"We're going to search your house and your van, Sonny. A search warrant is on the way, and you'll get a copy. You can give us permission to start the search right now and get these police vehicles away from your house, or we can sit here waiting until more police vehicles with lights flashing bring us the warrant."
Barner nodded to go ahead. For the next hour, Goddard and the uniformed officers searched the van and the house. In the van, hidden on a tool rack, they found a 20-gauge with the standard wooden stock replaced by a custom pistol grip. Ominous. They measured the barrel and it was legal. Goddard told them to bag it anyway; he wanted Barner's prints. The only weapons found in the house were two hunting knives and the two old shotguns resting in plain sight in an unlocked closet.
He noticed the old newspaper clipping with Senator Towson crossed out was no longer stuck on the refrigerator. In the bedroom, the erotic photo purporting to be Tammy Jerrold wasn't in sight. He'd have loved to shuffle through stacks of paper and boot up the computer; however, the search warrant covered only weapons. Goddard called off the search and left with no evidence.
He wondered if Barner was sexually involved with Tammy Jerrold. Sexual selection is full of surprises. The Barner-in-love-with-Tammy part wasn't surprising, but in any case, Goddard couldn't visualize her reciprocating or extending the triangle to include Towson. However, there's no accounting for love. Just consider the men some women end up with, and vice versa.
Perhaps Tammy saw something in Barner that escapes the eye. Perhaps she did indeed pose for him. She definitely turns him on. How far would he go to get her out of Towson's clutches? Would that be enough for him to murder? Oh, yes, absolutely. Sex is a magic word. Just say the word and men will turn red and start stammering-some will reach for a gun.