She only felt a cold, hard-eyed creature staring back from afar, and beyond these ice green eyes indistinct and distant images of a rough-hewn log cabin and a woman who was several hundred miles away. Who was the woman, where was the cabin? It wasn't in or around New Orleans, possibly not even in the state. She was sure of only one thing, and to set Alex Sincebaugh on his ass, maybe she ought to confide it to him now.
She heard someone behind her start and gasp, taken by surprise at her being in the room. The young assistant looked too frail and juvenile-her hair done up in a ponytail-to be here doing this kind of work. But the young woman found her nerve and demanded, “Just whoooo are you? No one's 'spos-ed to be in here without proper authorization.” She came directly into the room now and thrust the sheet back over the cadaver, asking again, “Who are you?”
The spell was broken but not before Kim knew who the killer was and what her relationship to the dead man had been. She wondered if sharing her newfound knowledge with Alex Sincebaugh might not help their already teetering relationship. Listen here, Lieutenant, she wanted to shout, yesterday's victim, the headless one… “Yeah, what about it?” he'd gruffly reply.
“ You can't be here!” The M.E.'s technician was pulling her away from the body now. “Do you know the deceased?” she asked. “We've been unable to identify him. You'd better talk with Dr. Wardlaw.”
“ I am Dr. Kim Desinor. I was told that I could do a psychometric reading over the body of the Hearts victim. I was given clearance to do so.”
“ Nobody told us down here a thing about it, Dr… ahhh-''
“ Desinor, Dr. Kim Desinor. I'm going to be on the case for a while, and I'd like your-and everyone's-help and cooperation, Miss… ahhh-”
“ Penwarren, ma'am, Amy. Still, I think you should come away with me to Dr. Wardlaw's office.”
“ That'll be just fine, Amy. I think I've got what I've come for.” She found Jessica Coran in Wardlaw's labyrinthian laboratory located just off his office, the two of them finishing up reports, prepping tissue and blood samples, discussing the case like old friends, obviously having formed some common bond, M.E. to M.E. she gathered.
“ The Hearts killer didn't do yesterday's victim,” she announced to them. “Someone answering to the name of Beau, a woman, killed him, very likely someone who placed a missing person's report on him. I'm calling Sincebaugh to ask him to follow that lead.”
The two medical doctors stared at her, wondering. The technician spoke behind Kim, saying, “I found Dr. Desinor in with yesterday's John Doe when I went in for the body. She was… examining it.”
Jessica's look of astonishment dimmed quickly. “Ahhh, you saw the tattoo, then.” Jessica paused long enough to introduce Wardlaw and Kim to one another.
“ I did more than read the man's tattoos, believe me,” Kim said now. “You'll find that he was poisoned by his live-in lover or wife. She did the rest of the damage after death, all meant to cover her tracks.”
Wardlaw's jaw went slack and Jessica's awe crept back across her face. Wardlaw said, “There's no way you can know either fact.” “There is one way. The dead man told me so. Can I use your phone, Dr. Wardlaw?”
It was late afternoon now, and Kim was told that Alex Sincebaugh had gone off duty and wasn't likely to return. So she asked for his captain.
Later, in his office, Landry was polite, listening to what she had to say, and he promised to follow up on her information, saying that he'd get Missing Persons on it immediately.
“ I think you'll find some surprising results,” she promised.
“ You're convinced then that the man pulled from the river at Gretna yesterday has no bearing on the Hearts case other than in gross and superficial similarities?”
“ Absolutely and well put, Captain.”
“ Interesting…”
She heard more in this single word than he'd wished to convey, she was sure. “You've theorized as much already?” she asked now.
“ Not me… Alex Sincebaugh.”
“ Really? He does sound like a remarkably intuitive detective, Captain.”
“ That he is…that he is…”
“ I'm sure the age difference and the decapitation must have instantly alerted him.”
“ Yes, but what alerted you, Doctor?”
“ Of course, I saw the same when I looked in on the body this afternoon.”
“ We'd already put out a call to Missing Persons, knowing of the tattoo and other distinguishing marks,” he told her, which explained why he'd been so calm about her revelations.
“ Yes, understandable,” she replied, “but did you also know that the man was poisoned?”
“ Poisoned?”
“ And that the mutilation occurred after death?”
Landry asked, “Does Coran have any scientific proof to back you on this call?”
“ She will, in time.”
“ She'd told me that it was highly unlikely that the Queen of Hearts killer would suddenly escalate to beheadings and then not repeat the performance on his next victim. Said the usual escalation signs would be repeated, and then when we got this morning's cadaver, well, neither she nor anyone else could tell me which man was killed first, the Gretna body or the Toulouse Wharf body.”
Kim stood up and paced Landry's office, a place filled with bric-a-brac-supplied almost entirely by his wife, he'd said. She took in a deep breath before plunging ahead. “In time, Dr. Coran and Dr. Wardlaw will discover that yesterday's victim was killed by some poison, most likely downers, barbi-tuates ingested with a meal.” Landry could only scratch the back of his head and wonder at the chutzpah shown by this handsome woman before him. She had just climbed out on one hell of a shaky limb, unless she had somehow gotten information out of Wardlaw or one of his assistants as to how they were leaning in the lab. He made a mental note to check with Coran and Wardlaw the moment he was finished with Dr. Desinor. Most likely the so-called psychic had simply picked up some clues from Jessica Coran and had merely extrapolated from something she might have been guessing at or mulling over.
“ We've been running this through our Missing Persons Department since discovery yesterday, but nothing's come of it. As I said, I'll give it a push.”
“ Widen your sweep. Include surrounding states-say, Texas. Something about Texas clicked in earlier, something about a lone star… steers… a Texas penal colony…”
“ All right, will do, Dr. Desinor. Anything else you think I should know about?”
She could hear the skepticism in his voice even as he choked it back.
“ Obviously, you weren't instrumental in getting me on board here, Captain,” she said.
He waved that off, saying, “Now hold on. I've extended you every courtesy.”
“ Crazily enough, you've extended me far more courtesy than those who are paying my fee.”
He raised an eyebrow at this, but only repeated himself, asking, “Is there anything else you'd like to add to your… ahhhh…report, Doctor?''
“ No, that's it, except when your men check, have them look for a Beau, someone answering to that name.”
“ Gotcha, Doctor.”
“ Could be a nickname, and as I said, I believe he was poisoned by a wife or live-in lover. Could be her nick name.”
He waved her out the door, nodding in an officious manner. She stepped out into the squad room, and instantly knew which vacant desk belonged to Alex Sincebaugh. It was far neater than any other in the room. When she raised her eyes, she found herself staring up at Jessica Coran, who was leaning against an entry way door jamb, looking exhausted but pleasantly pleased with herself. She must enjoy her work thoroughly, Kim thought.
“ So, do you think we're all on the same wavelength, Dr. Faith?” asked Jessica.
“ Yes, matter of fact we all are, including our reluctant Lieutenant Sincebaugh.”
“ Really?”
“ Want to get dinner and talk about it?” Kim offered. “I'm buying.”
“ Frankly, I need to get away from it… altogether for a while. Besides, I have a date.”
“ The pilot?”
