Chap 18 Pre-meditation

by Shin

 

 

 

A classic attitude among Americans is the belief that their laws apply to everyone in the world. This of course is to mix the legal system with the laws of nature. While this may be found to be misguided, the opposite is experienced as being true i.e. the laws of nature apply to everyone in the world, including Americans.

Matthias and Alex had encountered a crime in which the perpetrator appears to have committed with deliberation and clear mens reas. However, the suspect appeared to believe and undertake the crime in a staunch experience of natural justice that it represented.

 

“If that's correct,” Sara had commented, “ you will not find her. She appears to have been denied justice in regards to her rights. Therefore she has applied herself, in good conscience, to the service of justice. Where we perceive such a breakdown in justice we will surely cultivate the conditions for anarchy of the mind.”

 

Matt placed a request with the Stanton Police Dept. in Oklahoma to find the victim's family at the address in the license or where they may be at this time.

 

A check at Milly's gifts, with the clerk there, produced some help. She had sold it to a middle-aged lady, graying hair, about 5' 8”, 160 lbs. When they had produced the family's photographs the clerk had been unable to identify positively, because they were younger. They had asked te clerk to work with the police sketch artist to create a semblance.

 

A check with the pharmacies in town turned up a load of work. OxyContin was a growing prescription drug and Alex went through every one of them for prescriptions provided on the day of the murder and before. It produced a list of 31 people that they would have to track down. Of these, 5 people were with the Lutheran Church on main. And additional 2 people had used the services of Schumburg & Lawrence, where the victim had acted as legal attorney.

 

The coroner's report confirmed their earlier findings. The victim had a dinner of beef, potatoes and coffee. There was no report of chocolates. There was alcohol content in the blood. The OxyContin was administered by injection in an excessive dosage and had caused numbness in the individual before he had passed out. The perpetrator had shot him behind the head from 2 feet away. Death was by gunshot wound. Time of death was 3.05 am.

 

Fingerprints at the site belonged to the victim. There was none other.

 

When the artist sketch was completed they faxed a copy to Stanton and the Oklahoma State Police. Another copy was sent to the the South Carolina State Police with copies to every police station in the state.

 

A search of signs and symbols on the internet produced several possibilities. Matt concluded eventually that it was a fish swimming upstream. That had to be a trout or salmon. It implied that the individual faced a strenuous uphill task.

 

A check on the internet produced the IPO addresses of the contacts. The service provider supplied the names and addresses of the subscribers.

 

The letter the victim wrote was to an address in Anchorage, Alaska. It was registered to one Martin Bierstadt. Matt faxed a copy of the artist sketch to the Anchorage Police dept. with his request. He looked up Bierstadt and called the number.

 

The response was couched in a silky bordering on raspy voice, like a singer. Matt introduced himself and filled in on the events.

 

“I'm sorry to hear that,” he replied. “ We haven't had any contact with each other for almost 15 years,” he replied. “We broke …..we were high school buddies....but we broke with each other and have not communicated in anyway.”

 

“What was the break about?” Matt asked.

 

He hesitated for a while then replied,

 

“We were in love with the same person. She married him. I moved to Alaska.”

 

“Have you been in contact with his wife?” he asked.

 

“No,” came the reply.

 

“Can I ask you for her name?”

 

“Is she a suspect?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He hesitated again, then said,

 

“I can't help you officer,” he replied.

 

“Very well,” Matt replied. “ Where were you on the night of the 15 th ?”

 

“ I do a nightly.....I'm a singer. I perform at the ' Friends of Joni,' its a night club. On the 15 th . I was working until 1.00 am.”

 

He gave Matt the number.

 

“Do you have any reason to believe that your life is in danger?”

 

“No officer,” he replied.

 

They hung up.

 

He looked across at Alex.

 

“According to the pastor at the Lutheran, he was a great guy, an example of faith. Its a new policy to train professionals for the priesthood and engage their experiences to relate to that of the church.”

 

“The pharmacy list?”

 

“I spoke to the 7 who came into contact with him. No apparent complaints. Sounds pretty straight.”

 

“She's got to be on the remaining customer list. What's the lawyer firm say about his family?”

 

“No one has ever met them.”

 

Matt leaned back and stretched.

 

“We're going for the wife is what I take this to be,” Alex said.

 

“I think we are,” Matt replied.