Chapter 3
"H, Calleigh's idea of looking at the crime scene with fresh eyes paid off."
"How so?"
"The morning light was hitting the rug just right and I saw a shoe print right in front of where the vic would have been shot."
Horatio's cocked head showed his interest was caught.
"I also finally found the maid that serviced Brookline's place. She said she had spent the first hour of the morning in there cleaning that part of the rug. She said it got a lot of traffic and so she did a wet clean on it once a month."
"And someone stepped on it before it was dry?"
"Two, actually. One was our vic, backing up, and the other was a woman, walking forward. From the imprint, I'd say the woman was on the hefty side, too. It's much deeper than the vic's."
"Call Calleigh to let her know about this. According to Ms. Scarlatti, Mr. Brookline had a number of personal contacts with a variety of women. Apparently he had a parade through the lobby whenever he was home."
"Yeah, I already talked to Maxine about the bed sheet. Full mixture of male and female secretions in each stain. Apparently he was busy enough where nocturnal emissions were just not part of his life, at least not in the last week or so."
"Did the maid say how often she came to Brookline's condo?"
"Twice a week. I already talked to her about what she did. She came in early every day and if the bedroom door was closed, she didn't go in. She said our boy, Gunter, kept irregular hours. Sometimes he wasn't home, sometimes he was up when she came in, and sometimes he was still in bed, usually with a guest. She said she knew this because she could hear voices from behind the door, his and another woman, and it didn't sound like they were discussing world affairs."
"See if she can describe any of the women who were there."
"I forgot to mention about that. I already asked. None fit anything close to hefty. She mentioned hair color but that was about all."
"Well, it's a start. Keep in touch."
"Will do."
Putting his phone in his pocket, the detective next looked for the other member of his team he wanted to talk to. It took no time at all to spy the bright flow of yellow hair broken into prisms by the multiple layers of glass between him and Calleigh. He walked down a hall, turned right, and then left into the section of the lab where she had been working since early morning.
"Have you gotten anything from the samples, yet?"
"Some. Mostly soap residue from the shower drain with plenty of hairs so far. Thank goodness the maid was good at keeping the surface clean but didn't bother to use drain cleaner. The majority were hairs, both head and pubic. Most I think are Gunter's but I found women's too."
"That's unusual, isn't it? This is a new condo and the drains are all PVC which is very smooth."
"The pipe was smooth. It was the drain cover that wasn't very good. It was one of those that has only wide slots, instead of small holes like good ones do. It was good for washing most hairs down but it was fit over a wide lip. The soap residue got caught under that, which is a great place for all sorts of oddments.
Any tags on the hairs?"
"Two. From the color, I'm afraid they might be from the same person but I'll test, if I can. The residue may have contaminated the samples. I can compare Gunter's hair to what I find in the drain to see if any are similarities. I did find one interesting thing, a part of an earring."
"An earring? It didn't drop through the drain?"
"This type of earring is very light. It's an old fashioned kind, about a forty gage wire if that. It's just enough to hold its shape while being put through a small ear hole. Somehow it got caught in lip under the cover."
"So, no skin cells on it?"
"No, but we know that someone with pierced ears who wears dangly kinds of earrings was in the shower. The maid had hoop earrings with French hooks when I talked to her. I'll ask her if she wears the other kind."
"Call Eric. He's at the condo. He just talked with the maid and he can find her again."
"Do you have something else in mind for me?"
"You take care of the evidence here, first, please." His grin said he knew she hadn't.
"What about Noteworthy Enterprises?"
"I'll have Frank get a warrant. Noteworthy can wait until tomorrow morning. Oh, and I suggest you take Vince with you."
"He's on vacation. We have a temp who seems pretty good though. I think her name is Umeko."
"Good. Just so you have someone familiar with the tech talk by your side."
"Sounds like a plan."
"And, as always, keep in touch."
Before he left the lab section, Horatio heard Calleigh on the phone to Eric.
His next stop was to talk to Ryan Wolfe. "Looks like you have the sky finished."
"Yup! I worked last night until my eyes were fried and all the pieces looked the same. Got half of it done though. I think by the time I left, I had all the pieces memorized and I put them together in my sleep. It was a piece of cake when I came in. Now I'm working on the neck of the jar."
"You'll most likely find fingerprints there and on the base."
"I was thinking that, unless the bomber wore gloves."
"You'll know soon enough. Call me when you get results, yes or no, please."
When Ryan looked up to acknowledge the request, the doorway was empty.
A few seconds later, Horatio stood at the door to Maxine Valera's 'lair,' smiling gently. "Eric told me you've made some headway with the Brookline sheet."
Maxine caught the slight emphasis on Eric's name. "Oh gosh, Horatio! I'm so sorry I didn't tell you first. I apologize. I hadn't finished with the sheet and it was just in passing conversation with Eric. I still have four more spots to analyze and separate the male from female contributions.
"There are sixteen spots over a four foot by five foot area. Each is a mix of male and female contribution. The male contribution in the eight I've analyzed so far is all Gunter Brookline. Two were from the same female and the other four from different women. Once I have those, I'll run the DNA. As soon as I have it done, I'll run it all through CODIS and get the report to your desk. "
"Can you tell over what period of time these spots were made?"
"I'm guessing no more than a week." Her voice went up at the end of the sentence. From the way her eyes glowed, the guess was more like a hope that no one lived with the remains of that much sexual activity for any longer than necessary.
"Thank you."
No sooner had her boss left than Valera's eyes rolled as she stamped her foot.
That was all Natalia, who worked across the hall, needed. She scooted across and asked, "What was that all about, girl?"
"I told Eric about some results before I told Horatio! I guess Eric told him."
"Uh-oh, not good! How could you do that?"
"Wel-l-l," Maxine dithered. "Eric and I have been getting a little serious. I guess I'm getting far too casual about sharing. I just wanted to be careful about getting the full report done before giving it to Horatio. I didn't think Eric would blab!"
"Well, you two seeing each other is no big secret. Still, sharing case info before giving it to the boss is kind of a no-no. It's not all on you, though. Eric could have kept it confidential."
"That's if I had told him I hadn't given the report to Horatio yet."
"A-a-oh-h-h, yeah. Boss first, then the rest of the team no matter how close you are otherwise."
"What was Horatio's reaction?"
"Close to the vest, as usual. I think he suspects and is letting it go."
"Just don't slip again."
Valera sighed as her large eyes shone, "You're telling me!"
Before Natalia could turn to leave Valera stopped her, "Hey, wait, what do you mean Eric and I are no big secret?"
Natalia rolled her eyes. "Think, girl! Remember when Calleigh and Frank started seeing each other? Remember how we worried that Eric would feel hurt before we found out that he and Calleigh had decided it was best to be friends? Information in a team as close as ours just flows around the halls."
"Jeez, you make it sound like we all know when the girls are on the rag."
Natalia flopped her hand at Maxine. "Hey, I wouldn't be surprised if we were all in sync every month."
Maxine's eyebrows went up in surprise before she realized she was being had. "Get out of here; I have work to do."
Horatio had indeed known Valera and Delko had been an 'item' for some time now. Just how close, he didn't know and wasn't concerned about. There were times, however, when being close with a team mate interfered with procedure. He, as head of the department, had to not just be kept in the loop, he had to be first and last link. This wasn't just brass-hat protocol; he had to know all the parts of the puzzle as they were discovered and be able to put everything together; then, if things went haywire, he had to be able to find the source and mop up the mess, to protect his team; plus he had to find a way to prevent it from happening again. This time, there was no harm done. In fact, no doubt, Valera would double time results to make up for the lapse.
As the veteran of more than twenty years headed down to the morgue, he pulled out his phone. "Frank? I'd like you to go get a warrant for Noteworthy Enterprises. Make it for a general search of Brookline's work area and any computers he used plus the backups for a year. Since they seem reluctant to reveal Mr. Brookline's exact duties as an employee, we'll just have to poke around on our own. Calleigh's already been there twice. Mr. Brookline seemed to entertain an inordinate number of women at home, I'm thinking there might be some connection between his work and his personal life."
He provided the address. "When you get it, would you please give it to Calleigh?"
Pocketing his phone, Horatio was glad Frank didn't say he knew all about her visits to Brookline's workplace. No doubt, he did know, but he was expert enough at protocol where he knew what information to keep to himself.
Down in the bowels of the police department, Horatio pushed through the double doors that took him into the examining room. "Dr. Loman, do you have any more information about young Mr. Brookline?"
Tom Loman looked up from another body he was working on and smiled broadly. Quickly pulling a sheet over the one, he led Horatio to one of the refrigerated lockers, opened it and pulled out the tray. "I'm supposing you're wondering about the order of the shots?" His tone made him sound like he was about to unveil a new sculpture by a famous artist.
"I am."
The medical examiner grandly pulled the sheet down to mid-thigh. "There were three gunshots to the torso first. The first bullet was from about four feet away. It was a through and through passing between he ribs, through the left pulmonary artery of the heart, down through the right atrium and just missing the scapula behind the arm pit. It left the body at approximately a seventeen degree angle off of the primary trajectory which indicates a left handed shooter. The next two were from two feet and then approximately twelve inches away, indicating the shooter was advancing. These second two went through the heart, shredding what was left of it six ways from Sunday. The first of those also exited the body but the last ricocheted around making hash of lungs and the liver."
He turned to pick up a small jar. "This is the bullet. It looks pretty mashed up. I'm supposing you found the other two bullets?"
Without waiting for confirmation he continued on. "I'm happy to relate that the man was quite dead or at least mercifully unconscious when the last two shots at the groin were done. It was so obvious the shooter aimed first at one half of the scrotum and then the other. If those were the only injuries, reconstruction would have been a mess and of course, any future generations from him would have been out of the question."
"I see. Anything else?"
Like a third grader at Show and Tell, Dr. Loman proudly began again. "Oh, indeed! The young man was the source of two different STDs; Chlamydia, two strains of it, and Gonorrhea. He was lucky he didn't have more. He must have been quite the playboy from the invasion of the bacteria up through his urethra. The women he knew were even more lucky. At least Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are curable. I didn't find any needle marks or other evidence of drug abuse but I sent a blood sample up to toxicology anyway. Internally, before the bullets did their work, he was in excellent shape."
"Thank you, doctor." Horatio turned to leave.
"Oh, wait! I saved the best for last!"
"Yes?"
Loman grabbed the light on the reticulated metal arm of the swinging fixture which hung from the ceiling and aimed it at the dead man's chest. Having set the stage, he dramatically pulled the sheet down to the mid waist level. "The last sexual encounter he was with was a biter!"
Horatio looked at the man's chest with keen interest.
"I'm guessing one of his erotic turnons was to have his vestigial nipples sucked or licked, but this time he was bitten. I've known of some men who like to bite but not many women. There's no evidence of other scarring so this was not a regular occurrence for him. He wasn't a masochist. I'm guessing this sexual encounter may not have ended well. From the amount of bruising around the well defined teeth marks, I'd say it happened within twenty four hours before death. Hazarding a guess, I'd say she bit and he told her to leave. Perhaps she got mad or this was the last straw on top of various straws?"
"You took pictures?"
"From every angle. I also made an imprint." Loman turned to the instrument table, picked up a plastic box and handed it over to Horatio.
Horatio examined the contents inside the clear plastic. "It doesn't look like our usual imprinting material."
Dr. Loman's smile was almost gleeful. "It's my own formula. I developed it while studying forensic medicine. It isn't as heavy as the stuff CSI regularly uses and is less likely to press the swelling down. It also takes one third less the amount of time to set. The impression is sharper, guaranteed."
Uncertain of how to put his next words Horatio looked around the lab, unconsciously drawing his hands together at his beltline. Before he could speak, Tom's face became more serious.
"I know! I know. Just to be sure, you'd like an imprint using the approved material. Well, I already have it and here it is." The six foot two man bent down to the second shelf of his tray and pulled out another box. "I used exactly the same methods and I think you will find my formula produces a sharper print. However, it is now in your hands so do with it what you will." He bent his head with a look of resignation.
"Both of these will be compared and the best will be used, I promise."
Horatio left not seeing the small smile of self satisfaction on the medical examiner's face.
"Calleigh, when you are finished with the lab work, would you follow up on Brookline's exact duties on the job? Frank is getting you a warrant. I have a feeling his demise had something to do with the occupation."
Before he could punch in another number, his phone rang. "Yelina, I was just about to call you." Yes, dinner tonight would be fine. Tony Chan's Waterclub? Great! I'll see you there about seven."
It wasn't that he and Yelina had never seen each other over the last four years since her return from Brazil. She had helped him immensely as a Private Investigator in the last few years with a whole variety of cases. And yet, it was all business then. Somehow, police never got together with anyone but other officers. He hadn't meant it to be that way but she seemed to accept it for what it was. Now, as a fellow officer again, they were more likely to socialize again. Whatever the excuse, he'd take it. He had missed her friendship.
The phone rang. "Yes, Eric."
Horatio bowed his head as he listened, then replied, "The maid says she doesn't notice or doesn't care to say who she saw come and go? Let's hope that if it comes down to doing an I.D. her memory will be better. It may not be that important anyway.
Alright, I'll see you when you get back."
A very large shadow loomed beside Horatio. Without looking up, he asked, "Do you have the warrant, Frank?"
The detective who always carried his Texan roots like a banner put his hands on his hips. "I handed it to Calleigh just now."
"Have you found out anything more about that gem shop?"
"Nada. Not a one of them has had so much as a speeding ticket. All of the material is legally obtained and all they do is polish it, string it or set it, and sell it."
"So, the only bad guy here is the one who came in and planted the device."
"Yeah, only we don't know why. Do you think it will happen again, Horatio?"
"When I was with the bomb squad, we almost never saw a bomber make only one bomb. But then, I have to say, I never saw a bomb like this."
"I've got men out questioning other rock shops. Maybe the first one wasn't the main target."
"We're thinking along the same lines in the lab. Hold on a minute, Frank, Wolfe should have a print by now. Let me call him."
Horatio pulled out his phone and speed dialed. Less than a second later, he heard the distant ring which abruptly broke off as a voice from the phone said, "Wolfe."
"Do you have a print yet?"
"It's a bust, Horatio. Smudges where prints could be indicate the suspect wore gloves."
Hearing the results, Frank's thin lips disappeared in his anger. "So, I guess we wait for the next blowup."
"We can only hope is that it is merely pranksters with no intent of serious injury."
"Yeah, like Miami has no hurricanes! Damn I hate having to wait for the next thing to happen" He turned on his heel declaring, "If you need me I'll be helping to bust a drug house. At least I know what's what in that kind of a place. There's always a few of them who put up a fight. I have to get some of this frustration out of me."
Watching the six foot four police detective stomp down the hallways, Horatio called out, "Have fun, Frank."
He couldn't blame the man. Both of them knew the likelihood of this crime escalating from the relatively harmless damage done yesterday to a full scale annihilation of life and property was almost positive. At the moment, however, nothing could be done.
TBC
