Word Play
by Glenn Davy
“Please state your name for the record.”
“Juliet Kathrine Mittchell.”
“Good... You do understand that everything said from here on will be officially recorded?”
“Yes.”
“ Well then let us start... What exactly was your relationship with miss Milon?”
“Well... she lived in the neighborhood. She moved her almost 10 years ago, back when she still had a husband. But a few years ago he died in a car accident... that is when I first met her. To deal with the grief she got a dog... A little white yap dog, And every night she would take it for a walk through the park by my house.”
“ And what Park was that?”
“ John Hinkel Park...”
My first Time at John Hinkel Park, I was 35 and had been living in Berkeley for almost 8 years working as a detective. The first impression I had of the park was that it was actually quite pleasant, It was sunny and windy, the trees rustling, it was quite pleasant... except for the yellow tape, cops, and forensics people swarming all over the place. Judging by how the body had been found Mr. Pell Had been planning the murder for quite sometime. The Womans body was lying in the middle of a small grove of trees. None of the people in the houses would have been able to see or hear what was happening. Shoe prints were scattered on the soft ground leading from the body towards the amphitheater. Where Mr. Pell had been found, by some teens, with broken ribs coughing blood.
“ And how was it that you came across the body?”
“The night before she had taken the dog for another walk like always, and it was as yappy as always, but the next morning the dog was still out there yapping...”
“So it had been yapping all night?”
“Don't know, almost every one has long since gotten sound proofing, the dog was very annoying.”
“Then how did you hear it?”
“I was grabbing my newspaper.”
“Please continue.”
“So i heard the dog, and it struck me as odd, she never took him for walks in the morning. When I found the dog He was sitting there beside miss Milon yapping at her. I then ran back inside and called the cops.”
“Now... If your house had sound proofing, how did you know that she had been out the night before?”
“Because she is always out there at night.”
“Had you seen her at all that night? maybe saw her when you glanced out of your window.”
“I don't know... maybe.”
“Would she just walk through the park, or would she play with her dog at the park?”
“She would sometimes let her dog loose at the park.”
“Okay, now you said that this dog barked a lot. So wouldn't it have been barking all night long? And if it was doing that then wouldn't someone who didn't have a sound proof house get suspicious?”
“I don't know.”
“Well then if you have nothing else to say...”
“No I don't.”
“Then thank you for your time.”
“Please state you name.”
“Timothy Rommel.”
“Now First, What were you doing in the park that night.”
“Um...”
“Look what ever it was that you and your friends were doing , just be truthful about it because right now all I am interested in is the murder.”
“... We were tagging the abandoned house on the hill by the Amphitheater...”
The Amphitheater was large considering that it was in the middle of the Berkeley hills. It was very run down, the stones that made up the base of the theater were cracked, the large fire place was completely overgrown with grass. The Stairs and seats were made of large slabs of stone, and dirt. Which I thought was the only reason they were still being held together. Mr. Pell had been found at the bottom of the amphitheaters steps, he seemed to have fallen down while trying to escape.
“... We would occasionally do that, as a dare to a new kid.”
“ And how was it that you found Mr. Pell?”
“well first we thought we heard a voice, and we all shut up. I didn't hear anything so went out onto one of the balcony
“What did you do after that?”
“First I ran down to take a look at the guy, and he was alive so I called 911.”
“ And after that?”
“Nothing... I... I stood there freaking out.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I thought that the guy was going to die, and it isn't everyday that you witness a guy dieing.”
“You do know the condition that Mr. Pell is in?”
“Yes.”
“And you also know the implications that that has on you?”
“Yes.”
“ OK, So you said that you and your friends heard a voice... was it a male or
female voice?”
“ I think it
was a womans.”
“And could you make out anything that she said?”
“The voice didn't really say anything... it almost seemed to be more of a laugh than anything else. But as I said I didn't see anyone beyond The guy. It was probably a trick of the wind.”
“The wind?”
“Yeah, it was real windy, and because of the landscape and trees the wind can do some really weird stuff.”
“Would you be able to hear stuff from across the park?”
“I would doght it... now that I think about it there was a woman with a white dog walking around the park a few minutes before that happened.”
“ Had she just gotten there?”
“Yes.”
“Well thank you for your time, and also, that woman is dead, Mr. Pell killed her. I thought that you should know that.”
***
“Please state your name for the record.”
“Gweneth R. Williams.”
“You are an old friend of Ms. Milon's?”
“Yes. But we stopped talk after her husband died.”
“I am sorry to ask you this... but do you know any reasons why Mr. Pell would want to kill her?”
“No, I thought that he was the one person who treated her decently, and also treated her dog kindly for that matter. Also he felt sorry for her...”
Miss Milon was 67, and in very good shape for her age. She was average hight for a woman had graying hair, and her back was just starting to show signs of osteoporosis. Three years before her husband had died. That is when she had gotten her dog, and from then on she had pretty much become a recluse, she had only come out of her house to walk her dog. She had even had her groceries delivered to her. I guess it was to be suspected that people did not really like her, or feel sorry for her... though they amount to about the same thing.
“... He was a widower, but he had lost his wife many years before, he never really stopped mourning his wife.”
“Do you think that he might have resented the fact that she got over the death of her husband?”
“maybe, but I dought it, you would understand if you saw them talking.”
“Talking? but I thought that she did not talk to anyone?”
“She didn't except on walks, and then she would only talk to Mr. Pell.”
“Are you sure that you know nothing that might explain what has happened?”
“I really can't explain it.”
“ well in any event... thank you for your time.”
***
“Hey Tim, Are heading the forensics team on this one?”
“Yeah.”
“Finally something pleasant.”
“I wouldn't think that there should be anything pleasant about a murder.”
“Ha...Ha...I bow to your superior wit. What happened as far as you can tell?”
“Well...This is not like almost any other murder that I have ever seen.”
“How so?”
“Well... Come see for yourself...”
The actual murder had taken place in a small alcove in the north west corner of the park. It was ideal for a murder, the trees surrounding it blocked the view of all of the houses around there. The body had been dragged there from the main entrance to the park. The dogs leash had been found around Mslons neck. There were foot prints leading away from where the body had been found. The foot prints followed the tree line, maybe to hide from people looking out the windows. The footprints led to the theater steps where Mr. Pell had slipped and fell down the stairs.
“... I don't see anything odd about it, it seems like any other murder”
“of course you didn't notice, you never were any good at the subtleties of forensics work.”
“You know what? Shut up and tell me what happens before I smack you.”
“First, Why drag her all the way across the park just to kill her?”
“ because he doesn't know any better, he isn't exactly a unprofessional killer.”
“ True... But still moving it increases the chance of getting caught, if he had thought about this at all before he actually did this, which I think that he did, then he would have known that. And not done it.”
“ Again i say, not a pro killer.”
“ Ok, fine, then what about the leash.”
“ What about it?”
“why use it as the murder weapon. It is so grossly impractical, first you have to get it off the dog, then you have to get it around the womans neck with the dog freaking out, and probably trying to bite you. All with out the woman running away or yelling for help?, unlikely, At best.”
“She and Mr. Pell were friends, he probably tricked her somehow, and the dog wouldn't attack him, the dog knows the guy.”
“Also the foot prints leading to the theater may be going along the tree line... but he was walking, he wasn't trying to hide.”
“What do you mean.”
“If you are trying to hide behind trees, you run from one to the next. That would mean long running strides followed by bunched up strides for the stop. His prints aren't like that. They are all the same length, short, he was walking. Put everything together... I think he wanted to be seen, and I don't understand how no one saw him at some point in this, even the neighborhood watch saw nothing.”
“wow.”
“that though isn't the weirdest thing. Over by the amphitheater there is another set of footprints, these intersected with Mr. Pells over near the top of the theater, and then the footprints dissapeare, my guess is that this second person took the asphalt and wood paths in the ravine.”
“So your saying that he had an accomplice who tried to kill him?”
“Yes.”
Bring...Bring
“shit, one second tim...What!...fine I'll be there. Sorry Tim, I've got to go.”
***
“Hello, Are you Mr. Pell?”
“Yes... and you are?”
“Marc, I'm the detective investigating Ms. Milons murder.”
“I did it you know.”
“you admit it?”
“yeah.”
“Why kill her, you had no reason to, I have even heard that you were friends.”
“Why... Why... Because they told me, save one... or kill two... what happened to her dog?”
“He was taken to the pound... but he stopped eating and they had to put him down.”
“Damn.. Kill two either way...hahaha.”
“Look, I know that you are tired, but please put your thoughts together. Why did you kill her.”
“Why would anyone around here try to kill her... she was a bitch to other people. Probably because they hated her dog... even other dogs hated her dog, wouldn't stop attacking the little guy. I heard that a few of them got dragged off to the pound.”
“So you killed her because of the dog?”
“No... I already told you, I killed her because They gave me a choice, one lives or two die.”
“Who are they?”
“Why tell you, they already tried to get rid of me once, I won't make the same mistake a second time.”
“...Did you want to be caught? Even with the fact that none of the neighbors saw it happen we still have enough evidence to put you away.”
“Didn't see me eh?...Ha...ha......ha...”
“Mr. Pell?... great.”
***
A few months after the case closed I visited the park again. It was still empty, completely abandoned. Most of the houses around it were being put up for sale. Looking around it was amazing to think that this was where a community had had a collective nervous break down. I walked over and sat down on the swing. I liked swing, I always thought that you were never to old for swings, it was nice after the stress of the case. Out of the brown house behind me a couple came out and surveyed the park, they were accompanied by a woman with a clip board.
“What a nice park,perfect for the kids, we'll take the house.”
“Good luck. Enjoy the sound proofing”I yelled.