hi.
----------
Circe Cole wrote:
Hi Caleb,
I just wanted to clarify some things about Charlie Kinnear. Did you know him well? I take it you had him on your radar, as it were. Why didn’t you go to him sooner?
Sorry if these seem like vague questions, but I’m missing a lot of context surrounding him. Was he important?
Many thanks,
Circe
*
“W hat you got for me?”
Sasha looked up from her notes, and saw the superintendent standing in the doorway. “I got a bit of hair. Looks more like fur, actually. I sent it off to the lab so we’ll know tomorrow, assuming if they don’t bury it.”
“They won’t. I’ll put in a word. They’ll probably have it analyzed by the end of the day, so call them, don’t wait for them to call you. That’s a rookie mistake.”
“Thank you, sir.” Sasha leaned forward, felt her sweat-soaked shirt peel off her back.
“Hot today?”
Sasha flared. “Do I look that bad?”
“Yes,” he said.
She ignored it. “I’d say we probably have a homicide on our hands.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. I mean, unlocked door, and-”
“Charlie Kinnear never locked his door. I once walked that beat too, you know.”
“Did you see the photos of his body? They’re in the computer already.”
“I did,” the superintendent said. He looked sad for a moment. “Could have been an animal.”
“Nothing was disturbed in the house, and there was food still left in the bin.” She shook her head. “One of the uniforms noticed that. Anyway, doesn’t seem like it. I mean, what kind of animal could do that?”
“Who knows? Maybe somebody has a nasty pet we don’t know about. People do crazy things.”
“I don’t think so.”
“What about the call about that big dog?”
“Shaky. Responding unit saw nothing.”
“Maybe the uniforms scared it off.”
“Could be… but it feels like we’re missing something. The hair I got will clear it up. It doesn’t belong to the vic.”
“Charlie had no hair.”
“Exactly. It’s greyish, though. Felt soft, you know? Had a spring to it. Probably from the lining of a jacket, to be honest.”
“Nobody owns fur out here, detective.”
“Well, maybe. Maybe not. But it’s all I’ve got.”
“No prints?”
“Everywhere, but you know the drill, boss. It’s a house. There’ll be prints everywhere.”
“So, not an animal attack then?” The superintendent almost sounded disappointed.
“I’m just not buying it. There’s no local wildlife that could do… that to a man. I just don’t see it.”
He sighed, and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. “Shit. Did you talk to Sands?”
“Yes. He said he heard a scream. Said he sleeps with his window open.”
“A scream?”
“Coming from Mr. Kinnear’s house.” Sasha sighed. Her hope that the poor man had been killed in his sleep had been dashed after she’d interviewed Sands.
“And he called the cops?”
“He said it was a really bad scream, sir. ‘Piercing’ was the word he used.”
“Ah.”
“I talked to, uh, Sally Clark as well, one who called in the dog thing?”
“That was Sally Clark who called about the dog?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.” The superintendent frowned. “What about it?”
“She said she saw someone jogging.”
“Jogging?”
“Yes, said he went right past her window.”
“Were you close to her?”
“Sorry?”
“Were you physically close to her when you spoke with her?”
“No,” Sasha said, shaking her head. “Not really, I guess. Like maybe a few feet away. Why?”
“Ah. If you were, you would have smelled the alcohol on her breath.”
“Oh.”
“She’s unreliable, and she’s called us before in the middle of the night for bogus claims. Pile of salt, Monroe. Sands say anything about this jogger?”
“No.”
“Sounds like bullshit to me.”
“I’m not dismissing it just yet. She gave a partial description.”
“Don’t put it out yet.”
“Why not,