The Big Thaw - Donald Harstad [29]
“Well, anyway, you people hash this out,” said the prosecutor, standing up. “I’m afraid I’m asking the Attorney General for an assist on this one, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to remove myself from the case, anyway.”
“You’re what?” asked Lamar.
“I do Borglan’s taxes, there’s a possible conflict here.” He raised both hands to shoulder level, palm up. “I’m sorry. But I do think you should interview Fred.”
“His attorney will never permit it,” I said. “Even if he’s innocent.”
“Christ. It’s not Priller, is it?”
“It’s Priller,” said Lamar.
Priller was a well-known obstructionist. A pompous, irritating, aggravating little twerp. But somehow he managed to be likable at the same time, because he never took it to a personal level.
Mike grinned and shook his head. “Well, gentlemen, I wish you all the best of luck.”
This was a bit of a blow, as the county attorney would normally be available for the quick questions during an investigation, while the assigned prosecutor from the Attorney General’s office would do the long-term prosecutor’s stuff.
“Are you going to appoint a special prosecutor at the county level?” I asked.
He stopped for a second, on his way to the door. “Boy, Carl,” he said. “I don’t know that the county board of supervisors is going to approve that… it could be pretty expensive, and with a state prosecutor assigned … But, I’ll ask.”
Expenses. It always came down to that.
It was only a few seconds after he left that our secretary stuck her head in the door and motioned to me.
“Manchester PD called, and said to say that Dr. Peters was on the way here, and that everybody should stay put.”
“Really?” I relayed the information back to the table. It was just a bit unusual. I hadn’t expected Dr. Peters to come back up today.
At 0945 we, as they say, reconvened. Being an opportunist, I grabbed another doughnut.
Dr. Peters had brought a portable light-board device, to backlight X rays. We didn’t have one. Who does, except hospitals?
We watched, paying very close attention, as Dr. Peters described the film.
“Subject number one,” he said. “This is … Royce Colson … the fellow we looked at first at the scene. The one who was on his back. Bullet wound in his right temple …”
The X ray showed the hole, cracks in the skull, a little trail of debris through the brain toward the left side, and a fragmenting of bone on the left side.
“Through and through,” said Dr. Peters. “Entered just behind the eye, into the sphenoid, right above the zygomatic arch. Transverses the brain, and exits via the lower edge, just about precisely at the squamous suture. Caused a stellate, circumferential fracture of the skull, as it did.” He traced the points with his hand as he talked. Good thing.
The bullet had gone in right behind the eye, kept pretty level, and come out the other side a little farther aft, cracking the skull completely around its circumference. The stellate or star-shaped portion was a crack running up the side of the skull from the entrance, and stopping near the top of the head.
“This victim may have been upright, and I suspect standing erect, at the time the shot was fired.” He looked at us. “I strongly suspect that the bullet which exited this man’s head is the one discovered that made the hole in the wall of the Borglan residence.” He paused. “The entrance wound is about two-tenths of an inch in diameter, so I think we’re dealing with a .22 caliber bullet. Close examination of the wound, after washing the clotted blood away, reveals very intense tattooing around the entrance.” He stepped back from the X ray. “Photos will be available soon, I’m sure, but it was a nearly perfect circle, and I suspect we have a contact gunshot wound, here. I would also think it was made with the muzzle in contact because the projectile actually exited the skull … Lots of energy available here,” said Dr. Peters.
The muzzle was in contact with the skull when the gun went off. This was usually an indication of a suicide, but hardly likely in this case.
“Self-inflicted?” asked Art. Thinking