Murder in Battle Creek
Page 17
People have asked if DNA testing could help close this case. It is possible, if and only if the murderer left behind any blood in the assault. But for the testing to work, you need suspects to test your findings against. All the potential persons of interest are dead now. Digging up a half dozen interned bodies would require more than a hunch—it would require a credible tip.
Fifty years takes a toll on a community, and Wattles Park is no exception. The crossroads of Wattles and East Michigan Avenue, which was the seedling for a business community in the 1960s, is now a row of empty lots and abandoned businesses. Emilio’s Mexican Restaurant is a barren lot. Steve’s Grocery closed, moving across the street to be the Wattles Park Grocery. Gone are the hardware and electrical businesses, replaced by empty buildings waiting for an economic boom that seems too distant.
County Park has become Bridge Park, the old bridge now part of a walkway. Wattles Park Junior High—a block from the Zick home—opened, flourished and then was closed, the throngs of expected students in the area never fully materializing. The elementary school has still managed to stay operational, a cornerstone in the area.
Where Daisy’s car was abandoned in front of Sharon Brown’s home is still recognizable, but the surrounding area has changed. Pine Knoll Golf Course has become apartments and fast food establishments. The Dog ’n Suds has changed hands and businesses several times, turning from restaurant to dental office, beauty parlor to convenience store. The Sandstone Motel is gone, replaced with an ice cream shop. The Chuck Wagon is a barbershop and a John Deere dealership.
One hundred Juno Street still is there. Trees and shrubs that have grown tall now mark the passage of time. The house stoically sits back on the lot, not revealing the secrets that its walls hold. It is a quaint little home, in stark contrast to the violence that took place there five decades earlier.
What is amazing is that the mention of the Zick case, even today, seems to energize people. It is like a time machine in some respects. People step forward when it is spoken about, offering their views, theories and perspectives. Because it has remained unsolved, the intrigue of the murder remains. People want to see the case resolved. If nothing else, they want to know if a killer lurked in their community for the last half century.
Ultimately, it is this concern, the fear that the murderer might have been a neighbor or even a friend, that lingers. There is no indication that the killer struck again despite the fact that he has escaped justice up to this point. People want answers, and Daisy Zick most certainly deserves it.
Someone out there holds that bit of information that can allow officials to close this case. They saw something, gave someone a lift the day of the crime, were confessed to, came across a ring of keys or found a bloody pair of gloves. It is hard to believe that the murderer was able to keep this quiet for so much time. This case will most likely never go to trial, but it can be resolved. All that is needed is for a person to shed themselves of the guilt of silence they have carried all of these years.
And so, I now need to turn to you, the reader of this book, to help solve this murder. You have the material in your hands from the case file and from the long hours of interviews I’ve conducted. You have seen the photographs of the crime scene. If you love a good mystery, this is one. I now have to rely on you to read the book and perhaps surface your own tips and leads.
The witnesses are almost all gone now. If the killer is still alive, he (or she) would be in his eighties. The reality is that this case may not go to trial, but new tips or leads may allow the police to finally close it. Someone saw something that day—a blood-soaked glove, a splatter of blood on someone’s pants or someone hitchhiking along the road. Perhaps a relative came across a ring of keys that seemed out of place, or noticed someone behaving erratically when Daisy’s name was mentioned. Just because fifty years have gone by, that doesn’t mean that a resolution is impossible.
Floyd Zick is gone. Most of the witnesses are dead and buried. But Daisy’s son, Jim, is still alive, and if nothing else, he deserves answers.
As a writer, I’ve done my part. It’s now in your hands.
TIMELINE
January 14, 1963
Note: Timing is as presented in police interviews and does not always correlate.
7:45 a.m.: Floyd Zick leaves home for Fales’ Market, picking up Florence Van Uun on the way.
9:00 a.m.: Floyd calls Daisy at home. She is getting ready to take a bath.
After 9:00 a.m.: Raymond Mercer calls Daisy at home.
9:15–9:20 a.m.: Daisy calls Irene Taylor at Battle Creek Health Care.
9:30 a.m.: Mae Tolls notices the Zicks’ drapes are pulled open.
10:00 a.m.: Audrey Heminger calls Daisy.
10:00 a.m.: Mrs. DeFrance notices the murderer standing in front of the Zicks’ breezeway.
Just after 10:00 a.m.: Ed Wood notices the Zick Pontiac turning off Juno Road onto Wattles Road. The driver is not Daisy.
10:05 a.m.: Postman William Daily claims he sees a man walking down East Michigan Avenue near the Chuck Wagon Restaurant. He is the only person who sees this alleged hitchhiker. His description changes from a man to a woman over time.
10:20 a.m.: Mrs. DeFrance sees the Zick garage door open and the car missing.
Around 10:30 a.m.: Garrett Vander Meer is behind the Zick car on East Michigan Avenue and gets a good look at the driver (a man) who is slowing down westbound traffic.
After 10:30 a.m.: While transporting a prisoner to court, Sergeant Fred Ritchie sees the Zick car on East Michigan Avenue and notices a man walking away from it.
Between 10:30 and 11:00 a.m.: Sharon Brown notices the Zick Bonneville parked in front of her home.
11:10 a.m.: Postman Daily claims that he goes by the Zick home and that the garage door is closed.
Between 11:20 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.: Mrs. Beulah Hankey claims to have passed the Zick car on Wattles Road. Chances are this sighting is off, time-wise.
12:30 p.m.: When Daisy does not show up for their lunch or at work, Audrey calls the Zick home and gets no answer.
12:30 p.m.: Audrey contacts Floyd Zick and alerts him that Daisy has not showed up to work. He leaves for his home. On the way, he spots his wife’s car on Michigan Avenue and checks it. There is no sign of Daisy.
1:10 p.m.: Floyd Zick arrives at his home and finds the garage door open. A search of the house leads him to finding Daisy’s body, and he contacts his manager at Fales’ Market who contacts the police.
1:20 p.m.: Ralph Kartheu arrives at the murder scene. The investigation into Daisy’s death begins.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Blaine Pardoe is an award-winning author of numerous books in the science fiction, military nonfiction, true crime, paranormal and business management genres. Mr. Pardoe was raised outside Battle Creek, Michigan, and received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Central Michigan University. Pardoe has been a featured speaker at the U.S. National Archives, the United States Navy Museum and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. He was awarded the State History Award in 2011 by the Historical Society of Michigan for his book about Michigan aviator Fred Zinn (Lost Eagles) and, in 2013, was the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame recipient of the Harriet Quimby Award. He currently resides in Virginia outside Washington, D.C.
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