Murder I Suspect
At two AM in the morning in some places it is just starting to get busy the night clubs are hot and the food emporiums are just setting up for the rush when the clubs open their doors to let the revelers spill out on to the streets and after the obligatory pizza or kebab a quick throw up behind a wall they go home.
This is so normal for some that going home any time before three AM is an early night. City life that is what they call it, but city life is not the case everywhere. There are little town and country villages where the city is so far removed you would think it was another world in fact there are some places on this planet where people actually get up to work at three in the morning to bake the bread that the supermarkets, sell and deliver the milk for the morning cuppa.
The difference between the two life styles are so far fetched that if you were to tell the night clubber that people went to bed without being ill before midnight they just would not believe you.
In a small village in Lincolnshire the latter is the normal people go home at night not in the morning and are usually in there beds by midnight.
This makes two AM ether in the very late night or extremely early in the morning. After all this you may be wondering why I needed to explain what the difference between the city and the country is.
The reason is because my story starts at two AM in the middle of the night in a quiet road in the middle of nowhere.
A car is driving along this country road where a couple were travelling home from a late night party as they travelled the horizon was beautifully red and glowing “hey Tim red sky at night shepherds delight” said Sheila. “Are you sure it is not red sky in the morning shepherds warning” Tim said, have you looked at the clock.
Sheila looked at the clock and giggled a little “I see what you mean” and then Sheila slid a little closer to Tim and snuggled up to him. As they drove the light seemed to get more intense “wow I have never seen such a red sky” said Tom as the red glow slowly turned in to a yellow flickering light. “That’s a fire” Tom said and without realising increased speed. As they approached the source of the flickering light the words Tom had said became reality yes it was a fire. The flickering glow that seemed to fill the sky became a narrow light in the dark as they got closer to it and as they became closer still they realised it was, a house. Tom stopped the car and dug through the pile of evening wear on the back seat “where the hell is that mobile phone.
“Found it” Sheila said and gave it to Tom. The mobile phone went beep beep beep in the dark as Tom dialled 999 that’s the all seeing all dancing number in these sorts of situations. Tom had never needed to use the 999 system before and was surprised when a voice said “service please” “fire we have a fire a house on fire” said Tom “one moment please click click “I have caller 07775553121” said the distant voice. Another voice broke in and asked “can you confirm your telephone number please sir”. Telephone number said Tom I don’t know it I never ring it and this house is on fire and “ “Sir Sir said the operator “calm down and give me your location”.
Tom was shocked until now he had not thought where he was and with a very low and shaky voice he said “I don’t know oh god I don’t know”. The operator cut in and started asking some very specific questions “where have you come from” “Grantham” said Tom “where are you going to “Lincoln” said Tom “by the A1 or the B607” “607” he said “have you passed Barkstone” “yes” by now Tom was almost screeching “Carlton Scroop” “yes” “Normanton” “no no we haven't passed that yet” “ok sir there is a fire appliance on its way to you now please stay where you are. Do not approach the fire.
“Please sir what is your name” The operator said “it’s Tom” yes sir “and your last name” it’s Bain Tom Bain” “thank you sir and your address” she said “22a Broughton way” he said “post code sir” asked the operator “LN1 1LN” Tom automatically returned in a low shaky voice. Thank you sir can you give me the make model and registration number of your car please “Blue ford escort L221 QWA”.
This seemed to take forever but as they spoke Tom could see a blue flashing light in the distance help was on its way. The operator said thank you for your cooperation and the line went dead. Tom got back in to the car and sat quietly shivering watching the lights get closer and closer when Sheila said “do you think anyone is in there”.
As they watched the fire engine pulled up along side the burning house and 8 firemen already in fire kit and breathing apparatus jumped out and a very well oiled machine went in to action they only seemed to have been there seconds and water was pouring on the now blazing building.
Everything seemed to go in to slow motion the water from the hoses arced in big rainbow coloured bows as a second fire appliance arrived to take up position along side the first and another 8 firemen in the same uniform climbed out and within a few seconds were also arcing jets of reflective water over the fire.
The light from the fire slowly but surely diminished and after what seemed forever all that was visible was the insistent blue flashing lights from the fire engine in fact they were so mesmerising that when the fireman knocked on the car window Sheila screamed and Tom jumped.
Tom opened the window and a police man said to him “are you the one who phoned this in” “yes” said Tom quietly “after taking there name and address the police man said Ok I don’t think there is any reason for you to wait now there is nothing more you can help us with tonight if we need any more information we will give you a call please drive home carefully”.
With that Sheila and Tom drove very quietly and slowly home. This was one of the longest nights of there lives and even after they reached a stretch of road with street lights in it they could still see the insistent blue lights flashing in there minds. This is something they would remember for a long time.
Even after a fire has been put out and there are no visible flames the fire and rescue service are not finished they have to ensure there are no pockets of smouldering heat there just ready to rekindle the flames at the first little breeze that comes along. So they bring out the rakes and keep the water coming until they are sure the flames are completely and thoroughly out without doing any extra damage or disturbing the area too much before working out why the fire happened in the first place.
Burning hair and flesh has a distinctive smell once you have smelt it you never forget it and this is what the fire crews were smelling right now. A radio crackled “Sir we have one female deceased on the kitchen floor”. All deaths require a police presence and the call had gone to the police a while ago when the smell of burning flesh was first apparent constable James Dury was that evenings duty officer who had been dispatched to tonight's scene .
The radio crackled again “Sir we have one male deceased in the bedroom” “dam” said the fire chief as his shoulders dropped it didn’t seem to matter how many you saved when there was death you always feel sad. One of the fire crew came out of the burnt shell of the house and made a direct line to the fire chief “Sir I need a word” walking to one side the officer spoke quietly to the fire chief “Sir the man in the bed ….. he was tied to the bed”. A simple house fire involving death had just become very very complicated.
The fire crew were happy that the fire was completely out, cleaned there equipment and packed it all away ready for the next call. As they left, our lone policeman was in charge of the burnt out shell where the discovery of a man tied to the bed had been made.
A detective was needed now and one had been called for and as the light of the day arose on this horrific devastation detective John Philips was dispatched to investigate the findings. Detective John Philips day started as he walked in to the office at 6am to a barrage of cheer and "well done John" and "you deserve promotion for this one" and as he walked towards his desk there were pats on the back and hand shaking and in fact it was a struggle especially as John didn't think he had done anything except his job. As he sat down at his desk the commotion slowly subsided and John picked up the news paper that had been left on his desk and read the headlines "GRANTHAM GARROTTER JAILED FOR LIFE" Daniel Perder the man nicknamed the Grantham Garrotter because of his use of a thin nylon cord in which he strangled his 3 victims was jailed today for life without the opportunity for parole after the police led by detective John Philips proved beyond doubt the DNA under the last victims ear stud was identified as that belonging to Daniel Perder. This had been the crucial bit of evidence to link Perder to the crime they had brought him in for questioning after each of the murders because he new the victims was known to have had major disagreements with them and was seen in the area just before and after the murders had taken place and in the case of the last one leaving the building the murder had taken place. The trouble was the killer had been clean he had gloves on and and a plastic boiler suite with a hood leaving no evidence what so ever at the scene. It wasn’t till much later during the trial they discovered when he completed the murder he packed all this in to a jiffy bag and mailed it to an address in South Africa a hotel he had one holidayed in and the packages were only returned when the trial hit the news headlines. Although he had gone to all this trouble to be clean during his last killing one of the stud earrings pierced the latex glove and punctured his skin the medical examiner Bob Caulvert was thorough and missed nothing resulting in the testing of the blood on the ear stud. Science he thought wonderful stuff this science without it could we do our job these days up until that point all the evidence was circumstantial, the DNA was the binding factor that brought it all together. John folded up the news paper turned on his computer and began another regular days work. This was where he was when he got the call to attend a suspicious fire at Rose Cottage Carlton Scroop on the A607. One single detective does not make an investigation and the little quiet road looked like a car boot sale there were vans cars and trucks everywhere and people with white boiler suits, white shoes, white gloves, white hard hats and white faces in the masks wandering about.
With all this came the canteen a most important addition to any scene where people were going to spend a lot of time and this was delivering refreshments in a steady stream Detective Philips first job was a cup of hot steaming coffee in the early fresh morning. There was not much to do until the forensic teams had finished they would not appreciate him stumbling about in there way so, coffee was just as good. It always seems to take ages for the forensic teams to do there job but Detective Philips new they were the best and if you let them get on with it the report will be accurate and telling.
It was cold just waiting but that is all you can do over the hours it takes to do the job and about lunch time forensic science officer Paul Roach from the forensic team came over to Detective Philips and gave a preliminary verbal report.
Well John what we have is an elderly gentleman tied to the bed with both hands and feet he probably died of asphyxiation before the fire got to him as he didn’t struggle to much by the looks of the rope marks. The elderly lady in the kitchen has a rather sever trauma to the left side of her head which I think is the cause of death. I can’t be 100% sure until the autopsy but I can give permission to move the bodies now.
This was the signal for the coroner’s officers to take over and in a dignified manner remove the bodies to the coroner’s office where a full autopsy can be carried out.
Now the house was in the hands of Detective Philips a different eye to the sights and with his hard hat and Wellington's on he entered the house, well what was left of it. He now new the deceased were Martha and Brad Dory a married couple who had lived in this particular house for more than forty years. They weren’t particularly rich or famous and both were in there mid seventies.
In the back of his mind Detective Philips thought he new the name but could not quite remember where from. There nearest neighbour was nearly half a mile in ether direction and a little old style mini car was in the adjoining garage. As Detective Philips walked through the remains of the front door he saw to the right there was the bedroom where the man had been tied to the bed. To the left another bedroom, a little smaller than the first one and at the side of that a bathroom. Strait ahead was the living room and off that to the right was a small kitchen where the lady had been found.
Detective Philips stood in the kitchen the roof was completely gone and the heat had cracked all the wall tiles and they were everywhere, looking for a clue in this was going to be hard. According to the Fire and Rescue chief the fire had more than likely started in the kitchen and seemed to have been started by a chip pan on the cooker which spread up the wall and in to the roof.
From there it spread over the top of the whole house and that is why there was so much damage. There were kitchen things all over the place as even the tool hanger had melted on the wall and the tools had dropped on to the floor. There was very little left of the kitchen all the units and even the table was burned nearly to the ground Detective Philips thought there couldn’t have been much left of Mrs Dory and shuddered thankful that was not his job.
His job was to find out what happened to Martha and Brad Dory and it wasn’t going to be easy to piece together the last few hours in all this rubble.
“Detective Philips” a voice shouted and John went back out the house “yes Sergeant” “this is Mr and Mrs Dory’s neighbour jenny Quick” John took a long slow breath this was one of the things he hated, talking to friends of the deceased. “Hello Mrs Quick my name is Detective Philips I am sad to tell you Mr and Mrs Dory died in the fire and we are here to try and put together what may have happened in there last few hours”. Another breathe and “did you know them well”. Mrs Quick said “not really we have only been in our house for a couple of years and they kept pretty much to themselves but I thought you needed to know that Mrs Dory has a sister, that has been staying here but she had a stroke a few days ago and Mrs Dory drove her to a hospital”. “Do you know which hospital she was taken to” “sorry no as I said I didn’t know them that well” said Mrs Quick
John’s heart nearly missed a beat, oh great he thought now I have to tell a sick sister her family is all dead as well. Thank you Mrs Quick did you happen to know her name. “Sorry no” said Mrs Quick and then she was gone.
Sergeant a little job for one of your lads see if they can find the sister “Yes Sir”, and see if you can find any other family while you are at it and have some one interview the other neighbour down the road “yes Sir” Sergeant Grant got on the radio and dispatched PC’s Smith and Jones to find the information.
This is getting better and better thought John and it’s not even dinnertime yet. John spent a couple of hours raking through the rubble in the devastated house but needle in a haystack is the thoughts he left with.
Just how do you find a sister in hospital especially when you don’t know the name it started with a house to house door knocking exercise. This didn’t take long as there were not that many houses on the road and once you get a mile or two away people start to say things like “there was a cottage over there”. There was one house where there had been no one in so that had been put to one side and a report was sent to say they would try again later. The local taxi’s said they never picked anyone up from there and the nearest garage thought they may know the car and the little old lady drove everywhere so no luck there ether. At the local council they found out the house belonged to Mr and Mrs Dory and no one was aware the sister was living there. A visit to the local doctor was also unsuccessful yes Mr and Mrs Dory were patients there but no mention of a sister. One thing that did come from the doctor was that Mrs Dory’s maiden name was Gillcrest this could be useful in finding the sister as long as she never married. A call to the local hospitals told them that this name was not one who had been admitted recently. So back to square one again PC’s Smith and Jones were back to scratching there heads.
Back in the office a report was on his desk from the coroner Mr Dory died of smoke inhalation and Mrs Dory died from a blow to the left temple which fractured her skull and caused internal bleeding. The object that caused the damage was square edged and there were a few very small splinters of wood in the wound. Another report from the fire and rescue service said the fire was caused by a chip pan overheating and bursting in to flames setting the ceiling on fire which consequently set the roof beams alight and this caused the extensive damage to the property.
This report also related that Mr and Mrs Dory had a son, one Ryan Dory a well known crook and convicted thug who had a reputation for violence and demanding monies with menaces. “I knew I had heard that name before” said Detective Philips “Ryan Dory wannabe gangster”. Sergeant we have a good place to start now, let’s find Mr Ryan Dory and have a chat as to what he was doing last night. Sir PC Crighton has interviewed the other neighbour a Mrs Chilton who used to pop in every other day to check up on Mr and Mrs Dory. She has stated that the Dory’s son had been around begging for money over the last few days and Mr and Mrs Dory had refused because they didn’t have any to spare. She also told me the sisters name is Edna Bell and was taken in to Grantham hospital a few night ago by Mrs Dory. The sister had had a stroke right enough and by the time they got her in to the hospital she was in a coma. I called the hospital and they confirmed she is there and still in a coma they are not sure at this time what her prospects are.
It didn’t take to long to find Ryan Dory he was at home, Asleep, in fact a little hung over to the point it took half an hour to get him to put his clothes on. Once the clothes bit was accomplished it then took another half an hour to get him in the police car it was not the fact he didn’t want to get in the police car it was the fact he kept throwing up and falling over. PC Crighton thought he was going to have to call in an ambulance because he reckoned Ryan Dory was suffering from alcohol poisoning.
He’d seen it before in disturbances he had been called to where the drunk had so much alcohol in there blood they stopped breathing but he had never seen anyone still in this state after a nights sleep.
Back at the police station Ryan Dory was placed in an interview room, with a bucket. Detective John Philips looked through the two way mirror in to the interview room and looked at PC Crighton “what the hell did you do to him he looks half dead” said Detective Philips. “Nothing that’s what he was like when we picked him up in fact he is improving” said PC Crighton.
Detective John Philips went in to the interview room just as Ryan Dory was using the bucket. “Aw Jesus” he said and ran back out and straight in to the gents, a few reaches and a good vomit later he came back out. “I can’t interview him like that put him back in the cells and stuff some coffee in to him, and keep a close eye on him I don’t want him drowning in his own vomit”. On that note one very embarrassed Detective Philips went back to his office. The report from the fire and rescue was on his desk so with a cup of fresh coffee to get rid of the taste of vomit from his mouth he read the report.
Fire and rescue report on house fire A21/ca1
Initial findings suggest a chip pan fire at approximately 01:45 with the ensuing fire igniting polystyrene tiles on the ceiling this progressed to the roof support structure and spread the fire through the roof cavity which was seemingly used as storage by the occupier this was mainly clothing and items wrapped in paper which explains the intensity and speed of the ensuing blaze.
The rest of the report was techno babble about number of pumps and hoses with Litres per minute at pressure to head and several other things that were not really informative to the task ahead.
Detective Philips laid the report down “why do people put flammable stuff in the loft, nuts, that’s what they are”. Philips sent some officers out and about to see if anyone could place Dory anywhere in and around the area to see if anyone saw him about.
It was four hours later when he next thought about Mr and Mrs Dory’s and there son but four hours should be enough to have sobered Ryan Dory up enough to talk to and this is just what Detective Philips was about to do. Same two way mirror same interview room but this time without the bucket. Detective John Philips entered the room a little more dignified that the last time when he exited it in a rush.
He sat down and looked across the table at Ryan Dory, looking in to a face that was grey with large bags under the eyes and still half asleep. “Where were you last night about 01:30 Mr Dory”. “Stuff you said Dory “I am going to sue you for wrongful arrest”. “I ask again Mr Dory where were you at 01:30 this morning”. “In bed where the hell do you think I was” said Dory. “Well seeing as you asked we think you were at your parent’s house” said Philips. “Don’t be dammed stupid what the hell would I be doing there at that time of night” said Dory. “We think you were looking for money” said Philips. “You’ve been talking to that bitch down the road; well she got the time a little wrong it was earlier in the day when I was there, what’s this all about you can’t have brought me here for begging money from my mum now can you” Said Dory. “No, we have brought you here because we think you killed her and your father” said Philips.
There was a long silence where Dory seemed to just stare in to space, he never even blinked. Philips said “you listening to me Dory we think you killed your parents”, and waved a hand in front of his face. Dory all of a sudden stood up and bounded over the table on top of Philips and started to beat and punch him. It happened so fast the other two officers in the room were stunned for a few seconds before diving in to the affray and overcoming Dory.
Dory was dragged kicking and screaming back to the cells shouting at the top of his voice “I am going kill you Philips I am going to kill you”. As the on call doctor was icing the bruising Philips said “well that was one reaction I didn’t expect”.
Dory was now asking for a lawyer and one was arranged before the next interview. Another day and another interview with Mr Dory. This time Dory came in handcuffs Philips was taking no chances. His bruised and broken nose was throbbing swollen and beginning to look a little purple.
“Ok Ryan we know you were there and arguing with your mother just give us one reason why we should believe you didn’t kill them. Dory looked to have tears in his eyes when he said slowly “You may not think so but I loved them”. There have been many loving sons who in a fit of rage have killed the ones they love and I don’t think that will be a good enough answer for the courts.
Philips interviewed Dory for the next four hours and Dory stuck to the story of being at home asleep when the fire occurred. Philips called it a day and went home “he can sleep on it for an other night”.
Nine o’clock the next day and another coffee “I need to cut down on these coffees” Detective Philips looked at another report on the desk to read but this time the coroners report.
The first report was fairly straight forward Mr Dory’s death was caused by smoke inhalation after being bound by both hands and feet to the bed.
No surprises there.
The second report was not unsurprising either Mrs Dory died due to a severe blow to the left sphenoid bone which fractured the bone and caused severe internal bleeding within the skull leading to compression of the brain.
Mrs Dory was on “warfrin” a medication for a heart problem which caused the blood to resist clotting and caused bleeding to be excessive. The blow was caused by some sort of blunt instrument.
Philips spun his chair around and grabbed the pictures of the burnt out house and looked at the kitchen something hit a memory. And there it was, a steak mallet, a large wooden blunt instrument. Philips got on the phone to the lab “can you take fingerprints of the wooden steak tenderises from the kitchen” his heart fell when the answer came back as a no the wood was too porous to take a latent print from.
BUT a light at the end of the tunnel there was a chance of a DNA fingerprint from fatty acids absorbed by the same wood. Philips was excited and applied for a warrant to take a DNA sample from Ryan Dory this was given and the steak tenderiser was processed.
This was not as easy as it could have been as the heavy end of the hammer was burnt as was a lot of the handle but part of the handle had been under Mrs Dory’s body and been protected from the fire. There was enough of the handle left to give a sufficient sample this was taken and there was a match the DNA returned as Ryan Dory. Geniuses these lab boys are just geniuses ok we can place Dory at the scene and put his hand on the steak tenderiser a heavy blunt object we are nearly there thought Philips.
Just a few more bits to the riddle and they would be charging Ryan Dory with murder.
This was one of Philips lucky days as PC Crighton came in to tell him that Mr Dory
was seen in a club drinking heavily at 02:40 on the morning of the fire. Got him,
the in bed alibi is gone now and he could easily have travelled from the house to
the club. Most of the clues were in place now and Philips was ready to re-
Third time lucky Philips thought as he went in to the interview room and sat across from Dory and his lawyer. “Ok Mr Dory would you like to tell us again where you were at 01:45 when your parents house caught fired. “As I told you before” Said Dory “I was in my bed”, Philips look Dry in the eyes and said “I suggest the old in bed statement is thought about very carefully as we have someone who saw you in Beers night club at 02:40”.
Dory was silent he just sat there and tears trickled from his eyes.
With Ryan Dory not speaking it made the investigation a bit longer they had to go back to the night club and try and find out who was there. Once they had a few names they interviewed the people who had been there and one or two of them remembered Mr Ryan Dory because he was spending money as if it had been out of fashion. Ryan Dory had come in to the club around two AM and was already in a state of drunkenness and had several more drinks before becoming aggressive to the bar staff who flung him out. Later Ryan Dory’s car had been found abandoned in a local car park and the way it had been left suggested when it had been parked Ryan Dory was in no fit state to drive. An empty bottle of scotch was on the floor and the side of the car had been scraped along the car park wall for several feet before coming to a stop.
Ryan Dory didn’t live that far from the club and he must have gone straight there after being flung out and just gone to sleep.
John Philips brought Ryan Dory back in to the interview room with his lawyer. Mr Dory I need you to answer a few questions starting with how you came by so much money at two thirty in the morning after trying to borrow money from your mother twelve hours earlier. “I don’t remember” said Ryan Dory. Ok then perhaps you can tell us where you were before two thirty in the car you dumped in the local car park “I don’t remember” said Ryan Dory. Ok then what is the last thing you remember that day “I don’t remember much at all but I do know I didn’t kill my parents” said Ryan Dory. So you cant remember anything but you expect me to believe you when you say you didn’t kill your parents. I think you went back to your parents house that night probably drunk tied your father to the bed to keep him out the road and argued with your mother till in a fit of rage you killed her with the steak tenderiser. Then after steeling any money they had you tried to cover up your tracks by setting the chip pan on the cooker and left leaving it to over heat and burst in to flames. Then realising what you did you went to the night club and tried to drink away the memory of the whole event. What do you say to that Mr Ryan Dory. “I don’t remember” said Ryan Dory. “I just don’t remember”
Philips stood up and said.
“Ryan Dory we are formally charging you with the murder of Mr and Mrs Dory you have the right to remain silent if you give up this right anything you say will be taken down and used as evidence against you”. Ryan Dory was silent.
-
At 09:00 Mr Ryan Dory was presented in court and through through his lawyer pleaded not guilty to the murder of Martha and Brad Dory. The case was forwarded to the crown court system and the case was booked in for three months down the line, an application for bail was refused as the severity of the crime and the fact that it was his mother and father. Three months is not long when you are a busy person in fact it fly’s by and this is exactly what happened to detective John Philips before he new it the case preparation was at hand and there he sat with all the pictures and notes in front of him. Case preparation was easy in this case all the bits fitted and the lies that are on tape from Ryan Dory when he said he was in bed were a bonus that detective Philips and the prosecutor would be sure to use.
On the other side of the system three months in a jail is a long time and Ryan Dory saw every minute of it and then some more. He was beaten up kicked and even stabbed at one point and spent two relaxing days in a local hospital. In fact he even joked to the prison warder who was guarding him in the hospital that if he had known it was such a nice hospital he would have stabbed himself ages ago.
All in all the three months for Ryan Dory were mostly horrendous. The only other break was when his lawyer was interviewing him as a prerequisite to the case coming. Ryan Dory sat and told the lawyer again and again he did not kill his mother and father and was actually so drunk after a win on the horses that he could not actually remember what he had done that night. This did not help him at all, unfortunately the lawyer could not find the book keeper to verify the horse bet and the winnings. This is because the bookie was one of these back street guys that disappeared in to the night when the police or the tax man came calling.
Slowly and surely the day got closer, the morning of the trial detective John Philips was at the crown court at 07:00 for the start of the trial at 09:00. He and the prosecutor sat and went through all the paperwork and pictures to make sure nothing was missing.
In contrast at 07:00 Ryan Dory was sitting down to a large and tasty breakfast in fact it was so good he asked the warder if it was his last meal. “You’re not planning to hang me later are you” he said and even the warder giggled a little. Finishing up breakfast Ryan Dory got himself ready and was taken to the crown court in a secure prison transporter.
Twelve jurors sat in two rows all bright and sharp looking waiting for the judge. All stand for the right honourable judge David Wilson, John Philips was thinking this was it, an accumulation of investigation and deduction all leading to the downfall of a murderer. The case started by reading out the charge against the accused and even now it made Philips flesh crawl.
Ryan Dory you are charged that in the early hours of the morning of the 23rd day of September you wilfully and maliciously did murder one Martha Dory and caused the death of Brad Dory by restraining him in a manner to cause his death by asphyxiation from a fire you set to hide your crimes.
Ryan Dory in the stand stated he may not know exactly what he did that night but he swore blind he did not commit murder or arson. It was proven that his fingerprints were on the door handle of the front door and the cooker and his DNA was present on the heavy meat tenderiser. Ryan Dory stated he had been at the house earlier and used the tenderiser and the cooker and of course his fingerprints would be on the front door as he was there son and did visit on a regular basis. Other neighbours stated that Mr Brad Dory was forever saying they never saw there son and could not remember the last time before that fateful day they had seen the wayward son.
All the evidence and arguments were presented and the pictures of the meat tenderiser on the floor next to a diagram of where Mrs Dory was found. They were shown through a projector on a large screen; the burnt wall where the chip pan had burnt up in to the roof was so black it looked like a hole in to the darkest night.
It only took the jury 1 hour to deliberate there verdict, they entered the court sitting down to wait for the judge to officiate over the proceedings. The judge turned to the jury and said “have you reached a verdict”, the chairperson of the jury stood and opened a piece of paper and read “yes your honour we the jury find the defendant guilty as charged”. Ryan Dory dropped to his knees and may even have passed out for a second. Detective John Philips smiled as did the prosecutor and looked to the judge in anticipation of the sentence.
The judge looked at Ryan Dory and said “this is a most heinous offence you have been found guilty of and the sentence I am about to levy takes this in to consideration, Mr Ryan Dory I hereby sentence you to serve a minimum of twenty five years in one of her majesties correctional institutions without the opportunity on parole. This sentence to be carried out immediately.”
Detective John Philips turned to the prosecutor and shook his hand gathering up his notes he watched as the broken spirit of Ryan Dory stood up slowly to be taken to the transport that would take him to the hell of prison life for the next twenty five years.
John Philips turned to watch Dory as he slowly made his way to the centre aisle to exit the court. Just as he turned to look at Philips he grabbed a chair and swung it at Philips head and the swing was good. It made contact with a dull thunk and Philips went down like a stone.
Guards that seemed to come from nowhere jumped on to Dory but it was too late he had done the damage. On the floor and under the guards Dory lay still with a smile on his face and said “it’s all worth while now” and from there he was dragged away.
After a few minutes an ambulance turned up and took Philips away to hospital. The
bang on the head was serious but not life threatening and after an x-
About 19:00 Sergeant Grant came in to the hospital to see John Philips he even had the obligatory grapes. “How’s it going sir they treating you well” he said. Philips turned to look at the Sergeant and said “apart from the noise that seems to be rattling around in my head” and for the first time since the chair hit him he gave a little smile. “This place seems familiar to me” said Grant “got a creepy feeling I was here not that long ago”. “Hello Sergeant come to see Mrs Bell again” said one of the nurses. “Mrs Bell Mrs Bell” thought Grant, then it clicked, he turned to the nurse is she still in a coma then” he looked at Philips “the sister of Mrs Dory sir” he said. “no she has improved quite a bit with a little more physiotherapy and she will be able to go home” said the nurse. Sergeant Grant said to Philips I think I had better go and see her there is some bad news I think she needs to here” “I do as well, take the nurse with you just in case” said Philips.
Sergeant Grant went in to the next bay in the ward and there she was Mrs Edna Bell sitting up and smiling to the world. Sergeant Grant introduced himself to Mrs Bell and asked her if she would listen to him for a few moments and he started to tell the story of the death of Martha and Brad Dory. He was telling her of the fire and how Martha Dory was found in the kitchen and how Brad Dory died tied to the bed and how.......... Edna put a hand on Sergeant Grants arm and said “you can stop there lad I always new this would happen” “no you don’t understand“ said Grant “I understand only too well my love you see Martha was always falling it was only a matter of time before she hurt herself and I kept telling her that old chip pan was dangerous”
Sergeant Grant by this time was feeling so sick with the news he was about to part with he stood up and said “you need to listen to me” “Yes yes” said Edna “but I should have come to you sooner and perhaps at least Brad would have been alive today, so it is partially my fault if only I had told someone”.
Sergeant Grant couldn’t stop himself and asked “told someone what Edna” “well old Brad had Alzheimer's and dementia always wandering and disappearing there was one day he walked of down the road it was three hours before we found him wandering across a field he was. That’s why Martha used to tie him to the bed she didn’t really mean any harm”. Sergeant Grant sat down with a thud “she used to do what” he said with a dry squeaky voice. “Tied him to the bed she did so something like this was bound to happen sooner or later so I guess you will be arresting me for not telling someone sooner will you”. “I am not sure what we will be doing now” said Sergeant Grant. Grant got up a little shakily and went to the other ward where Philips was.
“What’s up sergeant you look sicker than I do” said Philips. Sergeant Grant sat down beside John Philips and as he told him what Edna had told him the silence that followed went late in to the night the long cold night.