Murder Mysteries

by Waggoner, Robert C.

  Rory said, "We must wait for the pathologist to arrive. Meanwhile, run the story by me to set the scene."

  Dan said, "You'd best hear it from officer Foreham rather than me. I'm just the driver of the car." Rory slowly turned to look down at the shorter Stacy with a condescending look.

  Stacy briefly, but succinctly relayed the story up to this point. She emphasized the point that Veronica Stevens recognized that the golf club in the vics head looked like her missing 9 iron. Other than that, nobody recognized her, but that didn't mean she was a complete stranger. "I did find this up on the hill just before you raced up to me." She dug out of inside jacket pocket the baggie with the black spiked heel from a woman's shoe.

  All three men turned to look at the dead person's feet to see if a shoe was missing. Stacy had already noticed that the dead woman wasn't wearing any shoes. "From what I can see it's not from this victim that broken heel that you have in your hand officer."

  "How can you say that, detective? Nobody has scoured the area for any evidence yet. Let's not jump to any conclusions before the facts are discovered," said a stern Stacy.

  All heard an electric golf cart coming and they turned to see who it was. Stacy saw it was her father the chief. She kept her mouth shut and waited for her father to arrive.

  With a grim look, the salt and pepper haired Bandon Chief of Police Foreham slowly walked up to the four police officers, but his eyes were on the dead woman sitting incongruously on the number 5 tee box bench. Like most everything, such as the wooden bridges, the freshly white painted benches contrasted with the green foliage that surrounded the bench. Raymond introduced himself and then looked at his daughter. "Bring me up to date officer."

  Almost verbatim with the statement she made to the two detectives, she told her father nothing different. She left out the broken heel evidence for the time being. He looked at the two detectives and said, "We can we expect the pathologist to be here?"

  "I expect her here at anytime now," said Rory. "She was packing her gear when last I talked to her -- shouldn’t be far behind me—ah there she is now."

  Coming up the 4th fairway were two golf carts. When they arrived at the crime scene, Dr. Marsha Stone made her presence known. She too, had a grim look on her face, as did the chief. She nodded at Rory and Ben, then a smile to Chief Foreham. Chief Foreham introduced his two police officers and Marsha didn't miss the Stacy Foreham connection. Her smile dropped and with her assistant Fred Stairs, ducked under the tape walking slowly towards the woman on the bench. Fred took countless pictures from every angle possible. With the modern advent of digital, it gave the photographer unlimited film.

  Like the professional she was, Dr. Stone performed her job well. About a good half hour later, she turned and said, "You can look for evidence now detectives. My best guess on time of death is around midnight last night. The cause of death will be determined at the morgue. The new links owner, Andy is arranging for a small tractor with a trailer to take the body off the course. I'll perform the autopsy soonest I can. With the nice weather, we've had a few fatalities from car accidents."

  The five police officers began an examination of the area. While the detectives did their job, Stacy squatted down in front of the victim and started from the ground up in her examination. First she looked to see if the woman had been dragged to the bench or maybe walked. It was possible that she was carried, but why would a killer carry her all the way down the hill, through the gorse, to this bench? Stacy couldn't see any drag marks, but the ground was fairly hard and dry the last few days. Her feet were bare and sockless. The slacks she wore were cut off at just above the ankle. Her toe nails were painted and trimmed. Stacy thought she had nice feet and ankles. She looked under both feet to see if any grass stains or rock pits were evident. There was nothing unusual. They looked typical.

  Next she looked to see if the woman had sat down voluntarily, that is, with her backside against the back of the bench and her legs in a comfortable position. Stacy was beginning to think the victim was walked here and forced to sit down. It looked like her legs were further apart that what might be considered normal. Her eyes moved higher to midsection and then on up to her neck. The rope was, she thought, clothes line rope. It wasn't so tight that it collapse the wind pipe, but tight enough to keep her head from moving very far. She looked hard at the mouth seeing it open, as if in a scream, but the tongue wasn't poking out. Her lips looked freshly applied with a light shade of orange that matched her long sleeve shirt.

  The arms were tied in two places: one across the bicep and the other around the wrist. It was evident that method of securing a person to a bench such as this would result in a person not being able to move very much. The strange thing, if it could be called strange, was the fact no rope around the middle to keep her from sticking her feet out, or moving her backside to the front part of the bench. Could it be she just gave up? And what about the absence of light? If death occurred around midnight then it would be dark as all get out. Moon? She racked her brain for what the moon was doing last night.

  Stacy stood back and looked at the young woman. She guessed her age at 27 to 30 at the outside. Indeed she was a nice looking woman. The why jumped in and that was motive. If you can discover motive then you're half way home to putting someone behind bars. Her thoughts were broken by Ben yelling he'd found something. He'd found the broken shoe and the mate to it. Needless to say, Rory wasn't too happy to hear that the shoes were found. Be that as it may, they continued to comb the area for her bag or purse. It would be nice to have some ID on the victim.

  "Stacy, I've got to go now," said her father. "I need to fend off the press as Flo says they're beating down her door and ringing the phone off the hook. See me later and fill me in please."

  Stacy waved and asked Dan to help her look for the victim's bag or purse. Of course it was entirely possible she'd left in the vehicle that brought her here. It would probably behoove the investigative team to have some volunteers comb the gorse. However, that was up to Rory and his team to decide.

  Afterwards

  How she did it, nobody remembered. Gladys secured a table for four and that's where the center of attention was located. The clubhouse was still teeming with locals and out of town folks that simply refused to leave until something developed. That something was unknown, but with nothing better to do, why not hang around a murder scene. The new club house had a small kitchen that served mostly hamburgers and sandwiches. Andy's wife Dorothy had a sweat up trying to fill orders. Andy was busy at the bar. He too had sweat running off his brow. With a mass of bodies, stagnant air from a high pressure system, coastal residents were not used to this particular climate.

  Gladys said, "What do you think of our local police woman appearing like she knows what she's doing?"

  Over the din of the room, Betty Flowers said, "I thought you knew she graduated at the top of her class in Criminology at the University of Chicago. If anyone solves this crime, it'll be her; I'll bet money on it."

  "Well, be that as it may," said Veronica. "But I'll need to order a new 9 iron. I realize the poor woman was murdered by my Niblick, but I'm still put out a little bit."

  "That's rather callus Veronica," said Lois. The poor woman was tied up and then watched as her murderer took a big swing burying the club in her head. Of course it was dark and no lights, but maybe the guy had a large flashlight to light up the scene. Nobody lives near or can drive by that part of the course. It's totally isolated. I wonder if there was a moon last night."

  "My husband and I were sitting on the deck last night around 9 pm. A half moon was up and giving off some light, but not a lot," said Betty.

  'I'm getting hungry," said Gladys. I say we ditch this place and go down the road to that new restaurant that advertises crab sandwiches." All stood up at the same time. No sooner had they began walking the table was occupied in a hot second. Andy watched them go and hoped that others would follow suit. Even though it was just past noon, he was ragged out. He wond
ered how his wife was holding up. Also, he realized the detectives would be coming soon to interview him. What a mess, he thought.

  Rory and Ben heard the tractor coming pulling a trailer. Their search for evidence proved fruitless. Both decided they needed help combing the gorse on the hillside and in the creek. Also another look around the immediate scene might turn up something they missed.

  Following the tractor were two employees of the state connected with the coroner's office. They would handle the body. There was some indecision as how to put the body in a body bag with a golf club sticking out of its head. Finally the body bag was zipped up to the neck with the club sticking out of the bag. There's nothing funny about murder, but when you saw a tractor with a small trailer chugging back towards the club house, with a black body bag laying in the back, a golf club sticking up with one man holding onto it, one couldn't help but see the humorous side of things.

  The detectives drove back the way they came. Walking into the club house, Andy immediately knew that those were the Oregon State Police detectives coming to interview him and others. Andy was waiting for them to approach the bar. Once introduced Rory asked, "Mr. Southwin, is there a place we might hold interviews in; like maybe an office or spare room?"

  "I've a small office that you're welcome to. Follow me please." As they walked past the seating area to the back, the room was as silent as a tomb. Rory's demeanor was one of dead seriousness. However, it was so plain, that it fooled now one that he was the consummate actor. On the other hand Ben Razor being the older of the two portrayed a professional appearance to the spectators.

  Ben remained behind to interview the golfers who were following the initial foursome. He'd a list of names given him from the two city police officers. He called out the names and asked that they form a line against the wall.

  "Rory said, "Beings you're here let's start with you and see what transpired this morning. Tell me your whereabouts last night."

  Rory had commanded Andy's desk chair without any regard for the paperwork spread across it. Andy's face reddened a little as he pulled up a metal chair sitting down across from his usual place. "Friday night is poker night. Four of us rotate houses each week. Last night we were at Bill Stevens's house. I left there around 12:30 am. I arrived home around 1 am. I took a shower to wash off the stale cigarette smoke and went to bed.

  This morning I arrived here at 6 am. That's my usual time to arrive at the links on the weekends. I did the usual preparation work getting ready for the tournament."

  "Did you see anyone that looked suspicious?"

  "No I didn't. The four ladies that discovered the body were the first to arrive. After my wife arrived around 7 am, I went outside to double check the tee times and check off the players. It was just after 8 am when the first foursome teed off."

  "Let's go back to last night, Mr. Southwin. When you arrived home was your wife up and about or in bed?"

  "I'm not sure-----well, you see-------we have separate bedrooms. My wife has insomnia and is up and down all night long. I really can't say where she was. She wasn't downstairs when I came home."

  "Did you hear her at any time after you came home," asked Rory.

  "No I didn't hear anything. I was a little, how to say it, tipsy. I went out like a light after I made sure my alarm clock was turned on. Oh! I saw it was a little after 1:30 am."

  "Send in your wife please Mr. Southwin."

  "Dorothy came in wiping the sweat from her brow. Rory could see why as she a little on the plus side, but not bad looking. Rory got right to the point. "Mrs. Southwin, tell me about your movements last night; or just after dinner hour."

  Rory noticed she looked him in the eye and said, "We had dinner around 6 pm. After that Andy left for Bill Steven's house to play his weekly poker game. I guess boys will be boys. Anyway, after he left, I gave the cook and housekeeper the night off. I spent some time on the phone talking to old friends down in California. Then I watched some TV until around 11 pm. It was such a nice night I went out on the deck with a glass of wine to enjoy the still night. I'm not sure what time I came in, but I'd guess around midnight. I have a sleeping problem and try not to take too many sleeping pills, but last night I knew I needed my rest for the golf tournament. I took two pills and went out like a light. I never heard Andy come home. My alarm went off at 6 am. I arrived at the club house at 7 am."

  Rory maybe a sexist man, but he did know when someone was lying or telling the truth. He had a nagging feeling Mrs. Southwin was not all that forthright in her statement. When they had the formal statement taken, he would make sure it was written down. He said, "Did you see anything out of the ordinary this morning?"

  "No I didn't. I was busy right from the start. I should have hired some help. Or at least brought my housekeeper with me. I didn't know anything was wrong until the police showed up. I've been stuck behind the stove all morning."

  "Thanks Mrs. Southwin. Please tell the detective outside to send one of the four women who discovered the body to me"

  "Sorry they went to lunch. I'm to call when you want to interview each of them."

  "Please call and tell them I'm ready now," he said, rather put out they would leave before giving a statement.

  Meanwhile, Stacy and Dan gave up searching at noon. Both were hot and tired. Dan said, "I'll buy lunch if you are willing?"

  "Sounds good, but first, let's report in to the chief." Stacy never referred to her boss as father; always chief. They walked back to the club leaving the golf cart for someone else to pick up.

  At the police station, Chief Raymond was on the phone to the mayor. They were discussing how to handle the press. It was decided that both the mayor and chief would address the press at 5 pm. By that time the detectives might have something to report.

  Stacy and Dan walked in just as the chief hung up. He motioned both to come into his office. Like most things in his life, Ray's office was austere, but functional. Usually only one visitors chair sat in front of his desk, but when both officers walked in, Dan had to drag another chair up. He motioned for them to sit down and took his place behind his desk. The old desk chair gave off similar sounds to his old bones when sitting down or getting up from a chair.

  Probably his most redeeming features were his eyes. They were the same steely grey eyes that his daughter had. They could vacillate between warm and friendly to an intense scary look. Some said he missed his calling as an interrogative detective as he could play both roles: the good guy or the bad guy cop. He said, "We've a news conference at 5 pm. I'd like both of you to be there for our stake in the investigation. A little publicity is not frowned upon by our town as we do a lot of tourist business. Let them see we're on the job. Now can you give me what you know as fact and what is speculation on your parts? I realize speculation or assumptions are not good police work, but I might need some foresight into something later on in this investigation.

  Let's begin with Dan. Tell me start to present time." Dan gave him his report and it really didn't reveal a whole lot of facts except the discovery of the broken heel.

  Ray looked at his daughter and she said, "I'll begin with the body. I'd say she was around 30 or a little younger. There were at least 20 locals who viewed the victim. None recognized her. Let's assume or speculate she is not a local, but a tourist. I'm sure the state police will pass around her picture to the motels in the county. She was dressed nicely, neither provocative nor conservative. She could be from anywhere and could have worked for a score of different professions. Without some ID finding out whom she was, may be difficult. Let's hope fingerprints and or dental will help.

  The method of death was truly a violent one. That could mean that whoever killed her was very angry or sick in the head; or maybe both. Also it would have taken some strength to carry her or overcome in a scuffle. I could see nothing under the fingernails as they were a dark crimson color. Of course an autopsy will reveal a lot of things we're speculating about.

  Let's look at the site of the murder. T
he act took place on a bench to the back of the golf course. How did she get there and who placed her there? The forensic pathologist said it was around midnight when death occurred. I think we have to assume a golf cart and not a car or truck was used for transportation to the back of the course. That doesn't mean an ATV with a narrow wheel base couldn't have been used. Next we have the murder weapon, or at least we assume it's the instrument that killed her. If it's Veronica Stevens nine iron, then we have to assume someone gained entrance to the club house where the local keep their golf carts. I didn't look, but no one reported any forced entry to us. We need to ask Ms Stevens about where her golf cart and clubs were last night.

  Now it's easy to assume that it was someone connected with the golf club; or had access to the storage room. Was a golf cart used last night to transport the killer and victim from the stock of the club? If so, then, was it parked where it should have been the next morning? Lots of questions and not many answers," said Stacy

  Inside of Ray Foreham he was full of beaming pride. He was proud of her and what he'd heard usually came from at least a ten year veteran detective. Instead the account came from a first year rookie police officer not yet dry behind the ears. He said, "Stacy, I'd like for you to witness the autopsy. I talked to Marsha and she said no problem. It'll take place first thing Monday morning. I also talked to the Criminal Detective Division of the Oregon State Police. They've no objection to us doing our own investigation as long as it doesn't interfere with their job."

  "I'm quite clear on that side of the coin, but on the other side is a sexist man named Rory Caltex. He's a redneck from way back. It'll be a struggle from start to finish. However, someone violently murdered that young woman and shouldn't or will not get away with it."