Scene of the Crime

by M. J. Williamz

  Julia looked down at the victim. Sure enough, the only visible mark so far was the gash on her head. She looked down at the ground. There were a couple of sets of footprints.

  “Be sure and make models of the footprints,” she said.

  “They both look small. Like maybe it was her and another woman.”

  “Maybe so.” And then Julia knew what she’d been missing in the Montague murder investigation. “Do you need me?”

  “No, not unless you have any specific requests.”

  “I want an autopsy done on the victim ASAP.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “We’ve got no ID on her at all, right?”

  “No.”

  “That’s probably her car in the lot. I’ll run the plates.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Any further instructions for us?”

  “You guys just do your thing and let me know if you find anything.”

  “Will do.”

  She didn’t have time to deal with a robbery. She was sorry for the victim for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but she had bigger fish to fry. She’d follow up accordingly, of course, but she had something to check out. Yes, it was a murder as well, but she was obsessed with another case at the moment. One she couldn’t wait to get back to.

  Excited to test her theory, she opened up the picture from the hospital as soon as she got back to her desk and zoomed in on the shoes again. She’d been so obsessed with finding the shoes she hadn’t really paid any attention to the size of them. They were small. The person in the video was almost certainly a woman. Finally. She was that much closer to arresting Sara.

  She sat at her desk gloating and almost forgot to run the plates of her latest victim. The car belonged to a Sherry Bergstrom, and the photo on her driver’s license was clearly the victim. So they had a name. Julia decided to see what else she could find out about her and get back to Sara’s shoes later.

  Sherry Bergstrom was a housewife and mother. She had no police record. She had been married for twenty-four years and had been active in the PTA when her kids were in school. She seemed like a model citizen.

  So what was she doing at the park on a cold, wet, windy day in November? Julia’s interest was piqued. She wondered if maybe the perfect Mrs. Bergstrom wasn’t so perfect after all.

  Her ringing phone interrupted her musings.

  “This is Stansworth,” she said.

  “Detective. It’s Mike. I’m through with the shoes. There was some salt on them as well as morphine. I don’t know if that helps or not, but I’m through with them.”

  “Did you find anything else?”

  “You didn’t ask me to look for anything else.”

  “True. Thanks, Mike. I’ll be right down.”

  She hurried down to the lab. Mike had found saline and morphine, which was incriminating. Maybe some of the saline solution from Montague’s IV had dripped on her feet. Or she could have worn those shoes to the coast. Damn it. But where else could the morphie have come from? It felt like it was the break she needed and she felt confident things were moving in the right direction.

  “Where did you find the drops?” she asked Mike.

  “Just one little spot of each on the top of the shoe. Odd, really.”

  “Great work, Mike. Thanks.”

  Julia returned the shoes to Marge and decided to call it a day. She had nothing to go on in the Bergstrom murder and nothing new in the Montague case. She’d have to wait until the next day to make any more progress.

  She went home and slipped into some sweats, took a beer from the fridge, and curled up on the couch. Maybe she’d watch a movie. She needed something to take her mind off Sara and, by default, Cullen. She turned on Law & Order: SVU and took a sip of beer which was just what the doctor ordered.

  Her cell phone rang.

  “Stansworth.”

  “Hello, Detective. It’s Mike. They’re about to do the autopsy on the murder vic and I wondered if you wanted to observe.”

  “Already? I thought they wouldn’t be able to do that until tomorrow.”

  “Nope. They’ve got time this afternoon.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Julia brushed her teeth, dressed, and headed back to the station. She didn’t know why it was so important for her to observe the autopsy, but it was. She just had this niggling feeling that there was more to the murder of Sherry Bergstrom than met the eye.

  She suited up as soon as she got to the lab. The medical examiner nodded at her and she stepped up to the table as he began to cut.

  “Her heart’s enlarged,” he commented.

  “True, but she looked to be in decent shape.”

  “May be congenital.”

  “Or could be drug related.”

  “We won’t get the tox screen back for a while, you know.”

  “I want a test for cocaine run now.”

  “Detective…”

  “That wasn’t a suggestion.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said.

  He drew some blood from the femoral vein and her heart and started the test.

  “Any other special requests?” He looked annoyed.

  “How does her nose look?”

  He shined a light up her nostrils.

  “Inflamed. Okay, you win. She looks like a heavy cocaine user.”

  “Thanks. I think I’ve seen all I need to see. Go ahead and finish without me.”

  She hurried up to her desk. She had to find a connection between Bergstrom and Sara. She knew she was grasping for straws, but she just had a gut feeling and her gut hadn’t failed her yet.

  Julia knew Sara drove a Mercedes so she pulled up the picture of it and printed it out. She headed out to the Mount Tabor neighborhood again. The rain had let up slightly, but it was still cold and windy. She pulled into the entrance of the park. Pulling her coat high around her neck, she crossed the street to the expansive houses and started ringing doorbells. She wasn’t surprised that no one was answering. She figured most families had two working adults in order to be able to afford those houses. Houses she’d never be able to afford unless she won the lottery.

  Cold and discouraged, she was just about to give up when she knocked on the door of a cute two-story house right across the street from the park driveway. Julia noted the large front windows overlooking the entrance and held her breath that someone might be home and might have seen something.

  An elderly woman slid the curtain aside on the front door and peered out. Julia held up her badge and the woman cracked the door.

  “Are you really a police officer?” she said.

  “I am. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?”

  “I don’t mind if you’ll answer some of mine.”

  Julia grinned.

  “Fair enough, I’ll do my best.”

  “Then please come in.”

  “Okay, Mrs.…?” Julia began.

  “Burke. I’m Rita Burke. But I get to ask you questions first.”

  “Shoot.” Julia lowered herself onto the couch.

  “What happened at the park today? Is Mrs. Bergstrom okay? Why did they tow her car? Why were all the police over there?”

  Julia sighed.

  “That’s a lot of questions.”

  She knew the police had notified the next of kin, so she proceeded as gently as possible. “No, ma’am. Mrs. Bergstrom is not okay. She was attacked in the park today.”

  “By that blond lady?”

  She now had Julia’s undivided attention.

  “What lady is that?”

  “The one that came in after her and then burned rubber as she was leaving. That lady. Did she hurt poor Sherry?”

  “We don’t know who did it. We’re investigating all leads, though. Now tell me about this woman you saw. What color car did she drive? What make? Do you know?”

  Mrs. Burke shook her head.

  “I didn’t get a good look at her and I didn’t notice the kind of car. It was silver and fancy. That’s all I know.
”

  Julia took pictures of several silver cars from her briefcase, one of which was Sara’s. She showed them to Mrs. Burke.

  “Was one of these cars it?”

  “Oh, yes. This one.” Mrs. Burke held up the picture of Sara’s car. “I’m sure of it.”

  Julia’s heart soared, but she played it cool. She needed to keep a calm exterior.

  “Did you see anything else? Anything at all? It might help us in our investigation.”

  Mrs. Burke shook her head.

  “I’m sorry, Detective. That’s all I saw.”

  Julia stood and handed Mrs. Burke her business card.

  “If you think of anything, even if you think it’s minor, you call me, okay?”

  “What are your hours?”

  “Mrs. Burke, you can call me any time.”

  Julia drove the few blocks to her house and called a judge. She needed an arrest warrant. Then she sat back and waited.

  * * *

  Cullen was in a great mood when the workday ended. Even traffic couldn’t dampen her spirits. She was heading home for the evening. All of which would be spent with Sara who seemed to be really trying to extricate herself from the grip of cocaine. And once the weekend was over, she’d go into rehab. Life was looking up.

  She got to Sara’s house to find her fidgety. She seemed on edge and Cullen could only assume it was the cocaine wreaking its havoc again.

  “Are you okay?” Cullen said.

  “I’m fine.”

  “How much coke have you had today?”

  “Some. Not a lot, I swear.”

  “Good, at least it’s not a lot. Are you going to be able to eat dinner?”

  “Sure.”

  “Great. Let’s go to McKenzie’s. I want a burger and some beer.”

  “I could handle that. Let’s go.”

  They drank beer, played pool, and ate burgers and fries. Cullen was having such a good time. She knew then that she and Sara were meant to be together. Everything just felt right. They were solid and she’d stick with Sara through anything.

  After dinner, they were on the couch watching television when the doorbell rang.

  “I got it,” Cullen said.

  She opened the door to see Julia flanked by two uniformed police officers.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Is Sara home?” Julia said.

  “Of course. What’s this about?”

  “We need to speak with her, Cullen.”

  “Come on in. Is it necessary for all three of you to be here?”

  “Yes.”

  Cullen stepped aside and invited them in. She walked them down the hall to the living room where Sara was still curled up on the couch. She saw Julia and jumped to her feet.

  “What are you doing here? I’m going to sue you for harassment.”

  “I have a couple of questions to ask you, Ms. Donovan.”

  “What?” Sara demanded.

  “Where were you today between eleven and one?” Julia asked.

  Fear gnawed her gut. Cullen really hoped Sara wasn’t in more trouble with the police. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Yes, she’d just declared to herself that they could get through anything, weather any storm, but she’d been thinking of the cocaine. Not of the legal issues. Surely Julia was just fishing.

  “I was home. It was too ugly of a day to go anywhere.”

  “Was anyone here with you?”

  “I’m sure you know Cullen was at work. So, no. I was home alone. What is this about?”

  “Someone saw you at Mount Tabor Park during that time.”

  Sara’s face blanched, but she quickly recovered.

  “Whoever that was is mistaken. I didn’t leave the house today.”

  “How do you know Sherry Bergstrom?” Julia continued.

  “I’ve never heard of her.”

  “So, you’re denying ever selling coke to her?”

  “Yes, I do deny it.”

  “And I suppose you deny killing her today.” It was a statement, not a question.

  “Would you get over it, Julia?” Cullen raised her voice. “I’ve told you, Sara is not a killer.”

  Julia didn’t look at her.

  “Sara Donovan, you’re under arrest for the murder of Sherry Bergstrom. You have the right to remain silent…”

  Cullen didn’t hear the rest. Everything was a blur as Julia had one of the other policeman handcuff Sara and lead her out to the car.

  “Call Robert Allen,” Sara called over her shoulder. “His number’s in my phone.”

  Chapter Ten

  Cullen looked around for Sara’s phone but didn’t see it anywhere. She grabbed her purse and looked through it and found her phone as well as several baggies of cocaine. Was Sara still dealing? Julia seemed to think so. Could she have been selling to that dead woman?

  She tossed the purse on the couch and pulled up her contacts. Before she looked for Robert Allen, she looked for Sherry Bergstrom. There was no one called Bergstrom in her contacts, but there was a Sherry whose address said Mount Tabor. Shit.

  She shook herself out of her dismay and found Robert’s number.

  “Hello? Sara?”

  “Is this Robert Allen?”

  “Who’s asking?”

  “My name is Cullen Matthews. My girlfriend, Sara Donovan, was just arrested for murder and she asked me to call you.”

  “I’m on my way. Meet me at the station.”

  The line went dead. Meet him? Oh, yeah, she supposed she should head downtown to be there for Sara. But where the hell was the police station? She searched on her phone and found it. She mapped it and drove off.

  With almost no traffic at that hour, Cullen pulled into the police station twenty minutes later. She had no idea where to go or what to do. She opened the front door and saw a uniformed officer sitting at a desk.

  “Can I help you?” she asked without a smile.

  “I hope so.”

  The officer simply stared at her.

  “What did you need? Do you need to see someone?” She sounded annoyed when she finally spoke again.

  “I don’t know. My girlfriend was just arrested so I’m here.”

  “This ain’t like a hospital, lady. There are rules and regulations about visiting.”

  “I understand,” Cullen stammered. “I’m not sure why I’m here. Her attorney just told me to meet him here so here I am.”

  “Have a seat. If he needs you, he’ll come out here to find you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Cullen sat on a hard, plastic chair. Maybe she should just leave, but then how would Sara get home? Could Robert give her a ride? Would she even be coming home?

  Cullen shuddered. The thought of Sara in a prison cell was too much for her to handle. She didn’t deserve that. But what if she’d killed that Sherry person? Could she have? Surely not. But since Julia arrested her, they must have pretty strong reason to suspect her unless Julia was just on a witch hunt and Sara was a fall guy. But then, why did she have Sherry’s name in her phone?

  Maybe it wasn’t the same woman. Sherry was a pretty common name. There could be several of them in the Mount Tabor neighborhood. It was probably all some crazy coincidence. She hoped Sara’s lawyer would get everything straightened out.

  A door opened then and a relatively short man with graying hair who was dressed in a navy suit with a red tie walked up to her.

  “Are you Cullen?”

  She stood and shook his outstretched hand.

  “I am. You must be Mr. Allen.”

  “Please call me Robert.”

  He motioned to her chair and she sat back down. She looked at him expectantly, hoping for good news.

  “What’s going on, Robert? Can Sara come home now?”

  He glanced at the officer behind the desk and lowered his voice.

  “The evidence they have on her is pretty circumstantial. We’re meeting with a judge in a little bit and I’m hoping he’ll let her go home.”r />
  “What evidence do they have?” Cullen wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “They have a witness who claims to have seen Sara drive into the park where the victim was murdered. She didn’t get a good look at Sara, but ID’d her car.”

  “There must be millions of Mercedes in that neighborhood.”

  Robert shrugged.

  “They say they’ll have more evidence in a day or two. They did say the victim was a heavy cocaine user, and with Sara’s reputation, that really doesn’t help.”

  Cullen nodded. She felt herself going numb. It was all too much to take in.

  “So, she could come home soon?”

  “Yes, she should be able to post bail and get released. Bail will be high, but since Sara’s not much of a flight risk, I don’t see a problem. You just sit tight and I’ll bring her out to you as soon as I can.”

  “Okay.”

  And just like that, he was gone, leaving a trail of expensive smelling cologne drifting behind him.

  Cullen sat there for another couple of hours before the door opened again and Robert came out escorting Sara.

  “Here you go,” he said to Cullen. “Safe and sound.”

  “Thank you, Robert.”

  “Yes,” Sara said. “Thank you.”

  “You stay out of trouble. I want you in my office at nine in the morning,” Robert said to Sara.

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Good girl. You two go home and get some rest. Oh, wait a minute. Cullen, can I get your number so I’ll have it in my phone in case you call me again?”

  He entered her number in his phone. Cullen placed her hand on the small of Sara’s back and guided her out to her truck.

  “I’m so sorry, Cullen.” Sara broke down in tears as soon as they were in.

  “For what? You didn’t do anything, right?”

  “Of course not. You believe me, right?”

  “You’d better believe I do.” She pulled Sara into her arms. “Try to calm down. We’ll be home in no time.”

  They pulled into Sara’s driveway. It was late and all Cullen wanted to do was get some sleep and forget the whole horrible night. Sara spoke to her before she could turn off the engine.

  “Hey, Cullen? I think I’d like to be alone. I need to process what happened, what’s happening. Is that okay?”