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“Wait a minute,” Jason said. “So you’re suggesting that Pink may have hit on the mermaid theme because Kyser carved some mermaid charms? And if Kyser had carved rabbit charms or leprechaun charms, Pink would have gone with that?”
Kennedy sighed. “I’m suggesting that we don’t know. I’m suggesting that we don’t assume. Let’s keep an open mind.”
“We do know that the mermaid theme is central to this case. Aside from the fact that mermaid charms were found at nearly all the crime scenes—in the victims’ mouths—the victims themselves could be viewed as mermaids. They were all taken from aquatic venues, most of them were in bathing suits, and they were all females of a certain physical type and age. So I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
Gervase answered before Kennedy could respond. “If the suggestion is that Kyser is still providing someone with mermaid charms, that’s not going to work. There was no charm found with Candy.”
“Yes, there was,” Jason said. “I picked it up and put it in my pocket, but I guess it fell out when the floor gave way. Anyway, somehow I lost it.”
“You lost it?” Kennedy, Gervase, and Boxner all repeated at the same time.
Jason said with asperity, “Yes. I lost it. While I was plunging fifty feet to the flooded room below.”
“Maybe twenty,” Kennedy said. “Still. Fair enough.”
Gervase sighed. “That’s too damn bad. We’ll never find it now. That place is a deathtrap. I guess one mermaid more or less doesn’t really make a difference.”
Jason grimaced. He already felt bad enough about dropping the charm without them trying to be understanding.
Abruptly he remembered that sense of recognition when he’d picked up the charm. The certainty that he knew it.
Well, that he recognized a copy of an original he knew well.
Except…no. For one strange moment, he had believed he was holding the original.
Yes. That was it. He’d felt the shock of recognition. Then the next instant, Candy had opened her eyes, and he’d forgotten all about the charm until he’d searched his pockets for it when he was receiving medical attention some hours later. That had been a sickening moment.
The phone on Gervase’s desk suddenly rang, buzzing loudly in the small office, and Jason jumped.
Kennedy threw him a curious look.
Gervase’s face changed as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. “Is she?” he said. “Well, thank God for that. When can we talk to her?”
More silent listening from the chief. More frowning.
Kennedy continued to study Jason. Jason met his gaze. Kennedy smiled faintly. Was something funny? Jason didn’t get the joke.
He glanced at Boxner who was watching him and Kennedy with narrow-eyed suspicion.
Great.
“We’re not going to interrogate her,” Gervase said into the phone. “We just want to ask her a few questions. We’ll be just as quick and careful as we can. It might end up saving someone else’s life.”
Buzzing on the other end.
“Well—”
“But—”
The chief’s eyes lightened. H
e looked at Kennedy and nodded. “So you think today for sure?”
A few more words were exchanged, and Gervase hung up the phone.
“Candy Davies regained consciousness about half an hour ago. She’s pretty groggy, but the doctor thinks she might be able to give her statement as early as this afternoon.”
“That’s good,” Kennedy said. “That’s very good news.”
