Chapter 5: The Night in Question
696 Words
“Let’s review what we know,” said Officer Hartman as he paced in front of Jackson’s desk. Officer Jackson was leaning back, stirring the cream and sugar in his coffee. “George and Lisa Corbin were shot around 7pm last night. It was a single headshot. It would seem that Lisa was shot first and there was a struggle between George and the murderer.”
“It would seem they were attacked while they were eating supper. They had no idea the attack was coming,” Jackson added. “The perpetrator had gained access through the back door.”
“.45mm pistol. Custom made ammunition.”
“The bullets were strange,” Jackson nodded. “But the striations show that both shots were fired from the same weapon.”
“I hope they find a match in the database. That might be a long shot.”
“After the parents were killed, the perpetrator went upstairs. Some of the victim’s blood was found in the hall. I imagine they were looking for something.”
“The girl?” Hartman asked. “Her bedroom was upstairs, but she wasn’t there.”
“Or maybe just checking for witnesses?”
Hartman didn’t answer because he didn’t know. He also figured it was a rhetorical question. “The biggest question is why. What is the motive? Lisa was a homemaker and George was a history teacher. Neighbors seemed to like them. I can’t find any enemies. Yet, someone went to great lengths to kill them. This was an expert hit.”
Jackson drinks his coffee. He didn’t have answers either.
Together the investigators pieced together the crime as best they could, but there were many questions that remained. It is believed that the murderer was a male acting alone. There were signs of forced entry through the back door. The time of the break-in was difficult to determine. It is possible the assailant entered the home and hid until the time to strike.
Lisa was killed first. She was sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner. The murderer approached and shot her in the back of the head. George sprung into action. There were signs of struggle in the kitchen. During this struggle, a bowl of fruit was knocked off the counter. The assailant also stepped in Lisa’s blood as it began to pool on the floor (size 11 hiking boots). During the struggle, George was stabbed in the abdomen with a knife. This was not fatal, but caused him to double over. He was then shot in the head with the same gun that killed his wife. The bodies were both left on the floor. Neither the knife nor the gun were recovered.
The assailant then traveled upstairs. Nothing seemed to be disturbed. Although the house contained jewelry, electronics, and various other items of value, nothing was taken. There was a lack of fingerprints, but George managed to get some of the assailant’s blood under his fingernails. This sample is being analyzed for a DNA match.
Detective Kyle Hartman was approaching forty with a hairline that was receding faster than he wanted to admit. He had been with the force for over a decade. Ciderhall was a small town and this was his first murder case. There was an attempted murder 3 years ago, but the victim survived. The crimes were mostly theft, assault, or vandalism. The majority of these cases began at Simmon’s Tavern and a few too many drinks.
Detective James Jackson on the other hand was in his mid-twenties. He had recently moved to Ciderhall from an Atlanta suburb after his marriage. Even though he had less time with the force, he had more experience with murder cases. Still, this case was odd. He could not figure out the motive, but he knew that it must be something significant to have this double homicide so well executed. Many cases have gone unsolved and he was afraid this would become another one.
“And the neighbors,” Jackson adds, “They didn’t hear anything. It’s possible he used a silencer. They did report an abandoned blue pickup truck on the side of the road that evening. North Carolina plates. It was gone by morning.”
“We can follow that lead, but it might be difficult. There’s no lack of pickup trucks in the north Georgia mountains.”
- Writer
