Stanwick Carlton, husband of the dead woman, had, as it turned out, arrived in the city by plane only an hour or so before the shooting. He had, he explained, “Felt something was wrong.” He was ‘stunned’ when located at a down-town hotel and advised of his wife’s death. Dover Fulton, a prominent broker in San Robles, left a widow, Irene Fulton, and two children, one a girl four years old, one a boy of six. He had apparently been happily married and Mrs. Fulton “was at a loss to account for his actions,” refusing at first to believe that he could possibly have been the person who had committed suicide. Not until she was confronted with the body did she believe what had happened.
Perhaps the strangest thing of all, however, was the fact that while Dover Fulton and Mrs. Carlton had registered as Mr. and Mrs. Stanwick Carlton and had been assigned cabin number three, it appeared a second couple had rented cabin number eleven in the name of Mr. and Mrs. Dover Fulton, and these people had given the licence number of Dover Fulton’s black sedan, which was found parked and locked in front of the cabin which had been assigned to them.
The woman who ran the place described the girl as being a beautiful blonde who appeared somehow to be intensely nervous; the man with her, according to the best recollection of the woman who managed the motor court, was of medium height and weight, with dark, wavy hair, and what the witness described as ‘expressive eyes’. She said she had felt certain “there was something phony” about this second couple.
The newspaper account stated:
While apparently there can be no question but what the tragedy was a routine version of a death-pact by people who found themselves in love, but who were separated by marital entanglements there are certain phases of the case which the police are investigating.
The paper then went on to state that police had given Stanwick Carlton a severe grilling and were not entirely satisfied with his answers. They were investigating his movements after getting off the plane and going to the down-town hotel where he had registered.
The revolver from which the shots were fired was a .32-calibre revolver owned by Dover Fulton. Mrs. Fulton stated that her husband had been working almost every evening for the past ten days and that about ten days ago he had opened the drawer, taken out the small-calibre revolver and had been carrying it with him ever since. She was prostrated by shock.
The newspaper had photographs, pictures of Dover Fulton and of Minerva Carlton, pictures of the bodies, of the interior of the cabin. This last picture showed the sprawled figures, the open bathroom door, a double towel-rack with two hand towels on the upper rod, a bath-towel on the lower.
I folded the newspapers back into place and did a little floor pacing. No matter how I looked at it, the thing was completely cock-eyed.
I rang Bertha on the telephone. “Seen the newspaper?” I asked.