“She’s a blonde.”
His lists were suddenly useless. “Eye color?”
“Green. She’s five foot five. About a hundred and twenty pounds. I’ve tightened the time of death down to five to seven days . . . give or take a day or two.” She met Evan’s gaze. “Does that line up with any of your missing women?”
“Not yet,” said Evan. “I’ll expand my parameters. It’s possible she hasn’t been reported missing yet.”
“Didn’t two of your other recent victims have long blonde hair? And were about the same age and size?”
Dr. Lockhart had done both their autopsies.
“You have a good memory.”
“After we left the crime scene yesterday, I looked them up. It was seeing you that prompted my memory. You always show up for the autopsies—unlike some other detectives—and I knew you’d been here for young women recently.”
“Attending autopsies isn’t for everyone,” Evan said, thinking of Noelle Marshall.
“I know. I don’t judge.”
“Anything else you’ve come across that can help me out?” he asked.
Dr. Lockhart straightened her back and twisted her shoulders. “She has two tattoos. They’re hard to see with the discoloration. I’ll include photos in my report, but there’s one on the inside of her right ankle and another just below her hair on her neck.”
Evan stepped closer, remembering he’d noticed the ankle tattoo the day before. “Looks like a tiny daisy.” The loosened flesh had distorted it.
“The one on her neck is a yin and yang symbol. It’s also small. About two centimeters. Do you want to see?”
He studied the victim’s head. It would be awkward to move the body for him to view it at that moment. “I’ll wait and look at the photos. Anything unusual about the neck one?”
“Nope. Looks like the dozens of other yin and yang tattoos I’ve seen.”
“Any other distinguishing marks or scars?”
“I didn’t see any. We took thorough photos of everything before I started today. X-rays too.”
“What about her dental charting?” he asked.
“You’ll have her dental films and charting in my report. But I will say she’s had good dental care. Straight teeth with only a few composite fillings. A perfect smile.”
With the victim’s face so disfigured, Evan struggled to imagine a perfect smile. He could see some of her teeth because her mouth hung open. But even his imagination couldn’t see a young woman with a warm smile.
“Thanks for your help, Doctor,” Evan said. “I’ll keep you updated.”
She met his gaze. “Like we discussed . . . this is similar to your other two cases.”
“I know.”
“Does the public need to be notified?” she asked softly.
Evan understood what she hadn’t said: the ME was concerned a serial killer was in the area. “I’ve been weighing that,” he told her. “But there’s been no physical evidence to connect the three young women.”
“Yet.”
Evan nodded. “Yet.”
Dr. Lockhart held his gaze for another long second and then turned her attention back to the victim. “Keep me updated,” she said, repeating Evan’s phrase.
He felt as if he’d been judged and found guilty.
Am I not being proactive?
Evan didn’t want to jump to conclusions. He would continue to study all three cases from every angle. If there was a serial killer preying on young women, the public deserved to know. But he wasn’t sure yet. And he didn’t want to raise a false alarm.
“Have a good day, Natasha.”
“You too, Evan.”
He turned and walked to the door, where he stripped off his personal protective wear and tossed it in the bin. A minute later he was outside, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. The temperature had gone up at least ten degrees, and the welcome sun baked his head.
Is there a serial killer?
16
“This is an investigation—my investigation—and you have no business here,” the doctor snapped, her dark eyes glaring lasers at Rowan.
Rowan stood her ground at the forensic anthropologist’s order. “I know. And I do have business here. I found the victim yesterday, which led to the additional discovery of these bones.” She gestured at the taped-off scene under the pines.
It was hot out. Much warmer than the day before. Six people were working in the area where the bones had been discovered. There were two deputies, a photographer, two techs working in the dirt, and the forensic anthropologist. They’d taped off a very large area to search because it was assumed bones had been scattered by wildlife. A grid of string and small stakes covered the immediate area of the remains they’d found the previous day.