Post by jaglady on Jan 4, 2009 15:51:27 GMT -5
Chapter 3—At First Glance
Calleigh knelt down and shone her flashlight along the chairs under the canopy. She saw nothing remarkable.
“Hey Eric. Wanna help me move this soundboard?” she shouted behind her. ‘We’re gonna have to take this back to analyze it.”
Delko came up. “Yeah. Hang on.” He stood opposite of her and grabbed one end.
“Hey, wait! What are you doing?” a frantic voice shouted from the side. Eric and Calleigh carefully placed the black soundboard back down and looked in that direction. A heavy, middle-aged man ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and bolted toward them frantically with one hand in the air.
Calleigh stiffened up and put her hand on her weapon, just in case. “Sir, this is a crime scene. We’re gonna need you to stand behind the yellow tape! Who are you?”
The man immediately stopped and backed up, hands up in the air, and ducked behind the yellow tape that was draped across the area just five feet away. “I’m Paul Galloway, the General Manager for WION. That sound board is expensive, and we’re gonna need it for another show!”
Calleigh looked at him without expression. “Well right now it’s evidence in a possible murder case. You don’t look too broken up about one of your employees getting killed, Mr. Galloway.”
He shook his head matter-of-factly. “I feel really bad for Mr. Bohannon. But the truth is, the sponsors are paying buku bucks for us to keep the show going. The morning and afternoon drive times are the biggest moneymakers in this business. The sponsors are gonna pull their accounts if we don’t keep the road shows running.” Mr. Galloway gave her a hard look. “Besides, if you knew the talk radio industry, I have hundreds of Rush Limbaugh wannabees out there waiting to take his place. All I have to do is pick up the phone.”
“Well, we’re gonna find out what happened to this one” Eric insisted. “And don’t go too far.” Paul Galloway just stared back at them anxiously from behind the tape. He didn’t deal well with not being in control.
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Horatio looked down at the morgue from the viewing area where Alexx hovered carefully over her latest post. “What do we know about Mr. Bohannon so far, Alexx? Got a COD yet?” he said into the mike.
Alexx looked down at the short, brown-haired, pale figure on her table as she spoke. “I really had to look at this one, Horatio. At first glance at the scene I thought it was a heart attack. But COD was definitely electrocution.” She raised the dead man’s right leg and pointed to some red marks while Horatio observed from the monitor. “Contact marks right here. Looks like he leaned his leg on the chair. And then there were the exit marks on his left hand. The current went up through his leg, and then out through his left hand. On the way there it stopped his heart and lungs.”
“Any idea how much voltage?”
Alexx shook her head. “No telling. I’d say at least five hundred minimum to kill him that quickly. As long as that electric current was going through his body, his heart and lungs weren’t getting the signals from his brain to work. His heart finally seized up, and he suffocated.”
Horatio took out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial. “Eric. Horatio. The chair Mr. Bohannon was sitting in from where he was broadcasting. Check it thoroughly. Bring in and process anything he might have come into contact with.”
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Delko snapped his cell phone shut. “Derrick Bohannon was electrocuted. Let’s take a look.” He reexamined the soundboard. “I definitely see a handprint here. And that thing’s metal.”
Calleigh perused the chair. The seat of the chair is plastic, but the legs are aluminum. Excellent semiconductor” she added. “Wait. Something else was here.” She grabbed her camera. “Look, Eric. There’s a trail in the dirt that goes back underneath the van. There was something hooked up to this chair.” She bent down and furiously snapped pictures.
Eric looked with her. “Calleigh? On the chair. Looks like something melted right there.” He pointed to the right front chair leg. “And right here on the edge. A couple of scratch marks.”
Calleigh nodded. “So we’re looking for a cable that might have been hooked up to Mr. Bohannon’s chair.” She looked up. “Mr. Galloway. We’re gonna need to talk to whoever was in charge of setting up Mr. Bohannon’s chair.”
Paul Galloway shook his head. “He’s probably long gone by now. We hire contractors to do that work.”
She folded her arms. “Well, then we’ll need the name of the company. Or would you like to come in as a possible accomplice?”
He didn't answer her.
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Calleigh sat at the table and scanned the radio station's printed finance report before she met eyes with her suspect.
“Mr. Galloway. Interesting you would tell me there were plenty of replacements for Bo and Beckwith.”
Paul Galloway used a Kleenex to wipe the sweat from his pale forehead. “Yeah? So?”
According to your sales figures, it looked like you were interested in finding someone else to fill that afternoon drive time slot. I guess the Poke in the Eye Guys weren’t bringing in those sponsors like you’d hoped.”
He smirked at her. “Are you kidding me? Okay, so Derrick Bohannon could be a little controversial. And yeah, I did have my eyes out for someone else. Derrick had a habit of stepping on toes. But I want to know what makes you think I’d kill somebody.” He leaned forward. “Lady, you don’t know this industry, do you? No job security whatsoever. You can get fired just like that. You say the wrong words or rough up the wrong crowd, it’s here today and gone tomorrow. Just ask Don Imus.”
“Don Imus wasn’t murdered, was he?”
He firmly locked eyes with her. “Actually, I wonder if it’s any coincidence Derrick died just minutes after talking about one of your supervisors. What’s his name? Scott O’Shay. Why aren’t you interrogating Diaperman?”
Calleigh looked back at him sullenly. “We’re working on that. Incidentally, how did you get that little piece of information?”
Mr. Galloway shrugged. “We have sources.”
“A mole?”
“Maybe.”
“And when Mr. Bohannon was of no more use to you, was it time to get rid of him?”
His eyes blazed at her. “Are you suggesting blackmail?”
“You tell me. You’re a possible suspect in a murder charge. If there’s blackmail, I’d say you had a motive. Looks like Mr. Bohannon knew too much, and he was already starting to take some people down. Now why don’t you tell me who your source was?”
Mr. Galloway stood up defiantly. “I didn’t break any laws here, Lady. Now if you’re done here, I’m busy!” With that he left.
She stood up. “Don’t go too far.”
Calleigh knelt down and shone her flashlight along the chairs under the canopy. She saw nothing remarkable.
“Hey Eric. Wanna help me move this soundboard?” she shouted behind her. ‘We’re gonna have to take this back to analyze it.”
Delko came up. “Yeah. Hang on.” He stood opposite of her and grabbed one end.
“Hey, wait! What are you doing?” a frantic voice shouted from the side. Eric and Calleigh carefully placed the black soundboard back down and looked in that direction. A heavy, middle-aged man ducked under the yellow crime scene tape and bolted toward them frantically with one hand in the air.
Calleigh stiffened up and put her hand on her weapon, just in case. “Sir, this is a crime scene. We’re gonna need you to stand behind the yellow tape! Who are you?”
The man immediately stopped and backed up, hands up in the air, and ducked behind the yellow tape that was draped across the area just five feet away. “I’m Paul Galloway, the General Manager for WION. That sound board is expensive, and we’re gonna need it for another show!”
Calleigh looked at him without expression. “Well right now it’s evidence in a possible murder case. You don’t look too broken up about one of your employees getting killed, Mr. Galloway.”
He shook his head matter-of-factly. “I feel really bad for Mr. Bohannon. But the truth is, the sponsors are paying buku bucks for us to keep the show going. The morning and afternoon drive times are the biggest moneymakers in this business. The sponsors are gonna pull their accounts if we don’t keep the road shows running.” Mr. Galloway gave her a hard look. “Besides, if you knew the talk radio industry, I have hundreds of Rush Limbaugh wannabees out there waiting to take his place. All I have to do is pick up the phone.”
“Well, we’re gonna find out what happened to this one” Eric insisted. “And don’t go too far.” Paul Galloway just stared back at them anxiously from behind the tape. He didn’t deal well with not being in control.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Horatio looked down at the morgue from the viewing area where Alexx hovered carefully over her latest post. “What do we know about Mr. Bohannon so far, Alexx? Got a COD yet?” he said into the mike.
Alexx looked down at the short, brown-haired, pale figure on her table as she spoke. “I really had to look at this one, Horatio. At first glance at the scene I thought it was a heart attack. But COD was definitely electrocution.” She raised the dead man’s right leg and pointed to some red marks while Horatio observed from the monitor. “Contact marks right here. Looks like he leaned his leg on the chair. And then there were the exit marks on his left hand. The current went up through his leg, and then out through his left hand. On the way there it stopped his heart and lungs.”
“Any idea how much voltage?”
Alexx shook her head. “No telling. I’d say at least five hundred minimum to kill him that quickly. As long as that electric current was going through his body, his heart and lungs weren’t getting the signals from his brain to work. His heart finally seized up, and he suffocated.”
Horatio took out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial. “Eric. Horatio. The chair Mr. Bohannon was sitting in from where he was broadcasting. Check it thoroughly. Bring in and process anything he might have come into contact with.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Delko snapped his cell phone shut. “Derrick Bohannon was electrocuted. Let’s take a look.” He reexamined the soundboard. “I definitely see a handprint here. And that thing’s metal.”
Calleigh perused the chair. The seat of the chair is plastic, but the legs are aluminum. Excellent semiconductor” she added. “Wait. Something else was here.” She grabbed her camera. “Look, Eric. There’s a trail in the dirt that goes back underneath the van. There was something hooked up to this chair.” She bent down and furiously snapped pictures.
Eric looked with her. “Calleigh? On the chair. Looks like something melted right there.” He pointed to the right front chair leg. “And right here on the edge. A couple of scratch marks.”
Calleigh nodded. “So we’re looking for a cable that might have been hooked up to Mr. Bohannon’s chair.” She looked up. “Mr. Galloway. We’re gonna need to talk to whoever was in charge of setting up Mr. Bohannon’s chair.”
Paul Galloway shook his head. “He’s probably long gone by now. We hire contractors to do that work.”
She folded her arms. “Well, then we’ll need the name of the company. Or would you like to come in as a possible accomplice?”
He didn't answer her.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Calleigh sat at the table and scanned the radio station's printed finance report before she met eyes with her suspect.
“Mr. Galloway. Interesting you would tell me there were plenty of replacements for Bo and Beckwith.”
Paul Galloway used a Kleenex to wipe the sweat from his pale forehead. “Yeah? So?”
According to your sales figures, it looked like you were interested in finding someone else to fill that afternoon drive time slot. I guess the Poke in the Eye Guys weren’t bringing in those sponsors like you’d hoped.”
He smirked at her. “Are you kidding me? Okay, so Derrick Bohannon could be a little controversial. And yeah, I did have my eyes out for someone else. Derrick had a habit of stepping on toes. But I want to know what makes you think I’d kill somebody.” He leaned forward. “Lady, you don’t know this industry, do you? No job security whatsoever. You can get fired just like that. You say the wrong words or rough up the wrong crowd, it’s here today and gone tomorrow. Just ask Don Imus.”
“Don Imus wasn’t murdered, was he?”
He firmly locked eyes with her. “Actually, I wonder if it’s any coincidence Derrick died just minutes after talking about one of your supervisors. What’s his name? Scott O’Shay. Why aren’t you interrogating Diaperman?”
Calleigh looked back at him sullenly. “We’re working on that. Incidentally, how did you get that little piece of information?”
Mr. Galloway shrugged. “We have sources.”
“A mole?”
“Maybe.”
“And when Mr. Bohannon was of no more use to you, was it time to get rid of him?”
His eyes blazed at her. “Are you suggesting blackmail?”
“You tell me. You’re a possible suspect in a murder charge. If there’s blackmail, I’d say you had a motive. Looks like Mr. Bohannon knew too much, and he was already starting to take some people down. Now why don’t you tell me who your source was?”
Mr. Galloway stood up defiantly. “I didn’t break any laws here, Lady. Now if you’re done here, I’m busy!” With that he left.
She stood up. “Don’t go too far.”