X-MAN SCREENPLAY by BRIAN R. LUNDIN (ereader for comics txt) 📕

/> Ringo I entered the small bathroom the smell of blood and putrefied flesh was overpowering. He watched as some of the younger officers rushed out the room and emptied their stomach in the kitchen sink. Ringo was reading the preliminary report when Doc Dixon, Charley Turner and Evetta Lunden arrived and a few minutes later PATRICIA WOODS arrived.

Captain Patricia Woods blond hair was tied in a bun and stuffed under a Chicago Bulls basketball cap. She was shapely but not especially good looking. She was white and the Ist Deputy Superintendent trouble shooter, she reporting directly to him. She knew John Ringo only by reputation and had followed some of his cases. She noticed how handsome he was and the air of confidence and strength he generated. Based on what she heard, she was curious about this police officer with a PH, D and worked the most ghastly homicides. He seemed to be respected by the other officers, crime scene people and the EMS personnel. She noticed his easy going matter, shaking hands with some officers, patting shoulders and occasionally sharing a smile with his partner, he obviously had charm and charisma. Patricia was smart and knew when to be feminine and when to be tough. Unlike some of the other female police officers who received promotions or good assignments by kissing asses or flirting with the bosses she earned her way by hard work harder and working longer hours than the male colleagues, and she never dated other cops.

Ringo moved closer to the bathtub and knelt over the blood soaked body. The victim was an attractive dark brown skin woman with short black hair a supple body and large breast. Her naked body was propped up inside the bathroom with a black, knotted pair of panty hose tied tightly around her neck, her bulging unseeing eyes seemed to be looking directly at me and pleading for me the save her. The trademark X was cut into her torso and smeared in blood on the wall. I felt a tremendous wave of grief flood through me and felt dizzy, my legs went weak, a familiar reaction to an all-too-familiar sight. Ringo turned to the captain.

RINGO
Most single-murder investigations are solved because the victim usually knows or is acquainted with the killer, but in serial murders the inability of the police to quickly solve the case ultimately results in more victims.

Charley immediately went to work taking photos and dusting for prints. Dixon donned latex gloves, white evidence suit with foot booties and began examining the body. Evetta and I carefully walked down the hardwood floor hallway leading from the bathroom. Evetta pointed to what appeared to be scuff marks on the floor. I placed an evidence marker near the marks and we continued walking down the hall. On the right was a small kitchen; there were no dishes in the sink and the floor smelled like it had recently been mopped with Lysol. The neat front room contained only throw pillows a television, a small table and a CD player. Ringo and Evetta continued down the hallway. The bedroom was to the left of the hallway and contained a queen-sized bed, an opened closet door and a dresser drawer; I carefully opened the three drawers and looked inside.

RINGO
Typical ladies things; perfumes, tampons and the like but no underwear, panties or brassieres.
Look like she had laid her clothes out on the bed.

EVETTA
I’ve got a wallet, stuffed under some women slips.


Ringo opened the wallet and removed Indiana Driver’s license, social security card, a pictured Chicago State Student Identification Card and a Melony Fitness Center membership card Ringo placed the wallet in an evidence baggie. On the bed were a blue skirt, white blouse, blue pumps and dark women stockings. Ringo noticed that the pillows and the covers on the bed seemed ruffled and there was a small spot of blood and a white stain on the top sheet. The seams in the cheap shag carpet covering the floor also seemed disturbed and had an imprint. Ringo placed evidence markers on the bed and the carpet and they backed out the room. I waived to Turner who joined Ringo in the hallway. Charley Turner, the best crime scene technician I knew, was a big black man, over six-five and 220 pounds of solid muscle. He was a star tight-end at Notre-Dame, until a cheap shot tackle in his senior year blew out his knees.

RINGO
Take pictures of where I’ve placed markers, might be important.

Turner did as directed. Doctor Dixon was exiting the bathroom and pointed to the kitchen. Doctor Dixon was removing his evidence suit when Ringo, Captain Woods and Evetta came into kitchen and sat at the kitchen table. Doctor Dixon wore green khaki pants and a heavy black shirt that looked two sizes too large, his white undershirt showed through.

INT. KITCHEN-MORNING

RINGO
What’s the verdict?

DOCTOR
She has a large bruise on the back of her head, look like a blunt instrument which probably knocked her unconscious, death was due to strangulation and knife wounds, and it appears the sexual assault was post mortem.

CAPTAIN
What do you make of all the victims being posed in the bathtub?

DOCTOR
You know, once upon a time I attempted to play Sherlock Holmes and was quickly put in my place by a young lieutenant, now all I do collect any evidence, perform the autopsy that might be helpful and give it over to you guys. But since you are both good friends, I’ll try to answer your question. The killer is performing some sort of sadistic ritual by the way he carefully position the body, he’s satisfying some urge or trying to forget something, shows all the signs of a narcissistic sociopath, a new twist, I don’t think the victim was killed in the bathtub or bathroom and I think she was raped before and after she was killed, The bruises on her neck indicate that maybe the panty hose was used to kill her the knot is as tight as we found on the others.

CAPTAIN
Could the incision have killed her?

DOCTOR
Could be, I guess, I’ll know more after we get her on the table.

EVETTA
We found some scuff marks on the floor leading to the bathroom and blood and maybe semen in the bedroom.


Ringo looked at the driver’s license.

RINGO
Name Cynthia White, date of birth June 1, 1990, that would make her eighteen.

CAPTAIN
Maybe the killer accosted the victim in the bedroom, she fought and he hit her on the head with something that could account for the blood and the bed seemed disturbed, maybe that where he raped her leaving the white stains, maybe semen.


TURNER (OS)
I found something!

Everyone rushes into the bedroom. Pointing to a lamp, Charley pointed to what look like blood and hair on its base.

TURNER
I also found a slight print on the lamp.


Ringo grabbed and hugged Charley.

RINGO
You‘re the best fuckin‘tech in the department.

TURNER
(Grinning)
Aw shuck.
INT. COOK COUNTY MEDICAL EXAMINERS OFFICE AUTOPSY ROOM-11 JUNE 2008 MORNING.

Evetta and Ringo entered the large brightly lit, cold sterile autopsy room and Doctor Dixon waived and beckoned at them. His usually bright and cherry face bore a look of concern, we donned the scrubs, gloves and masks given to us by the doctor and followed him as he went over to Cynthia White’s half-covered body lying on the cold steel table, drainage holes were on the sides and a water hose was attached to the table. On another stainless steel table was an organ scale and trays of surgical instruments, the smell of dead bodies was very intent in the small, confined room. Evetta started to cover her mouth and nose even though we were masked, Doctor Dixon stopped her.
DOCTOR
There are germs everywhere in the room Evetta, so don’t touches your face with your hands and trying to stop the smell with your hands will only make it worse. In a couple of minutes your senses will go dead and the smell will go away, just take short breaths. I’ve noticed at some of the scenes the officers keep leaving the room to get fresh air and then coming back, the only thing they were doing was giving their sense of smell an opportunity to return.

A young black woman maybe, thirty, removed the white sheet that covered the body of Cynthia White and we all looked down at the once ebony colored face now an ash white and disfigured in death. The young woman seemed so out of place in this place. The woman clicked on an overhead light and began taking photographs from different angles, ten minutes later a young white woman began cleaning the body with what smelled like a strong antiseptic, and positioning it on the table. Dixon introduced Ringo and Evetta to MS. WALKER and MRS. EDELMAN, his dieners or Anatomical Pathology Technolologist.
These two ladies will assist me in eviscerating the body and reconstruction after the autopsy.

One of the women turned on a bright light and positioned it over the top of the cadaver and the other woman turned on another bright light over the bottom of the body. Ringo looked at Evetta and wondered how she would handle her first autopsy.

DOCTOR
Since this your first autopsy Detective Lunden I will explain the process. As I am sure you are aware, we are required by law to conduct an autopsy in all cases of sudden or violent deaths. The principle aim of an autopsy is to determine the cause of death and the state of health of the person before death and do not require permission or consent of relatives of the deceased. I will explain the procedure as we go.

The doctor begins examining the body and the technicians made an X-ray of the body.
Before the actual autopsy begins an external examination is conducted and X-rayed and the bag is later examined for evidence and X-rayed.

The doctor placed Cynthia hands in a separate bag and taped it at the wrist.
The purpose of bagging the hands is there may be evidence under the victim’s fingernails.
The dieners photograph the body with an ultraviolet light.

The purpose of using the ultraviolet light is used to search the body surfaces for any evidence not readily visible to the naked eye. The body is then cleaned and washed with an antiseptic; we’ll take hair and nails samples and later depending on the circumstances, radiographic also images may be taken. Once the external evidence is collected, a general description of the body as regards ethnicity, sex, age, hair color, and etc. is dictated into a recorder.

Ms. Walker slid a “body block” under the back of the body, causing the arms and neck to fall backwards stretching and pushing the chest upward. Dixon walked over to the body and removed a pair of latex gloves from his pocket; he rubbed some dusting powder on his hands stretched the rubber gloves and snapped them on.
DOCTOR
The doctor pointed at the chest.


In this position the chest is easier to open and provides maximum exposure to the trunk. We are now ready to begin the internal examination where we will examine the internal organs for signs of trauma or other indications of the cause of death. Do you have a weak stomach, detective?

Evetta shook her head as Doctor Dixon removes a scalpel from a table next to the body and positioned the X-ray machine over