reckon that would have been enough to know he wasn’t any kind of drug user. Nope, I reckon he’d been putting in too many hours at work and just nodded off on that long, straight stretch of road. I can wipe off some of that blood, if you need me to.”
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d just like to have a look at the back of his neck.”
“Seems an odd request, but you’re the boss.”
He handed both agents some examination gloves and put some on himself, then motioned to Foxx. “You look like a strong young feller – how about you give me a hand turning him over? Let me get control of his head though. Neck’s busted pretty bad – don’t want anything twisting off.”
The doctor’s practiced hands maneuvered the head as Foxx rolled the corpse. A sickening crunch emanated from the spine, causing Foxx to gag. Dr. Pollock chuckled at the FBI agent’s squeamishness. “First time with a dead one, son?”
“No,” the big man recovered quickly, his Marine pride slightly dented. “first time turning over a bag of broken bones though.”
“You get used to it.”
“Not so sure about that.”
Dr. Pollock positioned the head so the neck was extended upward. Broken vertebrae pushed toward the surface, stretching the bloodied skin.
“Careful,” Beach jumped in. “Don’t damage the skin.”
“Don’t worry – skin’s a lot more resilient than you think. Anyway, what in tarnation’s got you so interested in the back of this man’s neck, agent?”
“Call it a hunch. Can you wipe the skin down, please?” Beach couldn’t help grimacing. “And if I could borrow a magnifying glass?”
The doctor looked incredulous, but complied with Beach’s requests. He wheeled a large, free-standing examination light from a corner of the room and aimed it at Tinsley’s neck. Then he pulled a powerful lens from a drawer, passing it handle first to Beach. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but if you can’t find it with this, you can’t find it at all.”
Beach put the lens to his eye and bent forward, using his gloved fingers to move the hair out of his view. He carefully combed the area near the base of the skull, until stopping suddenly. He grabbed a clean cloth to wipe the area as clean as possible then double checked what he’d found.
“What have you got, partner?”
Beach straightened and stepped back from the gurney, his pale face staring off into the distance. “This is not good – this is not good at all.”
Chapter 10
His face contorted in anger, Jake pressed the phone hard against his ear to hear Tik’s kidnapper.
“So, Jake Riley - you seem to have me at a disadvantage. It appears you know me, and are intent on destroying my business, yet I don’t know anything about you.”
“Don’t play games, Ugolev – you know exactly who I am.”
“You’re quite mistaken. The only thing I know is that you razed my operation in Thailand. Perhaps my taking your spicy little Laotian friend here evens the odds a little.”
“If you know me like I think you do, then listen carefully, Ugolev. If you let Tik go unharmed, I promise to kill you quickly – painlessly. But if you so much as chip a nail on her finger, you’ll be begging the devil himself for mercy before you meet him face-to-face in hell.”
“You Americans – such violent thoughts and colorful movie clichés. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your attentions, Mr. Riley, but please calm down. Leave us to complete our business in Cambodia, and I assure you, we will not harm your feisty friend. You certainly cannot say the same for my people in Thailand.”
“A couple of bumps and bruises – they’ll get over it. But if you hurt Tik, I will hunt down everyone who has ever meant anything to you.”
“Bumps and bruises? My men are all dead. If you hadn’t spared Yelena to tell me the story, I would be none the wiser. It seems you have a weakness for the female of the species.”
“What the hell are you talking
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d just like to have a look at the back of his neck.”
“Seems an odd request, but you’re the boss.”
He handed both agents some examination gloves and put some on himself, then motioned to Foxx. “You look like a strong young feller – how about you give me a hand turning him over? Let me get control of his head though. Neck’s busted pretty bad – don’t want anything twisting off.”
The doctor’s practiced hands maneuvered the head as Foxx rolled the corpse. A sickening crunch emanated from the spine, causing Foxx to gag. Dr. Pollock chuckled at the FBI agent’s squeamishness. “First time with a dead one, son?”
“No,” the big man recovered quickly, his Marine pride slightly dented. “first time turning over a bag of broken bones though.”
“You get used to it.”
“Not so sure about that.”
Dr. Pollock positioned the head so the neck was extended upward. Broken vertebrae pushed toward the surface, stretching the bloodied skin.
“Careful,” Beach jumped in. “Don’t damage the skin.”
“Don’t worry – skin’s a lot more resilient than you think. Anyway, what in tarnation’s got you so interested in the back of this man’s neck, agent?”
“Call it a hunch. Can you wipe the skin down, please?” Beach couldn’t help grimacing. “And if I could borrow a magnifying glass?”
The doctor looked incredulous, but complied with Beach’s requests. He wheeled a large, free-standing examination light from a corner of the room and aimed it at Tinsley’s neck. Then he pulled a powerful lens from a drawer, passing it handle first to Beach. “I don’t know what you’re looking for, but if you can’t find it with this, you can’t find it at all.”
Beach put the lens to his eye and bent forward, using his gloved fingers to move the hair out of his view. He carefully combed the area near the base of the skull, until stopping suddenly. He grabbed a clean cloth to wipe the area as clean as possible then double checked what he’d found.
“What have you got, partner?”
Beach straightened and stepped back from the gurney, his pale face staring off into the distance. “This is not good – this is not good at all.”
Chapter 10
His face contorted in anger, Jake pressed the phone hard against his ear to hear Tik’s kidnapper.
“So, Jake Riley - you seem to have me at a disadvantage. It appears you know me, and are intent on destroying my business, yet I don’t know anything about you.”
“Don’t play games, Ugolev – you know exactly who I am.”
“You’re quite mistaken. The only thing I know is that you razed my operation in Thailand. Perhaps my taking your spicy little Laotian friend here evens the odds a little.”
“If you know me like I think you do, then listen carefully, Ugolev. If you let Tik go unharmed, I promise to kill you quickly – painlessly. But if you so much as chip a nail on her finger, you’ll be begging the devil himself for mercy before you meet him face-to-face in hell.”
“You Americans – such violent thoughts and colorful movie clichés. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve your attentions, Mr. Riley, but please calm down. Leave us to complete our business in Cambodia, and I assure you, we will not harm your feisty friend. You certainly cannot say the same for my people in Thailand.”
“A couple of bumps and bruises – they’ll get over it. But if you hurt Tik, I will hunt down everyone who has ever meant anything to you.”
“Bumps and bruises? My men are all dead. If you hadn’t spared Yelena to tell me the story, I would be none the wiser. It seems you have a weakness for the female of the species.”
“What the hell are you talking
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