A Breck Death (Jill Quint, MD, Forensic Pathologist Series Book 3)

by Peche, Alec

  “Hello David. How are you doing?”

  “Normally I would say fine, but with Joseph’s murder, I’m just devastated. I’m truly bewildered contemplating a life without Joseph. I wasn’t on the mountain skiing with him as I was getting quotes for a new furnace for our cabin, one that would last us the next twenty years. Now I don’t want to even keep the cabin. Shopping for a furnace on my part might have gotten Joseph killed.”

  Placing her hand on David’s she emphasized, “You can’t think that way. Murder in about twenty-two percent of cases, is random. The other seventy-eight percent the murderer knows the victim. Given that this occurred in an isolated area of the ski resort, with a dart gun as opposed to a gun or knife, my opinion is that Joseph was a target. If you had been skiing with Joseph, his murderer would have simply picked another time or location. In fact he might have murdered you as well. I will be focusing on what the possible motives are for Joseph’s murder.”

  “Thank you Jill for that explanation. The police have not been so forthcoming. They spent most of their time with me looking for evidence that I murdered Joseph. Beyond that I was not informed of their plan on how they would conduct their investigation.”

  “Keep in mind David that I work for you and I am answerable to you. They answer in theory to justice and the law. I also stand for justice, but I have a duty to you as well. Can you tell me about your conversation with the police? Please describe for me every statement they made and every question they asked you.”

  The waitress arrived to take their order. Jill had been debating fish and chips or Sheppard’s pie. Both would be heavy meals, but again thinking of the symptoms of altitude sickness, she thought she might avoid any nausea induced by a deep-fried entrée, so she went for the beef in the pie. David settled on a soup as he seemed to not be very hungry. His eyes were red-rimmed and he had dark shadows below suggesting the lack of sleep. He looked exhausted.

  “Two officers appeared on my doorstep about two hours after you called. They delivered the news of Joseph’s autopsy findings as murder in about as cold a fashion as I can imagine.”

  “Maybe they were just not used to delivering such horrible news. This county had a very low murder rate and I would guess an officer could go an entire career and not have to tell someone their loved one was murdered.”

  “I thought of that after they left, but then I went back to their words and behaviors and decided that was not the problem. They had no nervousness about them or hesitancy. They also had no empathy and wasted a lot of time trying to pin the murder on me. They couldn’t argue about the receipt even as they went so far as to verify in front of me with the merchant that I was in the store. If they had cared they would have shown discretion in checking out my alibi.”

  “What else did they ask you?”

  “They showed me a picture of his face taken during the autopsy, just to have me verify that it was Joseph. It was another hugely insensitive moment.”

  “Did they ask you if you were aware of anyone that threatened Joseph or if you were aware of any financial concerns of his?”

  “Once they had irrefutable proof that I couldn’t be Joseph’s killer they were done. I asked them when Joseph’s body would be available for burial and they said they had no idea. They didn’t even give me a number to call and check. Joseph has a large family, many of who will come from out-of-town and I need to give them a date as soon as possible, but the officer couldn’t help me with that.”

  “It sounds like you had an awful time with these officers. At some point I will need contact names for Joseph’s company as I will probably want to talk to someone there, but hold on that for now until I see the direction of this investigation. I’ll have several team members arrivingover the next couple of days that will have different questions for you. One of my team members is a security technology expert and I think depending on what we find in the cameras at the ski resort it could greatly influence where our investigation takes us. My financial wizard mayfind information that takes us on a different path.

  “Tonight I’ll do some computer research on Joseph and try to line up an interview with the two officers tomorrow morning. My security expert will be arriving about mid-day. I want to wait to approach the ski resort for access to their tapes until he gets here. I’m hoping that his background will convince them to give us access to the tapes.”

  “If you have problems, let me know. Joseph and I were friends with one of the board members of the corporation that operates the resort. I won’t hesitate to call in a favor to get access to their information.”

  “Will do. You look exhausted, David. I’m going to walk back to my lodge and you should try and get some sleep. I’ll call you in the morning after my interview with the police officers. I’m curious to see what kind of reception I receive from them.”

  “Thanks Jill and have a nice evening. I’ll look forward to your call in the morning.”

  Jill enjoyed the walk in the quiet town. The air was cold but had this feeling of purity about it. She had her own fanciful imagination and thought, ‘I could be passing Joseph’s murderer on the street’. The few people she passed were all bundled up, chins tucked into collars. She arrived back at her lodge without problem and dialed Nathan.

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “It’s going well. How about you? Is there anything new in the case?”

  “It’s going to be a reunion of sorts from Belgium. Everyone is going to make the trek to Breck including Nick.”

  “Nick? Isn’t it far for him to come? Can your client afford his airfare?”

  “No, I wouldn’t think of charging my client for Nick’s airfare, except when Henrik is your friend. Henrik had to fly to Austin for a tech conference and so he is giving Nick a ride on his private jet to Denver. It’s only about ninety minutes out of his way if that, so I lucked out. The client only has to pay his transportation from the airport. Nick will arrive and I am hopeful the ski resort will share camera shots as well as ski pass chairlift data with us. David said he had a friend on the resort’s board if we need some insider help to get us the information.”

  “I may have to drop in on you then and catch up with everyone. I hate when you’re having a good time without me.”

  “We are not here to have a good time, we’re here to work on the case for David Gomez, so it is not like Belgium when we were vacationing first and solving a crime second.”

  “True, but seriously you know I like to ski and I enjoy your friends’ company.”

  “Yes, I know you do, but they are coming and going on different days. I think the one day they all will be in town on the same day is two days from now.”

  “Well, I’ll think about it. Is there a lot of snow?”

  “Hard to tell, it was dark by the time I got here. First thing in the morning, I’m going to meet the cops assigned to this case, and then I will head up the mountain with David to see where they found Joseph. I doubt there will be any evidence but I am still taking an evidence kit with me. I have never taken a victim‘s family back to the scene of the murder so I am not prepared for what David will need when he views the spot where Joseph was murdered, so I expect it to be a tough few moments up on the ski trail.”

  “That is really sad. I hope David eventually uses the ski resort to celebrate the good times he and Joseph had and not just the bad.”

  “I am sure he will find some semblance of peace eventually perhaps when the killer is identified. Speaking of which, I need to get to work researching this case. Love you. Goodnight.”

  “Love you back. Sweet dreams.”

  They ended their conversation and Jill went over to her laptop and began working. She started with doing an internet search of Joseph and David. This was really Marie’s area of expertise, but she couldn’t wait for her arrival to begin the investigation. Jill ran the various search engines on the pair collecting most of the public knowledge about them and their families from articles, images, and social media. She didn’t find a
ny hint of discord between the two partners; there were no rants or statements likely to offend anyone. Essentially she found two nice guys with no apparent reason for one of them to be murdered. Could this be random? It just didn’t fit with her years on the job as so much planning went into this murder. If the killer had wanted to see if he or she could stop skiing on short notice, get his breath under control, and shoot a moving target, he could have aimed for a branch blowing in the wind or a tree. He didn’t need to kill a man. Even after accidentally shooting him, he could have called for help, or done mouth to mouth, until the drug wore off.

  Next Jill branched out into Joseph’s company. This was an area she wanted Angela to focus on - there would be a need for great interviewing technique with his company’s employees. Angela would out of necessity have to spend a great deal of her time in Denver as likely that was where the majority of the employees and board members would be found. Jo would focus on the company’s financials and Jillneeded Marie’s help navigating all of the social media sources of information about the key members of the staff at Joseph’s company as well as collecting any information about the two men personally. It was great that each member brought unique skills to an investigation. After a few more hours of research she called it quits and headed for bed.

  Chapter Five

  After a great breakfast, she drove to the office location of the two officers. She had looked up the police agency for its location and names of any leaders of the department and even the chief’s name. She parked her rental car and entered the building stopping in an unmanned reception area. She hit a buzzer as the sign suggested and waited for someone to appear. A short time later, a woman arrived at the desk.

  “May I help you, Miss?

  “Yes, I would like to meet with Officers Johnson and Miller.”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No.”

  “Can I tell them what this is about?”

  “Yes, I want to speak with them about the Joseph Morton homicide.”

  “Are you a family member?”

  “No, but I have Mr. Morton’s spouse’s consent to speak on his behalf.”

  “Okay, what is your name?”

  “Dr. Jill Quint.”

  “One moment, please,” said the woman as she disappeared to an area beyond the door.

  A few minutes later the door opened and a uniformed officer stepped through a second door and walked to where Jill was standing.

  “Hello, I’m Officer Miller, what can I do for you?”

  “Hello, I am Dr. Jill Quint. I have been retained by Mr. Morton’s partner to investigate his death.”

  “Doctor? Why would a doctor be hired as an investigator into a murder?”

  “I am a forensic pathologist by training. I spent over ten years with the State of California Crime Lab processing forensic evidence. Since I left the lab five years ago, I have served about sixty families in a consultant role to provide a second opinion on the cause of death. Mr. Gomez originally called me when he was told that Joseph appeared to have died from a heart attack. I attended Mr. Morton’s body at the medical examiner’s office in Golden where we both came to the same conclusion that it was murder by d-Tubocurarine which is better known by its street name of curare. Mr. Gomez decided to further retain my services as I have a team to assist in a murder investigation.”

  “Are you a private detective?”

  “No.”

  “Well this is unusual.”

  “Yes, it probably is. I’ll likely never again have an investigation in your county. May I have a copy of your report of the murder? Here is a copy of the statement that David Gomez has signed authorizing me to speak on his behalf and since he is entitled to any reports you complete, I’d like a copy.”

  “He is not entitled to a copy of police reports,” said a now visibly irked Officer Miller.

  “He is entitled to a copy of the report under both Victims Rights and the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act. I’m curious though, why would you not release a police report to the immediate family of the deceased?”

  “How do I know he is immediate family? I just have his word to go on.”

  “May I view the department’s policy that requires spouses prove they are married before information is released?”

  “We don’t have such a policy.”

  “Exactly!” Jill replied with exasperation. “Look, are you going to give me a copy of the report or not?”

  “I’m not giving you a copy of the report.”

  “Okay, when you go back inside, would you tell your Chief that I wish to speak with him or her?”

  He just waved his hand at her and walked back inside leaving Jill inside the little waiting area. Well, Jill thought, David was wise to call for her help with this case. This cop was a jerk and a sad representative of law enforcement. She hoped the Chief was better. She wasn’t sure she had come across this problem before. She waited another ten minutes and the Chief did not appear or anyone else.

  She took out her cell phone and searched for law enforcement’s number and then dialed. A woman answered the phone and indicated she had reached law enforcement’s office.

  “I would like to speak to Chief Jensen.”

  “May I tell him what this is about?”

  “Yeah, I would like to discuss the behavior of one of his officers with him. I am in your outer waiting area, so he can come out and discuss it in person with me if he wishes.”

  “He is in the community at this time. May I set up an appointment for you, or would you like to speak to his second-in-command?”

  “I’ll take his second-in-command. My name is Jill Quint and I would prefer to meet him or her in your lobby.”

  “Give me a few minutes and she’ll be right out.”

  “Thank you,” and Jill disconnected the call. She was very mad on David’s behalf.

  A few minutes later, a woman in a uniform stepped out looking for her in the waiting area.

  “I am Chief Jensen’s second-in-command, Sergeant Young, how may I help you?”

  “I am Dr. Jill Quint, a private forensic pathologist employed by the spouse of Joseph Morton, a man murdered up on peak six. My background consists of working fifteen years in the State Crime Lab in California and since leaving that office I have done another sixty or so cause of death second opinions of the deceased. About twenty percent of my cases result in a death by natural causes being overturned and ruled a homicide.

  “In this case, Dr. Jones, the medical examiner who performed Mr. Morton’s autopsy and I are in perfect agreement with his cause of death. I thought that was the end of my role in this case. Mr. Gomez, Mr. Morton’s spouse hired me to continue the investigation into Mr. Morton’s murder because he didn’t feel comfortable that the officers assigned to the case would do everything possible to solve the case. I was surprised but made arrangements to continue in the investigation of Mr. Morton’s murder. I just asked Officer Miller for a copy of the police report and he turned me down citing that he did not know that Mr. Gomez was Mr. Morton’s spouse and then he walked off after refusing to give me a copy of the report or ask his Chief to come out and talk to me. It is interesting that yesterday, Officer Miller arrived at my client’s house to talk about the murder even going so far as to verify that my client had an iron clad alibi to prove he was not up on the mountain when Mr. Morton was murdered. Why would he question him if he was not aware of the legal relationship of the two men? I want a copy of the report.”

  “My condolences to Mr. Gomez, and I am sorry this department gave the appearance that solving Mr. Morton’s murder wasn’t a top priority. May I see the authorization form that Mr. Gomez signed that you represent him? Once I see that form, if you’ll give me a minute, I’ll be back out with a copy of our report.”

  Jill pulled a form out of her briefcase and handed it to the Sergeant. She glanced through the document and then responded, “One moment and I’ll get that report for you.”

  Jill waited maybe a
nother three minutes and the Sergeant returned with a copy of the report.

  “Here is the report you requested, and here is my business card should you have any further questions that we can help you with.”

  “Thank you and good day,” Jill said over her shoulder as she left the building and headed for her car. She thought the experience of the past few minutes might go on her list of top five lousy interactions with law enforcement.

  She headed back to her lodge as that was where she and David agreed to meet that morning to go up the ski trail. David and Joseph’s cabin was up on Boreas Pass Road so her lodge was closer to the resort. She bought a pass each year that allowed her to ski at several Colorado and California resorts so she wouldn’t have to charge David the expense of a lift ticket to go evaluate the scene where they found Joseph.

  She texted him after she changed into her ski gear. While waiting for him to appear at her lodge, she read the police report. She had read many in her life and this was one of the briefest she had ever seen. Still it contained the pertinent data, including a state crime lab estimate of the needle size of the dart, but they were not able to determine the dart gun’s make and model. This was probably not a surprising finding. Except for the name of the ski patrol member that found Joseph, she really didn’t learn anything new. She now understood David’s aversion to law enforcement.

  Jill received a text from David that he was waiting in the lobby, and she gathered up her gear and went down to meet him.

  “Hey David, how are you doing this morning? Are you ready to head up the mountain?”

  “I got a little more sleep last night knowing you were here helping me find Joseph’s murderer. Let’s head over to the gondola and we can talk on the chairlift.”

  They left the lodge trudging along in clunky ski boots, skis and poles over their shoulders. Jill always found the first day on the mountain to be one of heavy breathing. When you travel from sea level to nine-thousand feet without giving your hemoglobin time to increase its manufacturing, then you will be short of breath; added to that was what felt like five pounds on each foot due to the weight of the ski boots. Just about the time she acclimated to the altitude, she would return to sea level. They enteredthe gondola, distributing their ski equipment across the car.