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

found two knives on the kitchen floor drenched in blood. One was a six-inch paring knife and the other a carving knife.”
    The knives were recovered in the kitchen at the crime scene and sealed in evidence bags. Fingerprints were unobtainable because the knives were drenched in blood. Kruger reasoned the stabber’s hand slipped from time to time and smudged the prints, or, that the perp wore gloves. But he believed CSI had isolated clear and distinct swab samples to identify a suspect at a later date. He wouldn’t know that for certain until he reviewed the evidence at the crime lab in Hartford. The house was dusted for fingerprints. Kruger said, “ While on the subject of fingerprints, here’s an interesting finding. The thumbprint on the outside front door latch belongs to the male victim. A thumbprint on the dead bolt lever and inside door latch belongs to another individual.”
    Everyone looked perplexed. “Here’s another finding you might want to consider. Fibers were lifted from the dog panel. They were not dog hair. They were cotton.”
    So much information was presented that it left the attendees numb. As Dr. Kruger continued to present photo after photo of the crime scene the assembled parties began to look away. The Chief asked, “Was she shot first or stabbed first?”
    “Can’t answer that,” he replied. “No question she bled to death. I can’t attest to the sequence of events.”
    Sgt. Devlin interrupted the proceedings. “The testimony I got from the old lady, Miss O’Malley, tells me the guy was probably shot first. There were two shots close together in time, with screaming and yelling in between them. Then a third shot followed by screaming, more like shrieking. The old lady said there was a lot of screaming and shrieking. I believe that was when the lady victim was being stabbed. After a long pause there was one more shot, probably the one Dr. Kruger said was a parting shot.” He recounted the old lady’s testimony to the assembled group while reading from his notes.
    “What do you make of that theory?” asked the Chief.
    “Judging by the savagery inflicted on the female victim I would surmise that whoever did this was after the woman. I think the guy was just in the way. Wrong place, wrong time.”
    “It’s difficult for anyone to dispute that.” Abby added, “We won’t know if your theory is fact until we get the details from the Wilkes-Barre connection. Now, let Dr. Kruger finish.”
    Dr. Kruger looked around the room to insure everyone was paying attention. Satisfied, he displayed a photograph of the kitchen telephone. A close-up showed a severed cord from the wall to the telephone. He theorized that the perpetrator either cut it with the same knife used to stab the victim or yanked it out of the wall. He speculated that Linda Greenwell may have tried to call someone, possibly the police, but was cowered by the knife. Again silence descended on the room. The only noise was that of shuffling feet. Officer Huff raised his hand. Chief Wilson, clearly irritated by his interruption, turned to him and with clenched teeth said,
    “What is it, Huff?”
    Officer Huff took in a deep breath and asked, “What about the audiotape?”
    “What are you talking about?” she said with a tone of exasperation.
    “Look, that telephone model has an answering machine in it. There are two miniature audiotapes, one for making the announcement and another for recording messages. It’s a screwy phone. Sometimes, if you lose power it records room sound or a voice, if someone is talking. Maybe when they cut the cord the receiver fell off its cradle and the answering machine was activated.”
    Chief Wilson stared at Huff slack jawed. Dr. Kruger looked at Huff with a bewildered gaze while the other officers squirmed in their seats.
    “How do you know that, Huff?”
    “Chief, I had one just like it.”
    Wilson immediately dispatched Detective Devlin to the crime scene to retrieve all the telephones.