“Yes.CSI said the dirt from the killer’s boots is from Virginia.”
“How can they tell?”
“Hell if I know.They go to school for a long time and learn how to use very expensive machines.”
“Jesus.”Marcus sighed.“All right.I’ll go talk to the priest.What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to talk to the crime lab.I’m also going to make a call to Gabe.”
“Gabe?”
“I’m convinced those objects are the cipher.Gabe might know what kind of cipher and how to interpret them.”
Marcus nodded.He didn’t look angry anymore, just resigned.That was fine.Resigned Marcus wouldn’t get in her way.
So that’s what we’ve become now.Partners who stay out of each other’s way.
She pushed that emotional thought away and walked toward the cruiser.It was French’s cruiser, and it occurred to Kate that they’d need a rental car, but she could handle that after she talked to Gabe and the crime lab.
Professor Gabriel Levine was renowned in the field of Linguistics and the head of that department at New York University.He was also Kate’s mentor and the man who had encouraged her to leave academia and pursue law enforcement after her father died.He was the person Kate trusted most to understand her instincts when it came to encrypted messages.
She called Gabe and got his voicemail.She left him a quick note to call her back, then called the crime lab.The phone was answered by a bored-sounding middle-aged woman with a soft Middle Eastern accent."Montgomery County Crime Lab."
“Hi, this is Special Agent Kate Valentine, FBI.I have a question regarding the scene of Schulz, Warren, fifty-three-year-old male.”
“Badge number?”
“0914-BQ.”
“One moment.”
French trotted to the cruiser carrying the bagged bird.He smiled at Kate and asked, “Where’s the big guy?”
“Following up on a lead at the church.”
His eyes widened, impressed.“Wow.You guys move quickly.”
That’s what happens when you actually give a shit.
She kept that thought to herself.She really needed to get her emotions under control.It was just hard to do that when it felt like everyone was watching and waiting for her to implode.
“Special Agent Valentine?”a new voice said over the phone.This one was male, younger, and more energetic.
“Yes,” Kate replied.“Are you the lead criminalist for the Warren Schulz scene?”
“Yes, ma’am.How can I help you?”
“I heard from the detective on scene that you found soil from Virginia?”
“Yes, we did.”
“Any idea where exactly in Virginia?”
“The Virginia Piedmont.We’ve got chips of gneiss, schist, and granite with acidic red clay.The ratios suggest proximity to the James River specifically.”
Kate jotted down,James River.“Got it.Anything else?”
“Related to the soil?No.Related to the crime scene, we’ve confirmed the use of black latex gloves to strangle Mr.Schulz.Some of the dye embedded itself in his skin.”
