Welcome back to the continuing saga that is poorly titled (for now) "A Murder Story" although an earlier suggestion is really growing on me. This is the eighth part of the second day of this winding and twisting crime saga. I was writing this as part of NaNoWriMo -- sadly I didn't crack the 50,000 word mark but the writing continues...
If this is your first visit here, please feel free to go back and read the story from the beginning.
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“Ms. Pinkowski?” Miranda asked, already knowing the answer.
“Yeah,” Taylor said as he rubbed his eyes, “I had never seen anything like that before. If she was still alive she didn’t look like it. That was definitely a shitty way to go.”
Kline leaned forward as Miranda shifted in her chair, obviously still squeamish about hearing the details of her friend’s murder. “So,” Kline said as he inhaled the crisp morning air, “no noise. That’s when you ran back to your house?”
“Yeah. I got out of there fast. I mean I had just heard this all go down from my bed. I ran back, grabbed my phone from my bedroom and called 911.”
“Did you stay inside after you called?” Miranda asked inquisitively.
“No way, I was too nervous at that point. I paced around my living room a couple times but I headed outside and walked back and forth out here,” Taylor said as he pointed in a waving motion to the porch the trio was sitting on, “It seemed like just a few minutes before a cop showed up.”
“Officer Cornwell.” Kline stated.
“Yeah, she asked which unit I had heard the noise in and she sort of took it from there. I stood here and listened. I heard her on her radio and in a couple minutes the whole street was full of cops.”
“So,” Miranda began, “after you called 911 did you see or hear anyone or anything in the neighborhood that you’d consider suspicious.”
“Nope. It was as quiet as it always is and I stay up kinda late most nights so hearing anything around here past midnight is strange but, no, I didn’t hear or see anything suspicious.”
“Shit.” Miranda said bluntly. “Do these places have back doors too?”
“Yeah.” The next door neighbor replied just as bluntly.
“Thanks Mr. Briggs.” Miranda said as she stood up and pushed her chair in.
Kline extended his hand, shaking the hand of Taylor Briggs, “We’ll let you know if we have any more questions.”
“No problem.”
Lead Investigator Kline and Officer Grove walked down the townhome’s steps and towards Officers Cornwell and Meyer who were waiting under a Maple tree whose leaves fluttered in the light morning breeze.
“His story,” Kline said to Officer Meyer, “Is solid.”
“So,” Kline asked, “what all did you see when you got here Sherry?”
Tucking her hair behind her ears, the short brunette in her early 40s began, “Well, I pulled up here, lights on, no sirens, and asked the guy, Mr. Briggs, waiting outside which unit was the one in question. He pointed to Ms. Pinkowski’s home and I drew my weapon before I knocked on the door. I slowly pushed it open. Every light in the place seemed to be turned on so it was pretty easy to see what had transpired.”
“And what time was that?” Kline asked as he jotted notes.
“2:37 AM, sir.” Sherry stopped before recounting the rest of the details. “Once I saw the victim and the amount of blood I radioed for backup. I stepped outside and looked for a secondary path the perpetrator could have taken. I didn’t want someone that violent to be able to double back and surprise me before backup arrived. The only way back to the front door after going out the back door is a half a block in either direction. I checked things over and there’s kind of a trail behind here that runs alongside a park and a little pond. A few shrubs, some trees, a playground. Typical little neighborhood setup.”
“Alright,” Kline said before asking Officer Cornwell another question, “Any discernable footprints or anything that looked out of the ordinary back there?”
“No sir.” Cornwell answered politely. “It’s all concrete or pavement back there. All trails and sidewalks for the most direct routes. If the perpetrator knew his or her way around the area, even after just a cursory glance, they’d be gone in a couple of minutes. By the time I was checking back there it had been, um, about 14 minutes since the call came in.”
Officer Cornwell looked at her wristwatch a second time to make sure her details were correct.
“Sorry, sir, it was 15 minutes after the call that I was checking behind the townhome.”
“Okay,” Kline said as he dug in his heels, preparing to walk, “well Miranda, why don’t you and I check out that area behind here and Meyer and Cornwell I want you two to check around inside but check in with that asshole Jenkins first so that fat fuck thinks it’s his idea.”
Both Officers Meyer and Cornwell chuckled at Lead Investigator Kline’s comment about their boss and walked away in opposite directions.
With the sun now making its way higher up in the sky, Kline and Grove walked down the half block long sidewalk and around the corner, making their way quickly to the park-like area behind this block of townhomes.
“I’ll take this side,” Miranda said pointing to the area directly behind Ms. Pinkowski’s home, “if you want to check things out on the other side.”
“Works for me.”
“Yeah,” Taylor said as he rubbed his eyes, “I had never seen anything like that before. If she was still alive she didn’t look like it. That was definitely a shitty way to go.”
Kline leaned forward as Miranda shifted in her chair, obviously still squeamish about hearing the details of her friend’s murder. “So,” Kline said as he inhaled the crisp morning air, “no noise. That’s when you ran back to your house?”
“Yeah. I got out of there fast. I mean I had just heard this all go down from my bed. I ran back, grabbed my phone from my bedroom and called 911.”
“Did you stay inside after you called?” Miranda asked inquisitively.
“No way, I was too nervous at that point. I paced around my living room a couple times but I headed outside and walked back and forth out here,” Taylor said as he pointed in a waving motion to the porch the trio was sitting on, “It seemed like just a few minutes before a cop showed up.”
“Officer Cornwell.” Kline stated.
“Yeah, she asked which unit I had heard the noise in and she sort of took it from there. I stood here and listened. I heard her on her radio and in a couple minutes the whole street was full of cops.”
“So,” Miranda began, “after you called 911 did you see or hear anyone or anything in the neighborhood that you’d consider suspicious.”
“Nope. It was as quiet as it always is and I stay up kinda late most nights so hearing anything around here past midnight is strange but, no, I didn’t hear or see anything suspicious.”
“Shit.” Miranda said bluntly. “Do these places have back doors too?”
“Yeah.” The next door neighbor replied just as bluntly.
“Thanks Mr. Briggs.” Miranda said as she stood up and pushed her chair in.
Kline extended his hand, shaking the hand of Taylor Briggs, “We’ll let you know if we have any more questions.”
“No problem.”
Lead Investigator Kline and Officer Grove walked down the townhome’s steps and towards Officers Cornwell and Meyer who were waiting under a Maple tree whose leaves fluttered in the light morning breeze.
“His story,” Kline said to Officer Meyer, “Is solid.”
“So,” Kline asked, “what all did you see when you got here Sherry?”
Tucking her hair behind her ears, the short brunette in her early 40s began, “Well, I pulled up here, lights on, no sirens, and asked the guy, Mr. Briggs, waiting outside which unit was the one in question. He pointed to Ms. Pinkowski’s home and I drew my weapon before I knocked on the door. I slowly pushed it open. Every light in the place seemed to be turned on so it was pretty easy to see what had transpired.”
“And what time was that?” Kline asked as he jotted notes.
“2:37 AM, sir.” Sherry stopped before recounting the rest of the details. “Once I saw the victim and the amount of blood I radioed for backup. I stepped outside and looked for a secondary path the perpetrator could have taken. I didn’t want someone that violent to be able to double back and surprise me before backup arrived. The only way back to the front door after going out the back door is a half a block in either direction. I checked things over and there’s kind of a trail behind here that runs alongside a park and a little pond. A few shrubs, some trees, a playground. Typical little neighborhood setup.”
“Alright,” Kline said before asking Officer Cornwell another question, “Any discernable footprints or anything that looked out of the ordinary back there?”
“No sir.” Cornwell answered politely. “It’s all concrete or pavement back there. All trails and sidewalks for the most direct routes. If the perpetrator knew his or her way around the area, even after just a cursory glance, they’d be gone in a couple of minutes. By the time I was checking back there it had been, um, about 14 minutes since the call came in.”
Officer Cornwell looked at her wristwatch a second time to make sure her details were correct.
“Sorry, sir, it was 15 minutes after the call that I was checking behind the townhome.”
“Okay,” Kline said as he dug in his heels, preparing to walk, “well Miranda, why don’t you and I check out that area behind here and Meyer and Cornwell I want you two to check around inside but check in with that asshole Jenkins first so that fat fuck thinks it’s his idea.”
Both Officers Meyer and Cornwell chuckled at Lead Investigator Kline’s comment about their boss and walked away in opposite directions.
With the sun now making its way higher up in the sky, Kline and Grove walked down the half block long sidewalk and around the corner, making their way quickly to the park-like area behind this block of townhomes.
“I’ll take this side,” Miranda said pointing to the area directly behind Ms. Pinkowski’s home, “if you want to check things out on the other side.”
“Works for me.”
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Be sure to check back for the ongoing second chapter of this (hopefully) intriguing murder mystery!
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