Chimera by Ken Goddard

nodded silently to the white-coated technician standing guard beside the table, and then bent forward to examine the entry wounds through the left side of Tongproh’s exposed and empty lower skull.   The upper half of the sergeant’s skull and his brain were lying in a tray hovering over his dissected-out chest cavity.   Next to the skull top was a small stainless steel bowl containing two partially-mushroomed bullets lying in a bloodied wad of gauze.
    “Do you see something of interest, Khun Ged?” Colonel Kulawnit asked quietly as he walked up beside Bulatt.
    For reasons that were completely beyond Bulatt’s comprehension, the Colonel now seemed calm, almost at peace with himself.   But beneath that calm exterior, Bulatt sensed a vengeful presence waiting patiently to be released.
    “The uniform shirts belonging to the sergeant, the corporal and the constable,” Bulatt replied, still staring at the pair of bullets in the bowl.   “The blood-splatter patterns suggest all three men had their heads turned sharply to the left when they were shot from the left side.   It also appears that your son’s head was turned sharply to his left when he was shot from the right side.”   Bulatt hesitated.   “Do we know if any of them managed to fire a shot of their own?”
    Colonel Kulawnit and Bulatt both turned to look at Major Preithat who had joined them beside Sergeant Tongproh’s body.
    “It appears not,” Preithat said.   “All of their pistols and rifles were found fully loaded, as were all of their extra magazines and ammo pouches.”
    “Was there anything about their jeep that tells you something about the direction of the fired shots?” Bulatt asked.
    “Not that I’m aware of.”   Preithat shook his head.   “The jeep appears untouched by gunfire, externally and internally.   There were some blood spatterings on the left front and rear seats, and perhaps some on the right passenger seat, but that’s all.   Our crime scene team is now examining the jeep and searching the area where it was found.   I will take you there, once we are finished here.”
    “Would Lieutenant Kulawnit have been sitting in the front passenger seat?” Bulatt asked.
    “Yes, that would be normal procedure.   And Sergeant Tongproh would have been driving.”
    “So Lieutenant Kulawnit could have been standing outside the jeep, on the right side, and the others could have been standing outside the jeep on the left side, or perhaps behind the jeep, when the shooting occurred?”
    “Yes, that could be consistent with our procedures; especially if they were confronting someone,” Preithat said.
    “And could have been surprised by a second person — someone they didn’t know was there?”
    Preithat nodded silently, the expression on his face slowly shifting from controlled rage to thoughtfulness.   Finally, he said:   “I have known Sergeant Tongproh for many years.   He was a very professional police officer, and very careful in the field; easily my best non-commissioned officer.   I still find it difficult to believe that anyone could have surprised him like this.”
    “Surprise being the key word,” Bulatt said.   “Which is interesting, given the condition of these bullets —” Bulatt nodded his head at the stainless steel bowl, “— which, I assume were removed from Sergeant Tongproh’s head?”
    The pathologist — who was now standing beside Major Preithat — nodded silently.
    “Why do you say that?” Preithat asked.
    “They didn’t mushroom very much.”
    “Is that significant?”
    Bulatt shrugged.   “Perhaps not; but nine-millimeter hollow-point rounds are usually high-velocity and do a good job of expanding after they hit a solid target.   The fact that these didn’t suggest a number of possible situations: long-distance shots, reduced powder-loads, old ammo, or — perhaps more likely in this case — a silenced pistol; which could explain how Sergeant Tongproh and the others were all