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“Hm.” Jason stacked the photos and began sorting through them. “So Honey has a mermaid on her keychain, but then no mermaid turns up again until Jody. Then no mermaid until victim number six, Susan Parvel. And the remaining victim had a mermaid.”
“Correct.”
“And now Rebecca.”
“Again correct.”
“Got it.” Jason picked up the magnifying glass and resumed his examination of each and every mermaid.
Very interesting. Not at all typical New England nautical folk art. These almost reminded him of netsuke. Japanese miniatures sculpted out of ivory, shells, hardwoods, gemstones, or ceramics.
The subject matter was not typical of traditional netsuke though. At least he didn’t think mermaids figured largely in Japanese mythology.
Either way, he kept coming back to his conviction this was distinct craftsmanship. This was the work of an artist.
He was jolted out of his thoughts as Kennedy pushed back his chair and rose, saying, “I’m going to check out the original crime scenes.”
“Okay.” Was Kennedy expecting to pick up psychic vibrations or something? Or did he think it would be possible to pick up some overlooked clue this long after the fact?
Some of what Jason was thinking must have shown on his face because Kennedy added, “Mostly I need to clear my thoughts. Stretch my legs.”
“Sure.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Right.”
That was clear enough—and a relief, of course. Jason had not expected that they would spend another night together. Had not been hoping for it. Had, by maintaining a cool distance, tried to convey he would not be open to it. So it was weird to feel that jolt of letdown.
He listened to Kennedy’s footsteps die out down the hallway and then turned on his laptop and began to search the web.
No joy.
Was it possible that Pink had acquired additional mermaids?
No. They would surely have turned up at his house. They’d have been used as evidence during his trial. They’d have been too important not to use. One reason they hadn’t been placed into evidence at Pink’s trial was the uncertainty of where they fit in. Not all of the victims had been found with mermaid charms.
You never wanted to enter anything into evidence which might lead in an unpredictable direction.
Anyway, no. The mermaids had been purchased through George Simpson’s gift shop. That mysterious old stock Simpson had been unable to match to a vendor.
What if Simpson was lying? He’d come under suspicion for some reason, and it had to be for more than owning the shop where the mermaid trinkets were sold. What if he had carved the mermaids himself and lied about it?
No. If Simpson had that kind of skill, there would be physical evidence of it. Plus, Honey’s purchase of the original mermaid messed up the timeline. Right?
Jason made a mental note to check Simpson’s file for himsel
f, see how he had first come under suspicion—and why those suspicions had been ultimately dismissed.
In the meantime…he used the office printer to scan a few of the photos and then emailed them to his list of dealer and gallery contacts.
They might get a hit right away or not at all. Probably not at all if these really were the work of a local artist or a gifted amateur.
Again, if that was the case, someone on the original taskforce should have recognized the work of a local craftsman. These carvings were exquisite.
Memorable.
Which gave him hope one of his own contacts might recognize the craftsmanship—or be able to point him in the direction of someone who would.
