Page 43 of The Deadly Shallows

Noah and Caleb stepped around the head of the autopsy table, each grabbing and slipping on a pair of gloves.

“Good, now come around by me,” Hadley said. “I’m going to roll John Doe One over.”

“Let us help,” Noah offered.

“That’s all right,” Hadley said, sliding one hand under the man’s neck, the other clasped on the man’s arm as he rolled him over.

Noah’s gaze narrowed in on the image. “Is that . . . ?”

“A branding mark,” Hadley said. “On his upper left arm.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Caleb said.

Neither had Noah. “What is the image of?” He leaned in closer, studying the interlaced lines, the image interpreted in a variety of ways depending on the part he focused on. Three interlocking triangles.

“I don’t know,” Hadley said after Noah and Caleb had examined it thoroughly.

“Is it Celtic?” Caleb asked, his gaze pensive.

“Possibly,” Noah said. “I’ll send images—” He looked up at Hadley. “If it’s okay with you, I’ll photograph it and send the images to Em and Logan.”

“Please do,” Hadley said. “I’m convinced that pair can find anything.”

“Agreed,” Noah said, snapping pictures on his phone.

Once done, Hadley rested the man’s back flat on the exam table. “Another point of interest,” he said. “After finding this, I had a hunch and checked. All of the shooters have the same brand.”

TWENTY-THREE

Caleb caught sight of Austin walking past the door of Noah’s hospital-room-turned-satellite-office.

“Austin,” he called, hoping she’d stop, hoping he’d get to be with her for a few minutes before their case-board meeting started. He shook his head. What was happening to him?

“Hey,” she said, entering.

He wouldn’t bring himself to note how the dipping rays of the sun highlighted her blond hair, or how the dress she wore fit her curves perfectly. He was a man, for goodness’ sake. Men didn’t comment on shimmering hair—at least not men like him.

“Wow!” she said. “How did you get the hospital to let you bring in a giant whiteboard?”

“I bribed the front-desk volunteers with an appetizer platter from Dockside and, of course, sweet tea for the sweet ladies.”

She arched a brow. “A charmer? Interesting . . .”

He chuckled. “You don’t have to sound so shocked. I can be charming when I want to be.”

She smirked. “I just might have to hold you to that.”

Man, he loved bantering with this woman. “Noah said you came by to see Brooke. Did you have a nice visit?”

“Yeah. I wanted to let her know I’m keeping her in prayer, and I brought her some flowers and my grandma’s red velvet cookies.”

“Those sound good.”

“I’ll have to make you some—” She cleared her throat. “I mean, if you’d like . . . one day . . .”

“I’d like that. Maybe we could make them together sometime.” The thought of more time with Austin, no matter how they spent it, made him happy. She warmed his soul in a way he’d never experienced before. The woman still drove him mad at times, but there was so much more there.

Red flushed Austin’s cheeks.