Page 156 of 1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Forty-Two

“Sorry,” she murmured. “I have tobe careful. This is...”

“No, ignore me. Take your time.”

Jackson had seen the worst of what man could do to others inmany different ways. Still, there was somethingunsettling about the painstaking removal of the skin on a man’s hand.

In short order, it was off.

The upper layer of skin separated.

“Now...” Kat murmured and then paused. “Actually, this willwork better with you. Size-wise,” she said.

“Oh, uh...”

“Yeah. I need you to put his skin on like a glove. Youalready have disposables on, naturally, so it’s not as disgusting and creepy asyou might think. I’ll slide it on carefully and slowly—if you’re all right withthat.”

“Kat, when have you known me not to dosomething when it was necessary?” he asked, offering her his hand.

The act of sliding the skin over his gloved hand was aspainstaking and meticulous as the removal of it.

But then it was done. And Kat had ink pads out and ready onanother table.

It took another twenty minutes at least, but in that time,they had a full set of prints for the man who lay on the gurney.

“Wonderful!” Kat said, seemingly both pleased and relieved.“I’ll get these into every database we know of immediately. We might have an IDsoon.”

“Perfect. Great. We can get moving on this and see if theman had any contact with the other victims. If we can associate them...”

“Patrick kept us all informed,” Kat said. “We know thatMercy and Arnold knew one another. But that text... it didn’t sound as if theyhad a dating thing going on or anything like that. Nor did their jobs coincide.Mercy made some real money, and I would guess that Arnold was respectfullypaid, but from what we’ve seen so far on social media, Mercy played somehigh-stakes games. She was a flight attendant but apparently worked for severalbig-money people and corporations. She didn’t work commercial flights, ratheron private, very expensive luxury planes.”

“Coming in and out of the country,” Jackson murmured.

“What are you thinking? Drug deals?” Kat asked.

“Quite possibly. It’s a theory for now. Keep at it. Andthank you.”

“Where are you off to?”

“The cemetery. I’m going to meet up with Angela and Patrick.And then I’m going to find out how our people have been doing on searchingthrough the neighborhood videos and traffic cam footage. I believe OfficerWhittaker is alive. And I intend to find him that way.”

* * * *

Angela didn’t see their Revolutionary War ghost whenshe and Patrick arrived. They checked in with the police and walked toward theRobertson tomb.

“I’m not sure what else you think we’re going to find,Angela,” Patrick said. “Our crime scene investigators were here. You know theywent over the place more than once. That’s one thing Jackson impresseson us all. We’re a team, and we get things done and have results becausewe are a team. Yes, a bit of a different one, but still.”

“I know. But... when that writer was in today, he didn’t saymuch that was helpful. Except that he had the same feeling I’ve been having.Something is... off. I can’t help but believe it has something to do with thetomb.”

“What do you think it could be?”

She shook her head. “I want to know more about the architectwho designed the place. Maybe that will help. I’d intended to look into it already—”

“Hard to do everything at once,” Patrick said.

“I know. And this is my hang-up, I guess. I believe it’sgoing to be important to find out if all three of the victims were together insomething. Mercy texted that she wanted out, suggesting they were involved insomething criminal.”

“Or she didn’t want to play Dungeons and Dragons withthem anymore.”

Angela made a face at Patrick. “Come on, Patrick, what doyou feel?” she asked.