Joe Clark had finally finished the horrible task of removing the car that had held the body of Ralph Waldon for 6 months. For the first time in his career he nearly lost his lunch as he had watched theDr coroner do his job. He had been very methodical at his task and every single item that was in the car would be saved the best they could.
Unfortunately as he was about ready to head home after a twelve hour shift he received the news that the cocroner wanted to talk to him. After what he had seen that afternoon meeting with Dr Mcgreggorr in the autopsy room was not something he wanted to do but this had raised his curiosity.
The doctor had been busy taking tissue samples and what he could do with the lab results when he heard the doorbell. He was sure it was the young officer and met with him quietly.
I called you because the cause of death has not been completely determined however, there is a good chance that he might not have died accidently. I want Benny to look that car over with a fine tooth comb as well as you. This man was dead before he hit the water. There is a lot of damage and the body is not in good condition so i am going to have a collegue of mine help me try and positively rule on the cause of death. But, right now I have ruled out a heart attack and all other organs seem to be in good shape also.
This was something that rattled Joe even more. He would have to contact the state police and the investigation was going to go full force. Tonight the district attorney would be opening the case. Slowly Tom. picked up the phone and called Sheri . He needed to speak to her . When Tom showed up he had two men from the state police with him. At this point she had no problem talking to them. She was honest about everything. After all she had nothing to hide Unknowing to her . At this point she should have had a lawyer. but she had no idea/ The police spoke to her parents seperately also on that night. i
Benny had owned a tow truck company in town for over ten years and had been very upset when he had gotten the cell that Ralph's car had been found. He knew Sheri and Ralph and had always wondered what had happened to the young man. But, he was tired and would give the car a thorough examination in the morning. He was just resting after a very stressful day in his office when two state troopers came in . They were there to inspect the car. Now, when you say inspect, that means. they took out every single fiber on the inside outside and in the trunk. They checked every single inch with a magnifying glass .
Steve Harris and Mark Weldon had worked homicide for the district attorney s office for over five years a piece and knew what to look for . All of the evidence would go to the crime lab in Springfield. Each and every piece that could be salvaged was placed in an envelope and marked with the location of where it was found and stamped with the date. The whole process took three days. and in the meantime the doctor had been very busy also.
Dr. Mcgreggor and his friend Dr Baldwin were able to find the cause of death. Ralph had been hit in the back of the head with a blunt object. Now it was very important that everything in the car be examined. Was it something that had come loose while he was driving? But, the results were inconclusive.
Steve and Mke were busy also. They spoke to the neighbors and coworkers of Ralph. They spoke to Sheri's friends and neighbors everyone claimed to have no idea what happened. They were all of the idea that Ralph and Sheri had been happy.
The lab tests came back with all the information on the items that had been found in the car and the couple's old apartment had been searched as well with a fine tooth comb. Fortunately, the apartment had been unoccupied since Sheri had moved out as the building had been condemned. There was a lot of information and evidence but nothing that was conclusive.
Dr. Mcgreggor had to complete his findings of the autopsy and with the same conclusion of Dr. Baldwin they felt that the blow to the back of the head may have been administered to Ralph sometime within twenty-four hours prior to his death. He might have a headache and may have had double vision at times, but might not have been aware of how badly he was hurt. If he had gone to the hospital, he could have possibly survived. It was his conclusion that he passed out and died and went into the water unnoticed. It was early in the morning and traffic was low at the time. There was a chance that no one would have even known as had apparently happened.
Mike and Steve decided to talk to Sheri once again. Perhaps Ralph had complained about a headache the night before. They called Sheri and she agreed to meet them once more at the house.
Sheri had been calling nearly daily trying to find out what had happened to her husband that day. She was beginning to worry because it seemed as though they were not being as open as they had once been with her. This time she wanted Tom to be with them also. She had known Tom before Ralph had died and she felt that he was on her side. At least she felt more comfortable with him in the room.
Tom had spent the past few weeks working twelve hour shifts. He had spent hours combing the canal. The canal was over five miles long and every single piece that was found was photographed and when possible sent to the lab for tests. He had walked the trip that Ralph had driven on that fateful day time and time again and had come up with not much. Everyone knew Ralph and everybody felt very bad, but there were no amazing finds.
When Tom got the call from Steve he was more than happy to go to Sheri's house. He was sure that she was an innocent widow.
