Chapter 52 Louise
LOUISE
After keying in a passcode, Jessica led us through a thick metal door into the laboratory.
The first thing that hit me was the smell. Bleach and decay.
The second thing was the dead body on the center table, its gray skin illuminated by a single fluorescent light that dangled from the ceiling.
Judging by the gray hair, the corpse belonged to an older man, despite the emaciated frame that would suggest a young teen.
From lifelong drug use and extreme malnourishment, I assumed.
A Y-incision separated the man’s chest, exposing his rib cage under puffs of skin.
Bile rose in my throat.
Ryder glanced back at me with a nod: You okay?
I shook my head, feeling saliva pool in my mouth.
“Oh. Sorry,” Jessica said, catching the look. “So sorry. I forget.” She rushed over and covered the body, then handed me a small vial. “Here, sniff this. It will help.”
“Can I stuff this directly into my nostrils?” My voice was as shaky as my hand.
Jessica grinned, as did Ryder.
I unscrewed the cap and inhaled a strong eucalyptus/peppermint scent. After I took a deep breath, and another, and another, my stomach slowly began to settle.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“No worries. I barfed my way through my first ten autopsies. No joke. I’m totally numb to it now. Okay, come on in here.”
We followed her to a small side room. Stacks of boxes, folders, and clear containers littered the counters. The mess reminded me of home.
“Let’s see…” Jessica’s fingers danced over the boxes. “Ah, here it is.”
She cleared a spot on the counter, then pulled on a pair of blue latex gloves. Next, she retrieved a sterile silver plate. The pendant was placed carefully in the center.
“Oh. It’s glass.” She straightened, frowning.
“Is that an issue?”
“Well, maybe.” Chewing her lower lip, Jessica clicked on the lights and slid the pendant under a magnifying glass. “What environment was it in when you found it?”
“Indoors. In a fireplace, to be exact. Like it had been tossed to the side and meant to be burned, then forgotten.”
“Indoors is good. Do you have an idea of when the prints would have been transferred?”
“No. We don’t know how long it had been in the house. But Maci’s incident happened twelve years ago.”
A minute passed as Jessica leaned over to examine the pendant. She stood up, fisting her hands on her hips. “I’ll have to superglue it.”
“Superglue it?”
“Cyanoacrylate fuming. It’s a technique that uses vapors of superglue to develop latent fingerprints.
Works great on glass.” She looked at the pendant.
“Fingerprints are left from sweat, which is made up of amino acids, fatty acids, and proteins. The vapors adhere to these components, making the prints visible. Then I dust over it and use tape to pull the print.”
“How long does that process take?”
“A while. There are multiple steps involved, including time in a developing chamber.” She nodded over her shoulder to a small white box with a window.
“Sounds easy.”
“Not quite. There’s always a risk of overdeveloping the evidence by allowing the glue to seep into the ridges and distort the print. What I’m saying is, it’s laborious and requires a lot of attention. And I’ve got a backlog the size of my ass.”
“Can you get it done today?”
“Yeah, Ryder, I’ll get it done. For you. But you owe me.”
“Your lab coat weighs triple what it did before I walked in. I’d say we’re even.”
“Feels good too.” She winked, patting the money in her pockets. “But I want something else from you.”
“What’s that?”
“A drink. You look like you could use some time with a friend at Frank’s Bar.”
He nodded. “Done.”
I smiled. Baby steps.
“Good. Now remember, I might not get a print, or I might get a partial, which won’t tell us anything useful. Or even if I do get a full print, if the guy isn’t in the system, you still won’t have a name.”
“But if you do get a full print, and the print is in the system, then we’ve potentially nailed the String Strangler. And women in this town can sleep easier.”
Jessica nodded. “I’d like to go the rest of my career without seeing another one of his victims come through my doors.”
“Get it done then.”
“Yes, sir.” Jessica winked, then slid me another glance. “All right, scat, you two. Hopefully, I’ll have something for you by the end of the day.”
My heart skipped a beat.
By the end of the day, maybe this whole nightmare would be over.