Caught in the Act Ch. 01

"Were their relations good in the past? When did things start changing for the worse?" Claire asked.

"A little over two years ago." said Mr. Belle. "He came to a July 4th family gathering without her. He said then that he thought she was cheating on him. We talked with him about it, and he said he was going to tell her to cut it out or he'd divorce her."

"We told him to take legal steps then." said Cheryl. "Just in case. I figured they would split up pretty quickly. I'm surprised they're still... well, that they didn't get a divorce already."

"Did any of you ever talk to her during this time?" Claire asked.

"She came to the last couple of his company's Christmas parties with him." said Cheryl. "My husband and I work there, too. In fact, my husband is neck-deep in legalities over Derrick's passing, which is why he isn't here right now."

"How was Mrs. Belle at that time?" Lorena asked. "How did she and her husband get along?"

"She was nice enough; in fact, she's a friendly lady and I always liked her." said Cheryl. "But I always had this feeling that she wasn't happy, that she was at the parties just for appearances sake."

"Do you think she was concerned about Mr. Belle leaving her or divorcing her?" Lorena asked, very directly.

"I'd say so." Cheryl said. "I'd say she stayed with him only because of his money."

"Did you know he'd filed for divorce from her?" Claire asked.

"Yes, he told us at this past July 4th's family gathering that he was going to file the papers." said Mr. Belle. "He said she was still cheating on him, and he'd re-written his will already."

"When was the last time any of you saw Mr. Belle?" queried Claire Michaels.

"July 4th." said the victim's father. His wife nodded.

"I saw him the day before he died." said Cheryl. "Nothing about her was discussed. He talked mostly about the sale of the company."

"So you live in Town, Mrs. Dunston?" Claire asked.

"No ma'am, I live in the City, where our offices are." replied Cheryl.

"Did your brother have a place in the City, or did he commute?" asked Lorena, catching on quickly.

"He lived here." Cheryl replied. "He would come into our offices every two to three days, but he mostly worked from a rented office here in Town."

"So you were his liaison at the company in the City?" Lorena asked, a bit more pressing in her tone, Claire noted.

"Not really. He talked to all of his executives, and he sent and received a ton of emails." Cheryl replied.

"How did you feel about him selling the company, Mrs. Dunston?" Lorena asked, again sharply and directly.

"Uhh..." Cheryl paused, then said, "I... didn't really feel anything about it. Derrick said he was going to make a clean break; he was going to sell out and move away, maybe to California."

"But wouldn't you and your husband be losing your jobs?" Lorena asked. "Not to mention any ownership interests?"

Cheryl turned a bit defensive and sharp herself as she said "We had no ownership stake in the company, Detective. And the new owners might well have kept us, who knows what would've happened? We were not going to be affected by Derrick selling the company, except he'd be moving away and we wouldn't see him as often."

"One last question." Lorena Rose said, "Is there anyone you know of that would want to harm Mr. Belle?"

The family looked at each other awkwardly, then Mr. Belle said "I don't care to speculate, but I don't know of anyone other than Shayla that had any problem with Derrick."

"Ditto that." said the victim's sister Cheryl. "No one at work had any problems with him, that I know of."

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At 4:00pm, Cindy and I met with Lorena and Claire in Classroom 'E', where they filled us in on what Derrick's family had to say.

"What was your evaluation of the sister?" I asked.

"She seemed truthful." Claire said. "She started getting a bit defensive when Lorena pressed her about her job if the company was sold, though."

"Yes, sir, she definitely did not like it when I brought that up." Lorena said. "We've subpoenaed the executive emails. Those might tell us just how close to Derrick she was vis-a-vis company operations, and how important she really was, despite her efforts to say she had no problems with the company's sale."

"So do they think Shayla is behind Derrick's murder?" Cindy asked before I could stop her.

"They said no one else had animosity towards Derrick." said Lorena Rose. "They didn't say it out loud, but I think that's what they are thinking, and who can blame them?"

"Ah, shit." I said. "Looks like you're going to have to round up some good interviewers and run through Belle's employees. About 100 of them, from sales people to lawyers, to paper-pushers and I.T. people." I saw the looks on my Detective's faces, so I reinforced the point I was trying, and apparently failing, to make:

"So, ladies, you reviewed the tapes of our interviews that night?" I asked. They both affirmed that they did. Lorena's face fell.

"Yes sir." she said, obviously disappointed with the result. "There were no inconsistencies."

Claire added "They both said the same things when asked about their private conversations, they said they did the same things, including graphic descriptions of several sex acts, and spoke the same words to the last detail. I don't see how they could've plotted to do that. It's like the story of 'which tire'."

"What's that?" Lorena asked.

Claire said "It's an old joke: there were four college students that partied too much, were hung over and missed a big chemistry test. They concocted a story that they'd been traveling and had a flat tire and the spare was bad. They went together and asked the professor if they could take a make-up test. The professor said okay, and put them in four separate rooms and gave them identical tests."

She finished: "The tests had only two questions. One was about the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The second question simply said 'Which tire?'."

Everyone laughed, and I said "That does illustrate a great point. So far, Shayla and Seth are not inconsistent at all, and I agree that they could hardly plan that ahead of time nor keep it going for any length of time. So... what about the crime scene? Was it not of interest to you?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Lorena admitted, "I'm stumped as to what you're wanting me to see."

"Why, I simply want you to see what's there." I said. "It's what you deduce that interests me. What about you, Lt. Ross? Anything?"

"Someone stood in the closet." said Cindy. "Left that dirt there. Very likely the killer."

"Yep. That reminds me: two days and nothing from the lab yet?" I said. "I've got to call Dr. Woodrow." At that moment, my cell phone rang. "Speak of the devil, there's Dr. Woodrow himself. I answered, and Dr. Woodrow asked me to come to the Crime Lab.

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"I'm sorry we didn't get back to you sooner," said Dr. Woodrow, "but I really wanted to confirm this."

"I understand, Doctor," I said, "but next time, let me know immediately that you're working on something, so I can sit on pins and needles waiting for the results, and so I can push you on it." I was only half-kidding, and he got the message. "So, what do you have?"

Standing in the lab with Dr. Woodrow and myself were Technicians Christina Cho and Joey "J.R." Barnes. She handed me a vial full of water which contained a couple of what looked like little green blades of grass.

Dr. Woodrow said "We recovered these when we put some of the dirt samples into water, which broke up the dirt. We ran one of these fibers in the mass spectrometer."

We had a mass spectrometer because the University's chemistry department bought a new one for half a million dollars, bought for them by part of Jack King's endowment to the Chemistry Department. At Henry Wargrave's request, the School then generously donated the old $100,000 model to our Crime Lab. I was not complaining a bit; indeed, I was grateful for the generosity all the way around.

Dr. Woodrow said "These are nylon fibers. We also found some rubber compounds when we ran a dirt sample through the mass spec."

"Artificial turf." I said immediately, the answer somehow just coming to me.

"Yessss...." said Dr. Woodrow. "That's very possible. Does that help your case?"

"I think it ultimately will." I said. "Not too many places where there is artificial turf around here."

"The football fields at the University Stadium and all three high schools are natural grass." said J.R. Barnes helpfully.

"Yes, they are." I said. "Okay guys, document this as evidence. I think it'll come into play in the near future. And this is great work guys. Going forward, please inform me or the lead Detective of anything you find without delay..."

Part 6 - Decisions and Breakthroughs

The University President's office was a somber room as Dr. Sidney P. Wellman, University Regents Henry R. Wargrave and Austin R. Murphy, and booster Tom Riordan met to discuss a serious problem.

"It's confirmed." Wellman said. "The cancer has metastasized. It's going to be a long haul for him... if he survives it."

"Yes." said Riordan. "It's a shame, and I hate to sound callous, but the football team is going in the wrong direction. We've stood by the man in some situations where we might should not have, but this might be the opportunity to let him get himself well while we move forward. The boosters are going to want a change. This might be the easiest way of making that change."

"But how callous do we look if we force him to step aside now?" asked Murphy. "And the team loves him; they're playing their asses off for him. We just don't have the talent this year. Nick Eastwood can't do it all himself on offense, and we just don't have the defense that we did last year. We get rid of him now, the team might essentially quit, and a mediocre season becomes a disaster."

"You sound like a politician." Henry Wargrave said, teasing his friend. "But you make a good point. The answer to that is to announce his illness, he takes a leave of absence, his team is inspired to play for him, and everyone understands and hopes for his recovery while we quietly move on."

"I agree, Henry. That's the way to go with it." asked Wellman. "But will he go along with us on this?"

Wargrave said "I think we can persuade him to see the light on this. We're talking about his health and his life or death. I think he knows that. As an aside, we also get to look at Coach Bronson as the interim head coach. Certainly we have some things to consider, President Wellman." With the last sentence, Wargrave looked right at Dr. Wellman, communicating a silent signal which Wellman understood and acted upon.

"Okay, then." said Wellman. "Thank you for coming by, gentlemen. I'll be talking with you again soon, very soon. Henry, if you can stay behind a moment, I need to discuss that endowment with you that we talked about the other day."

After the others were gone, Wellman said to Wargrave "I take it there's more?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." said Wargrave. "You know how I've said that there might be times when I will have to say 'Trust me, you don't want to know.'?"

"Is this one of those times?" Wellman asked, understanding.

"Trust me. You don't want to know." said Wargrave. "I'll just say this: the Iron Crowbar has very effectively consolidated his power in this County. And that has implications for Coach Harlan... and for us if we're not careful."

"For crying out loud." said Wellman, shaking his head. "All right, if there was any indecision before, it's gone now. I'll call all the Regents, then tell Brian."

"Let me tell Coach Harlan myself." Wargrave said. "I'll make it clear that we'll support him financially through his treatments, and of course I'll persuade him to do what we want."

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The morning of September 30th started off with a bang. First came our 7:00am coffee date with Bettina!

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette... and yes, as I saw the microphone in her hand, I unstoppably thought about something else Bettina had put her mouth on. I tried to clear my mind and I listened as Bettina continued: "Channel Two News has learned that University Head Football Coach Brian Harlan is taking a leave of absence following a diagnosis of cancer! Let's go to Chuck Pringle at the Sports Desk. Chuck!"

"Thank you, Bettina," said Chuck Pringle, and this time he actually was on live. "The University Sports Information Department has confirmed that Coach Brian Harlan is going to be taking a leave of absence while he receives treatment for cancer. Details of what type of cancer he has and the severity of his illness have not been released at this time, but the SID spokesman has stated it is serious enough to warrant Coach Harlan discontinuing all coaching duties to concentrate on his treatment and recovery. Defensive Coordinator Russ Bronson will be taking over the head coaching duties on an interim basis."

"Chuck, has the football team been informed of this sad news?" asked Bettina as the television went to a split-screen of the two... who in reality were standing only ten feet apart, just making it look like they were in separate places. Is it any wonder I have a deep distrust of the Press?

"Yes, Bettina," Chuck Pringle said, "The team was notified last night at a team meeting after practice, and we have reports that Coach Harlan addressed the team himself and gave them the news. We'll be getting player reactions all through the day, of course, as Channel Two Sports follows these breaking developments."

"Thank you Chuck!" shouted Bettina. "Sources have told Channel Two News that Coach Harlan's position was tenuous after a 1-3 start, but that the University will be taking no further actions regarding Coach Harlan's status until he has been treated and fully recovers from his illness."

"In other news, Police have no new leads in the murder of Derrick Belle. Asked if his wife Shayla was a suspect in his murder, Commander Donald Troy stated that the case was ongoing and that all leads were being pursued, but he would not state outright who might be a suspect in the case."

"Last, but not least," said Bettina, wrapping up, "the County Democrat Party has stated it will not attempt to put a new candidate on the ballot in the race for Sheriff, citing a lack of time until the Election and the overwhelming popularity of candidate Daniel Allgood, who is not relaxing his campaign despite being wounded while protecting his wife during a home invasion. The County Democrat Party does plan to announce a candidate to replace the late Senator Nathan Allen in the State Senate race tomorrow, October 1st, stating that it is imperative that TEA Party Conservative John Cummings be vigorously opposed in order to preserve abortion and contraception rights for all women. This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!"

And that wasn't even the big news of the day. Just as I turned to re-fill my coffee cup, a uniformed officer burst into the MCD room. "Commander! Can you come to the front Duty Desk please? A woman is demanding to see you!"

"What in the hell? You're coming in here demanding the Police Commander jump just because some woman is up front?" shouted Cindy Ross to the poor uniformed kid. "Get your ass back up front!"

"I... I'm sorry," said the patrol officer, quaking, "but she... she said she has something important for the Commander to see."

"I'll be there in a minute, Patrolman." I said. "Head back to the desk and tell her I'll be there in a minute."

"Of all the frickin' nerve..." Cindy said, still red faced as the young officer quickly fled her presence.

"It's okay, Crowbar 2." I said. "The Citizens have a right to make demands of my time... just not to abuse it. Let's see what this good citizen has for us today. Come with me." We made our way up front to the Duty Desk.

"I have something very important for the Commander to see, and I need to see him now." I heard a woman say, and I knew who it was from the loud voice even before I got to the desk. Sure enough, Old Mrs. Boddiker was in the front hallway, berating two police officers. She was the 'theoretically' homeless woman who had seen Joe Arruzio, giving me a vital clue in that case. Little did I know how much bigger her visit today was...

"All right, guys, I'll handle it." I said. "Hello Mrs. Boddiker, why don't we step into the waiting room here, and you can tell me what you've found." As we settled down in a couple of chair, Mrs. Boddiker handed me an object wrapped in plastic. I put on latex gloves, which I always keep in my pocket, and pulled out the object. It was a brass fireplace poker, and it was indented in the middle!

"Why Mrs. Boddiker!" I said, my heart surging, "where in the world did you find this?"

"It was in one of the trash cans on the University campus." replied Mrs. Boddiker. "My friend, the widow Athena Jones, she actually pointed it out to me and suggested I bring it to you personally, Commander. Mrs. Jones thinks it might be the weapon that killed that that young man Mr. Belle the other day."

I yelled to the Duty Desk to call someone from the Crime Lab to come over. "Mrs. Boddiker, you have done us a great service today. Now I'm going to get your fingerprints, so we can tell yours apart from any others we may find. Sergeant!" The Duty Desk Sergeant hurried over in response to my call. "Take Mrs. Boddiker back for fingerprinting, give her the grand tour." The Sergeant led Mrs. Boddiker through the booking process as if she were being arrested, though of course she wasn't, and I knew she'd love going through it.

Today's fingerprints are not done with paper and ink any longer, but with glass and digital photography. I'm told Old Mrs. Boddiker was amazed at the technology, asking what had happened to the ink and paper, and fluttering like a parakeet about the 'old days'.

After all that, I had Old Mrs. Boddiker accompany me and Cindy in my SUV to the trash can in which the poker was found. It was on the University campus, on a major walkway that led between some of the academic buildings and the athletic complex. While there, I looked around...

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"So," said the Chief as I sat in his office, briefing him, "that old lady found the murder weapon, eh?"

"Yes, she did." I said. "And I've already contacted the Mayor's office about a proclamation for her. It'll get her picture in the paper, and all her friends at that Community Center she goes to will be all agog over her." The Chief laughed.

"Best reward you could give her." he said. "I may be going to that place myself in my declining years. You really can learn a lot of gossip there." I just smiled knowingly at the Chief, and he understood.

"What Mrs. Boddiker could not tell me is where I could find the widow Athena Jones. I really wanted to talk to that woman, who'd actually found the poker in the trash can." I said. "I've got Detective Rose looking for her, but I suspect she's going to stay out of sight for a while."

"Why's that?" asked the Chief.

"She didn't come forward herself, she got Mrs. Boddiker to bring us the poker." I said. "Something very interesting about that..."

"Only you seem to find importance out of what the rest of us would consider mundane." said Chief Griswold, and he did not mean it in a bad way. "So, what about the weapon, the poker?"

"No fingerprints other than Old Mrs. Boddiker's, but some serious DNA where the poker was bent, very likely Mr. Belle's." I said. "Even though the poker was wiped down, they found some good hair and tissue in the creases."

"Good." said the Chief. "So, just between us, any theories? I'm catching some flak from Council members who don't understand why Shayla Belle wasn't arrested on the spot."