Charged

The neighbor calls the police to ask them to conduct a welfare check on his next-door neighbor who he has not seen in a week; he also knocked on the neighbor’s door, rang his doorbell getting no response. Two police officers arrive to perform the request. After their attempts to rouse the neighbor by doorbell, baton banging on the door, they decide to make a force entry. Inside they search the lower floors then the second floors where they found the man on the floor of the bathroom, clothed, but unresponsive.

           “Heart attack maybe?”

           “Your guess is as good as mine.”

One officer calls in their find to dispatch.

           Fire-rescue EMT arrives then a Police Sergeant with two officers.

           “He’s a widower. He has relatives but they don’t visit him daily,” Neighbor says.

           “He’s dead,” EMT officer says.

           “Alright, I will make the call to get things started,” Sergeant says. He points to an officer. “I want this house sealed, understand.”

           “Yes, sergeant.”

           A crime scene unit arrives just as the fire-rescue departs then a medical examiner crew arrives. A half-hour later, the crime scene unit leaves; its sergeant displays a thumb down that indicates no evidence of foul play, then the body is transported to the medical examiner’s office.

           “If any relatives show up, do not let them into the house, explain the situation to them then send them to the district.”

           “Yes sergeant.”

Detectives Bogart and Cagney are assigned to locate the deceased relatives and make notification. They search the house in places that one would keep contact information.

           “Here’s something,” Bogart says. he dials the number. She identify herself as Madeline, James sister-in-law. Bogart tells her the sad news.

           “I’ll need to call my son to take me there.”

           “It’s best to go there in the morning.”

           “Okay, I will do that.”  

Pathologist finds no indication of a heart attack or that James was in bad health except for high blood pressure but no direct cause of his death so she collect tissue, blood samples for further tests.

In an interview room.

           “Why can’t we go into James house?” Madeline asks.

           “Yeah, why not?” Her son asks.

           “As soon as the medical examiner gives us the all clear,” James says.

           “Then we can?” Madeline asks.

           “Yes,” Cagney says.

           “We’ll call you,” Bogart says.

Taken by surprise, Captain looks at the pathologist. “Are you sure?” He asks.

           “I’m sure,” she says.

           “Tobacco poisoning, I’ve heard of it.”

           “That’s my conclusion. It’s unusual but it happens.”

           After she leaves his office, Captain summons Bogart and Cagney.

           “Tobacco poisoning?” Bogart says.

           “Yes,” Captain says, “I want you to do a check on his finances but first go to his house and find everything containing his medicine and bring it to the pathologist.”

           “Yes sir,” the detectives say.

           The body is released to the family at the same time Bogart and Cagney search the house for medicine containers. What they find, they put into evidence bags. Captain decides to wait until after the funeral to announce the results of the pathologist and a homicide investigation will follow. “Find out who his doctor was and talk to him,” Captain says.

           “His appointments were scheduled for every six month unless he had a concern,” Doctor says.

           “Did he have a concern recently?” Cagney asks.

           “Well, during his last appointment he did complain of stomach aches and feeling lousy. I told him to double his vitamins and to take over the counter laxatives and if he felt worse to call me.”

           “He didn’t get around to doing that,” Bogart says.

           Some of James blood pressure pills were replaced by tobacco pills that were similar in size and shape. Information of James wealth indicates that although not a millionaire he was close to being one. He did leave a will. The detectives set up surveillance of the funeral. Besides Madeline and her son there were few mourners. The detectives record license plates and later receives the information from them. Forensic officer summons the detectives to his office.

           “I lifted prints from two of the containers and one belonged to the deceased and the other to a Joseph Streets,” he says.

           “Joseph Streets, he was at the funeral; the guy on the motorcycle,” Cagney says.

           “Well, I ran him, and he has a drug history,” he says.

           “Let’s go,” Bogart says.   

“I only visited my uncle when he would call me to do things around his house for him,” Joseph says.      

           “What things?” Bogart asks.

           “You know.”

           “No, we don’t know, tell us” Cagney says.

           “Mowing the lawn, things like that.”

           “Did your uncle know about your drug habit?” Bogart asks.

           “I’ve been clean for two years.”

           “If that is so then why did you check out his medicine?” Cagney asks.

           “I didn’t check out his medicine.”

           “Well, then, why did we find your fingerprints all over the containers?” Bogart asks.

           Joseph stares at them then the ceiling. “The last time I was over at his house I had to go and just was curious.”

           “You’re in your uncle’s will,” Cagney says.

           “I didn’t know that; he never told me.”

           “Well, you are,” Bogart says.

           “If I’m in it then so are the others in the family.”

           “You see Joseph, your uncle was poisoned with pills that appeared similar to his medicine that he was taking for his high blood pressure,” Cagney says.

           “Look, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt my uncle; I mean that, he was the only one in the family who backed me when I got clean.”

           “Well, Joseph, all the evidence points to you so you’re under arrest,” Bogart says.

           “You have the right to remain silent here after because anything you say can and will be held against you and you have the right to a lawyer and if you cannot afford one, one will be appointed,” Cagney says.

           “I want a lawyer.”

District attorney review the detective’s report afterwards asks. “Where did he get the pills?”

           “Well, you can get anything off the net,” Cagney says.

           “Well, then, did you check out his computer?”

           Both detectives shrink in their chair. D A stares them down. “Find out if he even owns a computer then get it to forensic.”

           During the search of Joseph’s apartment, they find a computer but no pills. After forensic officer is done investigating Joseph’s computer, he informs the D A, detectives that six months ago a search for what, how, where on tobacco poisoning was made.

           In an interview room Joseph sits next to a public defender and both look across the table at Bogart and Cagney.

           “We have your computer; we know about your what, how and where search for tobacco poisoning on it,” Bogart says.  

           “Look, I hardly used it. I never made such a search. I wouldn’t even know how. My aunt Madeline gave it to me about a month ago. I.”

           “What did you just say?” Bogart asks.

           “About your aunt,” Cagney says.