the envelope.
Grace handed it to him.
Without sitting down, Bailey opened it and reached inside. The first item he brought out was the 4x6 Polaroid photograph.
Grace looked away in disgust.
Bailey glanced at the image and froze. A pit immediately opened in his stomach and threatened to swallow him whole.
‘What the fuck?’
The photograph was of a woman’s face, but it was far from a glamorous one. Her dark-brown hair seemed dirty and drenched in sweat and was sticking to her clammy forehead and the sides of
her face. Tears had caused her eye makeup to smudge and run down her cheeks, drawing thin dark lines that should’ve run down to her chin, but they hadn’t. Instead, they had been
collected by the thick fabric gag that had been tied so tight around her mouth it had stretched her face awkwardly and cut into the edges of her lips. Just past the gag, blood had finished the
thin-line design that her tears had started. But what seemed to squeeze Bailey’s heart inside his chest was the look in the woman’s eyes – pleading, full of fear and totally void
of hope. It was the look of someone who deep inside knew nobody would come for her in time.
Bailey looked at Grace, his expression a mixture of repugnance and confusion.
She finally looked back at him.
‘Is this for real?’ he asked. ‘I mean, with all this digitalphoto-enhancing crap today, who can be sure, right?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Grace replied, her voice unsteady. ‘That’s a Polaroid picture, Richard. Like in the old days. I don’t think they can Photoshop
those.’
The mayor looked back at the picture. ‘No, you’re right,’ he agreed. ‘Do you know who this woman is?’
Grace shook her head. ‘I’ve never seen her before. You?’
‘No, me neither.’
A couple of jittery seconds went by.
‘I was unsure whether I should bring this to you, or hand it straight to the police or the Secret Service.’
Bailey placed the photo on his desk but continued to stare at it. His palms were damp with sweat, his mind full of questions. True, over the years he had received a ton of crazy mail, but never
something like this. His mind worked fast.
‘How was this delivered, Grace?’
‘It came in a FedEx envelope. The address is bogus. It’s a boarded-up grocery store.’
Bailey’s left eyebrow rose inquisitively.
‘Do you still have it? The envelope, I mean?’
‘Yes, of course. I’ll go get it.’ Grace began backing away from Bailey.
‘Grace, wait,’ Bailey called again. ‘Do we have latex gloves anywhere in the office?’
‘Umm . . .’ Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him. ‘Not in the office, I don’t think so.’ She hesitated a second. ‘But maintenance will have them. Their
personnel all wear them.’
‘Call them and get them to bring us a couple of pairs ASAP.’
‘Right away, sir.’
‘Also,’ Bailey stopped her again, ‘do we have some sort of sealable plastic bags? Something we keep documents in?’
Grace thought for a moment. ‘I’ve got a box of sandwich bags in my drawer. They’ve got zip seals.’
‘They’ll do. Bring them over.’
Grace nodded and quickly walked out of the office. A few minutes later she returned with the FedEx wrapper, a box of latex gloves and a box of plastic see-through sandwich bags. She handed
everything to Bailey, who immediately slipped a pair of gloves on before checking the sender’s information at the back of the FedEx envelope.
‘Tyler Jordan?’ he whispered to himself, frowning.
‘I checked it against your address book,’ Grace explained. ‘But there was no match, that’s why I proceeded to open the package.’
Bailey was sure that the sender’s name and address would be bogus, but he would still have it verified.
‘Have you shown this to anyone else?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘So other than you, no one else has touched this picture?’
‘That’s correct,’ Grace replied with an anxious nod.
Bailey doubted that whoever had
Grace handed it to him.
Without sitting down, Bailey opened it and reached inside. The first item he brought out was the 4x6 Polaroid photograph.
Grace looked away in disgust.
Bailey glanced at the image and froze. A pit immediately opened in his stomach and threatened to swallow him whole.
‘What the fuck?’
The photograph was of a woman’s face, but it was far from a glamorous one. Her dark-brown hair seemed dirty and drenched in sweat and was sticking to her clammy forehead and the sides of
her face. Tears had caused her eye makeup to smudge and run down her cheeks, drawing thin dark lines that should’ve run down to her chin, but they hadn’t. Instead, they had been
collected by the thick fabric gag that had been tied so tight around her mouth it had stretched her face awkwardly and cut into the edges of her lips. Just past the gag, blood had finished the
thin-line design that her tears had started. But what seemed to squeeze Bailey’s heart inside his chest was the look in the woman’s eyes – pleading, full of fear and totally void
of hope. It was the look of someone who deep inside knew nobody would come for her in time.
Bailey looked at Grace, his expression a mixture of repugnance and confusion.
She finally looked back at him.
‘Is this for real?’ he asked. ‘I mean, with all this digitalphoto-enhancing crap today, who can be sure, right?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Grace replied, her voice unsteady. ‘That’s a Polaroid picture, Richard. Like in the old days. I don’t think they can Photoshop
those.’
The mayor looked back at the picture. ‘No, you’re right,’ he agreed. ‘Do you know who this woman is?’
Grace shook her head. ‘I’ve never seen her before. You?’
‘No, me neither.’
A couple of jittery seconds went by.
‘I was unsure whether I should bring this to you, or hand it straight to the police or the Secret Service.’
Bailey placed the photo on his desk but continued to stare at it. His palms were damp with sweat, his mind full of questions. True, over the years he had received a ton of crazy mail, but never
something like this. His mind worked fast.
‘How was this delivered, Grace?’
‘It came in a FedEx envelope. The address is bogus. It’s a boarded-up grocery store.’
Bailey’s left eyebrow rose inquisitively.
‘Do you still have it? The envelope, I mean?’
‘Yes, of course. I’ll go get it.’ Grace began backing away from Bailey.
‘Grace, wait,’ Bailey called again. ‘Do we have latex gloves anywhere in the office?’
‘Umm . . .’ Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at him. ‘Not in the office, I don’t think so.’ She hesitated a second. ‘But maintenance will have them. Their
personnel all wear them.’
‘Call them and get them to bring us a couple of pairs ASAP.’
‘Right away, sir.’
‘Also,’ Bailey stopped her again, ‘do we have some sort of sealable plastic bags? Something we keep documents in?’
Grace thought for a moment. ‘I’ve got a box of sandwich bags in my drawer. They’ve got zip seals.’
‘They’ll do. Bring them over.’
Grace nodded and quickly walked out of the office. A few minutes later she returned with the FedEx wrapper, a box of latex gloves and a box of plastic see-through sandwich bags. She handed
everything to Bailey, who immediately slipped a pair of gloves on before checking the sender’s information at the back of the FedEx envelope.
‘Tyler Jordan?’ he whispered to himself, frowning.
‘I checked it against your address book,’ Grace explained. ‘But there was no match, that’s why I proceeded to open the package.’
Bailey was sure that the sender’s name and address would be bogus, but he would still have it verified.
‘Have you shown this to anyone else?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘So other than you, no one else has touched this picture?’
‘That’s correct,’ Grace replied with an anxious nod.
Bailey doubted that whoever had
Similar Books
