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Chapter28
THE SMALL OLD HONDAwith the bad muffler was wedged next to a huge rusted construction Dumpster, like an enormous barnacle on a ship’s metal hull.
Decker and Mars stood a few feet away. Decker’s gaze swept over the car and the environs, before alighting on the blue-scrubbed tech collecting evidence.
“Hey again, Decker,” said Kelly Fairweather. “Who’s your friend?”
“Melvin Mars,” said Mars, stepping forward and putting out his hand. “I’m, uh, assisting Agent Decker in this investigation.”
“Cool,” said Fairweather.
“What do you have so far?” asked Decker, keeping one eye on Natty, who was consulting with another tech on the other side of the Honda.
“Well, for starters, no prints other than Susan Richards’s. Inside or out.”
“Makes sense, itisher car,” said Mars.
“Her luggage gone from the back?” asked Decker.
“Yep. Nothing there.”
“Keys?”
“No keys.”
“No meaningful trace?”
“No blood, semen, body parts, human tissue, or other significant biological remains.”
“No sign of another person being in the car?”
“Nope. Just her.”
“Mind if I take a look?” asked Decker.
“Go ahead. Use these.”
He moved toward the car after slapping on the pair of latex gloves Fairweather had handed him. Mars followed behind him.
Natty looked up as Decker approached, but then returned to his conversation with the other tech.
All four doors of the Honda were open, and so was the trunk liftgate. Decker pointed to the Dumpster. “I’m assuming someone checked for a body in there.”
Fairweather nodded and made a face. “We did. Nothing but trash. I’ll need a tetanus booster.”
“No evidence from her or the car in it?”
“Not that we could find.”
Decker ran his eye over all of this and then poked his head inside the front driver’s-side door and checked the seats there. He did the same for the rear seats as Mars hovered by his shoulder.
“Kelly, have you logged the positions for all prints you found, interior and exterior?”
She nodded and pulled out an electronic pad. “All on here. Lot easier than the way we used to do it years ago, right?”
“Right,” said Decker absently as he looked over the different digital screens.
Fairweather said, “All the usual places. Steering wheel, cupholder, console, glove compartment, gearshift, control knobs, rearview mirror, dashboard, inside of the door and window.”
