It Takes Two to Strangle by Stephen Kaminski Read Free Book Online Page B

re-open their file on Victor.”
    Damon stabbed and twirled a mass of spaghetti. “I don’t envy you, Gerry. But at least you have suspects. The opposite would be worse.”
    Gerry paused as if deciding whether or not to say something. He took a large bite of garlic bread and chewed slowly. Damon waited. Finally Gerry said, “Damon, I’d like to talk to you about something confidential. I can talk technical aspects of the case with Margaret Hobbes, but it’s my first murder investigation and I need a set of ears to bounce something off of.”
    Damon nodded, urging Gerry to continue.
    “Margaret has a distinct opinion on this particular issue, and while I think she’s probably right, there’s something nagging at me. And I can’t talk to my wife about it. Trina doesn’t mind me being a police officer, but she gets nervous whenever I bring up anything related to dangerous activity.”
    “Gerry. For God’s sake, what is it?”
    He drummed his fingers on the table top. “The medical examiner will know for sure after the autopsy, but Damon, there were two different sets of strangulation marks.”
    Damon took in the gravity of the statement. “What exactly do you mean?”
    “I mean, and you can’t say a word of this to anyone, it looks like Lirim was strangled twice. Dr. Chu said there was definitely a rough-edged chain used. But there are also marks that look like they were made from a smooth cord or rope.”
    Damon pursed his lips and blew out air. After a minute, he said, “So the killer goes in, sneaks up behind Lirim while he’s asleep, puts a chain around his neck and begins choking him. Lirim wakes up and starts trashing about. Maybe he gets hold of the chain and whips it out of reach or just holds on and won’t let go. But he’s too weak to fight back with vigor, so the killer grabs a cord and finishes the job.”
    “That’s what Margaret thinks happened.”
    “But you don’t.”
    “Maybe,” Gerry replied. “I found two things in Lirim’s bedroom that could have been used. There was an electrical cord to the alarm clock and one to the bedside lamp. Forensics is taking a look at them. It’s also possible that there was another device with a cord and the killer took it and tossed it somewhere.”
    “Either one of those sounds plausible to me,” said Damon. “But you still don’t believe it?”
    “Margaret has worked six homicides over the past five years and it’s probably what happened, but I don’t have any proof so I just can’t let it rest.”
    “How else could it have happened?” Damon asked.
    “Two assailants,” Gerry said quickly. “One comes in with a garrote—either a chain or cord. And if there are two people, we can forget about the second instrument coming from the trailer itself. So one person comes in and strangles Lirim. He leaves thinking that Lirim’s dead, but he’s not. Later, the other person comes in, armed with their weapon, and this time chokes Lirim to death.”
    Damon held up his fork. “Lirim would call the police after the first attempt.”
    “Maybe not,” Gerry said. “Dr. Chu said that strangulation can lead to unconsciousness rather than death. So it’s possible that the first person rendered Lirim unconscious and ran out of the trailer without checking to make sure Lirim stopped breathing. He assumed that because Lirim stopped convulsing, he was dead.”
    Damon picked up the thread. “Then the second person comes in and thinks he’s sleeping.”
    “Exactly. He’s lying in bed and still breathing. And it’s dark so the second strangler doesn’t see any marks on Lirim’s neck. He does the deed and this time Lirim actually dies.”
    “But it would be a pretty big coincidence if two people tried to kill Lirim on the same night by the same method.”
    “I know. That’s what I keep coming back to and why Margaret didn’t want to give it a second thought after I raised it with her.”
    “Can Dr. Chu tell how much time went by between the first