'Detective Hanson Case#675: Justice for Mrs. Georgia'

 “The victim’s daughter has been pushing for the investigation to be opened. She says that we might have abandoned the case too soon. The media seems to be in complete agreement with her.”

“Why do u think that is? The case is ten years old. We could not find even a single lead then. What makes them believe that things would be different now?”

“She claims to have discovered a pattern on her own. She says that the perpetrator has been killing every two years since her mother was killed. She claims the pattern is same but the investigating officers have failed to draw analogies.”

“Do you think there is any merit in her claims?’

“I cannot say for sure. But after having spoken to her personally for about an hour, I have realized that the cases she claims to have been by the same perpetrator, are some of our cold cases. I believe there is certainly no harm in unearthing some untouched dimensions. If her claims are true at all, we might have a breakthrough in many cases. It might help providing closure to families.”

“Alright sir! I will speak to her. I will try to look at the case with fresh eyes.”

 

Detective Hanson cuts the call. 

 

Detective Cook looks at Detective Hanson with anticipation. Hanson says, “The District Attorney had been persistent on closing the cold case of Mrs. Georgia Brendon. The case has been doing rounds in the media because of the daughter of the victim, Ms. Casandra Brendon.”

 

Cook contributes by saying, “Oh, yes! I have heard of it. Ms. Casandra had claimed to have discovered a pattern in a few killings that took place in the city in subsequent years. The media houses rushed to her for interviews and she became a sensation overnight. The cooking up of conspiracy theory and a chance of having another serial killer on lose, settled well with the people, and the media houses have developed a feigning interest in the case ever since.”

 

Detective Hanson had heard about the case mainly through news reports. He was working at the Narcotics Department when the killing took place. He never interacted with the detectives who handled the case, but he had heard they were good homicide detectives.

 

On the insistence of the D.A., Hanson decides to revisit the case. He opens up the case file. The first page has a picture of the victim. She is an African-American who was about 35 years old when she was murdered. She is survived by her daughter, Casandra, who was eleven years old when the killing happened. 

 

Cook says, “Do you want me to help you with this one?”

 

Hanson replies, “No, partner. Let me just go through the file once and talk to Ms. Cassandra. If I find that it requires further investigation, I will tell you. Meanwhile, if you could look into the death of Mr. James John, it would really be of great help.”

 

Cook replies with high-spirits, “You got it partner.”

As Hanson flips through the pages, he gets deeper into the facts. He finds that her parents had died when she was twenty-two years old. A drunk truck driver had rammed their car, when they were returning from a party. The Court had sentenced the driver to death and was executed three years after the accident. 

 

Georgia married her long-time boyfriend, Jamie, at the age of twenty-three. At the age of twenty-four, they welcomed their only child, Cassandra. Jamie was a marine and died on duty, two years before Georgia was killed. After Jamie died, Georgia became a dedicated church-goer. 

 

Georgia worked at a Deli near their home. She came back home around 4pm every day, just in time to pick Cassandra from the bus stop. On 28^th October, 1999, Georgia had left her work place around 4pm to head home. She is expected to have reached her home around 4:10pm. Cassandra’s bus usually arrived at the stop at 4:20pm. But on 28^th October, Cassandra said that Georgia did not come to pick her up. Cassandra walked down to her home alone. The front door of the house was not locked and Cassandra, believing her mother was inside, casually walked inside the house. She found the house was a mess and she frisked through the house to look for her mother. She found her in the kitchen in a pool of blood and rushed through the kitchen door to alert the next door neighbor, who then informed the Police at once. When the Police arrived, they saw a similar thing as Cassandra did. The house was empty.

 

The report of the detectives state- Georgia was found in her work clothes. She had suffered a blunt force trauma to her head. The forensics report proved that the weapon that caused the death was a wine bottle, whose glass shards were found near the body and in her head. Her face was bludgeoned by a flower vase in the living area. The living area was also chaotic. There were blood droplets that trailed from the living area to the kitchen. There were no signs of break-in. The forensics team tried to pick finger prints from the glass shards of the wine bottle and the flower vase but they were finely broken and no definite fingerprint could be picked up from the glass pieces. No witnesses to the crime were found. Since it was in the afternoon, no one was on the street or was gazing out on the street. None of the neighbors heard anything.

 

The detectives had deliberated a theory- When Georgia came home, she was about to change her clothes and head to pick Cassandra, but the perpetrator rang the bell. She knew him. She let him in. A quarrel ensued in the living room. He picked the nearest flower vase and bludgeoned her with it. He must have hit from a close point with extreme force to have caused the glass shards to be broken into fine pieces. Georgia knew he would not stop at any cost and tried to traipse her way to the kitchen door, as he blocked the way to the main door. After reaching the kitchen, he grabbed a wine bottle and hit her from behind with it. It was again a close hit with strong force. The shards of the bottle lodged in her skull caused Georgia’s death. There was no witness. There was no suspect. No leads could be found as Georgia was found to have no enemies. The detectives at a point believed that the perp would have switched towns.

 

Detective Hanson had two questions with regard to this theory. First, if the fight was due to a sudden quarrel, the man would have been bare-handed and the glass shards would have made him bleed too. But why did the forensics not find a second blood type on the scene? It was only the O+ve blood group of Georgia that was found. Second, how did an expensive bottle of Bordeaux wine Chateau Poupille end up in the kitchen of a single dedicated mother who was not a drinker? The second question arose mainly because neither was there any other alcohol bottle found nor were there any empty bottles in the trash.

 

Hanson decided to meet the daughter, Cassandra. The D.A’s office had already arranged a meeting. She arrived later that evening to meet him.

 

Hanson was eager to know what kind of story Cassandra has unearthed. She never revealed the details of the alleged pattern on news channels; nor did she reveal the cases that had the same pattern. 

 

Cassandra tells Hanson, “Over the years, I have read newspapers everyday just to find out if there was any breakthrough in the case. But when I realized that my mom’s death is just another cold murder case, I decided to take things in my own hands. I have a few cases that I followed through news articles. First I will tell you the pattern in all these cases. Usually the attack is on single moms. They have been attacked when they are alone. The killings happen in the streets at odd hours. The bludgeoning of the skull has been the cause of death in all these cases.”

 

She then puts a file on the table, opens it up and newspaper clippings just scatter around the table. She says, “These are the five cases that have occurred over a period of ten years since the killing of my mother. They all share the same pattern. No timeline can distinctly be established. What do you think?”

 

Hanson tries to assuage her by saying, “I appreciate your work. I understand your obsession to catch this killer. Not only did he take away your mother, he also took away your childhood. I heard on the news how you had been thrown in the foster system and not one family kept you longer than a few months. You have my full sympathy but out of these five cases, I have worked on three. I can assure you the pattern is not same. For instance, the killing of Mrs. Miller, in 2005, occurred during a break-in at her house early in the morning. Whereas in your mother’s case, there was nothing that was stolen. The second case of Mrs. Cooper, that made the headlines in 2006, is different story altogether. The media suspected that she was bludgeoned but we have clear evidence that she tripped from the staircase and hurt her head on a showpiece near the stairwell. There is a theory that she might have been pushed but there was definitely no bludgeoning as per the forensics. The third murder of Mrs. Rogers in 2008, was by shooting and not bludgeoning. There were marks on the body that showed she had engaged in a fight with the perpetrator but the shooting caused her death. You see, Ms. Cassandra, I hate to tell you this but a pattern indicates that there was a serial killer and serial killers don’t deviate from their pattern. But as I just proved there is no clear pattern between the death of your mother and these three cases, there is certainly no serial killer.”

 

Cassandra is heartbroken. But as she looks up at the newspaper cuttings, she lights up and says, “What about the other two cases?”

 

Hanson takes a long look at the newspaper clippings. After a few minutes, he says, “Ms. Cassandra, the first case you have here is the killing of Mrs. Johnson in 2001. We could not find the perpetrator but we have strong reason to believe that since Mrs. Johnson was a witness to a crime by a street gang, she was targeted. And the other murder of Mrs. Miller was in fact a not a murder but a death due to natural causes in 2002. The newspapers might not have reported it but we have closed that case.”

 

Cassandra is sad. Her entire world has just collapsed. She had spent past ten years building up her case to identify the murderer of her mother. Her life has become purposeless now.

 

Hanson says, “I understand your pain. But if it helps you, I have decided to investigate the case.”

 

Her eyes lit up. She says, “Will you please not give up this time?”

 

Hanson says, “You have my word. I will not give up unless you get the closure.”

 

She says, “Thank you! It is very reassuring.”

 

Hanson says, “But I will need your help. If you could recount the entire incident and answer a few questions for me, I might start right away.”

 

She agrees and says, “I came back at around 4:10 pm from school. My mother usually picked me up but that day she wasn’t there. I started to walk home. I reached home and opened the door. When I went inside, the look of the living room scared me and I started looking for her. I went to the kitchen and she was lying on the floor. I went running out the kitchen door to our neighbor, Ms. Simons. I told her what I saw and she called the police. That is all. This is what I told the other detectives.”

 

Hanson says, “I am sure. They have recorded the same thing in their report. But there were no follow-up questions in the report. Did they ask you anything more?”

 

She says, “No. They did not ask any other question. I don’t think I could have been of any help at that age. I was too traumatized.”

 

Hanson says, “I agree. But I do have a few questions, like, did your mother drink?”

 

She says, “No! Not at all.”

 

Hanson says, “Ok! My next question is do you remember your mother engaging in quarrels with anyone?”

 

She says, “My mother was trying really hard to make ends meet. I mean she elided all sorts of arguments. She might have had polite disagreements but that is all. Nothing ever enough to give someone motive to murder her.”

 

Hanson says, “Details of even little conversations or strained relations would be of great help.”

 

Cassandra says, “It was a long time back. But based on memory, I think my mom’s boss, Mr. Bolt was giving her a hard time. She was facing some money trouble and asked him if she could get a raise or work extra shifts. He agreed to neither of those. My mom was planning to switch her job. She had approached Ms. Simons if she could help her find another job.”

 

Hanson asks, “Why Ms. Simons? Were they close?”

 

She says, “Yes. They were best friends. She was the only person my mother was close to. She helped us a lot. This is why I went to her first after what I saw.”

 

Hanson says, “Please continue. Did Ms. Simons help her find the job?”

 

She says, “Actually, she did. She had approached a Church member, who ran a small video store near our house. If I am not wrong, the store was called ‘Jameson’s Video Parlor’. I do not know the name of the owner though. My mom met him but she decided to wait a week before switching the job.”

 

Hanson says, “Ok! Anybody else? Did your mother have any special friends? Somebody who would get her expensive gifts?”

 

She is surprised and says, “I don’t know why you are insinuating that my mom had an affair. She did not. My father had died just sometime back. I was her entire world. She just wanted to get by life one day at a time. The Church had helped us a lot. But to answer your other question- No! She did not have any special friend. She also did not have anyone who would get her expensive gifts.”

 

Hanson says, “You were really helpful today. If you don’t mind, I would like to contact Ms. Simons.”

 

Cassandra gets a little fidgety. She gets teary-eyed and says, “She passed away last year because after fighting a long battle of cancer.”

 

Hanson says, “I am sorry! I gather you were very close to her.”

 

She says, “I was. She took care of me like I was her own daughter. Even in foster care, she used to come and visit me. She made sure I was always taken care of. She encouraged me with my research on the case. I wish she were here. She would have been really happy knowing someone actually was ready to look at the case with fresh eyes.”

 

Hanson says, “I am sure she would have. Does she have any relative alive?”

 

She says, “She never married. She stayed alone in the house. She worked at the Church. She looked after the accounts there. She had no relative and my mom was her only close friend. She was a quiet lady but she helped a lot of people in the church. The church congregation took care of her funeral last year.”

 

Hanson says, “Give me some time. I would like to run a few checks and get back to you.”

 

She says, “Do you mind if I stay here while you decide what to do next?”

 

Hanson is filled with sympathy. He says, “Ok! You can stay. But if it takes me longer, I will have to ask you to leave. It is 5pm already and my shift ends at 6pm. If I am unable to find a good action plan today, I will contact you tomorrow. Is that fine?”

 

She nods.

 

Hanson goes to the new detective at the table and tells him to run a few background checks. At around 5:30 pm, the detective comes to Hanson and tells him a few things while handing over the documents. Hanson listens carefully and reflects on the information. Cassandra watches the events that unfold. After the detective leaves, Hanson goes through the papers. Hanson tells Detective Cook that he was taking a raincheck for the day.

 

He then approaches Cassandra and tells her, “Its close to 6pm. Let’s go for coffee. We can talk there.” Cassandra follows him.

They reach a coffee shop. They sit down and order two coffees. When the waitress leaves, Hanson says, “So I did a few background checks. I should tell you I ask questions and then I work a hunch. Sometimes they stick. Sometimes they are just absurd.”

 

Cassandra is puzzled. She says, “Have you found something?”

 

Hanson says, “Yes, I have. I am going to tell you my theory. You have to keep an open-mind.”

 

Cassandra nods.

 

He says, “Your mother had a visitor that day. She knew him well. She let him in. He got her a nice bottle of wine. Your mother, who did not want to be rude, quietly kept it in the kitchen, while asking the man to sit in the living area. He sat down. Your mother must have wanted to leave early and asked the visitor to leave. But the visitor was persistent on having a conversation. He was looking for an answer. Your mother felt uncomfortable with all the pestering. She sternly asked him to leave. A fight ensued. He picked up a flower vase and hit your mother. Your mother tried to escape through the kitchen door. He got flustered and as soon as your mother reached the kitchen, he hit her hard with the wine bottle. He left the house as soon as he heard you reach home. The entire incident happened in less than fifteen minutes. Here is my hunch-The person had to have left through the kitchen door and should have had enough time to hide from you before you could reach Ms. Simons.”

 

Hanson pauses. Cassandra looked at him with anticipation. She just wanted him to get to the name of the killer. Hanson continues, “We did not find any other blood group at the crime scene and since it is impossible to injure someone with so much of glass and not have shards make one bleed too, I believe the perp had the same blood group as your mother. This is one fact, the Detectives overlooked. It is understandable as there was a lot of blood and a DNA testing of the whole sample is usually not done, unless they get a suspicion of a second blood type. I just asked a fellow detective today to run a blood group test of all the people around your mother. It was only one person.”

 

The waitress brought their coffee and thinking she might have interrupted a serious conversation, quickly leaves.

Hanson then continues, “Ms. Simons was the one who shared the same blood group. We just verified it with the DMV database. She was the one who was close enough to hide at her own home just in time to let everyone believe she was home all along. I first suspected her when she said that she didn’t hear anything. And then today when you retold the entire incident, it got me thinking that you did not see any vehicle parked outside your door. This only leads to one conclusion that the perp must be on foot. The time frame puts her as the only viable suspect. Moreover, I find it really hard to believe that a person, whose best friend if murdered, would not walk to the body just to check the pulse at least once after informing the authorities. When you approached her, she called the authorities but did not once go to see the body. She either knew your mother was already dead or she expected her to die by the time help reaches her.”

 

Cassandra cries. She sobs and says, “Why? Why would she do it? What motive did she have?”

 

Hanson says, “Well! I have a theory and you should know I cannot say anything for sure. These are mere conjectures. We cannot say anything for certain, as she is no more. But I got a background check done on her. She was thrown out of her missionary orphanage at the age of 18 because the Nuns found her making inappropriate advances to a 17 year old girl. Based on this I presume, she worked at church because she was always feeling the guilt of being a lesbian. She thought working with the church would help her change her feelings but she failed. When your mom met her after your father died, she might have taken things the wrong way. That day she probably approached your mother with honest feelings. Your mother would have rebuffed the advances and then she inadvertently, killed your mother.”

 

Cassandra says, “But she has been so nice to me always.”

 

Hanson says, “I think that was more of a guilt.”

 

Cassandra pauses. She is really upset and cannot control her tears. Hanson just sits there. 

 

Hanson then asks, “How do you want to proceed now?”

 

Cassandra says, “I would like to leave things as they are. I understand what she might have been through. She paid the price of murdering my mother by dying a painful death. There is no point digging up old graves. Detective Hanson, please let this case remain a cold case. I have my closure.”