14. Red Fibers

Summary

• The chapter takes place in 1969, with the two main characters, Joe and Ed( who seems to be the sheriff), discussing an ongoing murder case under a large oak tree.
• The murder case under investigation is of Chase Andrews. New lab reports have determined that the cause of Chase's death was serious internal injuries and a severe bruising on the back of his head. It's determined that this was as a result of falling off a tower and hitting the occipital and parietal lobe of his posterior cerebral cortex, leading to a severed spine.
• Joe noted that while someone had wiped off all fingerprints and footprints from the crime scene, the blood and hair that matched the victim, found on a crossbeam, confirmed that Chase had died at the scene of the crime and had not been moved post death.
• A significant clue in this case surfaces when the Sheriff reveals a plastic bag containing red wool fibers. These foreign fibers were found on Chase's jacket and did not match any of his clothing.
• The two characters speculate about the possible sources of these fibers, listing articles of clothing they could have come from, and noting that they need to locate the source item.