CHAPTER SEVENTY
Officer Hendrix was standing on Earl’s porch as she heard the siren’s coming her way. She stepped off the porch as Chief Miller and Det. Fairchild pulled up to the curb, as they rode together. Three more black-and-whites had just arrived several minutes before them.
Miller and Fairchild came up the small walkway toward Hendrix. Miller spoke first, “Earl inside?”
“Yes sir.”
Fairchild told one officer to go around back of the house and make sure no one comes or goes. He stationed a second officer at the front porch and told a third to keep traffic flowing past the house; no stopping to gawk as it were, even though no one was usually up at this late hour.
Miller, Fairchild and Hendrix now entered the house. Earl Schulz was lying on his back, eyes open, in his living room. There were two bullet holes to his forehead and his pants and underwear had been pulled down around his ankles, exposing his groin area. Both testicles and his penis had been cut off and placed between his knees on the floor. A bloody kitchen knife was lying near the top of his head.
Fairchild looked straight at Hendrix, “Tell me, did you touch or move anything? I mean anything at all.” His voice was stern and unwavering, but not condescending.
“No sir. I did not touch anything.” She said looking him straight in the eye.
Miller now took over the questioning of Officer Hendrix, “How did you know Earl was dead?”
She wet her lips as she remained standing at attention, “I was on patrol and I noticed Mr. Schulz front door was standing wide open. I found that to be suspicious with all that has been happening lately. So I stopped and went to the doorway. I looked in but saw nothing, so I knocked loudly and hollered ‘Police’ with no answer. As I entered his living room I saw him on the floor. I saw the two gunshot wounds to his head and saw the bloody knife just before I noticed his private parts had been removed. I ran to my cruiser and radioed dispatch. I then returned to the front porch to wait for assistance.”
“So, you did not reenter the house?” Fairchild now asked.
“That is correct sir.”
“You’re sure you didn’t…”
“I think Officer Hendrix has answered that question, don’t you Det. Fairchild?” Miller said flashing him a firm look, “Thank you Officer Hendrix, you may go outside and assist the other officers,” Fairchild just shook his head and remained silent.
She pivoted, and strutted outside as ordered, and felt good about Chief Miller cutting Det. Fairchild off at the knees on her behalf, or at least, that’s how she saw it to be.
Doc Otis now sauntered through the doorway into the living room as he was directed by the officer at the front door. “Well, well, well, what have we here?” he says kneeling by the body.
Fairchild and Miller look at each other and roll their eyes at how flippant Doc is over the gruesome murder of their friend.
Doc stands up, but then wavers a mite and sits down on the couch. Dick leans over to whisper in Thomas’ ear, “He’s plastered.” Thomas nods in agreement.
“So Doc, what’s your official ruling on this?” Fairchild asks.
“What?” Otis seems to be having trouble focusing.
“I said! What’s your…!”
“Please, don’t yell, I had a few drinks last night. My head hurts somethin’ fierce.” Doc whimpered in a low voice as he held his throbbing head.
Miller now asked softly, “We need you to state for the record that this is a murder, Doc.”
“Oh, yes, indeed, it is a homicide. Ah, could one of your nice officers take me home? I feel a mite nauseated.”
“Dick, would you be so kind?” Thomas asked with a slight grin.
Fairchild groaned, then took Doc by the arm and pulled him off the couch to a standing position. Assisting him to the front door he complied with Chief Miller’s request and had him driven home.
Fairchild returned to the living room where he and Miller now decided to search the rest of the house. Nothing would stand out as they went room to room. All seemed normal and nothing seemed to have been disturbed or out of place.
“No sign of a break in, but then again, Earl never locked his doors.” Fairchild noted.
Miller added, “So it would have been easy access for the murderer.”
After photographs, prints and tagging the bloody knife, it would be up to them to remove the body, and take it to the basement storage unit in the municipal building, where there was limited freezer storage for stiffs.
Once a new coroner had been assigned, he could do an autopsy and retrieve the bullets for examination over at the SCB lab. Just a matter of time before they would know whose gun had been used, leading them to their killer.