My Dark Places - James Ellroy [11]
Dr. Ridge removed the ligatures and noted the “deep pallid groove” around the neck. He shaved the victim bald and described her head tissues as “Intensely cyanotic and suffused with dark bluish-purple discoloration.” He cut the scalp down to the skull and pulled the flaps back. He diagrammed eleven wounds and labeled them “intense red deep scalp ecchymoses.”
The doctor sawed off the top of the head and examined the victim’s brain tissue. He weighed it and found “no evidences of injury or other intrinsic abnormalities.” He cut open the victim’s stomach and found whole kidney beans, meat shards, orange-yellow masses resembling carrots or squash and yellowish masses resembling cheese.
He examined the rest of the body and found no other evidence of trauma. He took a blood sample to be held for chemical analysis and removed portions of the vital organs for potential microscopic study.
He extracted food particles from the stomach to be held and analyzed. He froze the spermatozoa smear—to be held and blood-typed.
A toxicologist took a blood sample and screened it for alcohol content. His reading was low: .08%.
A forensic chemist checked the body. He found small white carpetlike fibers under the victim’s right middle fingernail and bagged them as evidence. He took the two garrotes, the victim’s dress, right stocking and brassiere to the Sheriff’s Crime Lab. He noted that the unraveled strangling cord was 17 inches long—yet had tightened to 3 inches around the victim’s neck.
Dr. Ridge called Ward Hallinen and summarized his findings. He confirmed asphyxia as the cause of death and said that the victim had been struck in the head at least six times. She may have been unconscious when she was strangled. She’d engaged in recent sexual intercourse. She had probably eaten a full meal one to two hours before her death. It was most likely Mexican-type food—she had partially digested beans, meat and cheese in her stomach.
Hallinen wrote the information down and called Sheriff’s Metro. He laid out his case to the squad lieutenant and requested two men to canvass bars and restaurants in the El Monte/Rosemead/Temple City area. The lieutenant said he’d send out Bill Vickers and Frank Godfrey. Hallinen said they should stress three things:
The victim ate Mexican-style food Saturday night or very early Sunday morning. She might have been out with a Mexican or a Latin-type Caucasian—possibly named Tommy. The victim was redheaded—the two probably stood out.
The lieutenant promised priority service. Hallinen said he’d be out canvassing himself. Lawton and Hallinen connected at the El Monte Station. They split up and started working separate canvassing beats.
Jim Bruton teamed up with Captain Al Etzel. They drove to 700 Bryant and reinterviewed George and Anna May Krycki. Mrs. Krycki stuck to her Jean-didn’t-drink/Jean-didn’t-go-out-with-men story. She said that Jean answered a newspaper ad and rented the little back house impulsively Jean liked the fenced-in yard and thick foliage. She said the place felt safe to her. The Kryckis had a hunch that Jean was hiding out in El Monte.
Jean did not have a telephone. She used the Kryckis’ phone for local calls and made her other calls at work. The Kryckis received a few calls to her. They were strictly calls related to her job.
Bruton asked Mrs. Krycki if she had any more photos of Jean. She gave him six Kodachrome snapshots. Etzel asked her to go through the bungalow with them. They needed to inventory Jeans things and determine the shoes and purse she had with her Saturday night.
Mrs. Krycki walked Bruton and Etzel through the house and examined the victim’s belongings. She drew a blank on the purse and said Jean’s clear plastic high heels were missing.
Bruton and Etzel drove to the El Monte Station and dropped the snapshots off for reprinting.
Hallinen met up with Lawton.
Their canvassing runs were unsuccessful. They hit numerous bars and nightclubs—but nobody recalled a redhead and a dark man out Saturday night.
They