killer."
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"I'll do my best, Detective Phillips."
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"Good, that's all we can ask for. Tell me how you
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happened to find Miss Reese yesterday morning."
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"Well, Ellen was supposed to give me a ride to
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work because my car is in the shop. When she hadn't
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come down to get me by 8:30 I went up to check on her.
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When she didn't answer the door I went in and found
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her like that."
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"What time was she supposed to come and get you?"
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"Eight o'clock."
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"Was her door locked?"
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"Oh no, it was locked. We each had keys to each
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other's apartments."
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"Hold on, Jim did you make a note of the items in
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Miss Reese's purse like I asked you to?"
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"Sure did."
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"Good. How many keys did she have?"
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"Let me check." O'Meara said as he flipped
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through his notebook. "A set of car keys, and the key
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to her apartment, that's it."
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"Miss Owings, did Miss Reese carry your apartment
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key with her?"
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"Yes, she did."
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"Do you know where it is?"
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"No, I don't. I know she had it last Sunday."
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"Okay, how long have you known Miss Reese?"
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"For about eight years now. We went to college
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together."
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"Did she have a steady boy friend?"
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"No one you would really call steady. She saw a
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couple of guys off and on."
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"Had Miss Reese been having any trouble with
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anyone?"
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"She told me that Mike had been pressuring her
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for awhile."
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"Mike who?"
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"Mike Townsend, her ex-husband. She said that he
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wanted to give the relationship another try and
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wouldn't give up."
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"How long has she been divorced?"
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"She left him about a year and a half ago, if I
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remember right."
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"Do you know were he lives?"
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"No, but he owns a small public relations firm
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downtown somewhere."
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"Did she ever mention any threats that he might
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have made?"
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"Not to me. She just said he was being pig-headed
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about getting back together with her."
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"Is there anyone that you're aware of that wanted
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to harm her?"
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"I can't think of anyone. She got along good with
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everybody she met. Ellen made friends easily."
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"Do you know if Miss Reese had a box or other
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container that she kept personal letters in?"
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"No, I never saw one."
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"We have a list here of people's names we found
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in her address book. Would you look at it and tell us
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if she ever mentioned any of them."
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He handed her the list and she looked at it for a
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few moments. "She mentioned a couple of these guys
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before, I think she dated them for awhile. The first
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four women are co-workers, but I can't remember her
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mentioning anything about any of the others."
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"Did Miss Reese ever mention having any fights or
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arguments with either of the two gentlemen on the
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list?"
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"No, she didn't talk about them a whole lot. I
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don't think the relationships were that serious."
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"Did Miss Reese go out a lot?"
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"Well, Ellen liked to party, but she usually went
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out only on the weekends. She'd go out during the week
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for a special occasion."
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"Did she have a favorite club that she went to?"
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"Let's see...she liked the 2000 Club, and the
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Galaxy, but she wasn't afraid to try something new."
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"Well, we've taken enough of your time, Miss
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Owings. I'm sure you'd like to rest after yesterdays
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ordeal. If you think of anything that might help,
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please don't hesitate to call. My numbers on the card
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I gave you yesterday."
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"Thank you, Detective Phillips. I'll be sure to
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call if I think of anything."
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She walked the detectives to the door and let
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them out. Phillips heard the dead bolt slide home
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after the door had closed. They rode in the elevator
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and walked to the car in silence. After O'Meara slid
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behind the wheel Phillips snapped his fingers and said
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"Lemons."
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O'Meara looked at him and said "Do you feel all
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right, Greg?"
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"I was trying to figure out what that smell was.
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It was hard to figure out with all that perfume she
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was wearing. So, what do we do next, hot shot?"
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"The obvious thing to do is to find Mike Townsend
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and question him. But first we should try to find out
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if he's got any kind of record. If he does, his prints
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can be compared to those found of the knife. If they
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match we'll save ourselves a trip."
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"You're beginning to sound like a detective,
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except the first thing we're going to do is get
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something to eat. You like Chinese?"
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"Uh-huh."
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"Good, I know just the place. Take the next
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right. By the way, you're buying."
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After eating lunch they went back to the squad
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room. The preliminary lab results were waiting for
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them on Phillips' desk. He started to read through it
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while O'Meara went to check on Townsend's record.
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O'Meara came back to the squad room thirty
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minutes later and sat at his desk. "Well, this case
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is solved. Townsend was picked up once for DUI and we
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have his prints on file. They match the ones found on
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the knife."
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"Before you close the case I would suggest you
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read paragraph three on page two."
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O'Meara took the report and read the indicated
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section. He frowned and said "What does this mean:
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'prints found on weapon are suspect as to origin.
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Ridge pattern detail is weak and lacking in sweat
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pore detail. Adhesive residue was present around both
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prints found on the weapon.'"
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"I was hoping you would know. Without going into
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great detail, it is possible to transfer, intact,
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undeveloped latent prints from one smooth surface to
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another. What that report is saying is that is a
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strong possibility in this case."
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"Oh. So were does that leave us?"
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"Don't know yet. The report also says that three
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different sets of latents were lifted from the
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bedroom. One set belongs to Miss Reese; one matches
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the latents found on the knife; and the third set is
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unidentified at this time. Another thing, remember
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those blonde hairs found on the pillow and in the
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bed?"
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"Yeah, what about them?"
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"The lab says they came from the head and genital
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area of a female."
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"What do we do now?"
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"Talk to Townsend and see what he has to say."
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The detectives found Townsend's office with ease,
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but were told that he was at lunch with a client and
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would be back shortly. Shortly turned out to be
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thirty-five minutes. When Townsend walked in, Phillips
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intercepted him before he reached his secretary's
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desk. "Excuse me, Mike Townsend?"
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"Yes."
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He extended his shield and said "My name is
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Detective Phillips, and this is my partner Detective
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O'Meara. We would like to ask you some questions about
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your ex-wife, Ellen Reese."
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"Certainly. Come on in to my office. Cheryl, hold
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all of my calls for me."
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"Yes, sir." his secretary said.
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Townsend preceded the detectives into the office
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and walked across to his desk. "Have a seat,
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gentlemen. I've been expecting you."
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"Why's that, Mr. Townsend?"
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"Isn't it normal to question the ex-husband of a
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woman who is murdered? I was beginning to wonder
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whether or not I should come down to headquarters."
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"Why didn't you?"
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"Because my business comes first, Detective
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Phillips. I figured that you would find me if you
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needed me. After all, I'm not a common criminal on
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the run."
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"In that case, would you mind telling me why your
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fingerprints were found on the weapon that was used to
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kill your ex-wife?"
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Townsend blinked and stared at Phillips. "I'm a
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busy man, Detective. I don't have the time to waste
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listening to crude jokes."
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"Oh, I am quite serious. We pulled your prints
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from the file and they match."
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"Well, if that's the case, I'll answer no more
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questions until my lawyer is present."
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"Why is that, Mr. Townsend? Do you have something
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to hide?"
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"That is a question, Detective Phillips. If you
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want it answered you'll have to take me down to
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headquarters and wait until my attorney is present.
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Until then, mum's the word."
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Phillips sighed and said "Have it your way, Mr.
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Townsend. Read him his rights, Jim."
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They waited for Townsend's lawyer for thirty
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minutes, and then another twenty while client and
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counsel conferred in the interrogation room. When the
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attorney indicated that he and his client were ready
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the detectives entered the room.
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Phillips identified himself to the attorney and
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said "Has your client briefed you on the situation?"
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"Yes, he has. I wish it noted that he will freely
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answer any questions."
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"Very well. Do you object to a stenographer being
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present?"
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"Under the circumstances I believe a stenographer
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is advisable."
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"Go get the steno, Jim." he turned back to the
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attorney and asked "Would you or your client care for
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anything before we get started?"
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"No, thank you."
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Five minutes later O'Meara re-entered the room
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with the stenographer. After they all got settled
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Phillips said "Mr. Townsend, it is my duty to inform
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you for the record that you have the right to remain
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silent. If you give up the right to remain silent,
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anything you say can, and will, be used against you
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in a court of law. You have exercised your right to
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have an attorney present during this interrogation.
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You may stop this proceeding at any time by so
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indicating your desire to me. At that point you will,
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or will not as the situation warrants, be placed in
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custody. Do you have any questions?"
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"No."
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"Do you understand your rights as I have
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explained them to you?"
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"Yes, I understand them."
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"Good. Mr. Townsend, I ask you again; do you
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feel like you need an attorney present because you
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have something to hide?"
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Townsend's attorney said "Hold on, Detective
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Phillips. My client has exercised his right to have
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an attorney present during questioning. His reasons
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for doing so are immaterial to your investigation. I
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want that last question struck from the record."
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"Go ahead and leave that last question out,
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officer. Mr. Townsend, can you explain why your
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fingerprints were found on the weapon that killed your
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ex-wife?"
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"No, I can't. All I know is that I didn't kill
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her."
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"Where were you on Tuesday night, between the
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hours of 6:30 and 9:30?"
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"I was with a client."
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"May we have the client's name, please?"
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"I would like to withhold her name at present. If
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I need an alibi for anything I will provide it. I am
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paid to bring good publicity to people, not bad."
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"What was your relationship with your ex-wife?"
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"I saw her occasionally. We were still friends."
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"Did you want to get back together with her?"
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"Yes, I never thought we tried all that hard the
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first time."
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"Did you ever use threats as a means of getting
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her back?"
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"No."
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"When was the last time you saw your ex-wife, Mr.
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Townsend?"
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"I took her to dinner Sunday night to help
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celebrate her birthday."
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"And what did you do after dinner?"
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"We went back to her apartment for a couple of
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drinks."
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"Did you go to bed with her?"
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"That's none of your damn business."
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"Let me rephrase the question, did you, at any
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time during the course of the evening, have cause to
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enter Miss Reese's bedroom?"
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"I don't see what that has to do with anything."
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"It has quite a lot to do with this case and I
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must insist on an answer. Otherwise, I will have to
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hold you as a material witness."
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"Yes, I did go to bed with her."
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"Do you know Jan Owings?"
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"Yes, she's Ellens's best friend. In a way, she
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was responsible for our divorce."
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"Why do you say that?"
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"She talked Ellen into it, or at least planted
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the idea in her head. She's some kind of female
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activist."
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"How long did your ex-wife know Miss Owings?"
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"I don't know, I guess seven or eight years."
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"Do you know where they met?"
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"No, I don't."
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"Did your ex-wife keep personal letters she had
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received in a box or something similar?"
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"Yes, I believe she did. I don't know if she did
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after she left me."
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"Do you know anyone who would want your ex-wife
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dead?"
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The door to the interrogation room opened and a
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uniformed officer stuck his head in the room, "Excuse
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me, Detective Phillips. You have a call on line two
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from the coroner's office. They said it's important."
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"If you gentlemen will excuse me."
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The group waited in uncomfortable silence for
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ten minutes. When Phillips returned he said "Mr.
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Townsend, evidence has been uncovered that removes
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you, for the time being, as a suspect. I would like
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to ask you a couple more questions if you don't
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mind."
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"What evidence?"
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"I'm not at liberty to say."
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"Go ahead."
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"Thank you. Do you know if your ex-wife was in
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the habit of going out frequently?"
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"As far as I know she only went out on weekends."
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"Do you know anything about any boyfriends that
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she may have had?"
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"No, I never discussed that with her."
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"Okay, thank you for your cooperation Mr.
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Townsend. I regret any inconvenience this may have
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caused you."
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"I'll forgive you if you catch Ellen's murderer."
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"You've got a deal."
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After the detectives were back at their desk
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O'Meara said "Okay, Greg. What did the coroner say?"
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"Well, it seems we don't have the murder weapon
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after all."
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"What?"
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"That's right. The coroner ran every test he
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could. The knife found at the scene is similar to the
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one that caused the wounds, but there are enough
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differences to rule it out as the murder weapon."
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"Why did the murderer even bother to leave a
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weapon at the scene?"
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"In order to frame Townsend, which seems to be
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the only explanation for it. A weapon found at the
|
||
scene with his prints on it would be convincing to
|
||
any jury in the country. The murderer didn't want to
|
||
mess the transferred prints up, so he used a different
|
||
knife to commit the crime. I guess he didn't know that
|
||
a knife wound could be matched to the knife that
|
||
caused it with so much accuracy."
|
||
"Then we're back to the beginning?"
|
||
"No, we aren't that far behind the eight ball.
|
||
We'll find out tomorrow."
|
||
|
||
Phillips didn't make it in until nine o'clock
|
||
the next morning. O'Meara was waiting for him. "It's
|
||
about time you showed up. What's our next step?"
|
||
"Calm down, mom. I have to make a phone call
|
||
before we decide. I thought of something last night
|
||
that I want to check on."
|
||
He sat down at his desk, and after referring to
|
||
a number in his notebook, picked up the phone and
|
||
dialed a local number. "Mr. Townsend please...
|
||
Detective Phillips...yes, I'll hold." O'Meara started
|
||
to say something, but Phillips cut him off by raising
|
||
his hand. "Good morning, Mr. Townsend. This is
|
||
Detective Phillips...no, we haven't solved the case
|
||
yet, I've got another question for you if you don't
|
||
mind...no, I can ask it on the phone, what college
|
||
did your ex-wife attend?...uh-huh...good, and do you
|
||
know what she studied...what about Miss Owings, do you
|
||
know what she studied?...I see, thank you Mr.
|
||
Townsend. You've been most helpful."
|
||
"What'd he say?"
|
||
"You sure are impatient today, Jim. If you're
|
||
not careful you'll end up with an ulcer like me. He
|
||
said they both went to Montrose College over on Third
|
||
street. According to him Miss Owings minored in
|
||
criminology. Do you get the picture now?"
|
||
"I think I'm beginning to. Let me see if I've
|
||
got it right."
|
||
"Go for it."
|
||
"Okay, we know that Miss Reese knew her killer,
|
||
or at least it is highly likely she did. Blonde hair
|
||
was found on the pillow and in the bed, and an un-
|
||
identified set of prints was found in the bedroom.
|
||
The knife at the scene had latent prints on it that
|
||
were forged. A box of letters might be missing, but
|
||
we can't be sure. Again, it is a good possibility.
|
||
Miss Owings has a background in criminology, it can
|
||
be supposed that she has the knowledge needed to
|
||
transfer fingerprints. I would say we should check
|
||
Miss Owings fingerprints against the unidentified
|
||
set. One will get you ten they match."
|
||
"I say they'll match, too. Let's go get a search
|
||
warrant."
|
||
|
||
They finally got the warrant after waiting for
|
||
an hour. As they got in the car O'Meara said "Why
|
||
didn't we get an arrest warrant, too?"
|
||
"We don't have all the evidence we need yet. A
|
||
search warrant will do the job for now."
|
||
"I still say we should arrest her."
|
||
"Okay, hotshot, when you're in charge you can.
|
||
Now let's go search that apartment."
|
||
They stopped outside Owings' apartment and
|
||
O'Meara knocked on the door. He was ready to knock
|
||
again when a muffled voice said "Who is it?"
|
||
"Detectives O'Meara and Phillips, Miss Owings.
|
||
We have some more questions for you."
|
||
She opened the door and said "Please come in."
|
||
O'Meara said "Miss Owings, we have a warrant to
|
||
search these premises for evidence in connection with
|
||
the murder of Ellen Reese."
|
||
Owings' mouth opened and closed a number of
|
||
times. "My apartment? Why would you want to search my
|
||
apartment?"
|
||
O'Meara shrugged his shoulders and said "All the
|
||
evidence points to you, Miss Owings. If you will
|
||
accompany us throughout the search, please. Where do
|
||
we start, Greg?"
|
||
"In the bedroom."
|
||
The trio walked down the hallway to the bedroom,
|
||
Miss Owings sandwiched between the two detectives.
|
||
Phillips said "Search the closet first, Jim. I'll
|
||
watch Miss Owings."
|
||
O'Meara opened the closet door and pushed the
|
||
clothes aside. Numerous boxes were stacked on the
|
||
floor. He started to go through them, being careful
|
||
not to disturb any useful prints. After a twenty
|
||
minute search he found what they were looking for.
|
||
The box was full of letters, and a bloody knife lay
|
||
on top. Jan Owings fainted.
|
||
|
||
Phillips carried the box to the car and O'Meara
|
||
walked behind him, his face dark with rage. He got in
|
||
the passenger seat and said "I still don't see why we
|
||
didn't take her into custody. Now she's gonna
|
||
hightail it."
|
||
"She's not going anywhere, Jim. You heard what
|
||
she said, and saw how she reacted to the box. Do you
|
||
really think she did it?"
|
||
"Yes, I think she deserves an Oscar for that
|
||
performance."
|
||
"I've been in this business for awhile now. I'd
|
||
stake my career on the fact that she's innocent of
|
||
murder. If you calmed down for a few minutes you might
|
||
be able to figure it out."
|
||
"Where are we going now?"
|
||
"To pick up the murderer of Ellen Reese."
|
||
|
||
When he stopped the car in front of the Townsend
|
||
Public Relations office building, O'Meara looked at
|
||
him. "Is this your idea of a joke?"
|
||
"No, just listen and learn."
|
||
Phillips rushed past the secretary's desk and
|
||
threw Townsend's door open. Townsend stood up and
|
||
said "What is the meaning of this?"
|
||
"Mr. Townsend, how long did you know that your
|
||
ex-wife was having an affair with Jan Owings?"
|
||
Townsend's face muscles tightened and he said
|
||
"You're crazy, I don't know what you're talking
|
||
about."
|
||
"Yes, you do. I know that you killed your
|
||
ex-wife and tried to frame Miss Owings for it. You
|
||
made me suspicious when you were able to tell me what
|
||
college Owings went to, and what she minored in. Why
|
||
would you need to know that after eight years?"
|
||
"You're talking out your ass, Detective
|
||
Phillips. There is nothing to connect me with the
|
||
murder of Ellen."
|
||
"That's what you hope, Mr. Townsend. We'll
|
||
get you even if we don't get your prints off the box
|
||
of letters you planted in Owings apartment. Did you
|
||
get rid of Owings' apartment key that you took from
|
||
your ex-wife's purse? You can be sure that you left a
|
||
trail, and with you in custody as a material witness
|
||
we will find it."
|
||
"I want my attorney."
|
||
"I bet you do, Mr. Townsend, I just bet you do.
|
||
Read him his rights, Jim."
|
||
|
||
The detectives were sitting in the squad room
|
||
sipping coffee. O'Meara said "I still don't get it.
|
||
What motive did he have?"
|
||
"He wanted to get back together with Miss Reese
|
||
more than anything. We'll never know for sure, because
|
||
I don't think he'll talk, but I suspect that she
|
||
finally told him that there was no possible way for a
|
||
reconciliation. She'd found someone that cared for
|
||
her as he never had and she wasn't going to go back
|
||
to him. I guess he figured if he couldn't have her,
|
||
no one could. I don't think he had an alibi for that
|
||
night, either. He knew that the differences in the
|
||
knives would be spotted and he gave us that "client"
|
||
bit as a stall."
|
||
"Why did he try to frame Miss Owings?"
|
||
"He wanted to ruin her life like she'd ruined
|
||
his. She was who Reese left him for."
|
||
|
||
Copyright 1987 by G. Daniel Flower, All rights
|
||
reserved.
|
||
|