The guy nodded and turned around. “T-boy, come out here a second.”
The guy, who looked much younger and more clean-cut, came out scrubbing his hand through his hair and stretching his back. He smiled. “Sorry, I’ve been at it for a few hours.”
“Hey, man. They want us to look at this picture. It’s fucking bad, man.” The guy seemed genuine, and Darek couldn’t blame him for warning his friend.
T-boy glanced down at the image. “Holy shit. I’ve never seen that before. Is that person dead?”
“Her name is Alicia David,” Darek said, but he could tell the name didn’t ring a bell. The guy made a face, but it was more of the same disgust for having to see her blood.
Lizzy wasn’t impressed. “You two are a bit squeamish for people who deal with blood on a daily basis.”
“We deal with ink. Blood is part of it, sure, but a little bit of leaking plasma is a hell of a lot different than you showing us some poor girl who had been stabbed to death.”
“Gonna give me fucking nightmares for a month, man. Not cool.” T-boy stood with his hand on his heart and gave his friend a glance.
“You can return to your client, and thank you, T-boy.” Lizzy gave the kid a warm smile, and he turned and walked away.
“Tell us what you can about the tattoo.” Darek tapped the photo.
Felix looked at the page and took a deep breath. “It took some time. A large piece like this takes a few sittings. It’s not that detailed. Maybe three sessions at most. But I can tell you that the outline on the wheel was done first; not only because it’s where I’d start, but because of the healing. The symbols are also in different stages of healing. I see a few have scabbed, but this one, the arrow, it’s fresh. Done most likely the same day or just hours before. You can see the plasma oozing. It’s not even scabbed over.”
“It’s Sagittarius,” Darek said. Lizzy gave him a look like it was the first impressive thing he’d said all day. “It’s my sign.” He gave a shrug but didn’t bother mentioning he had the symbol branded into his arm.
Felix nodded. “Yeah, this is the zodiac. I only recognize a few of the symbols and can put the name with them. Not too many people get these anymore. I know the one that looks like sixty-nine is Cancer. I used to tease my girlfriend about it.” He gave a little half-hearted laugh.
“Is there anything else you can tell me; anything about the artist?” Darek asked.
“They’re pretty good, clean lines, no blowouts, good saturation. He’s a pro. Probably someone who has been tattooing for years. The city is full of them. Ever since those tattoo shows started coming up all over the place, so have the artists. There are novices all around, too. People who want to learn, but don’t want to go through the legalities. The equipment is easy to get, too. They sell it online, and as long as you don’t get caught, you’re not going to get in any trouble.”
“Wow, so someone could do this kind of thing on the go, then. Like a tattoo artist making house calls?”
“It’s possible. In fact, there are some of us who do those type of appointments, but everyone that I know who does it has a legitimate shop.”
“Thanks, man. You’ve been more than helpful.” Darek put out his hand, and he noticed Lizzy give him a sideward glance as if she disapproved.
The man shook his hand. “Anytime, man. Just leave the gory photos at home. I have a daughter, so I can’t say I’ll forget that anytime soon. But you come on by if you ever need some ink. I’ll hook you up.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Darek turned around and headed out the door with Lizzy, knowing he’d never let another person mark his flesh again.
“Do you have any tattoos?” she asked as they headed back to her car.
“Nope, not a one.” It wasn’t a lie. His symbol had been burned into his skin, not inked.
5
Darek
Megan stood in the living room, sipping her coffee, when Darek passed her on his way to the kitchen. He needed his own morning brew and wondered if she’d bothered to make him some. When they’d first been together, she’d have his special blend loaded into the maker and ready to go, but those days were long over.
“I was just about to get you up,” she said. “I guess this was what the phone call was all about?” Her voice carried into the kitchen, where no coffee was waiting for him.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, lifting his voice.
“This.” The volume on the TV went up so loud, he could hear it from the kitchen.
“The victim was identified as Alicia David, a twenty-three-year-old escort and city local. The police now have the difficult job of figuring out just who is sending a message.”
He’d missed most of the report, but it was obvious the reporter had been well-informed. “Son of a bitch.” He was so pissed off, he didn’t want the coffee anymore.
“Is that what you’re working on? That’s horrible! You’re going to be working overtime now, right? Just when I thought things would settle down.” Megan groaned; her eyes still filled with horror from the report.
“I told you from the start, baby, this is a homicide detective’s life.”
“You should have told me it would be this bad. This could be a serial killer. Not only do I have to worry about something happening to you on the job, but something could happen to me! I’ve watched TV and movies. The detective’s wife ends up with her head in a box, or raped, or worse—kidnappings, torture.”
“And this is why none of this shit is supposed to be leaked to the press,” he said. “I’m not even supposed to tell you about it. And I’m not discussing it with you now. Stop watching the news.” He knew telling her that was like talking to a wall. She was way too nosey for her own good.
“I have a right to know what you’re doing all day. I’m your wife. And I hate to break it to you, detective, but I’m not about to keep trying for a baby with all of this going on. I will not have our child be some revenge sacrifice to some Zodiac monster. They said this is like that murder a long time ago, but modern day.”
He went back to the coffee pot and got it started on his cup. “This is nothing like the Zodiac Killer case. You don’t even know what you’re talking about, which is why you don’t need to be watching that shit. As for a baby, you just decided this on your own, without talking to me about it?”
She stood in the doorway to the kitchen. “It’s ultimately my decision, and I said no. I’ve thought about it a lot since you didn’t come home, and this is further proof it’s a terrible idea.”
Darek realized he needed to give up on the idea of having a baby with Megan, and to his surprise, he was actually fine with it. “Good to know. Anything else you’ve been thinking about?” He looked up and crossed his arms.
“A divorce, maybe.” She crossed her own arms and shrugged, giving him a teasing grin.