Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1) (20 page)

"Tom, what are you frowning for?  Your face is all scrunched like a dehydrated tomato," Annie said as they settled at their desks in the Detective Bureau. 

"When we walked past the people who just entered the lobby, my eyes were drawn to the boots the kid is wearing.  They rang a bell.  I think they're the same kind of boots that left prints at our two crime scenes."

"Well, go out there and take a closer look," Annie said.

"Ah, gee, Annie," Tom said.  "They're going through enough right now.  I don't want to annoy them with what'll probably be just a coincidence.  I'll keep it in mind, and maybe talk to the kid later.  I'm hoping there were prints left at the scene of this accident and that the Tulare County Sheriff got casts."

"You should give them a call before these people leave, Tom.  If you think there's even a remote chance that they're the same, you need to act on it now," Annie said.

Tom made the call.  When he hung up, he turned to Annie and said, "The crime scene techs did find boot prints leading away from the scene and they took pictures of them.  They are going to fax them over so we can compare them to what we have.  I explained our situation and agreed that it was pretty farfetched that they would be the same type of shoes, but they said it was better to be safe than sorry."

Wednesday, 29 August 2012, 10:00 AM

The District Attorney sat at the head of the large burl wood table in the Conference Room down the hall from her office.  On her right side, Noura slumped in a depressive silence.  On her left side, Officer Carlos Saavedra, wearing civilian clothes, sat at attention.

Further down the table were Annie, Tom, and Jesse.

"I think everyone knows why we're meeting here today.  We need to decide how we're going to handle this unfortunate incident in a way that serves justice the best for all concerned.

"I've spoken at length with Chief of Police Lucio Amaral and Sheriff Mick Quinn and we've come up with some ideas that we feel will work best for everyone.

"First, let me reiterate that this is not something that should be taken lightly.  A serious crime was committed which could have ended up with jail time for both of you.  Plus, the consequences of your actions have to be considered."

She shuffled some papers in front of her and took a minute to study one of them.

"During the first trial, Manolo Alcantar was on trial for armed robbery.  The telling evidence against him was a knife with his fingerprints found at the scene.  The knife was placed into evidence so it would be available at the trial.

"Unfortunately, when it was time to introduce the knife, it could not be found.  As a result the jury had no choice but to find the defendant not guilty."

At this point, Noura became visibly upset and tears began to stream down her cheeks.  She placed her head in her hands and just shook her head from side to side.

"Noura, would you like to visit the ladies room for a moment?" the DA asked her.

Noura shook her head yes, scooted her chair backwards, and fled the room.  Ten minutes later she returned with red-rimmed eyes.  However, she seemed to have her emotions under control as she took her seat.

"Thank you," she said to no one in particular.

"OK, to continue, if the knife with Alcantar's fingerprints had been introduced into evidence, there is a good chance he would have been found guilty and subsequently incarcerated.

"But due to the evidence being missing and the chain of custody of the evidence broken, he went free.

"Do I have my facts right so far?" she said.

Everyone around the table nodded.

"As a consequence of being free, he and Florino 'Tito' Saavedra, Noura's younger brother, were involved in another armed robbery on Quincy in the East Side during which a member of the East Side Crips gang was killed.

"Now they're at the Lerdo Facility awaiting trial on armed robbery and murder," the DA said.

"I hope everyone here grasps the inherent undercurrents that this murder has caused.

"As I mentioned, the man who was killed, Kleavon Elroy Maalouf, was a high-ranking member of the East Side Crips.  We've been targeting the East Side Crips for some time now.  If you remember right, in November of 2011 we raided the East Side and arrested several members of the East Side Crips.  The reason I mention this is that a Lieutenant from the Bakersfield Police Department stated that the East Side Crips 'are the single most violent gang in Bakersfield'.

"Why is that significant?  Manolo Alcantar and Tito are minor members of the Southside Bakers, part of the Surenos family, and mainly located in the Southgate area.

"If they are convicted and sent to Corcoran or Pelican Bay, can you imagine the fate that awaits them?"

Noura gasped and her anguish could be heard and felt throughout the Conference Room.

Annie looked over with sadness in her eyes at her former best friend who had betrayed her.  Then she reached out and took a sip from her glass of water.  It seemed at first that she was going to speak, but she remained silent.

The District Attorney continued, "Now, I ask you, would it have been better for Manolo Alcantar to have been convicted of the first armed robbery, and sent to prison, then to be sitting where he is today?  Not to mention, now Noura's brother is involved and at risk, also.

"That's something the two of you will have to live with no matter how this plays out."  She looked from Noura to Carlos and the guilt on their faces was plain to see.

"Any questions or comments so far?"

She looked around the table, but no one had anything to add.

"So, here's what the Chief of Police, the Sheriff/Coroner, and I came up with.  We're going to handle this internally.  We won't press formal charges, you won't be arrested, and it won't be made public.  We don't think that justice would be served by making this public.  For one thing, we don't need the publicity this would cause if the media started blowing it out of proportion, which they undoubtedly would. 

"We empathize with Manolo and Tito, but they are adults and were surely aware of the stupidity of whatever they thought they were going to accomplish by going to the East Side and taking on the Crips - for whatever reason.  Obviously, their plan backfired and now they have to face the consequences.

"We feel that the two of you have suffered a great deal because of your actions and as this matter goes forward, you will probably have to face more guilt and suffering.  There's nothing anyone can do about that.

"There are restrictions and conditions you must meet if we are to keep this in-house," the DA said.

"Noura, I understand that you've already resigned as the lead paralegal at the Law Firm of Mitchell Stephens.  Is that correct?"

"Yes, it is," Noura said, without looking up.

"What are you planning to do now?"

"I haven't made any plans," Noura said.

"Here's what we would ask of you.  You can work in Kern County as a paralegal, but not with any attorney who works within the criminal law system.  In other words, if you want to do Family Law, Real Estate Law, Intellectual Property Law, that would be acceptable.  We just don't want to see you in Court.  Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Noura said.

"As to Officer Saavedra," the DA said as she turned to the Officer, "what you committed is a felony and considered a much more serious offense because you are a member of the law enforcement community.

"The Chief of Police will accept your resignation.  There will be statements in your Personnel File about this incident - from you, from Noura, from me, from Sheriff Quinn, and from Chief Amaral - explaining the situation and why we took the actions we did.  These statements will be sealed and only shown to other agencies to which you apply for a job as a sworn officer of the law.  Then they can decide whether to hire you or not.  You will not work for Kern County again.  Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am.  I understand.  And, thank you."

"Jesse will work with each of you on the signed statements before you leave here today.

"Regarding the evidence clerk, Sheriff Quinn has released her of her duties as evidence clerk and reassigned her to the County Jail as a Matron.  She won't be allowed to work in the evidence room again, and she's lucky she still has a job.

"I will personally be prosecuting Tito Saavedra and Manolo Alcantar.  I am going to be certain that there are no mistakes or loopholes this time.

"That's it.  Thank you all for coming."

Wednesday, 29 August 2012, 1:00 PM

Dr. Bhakta, this is my partner Detective Tom Weston and Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes," Annie said when she had the SKYPE call set up to the CDC expert.

"Good to meet you, Tom and Jesse.  It looks like you have an interesting situation on your hands.  I've looked over the information that you sent me.  All of the bites are consistent with a black widow bite, but the pattern is not typical.

"Normally, someone will get bitten by one black widow.  They don't hang out in pairs, so it's very unusual that more than one would be in the same location.  My first impression is that someone was introducing black widow spiders to the body of the victim over time.

"It's also unusual for a black widow to attack a human.  Their first instinct is to run and they only attack and bite, as a rule, to defend their egg sac, or unless they are being agitated.  Also, they don't ordinarily die after they bite someone.  Their bites, and venom, are their support mechanisms, not a one shot thing.  So the fact that one was found dead in the first victim's hair and another dead one was found in the dirt under her body leads me to believe one of two things.  When he introduced another spider, one of them killed the other.  Or, someone purposely killed them after they had bitten the victim.  This last scenario seems the most probable since it appears that the number of bites was significant and that would be the only way to control them."

"They don't automatically die after biting someone?  I always thought they did," Tom said.

"No, that's a misconception people have.  They believe the same thing about honey bees and that's not necessarily true in their case, either."

"So what you're saying is that, in your analysis, it looks like someone introduced the black widows one at a time and then, after the spider had bitten the victim, they removed the spider and killed it?

"And, in the case of two spiders found on and under the first victim, the perp just got sloppy and forgot to retrieve them after they bit the victim?" Annie asked.

"That's what it looks like to me, but there could be another explanation.  I just don't know what it would be," Dr. Bhakta said.

"Is there anything out of the ordinary about these bites, anything that stands out in your mind when you look at them?" Jesse said.

"Just the fact that the condition of the bites, the progression if you would, indicates that they were done over a period of time.  The oldest bites look to be about 7-10 days old and the most recent, less than 24 hours.

"Has the forensic pathologist determined the time of death yet?" he asked.

"No, but he noted the condition of the bites as well, and the progression.  This indicates approximately how long they'd been held.  As to the time of death, all signs indicate that neither victim had been dead long.  In addition, they hadn't been on the site where they were found long enough for any type of fly infestation.  There were a few mature blow flies on the body, but they hadn't even laid any eggs yet," Tom said.

"Is the fact that victim #1 died of a brain aneurysm viable?  We understand from our research that one black widow spider bite can lead to extreme high blood pressure.  Thirteen bites would probably result to massive spikes in blood pressure and if the victim had a weak spot, or bubble, in her aorta, it could easily burst," Annie said.

"And the second victim had the same amount of bites, was held approximately the same length of time, but didn't die the same way.  She was strangled not long before her body was dumped in the empty field."

"It's true that their venom can cause high blood pressure which could theoretically lead to a ruptured aorta.  I've never personally heard of this happening, but theoretically, it's possible," Dr. Bhakta said.

"Well, there's not much more I can tell you.  If something else comes to mind, I will definitely give you a call.  Keep me in the loop, I'd like to know what final results the tests present and what the pathologist's final decision is."

"Thank you, doctor for taking the time to talk to us.  We'll stay in touch," Jesse said.

Annie clicked off SKYPE and turned to Tom and Jesse. 

"Well, we didn't learn anything new, really, but it's nice to know that what we do know is now verified.

Wednesday, 29 August 2012, 4:00 PM

That afternoon Tom finally found time to review photos of the boot prints from the two crime scenes and compare them to the boot print from the accident site in Tulare County.  There were no specific distinguishing marks on of the sets of boot prints to identify them as the same pair, but the prints themselves came from the same brand and model of boot.

"Annie, I think a chat with Peter Adams' cousin is in order.  The boot prints are the same, but not unique to a particular pair."

"How did it turn out for them last night?  I'm assuming the mom finally showed up and someone identified the body.  Do you know if the cousin ever admitted to being at the accident scene?" Annie asked.

"I haven't heard any more about it except what I read in the paper.  Why don't you call your contact at the Tulare County Sheriff's Office and see what new information they have.  Then you can tell them about the boot prints also.  We want to make sure they keep the cast and the photos in case they turn out to be relevant to our case."

After Annie hung up the phone from her call to her contact at the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, she said to Tom, "That was a sad, sad situation.  Mrs. Adams arrived while the aunt, uncle, and their son, whose name is Charley, were still there.  The PSO took her into a private room and explained the situation.  She apparently fell apart.  I checked out front to see if the same deputy is PSO tonight, but it's a different deputy.

"Anyway, I mentioned that the boot prints from their crime scene matched or the boot prints from our two murder scenes and to make sure they keep tight control of the chain of custody.  I think we need to have a talk with Charley Adams and find out where he got those boots.  Even if they're not the same ones, it may give us a line on where they can be purchased locally."

"Give me half an hour to finish up these reports, then we can go over to their house and talk to Charley Adams.  I hate to bother them right now, but we also have parents who need closure on their daughters, so they'll just have to understand," Tom said.