D. C. Deadly Climb

Event #19: Where You Lay Your Head Around 11:30 a.m., Steve was in his office trying to concentrate on a project. He couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he’d had with John the night before. And now he was more convinced that something was going on at the office surrounding John’s promotion, especially after the impromptu conversation he’d had with Stacy earlier in her office. Steve picked up the phone and dialed John’s extension. “Good morning. Mr. Curtain’s office, how may I help you?” “Hello, Ericka, this is Steve Books. I was wondering if John is available?” “Hello, Mr. Books. Mr. Curtain is working from home today.” “Ah, okay. I’m heading out for lunch in a few, I’ll just stop by his place. Thank you.” Steve reached into his briefcase and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed John’s work cell, which went straight to voice mail. Steve thought it strange. John always kept his work cell phone on. Steve tried John’s cell phone, and the call went directly to voice mail as well. Steve grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. As he exited the elevator, he called John’s home phone, and after a few rings, his voice mail came on. Steve called an Uber and headed over to John’s house. As the car pulled up to John’s place, Steve could hear Snuffles barking. As he approached the door, the dog started growling. Snuffles never growled at anyone, so Steve knew something wasn’t right. He tried turning the doorknob, but the door was locked. So he walked around to the side of the house to look through the windows, but they were too high to see inside. He could see through the basement windows, but all the lights were off. So Steve tried the back door entrance through the kitchen, and it was unlocked. As he entered, Snuffles ran up to him, whimpering and jumping up and down, as if he were trying to tell him something. When Steve went to comfort the pooch by rubbing him on the neck, he felt something wet on his hand. When he looked at his hand, he was horrified—it was blood. And it was all over the dog’s neck, hind legs, and tail. Steve stood up slowly. He tiptoed through the kitchen, picking up a butcher’s knife for protection. He wasn’t sure what had happened or what could still be in play in his friend’s house. As he peeped around the corner, heading toward the family room, Snuffles ran past him. As Steve walked the long corridor, he could see there had been a struggle. Blood was on the walls, floor, almost everywhere he looked. His heart was pounding as he neared the end of the hallway. The house was in utter disarray. Papers were scattered about, furniture turned over, and John’s painting that his mother had given him was missing from the wall. Steve turned to face the staircase, and there he was. John’s head was lying on the bottom step, looking as though he were sleeping. Steve, shocked by the sight of his friend lying in a pool of blood, ran over to John and slightly lifted his head. His body fell limp and was cool to the touch. Steve knew John was gone. He sat there for a moment, staring at the body as it rested so peacefully. Snuffles laid his head on his master’s chest as he and Steve sat with him, both of them crying. It appeared that John had been shot three times, execution-style to the back of his head. In addition, he had multiple stab wounds. Whoever committed this murder wanted to send a clear message. But how did a fresh-faced, newly crowned junior partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in the country become such a gruesome messenger? One thing was for sure: the message had been received loud and clear. John Curtain is dead. Event #20: And It Starts When the police arrived at John’s house, Steve called Dean Sheldon at the office. Sarah answered, “Hello. Dean Sheldon’s office, how may I help you?” Steve, in his emotional state, whimpered into the phone. “Hello, is anyone there?” asked Sarah. Steve replied in a very meek voice, “This is Steve Books calling for Mr. Sheldon.” “Oh, Mr. Books, are you okay?” “Sarah, it’s an emergency. Please get Dean on the phone ASAP!” Sarah knew it had to be important, as none of the associates, and rarely the partners, called each other by their first names. “Hold on, Mr. Books, let me get him for you.” Sarah placed Steve on hold and rushed into the partner’s office. “Mr. Sheldon, Steve Books is on the line, and he sounds really upset. He said he needs to speak with you right away.” “Put him through.” Sarah returned to her desk and connected the call. “Mr. Books, Mr. Sheldon’s on the line.” “Steve, Dean here. Sarah said you need to speak with me right away?” “Mr. Sheldon,” Steve replied, as he tried to contain his emotions, “I need you to come over to John Curtain’s right away.” “What for? Is everything okay?” “Dean! Get your ass over here now!” Dean, taken aback said, “Mr. Books, did you forget with whom you’re speaking? I—” Steve ended the call. Dean called Sarah into his office. “Sarah, get me an Uber. I’m heading over to John Curtain’s house.” “Yes, Mr. Sheldon.” Sarah went back to her desk and put in the request. Dean walked out of his office. Sarah said, “Mr. Sheldon, the Uber is scheduled to arrive in four minutes.” “Thank you, Sarah. And clear my calendar for the rest of the afternoon. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.” As Dean headed for the elevators, he wondered what was going on. Suddenly, he heard a scream from behind. He turned to see Stacy Freeman crying uncontrollably in front of Sarah’s workstation. “J-J-John is dead. John’s dead!” Dean stopped in his tracks and headed back. Stacy had collapsed on the floor. “Mr. Sheldon, your Uber has arrived,” Sarah informed him. “Is she going to be all right?” Dean asked. “I’ve got this under control, Mr. Sheldon. Your Uber’s waiting.” Dean rushed downstairs as coworkers started gathering at Sarah’s workstation to assist Stacy. Word began to spread about John’s death. Karen walked somberly down the hall as if she were a zombie. Randy was trying to comfort Stacy who continued to cry. Everyone was reeling from the news. When Dean arrived at John’s house, the place was crawling with cops and emergency vehicles. Police tape was plastered everywhere. As he approached, Dean was stopped by one of the detectives working the case. He stepped in front of Dean as he reached the police boundary. “Sir, you can’t cross the tape,” Detective Kenlaun Milner said. “I’m one of the managing partners of the law firm where Mr. Curtain is employed. I was contacted by one of our colleagues to come over.” Steve heard the two men speaking loudly. He came out of the house and explained to the detective why Dean was there. Detective Milner allowed Dean to enter the crime scene but instructed him not to touch anything. As the two attorneys entered the house, it was swarming with coroner’s aides, police officers, and CSI professionals. John’s body was still on the floor, covered with a tarp. Snuffles was in a dog-carrying cage, waiting for animal protection services to arrive. Dean turned to Steve and asked, “Is that John laying there?” He lowered his head and did not respond. As Dean moved closer to the body, he could smell the odor of death. He asked one of the officers how long John had been dead before he was discovered. “We estimate the time of death occurred between ten and twelve hours ago.” Dean said to the officer, “It’s barely been twenty-four hours since he found out about his promotion to junior partner.” The young officer shook his head. Steve and Detective Milner looked at one another.