13 The Sheriff Strikes Out

Thursday morning Sheriff Ericsson is plotting his strategy for interrogating the suspect Wilson is bringing in. He’s decided on a plan and is enjoying his first coffee when Wilson arrives and introduces the suspect. Wilson says, “Sheriff, this is Ned Walcott. I’m going to talk to the other remaining suspect. He was due back from Alaska yesterday. I’ll report back after lunch.”

The sheriff smiles at Walcott and invites him to come in and sit down. He asks Walcott if he’d like a cup of coffee. Walcott says yes so the sheriff hollers to Sue and she brings Walcott a coffee and the sheriff his second coffee in his green mug.

The sheriff says, “Wilson tells me you were cheated by Glen Lund on a land deal. Please tell me what happened and how you know it was Lund who cheated you.”

Walcott repeats the story he told Wilson about Lund being behind a shell corporation that bought his land cheap and sold it for a big profit after the city council changed the zoning.

The sheriff says, “That’s just terrible, Mr. Walcott. That crook Lund should have been held accountable for cheating you like that. I would have gotten even if he cheated me like that.”

Walcott replies, “I wanted to at first but my pastor convinced me revenge wasn’t the answer.”

The sheriff continues with his sympathetic approach but Walcott sticks to his story. Not having any success with the sympathetic approach the sheriff switches his approach. He says, “It won’t do you any good to continue lying, Walcott. You shot Lund and ran off to Canada fishing. I know you were running so we couldn’t question you. We have a witness who saw you dump Glen Lund’s body at the picnic site. The witness will swear it was your wife who picked you up in your black Dodge Ram pickup after you wiped your fingerprints off Lund’s white Chevy.”

“Sheriff, if you have a witness saying that your witness is lying. We were home and my wife won’t drive the pickup. It has a stick shift and she’s never learned to drive with a stick shift.”

“That’s the lamest alibi I’ve ever heard. I think you made up that lame alibi thinking I would buy it because it’s so lame it must be true. I don’t buy it for one minute.”

“Sheriff, I can only tell you the truth. If you don’t believe it I can’t help you.”

Changing tactics again the sheriff says, “I know you didn’t shoot Lund yourself. We have the man you hired in custody and he has admitted you hired him to kill Lund. Admit it now and I’ll talk the prosecutor into asking for a lighter sentence.”

“Sorry, Sheriff, I can’t admit to something I didn’t do.”

The sheriff gives up after running out of ideas for intimidating Walcott. He says, “Alright, you can go. But I’m still not buying your story.” He hollers, “Sue, tell Wilson he can take Mr. Walcott home.”

Sue says, “Wilson is out somewhere. I’ll call Deputy Towner. He can take Mr. Walcott home.”

While the sheriff is questioning Walcott, Wilson visits the other suspect recently home from his cruise to Alaska. Using his casual approach Wilson learns the couple was fishing with their neighbors on a pontoon boat in the big lake west of Pineville the Sunday of Lund’s murder. He checks with the neighbor and verifies the alibi.  Seeing he has some time before lunch he goes to Tom and Sally Eyre’s trailer. Tom is at work so he talks to Sally. He tells Sally Tom is going to remain a suspect until the sheriff is convinced Tom has an alibi.

Sally says, “Wilson, I know you grew up in the country. Did your father ever have to poach a deer to feed his family?”

“Yes, he did, at least once a year. Otherwise we’d have gone without meat. A lot of poor people survived on wild game and deer shot out of hunting season in those days,” says Wilson.

“Then you can understand. Tom didn’t kill Lund. He was butchering a deer that Sunday. We were out of meat and out of money. He got caught once before if the DNR finds out he poached again he’ll have to go to jail for a month and they’ll take his rifle. We can’t afford for him to lose a month’s pay. That’s why Tom wouldn’t tell you where he was that Sunday.”

“Oh, now I do understand, Sally. I think I know how to get Tom off the sheriff’s suspect list. Leave it to me.”

Deputy Wilson goes to see the sheriff after his lunch. The sheriff asks what he learned from the suspect who had been on a cruise. Wilson explains the couple’s alibi and how he verified it. Wilson then asks, “How did it go with Ned Walcott?”

“I didn’t get anywhere. He stuck to the same story he gave you no matter what I tried. I gave up and Towner took him home. If I couldn’t break his story maybe it’s true. That only leaves us with Tom Eyre.”

Wilson says, “Sorry you didn’t have any luck with Walcott. Oh, when I was driving back from seeing the other suspect I saw some does in a soybean field. Boy, were they fat. Reminded me of some of the deer my dad used to poach if we didn’t have any meat. Did your family ever have to shoot a deer out of season for meat?”

“We were dirt poor and yes, we often had to shoot a deer or go without any meat. I’m sure some people in our county still do. I know what it’s like to be that poor so I look the other way.”

Wilson says, “That’s what Sally Eyre says Tom was doing the Sunday Glen Lund was shot. They were out of money and had no meat. Tom shot a deer and was butchering it around noon that day. He wouldn’t tell us because the DNR threatened to jail him for a month and take his rifle if they find out. Tom and Sally can’t afford to be without a month’s pay.”

Sheriff Ericsson turns a little red. He pauses and then says, “Oh, damn. That means he’s innocent. Well, I’m not going to tell the DNR. I’ve been in Tom’s shoes when I first started on my own. Life is hard when you’re poor. With Tom and all of the people cheated by Lund being eliminated we have no suspects. I’ll have to think of a new line of investigation.”