by Ron Finch
Chief Petrovic read the following extract from the letter:
The arm and the leg are from two different bodies. At this point in our forensic investigation, it appears that the arm is from a male and the leg is from a female. Both limbs appear to be from adult bodies.
The body parts appear to have been frozen for a long time, implying they have not been recently severed from a torso.
We have no way to determine how long ago the bodies were frozen. We cannot give an accurate timeline.
“Hmm,” said the chief. “This certainly is not the report I anticipated. Strange as it seems, after reading this, I think we should be looking for a location where bodies could be stored and frozen.”
Dr Whittles just stared at him.
WHEN I SHOWED UP AT my parents’ house a little after 6 o’clock everyone hollered ‘Congratulations!’
There was a big celebration at the Franklin home that evening. Granny Watson had spent most of the day in the kitchen, baking two apple pies and getting a roast beef ready for supper. As soon as Emmylou came in from school, Granny put her to work too. Emmylou was 12 and in grade 7 at Chaseford Public School. She could be very helpful when motivated. My mom pitched in too, as soon as she got back from the store. They wanted to surprise me with a party celebrating my new position as a police constable.
Now I’m contributing too, I thought, delighted.
When our visit and supper was over I excused myself. I had to get some sleep now that I was a defender of the public, I said. They laughed and I headed for the door. On my way out, Granny handed me what was left of the pie.
“I know you’ll need a snack,” she said.
With a full stomach and a pie in my hand, I headed home to the store.
As soon as I entered the store through the back door, Walter said (or sent): “Glad you had a good time tonight. You deserve it.”
Walter still resided at 200 Durham Street, as he always would, and we had talked every night since I had come back to Chaseford. When I was in London at University, we didn’t communicate directly the way we could now. I would check with him once a week, but it was usually through an intermediary essence. These messages kept me well informed about what was going on at 200 Durham Street. Our skills had improved, but our long-range communication still wasn’t good for much more than a couple of miles. Some essences had far greater sensitivities and corresponding ranges than me and Walter, but the store was well within our communication range.
Walter and I discussed the ‘body parts investigation’. He told me that he had been in touch with local essences but that none of them were aware of any situations where bodies had been dismembered. Walter and I agreed that anyone faced with the prospect of dismemberment would be in an extreme state of anxiety and anger. It was this type of situation that resulted in people like Walter and Louise Carter remaining as electromagnetic presences, or essences, as Walter and I had decided to call them. Walter said that he would continue to check around and that if he found anyone with information he would tell me where to find them.
Friday, December 23rd
IT WAS 9 O’CLOCK FRIDAY morning. Chief Petrovic started the meeting by reminding everyone of the potluck supper at his place that night at six.
“Our first item of business today,” he then said, “is an examination of the maps that Cst. Jarvis has prepared.”
Jay had made copies of the maps for everyone on 18-inch-wide shelving paper. It was a good size to work with for this project. He handed out the maps and briefly explained what they showed. You could tell he had spent a lot of time on the drawings.
Cst. Herman complemented Jay on the maps and then turned to the chief. “Is the plan to visit all the properties shown in the two areas outlined on the map?”
“It’s the best plan we have for now,” replied the chief. “Unless someone comes forward with information about the body parts, we’re just going to have to use good old-fashioned police work and do a lot of walking and talking. This could be a long investigation.” The chief added: “The time that Jay has spent on preparing these maps is much appreciated.
“Another arm was discovered yesterday,” he continued. “It was found well within the area Jay has shown on his maps. That makes me feel that Jay’s maps are a good starting point.
“I also have some news from the forensic lab in Toronto. I was really concerned after reading the latest letter from Dr. Whitehead. What bothered me the most, aside from the horrific nature of the crime, was the second point in Dr. Whitehead’s summary, which was as follows: ‘The body parts appear to have been frozen for a long time’. Implying they have not been recently severed from a torso.”
“I think I understand what you’re suggesting, Chief,” I said. “The fact that the crime could have occurred any time over a large number of years makes finding the crime site extremely difficult.”
“Thank you, Joel. You’re correct. In fact, the crime scene may no longer exist,” said the chief.
“So are we trying to do something that’s impossible?” asked Cst. Smith.
They all looked at one another.
“Not impossible, but extremely difficult,” the chief answered.
“Earlier in the meeting, Chief, you said we would have to do a lot of walking and talking,” said Cst. Herman. “From what you’ve just said now, it seems to me that we have to look at all current buildings on all the properties and also look at all the building sites of buildings that may have been torn down in the past. I’m not certain how we’re going to locate the sites of buildings that are no longer standing. In other words, we have to look everywhere, and when we look, we have to take to notice of whether the configuration of the land has changed at all in the last fifty years. Sir, that sounds to me like a huge chore.”
“It is a huge chore, Cst. Herman,” said the chief. “I want all of you to get a lot of rest over Christmas because we will be doing a lot of walking and talking after that. Does anyone have any other ideas?”
“Jay does excellent work,” said Cst. Smith. “I’m wondering about another map or an addition to this map. I think if a body part was found by a dog, and if we know where the dog’s home is, we should show that home as a point on the map as well.”
“Good idea,” said Chief Petrovic. “Let’s incorporate those lines on the map, too, Jay.”
IT WAS THE LAST FRIDAY before Christmas. Chief Petrovic and his wife had decided they would host a potluck supper at 6 o’clock for all four constables and our wives or girlfriends and children. Aside from the chief’s two teenage daughters, there would be six children present. That meant Chief Petrovic would have to wear his Santa suit.
I was the only constable not married, but my fiancée Georgie was attending the party with me. Cst. Herman and his wife had a little boy of seven and a little girl of four. Cst. Smith had two boys, four years old and six years old. Jay and Sylvia were bringing Baby Brad. Brad was fifteen months old and he had mastered walking. He had reached a dangerous age because he could crawl fast and pull himself up to his feet. He was a very curious boy.
The chief’s two teenage girls had been told ahead of time they were on babysitting duty. They looked forward to this, especially to helping with Baby Brad. The chief and his wife were supplying the turkey and the Christmas pudding. Everyone else had a list of food to bring.
It turned out to be a great evening. The food was good and there was plenty of it. There was lots of squealing from little voices and a constant babble of adult voices. Just after the table had been cleared, and everyone was comfortably seated, Cst. Herman’s little boy suddenly said: “I hear bells.”
“Let’s be quiet and listen,” said Chief Petrovic’s oldest girl.
Everyone hushed.
“I hear the bells now,” said Cst. Herman’s daughter.
“I think the sound of bells is coming from outside the front door,” said Georgie. “Maybe one of you should go open it?”
The little boy who had first heard the bells ran and opene
d the front door. He was so startled that he jumped back. Santa was there with a bag full of toys.
Santa Ho-Ho-Ho’d his way into the living room and sat in Chief Petrovic’s favourite chair. The gift-giving and fooling went on for an hour.
Everyone got a gift except Chief Petrovic. He must’ve been called away on police business. Santa left after he’d had a hot drink of cider and a piece of Christmas cake. Shortly after, the chief returned and asked the small children if anything exciting had happened while he was gone. That resulted in another ten minutes of happy babbling as small voices explained the visit that had occurred.
At the end of the evening, just as everybody was retrieving their winter gear and getting ready to head home, Chief Petrovic’s youngest daughter came and whispered something to him.
“Keep the dog in the back room,” said the chief. “Once everyone has left, I’ll go out and take a look.”
After all the goodbyes Chief Petrovic went to the back, closed-in porch to see the dog and the human arm he had brought home with him.
December 31st, 1932
1932 HAD BEEN A DIFFICULT year for everyone I knew, and probably for most other people in the world. The Great Depression just seemed to keep going and going. For Jay and me, though, things had brightened up a bit. We had paying jobs. The pay was very low at $10 a week, but we felt good because we were doing something we enjoyed.
I invited Georgie to my place for New Year’s Eve. Jay and Sylvia were coming too. Georgie came over early. She brought a few balloons she had purchased as well as some coloured paper chains she had made. Georgie said we were going to make my small space into an enchanted party room for our New Year’s celebration.
When she came in, smiling as usual, I couldn’t resist. I kissed her and asked her to marry me. She looked at me and said, “I love you, Joel, but I thought we’d decided we needed more time to be financially ready?”
I answered by taking an engagement ring out of my jacket pocket.
“I have a job now,” I said, “and when I see the happiness that Jay and Sylvia have, I want to start sharing my life with you now.”
Georgie kissed me again. “Let’s get married,” she said. Then she added: “Is this is a real ring?”
We both laughed and kissed again.
Jay and Sylvia arrived at about 8 o’clock. Sylvia’s parents, the Graysons, were having another couple in to help them welcome the New Year, so Sylvia’s mom was glad to look after Baby Brad. Clara was a proud grandma and probably couldn’t wait to show off her first grandson. We had snacks and drinks for the evening and a bottle of good wine that Cst. Smith had given me that I had saved for the occasion. Jay was a bit of a history buff and I knew from previous New Year’s Eves he would want to talk about big events from the past year.
By 9 o’clock, after our first glass of wine, Jay said – trying to sound like the voice in the Movietone News – “It’s time for the year in review.” Then, in a more normal voice: “I want everyone to tell me what they thought was the biggest story from 1932.”
“That’s easy for me,” said Sylvia, “but it is a terrible story. It was the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby back in March. He was only a few months older than Brad Junior. If that happened to Brad Junior, I don’t know whether I’d want to live.”
“They haven’t caught the kidnappers yet,” said Jay, “but it’s such a high-profile case that I know they’ll catch them.”
“I’m scared to death of what’s happening in Germany,” I said. “I think the Nazis will eventually take over. After the election in July, the Nazis had gained far more seats than any other party since the last election. With the unemployment rate jumping from 8.5% to 30% in Germany because of the depression, the German people want a strong personality to lead them. I’m convinced that if Hitler has the opportunity, he’ll declare himself a leader responsible to no one. A dictatorship in a powerful country by a man like Hitler spells an awful lot of trouble for the rest of the world.”
“You’re painting a scary picture, Joel,” said Georgie. “My biggest story of this year is the surprise engagement between me and Joel.” Then she flashed her ring. It didn’t flash much.
Immediately, Jay’s year-in-review ended. Sylvia and Georgie were hugging and babbling. Jay shook my hand.
“How did you ever get her to agree to marry you?” he said. “You’re a lucky man.”
After that announcement, we opened the bottle of wine early. We finished the wine with toasts as midnight rolled by into 1933.
After Jay and Sylvia left, Georgie and I sat at the small card table I had set up in my room. I looked at her and said, “I love you, and I really want to marry you, but I have to tell you something first.”
“Aha,” she said. “True confessions. You’re supposed to tell me these things before you propose.”
“I know,” I said, “but you looked so beautiful tonight that I got carried away. You know I love you.”
“Confess,” she said.
I told her the story of Walter. I even showed her the scar from the lightning. I told her that something in my brain had been stimulated by the lightning, and that this stimulation had resulted in my ability to communicate with Walter. I told her that I communicated with Walter regularly. I told her I could talk to him or communicate to him right now if I wanted to. I told her how important he had been in helping me find the medallion that led to the successful conclusion of the Louise Carter murder investigation. I told her he wasn’t present anywhere except 200 Durham Street. At that address, he wasn’t detectable to anyone but me or someone else if they had the special ability I had. I told her she wouldn’t see him or notice him. I told her he posed no danger to anyone. He couldn’t cause harm because he couldn’t physically do anything. I told her that Walter and I had agreed to use the term essence to describe him. I told her no one else knew my secret, not even my parents or Jay.
When I finished, Georgie had lots of questions. Her first question was, “Are you crazy?”
“I don’t think so,” I answered. “But I am different.”
“You certainly are,” she replied.
We both laughed.
“I’ll kiss you one more time to see if you still seem the same,” she said.
We kissed again, and she said, “You’re still the same.”
After talking some more, Georgie seemed satisfied that I wasn’t insane and we talked about the wedding. We decided to get married on Saturday, June 3rd.
“It’s after 1 o’clock,” said Georgie. “You better walk me home so I can break the news of our engagement to my parents. Your other secret is safe with me.”
Monday, January 9th
THE CHRISTMAS AND NEW Year’s season had been hectic for everyone. Jay and Joel got their first taste of domestic disputes and breaking up fights and other public disturbances owing to excessive alcohol consumption. This time of year brought out either the best or the worst in everyone. Not everyone was hearing the message of peace on earth and goodwill to all. The rookie constables weathered it, though, and soon learned that they would end up taking the odd punch in the course of duty.
At 9 o’clock Monday morning, everyone met in Chief Petrovic’s office. He looked around at them and said, “Aside from the odd bruise, you guys look pretty good.”
“They’re learning sir,” said Cst. Herman.
“They’re getting better at ducking at the right time,” said Cst. Smith.
The three experienced policemen chuckled. The most the rookies could muster was a smile.
“I have some exciting news for you,” said the chief. “We’re going to embark on a long journey.”
“I believe you meant to say: ‘a long, paid-for, relaxing journey to a warmer climate’,” said Cst. Smith.
“Not exactly,” the chief replied. “I shouldn’t have used the word ‘we’ in connection with the journey. The correct word is ‘you’.”
“It sounds like you have a big exhausting job for us,” said Cst. Herman.
The chief of police got up and retrieved the five copies of the map that Jay had produced in December. He handed them around the table. Then he said, “We have all admired Jay’s mapwork. Now we’re going to use it. As I told you back in December, this will not be easy work. It will require a lot of walking and talking. If we’re going to uncover any clues that will lead us to the solution of this ‘body parts mystery’ we will have to investigate, for a start, every one of the properties shown on this map.”
“Sir, I believe there are over a hundred properties on the map,” said Cst. Herman.
“There are over a hundred and ten properties to be searched thoroughly, Cst. Herman,” said the chief. “This is a daunting task. The four of you will set up a schedule to ensure that only one pair of you are out searching at a time. I need one pair of constables in town for regular duty and for any emergencies that may occur. We don’t have much daylight this time of year, so schedule accordingly. We will only conduct the searches when we can see. That means on bad weather days we will not be out searching. When that happens, you do not miss a turn; instead, you take the next available good weather day. If someone is ill or absent for some other reason, then I expect the four of you to work out an equitable solution.
“You’re to carry on for the rest of the morning with your normal duties. I want the four of you to sit down at 1:30 this afternoon to prepare the search schedule. I want the first search team to start tomorrow. At the end of every search day you’re to report back to me at the office before 5 o’clock.
“When you report in, you are to tell me what property you searched and what the result was. I’m going to post my copy of Jay’s map on the wall behind my desk. When the search of a property is completed I will put a note on that property on the map with the date and the search team responsible. This will be more fun than you ever wanted over the next few months.”
