Murder Casts the Ballot by Linda Crowder

Author:Linda Crowder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: cozy mystery, wyoming, mystery, classic mystery
Publisher: 307 Publishing LLC
Published: 2016-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

MATT SAT IN HIS LIVING room watching the lab team tear apart his apartment looking for guns that weren’t there. He’d never had the fascination for firearms some police officers had. To him, his gun was a tool, one he always hoped he wouldn’t have to use. He was thankful he’d rarely had to fire it in the line of duty.

“Did you discharge your weapon at the auditorium?” Because Matt had so little furniture, Galanos was sitting on the coffee table. Notebook in hand, she looked a little bored.

“No.”

“Did you draw your weapon?”

“No.”

She yawned. “Walk me through it.”

“I could write the report for you and save us both time.”

She managed to look slightly more interested. “Sorry. Walk me through it.”

“I was there to support Jake. On my own time. You can make a note of that. I’ve been on medical leave, and I only came back part-time a few days ago.”

“Car accident, I heard.”

“Yep. Wish I’d been driving a city vehicle instead of my own car. They’re tanks.”

“Did you have your weapon with you at the debate?”

“Yes.”

“Off duty?”

“I always carry it. It even goes to church with me, though Kristy wishes I’d leave it at home.”

There was a spark of something like curiosity in her eyes. “Why don’t you?”

He shrugged. “Habit.”

“Did you draw your gun and advance on the shooters?”

Matt paused. “I was between them and Officer Altrez. I would have been caught in the cross fire.”

“What did you do?”

“I pushed Kristy onto the floor and grabbed Emma. I think she was headed for the stage. I covered up both her and Kristy,” Matt felt the color rise to his cheeks, “and stayed down until Luis signaled all clear.”

“That’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

“Who says I’m ashamed?”

Galanos smiled and looked down at her notebook. “Did you hear the police come in?”

“I heard Luis and Morty shouting at the shooters and the crowd. Then I heard the officers come in behind me.”

“Did you hear Detective Brugnick after the police shooting started?”

Matt closed his eyes, “I think so.”

“You think it was him?”

“No, it was him. I recognized his voice. I’m just not sure when I heard him last. It was pretty crazy and I wasn’t listening specifically for Morty.”

“Did you hear any shots other than those fired by paintball boys before the police entered?”

“No.”

“Neither Brugnick nor Altrez returned fire?”

Matt closed his eyes and played back the scene in his mind. “Luis and Morty yelled at the crowd to get down, then I heard Luis order the paintball shooters to drop their weapons. I don’t think either of them took a shot.”

Galanos nodded, and Matt assumed his story echoed other witnesses. “You say you heard Officer Altrez order them to drop their weapons. Not Detective Brugnick?”

Matt looked down at his hands, thinking. “I heard Morty yell, Get down, get down. There was a lot of screaming, chairs crashing. I’m sorry. I know I’m a trained observer, but I wasn’t focused on Morty.”

“Was there enough other noise—all that screaming and chair crashing—that you might have missed hearing a shot?”

Matt considered.

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