Murderers and Mudslides—A.T.Bennett
When it comes to murder, one can’t beat good timing.
This gruesome truth goes double for mystery writers. Our audience has the plot at their literal fingertips. They can, and will, revisit chapters to flush out clues. Sussing out who the villain is … well, it’s only half the fun. There is the why of course—because a decent motive is important in any crime read—but how is arguably more thrilling.
So, how does one get away with murder? Perhaps your killer has a helping hand from Mother Nature herself…
Take, for example, the Newall murders.
On October 10th, 1987, millionaires Nicholas and Elizabeth Newall were celebrating Elizabeth’s 48th birthday with their two sons, Roderick and Mark. The dinner appeared, according to witness accounts, quite enjoyable. Both boys were due to leave the following day, avoiding the brewing storm that was about to hit the tiny, windswept island of Jersey.
Five days after the birthday bash, a brutal hurricane battered Jersey. Later, the press would call it The Great Storm. Everything was in such a disarray that it took a few days for people to realize the Newalls were even missing. Their bungalow had suffered some damage, and they were simply gone. An initial search turned up nothing. Neighbours sadly concluded the deadly storm had taken the couple out to sea …
But a deeper look at the home turned up something rather alarming—some blood splatter on the living room walls and blood pooled under the carpets. Despite the hurricane, investigators also found remnants of a bonfire on the property. There were pieces of clothing in the ashes. They found nothing else. And, after some time, the court declared the Newalls legally dead, leaving their fortune to their sons.
It took five years—and Roderick confessing the double-murder to his uncle—for the tragic sequence of events to be revealed. On the night of the birthday dinner, Roderick had bludgeoned the Newalls to death with a Japanese rice flail. He then called his younger brother for help and, near their childhood home, they buried their parents. After an attempted clean-up, the boys left as planned, and The Great Storm covered their tracks.
Now, the island of Jersey is on the small side. You can walk the entirety of its coast in about 10-12 hours. A fresh, hand-dug, double grave would be a noticeable blot on the landscape! But, with the chaotic, destructive force of a hurricane, it became invisible. Lost to both search parties and crime scene investigators.
There is every possibility that, if Roderick hadn’t confessed, the Newalls would’ve stayed buried.
This is hardly an isolated incident. Ronald Dominique—the Bayou Strangler—picked up one of his victims fleeing Napoleonville following Hurricane Katrina. At the same time, serial killer Joseph Brant prowled New Orleans’ ravaged neighbourhoods. Meanwhile Zack Bowen and Addie Hall publicly chose to remain in the evacuated French Quarter. They were both hailed in national press as symbols of resilience in the face of the oncoming storm. After Katrina had passed though, their story ended … in a tragic case of murder-suicide.
Nor is taking advantage of natural disasters a new thing! Historically speaking, criminals recognize the opportunities provided by them. Going back to the year 1947, in the aftermath of the deadliest tornado in Oklahoma’s history, two men in army fatigues entered a hospital and kidnapped 4-year-old Joan Gay Croft.
Authorities never identified the men, and they never found Joan.
Whenever disasters strike, there are simply not enough resources to go around. Police and EMTs must focus on public safety, scene security, evacuations, triage, and medical care. If it is even possible for law enforcement to attend a crime scene—there may be downed trees, collapsed buildings, or roving tornados—help is not exactly going to be timely.
And you, as a writer, can take ruthless advantage of this! Craft your scene to make it as difficult as possible for your investigator to get answers; give your bad guy every advantage possible. Force your characters into a showdown by literally surrounding the town with fire and lightning, or tighten the noose and trap them in a building with a freezing blizzard.
Writers can view disasters as either a building threat (such as an approaching storm or advancing wildfires) or a sudden catastrophic event (such as an earthquake or landslide).
Experiment with the backdrop to your novel, and see how circumstances beyond your character’s control can add a veritable “avalanche” of tension to your mysteries.
See what I did there? :P