“I can make a substantial contribution to a museum like this one,” continued Kendel. “The effect of my work would have much less impact at a really big museum. The geology collection here is already one of the best in the Southeast and it keeps growing. On each of Mike’s excursions he sends back a unique selection of rock and mineral specimens and their petro-genesis. More and more of Bartram’s graduate students in geology are coming to the museum to use our reference collection in their research. I’ve been working closely with the Geology Department on their exhibits. They’re one of our strengths.”
Diane knew that was true. The geology exhibits alone had raised the museum’s ranking in the eyes of neighboring universities.
“I’m pleased to hear that you’re happy here. I just want you to feel free to consider options when the headhunters come to you.”
“Not a problem. That’s another thing, they can’t offer me the freedom I have here. Another quality I like about this museum is the lack of politics-and that’s mainly your influence. I can concentrate on the collections and not constantly worry about sensitive egos and political agendas. Other museums aren’t like that. This is a good place.”
RiverTrail was indeed a good place. Diane counted it as one of her major jobs as director to keep it always a good place.
Kendel was summoned back to her office for some pressing matter, and Diane went to her other job-the one in the crime lab-for a different kind of pressing matter.
“We have the autopsy reports for Blake Stanton and Marcus McNair,” said Neva.
“Bring them to my osteology office,” said Diane, as she passed through. Even though she was more relaxed taking a hands-off approach to the investigations, she had had enough. It was not in her nature to avoid the thick of things.
Neva, David, and Jin followed on her heels. When Diane sat behind her desk, Neva handed her all the reports, including crime scene and autopsy photos.
Diane started with McNair’s autopsy report. The cause of death was the gunshot to the head. He might have survived the hit to the chest. She flipped through the photographs of the scene. It was strange seeing McNair lying dead-the smirk finally gone from his face, permanently and forever wiped away.
She searched for the autopsy photos of McNair and Stanton, the head wounds in particular. She laid them side by side. Both bodies had a similarly sized hole in the middle of their forehead. McNair’s had a large inflamed area around the wound. Neither had powder tattooing. Rankin noted the lack of tattooing, but made no conclusions. Rankin rarely went beyond what he knew.
“Did I hear you guys say the detective in charge thinks all shots were fired at a distance?” asked Diane.
“Yes,” said Neva.
“Rosewood detectives don’t get much experience with bullet wounds made by a gun with a silencer,” said Diane. “And since no one in either scene heard anything, I believe a silencer was used.”
Diane turned the photos around so they could see them. “Look at McNair’s. The detective thought it was not a contact wound because of the lack of tattooing. But you often don’t get tattooing with a silencer. This red ring is the muzzle imprint. Notice that it’s erythematous-red and inflamed looking-and not abraded, as the muzzle imprint of a gun without a silencer would be. If we find the silencer, it will probably have the victim’s tissue inside it.”
Neva picked up the photograph and examined it. Jin looked over her shoulder. David hung back. Examining autopsy photos was not his favorite thing to do.
“If you look at Blake’s wound,” said Diane, “there’s no stippling or muzzle imprint. He was shot from a distance. The bullet was found in his head-which may mean that considerable energy was lost before impact-also a factor with silencers, but that doesn’t prove a silencer was used. It’s just suggestive.”
“So what do you make of it?” asked Neva.
“McNair’s murder was personal. The shooter hits him in the knee first. That hurts. Then they shoot him in the chest, and for good measure they come right up to him and shoot him in the head point-blank.”
“It sounds personal to me,” said Jin.
“It was also someone who knew his schedule,” said David. “You would have to know McNair or shadow him for a while to know his habits.”
Diane agreed. “With Blake Stanton,” she said, “it wasn’t as personal-or maybe the shooter couldn’t get any closer.” Diane shrugged. “Or maybe it was a different killer altogether.”
She looked at the report again. “It says here that McNair was probably killed with a Beretta-same type of gun as Stanton. I think both murders were executions and probably done by the same person.”
“What about Joana?” asked Neva. “She wasn’t even killed with a gun. Besides, it looks like her death may have been an accident.”
“At least an accident that it happened before the killer got the information he wanted,” said Diane. “But you’re right, it doesn’t have the same feel to it as the others-despite the fact that similarly dressed individuals were spotted at both scenes.” Diane thought a moment. “Find out for me if the guy who found the body, the second jogger, also has regular running habits.”
“You suspect him?” asked Jin.
“The killer would know when someone was likely to come along if he’d been casing the trail where McNair was ambushed. That’s the thing about dedicated joggers-you can set your clock by them.”
“I don’t see the connection,” said Jin.
“Maybe the killer wanted to be seen. Assume for a moment that both Stanton and McNair were killed by the same person. He seems to be professional; he left very few clues. Why then would he show himself at a time and place where he knew he was likely to be seen?”
“Good thought,” said David. “You thinking he disguised himself as another suspect? Could happen; the description was in the news as well as all over the neighborhood. In that case, there might be no link between Joana Cipriano and Marcus McNair. The detectives are just running in circles trying to make a connection.”
“All of this is conjecture,” said Diane. “But it is something to think about.”
“We need to look at each crime scene with a fresh eye,” said Jin. “Just look at the evidence and build from there… ”
As Diane listened to Jin, she picked up Neva’s report on the processing of her car that had been lying on her desk for days. She absently thumbed through it and stopped abruptly, stood, and stared at the page.
“Where is the evidence you gathered from my car?” said Diane.
Jin stopped in the middle of what he was saying. “What?” he asked.
“Which one?” asked David.
“The first one, the carjacking,” said Neva, looking at the report Diane was holding. “It’s all in the evidence locker.” She pointed in the direction of the crime lab.
Diane rushed out of her office, through the osteology lab, and into the crime lab. She made a beeline for the evidence locker, keyed in the digitized combination, opened it, and walked in. The box she was looking for was right up front. It was labeled with her name, the make and model of her car, Blake Stanton’s name, and the date and time, written in neat black lettering on the end. She pulled it out and set it on the table.
Jin, Neva, and David had followed her. They stood looking at each other quizzically and shrugged.
“Is something wrong?” asked Neva
Diane ignored her as she searched through the box for the evidence bags. She found the bag she was looking for, initialed it, opened the seal, and poured out the contents into her hand where she examined them closely before placing them on the table.
“These are
“Sorry, I thought they were seashells.” Neva creased her forehead in a worried frown.
Chapter 29
“They look like those shells that you see in African motifs,” said Neva. “That’s what I thought they were.
“Cowrie shells,” said Diane. “Golden cowries-they are worth about three hundred dollars apiece.”
