and his very soul. All that was him.
Chief Holtz blinked, waiting for Barb to say something, but she couldn’t speak. She was remembering when Kyle was thirteen years old. He’d been five foot seven and having a growth spurt. She’d put cocoa butter on the bright red stretch marks that went sideways across his back. He’d never once complained about growing pains. He was always in the ninety-seventh percentile for boys ages two to twenty, and last year, he’d gone off the chart. He’d grown two inches since September. She couldn’t keep clothes on him. He was always wearing floods and belly shirts. She couldn’t find anything tall enough that wasn’t too wide. And good luck with jeans.
Sharon interjected, “Chief Holtz, is the coroner sure?”
“Yes.”
Sharon shifted forward. “How does he know? How can you tell that he wasn’t murdered?”
Barb wanted to know, but couldn’t ask. Sharon would understand this instinctively. Sharon would have anticipated it. Sharon would know that Barb wanted to know everything but couldn’t speak right now.
Chief Holtz cleared his throat again, in a deliberate way. “The wound, obviously. The pattern of the wound. It was a close-contact wound, with stippling typical of a suicide. In addition, there was what we call blowback on the victim’s right hand, which indicates that he fired the gun himself. Gun residue was also present on his right hand, and we’re testing to double-check. In addition, there were no defensive wounds on his body. That is, no signs of a struggle to suggest the victim was in a fight with another person. For example—I’m trying to put this in layman’s terms—there was no evidence that another person put the gun to the victim’s head.” Chief Holtz hesitated, though he was speaking slowly. “Finally, we searched the area and the woods, and there was no evidence that he was with another person, though that might’ve been compromised by the rain. We will double-check after the storm. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a nor’easter.”
Barb listened. She sat very still while Chief Holtz kept talking.
“Oh, I should mention, the initial blood screening shows the presence of alcohol in his blood. Toxicology tests were performed but we won’t have those results for a while. Finally, we considered the circumstances, such as the adverse publicity in today’s newspaper. It suggests an explanation for why the victim would do away with himself.” Chief Holtz turned to Barb. “You did say earlier that he was in therapy, for depression.”
Sharon interjected again, “But she was told that he wasn’t at risk.”
“It’s not an exact science, is it?” Chief Holtz sighed. “I’m so sorry. This is one of the most heartbreaking cases I’ve ever experienced.”
Barb believed that this was one of Chief Holtz’s most heartbreaking cases. He looked so sad. His tone was sincere. He had a family photo on his desk, a wife and two sons. This was heartbreaking. Her heart was broken to death.
Sharon shifted in her seat. “But, Chief, what about the dog? Kyle loved that dog. If he went to the woods to commit suicide, he wouldn’t have brought the dog. He would have worried the dog would run off. It could have gotten hit by a car.”
Barb felt it ring true. Sharon was right. Kyle loved Buddy. He would have worried about Buddy. He never let him off the leash. He always worried he’d get hit by a car. He never would have left him alone, outside, in the rain.
Chief Holtz shook his head. “I remind you, there was alcohol in his blood. He wouldn’t have been thinking clearly. He didn’t behave the way he normally would. He could have acted impulsively.”
Sharon sighed. “But where did he get the gun? We told you, Kyle didn’t have a gun.”
“It’s an illegal gun. It’s one of the most common revolvers. Its serial number was scratched off, typical of a gun you buy off the street.”
“But here?” Sharon asked, skeptical. “I grew up in Bakerton. It’s not easy to buy a gun around here.”
“We’ve changed since then. Street guns are available in the county, and it wouldn’t take much doing.”
“But he didn’t have a car, so he couldn’t drive anywhere.”
“Did he have a bike?” Chief Holtz didn’t wait for an answer. “And we have public transportation. Believe it or not, I’ve seen cases where street guns have been delivered to the buyer.” He paused. “It’s also a possibility that he bought the gun in the Columbus, Ohio, area and brought it with him.”
Barb closed her eyes. She could have