Minutes later, Steve contacted Sergeant Miller of the Amador County Police. He identified himself and relayed that their missing person's query made a match against their homicide victim, detailing at a high level that the victim was shot and found in the Bay.
To formally ID the body, positive dental records or family identification would be required. That would mean that a family member traveling to San Francisco had to make the claim. Steve could only imagine how difficult that would be for Mr. Goldman's loved ones.
"I'll pay a visit to the Goldman's house," Sergeant Miller decided. "I'll break the news and see how they want to handle it."
"I don't envy you on that one," Steve added. "It's a horrible coincidence, but Mr. Goldman was my teacher many years ago. I was surprised when this landed on my desk. Hoping against hope there's still some sort of mistake."
"No kidding," Sergeant Miller said. "Small world. Have you been out of the area long?"
"We left Tyler not long before I entered junior high, so almost twenty years ago."
"Do you ever get back here?" he asked.
"I often head up to Tahoe for skiing. As a matter of fact, I have been known to stop off at Benny's Burgers along the way. I have nothing but good memories of the area."
"Any of your family still here? I know that there are many families with deep roots."
"Yeah, my people were there from the beginning. I still have a load of cousins who live there, but they are all married with kids. They have their own lives, so we've lost touch some."
"That's what I love about this place. Nothing much changes here. People feel insulated here. It's still a great place to live and raise a family. That's why this is going to be such a shock to the community."
"Agreed. Well, let me know what they want to do. If they choose to come down here to make the claim, I can certainly meet them at the morgue," Steve added, feeling like it was the least he could do.
About an hour later, Sergeant Miller called back with the word that Mrs. Goldman took the news very hard. In addition to the bad news, the fear of seeing her husband in a cold morgue quickly set in and after several minutes she was inconsolable. With her kids out of the house, Sergeant Miller suggested that she call a friend or relative who could be with her while she processed the tragedy.
In no time, a pair of friends rushed to her side and gave comfort. Mrs. Goldman elected to have dental records sent to Bernie's team for the formal identification. The Sergeant had quickly arranged for a courier, so it would be handled expeditiously.
Steve understood and told Sergeant Miller that after Bernie confirmed the dental records, he and Mike would likely be out to Tyler to further their investigation. He knew the would want to interview the family and coworkers for any signs or clues that might help their case.
After hanging up, Steve looked up to find Mike standing in front of his desk. "Tyler tomorrow then?"
"Yeah," Steve answered. "I know those records will come back positive and we need to find out why he went missing back there and ended up here. The Sergeant said she was a wreck over what had happened, but perhaps we can find out the reason behind this."
"Another woman? A jealous husband?" Mike surmised.
"As much as I'd hate to think something like that, you just never know."
