Murder My Love by Victor Keyloun Read Free Book Online Page A

continue.”
    Kruger cleared his throat, a gesture that seemed to indicate his annoyance at being interrupted. He proceeded to point out that the young man was shot with a .38 caliber pistol. He put up a photo of the victim lying against the kitchen door. One slug was recovered during his autopsy and another in the far wall of the kitchen. He proposed that one shot was a through-and-through into his left thigh. From the angle of trajectory, he assumed the victim was seated at the table. That slug was lodged in the wall and recovered. Gun shot spray pattern suggested that the shot to the chest was at close range. Kruger assumed that a short-barreled pistol was used. The shot at close range pierced his heart. That one caused his death. It was recovered at autopsy but was severely deformed. There were no defensive wounds, no indication that he attempted to shield himself. He suggested that a handgun of that caliber and size suggested that the shooter was likely a woman. The victim was stabbed eight times in the chest and abdomen. His forehead was bruised and beneath his body was a brass pedestal of a lamp. Its size and shape conformed to the bruise. At autopsy a linear fracture of the frontal bone beneath the wound was noted.
    He then began to show photos of Linda Greenwell. She was shot once in the chest above the right breast. Spray pattern suggest she was shot at a distance. The bullet pierced her lung causing it to collapse. He opined that, if that were the first blow she received, it would have rendered the victim somewhat breathless and virtually helpless. But he could not confirm that it was the first blow the victim received. The second bullet wound was to her lower abdomen, just below the navel. The trajectory of the bullet and spray pattern indicated that the shooter stood behind the head of the victim and shot downward at her abdomen while she was supine on the floor. That shot pierced her small bowel as well as her uterus and rectum. Both slugs were recovered. Detective Devlin interrupted the Doctor, “What do you make of the location of the shots. Do you think they were purposeful or at random?” Dr. Kruger took in a long breath. “I’ll hazard a guess.” He said, “Since the shooter was so accurate shooting the male victim in the heart, I believe the shots to the female organs were also intentional. Perhaps the one to the abdomen was a parting shot, like an after-thought.”
    Everyone at the table surreptitiously looked at each other to see their reactions. They all remained stoic. He then resumed his findings. Linda Greenwell was stabbed twenty-three times with a kitchen knife. When he put up the photos every head turned toward the projection screen. Some grimaced. Seeing that her officers were overcome with emotions, Wilson asked if anyone wished to be excused. None did. Kruger enumerated and displayed the location of each stab wound. He did so in a monotone, as if he were reading names from a telephone book. They seemed to him to be haphazardly deployed as though the perpetrator was frenzied. Some were to the face, some to the torso. The ones that intrigued him the most were the multiple stab wounds to the lower abdomen and inner thighs.
    “What do you make of that, Dr Kruger?” Gail asked.
    “It’s very difficult not to exclude a sexual context to this crime,” he intoned.
    It seemed to Dr. Kruger that the stabs were intended to inflict pain and to maim the victim rather than kill her outright.
    “Why do you say that, doctor?” Chief Wilson asked.
    “Based on the angle of trajectory they all seemed to be struck by the same person but the wounds were at variable depth. There are several explanations. I don’t think the perpetrator intended to kill the victim by stabbing her. I think the perp wanted to torture her, to inflict pain. Either that or, the perp was fatigued. Or, the perp used more than one knife. I can’t be certain which is correct, but I lean toward including all three scenarios as we