The reader is introduced to the man who will lead the investigation into the murders: Alvin Adams Dewey, a forty-seven-year-old agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. A former sheriff of Finney County, Dewey and his wife were friends of Herb and Bonnie Clutter, attending the same church and visiting each other frequently. Dewey is aided by his principal assistants, Agents Church, Duntz and Nye.
At a press conference shortly after Dewey takes over the investigation, he admits that there is very little evidence to build a case on. The motive is unclear, and there is no indication that the newly purchased life insurance policy had any role in the murder. Dewey tends to believe that the crime was committed by a pair of men, a killer who knew the family and an accomplice.
Dewey's.....
