This time Carella’s warrant was a bit more specific. It read:
1. I am a detective of the Police Department assigned to the 87th Detective Squad.
2. I have information based upon my personal knowledge and belief and facts disclosed to me by the medical examiner that three murders have been committed, and that all of the victims were blind.
3. I have further information based upon my personal knowledge and belief and facts disclosed to me by Detective-Lieutenant Peter Byrnes, commanding officer of the 87th Detective Squad, that an assault was attempted against a blind man on the night of November 22, and that during the attempted assault the perpetrator was bitten by the victim’s dog.
4. I have further information based upon my personal knowledge and belief that the attempted assault upon the blind man falls into that category of crimes known as “Unusual Crimes,” and there is probable cause to believe that it is linked with the three homicides, each similarly falling into the “Unusual Crimes” category, and each occurring within a brief time span, starting with the first murder on Thursday night, November 18, and culminating with the attempted assault on Monday night, November 22.
5. I have further information based upon my personal knowledge and belief that one of the victims, James R. Harris, wrote an extortion letter to his former commanding officer, John Francis Tataglia, and that this letter was written on November 6, and that it demanded monthly payments of one thousand dollars for the remainder of the life of James R. Harris to keep him from divulging the information that Tataglia in concert with others killed Lieutenant Roger Blake on the third day of December ten years ago during an army operation called Ala Moana.
6. Based upon the foregoing reliable information and upon my personal knowledge, there is probable cause to believe that a dog bite on the person of John Francis Tataglia would constitute evidence in the crime of attempted assault and possibly in the crime of murder.
Wherefore, I respectfully request that the court issue a warrant in the form annexed hereto, authorizing a search of the person of Major John Francis Tataglia for a dog-bite wound.
No previous application in this matter has been made in this or any other court or to any other judge, justice, or magistrate.
The magistrate to whom Carella presented his application was the same one he’d asked for permission to open the Harris safety deposit box. He read the application carefully, and then signed the search warrant attached to it.
The sentry at the main gate would not let Carella through.
Carella showed him the warrant, and the sentry said he would have to check it with provost marshal. He dialed a number and told somebody there was a detective here with a search warrant, and then he handed the phone to Carella and said, “The colonel wants to talk to you.”
Carella took the phone. “Hello,” he said.
“Yes, this is Colonel Humphries, what’s the problem?”
“No problem, sir,” Carella said. “I’ve got a court order here, and your man won’t let me through the gate.”
“What kind of court order?”
“To search the person of Major John Francis Tataglia.”
“What for?”
“A dog bite, sir.”
“Why?”
“He’s a murder suspect,” Carella said.
“Put the sentry on,” the colonel said. Carella handed the phone through the car window to the sentry. The sentry took it, said, “Yes, sir?” and then listened. “Yes, sir,” he said. “Yes, sir,” he said again, and put the receiver back on its wall hook. “Third building on your right,” he said to Carella. “It’s marked Military Police.”
“Thank you,” Carella said, and drove through the gate. He parked the car in the gravel oval in front of a red-brick building, and then went inside to where a corporal was sitting behind a desk. He asked for Colonel Humphries, and the corporal asked him who should he say was here, and Carella told him who he was, and the corporal buzzed the colonel and announced Carella, and then told him it was the door just ahead, please go right in.
Colonel Humphries was a man in his early fifties, tall and suntanned, with a firm handclasp and a voice that sounded whiskey-seared. He explained to Carella that he had just spoken to the post commander, who had authorized the body search provided an Army legal officer and an Army physician were present when the order was executed. Carella understood this completely. The Army was protecting the rights of one of its own.
The five of them assembled in the post dispensary — a lieutenant colonel, who was the appointed legal officer; a major, who was the Army physician; Colonel Humphries, who was the senior Military Police officer on post; Carella, who was beginning to feel a bit intimidated by all this brass; and Major John Francis Tataglia, who read the court order and then shrugged and said, “I don’t understand.”
“It gives him the authority to search for a dog bite,” the legal officer said. “General Kihlborg’s already approved the search.”
“Would you mind stripping down?” Carella said.
“This is ridiculous,” Tataglia said, but he began disrobing. There were no wounds on either of his arms, but there was a bandage on his left leg, just above the ankle.
“What’s that?” Carella asked.
Standing in his khaki undershorts and tank-top undershirt, Tataglia said, “I cut myself.”
“Would you take off the bandage, please?” Carella said.
“I’m afraid it’ll start bleeding again,” Tataglia said.
“We’ve got a doctor here,” Carella said. “He’ll remove the bandage, if you prefer.”
“I’ll do it myself,” Tataglia said, and slowly unwound the bandage.
“That’s not a cut,” Carella said.
“It’s a cut,” Tataglia said.
“Then what are those perforations?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Those are teeth marks.”
“Are you a doctor?” Tataglia asked.
“No, but anyone can see those are teeth marks.” He turned to the medical officer. “Major,” he said, “are those teeth marks?”
“They could be teeth marks,” the major said. “I would have to examine them more closely.”
“Would you do that, please?” Carella asked.
The major went to a stainless-steel cabinet, opened the top drawer of it, and took out a magnifying glass. “Would you get up on the table here?” he asked. Tataglia climbed onto the table. The doctor adjusted an overhead light so that it illuminated the wound on Tataglia’s leg. He peered through the magnifying glass. “Well,” he said, “the wound could have been caused by the action of canine teeth and cutting molars. I can’t say for sure.”
Carella turned to the legal officer. “Colonel,” he said, “I’d like to take this man into custody for further examination by the medical examiner and for questioning regarding three homicides and an attempted assault.”
“Well, we’re not sure that’s a dog bite,” the legal officer said.
“It’s some kind of an animal bite, that’s for sure,” Carella said.
“That doesn’t make it a dog bite. Your court order specifically authorizes search for a dog bite. Now, if this isn’t a dog bite...”
“Your medical officer said the wound might have been caused—”
“No, I said I couldn’t be sure,” the medical officer said.
“All right, what the hell’s going on here?” Carella asked.
“You want me to release this man from military jurisdiction,” the legal officer said, “and I’m just not—”