The Multigenre Mashup Smackdown (2023)

Cold Case

Round 4.2: Retell a classic fairy tale in the form of a letter. Max word count 1k.

To:
Detective Ellen Mure
Cold Case Division
Grimtale Region

Dear Detective Mure,

Forgive an elderly man his shaky penmanship. I always found writing my notes by hand helped me think things through better. Old habits, like old cops, die hard.

I received your letter regarding the missing persons case of Goldie Locks. Indeed, my partner Biggs and I were the lead detectives on the case forty-five years ago.

Veterans in the field always spoke about the "one" case that never leaves you. Goldie Locks was mine.

You asked for my impressions, the non-facts that couldn't be noted in the case report.

Goldie Locks was last seen by her mother, leaving home in her car to run errands in town. According to the mother, she would've taken the main road. This was corroborated by a gas station attendant who recalled seeing Lock's car drive past but turn off towards the forest road, not towards town. The only place along the forest road of note was Bayre Lodge, from whom was received a call about a break and entering –the same morning Goldie was reported missing.

Bayre Lodge was family-owned and run by the Bayre husband and wife, and their adult son, Junior. Sometimes all a detective has to go on is gut instinct. And what I'll say is something was off about Junior Bayre. He was too perfect, too "just right" about everything. He showed tension with Biggs though. They knew each other from years before. My partner was from the area and they'd played college football together.

With me, Junior was calm, collected. His parents were nervous but not him.

Despite the lodge being closed for the season, we found three bowls of porridge left out on the kitchen table. Two full, the third almost empty. Why three? At the time, we hypothesised that if it had been Locks, maybe she'd tried to make herself a quick meal. Or someone tried to make one for her.

The first bowl's porridge was thick as cement. Cooked too hot? The second was watery. Too cold? The third bowl with only remnants must've been just right.

You'll have noted how we found no prints on any of the items. Our only explanation was everything had been wiped down.

As for the displaced chairs in the lobby, my first thought was there'd been a struggle. Bigg's concurred; the wooden hard back on its side –knocked over, a soft bean chair crushed as if someone had fallen into it –or been shoved. The upholstered wingchair's seat cushion was indented, as if sat upon for a while. My feeling? The first chair was too hard, the second too soft, but the third had been just right for Goldie to sit on while someone confronted her.

It was upon seeing the trio of messed up beds in the suite, and its smashed window, that I knew we were dealing with more than a break and enter. I got the sense the beds had been messed up on purpose –clean sheets and blankets shoved about seemingly at random. The Bayres denied touching anything, yet I couldn't shake the feeling there was something off. But since Biggs didn't share my suspicions, I let it go. We found nothing out of sorts anywhere else in the suite. It was as if it had been cleaned, just right, to get rid of evidence. After everything had been dusted and photographed. I kept going back to the window. It overlooked the lake.

No security cameras then as you know. No witnesses. The Bayres claimed to have only arrived that morning to further prepare the lodge for winter.

The woods were searched by canine units; the nearby lake by divers but its deep, dark waters revealed nothing.

When interviewing Goldie's friends, we learned she'd been seeing someone behind her mother's back, someone local, but was going to break off the relationship. They didn't know who it was. She hadn't wanted to tell them because he was older.

Suspects? At the time, we believed it was Junior, who was ten years older than Locks. Biggs was absolutely convinced it was him. To the point he was furious about it all and I had to intervene during a follow-up questioning before Biggs, who was a large man, could've snapped Junior's neck. 

But in the end, we had no evidence. All we had was conjecture, assumption.  A cold trail of days slid into weeks, months, then years. After the requisite seven, Goldie Locks was presumed dead and the case closed.

Do I believe Goldie met her demise that night? Yes.

My opinion? Junior Bayre killed Locks and likely buried her body in the woods. Father and mother Bayre covered for him. We tried to get a warrant for continued searches but were denied. The assumption was that Locks had run away. To this day I don't believe it.

I thought Junior Bayre wasn't happy Goldie was leaving him.

Your news that the rusted hulk of her car was discovered at the bottom of the lake because of dropping water levels initially brought me hope.

The news that they were somehow able to lift DNA from the car that matched a certain male other than Junior...

Do keep me informed of the reopened case. It is my fervent hope that new forensic technology will lead to answers as to what happened that night.

I've always felt I let that girl down by not pushing the bed analysis.. Too bad my old partner won't get to learn the case is reopened. Biggs Baddewulf passed away ten years ago. Suicide. The stress of the job can eat away at someone as you know. Or perhaps it was guilt.

I understand now why you sought my opinions. Everything's clear. But  I will let sleeping dogs lie, or in this case, wolves. Seeking justice now is nothing better than giving credence to a fairy tale to me.

Sincerely yours,

Det. Bob Southey, Forest Mountain Regional Police, (Retired)