actually.’
‘Nice touch,’ Stevie said dryly, and Trask’s lips curved self-deprecatingly.
‘Wasn’t it? I agreed to go out once and thought he was nicer than I remembered, so I kept seeing him. I thought he was nice until his wife came up and slapped me.’ She pulled her vibrating cell phone from her pocket. ‘It’s my attorney. Will I need him?’
‘If your alibi checks out, no,’ Stevie said, and Trask put the phone on the table without answering it.
‘When will you check it?’ Mulhauser asked. ‘Because until you do, I’m down one medical examiner.’ He shot Trask an awkward look. ‘I can’t have you touching anything new until you’re cleared. I’m sorry.’
‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘It’s okay, Craig. I expected this.’
‘I’ll start making calls as soon as we leave here,’ Stevie promised, then lifted a shoulder. ‘Besides, we still have to positively ID this victim, Lucy. If it’s not Russ Bennett, none of this is relevant.’
Mulhauser frowned. ‘Unless there’s a scar or some other identifying feature on the remains, we’ll need to use DNA. The dental records will be unusable.’
‘Are there any scars on the body that pre-dated this attack?’ JD asked.
‘Yes,’ Trask said. ‘There is scarring from an old burn on the left hand, and the right forearm shows some remodeling. It was broken within the last five to seven years. He also has a mole on his right shoulder blade. Perhaps you can ask one of his wives about this before asking his parents. If Russ really is on vacation, I’d hate to upset them for nothing. Mrs Bennett had a heart attack a few months ago.’
The affection in her voice was unmistakable. She’d obviously kept up with the Bennetts, despite her issues with Russell. ‘Where do the Bennetts live?’ he asked.
‘Same place they’ve lived for thirty years. Anderson Ferry, on the Choptank River. It’s a ninety-minute drive if there’s no Bay Bridge traffic.’
Which meant that Anderson Ferry, Maryland, was where Lucy Trask had been raised. Which explained the hint of Southern in her speech. He’d met residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore who spoke with an unexpected twang. JD wondered if her family still lived there, but before he could ask, she opened a folder of autopsy photos.
‘Here’s one of the shoulder blade mole,’ she said, sorting the photos. ‘And one of the scar from the burn. Neither of these pictures shows any of the assault injuries.’ She looked up, her expression grim. ‘And believe me, that wasn’t easy to do.’
Stevie took the two photos. ‘Thanks, Lucy. We’ll start with the old and new Mrs Bennetts to find out if Russell had any of these marks before we go to the parents.’
‘I have the first wife’s address,’ Trask offered.
JD’s brows went up. ‘You two keep in touch?’
‘More like a one-way thing. She sent flowers after I broke his nose and I get a Christmas card every year.’ Trask found the address in her phone and wrote it down. ‘She kept the house and the kids. She’s kept in touch with Russ’s folks so the kids can have a relationship with their grandparents. The Bennetts like her.’ She handed the paper to JD, careful not to touch him. ‘They’re good people and this is going to tear them up. Please don’t forget to ask your captain if I can be there when you notify them.’
JD held her gaze and for a moment saw the flicker of awareness he’d seen before. It was quickly extinguished, her eyes going cool. But he’d seen it.
‘I won’t forget,’ he said quietly. ‘I promise. But you have to promise something too.’
He reached across the table, brushing her fingers briefly as he took the autopsy folder she still held, not missing the subtle twitch of her hand or the quick intake of her breath at the contact. Within the folder he found the photo of the ‘I’ burned into the victim’s back and turned it so she could see it.
‘This is a threat, Lucy,’ he said softly. ‘You
‘Nice touch,’ Stevie said dryly, and Trask’s lips curved self-deprecatingly.
‘Wasn’t it? I agreed to go out once and thought he was nicer than I remembered, so I kept seeing him. I thought he was nice until his wife came up and slapped me.’ She pulled her vibrating cell phone from her pocket. ‘It’s my attorney. Will I need him?’
‘If your alibi checks out, no,’ Stevie said, and Trask put the phone on the table without answering it.
‘When will you check it?’ Mulhauser asked. ‘Because until you do, I’m down one medical examiner.’ He shot Trask an awkward look. ‘I can’t have you touching anything new until you’re cleared. I’m sorry.’
‘I know,’ she murmured. ‘It’s okay, Craig. I expected this.’
‘I’ll start making calls as soon as we leave here,’ Stevie promised, then lifted a shoulder. ‘Besides, we still have to positively ID this victim, Lucy. If it’s not Russ Bennett, none of this is relevant.’
Mulhauser frowned. ‘Unless there’s a scar or some other identifying feature on the remains, we’ll need to use DNA. The dental records will be unusable.’
‘Are there any scars on the body that pre-dated this attack?’ JD asked.
‘Yes,’ Trask said. ‘There is scarring from an old burn on the left hand, and the right forearm shows some remodeling. It was broken within the last five to seven years. He also has a mole on his right shoulder blade. Perhaps you can ask one of his wives about this before asking his parents. If Russ really is on vacation, I’d hate to upset them for nothing. Mrs Bennett had a heart attack a few months ago.’
The affection in her voice was unmistakable. She’d obviously kept up with the Bennetts, despite her issues with Russell. ‘Where do the Bennetts live?’ he asked.
‘Same place they’ve lived for thirty years. Anderson Ferry, on the Choptank River. It’s a ninety-minute drive if there’s no Bay Bridge traffic.’
Which meant that Anderson Ferry, Maryland, was where Lucy Trask had been raised. Which explained the hint of Southern in her speech. He’d met residents of Maryland’s Eastern Shore who spoke with an unexpected twang. JD wondered if her family still lived there, but before he could ask, she opened a folder of autopsy photos.
‘Here’s one of the shoulder blade mole,’ she said, sorting the photos. ‘And one of the scar from the burn. Neither of these pictures shows any of the assault injuries.’ She looked up, her expression grim. ‘And believe me, that wasn’t easy to do.’
Stevie took the two photos. ‘Thanks, Lucy. We’ll start with the old and new Mrs Bennetts to find out if Russell had any of these marks before we go to the parents.’
‘I have the first wife’s address,’ Trask offered.
JD’s brows went up. ‘You two keep in touch?’
‘More like a one-way thing. She sent flowers after I broke his nose and I get a Christmas card every year.’ Trask found the address in her phone and wrote it down. ‘She kept the house and the kids. She’s kept in touch with Russ’s folks so the kids can have a relationship with their grandparents. The Bennetts like her.’ She handed the paper to JD, careful not to touch him. ‘They’re good people and this is going to tear them up. Please don’t forget to ask your captain if I can be there when you notify them.’
JD held her gaze and for a moment saw the flicker of awareness he’d seen before. It was quickly extinguished, her eyes going cool. But he’d seen it.
‘I won’t forget,’ he said quietly. ‘I promise. But you have to promise something too.’
He reached across the table, brushing her fingers briefly as he took the autopsy folder she still held, not missing the subtle twitch of her hand or the quick intake of her breath at the contact. Within the folder he found the photo of the ‘I’ burned into the victim’s back and turned it so she could see it.
‘This is a threat, Lucy,’ he said softly. ‘You
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