Crime Scenes - Where A Murder Has Taken Place, Smell Like Bone, Brain, Blood And Industrial Solvents.

Stratham, New Hampshire

Chief Ron Strier is the local Police Chief in the town where Sophie and her parents had lived for twenty years.  

He headed north away from The Boston Police Department for a quieter life with his marriage and family still intact after he recovered from being shot while trying to calm a violent domestic dispute that started over a pack of cigarettes. I can't tell you how many domestic disputes I was sent to as a cop that involved cigarettes. It's amazing.

Ron uses all that bullshit about being shot as an excuse for being a crappy bowler. Ron says his bowling was better before he got shot. I don't believe him. He owes me a beer from the last time we rolled a year ago.

"Allston, you pus nuts, how are you?" We hugged.

Ron is a University Of Parris Island Marine like me, which explains this particular term of endearment.

"Ron, I'm well and wondering why you sent a beautiful young woman to my house. I appreciate the gesture, but you know I'm taken."

Sophie had been staying at Ron's house since the murder of her parents. Ron's daughter Meghan played soccer with Sophie on the same high school team, and they are good friends.

"Did Eve send up some of her blueberry muffins?" he asked.

"I'm doing great, thanks for asking, and yes, they are in the truck, Eve said Hi"

"Over the past week, Sophie told me a few things I kept quiet about."

"There's her father's computer, and then there was an incident at her father's company a week before his death that may be related to this"

"Let's go look at Sophie's house first because I have a Rotary Club lunch I have to speak at today."

"Do you get free lunches all the time?

"You look like you eat lots of them."

"Trust me, Allston, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and I know I need to add a little more PT to my life." he chuckled at this ball-busting.

"I have to make speeding tickets go bye-bye every week conveniently, and there is always some town citizen's kid that screwed up on a Friday night and needs a break."

Thinking back, I remembered receiving a couple of breaks from my local PD when I was a kid in Connecticut. Without those breaks, my enlistment in the USMC may not have happened.

I followed Ron in his cruiser to where Sophie and her parents lived.   All the homes we passed were large, some new, some very old, but in my estimation, all were worth north of a million dollars in today's market.   The Tanners chose the area for its school system and the proximity to their jobs.

Emmy Tanner was a vice president of a regional supermarket chain. Gerry Tanner was a partner in a consulting company that specialized in large-scale construction projects worldwide.

Ron clicked the garage door opener of the Tanner house. The door rose. Two foreign model cars were still inside.

 "I took the opener from Gerry Tanner's Audi once the scene was sealed. It's easier this way than breaking door seals and crime tape whenever you need to get in." said the Chief.

The cars were in good condition, but neither looked brand new. They had been in place since the day of the crime. It's safe to assume that both cars were extensively reviewed by all the various agencies trying to outsmart each other. 

The scene was cleared for Sophie to return, but she stayed with Chief Strier and his family.

A crime scene cleaning company had been inside for many days taking care of what had to be a unique modern art masterpiece on the wall near the foot of the stairs where Sophie hit her target close range with two high caliber rounds.

The smells inside were of strong industrial solvents that scrubbed away blood, bone, and brain.

The Kitchen

We started in the kitchen, where Mrs. Tanner was found on the floor near the serving island in the center of the room. 

Ron passed on the facts he knew.

"She had a single shot wound to the chest that exited her back." 

"It is unlikely she saw it coming and they know she died first." 

"The door to the outside from the kitchen was unlocked."

 "There was no breakage of glass or any scrapes around the door hardware indicative of a forced entry."

"They are sure he came through this back kitchen door. They found what is assumed to be his rental car two streets away. They think he walked through the backyards and entered the door right here." Strier said.

"The rental car was from New York City and was picked up the day before the murder."

Gerry Tanner's Office

Strier said that Mr. Tanner died in there and was shot twice. "He put up a fight. One shot was in the leg. Forensics think this was the first round, and it happened during a struggle for the firearm. A headshot did him in."

"Allston, it was a special mess in here and I have never seen anything like it. The killer had a military grade high caliber semi automatic with a suppressor."

"The perp tore the place up, and it looked like he was looking for something."

I looked around at all the items in the office and stopped to look at the photos on the wall.

This is called a "Love Me" wall in the military. Tanner's whole career was in front of me, with photos and medals from his early naval enlistment, college diplomas, and award certificates, including one for being the World's Best Dad from a young Sophie.

Most of the photos looked like they were taken from construction sites worldwide. I immediately zeroed in on one framed photo of a young Gerry Tanner who was holding a roll of blueprints and slung over his shoulder was a semi-automatic rifle.

Standing next to him was a younger version of a notorious, well-known murderer who is famously deceased.

Ron looked at the photo and said, "Holy Shit."

I replied "I have work to do."