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She added drops of the dead man’s blood to the vial, shaking it gently. “What I do know is that there are things that occur in this world that if widely known would terrify every man, woman, and child on Earth and these things are best left in the shadows where they belong.”
“It’s me you’re talking to, Kathleen. I need to know what I’m dealing with. Have you seen that tattoo before?”
“Only in pictures from a class I took, the instructor a former DEA agent. He mentioned the organization in passing, although he didn’t know any of their identities or where they were located.”
“Then why bother sharing it with the class?”
“Because he said that they were hired to handle missions no one else wanted to tackle, like killing dignitaries or politicians.”
“In other words, they were ready to die to complete these missions.”
“Exactly. The tattoos were a sign of entrance into the exclusive club.”
Her confirmation meant at least that part of what Diego had told me wasn’t a fabrication. A moment of icy cold settled under my skin, moving in deep, so much so I had difficulty breathing. “Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“Because I saw the tattoo in a picture almost ten years ago. I wasn’t certain that’s what I was seeing and the first victim had certainly been murdered. Unlike this guy.”
“Yet the first victim might have come into town with a different purpose in mind.” I thought about what Diego had said about Desposito and knew I needed to spend some quality time alone searching the internet.
“Like what?”
“I’m just talking out loud. I need you to do me a favor as a friend and as a colleague.”
“You mean other than check the blood on the cloth?”
I nodded. “Someone leaked the information about the crime scene to Brandy. She was provided with more than she alluded to during the broadcast, which as you might imagine is unnerving.”
“You have a leak.”
“Maybe we do. Do you trust all your employees?”
She seemed taken aback. “They’re thoroughly screened before they’re hired, their backgrounds checked. That’s something my father taught me to do. Yes, I trust them. What about your people?”
“My deputies are top notch.”
“You have other staff members. Given the size of your office, the way people talk, anyone could have grabbed enough information about the crime scene to provide it to a reporter.”
“Yeah, but not with art.” I found the need to keep as much of what was being discovered to myself. “Don’t say anything about your findings to anyone but me. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, I can do that. You’re afraid this is just the beginning of something horrific. Aren’t you?”
“I am. Sadly, I’d bet on it.”
She narrowed her eyes as she turned toward me. “Does this have anything to do with the mystery hunk from the other night?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because I can tell when something is bothering you and whatever is going on, including your strange absence at a crime scene, is weighing heavily on your mind.”
Great. If I was that transparent, I could only imagine what Diego had thought.
“Let’s just say some people have a way of getting under your skin far too easily.”
“Always the cryptic answer. Fine. Have it your way. Well, I at least have one definitive answer. This victim did die of cyanide poisoning. I won’t know for certain until I perform the full autopsy, but I’ll guess it was from inhalation. It’s much quicker.”
“Let me know for certain, and about the blood.” I needed to talk to Desposito. Perhaps he could shed some light on what his nephew had been doing inside his house and why he bore the tattoo the kamikazes had.
She wrinkled her nose, which meant she had something else to say. “What? I know you too well, remember?”
