transportation crew will be here in a little while and the autopsy will probably be Monday. I’ll have someone call to confirm the time.”
I said, “Doctor, can you answer a couple of quick questions before you go?”
“As long as they really are quick.”
“It takes a lot of force and something damn solid to smash in a whole section of skull. Any ideas as to what the suspect might have used besides a beer bottle?” I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Ash was leaning forward to look at something on the hand-hewn wooden table just to our right.
Grice looked thoughtful. “Assuming it was a weapon of opportunity, I’d say it might have been—”
“A large hammer!” said Ash. “Come and look at this!”
We all gathered around the table, which was being used to display a large collection of nineteenth-century tools. There were old saws, a couple of wood planers, a rust-pitted pry bar, augurs, and about a half-dozen antique hammers all lined up in neat rows. Ash pointed at an oversized hammer with an age-stained wooden handle and a blunt steel head that reminded me of a miniature sledge.
“What do you notice about that?” Ash asked.
I’m a typical guy with the standard myopic male view of just what constitutes tidiness, so it took a couple of seconds for me to figure out what she was talking about. Then I saw, and said, “Every other tool is covered with dust, except the hammer. In fact, it’s been wiped completely clean.”
“Could it be the murder weapon?” Ash’s eyes were bright with excitement.
“Let’s have Dr. Grice take a look.”
Grice bent low and cocked her head to peer at the hammer. “The striking surface is the right shape and about the same size as the injury. Unofficially, that’s probably what killed him, but I can’t say for certain until I do some precise measurements at the postmortem.”
“When will you know for sure?” Tina asked.
“I’m assuming you’ll send it to the state crime lab for processing?”
I said, “Yeah. Even though it’s been wiped down, there’s still a good chance they can recover some physiological trace evidence.”
“The crime lab is just down the hall from our facility. Once they’re done with it, I’ll take a look and call you with my results.” Grice snapped her briefcase shut and headed for the front door. “And now I’ve really got to go. See you Monday.”
Once the ME was gone, Tina said, “Even with the hammer, we don’t have probable cause to make an arrest.”
“No, but I think we’ve got enough suspicious circumstances to at least start tracking the Hummer.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
“It’s a premium GM product and a rental, so you can bet it’s equipped with the OnStar tracking system. The problem is that Olympus is probably going to want a search warrant before telling us anything.”
“Do we have enough to get one?”
“Yeah, but it’ll save us several hours of writing an affidavit if they cooperate.”
“I’ll give them a call.” Tina’s portable radio squawked and she answered it. The call was from one of the deputies, advising he’d just arrived at the museum. Slipping the radio back into the holder on her gun belt, she said, “Allsop’s here. What should we have him do first?”
“He’s CSI-trained, right?” I asked.
“Just back from the school.”
“Then have him begin photographing and processing the exterior of the building. Do you need me to come out and show you where the cigarette butt is?”
“No, I’m certain we can find it.”
“Good, and tell him to come and get me if he has any questions. Meanwhile, I’m going to finish up with my evidence collection in here before they come for the body. Do we have an ETA on the broom and dustpan?”
“Allsop has them. I’ll bring them in. I’m hoping to witness something I’ve never ever seen.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
Tina gave me a wicked grin before leaving the room. “A man actually sweeping
I said, “Doctor, can you answer a couple of quick questions before you go?”
“As long as they really are quick.”
“It takes a lot of force and something damn solid to smash in a whole section of skull. Any ideas as to what the suspect might have used besides a beer bottle?” I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Ash was leaning forward to look at something on the hand-hewn wooden table just to our right.
Grice looked thoughtful. “Assuming it was a weapon of opportunity, I’d say it might have been—”
“A large hammer!” said Ash. “Come and look at this!”
We all gathered around the table, which was being used to display a large collection of nineteenth-century tools. There were old saws, a couple of wood planers, a rust-pitted pry bar, augurs, and about a half-dozen antique hammers all lined up in neat rows. Ash pointed at an oversized hammer with an age-stained wooden handle and a blunt steel head that reminded me of a miniature sledge.
“What do you notice about that?” Ash asked.
I’m a typical guy with the standard myopic male view of just what constitutes tidiness, so it took a couple of seconds for me to figure out what she was talking about. Then I saw, and said, “Every other tool is covered with dust, except the hammer. In fact, it’s been wiped completely clean.”
“Could it be the murder weapon?” Ash’s eyes were bright with excitement.
“Let’s have Dr. Grice take a look.”
Grice bent low and cocked her head to peer at the hammer. “The striking surface is the right shape and about the same size as the injury. Unofficially, that’s probably what killed him, but I can’t say for certain until I do some precise measurements at the postmortem.”
“When will you know for sure?” Tina asked.
“I’m assuming you’ll send it to the state crime lab for processing?”
I said, “Yeah. Even though it’s been wiped down, there’s still a good chance they can recover some physiological trace evidence.”
“The crime lab is just down the hall from our facility. Once they’re done with it, I’ll take a look and call you with my results.” Grice snapped her briefcase shut and headed for the front door. “And now I’ve really got to go. See you Monday.”
Once the ME was gone, Tina said, “Even with the hammer, we don’t have probable cause to make an arrest.”
“No, but I think we’ve got enough suspicious circumstances to at least start tracking the Hummer.”
“And how are we going to do that?”
“It’s a premium GM product and a rental, so you can bet it’s equipped with the OnStar tracking system. The problem is that Olympus is probably going to want a search warrant before telling us anything.”
“Do we have enough to get one?”
“Yeah, but it’ll save us several hours of writing an affidavit if they cooperate.”
“I’ll give them a call.” Tina’s portable radio squawked and she answered it. The call was from one of the deputies, advising he’d just arrived at the museum. Slipping the radio back into the holder on her gun belt, she said, “Allsop’s here. What should we have him do first?”
“He’s CSI-trained, right?” I asked.
“Just back from the school.”
“Then have him begin photographing and processing the exterior of the building. Do you need me to come out and show you where the cigarette butt is?”
“No, I’m certain we can find it.”
“Good, and tell him to come and get me if he has any questions. Meanwhile, I’m going to finish up with my evidence collection in here before they come for the body. Do we have an ETA on the broom and dustpan?”
“Allsop has them. I’ll bring them in. I’m hoping to witness something I’ve never ever seen.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
Tina gave me a wicked grin before leaving the room. “A man actually sweeping
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