Detective Bradley had seen plenty of bodies during his twenty year career, but the sight of this one still sickened him. He struggled to think of the still warm and bleeding carcass that was laying in the parking lot behind the M & M Lounge in down town Gresham as just an anonymous, adult, caucasian male. Detective Bradley hadn't needed to check the wallet to know that the man had been forty-six years old.
The M & M Lounge had once been the type of respectable establishment that one would not expect to be the scene of a shooting much less a mass murder. He had made enquiries about the M & M months ago even though it was outside of his jurisdiction for personal rather than professional reasons. Historically; the lounge had tended to feature country western bands which attracted a clientele that was mostly white, lower middle class folk who were at least circumspect about drugs and prostitution. However; the area had gradually changed over the decades as Portland's urban renewal programs pushed poor urban people from their historic neighborhoods around Martin Luther King Boulevard and Killingsworth out to the suburbs.
The M & M Lounge had adapted to the changing demographics of the neighborhood by featuring more eclectic music for its more diverse clientele. Some of the urban cowboys who now frequented the M & M were black men just like many of the real cowboys of the wild west had been. These ebony cowboys frequented the M & M Lounge because they were not at all averse to dancing with women who might be a few years older and a few pounds heavier if the women were white, especially if they were married. The crude jokes implied that the M & M Lounge had become popular with suburban white wives who became afflicted with Jungle Fever as they approached menopause.
The fear of what he might discover inside the lounge compelled Detective Bradley to inspect this carcass more thoroughly. The body was illuminated by the headlights from the descendant's vehicle that was parked nearby with the engine and emergency lights still running. The light made it easy for Bradley to see that the bullet had been perfectly placed by someone who seemed to have known almost as much about guns as most people assume that someone in the shooter's profession should know. Rather than enter through the right temple, the forty caliber bullet had entered the skull through the roof of the mouth, traversing front to back and upward through the brain stem and limbic system before shattering but not exiting the anterior skull. This careful shot placement had eliminated any risk of surviving to live on with a traumatic brain injury.
The weapon was laying on the sidewalk next to the body. Detective Bradley recognized it instantly. It was the exact same model, forty caliber, semiautomatic Glock that he carried. The original, nine millimeter, Glock seventeen had provoked a shit storm of controversy when it was first introduced almost three decades earlier because it's polymer frame was allegedly invisible to metal detectors and X-Ray machines. Detective Bradley had known that this was untrue, but he hadn't spoken out to refute the propaganda. Few of his colleagues had.
Detective Bradley shifted his attention back to the other body on the sidewalk. Bradley hadn't needed to check her purse to know that the woman was forty-seven years old. He was ashamed that he was so relieved when he recognized Charlotte. He had been a guest in Charlotte's home on several occasions to have dinner or watch football with her husband. He had been to their home only a few months earlier to celebrate her most recent birthday. That party had been a ritual of reconciliation. She was one of those women who had managed to remain reasonably attractive as she entered middle age without being delusional about it. It helped that she had a nice rack. One of those big, once beautiful breasts was now devastated by a nasty looking exit wound centered where her right nipple had once been. The remnants of a silicone membrane and gel confirmed his chronic suspicions.
The department brass favored the forty over the smaller caliber but higher velocity nine millimeter not only because it was more effective but because it was less likely to overpenetrate a perp then continue on to kill an innocent bystander. Detective Bradley was certain that the autopsy would confirm that the bullet had managed to miss ribs both as it entered then exited her torso, and had traversed through only lung and breast tissue before exiting her nipple.
A brief inspection of Charlotte's back revealed a total of three entry wounds. One bullet had obviously shattered her spine while another bullet appeared to be properly placed to hit her heart. At least Mrs Grahn hadn't suffered much.
Detective Bradley realized that solving this homicide would be a no brainer. His colleagues in the Gresham police department were no more adept than he was, but even they could figure it out.
He turned his attention back to the perpetrator who was laying beside his first victim. The motive was obviously romantic jealousy. Jeffrey had reluctantly commiserated about his situation over coffee and donuts earlier that afternoon. In spite of their reconciliation, he was convinced that Charlotte had reverted to her philandering habits. Sergeant Grahn didn't have any actual evidence, but he knew that the M & M Lounge had a reputation. Detective Bradley had confessed his own anxieties then argued that there was an innocent explanation for their spouses frequenting the M & M Lounge during her weekly Wives Night Out. He had argued that he was not convinced that she was on the prowl. Obviously; Detective Grahn had finally had his fill of his spouse's suspected philandering and decided to Bury the Bitch rather than just divorce her and pay alimony for decades! The Sheriff had encouraged Detective Bradley to not volunteer this information with the investigators to shield the department from a probable lawsuit for negligence.
The fact that Sergeant Grahn had decided to wear his uniform rather than plain clothes on his mission of mass murder embarrassed Detective Bradley. He had even driven a marked patrol car with the Clackamas County Sheriff's emblem prominently displayed on the doors over a mile into a neighboring jurisdiction for his murderous mission. This of course had facilitated the mass murder. No one had wanted to interfere with a police officer in the performance of his duties. Bradley reached in to turn off the engine and take the key out of the ignition. The Sheriff had eagerly agreed with his suggestion that he visit the scene to retrieve the patrol car asap.
After pausing for a moment to summon his courage, Detective Bradley went into the M & M Lounge to see the other victims. The paramedics were still struggling to stabilize the one woman who wasn't dead yet. They had her laid out on the floor. Her dress was cut open to reveal that she was a cougar dressed for the hunt. She had worn stockings and a bra that had also been cut off of her but no panty. She had a nice rack too. He couldn't avoid noticing that her big breasts sagged naturally to the side to confirm that they were live rather than mamorex. Detective Bradley instantly recognized the wounded victim. Fortunately; she too wasn't who he most feared she would be. Victoria's beautiful, big, bloody breasts undulated in response to the medics' attempt to revive her. Given the multiple, forty caliber entry wounds in her pelvic region, Detective Bradley doubted that she would survive.