~ Skull Music ~

by

Billie A. Williams

How earth shattering could something be in a murder investigation? You expect the worst and you usually get it. What kind of animal murders, anyway. Especially as gruesome as the three we’ve seen so far. The public is screaming for action. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to these senseless murders. Not that every murder isn’t senseless, these I guess border on heinous.

Charlie pulled into the only available spot near the police department. Sam was a bit close to the edge, something was really wrong. When she called to find out how the investigation was going from his end, he almost came unglued. She was glad they were friends and he would give her current information.

Sam was out of his office talking to a couple detectives at their desks when Charlie entered the precinct. The clutter of desks and hum of the room reminded her of the newsrooms of several small town newspapers where she had worked. Desks that looked like hand-me-downs, papers and files piled high like dust rags, old lamps and coffee cups and behind it all perched some tired faces typing reports, some comparing notes, none laughing or carrying on nonsense conversations or gossip. She caused a stir as she walked through the room. Reporter was synonymous with poison in a detective’s office atmosphere, she thought wanting to correct their opinion out loud as she walked through voices lowered to keep conversations private from the snooping press.

She caught Sam’s eye and he motioned her into his office.

"Hope it’s been awhile since you had breakfast," he said.

She sat in the only empty chair in the cluttered office across the desk from him. He pulled out a folder and sat down heavily as he handed it to her. "The X-ray we found in Henderson’s car? We knew it wasn’t a human skull, we were beginning to think it was alien. According to the FBI lab, it’s a dolphin brain."

"A dolphin? What was Henderson doing with an X-ray of a dolphin brain?"

"We were able to track where it came from with the FBI’s help. The doctor, witch doctor I’d say, but not in public company, is a firm believer in organ transplants, from pig hearts to dolphin brains. This guy is a regular Frankenstein."

"How does he tie in with Henderson? Was he after her body parts?"

"He says not. The good doctor says they were looking to transplant Henderson’s brain with a dolphin brain because of the brain tumor, she apparently was not long for this world."

"Oh my God. Did she agree?"

"I don’t know, but thinking of the consequences, you know dying in that kind of pain, she might have. We may never know the answer to that. From the skull music tape..."

"Wait, Skull music?"

"That’s what the lab calls that cassette tape we found in the tape player of her car."

"I never heard about that."

"There wasn’t much to hear. Sounded like a fan belt screeching or something, but the guys in the lab had heard it before. Now with a tag for the X-ray, it makes even more sense."

"How so?"

"Brain waves. For years scientists have been studying the electronic emissions from the brain. They also have been able to communicate with dolphins using this knowledge. The tape is the sound produced electronically from a brain."

"And the brain sounds like a squealing fan belt?"

"In this particular case, the lab said a terrorized brain."

"Okay, so let me see if I have the picture here. Professor Henderson has a brain tumor. Her brain’s reaction to this tumor is terror. So some lunatic offers to replace her terrorized brain with a dolphin brain."

"You pretty much scoped the big picture."

"Do you actually believe this bullshit?" Charlie said, stunned by the implications of a mad scientist recording the various emotions of the brain. In order to do that he would have to elicit the emotions he wanted first. Terror was one of those emotions he wanted to record. How would you terrorize someone to record their brain’s reaction? Charlie didn’t want to know the answer to that question. The question that needed an answer was why. To further science wasn’t enough of an answer for her.

Sam shrugged. "Until we come up with something better, this is what the guys who should know are telling me."

"And I can print this? You actually want the public to know this? Are they going to check out the doc’s torture chambers to see how he comes up with his skull music? The other question I have is about dolphin brains. Where is he getting them? What are the animal rights’ activists going to say about that one?"

"What about the human rights’ activists? I see a lynch mob out to hang our good doctor if his name gets out."

"If he didn’t want his name publicized, why send out an invitation?" Charlie said.

"You have a point."

"Is he connected to any research hospital or university? Has he done any papers for medical journals on his theories or practices?"

"None of that has any relevance for a police investigation."

"Excuse me? Okay try this. Has he tried his brain transplant on any humans? You may want to dig around, excuse the pun, to see if he has any bodies connected to him stored somewhere, buried somewhere."

"We are digging, Charlie. It’s not like we don’t know our jobs. So far nothing has shown up."

"I appreciate you bringing me in on this. Do we know if the doctor uses human body parts? I mean, would he be harvesting them for his experiments?"

"Interrogation is ongoing. We’ve had search warrants issued for his lab and home."

"So what you want me to do is publish this to ease the public mind about the serial killer threat because you have a likely suspect in custody?"

"Well, not exactly," Sam said.

"What not exactly?" Charlie questioned.

"He’s not in custody. We have no evidence he’s collecting human body parts," Sam said.

"His connection to Henderson isn’t enough?"

"Airtight alibi for the time surrounding her death. Medical convention in Cincinnati," he said.

"What about Farmer, and the John Doe?" Charlie hated the term John Doe. The man had a life, he had a beginning, and he had ties. Why didn’t anyone care enough to find out what they were? Maybe she needed to do that. She needed to get back to Mary Barber and get that name.

"We are checking his alibis for those now. Still a small piece on his connection could help to ease the public nervousness."