Cause of death: gunshot wound to the head.
Manner of death: homicide.
Blood alcohoclass="underline" negative.
Blood drug screens: negative.
Urine drug screens: negative.
My examination of the body of Werner Shaft revealed a gunshot wound to the head, with the entrance wound on the forehead, and the exit wound on the rear of the head. The trajectory of the bullet that went through Werner Shaft’s head was front to back, fired from a distance of eighteen to twenty-four inches.
Werner Shaft also received a gunshot wound to the back, entering approximately one inch from the center. The trajectory of the bullet was through the spinal cord, lodging in the heart. The lack of gunshot residue indicates the shot came from a distance.”
Werner Shaft also received a non-fatal gunshot wound to the left shoulder, two inches down from the top surface of the shoulder, entering the deltoid muscle from the rear at approximately a forty-five degree angle. The bullet exited the front of the body. The lack of gunshot residue, along with the angle of penetration, indicates the shot came from a distance.”
In my opinion, Werner Shaft died of a gunshot wound to the head. Manner of death is homicide.
The ballistic report was much more interesting and enlightening.
Two shell casings were found in the laneway beside Master Footwear, one more at the rear. Both came from Shaft’s weapon. In the alleyway between the two buildings, two more casings were found, one at the entranceway to the alley, one close by the body. Both were from an unknown weapon.
Except for the bullet found in Shaft’s heart, and the one that embedded itself in the ground under his head, the rest of them had not been found, having missed their target.
That all fit in perfectly with the statement of the witness.
The forensic report stated the empty cartridge box found in Norton’s basement had his fingerprints on it. That wasn’t surprising. It was Norton’s house.
What made Hank sit forward was the discovery of a partial fingerprint on the casing found beside the body. That fingerprint was identified as belonging to Michael Norton.
Now he had enough for an arrest warrant. All he needed to do was find Norton.
He leaned back, trying to decide what his next move was. He was waiting to see if King uncovered anything, hoping Norton or his car would be found, and praying for a solid lead.
His ringing cell phone brought him out of his thoughts. It was Jake.
“Afternoon, Hank,” Jake said when the detective answered the phone.
Hank tilted his chair back and rested his foot on an open desk drawer. “Congratulations to both of you for the sting you set up. I hear they brought in a lot of guys. Wish I could’ve been there.”
Jake chuckled. “Maybe next time, Hank. You can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Diego is pretty happy. I understand Cranston’s is over the moon about it. King is the only one who didn’t have anything good to say. No surprise there.”
“What about the low-level guys? The boosters?” Jake asked.
Hank laughed. “I’m pretty sure we’ll find somebody who’ll talk and we’ll nab some of them. The rest’ll be out of business anyway, with no place to sell the stuff.”
“Another bunch will spring up,” Jake said. “I don’t think there’ll ever be an end to organized shoplifting.”
“Afraid you’re right.”
Jake cleared his throat. “Hank, do you know somebody by the name of Maria Shaft?”
Hank sat forward. “I sure do. Where’d you get that name?”
“She called us. I assumed this would be your case. She wants us to find her husband’s killer.”
“She’s in a mighty hurry, isn’t she? I only told her about her husband’s murder this morning.”
“She heard the suspect, Michael Norton, ran,” Jake said. “She wants us to track him down before he disappears.”
“She’s already called me twice since this morning,” Hank said. “She doesn’t understand these things can take some time. I filled her in on what we know so far, but there’s not much to go on. Right now we’re trying to find Norton. Been talking to most everyone he knows. So far, no luck.”
“We don’t want to step on your toes, Hank. We didn’t tell Maria Shaft we’d take the case for sure. We said we’d look into it.”
“It doesn’t matter to me. You guys are welcome to everything I have. You know how I feel about that.”
“Appreciate it, Hank.”
“I’ll get together a package and get it to you. Right now, I’m running out of leads, so I might have time to drop by there later today.”
“Look forward to it,” Jake said, and they hung up.
Hank still needed to make a visit to Michael Norton’s workplace. According to the information they obtained, Norton was employed as a production line worker at Sterling Auto Parts. It was doubtful he would have talked to his coworkers about his plans, but in an effort to leave no stone unturned, Hank decided to drop by there now.
He picked up his briefcase, dropped the reports inside, and pushed back his chair.
According to his latest call with Mrs. Shaft, her brother-in-law was there with her today. He would pay Rocky Shaft a visit on the way back, wrapping up his entire list of leads and possible suspects.
Chapter 13
Tuesday, 12:43 p.m.
LISA KRUNK was a legend in her own mind. With eyes and ears everywhere, there wasn’t much in this dumpy little town that passed her by. Her many years as a television journalist, and her dogged determination, ensured that.
The evening before, when she got wind of the murder of Werner Shaft, she leaped into action. If she hadn’t been chasing some dead-end story on the other side of the city, she would’ve made it to the crime scene before the body was taken away.
As it was, her trusty cameraman, Don, got a few shots of cops hanging around, the flashy yellow tape everywhere, and the ambulance pulling away with its load. She was able to corner a couple of cops who knew next to nothing about what happened. The whole thing was a big disappointment.
Via her sources, she pieced together most of the facts of what had gone on, and now, those same sources confirmed the police had a suspect. His name was Michael Norton. A few minutes of research netted her the relationship between Shaft and Norton.
She also obtained the name of the victim’s wife, Mrs. Maria Shaft. And that’s where she had to start her story.
Don pulled the Channel 7 Action News van to the curb in front of the Shaft residence. Lisa hopped from the passenger side door while Don grabbed the camera equipment from the back and hurried to catch up.
“Don, roll the camera now. We don’t want to miss anything.”
Don dropped the camera on his shoulder, and in a moment, the red light glowed. He aimed it toward the house and hurried up the walkway behind Lisa.
She rang the bell and stood back. There was no answer. She glanced toward the driveway. A dark-green Mazda was parked in front of the garage. Someone must be home.
She rang the bell again. Finally, the door opened a crack and a woman stuck her nose out.
“Maria Shaft?” Lisa asked.
The woman nodded. “Yes?”
“I’m Lisa Krunk from Channel 7 Action News. Could I ask you a few questions regarding the murder of your husband?”
The woman frowned, and then the frown disappeared as her lips curled into a weak smile. “Yes,” she said, and opened the door, motioning for them to enter.