Lawyer Trap

65





DAY TEN–SEPTEMBER 14

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON


A newly found crime scene always comes with a sense of exuberance. If you don’t contaminate it to death, it usually turns out to be the trailhead of the critical path to justice. The clues are always there. More importantly, the forensic ties are there—small, obscure, and hidden at first; then the size of mountains by the time they get paraded before the jury.

Fingerprints.

Fibers.

DNA.

But today Teffinger was looking for bigger things. “I’m not leaving this place until we find the eyes,” he said.

Sydney studied him, as if contemplating a question.

“What?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I just don’t understand this obsession with the eyes. That’s all.”

Teffinger kicked a rock, sending it skipping thirty feet down the asphalt driveway.

“I keep getting an image of the guy eating them,” he said. “I need to know that didn’t happen.”

She laughed.

“Teffinger, no more pizza before bed for you.”

He grunted.

“I didn’t say a dream, I said an image.”

But he had to admit she was right.

The concept was stupid.

“The guy probably didn’t like the way she was looking at him, after she was dead,” Sydney said. “So he took them out. I doubt there’s anything more to it than that.”

He knew she was probably right but still couldn’t get the image out of his brain. “I’ll make you a bet,” he said. “If you’re right, I’ll take you out to lunch or dinner at the restaurant of your choice.”

“Cool.”

“If I’m right, you have to keep my coffee cup filled up for a week.”

She shook her head.

“No way,” she said. “That’s twenty hours of work.”

He grinned.

“Okay, one day then.”

“A morning,” she said.

“Okay. But you have to get to work when I do.”

“No way. I’ll start at eight—eight till noon. That’s the deal.”

After Paul Kwak got the light stands in place, they processed the murder room, slowly and methodically. But it was the things that weren’t there that tugged harder and harder at Teffinger. For example, Brad Ripley’s snuff film showed a sheet on the mattress.

Where was that?

And the pillow?

And the rope?

He wandered outside and found a rusty dumpster in the back of the building, the old dangerous kind with the steel lid that’ll slam down and take your finger off if you give it half a chance. He muscled it up and propped it in place with a piece of wood. Inside he found several black plastic bags.

He put his gloves back on and pulled one out. Then ripped the side open.

Bloody sheets.

Bingo.

Then his cell phone rang and Davica’s voice came through. She called for no reason other than to say hi. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation this morning,” he said. “If being with a woman is important to you, then go for it.”

“You sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“You don’t sound sure.”

“To be honest, it’ll be a little hard. But I can handle it.”

“Do you want to be there?” she asked.

“Not really.”

A pause.

“I’m not so sure I want to anymore. But I do know one thing. I’m not going to let you fight me off much longer.”

Teffinger smiled.

“I’ll warn the little guy.”

“You do that.”

Three minutes later, Sydney appeared.

“There you are,” she said.

He nodded at the black plastic bag.

“The mother lode,” he said. “There are more in the dumpster.” Then he told her about the conversation with Davica.

She listened patiently and then said, “Congratulations.”

“On what?”

“You just passed your first major test.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means she was trying to find out if you’d put her happiness above your own,” she said. “And you did. I’m impressed.”

“So this was just a big test?”

“I thought it might have been all along.”

“Then why didn’t you say something?”

“Because that would have been cheating.”

“I thought you were on my side,” he said.

“Not when it comes to another woman. Besides, aren’t you glad you passed fair and square?”

He thought about it.

Yeah.

He was.

“Don’t go breaking her heart, Teffinger,” she added. “If she’s testing you, that means there’s a whole lot more going on than she’s letting on.”

“That’s fine with me,” he said. Which was true.

Then he looked at the dumpster. “If the eyes are anywhere, they’re in one of these plastic bags. If they’re not there, he ate them.”

She cocked her head.

“Okay, I’ll buy that, at least for the purpose of settling our bet.”