My crime novel, The Throuple Private Eye— Business is Booming, was published as an e-book on Amazon for $2.99, Kindle Edition. The link is Amazon.com: Jen McDowell—Private Eye; Business is Booming (The Throuple Private Eye) eBook : Anderson, Monte: Books. It is the second in the series. If you would like to order the first eBook, The Throuple Private Eye—Hate Crimes, the link is https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084LTTHGN. I’d post excerpts from it in my blog. To read all the excerpts I previously posted, go to my website at monteranderson -author.com. For those of you who prefer a book in print rather than an e-book, my latest novel, The Throuple Private Eye—Business is Booming, is now available in paperback on Amazon for $7.10. The link is http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDG84ZCS.
THE CASE OF REASONABLE DOUBT (Cont’d)
Molly walked over to the white board with a marker. “Let’s write down the timeline according to the police report.” Jen agreed. Molly talked as she wrote. “According to Ken, his wife was always the first one awake. She had to be to work by 0700 hours. Ken didn’t start work until nine. Sandra usually got up at 0500 hours and left for work by 0630 hours.” Molly wrote on the white board.
Jen picked up from there. She took the marker from Molly and started writing on the white board. “The police report said they got the 911 call at 0712. They arrived at 0724 hours. Ken met them at the door. He had blood on his clothes. After Sandra was declared dead at the scene, the police said they found the security system was turned off at 0613 hours. Ken said it wasn’t unusual. Sandra would turn it off on her way out the door around 0630 hours. The police found the rear patio door open but no forced entry. A search of the kitchen didn’t reveal any fingerprints other than Ken’s and Sandra’s. The police said they found no footprints in the back yard. They even brought in K-9 units but found nothing.”
“According to Jonah’s notes,” Jen said. “He thinks Ken turned off the alarm at 0613 just before killing his wife. The crime scene looked staged to Jonah. He thinks Ken staged the whole thing to look as if Sandra let someone in through the patio door.”
Molly continued, “Ken told the police he heard a scream and woke up. He walked downstairs and checked the security system and saw it was off. He’s certain he set it before going to bed. He then removed a golf club to use as a weapon from the coat closet. He walked into the kitchen and found his wife on the floor with a knife in her chest. He didn’t see anyone else. He started CPR and got her blood on him. While doing CPR, he touched the knife which accounts for his prints on the knife. Suspects?”
Molly wrote down Ken Rice name at the top center of the white board and his wife’s name underneath. She connected the two with a solid line. Then she wrote Keira Shader’s name to one side and connected it with a dotted line to Ken Rice. “Let’s brainstorm possible suspects,” she suggested. “It’ll help guide us.” Once she was done, she turned to Jen.
“According to the statement Ken gave the police,” Jen began. “He speculates she might have turned off the security system before walking into the kitchen. He believes she may have let someone inside through the rear patio doors. An unknown suspect grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and stabbed her. So, we have an intruder. Could it be a robbery gone bad?”
“Not likely,” Molly answered. “The police found nothing taken, and Sandra’s purse was on the kitchen table. Her cell phone and car keys too.”
Jen started listing hypothetical suspects as Molly wrote them down. “Ken may have had a lover who wanted his wife dead so she could marry him. Maybe Ken had an enemy at work or somewhere outside of work.”
“Do you think maybe someone came into the house to kill Ken and Sandra stumbled into them?” Molly asked
“Maybe.”
“No. It had to be someone Sandra knew,” Molly continued. “Not a stranger; not a robbery gone bad. At the same time, maybe she turned off the alarm, because she was expecting someone. Could be a lover. Then they quarreled, and her lover killed her.” Molly wrote lover with a line connected to Sandra.
“The problem with that theory,” said Jen “is there was only one stab wound. A spurned lover usually stabs multiple times. Still… You never know.” She wrote another ‘lover’ with a dotted line connecting Ken. “Let’s not forget the employee in maintenance.” Jen wrote ‘employee’ to one side.
Molly had a new man in her life. She told Jen all about their first date. “Are you going to date with him again?” Jen asked.
“Are you kidding?” Molly answered. “We’re going dancing again this Friday. I’m telling you; Marty might be the one. Which reminds me, he said something that got me thinking. I told him about the case we’re working on for Kiera. He said to me we’re just looking for reasonable doubts. I asked what he meant by it, and he said in a murder trial in Georgia, all twelve jurors must agree beyond a “reasonable doubt” the defendant is guilty or it’s a hung jury.” Molly made air quotes.
Molly let the thought sink in. “I think Kiera isn’t asking us to find who killed Sandra. I think she wants us to find reasonable doubt Ken may not have killed his wife.”
Jen was a puzzled. “So?”
“I think she’s playing us.”
“What?” Jen replied. “Why?”
Molly stood up. “Bear with me for a minute. Suppose Kiera and Ken never ended their affair. Maybe they planned to kill Sandra all along. They just cooled their affair because they knew the police would discover it. It may explain why Sandra was stabbed only once. More stab wounds would indicate a crime of passion and implicate Ken.”
“But why?” Jen asked again.
“So, Keira and Ken could get married. Don’t forget, the police report said there was a million-dollar life insurance police on Sandra purchased six months prior to her murder. Excellent motive if you ask me.”
“Okay, I might buy that theory,” Jen replied. “But you must prove it. How are you going to prove it?”
Molly shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know… yet.” Molly removed Prada’s meds from her purse and walked over to Prada. Prada started to whine and tried to move away, but she couldn’t move fast enough without her harness and wheels. Molly caught her and gave her the pills.
To be continued…
For e-books by me, visit http://smashwords.com/profile/view/monteranderson or Amazon.com. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/monteranderson
Follow my blog at http://monteranderson-author.com or http://monteranderson.wordpress.com
THE CASE OF REASONABLE DOUBT (Cont’d)
Molly walked over to the white board with a marker. “Let’s write down the timeline according to the police report.” Jen agreed. Molly talked as she wrote. “According to Ken, his wife was always the first one awake. She had to be to work by 0700 hours. Ken didn’t start work until nine. Sandra usually got up at 0500 hours and left for work by 0630 hours.” Molly wrote on the white board.
Jen picked up from there. She took the marker from Molly and started writing on the white board. “The police report said they got the 911 call at 0712. They arrived at 0724 hours. Ken met them at the door. He had blood on his clothes. After Sandra was declared dead at the scene, the police said they found the security system was turned off at 0613 hours. Ken said it wasn’t unusual. Sandra would turn it off on her way out the door around 0630 hours. The police found the rear patio door open but no forced entry. A search of the kitchen didn’t reveal any fingerprints other than Ken’s and Sandra’s. The police said they found no footprints in the back yard. They even brought in K-9 units but found nothing.”
“According to Jonah’s notes,” Jen said. “He thinks Ken turned off the alarm at 0613 just before killing his wife. The crime scene looked staged to Jonah. He thinks Ken staged the whole thing to look as if Sandra let someone in through the patio door.”
Molly continued, “Ken told the police he heard a scream and woke up. He walked downstairs and checked the security system and saw it was off. He’s certain he set it before going to bed. He then removed a golf club to use as a weapon from the coat closet. He walked into the kitchen and found his wife on the floor with a knife in her chest. He didn’t see anyone else. He started CPR and got her blood on him. While doing CPR, he touched the knife which accounts for his prints on the knife. Suspects?”
Molly wrote down Ken Rice name at the top center of the white board and his wife’s name underneath. She connected the two with a solid line. Then she wrote Keira Shader’s name to one side and connected it with a dotted line to Ken Rice. “Let’s brainstorm possible suspects,” she suggested. “It’ll help guide us.” Once she was done, she turned to Jen.
“According to the statement Ken gave the police,” Jen began. “He speculates she might have turned off the security system before walking into the kitchen. He believes she may have let someone inside through the rear patio doors. An unknown suspect grabbed a knife from the kitchen counter and stabbed her. So, we have an intruder. Could it be a robbery gone bad?”
“Not likely,” Molly answered. “The police found nothing taken, and Sandra’s purse was on the kitchen table. Her cell phone and car keys too.”
Jen started listing hypothetical suspects as Molly wrote them down. “Ken may have had a lover who wanted his wife dead so she could marry him. Maybe Ken had an enemy at work or somewhere outside of work.”
“Do you think maybe someone came into the house to kill Ken and Sandra stumbled into them?” Molly asked
“Maybe.”
“No. It had to be someone Sandra knew,” Molly continued. “Not a stranger; not a robbery gone bad. At the same time, maybe she turned off the alarm, because she was expecting someone. Could be a lover. Then they quarreled, and her lover killed her.” Molly wrote lover with a line connected to Sandra.
“The problem with that theory,” said Jen “is there was only one stab wound. A spurned lover usually stabs multiple times. Still… You never know.” She wrote another ‘lover’ with a dotted line connecting Ken. “Let’s not forget the employee in maintenance.” Jen wrote ‘employee’ to one side.
Molly had a new man in her life. She told Jen all about their first date. “Are you going to date with him again?” Jen asked.
“Are you kidding?” Molly answered. “We’re going dancing again this Friday. I’m telling you; Marty might be the one. Which reminds me, he said something that got me thinking. I told him about the case we’re working on for Kiera. He said to me we’re just looking for reasonable doubts. I asked what he meant by it, and he said in a murder trial in Georgia, all twelve jurors must agree beyond a “reasonable doubt” the defendant is guilty or it’s a hung jury.” Molly made air quotes.
Molly let the thought sink in. “I think Kiera isn’t asking us to find who killed Sandra. I think she wants us to find reasonable doubt Ken may not have killed his wife.”
Jen was a puzzled. “So?”
“I think she’s playing us.”
“What?” Jen replied. “Why?”
Molly stood up. “Bear with me for a minute. Suppose Kiera and Ken never ended their affair. Maybe they planned to kill Sandra all along. They just cooled their affair because they knew the police would discover it. It may explain why Sandra was stabbed only once. More stab wounds would indicate a crime of passion and implicate Ken.”
“But why?” Jen asked again.
“So, Keira and Ken could get married. Don’t forget, the police report said there was a million-dollar life insurance police on Sandra purchased six months prior to her murder. Excellent motive if you ask me.”
“Okay, I might buy that theory,” Jen replied. “But you must prove it. How are you going to prove it?”
Molly shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know… yet.” Molly removed Prada’s meds from her purse and walked over to Prada. Prada started to whine and tried to move away, but she couldn’t move fast enough without her harness and wheels. Molly caught her and gave her the pills.
To be continued…
For e-books by me, visit http://smashwords.com/profile/view/monteranderson or Amazon.com. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/monteranderson
Follow my blog at http://monteranderson-author.com or http://monteranderson.wordpress.com
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