Lightning at 200 Durham Street

by Ron Finch

  Tuesday, May 22

  DR. FRANK WHITTLES, the coroner, arrived at Herbert and Emeline’s farm shortly before 8 o’clock Tuesday morning. He brought his assistant Bobby Degood with him.

  The Coroner asked Emeline if he could speak to Herbert as soon as possible. She told him Herbert was in the barn, feeding the cattle, and Dr. Whittles headed that way.

  As soon as he entered the barn, Herbert hollered at him.

  “Hello, Frank! What’s the local coroner doing in my barn?” Herbert and Frank had been friends for many years, so with a big smile, Herbert added: “You’re just the guy I need. I’ve got lots of chores to do today.”

  Frank returned the smile. “At your earliest convenience, I need you to put me and my assistant on the right path to the cabin,” he said.

  “I’ll do that right now,” said Herbert. “We’re only about two minutes from the start of the trail.”

  Dr. Whittles and Bobby Degood followed Herbert to the start of the trail. By this point, the trail was well beaten down and the coroner and his assistant could find their way on their own. It was only a 20-minute walk to the hill with the big tree and when they arrived they noticed a crude sign posted on a nearby tree indicating with an arrow and the word “cabin” what direction to follow next. Just as they arrived in the clearing, the cabin door opened and Cst. Smith stepped out.

  “Good morning,” Cst. Smith said with enthusiasm. “I was getting tired of being here alone. The only company I had wasn’t very talkative. Did you see the signpost I put up this morning?”

  “The sign was legible, Jake, but you’re going to have to work on your craftsmanship,” said Dr. Whittles. “Now show me the victim.”

  Cst. Smith led the coroner and Bobby Degood into the cabin.

  “It’s still pretty smelly in here, Jake,” said Bobby.

  “You should’ve been here last night,” said Cst. Smith. “I’ve had all the window shutters open since about 8 o’clock last evening. It’s hardly noticeable now.”

  “Has anybody touched this body?” Dr. Whittles interrupted.

  “I don’t believe so,” said Cst. Smith. “The chief and I didn’t touch it, and from what we’ve been told nobody else has touched it since it was found yesterday afternoon.”

  “Get your notepad and pencil ready Bobby,” said Dr. Whittles. “Let’s take a look.”

  The coroner bent down close to the body. The body was face down on the cabin floor. Before turning the body, he examined the clothing, looking for blood or any tears in the material.

  “There appear to be no wounds on the victim’s back, and the clothes don’t appear to have been tampered with in any way,” he announced.

  Bobby carefully noted this information on his pad.

  “Okay, Bobby. You help me and we’ll turn her over.”

  “It’s a woman?” said Bobby.

  “Apparently so. Most men don’t wear fancy riding outfits like this,” said Dr. Whittles.

  He turned to Cst. Smith.

  “Did you see any sign of a horse around here? Or any place a horse may have been tied up?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to look yet,” said Cst. Smith. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

  “Would you mind taking a look around the perimeter of the clearing to see if there’s any sign that a horse has been here?” said Dr. Whittles.

  “Not a problem,” said Cst. Smith. And away he went.

  “Bobby, please note that there is a significant wound to the right side of her temple,” said Dr. Whittles. “There don’t appear to be any other external signs of trauma to the body. Also note that the body is not totally cold yet. But I don’t think there’s any point in using a thermometer to measure the body temperature. According to what I’ve read, the body temperature drops about 2 ¾ degrees Fahrenheit for every hour the victim has been dead. We know she had been dead some time prior to the boys finding the body. That was at or about 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon. That’s already more than 18 hours ago. According to the boys, there was a significant odour at the time of discovery, so she had been dead some time prior to that. Also, there is no rigor mortis remaining in the body. That means, again, she’s been dead more than 18 hours. So I don’t think I’m going to be able to place her time of death with much accuracy. But my experience tells me that she died probably not much more than a day prior to the time that the boys found the body.”

  Bobby made another note on his pad.

  “We’ll have to take the body back to town,” the coroner continued. “We can do a proper autopsy on her once the next of kin has been notified. But before we move the body we need to take a look around the area where she fell to see if there are any other clues. I didn’t bring the fingerprint kit with us today. That’s on tomorrow’s agenda. We do need to check the area close to the body to see whether there’s anything at all of interest. Once we have her on the stretcher and out of the cabin, we’ll take another look on the floor where the body has been lying.”

  After they completed their search of the surrounding floor area in the cabin, Dr. Whittles and Bobby very carefully lifted the body onto the stretcher. Then they carried the stretcher through the cabin door and placed it down very carefully in a grassy area just outside the door.

  “While we’re here, Bobby, we’re going to do a little inventory,” said Dr. Whittles. “So get your notepad out.”

  Their inventory included a small table, two wooden chairs, and a small cupboard.

  “There’s not much in here,” Dr. Whittles said. “This place is suspiciously empty. I have the feeling that maybe somebody tidied things up. For an old cabin that nobody knew about, it’s pretty clean and in decent repair. Those wooden shutters appear to have been used regularly.” He sighed. “Okay, Bobby, let’s leave the rest of this to the detectives.”

  Just then Cst. Smith returned.

  “Guess what?” he said, pointing. “About 100 feet from here, down where you see that clump three or four trees, there’s a tying post for horses. There’s also evidence that horses have been here before. Not far from there I also found what looks like a small dumpsite. There’s nothing really fresh there and it looks like someone has had at least one fire to burn a lot of it. I investigated further and found a place behind the cabin where someone’s been doing some cooking. It looks like they’ve dug a bit of a pit and put stones around it to keep the fire contained. It seems like the victim, and perhaps other people, have been here before. This cabin, that seems to be in such an isolated place, is not unknown to some people. A great place to have some solitude or to have a private meeting. Also, just past where I saw the tie-up for the horse, there appears to be a trail that leads away from here opposite from the direction we came from. The bush doesn’t seem to be near as thick in that direction.”

  “The Chief is going to be really pleased by your initiative, Jake,” said Dr. Whittles. “And I’m going to be really pleased after you help us get this body back to the farmyard.”

  “The Chief said I was supposed to guard the site,” said Cst. Smith.

  “Good try, Jake,” said the coroner, “but you know that when the body’s gone you don’t need to guard the site. The Chief told me you’re to come back to town with Bobby and myself.”

  “Oh well, I tried,” said Cst. Smith, smiling. “I suppose I have to help Bobby haul that body back through the bush?”

  “You are correct,” Dr. Whittles said with a grin. “Look on the bright side: think of all the exercise and fresh air.”

  “I hope there’s a good meal in it for me somewhere soon,” said Cst. Smith.

  “As soon as we get back to town I’ll take you to Mabel’s Diner,” said Dr. Whittles. “You know she serves the best big breakfast in town. We might get there a little late, but I know she’ll cook something up for a valuable policeman like yourself. The treat will be on the town of Chaseford.”

  With that vision in mind, Cst. Smith said: “Then let’s get this show on the road!”

  The four o
f them – three living, one dead – headed down the trail back to Herbert and Emeline’s farm.

  THAT SAME DAY AT SCHOOL there were quite a few rumours going around. There had been more excitement than usual on the Victoria Day holiday. I don’t think anybody else really knew much about what had happened, but with that party line, everybody knew the chief of police and his sidekick Jake had been out to Herbert and Emeline’s farm. They just didn’t know any of the details.

  Trigonometry was our last class of the day, and when Jay and I entered, Mr. Graf smiled at us, leaving us momentarily puzzled.

  “I will now collect those assignments that are due today,” he said. “You will be penalized with a late penalty if you’re not able to hand in your assignment by the end of class. I think I am being reasonable. I would like to point out to you that some assignments were handed in as early as last Friday. So you have no excuse.”

  We now understood Mr. Graf’s smile: we were the golden boys. At least for today. Hopefully no one else would find out who had handed in their assignments early.

  When the school day ended, it didn’t take long for Georgie and Sylvia to catch up with us. They were really looking forward to that walk home. They said they needed and deserved an update. And I guess they did. They had taken part in the first half of our adventure. And Sylvia had been the one who’d suggested the tree as a landmark. So we told them the whole story. We even told them about the body and that the coroner was supposed to be out there today.

  “Beyond that, we don’t know anything,” I said.

  I guess that was pretty exciting information for the girls. I knew they were going to pick up some additional points at home after talking to their moms and dads about these developments. This was about the biggest thing to hit Chaseford since that tragic car accident last year that killed two young people.

  Wednesday, May 23

  DR. WHITTLES, THE CORONER, was anxious to do the autopsy. He was hoping to perform it on Wednesday, but Wednesday morning had arrived and the body still hadn’t been identified. As the next of kin had not yet been notified, he did not have permission to perform the autopsy. The body would have to be kept on ice until the victim’s family could be located.

  Based on his visual examination, Dr. Whittles had determined that the head wound was not significant and was not likely a contributing factor to death. A woman dying alone in a remote cabin, no matter the cause, seemed to be very suspicious.

  THE CHIEF OF POLICE had been busy as well. He had made another trip out to the cabin and his return visit had left him baffled. No further clues had been found. He still wasn’t convinced that the cabin was the scene of a crime. In Chaseford and area, if they had a murder, it was usually a crime of passion. It wasn’t too complicated to figure out what had happened if a shooting or stabbing, or even strangulation, was involved.

  Upon his return to town, Chief Petrovic visited the coroner. Dr. Whittles informed him that, from his brief visual examination, he had doubts that it was a simple accident, or that the woman had died from natural causes. He asked the chief of police if he had had any luck identifying the body and finding the next of kin.

  “Not yet,” said the chief. “I guess your autopsy will have to wait. After listening to your opinion, Frank, I’m more inclined to think she may have met with foul play. I think we need the help of a bona fide detective experienced in murder investigations.”

  The chief of police talked to the mayor next. He told the mayor that he and the coroner had been discussing a body found in a cabin last Sunday. The chief described it as a suspicious death and asked for permission to consult with the police force in London. He told the mayor they needed to involve a detective experienced in the investigation of homicides. The mayor agreed. London was a city with a full-fledged police force with several departments and it had several respected detectives.

  After contacting the London police, the chief reported back to the mayor that they’d agreed to send him Det. Gerald O’Neill. Det. O’Neill would be arriving Thursday afternoon and would be available until the end of June, working on the case as needed. On days he wasn’t required in Chaseford, he was to report to the London police station for assignment. Until Det. O’Neill arrived, it was important for the chief of police to secure the crime scene, so it looked like Cst. Smith would be enjoying another campout in the woods. Something the police chief knew the constable would be eager to participate in.

  THE CHIEF AND DET. Gerald O’Neill left Chaseford for the cabin about 2:30 Thursday afternoon. On the trip out to the cabin, the chief brought Det. O’Neill up to date, telling him as much as he could remember. He even mentioned Jay and Joel’s school project. Det. O’Neill asked Chief Petrovic what he knew about the identity of the victim. The chief said there was nothing on the woman’s body to identify her, but the coroner placed her somewhere in her early 50s. The chief said he had one of his constables over at the county office attempting to trace the ownership of the land that the cabin sat on.

  The chief and Det. O’Neill made a brief stop at Herbert and Emeline’s farm for introductions. The chief told them he appreciated their cooperation and hoped that their routine wouldn’t be too disrupted over the next few weeks. He said that the second trail, the one leading to the cabin from the side road on the other edge of the bush, would be checked thoroughly today. Since the bush in that direction appeared not to be as dense, that was the trail they would likely be using most of the time in the future. Then the two policemen left and headed up the trail.

  When they arrived at the cabin, the chief introduced Det. O’Neill to Cst. Smith. Cst. Smith quickly determined that Det. O’Neill was a friendly fellow and someone who didn’t miss much.

  “Okay,” said the detective. “Take me on the tour, Jake. Let’s start with the cabin, then take a look at that cooking site. Next, we’ll look at the area where the horses were tied up. Then we’ll take a trip down the other trail to the next side road. By then, we’ll both be ready for supper.” Det. O’Neill turned to the chief. “When Jake and I head down the unexplored trail, would you be kind enough to drive around to the next concession and wait for us?”

  “I can do that,” said Chief Petrovic. “I had Jake scout out that trail yesterday. He followed it down to the next concession road. He said it’s a little over a mile and the bush goes pretty much to the road. On the other side of the road the land is fairly open. There’s very little bush. Jake put a Stay Out sign at the entrance to the trail.”

  “Okay, let’s head to the cabin,” said Det. O’Neill.

  Once they were in the cabin, the detective asked about the head wound the victim had received.

  “According to the coroner, it doesn’t look like the woman was struck with a heavy blunt object,” said the chief. “It looks more like she hit her head as she fell. The coroner doesn’t think it’s from hitting the floor.”

  “Looking at the chalk outline showing where the body was located, and where the furniture’s currently located, I don’t see what she hit her head on,” said Det. O’Neill. “Let’s see if something was moved.”

  “Wow,” said Cst. Smith. “That’s a great idea.” He was already impressed with the London detective.

  They got down on their hands and knees, examining the floor. Close scrutiny revealed that the small cupboard had been moved. Jake and the chief moved the cupboard back to what appeared to be its original position. That uncovered a stain on the floor where the cupboard had been sitting. When they got close to the stain, they noticed no odour, and the area was dry. Further examination of the cabin revealed no additional clues.

  They found nothing at the cooking site. The dumpsite yielded very little as well. They now found themselves at the spot where the horse or horses had been tied up.

  After closely examining the area near the tie-up post, Det. O’Neill said: “From the size of the area of grass that has recently been tramped down – that’s within the last week or so – I suspect more than one horse was tied up here. If you look cl
osely, you’ll also notice there are two different sizes of horseshoes in evidence. Either one horse was somewhat smaller than the other, or it’s not the same breed.” Det. O’Neill straightened up. “Okay, Jake, let’s head down the trail. We’ll meet you at the next side road, Chief.”

  “You’ll likely beat me,” said Chief Petrovic. “I have to walk the trail back to my car.”

  After they parted company, the detective turned to Jake.

  “It’ll take us a little time to do the trail. I’m going to take a look at the first four or five feet to the right of the trail while you take a look the same distance from the left side of the trail. Who knows what we may find.”

  The first 10 minutes were uneventful. Then Cst. Smith saw something shiny just a couple of feet further off the trail than he had been looking.

  “Wait a minute. Gerald, come over here. I think I found something. It looks like a tin cup.”

  “Don’t touch a thing,” said the detective. “If we’re lucky we’ll find fingerprints.”

  The two of them got down and did a thorough search of the nearby area and found another cup and an empty whisky bottle. They carefully put their prizes in Cst. Smith’s knapsack, pleased with their find. The journey down the rest of the trail was uneventful. When he arrived at the road, the chief was there.

  “Well boys,” said the chief, “either I’m really fast or it took you a bit longer than I thought it would.”

  “Gerald and I examined both sides of the trail and came up with some prizes,” said Cst. Smith.

  “It’s a little after six and I’m hungry,” said the chief. “Let’s go to Mabel’s Diner, have today’s special, and a chinwag.”

  Friday, May 25

  ON FRIDAY MORNING, Det. O’Neill, the chief of police, and Cst. Smith took one more thorough look at what they now thought was the scene of a crime. They didn’t turn up any more clues, however, so they returned to town for lunch.