Woodrow And Wren

The Rule Of Three - Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Daniel hadn’t needed to ensure the snow-covered shape by the gazebo flowerbed was human. Even from the second-floor window he had recognized the unmistakable form. What he had hoped was that the human shape needed a hospital not a funeral, but after he checked a neck artery, there was no pulse.

Ivy was instantly alarmed. “I’ll call 911.”

“I don’t think that’s wise Ivy.” Daniel held up a hand. “Under the circumstances half a dozen patrol officers could easily disturb the scene. I made as few tracks in the snow as I could to see if the person was perhaps only injured then retraced my steps back to the house.”

“Instead, I suggest you get the front desk phone number and ask for a senior detective in Homicide.

Ivy abandoned the teacart beside the stairs in her front hall. “How about I give you the phone number then you do the talking?”

………..

Two sets of tall wide French doors filled most of the west wall in the twenty-by-twenty-foot guest dining room. Lois was already peering out through one of the framed glass panes at the left set of doors.

Her intense focus was targeted toward the octagon shaped gazebo when Ivy hurried to stand beside her.

“Where’s the body?”

Lois shrugged. “You widened the flowerbed since I was here last year. All I can see are several covered lumps everywhere in the flowerbed.”

“Look there.” Daniel pointed. He had come up behind Lois and Ivy, and both women jumped. “Look farther to the right where your flowerbed drops off. See there, where it’s obviously a lower point at the edge of the walking path. On the right is a longer object jutting out slightly.”    

“I think I see the form now.” Then Lois noticed a smaller elongated raised lump. “Good Lord, is there something stuck the person’s back?”

Then Ivy saw it too. “Ohhh, I need to sit down.” She started to pull out one of the dining chairs, but the front door chimes sounded.

Ivy leaned heavily on the back of a dining chair. She looked over at her lifelong friend then her new house guest. “I’m not sure I can stand.”

“Ma’am, I don’t want to presume, but would you like me to meet with detectives?”

Ivy nodded sitting down.

Lois sat in a chair beside Ivy holding her hand.

They watched Daniel’s back as he retraced his steps from the dining room through the kitchen doorway. Then listened to muffled voices as they heard him greet police at the front door.

A minute later Daniel led two plain clothes officers from the kitchen into the bed and breakfast dining room.

Ivy was struck by how all three of the people who just entered her guest dining room appeared to be exactly the same height.

Neither Ivy nor Lois attempted to stand while Daniel took the lead once again. “Mrs. Ivy Walker and Ms. Lois Woodrow, this is Detective Margo Sanchez and her partner Detective Dale Chan.”

Detective Sanchez then Detective Chan each extended their right hand.

Detective Sanchez looked to be about forty and ten years older than her partner. She had a trim, fit build and wore glasses that slipped down her nose. Her long fawn brown hair was held back with a wide clip. She looked more like a librarian than a homicide detective.

Detective Chan appeared decidedly muscular even under his heavy cotton raincoat. His large, dark expressive eyes were intense. His thick black hair was styled short.

“Ladies, Captain,” Detective Sanchez began. “Detective Chan and I will need to interview each of you soon after we have finished outside. First, however we’d like to see for ourselves what Captain Assefa spotted from the window in his room.”

Both detectives followed Daniel back through the kitchen then Ivy and Lois heard the thump of feet on the stairs followed by muffled footsteps in the second-floor hall above.

Ivy glanced at the heavy double pocket doors that separated the larger guest sitting room at the front of the main floor, just beyond the guest dining room. She decided that room could stay closed for now.

When Daniel and the detectives returned to the dining room this time, they gained access to the side garden through the set of wide French doors on the left.

Outside, snow started falling once more, but was so soft and fine it was barely visible, but the overcast sky in the fading light looked as if there was even more to come.

Lois and Ivy watched still seated at one of the small tables. From the other side of the glass Daniel gestured toward the prone snow-covered shape in the garden then pointed up toward the west facing window of the pink-room.

The retired captain remained standing between the body and the house while the detectives walked carefully toward the prone figure. They spoke then Dale Chan walked away from the body. Looking down he appeared to follow something toward a long mature lilac hedge that ran the full length of the property shielding the garden from the front street.

Detective Sanchez knelt down and brushed snow from the head of the prone figure, revealing a grey and yellow knitted hat. She called to Detective Chan then quickly moved more snow from around the face and upper arms.

When Detective Chan reached his partner, he was talking on his cell phone and waved toward Daniel for him to join them.

Still slightly unsteady both Lois and Ivy left their chairs to watch from inside the French doors. The distant sound of sirens was faint for only a minute then more piercing and then - as if conjured by a wizard the side garden was suddenly filled with a dozen other people. Some were in police and fire uniforms, two were not.

Ivy couldn’t see clearly through the several pairs of legs around the prone shape. Though, even with a face mask and heavy clothing from several previous news interviews Ivy recognized the Coconino County Medical Examiner.

Kneeling Dr. Leslie McGhee brushed away snow from the victim’s back. Both Ivy and Lois cringed as the M.E. pulled a long-pointed metal blade out slowly. Detective Chan waited beside the doctor with an open evidence bag. With the blade inside he sealed it then dropped the weapon into a second larger bag.

“I can’t watch any longer.” Lois turned away from scene outside. “Let’s pick up where we left your teacart and sit by the fire.”

Ivy nodded. “Let’s. I’m spent, but haven’t done anything. I’m sure your friend the retired captain and those detectives will find us.”

And, almost exactly one hour later they did. Chilled to their core, Daniel led both detectives back through the front door. The body was removed while other officers finished taking scene measurements and photographs.

Lois and Ivy heard stamping feet on the area rug just inside the closed front entrance, but neither woman moved.

“Don’t worry about any snow,” Ivy called from her chair. “It’s only w-a-t-e-r. We’re in here Captain Daniel.” She giggled reaching to refill her glass from a small spout on her favorite box of wine.

“It’s still Happy Hour!” Lois lifted her wine glass.

Daniel shook his head. Both detectives were clearly drained, but looked down to hide their smiles despite the day’s grim discovery.

“It’s late Mrs. Walker, Ms. Woodrow,” began Detective Chan. “Under the circumstances Detective Sanchez and I need to leave and report to our captain. We’ll return tomorrow morning, if you’re free then?”

No one said anything for a full thirty seconds after the detectives left. To describe the day as abnormal was like describing a thunderstorm as noisy.

Ivy gained her wits first. “Daniel, you must be chilled to the bone, literally.”

Daniel nodded. He sat in one of the club chairs still wearing his jacket, scarf and gloves.

“I have a very nice Kentucky Bourbon that was a particular favorite of my late husband Eric.” Ivy put down her wine glass and walked to an antique secretary desk. “I’m sure that two fingers to start should warm your insides.”

Smiling, Daniel nodded again. “I’ve been colder. When you’re on the deck of a ship with a wind blowing ocean spray - your teeth don’t stop chattering for several hours even in your sleep.”

The colonel accepted a small cut crystal glass with a smooth flat bottom then raised it after taking a sip. “Oh, this is smooth. I understand completely why this was a favorite of your late husband, ma’am.”

Lois topped up her glass of wine again then pushed the teacart closer to Daniel so he could reach the cheese and cracker plates. “What happened out there?”

Daniel popped a small cube of white cheddar into his mouth, took a second sip of bourbon then reached for a wheat cracker. “The body in the side garden was one of Flagstaff’s own detectives, a woman named Sandra Fuller.”

……….. 

Around the kitchen island, the meatloaf was served rather late with a Caesar salad and a little more wine and a little more bourbon. Surprisingly a coherent line of conversation began initially from the two seventy-year-old friends and sixty-year-old retired Navy captain.

“From the window of your pink room,” Daniel gestured with an impaled piece of meatloaf on his fork. “I could still see a line of indentations in the snow made by only one person.”

“The footprints led back from where the detective collapsed and died to a far corner of the yard and your lilac hedge. But about six or so feet from the corner there was a second set of footprints.”

He popped the meatloaf into his mouth and chewed. “It looked to me and Detective Chan agreed that the longer stride of steps showed to begin with, that the late Detective Fuller was running away from her assailant. Something happened suddenly then she stumbled, didn’t fall, but her steps slowed because she had difficulty walking. Then she fell where I found her.”

“There was no indication at the corner where the fence meets the lilac hedge of any struggle. So, my theory is when Detective Fuller came through the hedge she started running. She was then followed by someone who threw a knife that hit her in the back.”

“But Fuller was wearing a wool jacket. Whoever threw the knife was strong enough to throw it not only about twelve to fifteen feet, at a running person, but throw it to penetrate a layer of wool, a sweater, a cotton blouse then deep into the flesh and bone of a human back.”

“The M.E. said the detective’s upper lobe of her right lung had been punctured. There was blood in the snow around Fuller’s mouth, but nothing for a trail of blood because it was absorbed by her clothing.”

Ivy and Lois listened not truly tasting what they ate. The salad became warm, and the meatloaf got cold, and everyone went to bed late.

……………………………..

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