Murder in Massachusetts

Footprints in the Snow

Before Patricia dialed 911 on that morning, she said she "ran into the barn and touched Neil's leg and saw flashes of objects" around her, such as "Hannah's face and a coffee can filled with grain." What she said she didn't see was all of the blood pooled around Neil's head.

And there was plenty of it.

Now detectives had taped off the scene and were investigating further. There was no doubt a homicide had occurred inside the barn. Trooper Stephen Jones, who was out on the property with colleagues, spotted "a double set of footprints in snow," which led directly from Patricia and Neil's house to the street. Then, some time later that day, Jones, Trooper Carol Zullo and a chemist, while searching the Skyline Country Club golf course just to the east of the Olsen property, came upon another set of footprints in the snow and traced them from the golf course to the Olsen house. While they were photographing the foot prints, one of them spied a shiny item in the snow.

"What is it?" asked one of the troopers.

"Looks like a machete."

They bagged the weapon and went back to the house.

A machete, similar to the one that was found near the crime scene

Patricia had called Nicola Casey and asked her to come back out to the house. She needed support. While Nicola was there trying her best to console her boss, an officer stayed in the house with them. At some point, the officer asked, "What about funeral arrangements?"

Patricia covered her ears, as if to say she didn't want to hear about anything related to Neil's death any more. It was all too much to take, she implied. "We have no insurance," Patricia finally answered. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

It was an odd statement. Although Mrs. O's wasn't doing all that well financially, it was still an active business, as was Neil's sign-making company. Not to have insurance through either business—or both—seemed strange.

Nicola went back to work. When she returned to the restaurant, she explained to Christopher, who had been hanging around most of the morning, what had happened to Neil.

He said he had heard the news already.

"Go to your mother, Chris," Nicola suggested. "She needs you now."

Christopher didn't seem to concede the comment. He shrugged it off, saying instead, "I'm going to the [local] mall with a friend."

Moments later, he was gone.