Revelations 12 Page 7

  “What exactly is this about, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “Donna, our daughter was murdered in Sidon—”

  “I’ll stop you there, you don’t need to say anymore. I did not know her but of course I heard about it. I’m terribly sorry for your loss. I’ve read in the papers they never got the guy. I take it he was wearing All Stars?”

  “That’s correct Donna.”

  “Can you leave this with me? I’ll look into it.”

  “Donna, did you work here back then?”

  “Yes, I’ve been here over five years and I’m almost guaranteed to have been on shift. They almost never give me a day off from this place!”

  “Here is my number, Donna. I look forward to hearing from you.”

  “I will, sir, and I wish you and your wife the best of luck with this.”

  “Thanks, Donna.”

  “Where to now, Robert?”

  “Why don’t we head across town to the coroner’s office? I’m not sure what hours they work there but, if the traffic is not too bad, we should get there before five.”

  *

  “Good afternoon, is Dr Bob Cooper in today?”

  “Your name, sir?”

  “Osbourne, Robert. This is my wife, Beth.”

  “I can check. He may have already left for the day. Just have a seat over there; I’ll see if he’s still in.”

  “Bob said he is in a hurry to get home today. If it’s important he can give you five minutes now, or you can make an appointment for next week.”

  “It won’t take more than five minutes. We’d like to see him now please.”

  “Okay, sir. Through the double doors, second on the right.”

  “Thank you Ma’am.”

  “Mr and Mrs Osbourne, come on in. I’m really sorry but I have an appointment to run off to, so I can’t give you much time today, but what can I do for you?”

  “Our daughter, Julia, was murdered a few years ago. We had lunch with Sheriff Joe earlier on today and he said you were supposed to be the medical examiner on that day but you were unable to make it. We heard subsequently that you fell down the stairs. Do you remember what I’m referring to?”

  “I’m sorry about your daughter and yes, believe me, I know what you are referring to, but I did not fall down the stairs. I was pushed.”

  “Are you certain?”

  “I’m absolutely certain. I was shoved in the back, but I didn’t see who did it. I cracked my head on the wall at the bottom and fractured my leg. That is not tripping and falling down the stairs. That is being shoved really hard by someone.”

  “The coroner that was sent to Julia’s home that day, did you know him?”

  “I was off work for quite some time. I know they had a few different guys who covered for me but I can easily look into it and find out who they sent.”

  “I have his name here. It was Dr Brockman.”

  “No, I can’t say I know him. He must be a new start. Most of us in this field either know, or have heard each other’s names.”

  “Dr Cooper, can you look into this for us please. Just make some enquiries and see who actually sent Dr Brockman and, if you can, locate where he is working now.”

  “No problem. I’ll see what I can do, but I’ve got to get going folks. I’m sorry. If you leave your name and number with the receptionist, I’ll get back to you with what I find out.”

  “We really appreciate your time, Dr Cooper.”

  *

  Robert and Beth got in their car to head home for the day. “So, Robert what do you make of that?”

  “Very odd. There is certainly no question in his mind that he was pushed down the stairs. Sheriff Joe spoke quite highly about him. He sounds like a straight-up guy, so it’s hard to know why someone would do something like that to him.”

  “I know what you’re saying, Robert. I wonder what the outcome would have been if he was there instead of Brockman…”

  “I appreciate the prints did not match. I think everyone agrees on that. However, Brockman’s report certainly played a big part in the decision not to move forward with charges. One thing seems certain; if Dr Cooper was there, they would have had the hair samples compared to Holman. That really gets me. Why the hell would they just accept the coroner’s report? They had nothing to lose in sending it off to be tested.”

  “Anyway, Robert, it’s after 5pm, so let’s just switch off for the day. We have got a lot done. In fact, I have an idea. How about we stop by that new restaurant on the way home and have dinner?”

  “I don’t think either of us are remotely dressed for dinner, Beth.”

  “If you don’t care, I certainly don’t.”

  “Sounds good. Let’s go!”

  CHAPTER 9

  “You sign and date here, Mom, and same on here and the back page here.”

  “Quite a lot of forms to fill out, huh? You realise you’re the first person on your dad’s side or, in fact, my side to go to university.”

  “What was he like, Mom? You’ve never told me much about him, other than he died in the war.”

  “An amazing man, I loved him so much but he died, as far as he was concerned, doing his duty for his country.”

  “The way you put that, it does not sound like you quite agreed with his view?”

  “I didn’t, son. It’s the only thing your father and I disagreed on, but it’s what he wanted and I couldn’t stop him. His family had a long history of military service going back many generations. I used to tell him the lot of them had been brainwashed. The politicians just feed the poor and uneducated stories of patriotism and duty, while they sit back getting rich off the war. They never send their own and, if they ever do, it’s only for publicity to further their careers. They make damn sure their loved ones are never in any danger, but it stops with you, son. As long as I’m alive, you will never join the military to fight their wars.”

  “Mom, I know I’m not sure what I want to do but, for sure, joining the military won’t happen.”

  *

  Robert and Beth Osbourne invited Sheriff Amos over for a drink and updated him on their efforts so far.

  “That’s actually really well done guys, I’m impressed!” said Sheriff Amos. “Next time the department is looking for recruits, I’ll be sure to give them your number.”

  “Definitely not!” said Beth.

  “You have certainly opened up some avenues to investigate further. What do you see as your next step?”

  “Well,” said Robert. “That is kind of where you come in. I’m sorry, but I want to ask you to get a hair sample from the crime scene and one from the suspect’s head. I want to compare them. There is a lab over in Texas that do Microscopic Hair Analysis for private citizens. They charge a lot, but I want it done.”

  “Robert, getting you in there to take photos was one thing but you are asking me to illegally remove stored evidence from an unsolved case.”

  “I know. I’ve thought about it but there is no other way, it should have been done at the time. I don’t need all of it, just a few samples of each is all they require for the test. No one would even know they went missing.”

  “Okay, I’ll try later this week, but no promises. It may be into next week before my guy is on night duty down there.”

  “Thanks again, Amos.”

  “What you said about Bob earlier is quite interesting. He’s been around a long time and is very well thought of, both in the medical community and the force. If he told you he would get back to you, then he will. Let me know when he does. I’d be interested to hear who assigned Brockman that day and what he has to say for himself now.”

  “Can we just ask you one other favour, Amos?”

  “Go on then, it can’t be much worse than what you’ve already asked me
to do.”

  “We have the police photo of Simon but I’d like you to give me a dozen or so other police photos of similar looking guys. They have to look the same, like the one we have, taken front on. I don’t want it to look any different, other than the face itself.”

  “I don’t even need to ask what you want this for, I have already figured it out. This request is easy but you’ll need to give me them back once you’re finished.”

  “We’ll be sure to do that, Amos.”

  “So, what do you guys have planned for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “We are heading back to the library.”

  “Are we?” asked Beth.

  “We need to do more research on the knife. The engraving on it must represent something.”

  “You don’t sound too keen on the library, Beth.”

  “I don’t mind the library, Amos. It’s the old woman in there behind the desk that I have to pass by. The other day I heard her from where I sat. She was going on and on about the best clothes hangers. I mean, who speaks about clothes hangers? The poor assistant’s ears were falling off. I wanted to go over and rescue her but just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

  “Wow! Mental note to self – avoid the library!”

  *

  “You see those bags on the back seat?”

  “Oh, Mom. Give it a rest. Yes, prices are going up blah, blah. You say the same thing every time!”

  “It’s not you that has to run the house on a tight budget, it’s me. I’m the one who has to get us through to the end of each month.”

  “And don’t roll your eyes either!”

  “Mom, why are you turning here?”

  “The mechanic has called ahead to the scrapyard for me to pick up the cable mechanism thingy for the bonnet. He promised to fit it for free if I collect it.”

  “You mean you can’t even open the bonnet?”

  “Well, I can, but you need the pliers that’s on the floor by your feet to pull the wire under here and I’ve never managed to do it. Normally, I wouldn’t care if I could open the bonnet or not, but the radiator has a leak and I need to keep filling it every few days, so I really need the bonnet fixed.”

  “Wow, this car is such an embarrassment, Mom.”

  “Have you met Linda’s parents yet?”

  “Yes. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, next time you see her dad, tell him there is a loan application sitting on his desk that he needs to approve. Anyway, this must be the place here.”

  “You think, Mom? What gave it away? It’s not the thousands of junk cars surrounding us, is it?”

  “Look you’re not too old for me to give you one across the ears you know. Anyway, let’s go see if we can find the guy. His name is Sean.”

  “Come on, Simon. We need to go and find Sean. What are you standing by the car and looking at?”

  “I’m just making a mental note where we’ve parked it. Surrounded by all of these, it won’t be easy to find it again. We could end up leaving in the wrong one!”

  “Funny! Now come on.”

  *

  Robert and Beth walked up to the counter of the shoe shop. “Hi, Donna. Thanks so much for looking into this so promptly.”

  “Not a problem. I’m not sure how much I can help you, but I looked back in our records, from the time we took in the All Star High Tops, to the time of Julia’s murder. We only sold four pairs of nine and a halves, it’s not the most popular size we sell.”

  “These are the receipts for the four of them.”

  “Were you on duty for all the transactions?”

  “Yes. My initials are on all of them.”

  “Look, I appreciate it’s a long time ago but do you think, if I showed you some photos you could recognise the guy?”

  “I can try, sir.”

  “Do you mind if I just lay these out on the glass counter here?”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  Donna looked at all the faces. It did not take her long. “This is the guy! This one here.”

  “Why did you pick him, Donna?”

  “I remember him. He flirted with me at the time. I thought it was cute, as he was so much younger than me.”

  “How sure are you?”

  “I wouldn’t swear by it, but I’m pretty sure that was him.”

  “Thanks so much for your help, Donna. You have certainly done all you can.”

  “This does not prove anything, Robert. You realise that, right?”

  “Beth, what are the chances of her picking Holman out of fourteen mug shots?”

  “She could be mistaken. She could have seen his photo in the newspaper.”

  “Beth, if a guy flirts with you, wouldn’t you remember him?”

  “Fair point, but still, Robert.”

  “Look, it’s one more thing that confirms our belief. We’ll get him, Beth. It won’t be easy, but we’ll nail him eventually.”

  *

  Sheriff Amos pulled up outside Robert and Beth’s home.

  “Look, something is going on guys. I went to get the hair samples in the Evidence Room, I pulled the drawer open and the knife was gone.”

  “Who the hell would have taken it?”

  “I don’t know, Robert. I asked my man down there. He said his relief told him he handed it over to some religious guy. The order came from really high up. It’s not something you question. You just do it.”

  “What the hell would a religious guy want with that knife, and nearly three years after the murder?”

  The sheriff pulled a clear plastic bag from his pocket. “These are a few strands from the crime scene, but there were no samples taken from the boy.”

  “Are you sure? I thought we had photos of his hair.”

  “Yes, you have photos, but there are no samples stored. When I checked into it, the reason none were saved into evidence was because the examiner’s report ruled him out. Look, I’m going to have to lie low on this for a while. I’m not going back down there. There is no way my guy will allow it anyway, sorry guys.”

  “You have done everything for us, Amos. I don’t know how we will ever repay you for that.”

  “Another thing; if you need me, give me a call and we’ll meet up somewhere else. I don’t want to be seen coming here too much.”

  “Understood. Thanks again, Amos.”

  “Okay. All the best guys, I got to go.”

  “Bye, Amos.”

  “So Sherlock, what’s the master move now?”

  “I think, Beth, we need to look at that knife differently. All along we have been comparing knife company emblems at the library and getting nowhere. I think we need to look at some religious designs and see if we can get a match from one of them.”

  “Fair point, but what about this hair sample? What are we going to do? It’s useless without Holman’s.”

  “Do you really need to ask?”

  “Hey, there is no way we are going over there!”

  “Do you have another option? Think about it Beth; the two are at Mass every Sunday. They live out in the middle of nowhere. I doubt they lock up properly, if at all. We’ll just drive over there. We have at least an hour that we know for certain that they are gone.

  “We will go in, find his room, or the bathroom. There is sure to be a comb, or brush lying around. We will bag some hair samples and head out. At the most we will be in there ten minutes max.”

  “Do you remember what Amos said? We can do anything but break the law. You want us to break and enter into someone’s home. Can you imagine what would happen to us if we were to get caught?”

  “We won’t, Beth. Is there an alternative?”

  CHAPTER 10

  “This is a perfect spot, Beth. They have to pass by here on
their way to church. Their house is just a couple hundred yards up the road, we can park here and it’s off the road. There is no way anyone passing can see the car.

  “We’ll come here tomorrow night for 6:15pm. Church starts at 7pm. You wait in the car and I’ll see them drive by from behind those bushes. Once I see them go by, I’ll run to the house. I’ll take this screwdriver and gloves, just in case I need to lift a window to get in. I’ll put the hair in this bag and I’ve got a flashlight so I won’t have to put on any lights. I’ll be back within fifteen minutes.”

  “Robert, I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”

  “Let’s get some lunch and then go visit your friend at the library.”

  *

  “What are you reading Simon?” asked Fr. Mark.

  “It’s the Quran.”

  “That’s a first. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone reading a Quran in church before.”

  Simon motioned for Fr. Mark to sit next to him. “Rightly or wrongly, Father, I’m beginning to believe that it may not actually matter. I have the Torah in my bag and I’m studying other religions as well.”

  “You may well be right, Simon. There are good people in all religions. Perhaps a better way is to see religion as a vehicle that takes us to God. We may choose different vehicles but they all end at the same destination. I am interested, Simon, to hear how you see life.”

  Simon paused for a moment. “Father, I find myself going through the Universe on this planet, I am trapped within this body. I have only five senses to try and understand where I am and why I am here. I have escaped myself only briefly in travelling visions, but I am soon returned and imprisoned. There is a force that will not allow me to stay outside of myself. I must fulfil a destiny within this body, before I am allowed to leave. Only then will I be reunited with God.”

  “Why do you use the word ‘reunited’?”

  “I have an awareness, Father, that we all came from him. None of us are much different to God except in degree. He made us like himself and a part of us is in fact Him. When we see each other we are seeing God. He is all around. What can we offer up to a God that has created this Universe? Churches with gold Altars, beautiful Mosque Temples and Synagogues? He does not want buildings with gold. The only service we can offer Him is to help each other make it though this life. Only then are we directly helping Him.