He made the short trip from downtown in less than fifteen minutes, arriving just as Devon’s body was being loaded into the ambulance. Mac Tinsley, the coroner, was standing in the yard conversing with the driver. Dantzler nodded at the two men as he walked onto the small porch and entered the duplex. Rarely did he arrive at a crime scene after the body had been removed. Given his choice, it would never happen. Like all good homicide detectives, Dantzler felt there was much to be discerned from seeing the murder victim in his or her original death position. Photographs were fine, video even better, but neither was a match for seeing the scene prior to the body being taken away. The human eye almost always trumped technology. But on this occasion, Dantzler’s late arrival couldn’t be prevented. His interview with Greg Spurlock had been scheduled for nine a.m., and he didn’t hear about Devon until five minutes before entering the interview room. Knowing he would likely get to the scene after the body had been removed, he dispatched Sammy Turley, a videographer, to work with Eric and Scott.
