Raco finds ammunition discrepancies in the Hadler case

Raco finds a specific ammunition discrepancy in the Hadler family murders investigation: the three shots that killed Luke Hadler and his family were fired with Remington cartridges, but the ammunition found at Hadler Farm is Winchester. The mismatch gives the inquiry a concrete clue to pursue, while the subsequent checks fail to explain it.

The Discrepancy

Raco tells Falk that the fatal shots were Remingtons, the brand Luke Hadler had used for years as far as Raco could determine. Yet the only ammunition he can find on the property is Winchester. Raco had noticed the problem when the inventory arrived from Clyde, and it had continued to trouble him. He is looking for a box of Remington cartridges that could resolve the inconsistency.

Searching for an Explanation

The possibility that Luke used the last cartridges from a box and discarded its packaging does not settle the question. Raco has found no sign of a Remington box in the household rubbish or Luke's truck, both of which he has checked. When Falk asks where Raco has not searched, Raco indicates the missing weatherboard; despite that remaining gap, he considers the property effectively searched. The exchange shows how a small absence in the inventory has driven an extensive search without producing the missing ammunition.

The Rabbit-Hunting Check

The investigation later tests whether the Winchester rounds could be connected to the rabbit-hunting trip. Falk says that he supplied the ammunition and identifies it as Winchester. Raco recognizes that these are not the missing Remingtons and asks whether Luke brought ammunition of his own. Falk does not think he did, reasoning that the rabbits and bullets were his to provide. The check therefore confirms the brand used on that trip but does not account for the Remington cartridges used in the killings.

Significance to the Inquiry

The discrepancy remains an unresolved question rather than proof of who fired the weapon or how the ammunition came to differ from the stock on the property. Its force lies in the contrast between a known pattern—Luke's longstanding use of Remingtons—and the Winchester rounds documented at the farm and supplied for the hunt. By returning to the ammunition during a separate line of questioning, the investigation keeps that contradiction active instead of treating the initial inventory as conclusive.