Blood Brook by Robert F. Clifton (classic romance novels .TXT) 📖

we're done here. Now, we'll take a look at the Shoemaker place, even though it was unprotected for a time we still just might find something. You two head over there. I'll tell Myers and Donahue to join us when they're finished here”.

Wallace followed the two men walking down the side of the house.

When they neared the driveway he noticed a deep depression in the grass. “Hold it!”, he said.

“Find something?”, asked Stiles.

“Yes, it appears to be a tire impression”, he said as he knelt on one knee in order to get a better look.

Stiles, standing over Wallace looked at the mark in the grass. “Damn if it isn't. The question is who and what made it”.

“I don't know. Another question is why is it here on the lawn. There is a crushed stone driveway. Why not use it?”Wallace replied.

Captain Wallace stood up and looked towards the front of the house. He saw the front door and the large, picture window. “It appears that whoever parked here did so for a purpose. I'm betting that purpose

was to avoid being seen by Mrs. Timberlake”.

“Why?”, asked Tom.

“ It's a wild guess, but let's try and imitate the killer's moves.

He pulls up here on the side lawn. Why? Because Greta Shoemaker might see him from the living room. He removes the large package and something else”, said Wallace.

“What, something else?”, asked Stiles.

“The murder weapon. Think about it. He's not concerned about her seeing the parcel, after all he intends to hand it to her. On the other hand, if she sees whatever else is in his hand she might be reluctant to open the door. In all probability the weapon is large. When I say large I'm assuming that it's long. He has to carry both the package and the weapon. How does he hide it from view? He can't place it on top of the parcel or for that matter on either side. The only place he can keep it from view is underneath the wrapped box.”

“Makes a lot of sense”, said Stiles.

“Yes it does. Tom, go inside and tell Lieutenant Campo what we have found and that I want photographs taken of this tire tread mark. I also want a tape measure or ruler”.

“Yes sir”.

Ten minutes later McKenna handed a twelve inch ruler to Wallace. “Ah, metric. Good”, he said as he knelt down again and began measuring the deep depression in the grass and soil. “Looks like 187 millimeters or 7.36220472 inches”, the Captain said smiling. “Frank write that down and include the date and time”.

“Yes sir”.

“Good, not that it means anything. All it indicates is that the tire in all probability is a seven by fifteen and there are only a couple of million of them on the road. Alright I'm going to head over to the Shoemaker place. Tom you come over there after photo's are taken of this impression. Frank you come with me”.

Fifteen minutes later Wallace pulled into the gray, crushed stone driveway of the only house on Weymouth Road. When he entered the living room the first thing he looked for was blood stains and he found them. Just like those in the Timberlake home blood had been splattered on the wall across from the front door, the ceiling and the inside of the front door. The only thing different was the dark blood stain on the rug was closer to the front door, the place where Greta Shoemaker had died, face down. Taking his notebook and ballpoint pen from his inside blazer pocket he made notes of his findings. Next, he scanned the area looking for what he believed would be there. Then, he found it, a package wrapped in brown wrapping paper. He walked over to it leaned over and read, Greta Shoemaker, #7 Weymouth Road, Blood Brook, N.J.

Sergeant Stiles saw Wallace looking at the parcel. “Find something Cap?”, he asked.

“Yes, the way the killer gained entry. He arrived at the front door of both homes of the victims. He either knocks or rings the bell. The women answered by opening the door. He tells them he's there to deliver a package. They take it from him and turn to put it down somewhere. When they turned away from him, he struck. The question is why?”

“It makes sense, but why did he hit each woman three times in the head. Both women were middle aged and slightly built. They both probably died with the first or second blow”, Stiles said.

“Probably to make sure they were dead”, Wallace answered.

Wallace turned to the Deputy Sheriff who had been guarding the crime scene. “Did you or someone else move that box and put it on the coffee table?”, he asked.

“I know I didn't. It was on the table when I came on duty”, answered the deputy.

“Didn't the victims son find the body?”, asked Mckenna.

“That's what I've heard”, Wallace answered.

“Maybe he moved it”, suggested McKenna.

“Possibly, I do know that both packages have been moved. Both should be just a few feet from the front doorway. Instead, one is on a couch the other on a coffee table”.

“There's nothing worse then having to go into court and testify that the crime scene first of all was not protected and second of all that items that are evidence have been touched and moved”, said Stiles.

“And in particular, by persons unknown”, Wallace added.

“What do you want me to do Captain?”, asked McKenna who had arrived and joined Wallace and Stiles.

“Just the same as the Timberlake place. Check outside”.

“Yes sir”.

“Deputy? What's your name?”, asked Wallace.

“Wilson. Norman Wilson sir”.

“How would you like to get out of here for a while?”

“Yes sir. This boring duty”.

“I agree but necessary. Have you had lunch yet?”

“No sir”.

“Good. I spotted a small restaurant about three miles down the road. Would you mind driving down there and pick up five cups of black coffee, creamers and sugar, ten assorted sandwiches and what ever you want for yourself?, asked Wallace.”

“No sir. I'd like to get out of here.”

“Good, here's fifty dollars. Bring me a receipt and the change. He doesn’t know it yet, but the prosecutor just bought lunch”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Three

Comparisons

 

On Monday, July 31, 1978 members of the Nautilus Beach Major Crime Squad met in the conference room at nine o'clock that morning.

Captain Wallace finished eating a lemon filled doughnut along with a cup of coffee. He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, stood up from the table and walked to the large, green, chalkboard. “If I could have your attention I want to go over what facts and evidence we have so far in this case. I should say cases, since we have two homicides, but there is little doubt that both women were killed by the same individual. Let's start with the Timberlake case. First, we know that robbery was not the motive since valuable jewelry and a thousand dollars in cash was found in the house.

Both women opened their door when the killer using a brown paper wrapped parcel and pretending to being a delivery man gains entry. It appears that when the women turned with their back to the killer they are struck with a weapon or instrument if you will, that leaves a crescent shaped wound. The killer struck each victim three times. The question is, did he do it in anger or to make certain the individual was dead?”.

“I would say that he intended to make sure each woman was dead. It's unlikely that if he was striking in anger that the number of blows would be the exactly the same”, said Stiles.

“A good point Frank”, said Wallace.

“Can we talk about the packages at this point?”, asked McKenna.

“Certainly, what about them?”, asked Wallace.

“Each package was addressed. One package had Number seven Weymouth Road and the other had number one Tabernacle road”, said Tom.

“And your point is?”, asked Wallace.

“Blood Brook is a close knit community of people who keep themselves isolated from mainstream society as much as possible. They do not put numbers on the front of their homes. They do that for privacy and to confuse bill collectors and the police. Yet, the killer knew the exact address of each woman”.

“Good observation Tom', said Wallace.

“Homer Shoemaker found his mothers body. Who found the Timberlake woman?”, asked Donahue.

“Two women, Cora Jenkins and Amanda Perkins. They stopped by for a visit. When there was no answer at the front door they looked through the large picture window and saw Dorothy Timberlake on the floor. Amanda stayed at the home while Cora went to a neighbors home and called the Sheriff”, said the Captain.

“Why the Sheriff and not the State Police?”, asked Stiles.

“We don't know yet”, Wallace answered.

“Why not?”, asked Stiles.

“Because Mrs. Jenkins in a state of excitement might have thought of the Sheriff first and possibly the Township might have selected the County Sheriff to provide law enforcement in Blood Brook in order to save money. I'm looking into it”, Wallace answered.

“What about the weapon used. You said that whatever it is it left a crescent shaped wound. Does anyone have any idea what it might be?”, asked Myers.

“What about a crescent wrench?”, suggested McKenna.

“Possibly, however it had to be a long crescent wrench”, Wallace responded.

“Why?”, asked McKenna.

“Because of the pattern of splattered blood on the ceilings and walls along with the skull fracture. The instrument is longer then an ordinary crescent wrench. Say between twenty four to thirty inches long, but I'm just guessing”, Wallace answered.

“Anything else Cap?”, asked Stiles.

“Yes, there seems to be a connection between the two women. What that is might tell us something. Right now when you make a comparison we come up with, they are both middle aged. Both of them are widows. Each one lived alone. They were killed in the same manner and with the same instrument no doubt at this time by the same killer. Find the connection, we find a motive. Finding the motive then should put us on the path of identifying the killer”.

“What about the tire tread print?”, asked Tom.

“I'm glad you asked. Here are the copies of the photo's taken. Tom, I want you to go to every automobile dealer and auto supply stores selling tires and see if anyone can tell us the manufacturer and hopefully what auto company put them on their vehicles”.

That evening, Wallace sat at the kitchen table of Emily Wescoat.

“Let me ask you something. Did you or anyone else take photographs of the wounds to Greta Shoemakers head?”, he asked.

“I sure didn't. I don't know if anyone else did or not”, Emily answered.

“I should have known by the way the crime scene was handled”, said Wallace.

“Since you mentioned the wounds they must be important to you”.

“They are Emily. Right now I'm trying to figure out what he beat those women with. What ever it is, it's different. If I had a photo maybe someone else or me could determine what he used. I went to the morgue hoping to see for myself Greta Shoemakers injuries. By the time I got involved in her case she has been buried. Now, I’m counting on photographs.”

“As I recall and I believe I told you this, that the wounds, there were two that were distinctive and crescent shaped. Now, that I think about it there was something within the crescent, a lump or a small bulge.”

“Interesting, still, no cigar. Nothing that I know of comes anywhere near that description. Oh well. Too late now. Greta Shoemaker has been buried and Dorothy Timberlake has been cremated”.

“Maybe Doctor Shell took photographs”.

“I doubt it. You didn't”.

“No, but I took measurements”.

“You did? Do you remember what they were?”
“Not exactly, but I do know two of the wounds were over twelve millimeters or two inches and I'm talking about the crescent shape point to point.”

“What do you mean point to point?”

“Imagine a capital C. Then, visualize the point at the top of the C and then the point at the bottom of the C. The space In between those two points is slightly over two